Capilano Courier // Volume 48 // Issue 12

VOL UME

48

NORTH VANCOUVER, NOVEMBER 24TH 2014

ISSUE

N O . 12

WINTER MAGIC WITH FLEETWOOD MAC LOVE BUGS AND CHARLES MANSON

CAPILANO Courier

@capilanocourier

VOLUME 48 I SSUE N O . 12

@capilanocourier capilanocourier.com

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News

A+C

Art shorts

FeAtures

opiNioNs

ColumNs

CAboose

Budgets & Voltage

Bud Buddies

Japanese Law Enforcement Society

From Capilano To Careers

One Horse Pope In Sleigh

Winter Weight

Cheap Gift Guide

ON the Cover Jr piNto

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS:

Javier R. Pinto is a young artist from Madrid, Spain.

JR has contributed to our pages since day one of Volume 48. Now that he's been a part of our lives we dont want to live without him. His artwork and colour bring so much vibrance to our pages.To see more of his work, visit Jrpinto.co or email jrpinto.ma@gmail.com. Go shred the gnar brah!

CONTRIBUTING ARTISTS:

James Martin, Gurpreet Kambo, Max Ley, Rosanna Hemple, Cianda Bourrel, Ben Bengtson, Scott Barkemeyer, Kevin Kapenda

J.R. Pinto, Vivian Liu, Guillem Rovira, James Saville, Samantha Smith, Lucy Webber, Sydney Parent, Arin Ringwald, Ksenia Kozhevnikova. Olliemoonsta THANK YOU

To everyone who's assisted, stayed late, missed us when we stayed late, brought beer, sent love and supportive texts, and of yours all you who have picked up the Courier. Hi Mom!

THE CAPILANO COURIER.

VOLUME 48 I SSUE N O . 12

To advertise in the Courier’s pages, please contact our Advertising Director, Andy Rice, at 778-855-9942 or advertising.capcourier@gmail.com. We are proud to offer discounts to non-profit organizations and North Shore customers. A full media kit with sizes, rates and deadlines is available on our website, CapilanoCourier.com.

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The Staff

Leah Scheitel Editor-in-Chief

Therese Guieb News Editor

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.

of this moonlighting, all-nighting, super exciting university newspaper

Andy Rice Managing Editor

Alva Tee Arts + Culture Editor

Andrew Palmquist Production Manager

Faye Alexander Features Editor

Gabriel Scorgie Opinions Editor

Cheryl Swan Art Director

Carlo Javier Lifestyle Editor

Ricky Bao Business Manager

Brandon Kostinuk Web Editor

Letter From The Editor Leah Scheitel, Editor-in-Chief

No other way through it but to do it "I think you have to try and fail, because failure gets you closer to what you are good at."

- LOUIS C.K. There are a few perks to this job. I have a large meeting space for group projects, enhanced by couches and the ability to make good coffee. The office mini fridge is always stocked with a few snacks, plus all the extra dips that we save for our next pizza feast. And I get to mock my staff relentlessly, without fear that they will take offense to any of my questionably humourous comments – for proof, ask Carlo. He has taken to documenting the more shocking things I say with the intention of turning them into a book titled Shit Schei Says. Look for it at your local Chapters in 2015. However, the number one perk is that I love what I do. This is my ideal job – running a publication with a group of dedicated people, all striving to get achieve the same end result: a quality newspaper. It will be years, and a shit ton of work, before I get the same opportunity, and if I do, there will likely be more strings attached. I have gotten so used to using profanity in my writing, censoring it for other publications may be difficult.

This job also lets me explore stories that mean a lot to me, talk to people that I admire and construct an article around the interviews. That’s how this issue’s cover story came to light: I wanted to write a story about making ski movies, initially to talk to a cute guy in Wyoming. But when that fell through, it became less about pursuing a crush and more about talking to interesting people in the field because they inspire me, and it’s the industry I hope to return to when I graduate. And, thankfully, Features Editor Faye trusted me enough to pursue it, even though I had little interview contacts, no defined angle and an unclear idea on where to start. I have been working on this story since September, and after postponing it due to poor timing and flakey interview leads, it finally came to fruition.

This story, while time-consuming and challenging, was a dream to write. While much of my life remains uncertain, such as where I will go after school or if I will ever get to meet Lorne Michaels, there is one truth that I trust: my heart is in the mountains. And it always will be. I have made every major decision in my life based on my love for winter and snowboarding. From breaking up with my first (and only) love to work in a remote lodge north of Revelstoke to going to photojournalism school to become a ski and snowboard journalist, all my major life decisions have pivoted around snowboarding and how I can get more of it in my life. The path has wavered and I have endured multiple winters with little to no actual snowboarding while in school, but I have hope that it will pay off in the end. I have to have that hope, or else I get easily depressed.

This story allowed me to return to that world for 3,000 words. It reminded me of why I’m in school, and that yes, in fact, there is life out of here, and soon it will be mine to enjoy. And it also lets me do

what I set out to do all those years ago – write about skiing and snowboarding.

I’m going to share a little secret with you: like most people tiptoeing their way to a degree, I’m scared shitless about graduating. For five years, I have had this goal of getting my education to pursue this childhood ambition of mine, and now, the time has come to actually attempt it. Getting educated allowed me to shy away from attempting to write for other publications while I was “honing my craft” or “generating the contacts and networking.” But really, who needs a business education to be a writer?

I was using my education as a shield, protecting myself from the idea of failure if I actually attempted what I wanted to do. And soon, I will no longer have that shield – that’s fucking scary. But there is solace in the fact that I’m not the only one facing this uncertainty. And there is comfort in the fact that I get to almost shadow the career I want as a writer and curate my work at the Courier around this silly ambition of mine.

After talking to Mike Brown, who was one of my feature interviews in the piece, I couldn’t help repeating his personal mantra in my head: “There’s no way to know until you go.” We can dream these wild ideas, and try to prepare for our lives as much as we want, but there is really no other way to know if it’s going to pay off until you actually go and give it a try. For some reason, this brings me a lot of relief. No one knows if their silly little idea is going to work out until they work on it, think about it and actually give’r a go. No one is immune to the nagging hesitation. I doubt Beyonce sauntered out of the womb, confident that her booty moves and catchy lyrics would make her the most powerful woman in pop music. And it’s unlikely that Steven Spielberg knew that he was going to make hit movie after hit movie. I’d like to think that he called his mother crying the night before Jaws premiered, sobbing, “But what if no one likes it?” There is no other way to put these insecurities to bed besides embarking on that goal. Those are the two options: ignore it, and distract yourself with less risky projects, or jump in, wholeheartedly and unabashedly, fully aware of the chance of failure.

You don’t know until you go. Remember that when you graduate, or when you’re pondering about whether to talk to that cute barista or not. Think about it when your mother questions how you are going to make rent. Repeat it when you meet people who will doubt you – and there will be those assholes – along the way. In that way, writing this article was somewhat of an early Christmas present, as it gave me a little hope. And, with any luck, I wrote it well enough to pass that hope onto you.

tweets oF the week

the VoiCe box

*

with

Andy Rice

The Voicebox is back, ready to humbly respond to your questions, concerns, and comments about anything. To inquire, just send a text to 778.855.9942 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.

Do you believe in Santa Claus?

Why are ALL Andy Rice's stories super long?

No, but our Arts Editor does, although maybe that’s changed after this week. It’s quite possible our dear Alva has given up on Christmas altogether after a Santa-related fiasco we’ve been dealing with at the Courier lately.

Fun fact: we were supposed to have a story in this issue looking at what it’s like to be a mall Santa and giving you a behind-the-scenes look at all those extravagant displays

Because the word count at this newspaper is liberating. I used to work at another paper where all stories were measured by characters (letters, numbers and symbols) instead of words. Five thousand characters was the maximum. Our stories here at the Courier are hella long — like 900 words or 2,500 words. And sometimes I get them mixed up and write 2,500-word stories for the 900-word ones. Oops...

Yeah, don’t ever do that again. Leah told me about you.

What will your opinions editor, Gabe The Babe, be doing over the six-week break? And is he available?

Harsha Walia @HarshaWalia Thirty arrests & hundreds on #BurnabyMountain past 24 hours. will have to jail 70% of my city coz thats how many ppl want #KinderMorgan gone Scott Knowles @KnowleScott Yesterday was filled with police repression on #BurnabyMountain headed to courts to stand with those who have hearings #stopkindermorgan Tara Carman @tarajcarman Truck back. About 20 people blocking road. Police warn them to leave. #kindermorgan #burnabymoutain 350 dot org @350 Dramatic arrest of #KinderMorgan protesters met with defiance and pride #tarsands Taylor W @TaywinLannister I think RCMP enforcing the #KinderMorgan injunction are just doing their jobs, and the protestors are just standing up for their beliefs. mychaylo @mychaylo 800+ people attend to #KinderMorgan protest on #BurnabyMountain as injunction takes effect Vlada Mars @VladaMars Daughter is released after being arrested at #BurnabyMountain climbing up again to join protesters against #KinderMorgan pipeline. Yay! CBC News Alerts @CBCAlerts #KinderMorgan setting up work site on #Burnaby Mountain, says drilling work expected to start 'soon.' 24 protesters arrested Thursday. #BC Sandy Garossino @Garossino Protesters defying #KinderMorgan injunction should remember it's called CIVIL disobedience. No excuse for abusing workers. #bcpoli

T H E C A P I L A N O C O U R I E R . VOLUME 48 I SSUE N O . 12

Oh, this question again. He’ll probably be watching lots of hockey and chugging Kokanees at the Christmas dinner table like a boss. I think he’s available, but if you show up at his house dressed as a sexy elf I don’t think it’ll improve your odds.

found at Vancouver’s shopping centres this time of year. We even found a writer for it who searched far and wide to find interview contacts, but nobody would give us a break. None of the malls within 100 kilometres of our office wanted to give us access to Santa. A few even accused us of having motives to reveal his true identity to children. I’m pretty sure they were just trying to cover up the fact that their Santas are underpaid fakes, pulled from a roster of convicted shoplifters in need of some community service hours.

Let me be the first to tell you that it’s frustrating — even traumatic — when interview contacts dissolve like that.

It’s the kind of thing that shakes your faith in Christmas, even if it’s the middle of July and your story has nothing whatsoever to do with the holidays. So I’m pretty sure Alva hates Santa right now and wants to kick him square in his jolly old jingle balls. Am I right, Alva?

What happened to story meetings? I came by your office this past Tuesday and no one was there! Well, there was one person sleeping on the couch but I didn’t want to wake her. So I just stared. Into her soul. Through the window.

For a long time.

#KINDERMORGAN

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NEWS

THERESE GUIEB NEWS EDITOR

NEWS@CAPILANOCOURIER.COM

a helping hand in a foreign land MENTORSHIP PROGRAM WELCOMES INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS James Martin × Writer Starting at a new university can be a bumpy transition for anyone, particularly when moving away from home to do so. Learning how to get around a new campus, how to transit through a strange town and how to cobble together a new network of friends are just some of the challenges any student will have to overcome when moving for post-secondary education.

For some international students, these struggles can become even more difficult when magnified by the additional stress of moving to a new country and often having to adapt to an unfamiliar culture or language. In order to ease this transition, Capilano University’s Centre for International Experience has developed the International Student Leadership and Mentorship Program, in which student volunteers serve as mentors to new international students.

An international student who chooses to take advantage of the program will be paired up with

someone to rely on at CapU who can show them the ropes around the campus. The full extent of the involvement between a mentor and mentee can vary widely on a case-by-case basis. “Some [mentors] become best friends with their mentees, while others find their mentees only need their help in the first few weeks of school,” explains Skye Modera, a fourth year communications student at CapU who also volunteers at the program as a mentor.

In order to ensure that every international student’s experience with a mentor is enjoyable, the Centre for International Experience trains prospective volunteers early on. “In order to become a mentor, I went through an interview process in the summer and training workshops in early September. Like any role, we were all interviewed to make sure we have relevant skills and experience, and to make sure we understood what our role in the program would be amongst our other responsibilities as Cap students,” says Modera, “Personally, I [benefitted] incredibly from the training we went through as mentors

screen savers

which strengthened us as individuals and teams.

These sessions also familiarized us with more of the resources at our disposal at Cap to ensure our success as students and mentors.”

As well as working one-on-one with international students, Modera notes how important it is for the mentors to work together in teams to support each other and to plan events for the international students. “For example, my team usually meets once a week for an hour just to stay up to date [but] when in the middle of planning an event, we've all had to commit more time to get things done." These events are developed independently by the hard work of the mentors in order to include and engage both the international students and others in the CapU community.

Some of the events include CapU’s International Education Week, a “mini” international film festival and a Christmas dinner for international students. “The events we hold also help [the international students] build a community of friends and contacts, from what I've seen,”

Modera adds that, “While I have previous experience in event planning, it was slightly challenging to plan an event while in the midst of midterms. However, my team and I worked hard to get everything done and it paid off despite our busy schedules.”

“I have thoroughly enjoyed meeting international students and getting to know about them and their culture while helping them navigate in ours,” shares Modera. “Becoming a mentor is incredibly rewarding for me but also just plain fun. I have gotten to meet and spend time with the amazing international students studying at CapU. Also, us mentors feel rewarded in knowing we have, as groups, planned and hosted successful events.”

For more information on the International Leadership and Mentorship program visit Capilanou.ca

FACILITIES DEPARTMENT IMPLEMENTS STUDENT PROJECT Carlo Javier

10 WAYS TO SAVE ENERGY:

THE CAPILANO COURIER.

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Not many results can top the satisfaction of achieving an A. But for students of Kathryn Taft’s BADM 466, Managing Change, course, having their energy saving project implemented by the school easily tops any other recognition for their work.

What began as an assignment just 18 months ago is now a fully implemented protocol at Capilano University. “Basically we started with a group of students and we looked at behaviour change of what we could do in the classroom to improve energy conservation,” says Susan Doig, director of facilities at CapU. “We looked at the students’ idea regarding energy conservation awareness, then we looked at how we could use the system within the computer network and we made some software changes that allowed us to implement this across the campus.”

The study is based on the results gathered from monitoring computer labs across campus. Students kept track of the computers that were left on in various labs around the school.

“They went and did an audit several times, on different times throughout the days,” says Doig, “Then they started putting up posters and tracking changes, and then they started to contact the instructors who were in the last class to see if they could get engaged.”

The new protocol is focused on energy consumption via computer monitors as most of the power consumed comes from the screen.

“When you put your computer down to standby, there’s virtually no energy used and that’s enormous savings,” says Doig.

There were some factors that Facilities department had to check with before implementing the student-led operation. “We had to make sure that the payroll system didn’t go

down, we had to make sure that other critical systems could be managed separately or with slightly different requirements.”

One of the immediate results that the energy savings project has yielded centres around the money saved, or as Doig puts it, “money not spent.” The number amounts to $24,650 per year, with the total cost being split up between computer lab systems and employee monitors.

With BC Hydro’s recent increase of CapU’s energy rates, Doig reveals that the University would’ve been looking at a bill amounting up to $30,000, had the energy savings project not been implemented last year.

Earlier this year, CapU fully enacted its Zero Waste System, a more efficient recycling process that helps the school abide by the new developments in the lower mainland’s waste regulations. Lesser known is CapU’s participation in the electronic aspect of regulating waste and other products. “Sustainability has such a wide range,” says Doig.

The University collaborates with Computers for Kids with the purposes of reducing electronic waste and boosting tech sustainability.

“We have a roll down program, every year we’re replacing 25 per cent of our computers, and those computers what we do with them is, any that are relevant but not good enough for university use, we actually pair them up with Computers For Kids.” As for computers that are no longer available for use at any level, they get sent to an independent company that works to dismantle and reduce the plastic materials down to pellets.

Another project that the Facilities Department aims to enact is to amplify the annual waste audit by inviting students to bring their

TURN OFF THE LIGHTS WHEN NOT IN USE REPLACE YOUR LIGHT BULBS WITH LED (LIGHT EMITTING DIODES) HANG CLOTHES TO DRY INSTEAD OF USING THE CLOTHES DRYER LOWER YOUR THERMOSTAT AND PUT ON A SWEATER TO STAY WARM

× Vivian Liu

VOLUME 48 I SSUE N O . 12

× Lifestyle Editor

old electronics and learn about the proper processes of recycling electronics. “People have tons of stuff, in their basement, their garage, or their attics. There are old cellphones, printers, laptops, every sort of thing, that’s what we’re looking for in April,” says Doig.

The implementation of a student project from BADM 466 marks the rare occasion in which the school takes a student-led initiative and runs a protocol based on its findings. To further raise awareness about energy conservation through computers, monitors across campus computer labs are now promoting their message via use of screen savers which is a fitting way to build on an already successful school project.

UNPLUG ELECTRONIC DEVICES WHEN NOT IN USE SWITCH TO COLD WATER WHEN DOING THE LAUNDRY WASH A FULL LOAD IN YOUR DISHWASHER OR AIR DRY YOUR DISHES INSTEAD INSTEAD OF USING THE STOVE TO BOIL WATER USE AN ELECTRIC KETTLE INSTALL A BUILT-IN TIMER FOR ALL THERMOSTATS PUT CAULKING OR WEATHER-STRIPPING ON WINDOWS TO PRESERVE HEAT

news

the kissing bug NEW DISEASE COMES TO NORTH AMERICA

ACCORDING TO HEALTH CANADA, THE MOST COMMON HOUSEHOLD PESTS ARE:

Faye Alexander × Features Editor

SPIDERS BEDBUGS CARPENTER ANTS SILVERFISH FIREBRATS RATS AND MICE EARWIGS × Google Image Search

A new disease has unexpectedly migrated north and is raising the concerns of health officials in the Northern hemisphere. Chagas, more commonly known as the “kissing bug” disease, has emerged in both the US and Canada after being generally isolated to Mexico as well as South and Central America. Over seven million people worldwide are affected by Chagas disease with mild symptoms but can result in death, in the more extreme cases. “We haven’t had a mass outcry of concern here in Canada about kissing bugs, but bites have been reported. We’re coming into the winter month where a lot of people are going south for vacation and that is where the real problem is lying. You have to be careful if you’re in an area where kissing bugs are common,” explains Dr. Ron Village, a family doctor in North Vancouver.

According to the Government of Canada’s travel health notice website, “Chagas disease is caused by a parasite spread by infected triatomine bugs. There is no vaccine or medication that protects against Chagas disease.” Hiding in the cracks of floorboards and walls, the kissing bug lurks in the crevices that are hard to spot and only become active after sunset.

When darkness falls, the kissing bug is drawn to the carbon dioxide we exhale and body heat, which is the perfect lure for their main diet – blood. The kissing bug gets its sweet name for being notorious for feasting off the lips of its victims. Bites from the kissing bug, more specifically their saliva, can cause moderate to severe allergic reactions in people. Redness, itching, swelling, welts and hives around the mouth are the most common reaction to the bug bite. However, the bite itself is not the biggest cause for concern. The greater issue is the chance of transmitting Chagas disease.

The parasite that causes the disease is found in the feces of the kissing bug. “When the feces gets rubbed into the bite wound or a fragile area like the eye or mouth, the parasite enters the human body and can have some irritating effects,” says Dr. Village. Not all kissing bugs are infected with the parasite that causes Chagas disease so the likelihood of becoming infected in North America is still low. There are 12 species of kissing bugs, and luckily the species found further north in the Southern US are less likely to defecate while feasting on blood, which means less chance of infection. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stated that 300,000 people in the US are infected with the parasite that causes Chagas disease, and most are completely unaware. Categorized as a neglected parasitic infection (NPI), the mild symptoms of the disease can go unnoticed for an extended pe-

riod of time and will often go undiagnosed – but following years without a diagnosis, symptoms can develop into heart disease and can result in rare cases in death.

Most North Americans infected with Chagas disease were originally infected on trips and through travel of southern regions where the kissing bug has become an endemic in rural and undeveloped areas. “The disease occurs in two distinct phases, symptoms begin to rear their heads about a week after the initial bite and can last approximately two months, while the second chronic phase may only appear ten to 30 years later with more severe symptoms such as enlarged esophagus, colon and heart,” explains Dr. Village. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), “up to 30 per cent of chronically infected people develop cardiac alterations and up to ten per cent develop

FLEAS TENT CATERPILLARS COCKROACHES

digestive, neurological or mixed alterations which may require specific treatment.”

Luckily, the parasite can be killed using medication, and are usually 100 per cent effective if administered shortly after being infected, but there is still no vaccine for Chagas disease. By using insecticides, bug nets and ensuring cracks and hot spots for the kissing bug are sealed is the best way to prevent any kissing bugs from transmitting Chagas disease. Canadians are not at high risk to become infected, but it’s important to be safe if one is planning a trip south of the border. “It’s important to take the time to go through your luggage carefully if you are coming back from a vacation in any of the regions where the kissing bug has become an endemic,” says Dr. Village, “Check your clothes and make sure you are not welcoming any unwanted guests into your home.”

board of governors meeting During the Q&A portion for Avison, a question that was heavily discussed was the difference between a college and a university because until now some board members feel that CapU is still having problems trying to distinguish between the two, even with the university title.

Avison only commented that a teaching university is more autonomous and has a legislative mandate for research while a college is an agent of the government and the government can direct its activity much more specifically and it has no legislative mandate in research.

She also stated that CapU is left to manage its own budget, however, the institution has no material control to expand revenue. Since universities are autonomous, the government can’t ask the institution to lower tuition cap fees if the university decides to increase it.

The board was also joined by Chris Bottrill, instructor in the Tourism and Outdoor Recreation program at CapU’s North Vancouver campus and Dean of the Faculty of Global and Community Studies at CapU’s Squamish Cam-

pus. He presented the Pacific Asia Travel Association Grand award (largest tourism organization in the world) for excellence in education and training that the Tourism and Outdoor Recreation program won this year in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

Ken Haycock, chancellor of the board, proposed an addition to the committees already present to the board. He proposed to have an executive committee that will help address many of the issues for program approvals at CapU. One of the board members, Christina Anthony, officially announced her resignation to the board from the Human Resources committee due to receiving a new position at a different organization. A substitute for her is yet to be appointed.

The board also approved a motion to transfer $7 million of CapU’s funds to the long term investment account. Although by transferring the money to this account, the board is aware that it might be risky but they believe it will pull through for the school in the future.

After months of drafting the 2015 to 2018 Strategic Plan, it was finally approved by the board with revisions that are needed to be submitted by Dec. 2. The priorities that are needing to be addressed in implementing the Strategic Plan are: determining program offerings, managing student enrolment and enhancing learning environments. In December, a forum will be held to present the final Strategic Plan to the public.

Finally, the board approved a motion that the Bachelor of Jazz Studies program at CapU will undergo changes to its curriculum and what the program will offer. The senate believes that in having these changes to the program it will improve student experience and the program will reflect so much more in what’s happening in the jazz and music industry today. The proposal will be forwarded to the Ministry of Advanced Education for approval.

EMAIL US

TODAY!

EDITOR@CAPILANOCOURIER.COM

T H E C A P I L A N O C O U R I E R . VOLUME 48 I SSUE N O . 12

The Board of Governors meeting was held at Capilano University on Nov. 18. The meeting agenda that the board tackled included the academic and governance policy review of CapU, a board structure change, a change to the Bachelor of Jazz Studies program, and the 2015-2018 Strategic Plan.

Claire Avison, assistant deputy minister of Governance and Independent Schools for the BC Ministry of Education, joined the meeting to inform the board about government updates. According to Avison, CapU is facing an issue with academic and governance policies because there hasn’t been a comprehensive review of the institution since it became a university in 2008. In addition, there are no dedicated resources for further policy and development reviews which leave the school to have policy gaps, and if not addressed soon, it might be in risk of legal action. The Ministry is offering support by having quarterly meetings with the President of CapU, providing sample policies, flow charts, tool kits and templates.

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arts + Culture

ALVA TEE ARTS + CULTURE EDITOR

ARTS@CAPILANOCOURIER.COM

hold the phone

SPINDOR’S TOP PICKS FOR A GREAT PAIR OF HEADPHONES

FINDING THE PERFECT EARBUDS

BARGAIN EARBUDS: New Apple earbuds ($40)

Andy Rice × Managing Editor

HIGH-END EARBUDS: Etymotics ER4 ($300)

When it comes to headphones and earbuds, the term “one size fits all” only applies in the physical sense. What lies beneath all the plastic, foam and wires is an entirely different story. Every single model on the market today comes with its own subtleties in frequency, custom design and individual strengths. Cutting through the noise of options can be tough, especially amidst mounting pressure to find a useful gift for the holidays. Luckily, the Courier has asked Andrew Spindor, a recording engineer and co-owner of The Habitat Studios, for some help in finding the perfect pair.

“It totally depends on the application and budget,” he begins, “An avid runner's needs are obviously much different than an audiophile who wants to listen to high-end jazz recordings at home. A DJ playing in a loud club would want something with great isolation, and a recording engineer would want a pair that is as accurate (flat) as possible. If you're not using them professionally, it's important that a - you like how they sound and b - that they're comfortable.”

Spindor suggests doing some research ahead of time and taking multiple models for a test drive.

“Read reviews and listen to music you know on as many pairs as you can find,” he says, “There are headphone shops in all major cities with competent sales people to answer your questions, and most music stores have a decent selection too.”

Prices will vary significantly and are dependent on both quality and brand recognition. The old adage, “you get what you pay for” applies to a certain extent, but Spindor assures there is generally a quality product to be found within any reasonable budget. “You can find great gear for $150 to $300,” he says, “There are headphones

BUDGET HEADPHONES: Audio Technica ATH M30x ($80) MIDDLE-OF-THE-ROAD HEADPHONES: Sennheiser HD 600 ($500) HIGH-END HEADPHONES: Sennheiser HD 800 ($1600)

× Guillem Rovira

in the $600 to $2,000 range that are absolutely stunning, but at that point there are other factors to consider like playback medium, file format, et cetera. No point in listening to mp3's on your iPhone with $1,000 headphones.”

The iPhone’s proprietary headphones aren’t bad either, he says — at least the most recent version.

“There's nothing I hate more than the original Apple Earbuds,” he laughs, “Having said that, the new ones that you can pick up for $40 don't sound half bad. The low-mid frequencies are pretty unnatural,

but overall they're comfortable, and a great option for affordable, low-profile, personal listening.”

It’s the bass-heavy Beats By Dre brand — recently acquired by Apple and currently dominating the market share for North American headphones — that Spindor has a problem with. “If you want to have headphones that sound like you're in the club, then it's a great option. Otherwise, you can drop half the cash and have a pair of cans that sound great and are somewhat accurate,” he says.

Ultimately, selecting a pair of headphones comes

JOURNEYING BACK INTO THE MEDIEVAL TIMES Alva Tee

THE CAPILANO COURIER.

VOLUME 48 I SSUE N O . 12

× Arts + Culture Editor

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“Winter is for dreaming, spring is for awakening and plenty, summer for running with the wind, autumn for succulent harvest, but winter is for dreaming. That’s when the winter moon, round and bone white, drifts soft snowflake dreams across the land. When the dreamcatcher scatters shimmering diamonds over the virgin snow, when a white mantle covers the earth, tucking it in for the long cold. When the stars glisten hard and white and the nights are dark and long, long enough for the dreams of winter,” recites Lori Pappajohn, Winter Harp director, showcasing one of the many enchanting readings put together by herself, co-founder Alan Woodland and a variety of other writers.

Winter Harp is a magical show meant to take the audience back into another time, and Pappajohn has done all that she can to ensure that this fairytale experience is up to par. With seven other members in the ensemble, together, they create the perfect harmony to bring King Arthur’s court to life.

Everything about the medieval age intrigues Pappajohn, and this is where she has drawn the majority of her inspirations for the show. “I just love things that are older,” she says, “We have these medieval instruments going back to 12th century Spain, things you’re just not going to see anywhere else.”

She believes that the sounds of these instruments really are something special. “If we didn’t play them, who would ever hear that sound?”

Instruments involved include the Celtic harp, pedal harp, wire-strung harp, medieval guitar, flute, bass flute, wooden piccolo, nyckelharpas, bass psaltry, organistrum and all types of percussion. Some of these instruments are unique to Winter Harp and are rare among the world. For example, Pappajohn says that the organistrum played in the show is one of only two modern-made versions on earth; the other one residing in the Museum of Civilization in Ottawa. The bass psaltry is another rarity. The instrument is typically a foot and a half in length, but Pappajohn had one custom designed to be five feet tall, making it the only bass psaltery of that size in the world.

Fascinating as all the other instruments are, the harp is the one closest to Pappajohn’s heart. It is “gentle and soothing and ancient,” she says, “Harp is one of the oldest instruments, it goes back 4,000 years. And what’s interesting about the sound of the harp you’re hearing today is [that it’s] almost identical to what you would have heard 4,000 years ago. You can’t say that about the flute because it’s all been changed, you can’t say that about old trumpets because they have all been changed, so it’s a very ancient sound.”

Pappajohn believes that it is exactly this that resonates in people. “When a trumpet plays, you lean back or sit back a little bit because it’s right there,” says Pappajohn, “But when a harp plays, you lean forward…. Because it’s softer, it’s almost like getting a massage, an audible massage. And it’s gentle — so much early music is gentle.”

× Tom Hawkins

a winter wonderland

down to personal preference. As a recording engineer, Spindor does his best to make sure his tracks will sound good on anything one could possibly choose to listen through. “A good mix tends to sound good everywhere,” he says. “I'll always reference my mixes on headphones and on the computer to make sure that you can hear instruments that occupy lower frequencies, and I'll make small adjustments if I need to, but I'll never mix for a certain type of playback system. It can definitely be frustrating mixing a live-session video or something knowing that people will watch and listen through their iPhone speakers, because I know that they're not hearing a lot of what I probably worked very hard to achieve.

“I find it interesting that we've made leaps and bounds in consumer video quality over the past number of years, and this is something that we demand and expect as consumers,” he continues, “The opposite seems to have happened with sound. Mp3's, earbuds, laptop speakers… it's completely detrimental to the listening experience. However, I do think that as a whole, we're starting to realize that. There are people that buy Beats as a fashion accessory, and there are people that buy them because they want good sound and aren't aware of what else is available. That, to me, is still a step in the right direction.”

The careful selection of carols found in Winter Harp is made to relate well to each individual in the crowd. “We play a lot of familiar tunes that people know and that reaches into the heart – it reaches into Christmas,” she says, “It reaches into all the memories when they heard, maybe sang that exact carol in the living room around the Christmas tree with their family 30 years ago."

“You know, everybody has a memory,” she continues, “When we’re onstage and we’re looking out at all those memories, it’s so beautiful because Christmas is so much about memories.”

When it comes to the set list, Pappajohn has made sure to create a riveting one that the audience will pay attention to. “I love searching for carols that people don’t know,” she says, “There are just so many carols that would almost be lost since nobody plays them anymore so we play a lot of these beautiful and very old carols that people don’t know.

“Then we do a lot of fun numbers,” she adds, “This year, we’re doing a flamenco piece. People don’t think harp and flamenco, but harp and flamenco is fabulous.”

The whole package is not complete just yet though. Alongside the extravagant choices of instruments and music, the visuals are the finishing touch that will further bring the sounds to life. The

backdrops include one of a magnificent cathedral and another of snowy white castle walls. “It’s just this space of holiness, of sacredness, of being away from the world,” says Pappajohn, referring to the ancient cathedrals, “A space of peace. Even if one isn’t religious, it’s just that peace you feel.” She says that the backdrop appears so real that people have come to the stage after concerts and asked to touch it because it looks so three-dimensional, it’s hard to believe that it is flat.

The set onstage was carefully prepared to create the exact ambiance in Pappajohn’s vision. “The people in these incredible, medieval costumes, there’s this beautiful backdrop that takes you to another world, there’s candles burning,” she says, “When you come to the concert, visually, without us even playing a note, you’re taken to another world.”

Dec 17

WINTER HARP BLUE SHORE FINANCIAL CENTRE FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS

for more information visit Winterharp.com

arts + Culture

shelter from the storm DTES WOMEN'S CENTRE WARMING WINTER'S CHILL Gurpreet Kambo × Writer

These sentiments are echoed by Charlene Bozoian, a volunteer and patron of the Women’s Centre.

“I retired at 60, and my income went far down. The Downtown Eastside was one of the places I could find accommodation where I could afford to stay within my budget. Plus, I don’t have to have a vehicle, everything’s close by — banks, grocery stores, skytrain et cetera,” says Bozoian, who lived in Surrey and worked as a licensed auto-mechanic pre-retirement. “It really opened my eyes… I worked all my life and with my skills, I was always able to have a job and keep busy. Down here we have people that have employment issues, medical issues, all kinds of issues.

Very hard, very low income.”

Providing healthy meals is important to the centre, as fresh fruits and vegetables can often be more expensive than unhealthy alternatives. “We deal with women living in poverty and can’t afford to eat properly, so we try to feed them the healthiest meals we can,” says Bozoian.

“We take pride in providing a nutritious, well balanced meal with significant portions of protein and vegetables. We have a budget of more than $200,000 a year, and we try to optimize that purchasing power through the companies that we buy from,” Lang adds, “The kitchen manager will plan out the meals.

They make the purchases necessary for that. Then, as donations come in, they incorporate all the donated food into the plan so that they can stretch their dollars as far as possible. We run a professional kitchen by professional standards. Because of the number of women we see, it’s necessary that we follow strict food safety procedures.”

As a centre and shelter for women and children only, the no-men-allowed policy was enforced to help women feel more comfortable and free. “There [are] many services available for men, but women aren’t always safe in those spaces… there was recently a safety audit that talked to women in the area about safety and where they felt safe,” says Lang, “That was in the women-only spaces that they feel that they are safe from sexual harassment, sexual assault, as these are issues they deal with daily on the street. Sometimes, the ability to control this isn’t possible and having a space be women-only becomes extremely valuable to the women of the area.”

“There’s a reason for that,” adds Bozoian, “Some of these women are coming from abusive relationships where they are trying to get away from their male partners. Because of that, it’s just easier for them to feel better in a female-space only.”

None of this would be possible without the dedication of the helpers at the DEWC. “We have a kitchen services manager, along with a combination of cooks, kitchen workers and volunteers,” says Lang, “We’re very dependent on the volunteers. They prepare in the neighbourhood of 15,000 meals a month.

We have [about] 350 women a day coming through the centre who all need to be fed.”

Lang emphasizes that those within the organization are guaranteed a voice that is heard. “One of the things about this organization that is a little different from other charities is that we are member-driven,” she says, “The women who use the centre are members of the society that operates in this organization, and they are voting members of this society, some of them sit on the board of the directors. They are an integral part of this organization, they don’t just come here for obtaining service, they help decide in how the centre runs.”

Bozoian contributes in doing two four-hour shifts a week herself. She says that her duties “can be anything, whatever’s required, whatever the kitchen staff needs help with. Sometimes I cook, sometimes I do dishes, sometimes I prep food, sometimes I prep food from donations — whatever’s required.”

With their only regular income being from BC Gaming, funding of the centre can be a complicated issue as it comes from various government agencies, and therefore, can be subject to the whims of politics.

“The rest of it comes from donations, from corporations, individuals, foundations, anyone who can support us,” says Lang. Though private donations only make up 10 per cent of the budget, she admits that that is “what keeps the food services going.”

Donations are often made by anonymous givers at the centre. “Someone will show up at our doorstep with five boxes of pineapples. [Kitchen

staff] has to take those things and incorporate those into the plan.” Lang says that the kitchen manager considers this the “fun part of the job” and quite enjoys coming up with creative concoctions based on what shows up.

Catering to the different items donated gives the chefs a chance to exercise their skills. “They had a donation of cheese, so they made cheese scones to go with that,” says Bozoian, “And a salad. Every plate has a salad. For Christmas, we have a special dinner about a week before. We’ll have gifts we distribute... we try to have some comforts to make the season a little brighter for women.”

The kitchen staff at DWEC also do their best to meet all women’s preferences, including those that are vegetarian or those that have other dietary restrictions. It might be more efficient to only serve meals that are vegetarian, gluten-free or otherwise to cater to the widest group possible, but Lang says that that is not the point. “It would be easier, but we’re not just concerned with easy,” she says, “We’re concerned with making sure the women are happy with the choices we make.”

The wish list of the DEWC is one that would result in the best interest of the women being served.

“If Christy Clark was giving me carte blanche, our list is long and involved,” says Lang, “A new building for the shelter, where we would run a 24-hour, sevendays-a-week shelter. If we had our own building, we would love to provide that so women always have a safe space to go.

“Ultimately, the big wish list would be that we weren’t even necessary,” she continues, “That the societal problems that caused these women to need us did not exist. In the meantime, whatever we can do, we’ll do for the women.”

T H E C A P I L A N O C O U R I E R . VOLUME 48 I SSUE N O . 12

“I retired at 60, and my income went far down. The DTES was one of the places I could find accommodation where I could afford to stay within my budget.

Plus, I don’t have to have a vehicle, everything’s close by — banks, grocery stores, skytrain et cetera.”

× Cristian Fowlie

With the Christmas season upon us and the spirit of charitable giving so vibrant in the air, Vancouver’s social service providers have found themselves in high demand once again. The downturn in temperature has resulted in an increased population of those seeking indoor shelter, warmth and food.

The Downtown Eastside Women’s Centre (DEWC) is one of the many facilities providing important necessities of life for those in poverty and has been in operation for 35 years. Pamela Lang, fund development coordinator of the centre, says that the organization’s main purpose is “to provide basic essential services, meals program, safe toilets and showers, access to telephone, computers, mailing addresses, and providing a safe, comfortable space for women.”

The food services provided by the DEWC are a core part of the centre. “We provide lunch to up to 350 women and children every day,” Lang says, “We provide breakfast twice a week, we provide dinners to women coming in for programming.”

Lang identifies food as being a key part to building trust and relationships in the centre. “There are trust issues... many times it’s racism, it’s sexism that beat women down,” she says, “They need to build trust with an organization before they can ask for help for... getting their children back or dealing with a landlord. So they come in first for food services.

Food is really the heart of our organization.

“The women here are living in poverty. There are certainly other issues — there are addiction issues, mental health issues, there are physical health issues, all that cause problems on a day-to-day basis,” continues Lang, “But poverty is the underlying factor that causes the women to be in the Downtown Eastside, and causes them to require services such as ours.”

7

art shorts

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tokyo police club COMMODORE, NOV. 15 × Gabriel Scorgie A 3 pm all ages show at the Commodore Ballroom is like having breakfast for dinner or purposely listening to country music — it’s just something that shouldn’t happen. As soon as I walked in and noticed that the ballroom was filled with a freshlyFebreezed scent instead of the stale beer odour that I had grown accustomed to, I knew something was off. Fortunately, the crowd didn’t seem to mind, likely because they were all years away from being able to enter the establishment on a regular basis.

Tokyo Police Club was playing two shows this night — one at 3 pm for all the minors and another at 7 pm for the drunks. Even though it was the first show, the Commodore was surprisingly busy with almost the entire dance floor being taken up by pre-

pubescent teenage couples. When the lights went out and the band came on, the audience lost their collective mind, making more noise than many sold out shows I’ve seen there. Apparently no one told Tokyo Police Club that this was an early show and if they did know, they didn’t seem to give a shit. They made sure to give the crowd the show that they came to see, running around on stage, swearing, and even playing their most sensual songs to “make them feel like it was midnight.” The band did a great job of getting their fans involved and giving many of them their first taste of the Commodore. And the audience reciprocated by throwing condoms on the stage, though they may have thought they were just water balloons.

× Andrew Palmquist

julian casablancas + the voidz COMMODORE, NOV. 12

THE CAPILANO COURIER.

VOLUME 48 I SSUE N O . 12

× Faye Alexander

8

likely never be able to entirely shake his initial success or

ultra-opaque sunglasses were a treat to watch, bopping rhyth-

and often incomprehensible, witnessing two electric guitars

association with the Strokes. Taking the stage, Casablancas

mically about while his sticks pounded at the drum kit with

battling between Jeramy Gritter and Amir Yaghmai over the

Is the venue half empty or half full? It depends on whether

looked white boy wasted, staggering about the front of the

heat and flair. The atmosphere was heavy, like an overdose

riff-fuelled madness was pure glory. The best of the night was

or not you’re an optimist. Despite the massive success of

stage and screeching distorted cries into the microphone.

of downers and the room reached a fever pitch when Casa-

when Casablancas launched into “Ize of the World”, which

the Strokes in the early 2000s, singer and songwriter Julian

He rarely looked up or engaged with the audience — instead

blancas and the Voidz launched into ”Mutually Assured De-

propelled the half empty venue into a storm of screams and

Casablancas walked away from his commercial success and

he lurched about, seeming to shy away from the spotlight.

struction”. The lights were flashing red to blue as the guitars

aggression. Is it any surprise that a Strokes song got the best

opted to get experimental with his new outfit, the Voidz. De-

Luckily, the Voidz’ drummer, Alex Carapitis, was on stage and

attacked some of Casablancas' heaviest material to date from

reaction? It depends on whether or not you’re an optimist.

scribed as “the Strokes on a 90s acid trip”, Casablancas will

offered magnetic stage presence. His curly black hair and

their debut album, Tyranny. Although the vocals were messy

GWAR

shakey graves

COMMODORE, NOV. 14

THE IMPERIAL, NOV. 16

× Faye Alexander

× Leah Scheitel

GWAR, synonymous with blood, guts and a tremendous

been infused in to the act. Lead vocalist, Blothar, commands

Shakey Graves had a little bit of a shaky start to his Canadian

disappointing to all the audience members who wanted to

amount of schlock, were back in Vancouver for another

full attention both during and in between songs. To see GWAR

tour, as one of his tour mates was held up at the Canadian

know his real name – like me, who instantly fell in love and

night of larger-than-life thrash. With a hardcore cult follow-

is to witness a full performance with canned jokes and a

border. But besides making his Sunday evening show start

needs to know his name for any chance of making him my

ing decked out in white t-shirts and jeans, the Commodore

storyline — “These people fucking suck,” Blothar bellows

slightly behind schedule, everything else went off just to plan.

next boyfriend. Throughout his performance, Rose-Garcia

Ballroom was packed with bloodthirsty headbangers ready

into the crowd, “They deserve to fucking die!” At the side of

After Esme Patterson crooned to the crowd, Shakey Graves,

laced stories and profanity between songs, which made him

to witness GWAR’s infamous combination of science-fiction

the stage sat a time machine the band was trying to use to

otherwise known as Alejandro Rose-Garcia, took to the stage.

feel more like an old friend rather than a breakthrough folk

mythology metal venom. The venue had fallen to total dark-

bring back their dead pal, Oderus. Instead, it only delivered a

After opening with “The Donor Blues” – a bit of a love song,

star. His boy Boo and Esme Patterson both joined him on

ness, and the crowd was chanting “GWAR!” fists pumping

massive novelty sized pizza and a molten lava monster giant.

he went straight into fan favourites such as “Proper Fence”,

stage for the last two songs, ending with “Dearly Departed”,

and sweat already beading over the brows of ravenous fanat-

With never a dull moment, the band delivered momentous

“City in a Bottle” and my power ballad of 2013, “Built to

which is currently being overplayed on The Peak. Though the

ics. The energy was bubbling into an angry boil, as a video

thrash while also acting out massive fights with battle-axes,

Roam”. The Austin-based musician played with the vigour

audience tried to match Shakey Graves’ energy, late Sunday

opened the show commemorating their late member, singer

spinning saw blades, a studded mace and buckets of gore.

that he is known for, wailing on his multiple guitars that he

night proved to be difficult – many people were yawning and

Oderus Urungus, who passed of a heroin overdose in March

There was so much blood being sprayed into the crowd, it was

often switched between songs while simultaneously playing

clinging to their lover to stay upright. But for those who made

2014. GWAR stormed the stage like a real life mushroom-

like watching a live performance of hemophilia. Being in the

the foot drum by stomping his feet. He welcomed a drum-

it to the end of the show, it was worth it, with Shakey Graves,

induced nightmare, with their heinous costumes turning them

audience of a GWAR show is an experience from the moment

mer to the stage to add an extra element to the sound. He

Esme Patterson, and his babe of a drummer putting on a

into giants. A lesser crop of artists may struggle to hit their

they engage you, like watching warped superheroes telling

referred to the drummer solely as “my boy Boo,” which was

show worth staying up for.

heavy bombed out riffs, but since GWAR have been doing it

a story through heavy metal and an impressive production

since ’84 – it’s reasonable to believe it barely phases them.

value. And just to top it all off, they closed their Vancouver

Now with the addition of their female vocalist, Vulvatron, who

concert with a cover of “West End Girls” by the Pet Shop

rocks a killer bod and a mouth to match, a fresh dynamic has

Boys – like things weren’t weird enough.

raucous reception, Joy kicked off his set with one of his

one of the catchiest and most likeable songs of the year,

reminiscent of Ed Sheeran’s early beginnings. Apart from

mellower, more laid-back songs, the heartfelt “Emmylou,”

and the Commodore audience proved to be more than

fans of the ukulele, Joy can stake his claim among the

Before he joins Taylor Swift’s stadium-trotting world tour

a highlight from his EP God Loves You When You’re Danc-

adept with the song’s lyrics as Joy even let the crowd take

poster boys of this rising breed of lumberjack-looking indie

next summer, Australian indie-folk singer Vance Joy made

ing. Much of his set list fed off of the intimate setting of the

over the singing. However, Joy may have disappointed the

musicians. And with all the flannel and toques present at

sure to make the most out of his intimate set at the Com-

show. He even notified the crowd to “feel free to dance,”

crowd by not playing an encore, although this could sim-

his show, it won’t be soon before he starts playing much

modore Ballroom. The much-anticipated debut perfor-

before playing the drum-heavy “Wasted Time,” from his

ply a by-product of just not having enough songs to play.

bigger venues. Oh wait, he will be — next August at BC

mance in Vancouver made minor news weeks before the

debut album, Dream Your Life Away. As expected, it was

Regardless, the bearded, curly-haired, crooner showed

Place Stadium.

show after Joy, born James Keogh, added a matinee show

his massive hit, “Riptide,” that proved to draw the night’s

why he’s one of the rising stars in the world of pop music.

to accommodate the city’s very strong demand. Despite the

biggest reaction. The ukulele-tinged tune has easily been

His indie-centric, yet very much pop music sound is very

vance joy COMMODORE, NOV. 16 × Carlo Javier

FKA TWIGS

devin townsend project

Ă— Cheryl Swan

Ă— Max Ley

COMMODORE, NOV. 17

COMMODORE, NOV. 18

The artist Formerly Known As Twigs, aka FKA Twigs, aka Tahl-

so I knew this show was about to be more than just music.

After seeing the Devin Townsend Project (DTP) at the Com-

Ziltoid 2, Townsend launched into a demented march of the

iah Debrett Barnett, put on a show that fuelled fans to tune

She had a way of soothing the crowd through both voice and

modore, it’s become nearly impossible to think of another

invading robot army. The set was interspersed with old DTP

into a meditative state. The Commodore cradled her voice just

body – no one was being shoved around at this one. I parked

artist who so perfectly dominates a particular genre, while

classics, along with new tunes. Every once in a while, the

enough to put me in a trance. That could have been the joint

myself at the very left edge of the stage and remained there

simultaneously making fun of it. The evening began as Ani-

manic Townsend would lean into the mic, letting loose some

being passed around throughout the crowd but nonetheless,

hypnotized by her artful performance. None of her songs are

mals As Leaders started wowing the crowd with their musi-

bizarre little quip. At one point, within the break of a song,

I felt seduced and dazed, not confused one bit. I knew where

up-tempo so I wasn’t sure if the next two hours would beckon

cal pyrotechnics. Guitarist Tosin Abasi led his trio through a

he leaned into the mic and screamed, “I’m out of shape?

I was and found myself dreaming up a post-show scenario

yawns or summon a bath time craving – but instead it did the

variety of complex instrumental epics, all played with flaw-

You’re out of shape! Suck it!� before letting loose a heavy

of smoky backstage hangs where everyone would become

opposite. The only thing that could have improved the show

less, musical precision. After a sufficient amount of faces

scream and dense riffage. As he riffs and screams through

an abstraction in light of her presence. There was a magic

is if it included many round beds with black and red suede

were melted, the band exited the stage to the sounds of a

his highly intellectual brand of metal, you can tell that he uses

to this show that you wouldn’t find at, say, a Die Antwoord

blankets for the crowd to watch from, and of course many,

rapturous crowd. After a short setup, the members of DTP

this genre as high art, and satire within a style of music that

show. FKA Twigs knows how to dance. I found out minutes

many lit candles.

seemed ready to get on with the show. The ever-eager and

takes itself way too seriously. The entire set was enormously

animated Townsend was even seen coming onto the stage,

fun, and so accessible for somebody who was not necessarily

but pushed off by a roadie as they were not ready for him

a fan of the music. As DTP finished off the final tune, there

yet, much to the great displeasure of the crowd. As he hit

was a quick hilarious quote of Rush’s “YYZ� as it came to an

the mic, he said, “Wait! I fucked up the walk on. I’m gonna

end. Townsend was charismatic and energetic as he treated

leave and come back, and you go crazy.� And sure enough,

the crowd to his insane vision of metal music. All music fans

he walked off, came on back, and the audience erupted.

would greatly enjoy the incredible live show DTP puts on.

before the show that she started out as a dancer and gymnast

fleetwood mac

Celebrating the upcoming release of his insane space opera,

ROGERS AREANA, NOV. 18 Ă— Andy Rice From the first harmonized words of “The Chainâ€?, it was

and her band mates were pinching themselves right along

and “Little Lies�, while Buckingham delivered an intense

loping around stage with all the piss and vinegar of someone

clear that Fleetwood Mac’s estranged keyboardist-vocalist,

with the crowd. The eternally Bohemian Stevie Nicks proudly

and re-imagined version of Rumours’ “Never Going Back

half his age. “World Turning� wasn’t short on passion either,

Christine McVie, was back and better than ever. The band’s

acknowledged her kindred musical sister, wading through

Again�. Nicks then took a moment to explain the story be-

with an idiosyncratic (and fiercely narrated) drum solo by

current tour, dubbed “On With The Show�, has seen the

a sea of resounding praise left over from McVie’s Rumours

hind her Mirage -era hit, “Gypsy�, dating back to her and

the group’s founder and namesake, Mick Fleetwood. The

71-year-old Brit return to reclaim her rightful place behind

hit, “You Make Loving Fun� to say, “Welcome back, Chris.�

Buckingham’s days in San Francisco as a struggling folk

band followed that up with the obligatory “Don’t Stop�, and

the piano and atop the group’s lush vocal blend, after a 16-

Giddy like a teenager trapped in a 67-year-old’s body, Nicks

duo. It was a poignant touch, bolstered by her fresh and

finally Nicks’ beautiful “Silver Springs�, which was famously

year absence. For fans at Rogers Arena on Nov. 18, this was

then launched into the most lively and meaningful version

flawless rendition of the song. While Nicks has lost many

(and regrettably) left on the cutting room floor prior to the

a celebrated occasion beyond anyone’s wildest dreams. It’s

of “Dreams� she’s delivered in years. Guitarist-vocalist Lind-

of the high notes that McVie has so beautifully managed to

pressing of Rumours. Ultimately though, it was McVie’s solo

one of those rare “hell freezes over� scenarios — about as

say Buckingham took over from there with “Second Hand

retain, there’s something about her sincere delivery and the

rendition of “Songbird� that proved Fleetwood Mac has re-

likely as Don Felder rejoining the Eagles or the late George

News� as the audience roared over the parade of timeless

whimsy of her lyrics that is all redeeming. And clearly a little

turned to its full and former strength. There wasn’t a dry eye

Harrison and John Lennon rising from the dead, to the point

classics. After a few rarities (“I Know I’m Not Wrong�, “Sis-

friendly competition among the three singers has ensured

in the house as the majestic lark herself delivered one of the

where nobody — not even the other four members of Fleet-

ters of the Moon�) the band steered back toward the hits.

that each is performing at the top of their game. “Go Your

most beautiful pop melodies of all time — one that ironically

wood Mac — expected such an outcome. But there she was,

McVie was at her best on Tango In The Night’s “Everywhere�

Own Way� led into a generous encore, with Buckingham gal-

begins with the words, “For you, there’ll be no more crying.�

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FEATURES

FAYE ALEXANDER FEATURES EDITOR

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

THE PROGRESSION OF MODERN SKI FILMS Every fall, with the dropping temperatures and resurrection of sweaters and toques, skiers start looking at the mountains with anticipation.

Soon, the rain will turn into snow, covering the North Shore mountains and morphing them into a winter playground for many. This time of year also marks the annual parade of the latest ski movies, fondly dubbed “ski porn.” While viewers get to enjoy the finished product in warm theatres accompanied by beers, months of work went into the films prior to that point. From creating the original concept to the actual hours spent shivering in ski boots filming, and the months of editing during the summer, these films are not an easy undertaking. As the sport and industry progresses, the artistry and creativity behind the movies has to keep up. With the recent work that many production companies have put out, there is proof that the filmmaking in the ski industry has caught up to the talent, with the angles, shots and storylines often outshining the tricks and athletics.

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GETTING INTO IT

10

For the people behind the lens, making movies is a labour of love, with passion being the main driving force behind the progression. Because of this, filmmakers and editors often come from grassroots backgrounds, picking up a camera at a young age and filming their friends for the fun of it.

“I got into still photography first. My dad gave me his old Pentax ME super, which is an old film camera, and I just started taking photos.

Because I grew up in Whistler, I was taking a lot of sports photography and eventually I got a job at a local photography store and a guy I worked with was really into video,” explains filmmaker Blair Richmond, “And I was like, oh that was always something interesting as well. I eventually saved up and bought my own video camera and computer system that I could edit with, and for the most part I was teaching myself or learning through mentors and what not.” It paid off for Richmond, as unbeknownst to him at an early age, he was able to turn a hobby and passion into a career. After graduating from the visual effects program at what was then Capilano College in 2007, Richmond was able to pursue a career as a videographer and editor working with Switchback Entertainment for four seasons.

“I got my first job working for an actual ski film company when I would have been 20 at the time.

It was actually when I was going to Cap College, and I met a guy through skiing who ran his own ski film production company and finished up the year filming with him and went into the next season working for him,” Richmond explains.

Mike Brown has a similar story as to his beginnings in the industry. After he attended Montana State University in Bozeman, Montana, he started working with other students to create Sweetgrass Productions. “I jumped on

just after the formation. Myself and the other partners in the company were all in school at the time so we basically had our first project with Nick Waggoner who is the director of Sweetgrass Productions – it was his senior thesis project for college actually. So he started that, and then I wound up coming to shoot partway through the project.” Sweetgrass started in 2007 and Brown has been involved since 2008, and in those six years, the production company has garnered a strong reputation.

MAKING THE GOODS Sweetgrass, which is based out of Salt Lake City, Utah, has produced groundbreaking projects, and their most recent film, Afterglow, is being hailed as one of the best ski movies of the year.

“Afterglow was my favourite piece of action sports content ever created. Mike and Sweetgrass are doing more than creating entertaining videos — they are producing artistic masterpieces that are able to transcend sport and culture,” says Jason Mousseau. Coming from Mousseau, that’s high praise. After nearly a decade within the industry and working for publications such as SBC Skier and Newschoolers.com, Mousseau has extensive knowledge on what makes a good movie. He has also worked for iF3 International Freeski Film Festival, which annually crowns the best ski movies of the year.

Mike Berard, editor of Coast Mountain Culture magazine and one of Mousseau’s predecessors at SBC Skier, shares similar opinions on Afterglow but is also impressed with Sweetgrass’s other works. “I love Afterglow. It is creative and beautiful. I’m not sure it raised the bar though.

It will push directors to continue their quest for new ways to film, but as soon as the next LED/ nighttime film comes out the creativity has passed. Sweetgrass Productions’ Valhalla, on the other hand, has managed to change everything in ski filmmaking for good,” Berard explains, “Whether or not you have LED light suits, or technical wizardry, you still will have to find a director and writer who can match the storytelling and intelligence of Valhalla, and that will be difficult, always.”

“We’ve received a lot of comments where people are just totally blown away and have said, ‘you know, this is the best 10 minutes of ski footage that we have ever seen before.’ We’ve had a lot of people say things along those lines, so we’re really happy with that reception,” explains Brown about Afterglow. While fans are commenting on the finished product, what they don’t see is the months of work that went into bringing the initial idea of lighting up skiers at night to fruition.

“I think it’s really interesting that when people see a finished piece, they’re seeing it in a state where months and months of time have gone towards refining it and dialling in the idea and

making sure that it looks good and that it’s perfect, so it makes sense at that point,” says Brown, “But before then, the road to get there is the long road of uncertainty and a lot of times fear – when you don’t really know if things are going to work out, is it going to come together – so I think every project there is a lot of question marks and a lot of things that are unknown until you actually release it and get that feedback from people and see that people feel like it really did work” When it comes to conceiving ideas for ski movies, the more inventive minds, the better. In Richmond’s experience, the segments that had the most impact are often the ones that had the most collaboration.

“Working with Switchback – in terms of ski films, I found that the best way is collaboration. I’ve worked with such an awesome team at Switchback, and it’s never really one person’s idea and one person is the leader and everyone else just has to do a job. We all kind of meet together and constantly talk about our projects, even though one of us might be spearheading it, we are always collaborating,” he explains. “I definitely think that you might start with a very small idea but it becomes a much bigger and better project when everyone starts talking about it together. People throwing ideas at you that you didn’t think of and all of a sudden, it develops.”

The collaboration process varies from project to project. Sometimes, it takes a photographer’s eye to make an idea shine, or an athlete will have a feature that they have been wanting to conquer, and therefore the piece centres around it. Usually, it takes talking about an idea from a variety of angles to see which one will present the best end results. Because the creative minds are in an active field, it often takes them getting active to spur ideas. “I know my buddies that I’ve worked with, we’ve had these conversations saying I have my best idea when I’m bike riding or whatever.

They’ve all got different spots,” says Richmond, "I definitely think that you might start with a very small idea but it becomes a much bigger and better project when everyone starts talking about it together. People throwing ideas at you that you didn’t think of and all of a sudden, it develops.”

Richmond mentions a specific episode of Salomon Freeski TV that became better with more input. “'The Burn', which is an episode that we did – originally that was my buddy’s idea, Jeff Tomas, and he just really wanted to make a film kind of focusing on how unique it is when you ski through a burnt forest, a forest that had gone through a forest fire. He had been pitching the idea at Freeski TV for a while and they had said ‘that sounds cool, that sounds cool.’ But it really didn’t come to life until I got on board and we

PEP FUJAS

PEP FUJAS

LEAH SCHEITEL

ERIC HJORLEIFSON, PEP FUJAS

AFTERGLOW SCREENGRABS

WORDS

ATHLETES

IMAGES

"Early projects were made on hand held cameras and edited in basements, with the athletics being the main feature of the film. Today, the production values have changed, and ski movies have become a benchmark for quality and creativity."

YOU DON'T KNOW UNTIL YOU GO As with any creative endeavour, filmmaking can be intimidating and confusing as to where to start. While school offers the technical knowledge, experience and networking are also fundamental to pursuing a career behind the lens.

Sometimes there is no other way to learn besides just doing it.

“I would say a general kind of mantra for getting into filmmaking or really anything in general is something that I think we come back to a lot in the projects that we do, which is – it’s kind of just a short little phrase: you don’t know until you go,” Brown says of his philosophy on inspiration.

“In order to get anything done, I think you have to follow that and take action with whatever it is that you are trying to pursue. So you’re never going to know if it’s going to happen and if it’s going to work until you go and try it out. And the more you do that, the more you are going to get rewarded with results. I think for people that are interested in filmmaking and ski movies, and anything else, just go for it, put your energy into it. Put some marks on the paper, and start filming something and eventually it’s going to evolve and lead you somewhere that might be where you expected or maybe it’s somewhere completely different, but through that process it’s going to take you somewhere that is probably exciting and is going to pay off for you.”

For Richmond, hands-on practice is a superior form of education. “There is a lot of theory in film school and some of that is great, but depending on where in film you want to be, it’s not really that applicable to a lot of areas,” he says, ‘If you’re really, really passionate about it, and you really enjoy it, theoretical film school might help a little bit but the best thing you can do is learn technically how to use the equipment because then you rely less on other people.” Richmond also credits his mentors for teaching him along the way. “If I didn’t teach myself, I would try and learn things from other people who I knew were more experienced — a lot of mentor-based learning I think is really, really positive.”

Currently, Richmond is working on his own production studio, focusing on “visual effects, motion design, motion graphics, and editing and colour correction – basically everything you do after shooting.” This will allow him to still work within the ski industry, but also branch out to other areas and pursue other interests.

As for Brown and the Sweetgrass crew, the fall is a period of limbo, enjoying the fruits of last year’s labour while planning the next projects and creative ambitions. “The fall is usually a time where we step back and consolidate our new ideas and dreams and plans. There are a couple of new ski segments that we have been dreaming up and we are working out ways to make them happen.” That, and the dream that drives most of this passion: “Other than that we are hopefully going to get out and ski some powder out there soon.”

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ERIC HJORLEIFSON

kind of came to the conclusion that we could make the forest look like it was still burning. If we hadn’t have done that – it definitely would have still been a really great film, but it took it to the next level.”

In the two decades that ski movies have been a yearly tradition, the production values have grown exponentially. Early projects were made on hand held cameras and edited in basements, with the athletics being the main feature of the film.

Today, the production values have changed, and ski movies have become a benchmark for quality and creativity.

“Everybody is not making ski movies any more, they’re making either narrative films or artistic pieces of the highest quality cinematography with the best equipment you could possibly get,” says Richmond, “The actual ski action has hit a little bit of a plateau in the sense that the changes that we’re seeing in the tricks that they do and the lines that they ski are not that different compared to the early 2000s. Every year they would be blowing the year previous out the water. But I would say the progression has moved towards the cinematography and to the editing and then to the concepts.”

Brown agrees with Richmond, and says that he continually strives to push what had been done in all the projects he endures. “I think from the first films that we were making, almost all of our focus was on the filmmaking and the craft there, and the communication of emotion to the viewers, and the skiing came second to that, really. Initially that was a function of we were just starting out and we didn’t have access to the best skiers in the world so we were almost forced to come up with a new formula that could be just as powerful for people but not rely on the skiing. And a couple years down the road – today – I think we are trying to do our best to combine both,” he explains, “It’s exciting to us to improve our skiing as much as we can in terms of the tricks and performance, but at the core of the filmmaking, it’s always going to come down to the craft and the art that we can instil in the projects and using those tools to give people new experiences with every film that we put out.”

Fans and critics are noticing the evolution and are expecting more out of ski movies. “A good ski movie is easy to make. Good music plus solid tricks, edited well, will garner that result. An amazing ski movie, however, is much more difficult. In my opinion, it hinges heavily on the filmmakers’ touch,” explains Berard, “It’s flawless editing, storytelling and skiing quality, in that order. The athletes are, of course, paramount, but the people behind the camera are still the ones that make or break a film. You can see it in the way many of the bigger companies have put out total shit in the past, despite global trips with A-grade talent, and $500,000 budgets. They were still often hit and miss through the 90s and 00s.”

For Mousseau, the films need to be entertaining on a variety of levels to fresh. “Ski movies these days need to be entertaining before anything else. With so much quality video content out there, producers need to keep their viewers interested, whether it be with great skiing, captivating cinematography, creative editing or original concepts.”

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FEATURES

FAYE ALEXANDER FEATURES EDITOR

CREAM OF THE CROP Catching up with Capilano alumni

by Carlo Javier

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

It began as an after-hours community college at West Vancouver Secondary, with just 784 students and the lofty dream of creating a permanent campus across town. That was Capilano College in September of 1968. Forty-six years later, and the renamed Capilano University has become home to a comprehensive jazz studies program, a variety of arts based courses and a burgeoning school of business. Dozens of outstanding graduates have emerged from various fields over the years, and the Capilano Courier caught up with three individuals who have made their mark in the world of experimental music, fashion merchandise, and a mix of politics and entrepreneurship.

[o] Kaarina Venalainen

[o] Jenn McInnis

Terry Beech

Jesse Zubot

Politician, Professor, Entrepreneur

Violinist + Polaris Prize Winner

“At one point I just kind of got run down with performing the same material over and over, and certain types of music, you almost have to treat it like a product, like a chocolate bar or something, you have to sell as much of it as possible and have it be the exact same thing every time,” explains violinist Jesse Zubot. Following his time in CapU’s jazz studies program, Zubot has become one of Canada’s most acclaimed violinists and producers.

[o] Andrew Palmquist

Pushing the Boundaries of Sound

Herschel Sales Coordinator

At 18, Terry Beech accomplished what many people spend their whole lives working towards – getting elected. A Public Administration student at CapU from 2000 to 2002, Beech made national headlines 15 years ago when he became the youngest elected public official in the country. Now 33, Beech is the Liberal Party candidate for Burnaby North – Seymour, an adjunct professor at two BC universities, and Chairman of Hire the World.

Purveyors of Cool

“I’ve secured the Liberal nomination for the new riding of Burnaby North

Graham Michaelson

Earlier this year, his work on Tanya Tagaq’s Animism gained national coverage after the Inuit throat-singing album won the prestigious Polaris Prize.

Known for his innovative and experimental style, Zubot, 39, has built a career out of his desire to continue pushing the boundaries of sound. “I’ve always been interested in [experimental music] and I feel like it’s a powerful thing, as music can be spiritual and it can almost be like medicine, and when you basically respect it enough then you kind of just let it be what it needs to be instead of trying to conform it and control it into regular sounding music that most people might think as normal,” he explains.

– Seymour. We started campaigning just over a year ago and the election

Herschel is one of the most recognizable brands to come out of Vancouver. Despite its relative youth – the company was established in 2009 – the makers of the trendiest backpacks, bags and other leather goods have experienced rapid growth, quickly expanding to over 40 distributors in more than 60 countries. Herschel’s increasingly iconic logo is becoming even more prominent in classrooms and school hallways with every year that passes.

THE CAPILANO COURIER.

VOLUME 48 I SSUE N O . 12

His record label, Drip Audio, is a noted outlet for creative music – the

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Entrepreneurial Politics

will be sometime in 2015,” Beech says.

As a man of wide-ranging interests, Beech also teaches at both SFU and UBC, working with the universities’ respective business schools. “I work almost exclusively in the area of entrepreneurship and innovation,” he says.

One of Beech’s main goals with entrepreneurship is to shed the connotation that it’s strictly about business, “It’s actually more broadly applicable than that,” he says, “My favourite definition of entrepreneurship was said by an old Harvard professor: ‘it’s the pursuit of opportunity without regard

34 albums released under the label are all experimental releases, looking

For Graham Michaelson, Herschel’s US sales coordinator and a CapU

to push musical boundaries and create new sound experiences.

student from 2007 to 2012, the company’s fast rise to prominence can be

of the current resources at hand.”

For the last five years, Beech’s focus on the field of entrepreneurship

Production of Animism initially began with two producers, Zubot, and

attributed simply to, “being at the right place, at the right time.” In just a

has been about making innovation more interdisciplinary, and to further

Spanish musician Juan Hernandez. However, it grew too difficult to work

few short years, Herschel was able to take advantage of a market that really

that, 40 per cent of innovation classes at SFU have been made available to

together due to distance – Hernandez lived in Spain, and eventually, most

needed a game-changer, “You had Burton making bags, you had Dakine

non-business students. “If you look back on the role of universities in the

of the production ended up on Zubot’s lap. The developments ultimately

making bags, but there wasn’t really just a little bit more of a fashion-for-

last 800 years, it’s been mostly about training excellent researchers and

became a positive because of Zubot’s and Tagaq’s already standing chem-

ward company with, you know, a classic aesthetic,” Michaelson, 28, says.

preparing students for future careers. With innovation, its role expands a

istry, “It worked out well because Tanya and I work well together, we’ve

Michaelson’s responsibilities as US sales coordinator include organizing

little bit,” Beech says.

been performing together for almost 10 years now. I kind of really know

shipments of products from warehouses to actual stores. Primarily working

By opening up innovation programs, Beech and SFU hope to provide a

what she’s trying to go for and we’ve developed this new kind of sound in

in Herschel’s Rail Town office, Michaelson also gets to deal with various

way to take Canada’s significant investment in research and development

working together,” he says.

methods of sales. “I do both direct sales for Herschel through our office,

and transform it into commercialized businesses, “The reason that that’s

According to Zubot, about 60 per cent of Animism is improvised, and

as well as dealing with our reps and dealing with our shops and whatnot

important is because that is a major engine of growth in terms of employees

the remaining 40 per cent accounts for the material that was added after

in the US,” he says, “I get to go down to trade shows, that sort of stuff, a

and new jobs.”

the recording . “Just like extra bass lines, extra synth sounds, extra elec-

couple of times a year in the States.”

tronics, and weird things just to kind of like… extra candy just to bring it all together,” he says.

Herschel is also noted for its use of social media and interactivity with fans. With goods inspired by travelling and hiking culture, Herschel’s social

As for Beech himself, one of his more successful ventures is Hire the World, a graphic design company that works with freelancers from around the globe.

Both Zubot and Tagaq aimed to give the record a seemingly pop atmo-

media platforms, particularly its Instagram feed, encourage people to share

Beech started the business while completing his MBA at Oxford Uni-

sphere. “By adding overdubs after, that’s what kind of helped bring it to that

images of their own travel experiences. Using hashtags such as “#Well-

versity, and Hire the World managed to generate revenue while he was

place, also the way that we sequenced it on the album, we really thought

Travelled” and “#WellPacked” Herschel is able to generate user-created

still in his dorm. “For the first four months I was still in England and we

it out in a way that it could be listened to like a pop album.”

content in its social media feeds. “The amount of interactions that we have

were developing via Skype, and we actually launched the business, and

Zubot also sees great value in other fields, particularly in education,

on Instagram is pretty substantial,” says Michaelson, “It just brings in a

generated our first revenue, without me ever meeting my chief technology

“Being well rounded in education is a lot more important than people

lot of user interaction as well into it. People submit photos, you know, they

officer (CTO) in person,” he says.

think. I kind of wish I could go back to school just to learn things. I think it’s

want to use our bag, and that sort of stuff. In that regard, we’ve done really

important to recognize all kinds of stuff you’re studying, and not just throw

well in terms of making that very much our aesthetic.”

Hire the World would go on to achieve a variety of merits. The company won first place in the 2010 New Ventures BC Competition, first place in the

it away if [it’s] not interesting,” he says. For now, Zubot aims to continue

With Herschel’s rapid growth, both as a business and as a cultural fig-

working, to continue pushing the limits of music. “I think I just want keep

ure, working within the company requires a certain set of skills. “There’s a

being able to do what I do, but also, have it go out to the world, maybe

lot of skills that I learned in Cap from our work in class, and doing projects,

In a way, Beech represents a growing ideal in the modern society. He’s

more of an international scale, instead of just Canada.”

and doing proposals and doing pitches, and really getting firsthand experi-

involved and prominent in a variety of fields, but at the same time, he’s not

ence dealing with potential clients that you do in a lot of your courses and

pigeonholed into a single one. “Don’t be afraid to take an unconventional

classes,” Michaelson remarks. The hands-on work that CapU offered not

path. I’ve seen plenty of students follow the standard, ‘I’m going to be an

only helped prepare Michaelson for the responsibilities he has now, but

accountant, a lawyer, a doctor, and those are great professions and they’re

also allowed him to excel in his line of work. “Having to do some of those

incredibly secure,” he says, “But it’s also nothing if you’re not enjoying what

classes and getting a bit more hands-on work that Cap offered, even some

you’re doing in your life.”

of the marketing and sales programs, was definitely beneficial to doing what I do and being able to do it well.”

Oxford Global Investment Competition, and was included in BC Business’ 2012 Top 20 most innovative companies in the province.

Calendar Nov 27

Dec 01

Dec 06

Dec 13

Dec 2O

25

Dec 31

HORNS Rio Theatre 9 pm $6

F

COLD SPECKS Mo 24

The Imperial 8 pm $17.50

capilanocourier.com

@capilanocourier

Tu 25

BILL FRISELL + BRAD TURNER BlueShore Centre 8 pm $35

A TWISTED CHRISTMAS CAROL We 26

Revue Stage – Granville Island 7 pm $29

Th 27

I’ve heard horror stories about this movie, but I think it’s just because people are scared to see the beloved little Harry Potter grow up. In this movie, Daniel Radcliffe grows horns and gets horny, but not necessarily in that order. This is proof that Radcliffe is a badass and my crush on him is finally justified. But after his amazing rap performance on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, everyone is frothing for him. Get in line, bitches.

Every time I would pass the Imperial, I had thoughts that it was a knock off of a shitty small town bar, like the ones I grew up in and lost much of my youth to.

However, that was before I saw a show there. After last Sunday, and seeing Shakey Graves shake it on the stage, I’m in love with the Imperial, as it’s a really cool venue. It even has couches. So this is a plea to all of those that haven’t gone there yet – go, and go tonight, as this band is pretty cool too.

Bill Frisell is doing an artist-in-residence program at CapU this fall. I didn’t even know that we did things like that. Anyways, he’s performing with faculty member, Brad Turner, who is pretty good at jazz, from what I understand. So this proves to be a good show. The Globe and Mail gave it a rave review, and that must mean something, right?

Is there a better way for a Christmas carol than for it to be twisted? This is an improv take on Charles Dickens’ classic, A Christmas Carol. And we all know that story so well that seeing it in a new light is the greatest Christmas gift of all – well just short of. I replied to a random email, and the guys at the Arts Club gave me two tickets. That’s the greatest Christmas gift of all.

LAST DAY OF CLASSES

STORYHIVE VOTING

102 GREY CUP

ICE SKATING

All Glorious Day Long Campus $ - reviving brain cells

Fr 28

Storyhive.com All Day $ - a few clicks

Sa 29

BC Place 3 pm $157.50 – an arm

Su

30

Robson Square Ice Rink All day $ - free admission

Mo 01

We are almost there, everyone. Almost to the end of classes, where all the assignments are handed in, all the presentations presented, and there’s nothing left to do besides hope that it was enough to pass. That and to study for finals. But before that starts, take at least a day to recover from the season. I recommend SNL reruns and cat cuddles.

That always cures my soul.

My social media feeds are abuzz with this contest, where filmmakers submit proposals and then the masses vote on them. The winners can get up to $10,000 and a grant to produce a web series. And you know we are suckers for democracy here at the Courier. And while the Courier will remain unbiased, I will not, and will tell you to vote for Diamonds in the Tuff, as it’s the baby of CapU film student, Nick Cupelli. So do it.

Canada’s answer to the Superbowl is finally here, where the best teams in the CFL meet to battle over a cup that is grey? That’s what I get from it. And if the ticket price is a bit to steep for your pocket book, don’t fret. There will be festivities all over the town, from local concerts to welcoming pubs full of drunken football fans. Or you can romance my cousin Cam, who is a ref for the CFL and likes to impress people by saying that.

The skating rink opens again, giving people a new place to meet for their attempted romantic dates – c’mon, movies have made ice skating dates so cliché. But that doesn’t mean skating isn’t cool. It’s also great exercise, especially for your leg and ass muscles, which will thank you for a little movement before the Christmas party season ensues.

FARMER'S MARKET

MOIST

COURIER CHRISTMAS PARTY

PETS WITH SANTA

Capilano Sportsplex 11 am to 3 pm $ - veggie tales

Tu 02

Hard Rock Casino 8 pm $25

Th 04

8 pm All the karaoke bars $ - secret Santa item

Fr 05

Kingsgate Mall 2 pm to 4 pm $ - your pet’s dignity

Sa 06

Did you know that there is a Farmer's Market on campus? And did you also know that they will have vegetable available in winter? And did you also know that it's important to buy local and support farmers? Well if you didn't, now you know. And you should. So go to this. It also supports CapU students, and that's the essence of school spirit.

I mock this band relentlessly. Every opportunity that I have to ridicule these boys, I do. Because, really, who names their band “Moist’. It’s kind of gross, right? Little known fact, Cheryl Swan, superb art director, is rather good at guitar. Once I got drunk and she serenaded me with Moist songs.

It was oddly wonderful.

We are all friends here at the Courier, and that means we want to buy holiday gifts for one another.

But we are still broke, so we are doing the secret Santa gift exchange. Come see the festivities and indulge in drunken rounds of Backstreet Boy karaoke songs. We don’t actually know where we will be going or what we will be doing, but I am sure of one thing – Carlo will be tweeting about all of it.

Find us on Twitter.

This will fulfill a dream of mine, as I always thought that Hank would look great next to Santa Claus and Libby Davies, MP for East Vancouver.

Yup, both those jolly ol’ public figures will be there, helping you snap the perfect pet holiday photo. I hope that Santa has some protection on under than red suit, because Min will tear him to shreds and Hank will never leave his lap.

RUFUS WAINWRIGHT

THE TEA PARTY

A FEW OF MY FAVOURITE THINGS

ANDY P'S BIRTHDAY

Presentation House Theatre 7:30 pm $10

All Day Everywhere $ - smile and compliments

Vogue 7 pm $49.50

Su 07

Commodore 8 pm $39.50

Tu 09

Th 11

Fr 12

This guy has a voice that Gilbert Godfrey must envy. Like c’mon. But really, he sings with angels, and often about angels. So let him sing for you, at the Vogue Theatre. He’s performing songs from his latest release Vibrate: The Best of Rufus Wainwright.

Let’s just hope that there are no seats vibrating around you, ey ey.

Yes, your holiday calendar is going to be filled with 90s grunge rock bands doing one last tour to pump up those bank accounts. Man, how have these guys not shrivelled up yet? And who is going to these shows? To fulfill my journalistic duties, I will have to go, mostly to answer these two questions.

Well, thanks for asking. A few of my favourite things are, of course, Saturday Night Live, political comedians, and a well written Esquire article. Oh, right, this is not about that. This is a play and according to my sources, it features many grads from the musical theatre program at CapU. And there is a sing-a-long part to the performance. Take your mom – moms love those.

Andy Palmquist is a gentleman and a scholar. But seriously, he is the nicest guy on staff – second nicest, depending on how many beers Carlo has had. All Andy wants for anyone is smiles, compliments and good times. So help him celebrate by spreading smiles, compliments and good times around everywhere you go. And if you see him, buy him a beer, will ya?

PHANTOGRAM

WINTER HARP

CHRISTMAS PARTY

CANUCKS VS FLAMES

Vogue Theatre 7 pm $28.50

Sa 14

BlueShore Centre 7:30 pm $34

Mo 16

My House? Your House?

9 pm $ - bottle upon bottle of wine

Th 19

Rogers Arena 7 pm $81.75 and WAY up

Fr 20

This electric duo has made quite the name for themselves. Last year, they were the soundtrack overplayed in tree planting trucks across Western Canada. They are touring in support of their new album Voices, with guests Mounties and Dear Rouge. It’s also my mom’s birthday, and this is totally how she would want me to celebrate.

Don’t know what this is? Don’t worry, Arts Editor Alva Tee has you covered. Read her interview with the people behind the scenes, and what this festive production is all about. Plus they use some really rare instruments, ones that you will only likely see once in your life. Worth it, no?

Tis the season to drink too much, fa-la-la-la-la la-lala la. But seriously, it is. Usually, I like to drink right alongside my Christmas dinner. Last year, I had surgery that compromised both my ability to eat and drink – it was miserable. I just sat there, slurping nutrients, while everyone was stuffing their face full of chocolates and rum shots. I am making up for it this year, oh boy, am I ever. Feel free to join the festivities. I’ll invite you to mine if you invite me to yours.

I just found out the Gabe “the babe” Scorgie loves the Canucks and hockey. A little bit of his soul dies every time I shit talk the Canucks in the calendar, but that doesn’t mean that it’s going to stop.

I’m sure Gabe has a very nice soul, and it should be preserved. So this is my plea to the Canuck organization to drop the prices of their expensive tickets. If not, the mocking will ensue, causing more damage to Gabe’s soul. C’mon guys, its for the sake of a fan.

BILL NYE

CHRISTMAS EVE

CHRISTMAS DAY

BOXING DAY SALES

Vogue Theatre 8 pm $39.50

Su 21

Your house All day $ - family squabbles

We 24

Everywhere $ - turkey hangover

Th 25

Your Favourite Store 10 am to 6 pm $ - fighting impulses

Fr 26

Everyone’s favourite nerd is in town, giving a talk about all things science and cool. This guy is well revered for being smart, outspoken, and having a extensive collection of bow ties. How cool would it be to have Bill Nye as your grandpa? Then you wouldn’t have to pay 40 bucks to see him. You could visit him whenever you wanted, and he would tell you stories about when he “was your age…”. But for us who aren’t related to him, we’re going to have to settle for this.

It’s the day before the most overrated day of the year. But it’s also a pretty fun time, as your aunt treats herself to that extra glass of white wine, causing her feelings and inner monologue to explode.

To me, this is the greatest sporting event of the year. It usually ends with me and my cousin Cam prank calling all the boys that wronged me that year. So watch out, Stephen – you’re right at the top of the drunk dial list.

We wish you a Merry Christmas, we wish you a Merry Christmas, we wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year – in all seriousness.

Did you get some money from relatives that don’t know you that well, so they slipped you $20? Well, that’s basically why Boxing Day was invented. Go to your favourite shop and then wait in line to get in, and then wait in line to try on clothes, and then wait in another line to pay for said clothes.

That sounds like just a perfect way to spend a day off. If you need me, I’ll be road tripping to California with my roommate, Jewish Lucy. You can call her Juicy.

GLORY DAYS SATURDAY

CURRENT SWELL

NEW YEAR'S EVE

NEW YEAR'S DAY

Biltmore Cabaret 10:30 pm $10

Sa 27

There ain’t no party like a Bitlmore party because a Biltmore party is CLOSE! By close, I mean I can stumble home at a reasonable hour, apply my nightly creams, take two Asprin and hope to wake up hangover free. But this does sound cool, with a bunch of DJs playing a bunch of cool songs, likely with a bunch of cute boys milling around. Told you, Biltmore parties are the best.

Commodore 8 pm $25

Su 28

A West Coast band from Victoria is gracing the stage at the Commodore. To be honest, I can’t decipher their music from any other of their cohorts from the West Coast, including Mother Mother and the Boom Booms. That may be my lack of musical knowledge. But the guys opening, Jon and Roy, are really good. Once, I played their album at a lodge I was working at, and it helped me bag a cute skier. Thanks Jon. Thanks Roy.

Wherever you want?

Midnight $ - champagne, and lots of it

We 31

Happy New Year to you and yours. And do something for you tonight – what you want to do. If that’s standing next to the cutest guy in the club in hopes that he will kiss you at midnight, then do that. If it’s making a giant cardboard sculpture that looks like your friend, writing last year’s grievances on it, then dousing it in lighter fluid and setting it ablaze, so be it. But believe me, the latter is better. #BurningMikey

All over All day $ - large hangover

Th 01

It only makes sense that New Year’s Day follows New Year’s Eve. It also makes sense that most people start the year with a hangover so large that it would make your drunk uncle proud. Put off the resolutions for another day and relax. Ideally, Comedy Central will be rerunning roasts of over-praised celebrities. Now that’s the way to start a year.

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Dec

@capilanocourier

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opinions

GABRIEL SCORGIE OPINIONS EDITOR

OPINIONS@CAPILANOCOURIER.COM

starbucks delivery service WELL THAT'S JUST 'BUCKIN GREAT

what interns are for? And besides, how is one Starbucks delivery person expected to successfully transport 40 caramel macchiatos up to the top of the Trump Tower on their own? Surely, only a highly-educated recent MBA grad is capable of that.

Another problem lies in the area of quantity.

Most people are looking for one serving of coffee, be it a regular old Americano or a Grande nonfat sugar-free soy milk triple-shot white chocolate mocha Frappuccino with extra whip. The delivery charge on a single drink would rival, if not exceed, its price, making delivery only practical for large orders. Anything less would be about as efficient as having a slice of pizza or a mouthful of Thai food delivered to your door.

And let’s not forget the fundamentals here. Nobody likes coffee at room temperature, no matter what temperature it started out at. Over time, hot coffee will cool down and cold coffee will heat up.

That’s just physics, and not even Starbucks can outengineer that. Some have speculated that the company will get around this with specialized barista vans, allowing staff to make the drinks on location.

But that’s no longer a delivery van — that’s a food truck, and a whole different business altogether.

BRINGING THE BREW TO YOU Starbucks will be offering coffee delivery in the near future and this can only be a good thing. It certainly isn’t for everyone, those who brew their own morning pick-me-up on the cheap at home will continue to do so, but they were never Starbucks’ target market to begin with. As for the rest of us, the demand for conveniently available on-the-go fancy coffee drinks is so great that it’s impossible to walk two blocks in Vancouver without running into another clone of the iconic green cafe. With

Sure, this idea will allow customers to jump lines and avoid wait times by ordering through an app, but delivery delays won’t be any better. And what if the order gets screwed up or spilled along the way? It might honestly be quicker to break into a neighbour's house, make a pot of coffee, get caught, get arrested for trespassing and then go drink free coffee at the police station. I’m convinced that Starbucks must know something the rest of North America doesn’t.

Maybe they’ve developed special delivery drones with pinpoint accuracy and solar-powered milk steamers? Or maybe this experiment will end with a bunch of scalded, coffee-soaked New Yorkers shaking their fists at the sky. Either way, Starbucks has got a plan brewing, and we’ll have to wait and see what it is.

× Sydney Parent

Since 1971, Starbucks has been a coffee drinker’s wet dream. In addition to being the world’s largest employer of people with ‘resting bitch face,’ the company roasts beans of all varieties from which to brew coffee. Fans aren’t restricted to one of over 20,000 cafés or drive-thru locations in order to get their caffeine fix either. In recent years, Starbucks has entered into the home-brew market, evolving its retail model to include French presses, Verismo capsule machines, and a special proprietary ode to Tang — a powdery concoction known as Via Ready Brew. But just when you thought the company couldn’t make coffee consumption any easier, it spilled the beans on some big news: delivery service is going to be a thing.

The problem is that nobody, not even Starbucks, has any clue as to how this is going to work. When Starbucks CEO Howard Schulz announced the company’s delivery plans to stakeholders back in October, he put it like this: "Imagine the ability to create a standing order of Starbucks delivered hot to your desk daily.” To me, the words “Hot to your desk” show that corporate clients will likely be their target demographic. But isn’t fetching coffee

by Andy Rice

by James Martin

lineups stretching out the door during peak hours, it only makes sense for the coffee juggernaut to continue developing creative ways to make it easier than ever to satisfy the public’s demand for instant gratification in the form of overpriced hot bean juice.

The obvious issue this model presents is the pricing, with a quick estimate putting the delivery fee at or above the cost of a single fancy drink. It seems fair to guess that the delivery model will probably focus more on large group

orders, eliminating the need to send some sorry intern on a quest to balance three trays of scalding liquid up the stairs on their way back.

Maybe it will be possible to establish regularly recurring orders for a reasonably low fee in areas close to stores and/or where a high demand for the service exists. Even in situations when ordering Starbucks delivery clearly shouldn’t be worth it, the distinction can start to blur when all you want is a pumpkin spice latte, and the fastest route to Starbucks involves walking

through the snow for 10 minutes to wait in the cold for an overcrowded bus.

It’s important to remember that Starbucks’ fancy drinks were once considered ridiculously priced. People will adapt. Especially if that adaptation involves doing absolutely nothing while a tasty drink is brought right to your door. It may not be for all people at all times, but coffee delivery will be here to stay.

promotions before parenthood

TECH COMPANIES OFFER EGG FREEZING TO EMPLOYEES Kevin Kapenda

THE CAPILANO COURIER.

VOLUME 48 I SSUE N O . 12

× Writer

14

With companies downsizing and population growing, it’s becoming more and more challenging for university graduates to land top end jobs with their bachelor’s degrees.

This problem is influencing grads to pursue advanced degrees well into their mid to latetwenties before entering the super competitive job market. For women, the education-labour crunch is only further complicated by the decision to have children, and if maternity leaves will impact their career advancement. Because of this dilemma, some of California’s largest tech companies, including Apple and Facebook, are offering to cover the cost of their female employees’ fertility treatments as part of their health packages so the option to delay having children in favor of advancing one’s career is not as difficult. Though those companies claim they’re offering this benefit out of good faith, questions about whether or not employers should be in the bedroom of their employees and what their female staff stand to gain from “egg freezing” perks have not yet been answered.

While it’s clear that both male and female university grads are both feeling the post-

recession labour crunch, balancing professional ambition and family life for women is becoming even more challenging since women have to decide whether or not to have children and the impact that process will have on their young careers. Furthermore, many women feel that having children in their 20s and 30s negatively impacts their careers. According to a 2013 survey published by the UK’s Daily Mail newspaper, 81 per cent of the female respondents between the ages of 28-40 believed that having children hurts their careers, mainly because kids will not allow them to work the long hours and put in the type of “work comes first” dedication that is required to attain management and or executive positions in large organizations.

One of the major reasons why some observers of the decision argue that Facebook and Apple are offering fertility treatments to women is so they can recruit the best female engineers out of university and give them the option to work well into their late 30s or not viable years before opting to have kids. According to Barbara Ortutay of the Toronto Star, if a woman’s eggs are not frozen while she is in her 20s, the viability of one’s eggs will steeply decline by her mid 30s. On Oct. 11, Stanford Sociology University professor, Shelley Correll, told The Star why the somewhat invasive move benefits the

young women who are entering those workplaces. “Anything that gives women more control over the timing of fertility is going to be helpful to professional women,” said Correll.

“It potentially addresses the conflicts between the biological clock and the clockwork of women’s careers: "The time that’s most important in work, for getting your career established, often coincides with normal fertility time for women. This can potentially help resolve that by pushing women’s fertility into the future.”

While some women, such as Correll and current COO of Facebook, Sheryl Sandberg, have championed the idea of covering the costs of their female employees’ egg freezing, Emma Wooley of the Globe and Mail believes that rather than offering to freeze their eggs so new recruits can work for years without interruption due to child birth, those companies should be focusing on changing their industry to make it more women-friendly. According to Wooley, the tech industry is dominated by “white men” and is not working to be more inclusive to women and their symbiotic roles as professionals and child bearers in society. “All these benefits do is underscore our toxic ‘overwork until we die’ culture – one in which technology companies want people to sacrifice their youth and prime parenting years for profit,” wrote Wooley on Oct. 16 in the Globe. “Some women

– wealthy, professional women lucky enough to afford it – can freeze all the eggs they want, but it doesn’t change the fact that companies like Facebook and Apple’s bottom lines are at odds with true work-life balance.” According to Wooley, egg-freezing and fertility treatments can initially cost up to $10,000 out of pocket and $500 a month for annual freezing.

Though the idea may be brilliant from their perspective, it’s undoubtedly manipulative from a disinterested point of view because those companies are only offering reimbursement packages for egg freezing to encourage fertility treatments among new recruits who often have advanced degrees and fall into the age 25-39 child-bearing demographic. Helping to pay for fertility treatments at an organizational level was probably implemented in those firms because they want their young hires to work for a while before possibly choosing to have a child. The introduction of egg freezing comes off as devious because those companies are choosing to intervene in a woman’s decision-making process by tempting their female employees to undergo treatments that were much harder to afford before they decided to subsidise them.

opinions

she's a star WOMAN ANNOUNCES PLAN TO MARRY CHARLES MANSON Gabriel Scorgie × Opinions Editor 2014 has been a year of heartbreak for single women everywhere. After the marriage of movie star George Clooney in the fall, and the announcement that everyone’s favourite Sherlock Holmes, Benedict Cumberbatch, is now engaged, another blow was delivered to all the single ladies out there when a women known as Star announced that she’s going to become Charles Manson’s wife.

For those who are worried about old man Manson preying on a 26-year-old girl, don’t worry. Those who are serving life sentences without parole aren’t allowed to have conjugal visits.

Not only do they have to sit in prison for the rest of their lives, they have to do it with blue balls as well. This means that their marriage is more about the companionship than anything else. Maybe Manson didn’t want to die as a single serial killer. Either way, it’s unlikely that

many people are seriously saddened that Manson has been taking off the market, making it seem strange that their union upsets so many people.

Some people are complaining that this ruins the sanctity of marriage. The truth is that the sanctity of marriage has been questionable at best years before a murderer decided to get married. And besides, part of the marriage vows are, “for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death us do part, according to God's holy ordinance; and thereto I plight thee my troth.”

Well, let’s break that down a little bit. First of all, Manson will be spending the rest of his life in jail. This will limit the couple’s options when it comes to dates and romantic getaways, so it seems like ‘worse’ is the only option these two lovebirds will have. Furthermore, a 26-year-old woman likely doesn’t have much of a lifesavings and there isn’t a lot one can buy at Corocon State Prison anyway, so the poor part of the vow shouldn’t be a problem either, not to mention that Manson is a convicted murderer and Star

wants to be with said convicted murderer, so it’s safe to say they’re already sick. And finally, Manson is 80 years old - there isn’t a lot of time until death do they part. Unless they unexpectedly fall out of love, the truth is that their marriage is probably more genuine than many.

There’s a surprisingly long and rich history of serial killers receiving the celebrity treatment from the opposite sex. Ted Bundy, Jeffery Dahmer and Richard Ramirez are all examples of killers who’ve had an incredible amount of women fight for their love. Known as Hybristophilia, or Bonnie and Clyde syndrome, it’s the “Paraphilia of the predatory type in which sexual arousal, facilitation, and attainment of orgasm are responsive to and contingent upon being with a partner known to have committed an outrage, cheating, lying, known infidelities or crime, such as rape, murder, or armed robbery." The reason some people get more turned on by reading the Sharon Tate case files than from Fifty Shades of Grey is still unknown, but it’s there doesn’t

seem to be a connection between being attracted to killers, and being a killer yourself.

People are attracted to others for some weird reasons. There are women who think Steve Carrell is the sexiest man alive and men whose dream girl is Whoopie Goldberg. These attractions are weird, but they aren’t going to hurt anyone. Even the most desperate people aren’t going to go on a murderous spree in an attempt to get laid. If Star thinks that Manson is the best she can do, then that’s her choice.

At the end of the day, the marriage of Manson and Star will change absolutely nothing. People who are following Manson’s activities know that they have been corresponding for years, and the fact that they won’t be getting any conjugal visits means that corresponding is all they’ll ever be allowed to do. Their wedding will be a small gathering of a maximum of 10 people at Corocan State Prison, hardly a romantic getaway. If Britney Spears can have a marriage that lasts 55 hours, Manson and Star should be allowed to at least try and match that record, if not beat it.

the evolution of catholicism POPE FRANCIS ACCEPTS SCIENCE AND LGBT...SOMEWHAT Scott Barkemeyer × Writer

archaeological findings have solidified the idea of human evolution, research into stem cells is opposed by major religions, and the current studies into the Higgs Boson particle could cause an even bigger divide between science and religion. So in a time where scientific knowledge is growing at an astounding rate, religion may have to make efforts to acknowledge some of science’s ideas. The notions that the last four Popes have addressed appears to be a way of bridging the divide.

In a more liberal topic, Pope Francis still stresses what he and the church consider a ‘traditional marriage.’ While he hints at tolerating Civil Unions, which are non-religious state sanctioned form of partnership, he still does not accept same sex marriage. For a Pope to be truly forward thinking, he would have to accept the idea of same sex marriage. Current society has accepted the idea of same sex marriage; Canada became the first non-European country to legalize same sex marriage nationwide. In the

T H E C A P I L A N O C O U R I E R . VOLUME 48 I SSUE N O . 12

× JR Pinto

In a part of society that is not known to be forward thinking, Pope Francis has been considered a massive change of pace. The most recent example of his forward thinking was when he acknowledged that both the Big Bang Theory and evolution are facts, not just scientific drivel cooked up to undermine the church. Prior to this statement, a shift in acceptance of evolution began with Pope Pius XII stated that evolution could be true, but that it didn’t apply to mankind.

This was followed by Pope John Paul II who supported the idea that the even though the human soul could not be created through evolution, that evolution was still an “effectively proven fact.” Benedict followed with stating, “We are not some casual and meaningless product of evolution.

Each of us is the result of a thought of God.” This brings us to the current Pope, Pope Frank.

Pope Francis’ take on this is: “Evolution in nature is not inconsistent with the notion of creation, because evolution requires the creation of beings that evolve.” With this in mind, is the current Pope any more forward thinking than previous ones? Not really, as he is simply continuing to acknowledge what prior Popes have.

On the topic of evolution, the current papal office’s view may be because of the rise in scientific belief in the public sphere. In the past, pious scientists were excommunicated from the church when their research. Case in point - Galileo, who became excommunicated from the Catholic Church after he released his ideas supporting the Copernican system. This book led to Galileo being convicted of “grave suspicion of heresy” and the book was placed on the Forbidden Books list.

Currently, scientific discoveries are being made in various fields that would’ve previously been condemned by religion. Recent

US, as of October, 32 states legally recognize same sex marriage. When looking at religions accepting same sex marriages, even within Christianity, there are many supporters of the idea. It’s the traditional Catholic Church that’s one of the biggest oppositions to same sex marriage. Their basis is that it both undermines the meaning of traditional marriages and it normalized homosexual behavior.

Pope Francis has said that the church might explore the idea or recognizing civil unions of same sex couples. This being said, he has also stressed the idea that marriage is a sacred bond between a man and a woman. His statement in regards to accepting civil unions is based on “economic aspects.” Pope Francis is calling for wider acceptance from the church to the LGBT community. As a result of the changes that he has made, The Advocate, a pro LGBT magazine, named Pope Francis the person of the year in 2013 for his promotion of LGBT rights in the form of civil union.

In 2010, when Pope Francis was a cardinal in Argentina he was against the legalization of same-sex marriage, he later suggested that civil unions should be considered. Pope Francis has also changed the structure of the Papal Offices to improve acceptance; most recently demoting Cardinal Raymond Burke, an outspoken opponent of both abortion and gay marriage, this displays the Pope taking action to mould the church into a more welcoming place.

Pope Francis may have openly accepted the ideas of science and evolution based theories of life as part of Creationism, and he appears to be accepting to the idea of civil unions. And while this idea does display a change in values from the Catholic Church, until Pope Francis and the Catholic Church completely approve of liberal ideas that go against their traditional values it’s hard to consider him a forward thinker.

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columns

LEAH SCHEITEL COLUMNS EDITOR

EDITOR@CAPILANOCOURIER.COM

finding the goods GET OUT AND EXPLORE YOUR CITY Ciana Bourrel × Columnist

Born and raised in small town, Grand Forks, BC, Cianda spent most of her youth surrounded by the great outdoors. She moved to Vancouver at the age of 18 to adventure and experience the city. She now resides in Chinatown, where the fruit is cheap and the alleys smell like piss.

the mediator THE LAST OF THE EBOLA HEADLINES Ben Bengtson

THE CAPILANO COURIER.

VOLUME 48 I SSUE N O . 12

× Columnist

16

Ben Bengtson is interested in all things media, but mostly how corporations are a part of our modern media way of life. Through his column, The Mediator, Ben will explore what aspects of media are thriving while others are decaying to change. His favourite movie is Dazed and Confused, and we think that's pretty cool.

For most of October, I feared Ebola. I feared Ebola when a co-worker sneezed, or whenever I’d find myself in a crowd of people. I especially feared the disease when riding the Skytrain, which I use to commute every day. While this fear festered in me, deep down I knew that it wouldn’t be an issue here in Canada – anywhere else in the world it could happen, sure, but not here. But even with our socalled ability to tune out the everyday noise of the news media, hints of panic still lurked within me – within all of us, I think.

After a solid month of Ebola terror, however, I’ve noticed something. The noise has appeared to have stopped, or at least gotten quieter. After the aggressive media bombardment on Ebola – death tolls rising every day in West Africa, Twitter constantly ablaze with the latest reports, Western states starting

× Lucy Webber to panic – things seem to have once again started to settle down and return to normal. To be fair, the more “developed” countries probably only started their collective mass hysterias when the disease was reported to have entered the United States. At that point, with Ebola starting to gain traction in the world’s superpower, the possibility of a global health pandemic probably felt more real than ever. But there have only been four reported cases of Ebola in the US, and one death. The death toll in West Africa, however, rages at over 5,000 dead. Yes, the virus has for the most part been contained at the global level, but the threat is still real. To Westerners and Canadians, however, the disease is a mere footnote. After several weeks of pandemic-frenzy,

can afford is your next meal. It can be just as nice to wander through a shop and leave empty handed with a full bank account. Just be cool with it.

Lastly, use the Internet. It’s a great resource, but keep in mind that you’ll never get the full experience through a website. Don’t explore stores through their shopping page, as the in-store experi-

ence is bound to be the better option. It’s cool to get a idea of what they are about, but don’t get carried away — save the good stuff for when you’re really there. Google Maps or the website contact page will lead you in the right direction when trying to find a store’s fixed address. Also, use local websites to discover shop openings and other retail related content. Vancity Buzz, Vancouver Is Awesome, Scout Magazine and Inside Vancouver are all sources that feature local retail locations and know what is up and coming. Using these resources will keep you updated, giving you all the info you need to get on your way to the physical location.

Vancouver is no New York, but the quality shops we’ve got set our city apart from many others. It takes time and commitment to visit these retail spaces, but if you can follow through, it’s easy to make some great discoveries. Research the good spots, get to know the product, ask some questions, and save up for the jacket of your dreams.

It’s always worth the effort.

the media has quieted down on the subject, and so too has our collective anxiety.

The media has the power to shape opinion, to create meaning, and to generate buzz where before there was nothing. This isn’t a new or particularly radical idea, and yet we always seem to forget this adage whenever simple news becomes sensational news. Maybe it’s disrespectful or delusional to suggest that the Ebola health crisis is in-fact sensationalist, but the way our media institutions have covered the event have been nothing short of melodramatic.

Fear of a highly contagious disease, one with no effective means of containment or treatment, is a reasonable response. Do you remember when the SARS scare swept the globe a decade ago? It was the first time in my life that I can remember people being scared over something as intangible as a “disease,” a phenomenon that before I would have thought only believable in a sci-fi movie. And yet, we all remember the prevalence of the face masks and hand sanitizers that were readily prescribed (the H1N1 – “Swine Flu” – pandemic of 2009 produced similar prescriptions). Fear can be a bad thing, but when it leads to panic, it’s much worse. In terms of media criticism, there are two compelling ways to consider how the media’s coverage of global threats can affect society. For one, the quality of reportage and journalism that’s produced in the wake of a pandemic plays a major role in our reception of the threat. There’s a difference between the way the New York Times and CNN will cover catastrophe, and likewise a difference between how FOX portrays a crisis versus the way it gets discussed on Twitter.

While those with a more liberal bias may turn to a compassionate, progressive source for their news, others may be attracted to the fear-mongering talking heads of network news stations. These networks

produce fear and unlikely hypotheticals in order to generate traffic and keep us invested in the panic.

A recent CNN cable news headline reads: “Ebola: The ISIS of Biological Agents?” The increasingly dire state of North American news media that relies on false-facts and overstatement is harmful. And it’s this consistency of harmful statements that drives society into a state of panic.

More problematic than the over-exaggerated attitude of American news media, is simply the volume of media output in general. No matter how articulate, compelling or reasoned reportage on Ebola could be, just the simple fact of the subject’s oversaturation in the media market is enough to make us scared. “Too much coverage, and we look like we’re being exploitative with scare tactics,” wrote Ken White for Poynter.com. “[But] Too little coverage, and we get blamed for not enlightening our audience of its scope.” Evidently a balanced level of coverage is necessary concerning Ebola. But unfortunately, as always, the more exploitative route was taken. Because of this over-coverage, North America spent all of October fearful and obsessed with a disease that will prove to have little impact on our society.

Our response to pandemics is predictable. The media, with its glorious ability to influence, oversaturates our TVs and our smartphones with news of imminent demise. Panic suddenly ensues. But soon after the event, the panic ebbs and things return to normal. The media stops covering the event, or if they do continue to report it, they do it with less intensity. Let’s hope that in the future, if a pandemic does actually become a serious threat to the global village, that the news media, and our response to its overabundance of information and data, can be measured and appropriate.

× James Saville

Finding the goods within the city is all about exploring. It’s easy to find stores online, read up about the company and scope out the location on Google Maps street view, but that’s missing the point. While visiting the various shops in Vancouver, I discovered that the vibes of the shop is what brings the merchandise and concept all into one.

Stepping into the physical location can bring you the magical feeling these store owners work so hard to attain, and is infinitely better than looking at your dimmed laptop screen at 3 am. Inspiring you to adventure, this article is about getting off your ass and exploring Vancouver to find the goods, and using the internet for no more than referencing the location.

Vancouver isn’t a big city, but at times it feels like it might be. The best way to approach your exploration is neighbourhood by neighbourhood. No matter where you reside, a local bus stop can take you to one of the shopping neighbourhoods. Start in Mount Pleasant, as tons of small boutiques line Main Street, each more welcoming than the last.

Get a coffee and walk from 8th to 28th and you’re sure to be enticed into one of the many shops along

the way. Gastown is good for this too — a shorter distance and definitely more back alley shops — but just as much product to peruse. The list of destinations goes on to Commercial Drive, West 4th, the downtown area, and even Chinatown.

Regardless of where you choose to start, the most important thing is to have an open mind about anything you might discover.

Next on the list is getting to know the shop. It’s easy to breeze in and out of a store, but the best way to find out information is to ask. Through interviewing each storeowner, I am able to uncover the small details of each store that make it unique.

Even if the owner isn’t around to tell you all those start-up details, most employees know their shit.

Whether you’re inquiring about a product, the retail space or the company as a whole, most people are able to hook you up with some interesting facts.

For the most part, questioning things can bring you a much better understanding of the store concept and why they sell what they sell. If you don’t ask, you won't know.

Something to always keep in mind is that you don’t need to spend those sacred dollar bills. You’re allowed to explore a shop, ask a million questions and even try on product without buying anything.

This gives you the opportunity to save if you can’t afford it, and when you eventually purchase the item it will feel so much better than if it was an impulse buy. It seems to be that the more beautiful the shop, the more expensive the product, but this is no reason to walk past. You can live that luxurious lifestyle for the next ten minutes while you check out the product inside, or even give it a try. The key to exploring these beautiful retail spaces is to get past the feeling that you need to buy something on the shelf, when in reality all you

columns

Canadiana CANADIAN CLIMATE AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY

Rosana Hempel × Columnist Rosanna Hempel has worked and lived in nearly every province from coast to coast. Thanks to this, she has an intimate knowledge of Canada. Her column will explore how Canada measures up to other countries on different topics. It’s basically a report card for the entire country.

× Samamtha Smith

The other day, as I was leaving my apartment, it happened: I caught a glimpse of winter’s first snowflakes. Over the past couple months, as the temperatures steadily dropped with the progression of fall, my roommate and I would every so often stare outside our Montreal apartment dispiritedly and groan at the thought of the approaching winter. Our memories of last year’s ‘polar vortex’ are apparently still thawing. Although, for some reason or other, when we saw it snowing, we couldn’t help but feel a little excited. Hot chocolates, movie cuddling and snow angels definitely flashed through my mind, along with watching Love Actually way too many times.

Okay, so maybe we love winter a little more than we own up to, but that still doesn’t mean it isn’t annoyingly inconvenient!

One of my favourite stand-up comedy skits on Canadian stereotypes is one by Jim Carrey.

Adopting a quasi-caveman voice, Carrey gives an exaggerated and fictitious account of Canadian life that is, according to Americans in LA, carried out in perpetual winter — YouTube “Jim Carrey on Canada”. Given that Canada is one of the coldest countries in the world, after Antarctica and Russia that is, this stereotype isn’t unfounded. According to the Historica-Dominion Institute, Canada even has the world’s lowest average daily temperature at -5.6˚C. As it happens, we are so accustomed to Canada’s frigid and lengthy winters that we sometimes forget that it may be unusual to others, especially when we venture outside our borders. Anyone who has travelled to countries with warmer climates, which – let’s

face it – is everywhere else, surely endured many annoying comments or questions at some point: “Do you, like, see polar bears all the time?” “Um, no?” We try to answer politely, usually accompanied by much internal eye rolling.

Canada is a vast country hosting many different climatic regions, with temperatures varying from -50˚C to 40˚C. Given these extremes, Canadians tend to discuss and go on about the weather a heck of a lot more than the average person. Even my Dad, who immigrated to Canada from Europe, concludes every e-mail, phone call or text with some anecdote on the weather.

There’s no denying it: climate and winter play a big part in the daily to yearly lives of Canadians. This climate and temperature variation certainly gives us the opportunity to be creative year-round, yet presents a challenge with regards to maintaining a healthy lifestyle throughout the year, especially during the winter.

Similarly to more northern American states and other countries experiencing prolonged winters, physical activity is drastically reduced in the winter compared to the rest of the year, even though Canadians are known for their wintertime activities, such as hockey and skiing.

As reported by a study released in the Canadian Journal of Public Health in 2007, 64 per cent of Canadians were inactive in the winter versus 49 per cent in the summer. British Columbia accounted for the highest proportion of people participating in physical activity for over 15 minutes at 36 per cent, with Quebec accounting for the lowest proportion at 25 per cent. Although, BC, along with New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Saskatchewan, were surprisingly most affected by seasonal differences.

A recent report by Active Healthy Kids Canada in 2014 revealed that Canadian children and youth rank poorly internationally in terms of overall physical activity, receiving a “D minus” grade, the same as the United States, versus the B received by those in New Zealand, for example.

Although over 90 per cent of parents say outdoor spaces, public facilities and programs for physical activity are locally available, most children and youth spend hours on end being sedentary. The report suggests we are falling short, owing to our

“culture of convenience” — something which, as mentioned earlier, only appears to get worse during the winter months.

From a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease to diabetes to obesity, the fact that physical activity is beneficial to our health is undisputed.

Embracing winter, instead of dreading those icy months of the year, is certainly the best attitude

to have since it’s going to happen anyway. After all, winter is one aspect that makes our country unique and adds to our cultural experience.

Anyone who has witnessed a foreigner’s first ever snowfall will be reminded of winter’s enchanting wonder. That being said, approach this year’s season with creativity and determination, and don’t let them winter blues get you down.

a lot of time to socialize with the staff. A friendly hi is what I can do best from my seat.

The first couple pages are printed shortly after the staff arrive and an exciting buzz is going around the office as the gears are in motion for another issue of the Capilano Courier. People will leave the reviewed pages beside my desk and we can discuss their section and any layout details they might like to see.

Before I know it it's 4 pm and I've been here for 10 hours. Quick! I need to get more pages out! Then I get a little frustrated. "Grrrrrrr" goes through my head for another a while.

All the pages have been printed and reviewed. It is now time to make the punctual changes to the text and pass on the pages to our Editor-in-Chief.

The staff slowly start to take off for the day.

"Have a good weekend!"

"Catch ya later!"

It's the little things I remember. Someone making a funny joke about someone else, Leah giggling at her desk as she watches a child bang pots and pans together.

Andy coming and lurking over my shoulder

with ideas and ad space. Cheryl playing tunes I appreciate but can't always listen to. Carlo reciting things that Leah says in a more humourous way than hers. Faye writing on the board with her fine lettering, Gabe reading away and probably planning out his evening.

Therese has gotten quite vocal and tests the boundaries with what she can get away with. Alva is eager and always wants to make sure her section is in check. And Brandon lets us call him "Daryl" even though his name is Brandon. Ricky just keeps paying me on time.

The time we have with each other is only a couple hours a week. But those are some of my favourite hours a week. I don’t get a chance to say a lot, but I am involved and surrounded by people making this newspaper happen. For this I am very thankful.

It takes a lot of little things to create anything.

I am happy to be a little part of something.

Try opening the door for someone. It could lead to something big.

staff editorial THE BREAKFAST CLUB BY ANDREW PALMQUIST smell from across the room.

"Ask them," I'll reply as I nod in their direction.

Gabe nods in agreement.

"Hmmm. So do you think a 900 word cou…"

And then I stop listening to Carlo for a second. I realize he's probably not going to ask them. And has somehow changed the conversation. And now I want more bacon.

We'll clean up our table, walk over to the garbage can and are on our way out of there, holding the doors open for a few people on our way back to the office. It's the little things like holding the doors open that count. It makes me feel better, and most of the time you can see it makes the person you held the door open for feel appreciated.

I get back to my desk and notice some more emails have come in. More art or articles, or a reminded that my Scene card has a limited 500 point offer.

I put my hand to the computer mouse and get the layout going. In comes the rest of the staff around noon. By then I am in the zone and feel the pressure to get pages printed off. I'll look up and say hi and get back to the computer screen. Most of the day I am behind the computer and do not get

T H E C A P I L A N O C O U R I E R . VOLUME 48 I SSUE N O . 12

My days at the Courier frequently start with a breath of fresh air as I wander through the forest into Maple 122. I'll flip through my keys, then the office door — "Creeeek, beep beep beeeep." I turn off the alarm. This is my favourite part of the day. It is quiet, there are not many people around campus, the same squirrel is usually rummaging around the dumpster and I can take my clothes off (which happens mostly when I ride my bike over). With this south facing office the morning light through the windows makes it feel like the trees are waking up with me. It is peaceful.

This year I have developed a Good Morning Breakfast club with my colleagues Carlo and Gabe.

The boys arrive at the office around 10. They'll unpack their stuff and we'll head out the door down to the cafe where our $4.99 egg, bacon and toast combo awaits us. We'll chat about the latest issue and look around the cafeteria.

"Who should I interview for a Creeper?" Carlo usually asks.

I'll point out a group of girls who probably woke up earlier than all of us did to do their hair and bask in what ever scent it is I can somehow

17

CAp you who you?

CARLO JAVIER LIFESTYLE EDITOR

SUSAN DOIG

Take a gander at the “Post-it-Forward” board beside the pseudo-Tim Hortons at the Birch Cafeteria. Much of the thank you notes on it are dedicated to Capilano University’s Facilities Director, Susan Doig. Sue is the one who keeps the campus running, actually running. Without the Facilities department, everything would go down the drains – well maybe the drains would just get clogged and the campus will be helpless to a flood.

Therese Guieb × News Editor

Favourite Food?

My husband’s crème brûlée. He makes an unbelievably delicious crème brûlée.

Perfect Sunday Afternoon?

Walking through the forest with my husband and my dog.

× Contributed

Favourite Wine?

Zinfandel, Seven Deadly Zins, that’s my absolute favourite.

Dream country to visit?

I’d love to go to New Zealand, and I’d love to go to Spain, particularly in Northern Spain, and New York.

Favourite Musician?

The one that I love is Leonard Cohen.

Tips for sustainable gift wrapping?

Take old comic book papers, you can use leftover pieces of wallpaper, or you can take leftover fabric scraps and just sew them into a bag.

VOLUME 48 I SSUE N O . 12 THE CAPILANO COURIER.

18

How did the zebra prints get on your car?

I bought it because it was on it!

From Nov. 17 to 21, Capilano University celebrated International Education Week (IEW). CapU’s International Students’ Collective held different events throughout the week to celebrate the national event of supporting studying abroad and the contribution that international education makes to Canada.

CapU’s Centre for International Experience held separate events as well on campus but collaborated with the International Students’ Collective.

“International Education Week happens every year at the same period of time and I just thought it would be a good idea for a change to have actual events happen throughout the week so people can get to know other cultures,” says Rhita Hassar, International Students’ Liaison for the Capilano Students’ Union (CSU). This year, the International Students’ Collective took a more exciting path to celebrate IEW and focused more on showcasing many different cultures on campus. Hassar shares that last year, the Centre for International Experience (CIE) at CapU only had tabling in the cafeteria to let everyone on campus know that it was IEW. “There was like a big map of the world and then people can tell which country they were from and take pictures but there was not really a big event.”

“When I got into this position I just had this idea in my head that each day should be a different culture because we had five days I thought it might be you know interesting to divide it by continents,” she says. During the IEW, each day was associated with different culture theme days that include: Europe, Africa, Latin America, Asia, and Middle East. “My

with Keara Farnan

A sense of community is on the rise at Capilano University, even if it isn’t in the traditional sense. While there are still no fraternities and sororities, still a lack of support for the athletic squads and still the classic dismay about the lack of residences and a campus pub, that isn’t to say that social opportunities for students are absent altogether. They just require a bit of digging. One way in which students can tap into campus community is through the variety of clubs offered by various organizational bodies. Many of them are overseen by the Capilano Students’ Union (CSU) — clubs such as Anime Invasion, the Frankfurters and Psychocentrics. Every year new ones are formed, and this year, some of the collectives are already gaining success. Among them are the Film Club, Red Couch Club and CompCorner.

The Film Club

The Red Couch Club

Comp Corner

As the name suggests, the Film Club involves the streaming of movies, new and old, in CapU’s Bosa Centre. Founded by Jacquile Kambo and Taylor Wilson, the Film Club collaborates with the Bosa cinema in order to expand the streaming of movies on campus and build a closer community centred on film.

“The Film Club is centred around all aspects of cinema, not just the stuff you will see in Hollywood films, but documentaries, independent films, some of which are done by fellow Capilano students,” says Kambo, “Once we further expand our group and get more noticed on campus, we will create a page so people can simply ‘like’ it instead. We hope to expand soon and have more and more people attend our screenings.”

Meetings are every second Wednesday outside of the Bosa building and members can be informed about events and show times through the Film Club’s Facebook group. In the past the Film Club has streamed Jaws, Goodfellas and Rosemary’s Baby.

Founded by Ashley Bulthuis, the Red Couch Club is centred on creating a caring Bible study group for religious students on the CapU campus. As the leader of the group, Bulthuis believes that personal interaction is the most convenient way to inform students about The Red Couch Club, “We have requested a reoccurring, weekly room booking from 4 pm to 5 pm in the Dogwood building. This request has yet to be confirmed by the CSU. Once confirmed, we will put up another set of posters to keep students informed,” states Bulthuis.

The Red Couch Club was originally founded back in 2012 by former president, Nathan Choi, now the vice president of the group.

“Our aim is to study the Bible together and to discuss how it is applicable to our daily lives. We are starting our study off with the book of James.

We also hope to encourage a sense of fellowship amongst our club's members through our Facebook group,” Bulthuis says.

As a computer-dedicated collective, the CompCorner has found itself in an interesting position since Computer Science courses began to lose traction in CapU. Its founder is Nathan Dolton, a graduate of an Interactive Design program within the Vancouver community. He has come to CapU to expand his repertoire of programming design software skills by collaborating with others and solving highly complex computer problems. Dolton was formerly enrolled in the Business Administration Program at CapU where he expressed an interest in Computer Science as one of his electives; from there, his love for computers grew, thus leading to formation of the CompCorner Club.

By joining the CompCorner, students can expand their computer skills and learn strategic ways to protect their computers from viruses, infections and crashes. The CompCorner meets every Tuesday at 11 am during the academic year, but it has been on hiatus for the current semester due to other commitments and the cutbacks in Computer Science courses at CapU. The main goal of The CompCorner is to help educate CapU students on the safeties and precautions they should take when using their computers, and how technology is constantly changing and evolving over time.

idea was just to bring together music and traditional clothing from different cultures.” The IEW events were comprised of film screenings, wine, cheese and chocolate tasting, a drumming circle, a Rio carnival and belly dancers.

“We celebrate diversity in the whole city and Capilano University is known as being very diverse so I think it’s necessary to give international students an opportunity to celebrate this diversity, to celebrate their country,” says Hassar, “It’s also important to go back to your roots and not forget about them and celebrate your traditions. I don’t get to celebrate my tradition away from home here so I think International Education Week is a good opportunity for international students to celebrate their tradition.” She also notes that the event was not only focused on engaging international students but also domestic students as well. “I didn’t want to give the opportunity to international students only — I also wanted for domestic students to take part of it and learn a little bit more about other cultures.”

For Hassar, planning the weeklong events was difficult but she enjoyed every aspect of it. “I’m actually glad that I was able to do this, to have this opportunity. I was told that I was very ambitious and this is pretty crazy but I had this idea in my mind and I just wanted it to happen, so I’m glad it all came together,” she says, “The collective has been doing great I have a great team. They’re all amazing and they made this happen it’s their event as well.”

× Landis Li

IN DA CLUB

embracing multiculturalism International education week celebrates diversity

We swung by her office and asked Sue some things that are much more light-hearted than the responsibilities on her desk.

If you and your family were stuck on a deserted island, what three items would you have?

I would need to have a garden, or somewhere on the island where I could plant something. I need to have a notebook, and… I guess sunscreen.

CARLO.CAPCOURIER@GMAIL.COM

caboose

CARLO JAVIER LIFESTYLE EDITOR

CABOOSE@CAPILANOCOURIER.COM

making smarter decisions THE MISGUIDED GUIDE ON SAVING MONEY THIS HOLIDAY SEASON I’ve broken my glasses, I’ve had a broken heart, I’d like to think I’ve broken hearts, but none of these are worse than the feeling of being broke, just plain broke.

Last winter, my heart sank to its lowest point after I saw my credit card bill — a bill that included a variety of high fashion items, borderline regrettable gifts, and numerous contributing factors to my eventual body of evidence to the theory of “Sophomore 20.” It was not a good time.

This year, my goal for the holidays is simple: stay healthy, in both a physiological and financial way. In order to that, I’ve compiled a personal guideline that is meant to help me stay on track. But since it’s the season of giving, of sharing and of joy, I decided to broadcast it to our several readers, because, just like that group project I had for my Business Writing class, “we’ll do it together.”

Sharing at its peak form: Re-Gifting

DIY

Returns

Last year, one of my aunties gave me a sweater for Christmas. She knew that I was in this phase of my ever-changing fashion tastes where I was just so into all sorts of knitwear. However, she didn’t know of my subconscious quest to prove the theory of Sophomore 20. I couldn’t wear it. It was too tight and it had the words “College” on it. Pardon me, but it’s Capilano University, and has been since 2008.

After pondering my appreciation and my morals, I decided to re-gift it. Some people may frown upon the act of re-gifting. Some might even go as far as calling it disrespectful. Well, I beg to differ. The act of re-gifting is just like paying it forward. The only difference is that there are no actual costs to pay.

Isn’t that the truest meaning of sharing?

It wasn’t really so much of me not enjoying the XS sweater with “College” on it – it was more about finding the right home for the gift, a home that would love and appreciate it better than I ever could, and that home wound up being a poor typhoon survivor in the Philippines.

I’m no good with arts and crafts. I can’t even make a fucking origami. The only “artsy” thing I can make are super aerodynamic paper airplanes that only end up being thrown at me by my boss, Leah. This coming holiday, I’m going to show my friends and family that I can actually put some effort into my gifts, for a change. I’ll learn how to knit toques, scarves or even sweaters. I’ll YouTube the best cookie, muffin or cake recipes. Leah tells me to learn how to roll a good joint. Maybe this’ll be the season for that too. I can even take it a notch further and make a batch of weed cookies and leave them at the Courier office.

Cheat code: buy those pre-packaged cookies and put them in a nicer container. Heck, just give them the way they are.

Christmas is big in the Philippines. To this day my parents are still very supportive of the Christmas spirit. Trees and lights go up early in the season, and they don’t come off until after New Years. Well, this is Canada, and there’s really no need for having decorations out for extended periods of time. After the Yuletide, hit up Home Depot and return those ornaments. They have this incredibly vulnerable return policy where they will, and without failure, accept anything that you bring back to them, with or without a receipt.

My Mom has been so good at it that she has returned light bulbs that are just about to die, door knobs, basically anything that is about at the that point where it’s supposed to be thrown out.

Potluck Essentials

If you must buy gifts, know two very important things. One, many mid to high-end stores have a sale section in the back corner. Two, plenty of stores, and even the malls themselves, offer a free gift-wrapping service.

Before I learned where to really shop, I used to think Armani Exchange was cool. Now they’ve kind of been left behind by many of their contemporaries.

One thing that will always be great about Giorgio Armani’s – sort of – more affordable sub-brand is that there is a rather extensive sale section on the back of the stores.

Laura Foster Acting for Stage & Screen 1st Year

“Make macaroni necklaces.”

Aliya Boulanger Acting for Stage & Screen 1st Year

“Screw coal, you’re getting rocks!”

A gift from ME to YOU To finish off, I want to wish you all a very happy, financially responsible winter break, and to fulfill that, I will give you a parting gift: this paper. Yes, take a copy of the Capilano Courier, take a good glance at its wondrous art because we have the best art in all of Western Canada — fuck it, all of Canada.

Now appreciate that art and realize what awesome wrapping this paper it would make. Don’t buy gift wrap this season. Instead, just use old copies of the Courier. Our office is stacked to the rafters with them. Together we can save money, we can protect the environment and you’ll give us a free marketing platform. In the words of the almighty Jerry Maguire, “help me, help you.”

Grygoriy Pylypenko Acting for Stage + Screen 1st Year

“I’m shopping for gifts at the Dollar Store.”

Kevin Stroesser Communications 3rd Year

“Buy gifts on Boxing Day. Don’t host any dinner parties, but always go to someone else’s dinner parties."

Zoltan Ilku Communications 3rd Year

× Ksenia Kozhevnikova

“I cheap out completely and find wood in the forest to whittle shit out of. Maybe dead animals to stuff as presents.”

T H E C A P I L A N O C O U R I E R . VOLUME 48 I SSUE N O . 12

Throughout my time with the Courier, I’ve made plenty of jokes at the cost of my Filipino heritage.

This coming one is not a joke. My culture is very much enamoured with the idea of potlucks, and it’s not like the potlucks where people would bring chips, a variety of dips and some store bought vegetables – it’s the potlucks where everyone brings a main course.

If you ever attend a party thrown by your local McDonald’s or Church’s Chicken, or if you ever get the fortune to be invited to the 18th birthday of your care aid neighbour’s daughter, you’ll understand what I’m trying to explain.

These potlucks can get taxing, however. So with the help of my Dad, we devised a trick that I’m pretty sure we may not have created – but let’s just say we did. Volunteer to provide plastic cups, reusable plates, as well as utensils. Because without those, everyone will just be left staring longingly at the spread, with no way to enjoy it.

If it so happens that your dinner host is open to using their own plates, then the second most cost effective option becomes the drinks – not the alcohol, though — not even pop bottles. Just a dozen cans of Sprite Zero. Those go for $4.

There’s always a SALE section

How Do You Cheap Out On Christmas?

19

shotgun reviews PORNO MUSTACHE Faye Alexander // White Rice

When I initially met Andy Rice, he gave me some major uncle vibes. Maybe it’s all those dashing button up shirts or those smart looking specs; maybe it’s just those twinkling brown eyes; maybe it was watching him sing “Benny and the Jets” at karaoke? You know the uncle vibe - where you instantly feel comfortable divulging what you’re going to have for lunch and feel an uncanny desire to ask them for advice on what to order for lunch. Most of the time I just wait for Andy to order lunch and I’ll just have what he’s having - because he makes me feel safe. But then I saw this photo of Andy stroking on this caterpillar of a mustache and my world came crashing down. All that security I’d built around his button up shirts and glasses was gone. This rare photo exposes Andy’s other side, his pervy uncle persona. I imagine that Andy glues on this mustache after leaving the office and gets into an unmarked van, combing his mustache and listening to Aqua’s “Barbie Girl”. Andy has assured me he doesn’t like “butt stuff” - whatever that means - but all I can think about when I see this photo is “butt stuff”. I feel like the next time I’m at some dingy bowling alley, Andy is going to be there, looking just like this, surrounded by twelfth grade varsity girls looking for love in all the wrong places.

OG RICE FACE

Leah Scheitel // Andy's Boss What started as an innocent photo became the most infamous face in Courier history. It was last year’s gala event at Nash, the journalism conference we speak so much of.

We were all dolled up and already loaded on wine. Faye grabbed her iPhone, snapped this photo, and looked for instant review.

And then we saw it: this face. We all huddled around, zoomed in and examined in great detail the features of Andy Rice’s face. We all had the same question for him: how the hell did you make your face go like that? What happened in your life to encourage a frown of that magnitude? It could have been that his suit was just a pinch too tight, or that we sat through a three hour award show listening to them announce one name, Kate Black, over and over again as the winner of everything.

Or maybe, just maybe, it was because Carlo was out-drinking him that night and he was annoyed that a little 20-year-old Filipino boy was drinking more than he. Whatever the reason, this face is what spurred it all, and will have Courier staff in awe for years. This year, we are going to make sure his shoes are two sizes too small to see if we can get another perfect photo at the gala affair.

FUCK YEAH BBQ

Gabriel Scorgie // Andy In Two Years This is what I call the ‘fuck yeah’ face. The reason it’s the ‘fuck yeah’ face is because there are an infinite number of things Andy could be saying "Fuck yeah" about at that given moment. He could be excited about the very large fire that has shot up next to him. Maybe it’s those BBQ tongs he’s holding, they look quite nice, and they could be the newest model. Or maybe he just got an email from Live Nation telling him that he’s been approved for the Sting concert. It’s impossible to say exactly what it is that has Andy so excited, but the most reasonable explanation is that a craft beer truck just crashed outside his house, spilling its entire delivery and Andy is about to rush over and ‘assist the cleanup.’ Fuck yeah.

WHAT? I DIDN'T DO IT

Carlo Javier // Author, Things Schei Says

ANDY RICE BOWL

Between balancing multiple duties for the Courier and his personal life, Andy Rice keeps a spark in the office by constantly whipping out witty hot charts, making borderline offensive jokes and scaring our News Editor, Therese.

In all honesty though, he manages to do all of this to the highest point of excellence too.

He knows how to give the staff tough love when we all need it. Heck, he does enough to have this entire section dedicated to the different faces he makes. In this particular photo, he is probably thinking o-m-g alcohol!

This is a classic face showcasing what the Courier staff feels inside when we see any sort of alcohol. Whether it’s after an intense Friday proof, a long week or just casual drinks over the topic of Leah’s cats, it has become our savior in many – beer – cases.

But really - this is the face we should all be making when we see Andy Rice.

I still remember the first time I met Andy. Production started a week before school began in the fall of 2013. He wasn't there and everyone spoke highly of him - "Andy this, Andy that..." And I thought, “I really want to see this guy to see what his deal is.” When I saw him I thought he looked so lovable but there's something off about him, really off. He's full of puns and you can never tell if he's serious or not. And I wished for dear life that he wouldn't be my boss but it happened. His goatee, faux hawk, the same sweater – that he wears even if it's boiling hot out – and that death stare.

Andy looks like that guy who tells you what he thinks but there's an underlying truth to everything. He's so charming and that's the problem. So watch out, because this bowl of rice will eat you up, not the other way around.

Alva Tee // Selfies For Days

Therese Guieb // Whaaaaat

I bond with my co-workers at the Courier in different ways. Andrew and I like breakfast and all things food. Faye shares the same love for hiphop, while Therese shares the same country of origin. As for Andy Rice, it’s sort of through a pseudo-journalistic type of way. I was the staff writer last year, and he was the staff writer the year before. That means he had the contact information of the people I often had to talk to, people of importance in this campus such as Jane McCarthy, Catherine Vertesi and the Courier favourite Susan Doig. But it was last winter when we really became buddies. While at the executive rooftop party of all university-based journalists in Canada. Andy accidentally knocked over a case of beer - a whole case. No one seemed to have noticed because everyone in that room was either drunk or high on their own pretentious spiel about being a journalist. I didn’t even really realize it right away. I just heard a crash, and I saw Andy looking right at me, with the same face and gesture he has in this picture, telepathically telling me three things: “Where’s Andrew?” “Why is Leah swearing and yelling so much?” and “Let’s get the fuck out of here!”

VOLUME 48 I SSUE N O . 12 THE CAPILANO COURIER.

OMG

the hot ChArt

20

BY

HALF

THE

PREGNANT PACHYDERM // THERE’S AN ELEPHANT IN THE WOMB

SKINNY JEANS // TOO BAD YOU CAN’T PULL THEM OFF

EDIBLE SEX TOYS // PILLSBURY DILDOUGHBOY

DEAD BATTERIES // FREE OF CHARGE

APPLE SPONSORS DISEASE RELIEF // THEY’RE CALLING IT IBOLA NOW

CREMATION VS. BURIAL // THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX

SKI PORN // STILL WAITING FOR THE MONEY SHOT

GROUP PROJECTS // THEY NEVER REALLY ARE

HEY @CAPNAPS // SWING BY MONDAYS, YOU MIGHT SEE A NAPPER

NO-FLY ZONES // A PROHIBITION ON ZIPPERS

BENEFITS OF LONELINESS // NO FRIENDS TO BUY GIFTS FOR

LIL SCHEI AT THE DENTIST // SHE KNOWS THE DRILL

IF ANDY RICE WAS TOM HANKS // HE’D HAVE NO ISLAND

FUNNY TOWELS // I LOVE THEIR DRY SENSE OF HUMOUR

STAFF