Capilano Courier Volume 46 Issue 17

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north vancouver

× February 25 2013

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REALIZE YOUR RENTAL RIGHTS Navigating the potentially thorny relationship with your landlord

DEMISE OF PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES

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POODLE DOODLES

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MAUS TRAP

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COOKING WITH RICE

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CAPILANO Courier TABLE OF contents news

The Staff 4

of this scintillating university newspaper JJ Brewis Editor-in-Chief

Cap grad combats mental illness stigmas

columns

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Fur-galicious

arts

Giles Roy Managing Editor

Samantha Thompson Copy Editor

Lindsay Howe News Editor

Leah Scheitel Opinions Editor

Natalie Corbo Features Editor

Celina Kurz Arts Editor

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You look just like Marilyn Manson

features

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Is the B.C. film industry destined to suffer?

calendar

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In like a lion

Opinions

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Scott Moraes Caboose Editor

Stefan Tosheff Production Manager

Katie So Art Director

Andy Rice Staff Writer

Connor Thorpe Staff Writer

Penny for your thoughts (on pennies)

CABOOSE

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Teenage wars

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Ricky Bao Business Manager

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.

Shannon Elliott Web Editor

Colin Spensley Distribution Manager

Leanne Kriz Ads & Events Manager

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× LETTER FROM THE EDITOR ×

LOVE IS A LOSING GAME × ON the Cover ×

CHERYL SWAN Cheryl grew up in Ontario and has been living in B.C. for the last six years. She is easily impressed by nature, with autumn being her favourite season. Art and music are a passion of hers that come second only to animals. She is known best as an extroverted introvert, who has an uncensored imagination. A fun fact about her is that she is quite flexible, because she loves stretching.

Cherylswan.tumblr.com

Aaron Campbell has some dirty secrets. “I’m left handed, I have 26 pairs of sneakers, and I have never seen The Lion King.” That last one’s a bit hard to swallow, but he’s a busy guy. A current IDEA student at Capilano, Aaron busies himself with freelance illustration and design work. “One project which I was very happy with was a series of single covers for local hip-hop artist Jay Lee, where I made a visual style that ran through all of the single covers, album cover and website.” It’s pretty evident, but Aaron’s passion for art runs deep, along with his other interests – namely video games and sneakers. “[They’re] the three things that have always struck my interest my whole life.”

It makes sense that he’s so creatively in tune. He is, after all, related to a legend. “I've had facial hair since I was 11 and kids in school always compared me to Super Mario.” You can see more of Aaron’s work online at Behance.net/ecstatic

“Some women choose to follow men, and some women choose to follow their dreams. If you're wondering which way to go, remember that your career will never wake up and tell you that it doesn't love you anymore.”

-Lady Gaga

FEATURING: GILES ROY

The Voicebox gives you the chance to have your opinion heard, no matter how irrelevant or uninformed. Just send a text message to (778) 235-7835 to anonymously “voice” your “thoughts” on any “subject.” Then, as long as it’s not too offensive, we’ll publish it! It’s a win-win-win, unless you’re a loser.

“You know 911... Taxes, yeah, incentive? I think so. Too many coincidences going on for this to be about some Osama bearded fuck”

“The courier smelled like dog shit this week.”

“A frend ship is for ever lafter is medsin trust is sumthing to pracktis in lasting strangth understanding hope is in the eye‘s of the beholder wat do you holde wen summone is in your arm‘s is a worme and genttil feeling nowing summone has open arm‘s wateing to hug you. ({;-)}) lol.”

Sorry about that.

“There’s a pool table in the maple building lounge now, yawk yawk yawk!”

I suspect you're joking, but in case you're not: You are dumb. There are no excuses for being this dumb. Please stop being so dumb.

See, this guy gets it.

“Some people like hockey and some people don’t like hockey but everyone needs to shut the fuck up, either way” Word. In fact, despite the name, the Voicebox fully endorses shutting the fuck up as a life policy.

Thus ends the texting-death-threats-to-the-Voicebox craze. No further death threats will be published. Thanks for your submissions!

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If I hadn’t received a bunch of other goofy texts from this number throughout the term, this would have adequately terrified me.

“I’m gonna kill you hahahahahahahahahahaha”

volume

“I have killed and i will kill again. help me”

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I know, I saw! It has immediately become the second best thing in that room, after the basket of free condoms. Yawk, indeed.

the capilano courier

Julian Legere has a lot of interests. Plays, gender equality, cooking, Breaking Bad, Harry Potter, slam poetry, country music, and so on. The arts, it seems, have him drawn in completely.

“I’m passionate about art, in all its forms, and I believe in its power … to hurt, to heal, to challenge, to be provocative, and to change the world.” Julian is an Acting for Stage and Screen student at Capilano, whose biggest dream is “to be able to add ‘Tony Award winner,’ ‘Pulitzer Prize winner’ or ‘Governor General's Award winner’ to the beginning of my name.” In the little free time he has, Julian works as a freelance writer and editor, “mostly for young adult writers.” But Julian is also filled with a paradox, saying most people are fascinated with his “combination of stubbornness and optimism.

No matter what shit happens to me, or what shit I see or hear, I refuse to stop believing in dreams.” Follow Julian on Twitter @JulianLegere.

× Editor-in-Chief

piece of pizza they’re gorging on. What’s fascinating is that some people question others’ intent when using such a “deep” word to describe something as benign as the new Drake song or a pair of shoes. Why should it be a negative thing to show love and affection to something or someone other than your significant other or a blood relative? So someone loves a cheese quesadilla. (I totally do.) People should feel free to express their delight in life no matter where that comes from. It’s similar to the sanctity of marriage argument – if someone is happy doing something that doesn’t cause negative effects on anyone else, what’s the fucking problem?

Love does come in many forms, but in ways people never really think about. Some of my colleagues joke (or go so far as to criticize) that I’m married to my work – this doesn’t bother me at all because, out of everything I’ve done, I get more fulfillment out of my personal passions and professional interests than I have experienced romantically. Maybe that’s sad to some. But my line of work provides opportunities, higher learning, and self-betterment – all on a platform of financial stability.

I see absolutely no downsides here. My professional life has brought me happiness because I love what I do. Love, on the other hand, has often shown me a never-ending string of disappointment, heartache, and turmoil. Over the years, I have learned to focus my energy on what feels good. To me, there is no greater reward than feeling satisfied with a job well done. It’s a feeling that I truly love.

I had an argument with my family on Valentine’s Day about the idea of extended family. People are expected to automatically love people based solely upon the fact that we are connected to them through blood and legalities. Call me cold, but most of my extended family doesn’t mean anything to me. They make no effort to involve themselves in my life, and I reciprocate it. Similar to my disappointments in my love life, I have made attempts to establish meaningful relationships with people that have gone awry or not been mutual. In accordance to loving myself first and foremost, I have learned the hard way that I must take a step back, re-evaluate, and create a disconnect. It’s not even about being bitter; it’s more a matter of fact, clinical evaluation that has left me causing a separation that I am entirely okay with.

To me, a family built out of love can be created in any way. But the word “family,” in turn, is as fluid to me as the word “love.” Just as I love my immediate family, I very much equally love my best friends who take time out of their day to let me know that they care, that they love me as much as I love them. They matter more to me than the extended family that doesn’t bother to call me on my birthday or keep up with where I am in life. Family, like love, comes wherever you find it. The various places family and love are found make life more interesting.

I had a really weird time this past Valentine’s Day. It wasn’t just the annual self-pity party of not having “someone” to share the day with (although there was a little bit of that, I won’t lie). What really sat uneasy with me was the general sense of how much the general public subscribes to one ideology of what “love” could or should be. Love between two people, the love within a family – it’s all very nice on paper, but the human condition may need an update in its quest on the search for what love actually means.

I spent the entire day on a date – with myself. I took myself out for lunch, to a movie, for a massage. I sat in a restaurant and theatre filled with coupled off pairings of human beings who clearly agree with the formula of what humanity is supposed to do. I’m not slighting them for it at all. I sure hope they had a wonderful time, and I’m sure they did.

But several times, I could see them looking at me – eyeing me up and down, shoveling handful upon handful of popcorn into my mouth, giving me the facial expression of “Oh, you poor thing.”

To be fair, I probably could have done with the small popcorn. But aside from that, I felt quite content with not having a “valentine” to spend the day with. What’s most ironic about all of this is that the couples looking at me seemed to feel a lot worse for me than I feel for myself. I actually quite enjoyed my self-date. There’s that whole method of thinking that you need to be comfortable with yourself before you’re comfortable in a relationship. I wonder, in turn, how many of these couples are formed out of people on a desperate search for their “other half,” without feeling complete in their own self. No judgment, but let’s be honest – we’ve all been there, and we all know a few people in that boat.

Love is a weird thing to me. It’s a word that evokes so many different interpretations to people, but many people seem to view the same common threads with love: family and a partner. I appreciate that both of those things can be great, but surely there’s more to life than just that.

Many people don’t have a family, nor a partner, and still find happiness in their daily life. I personally don’t like expectations, nor do I like being ornery for the sake of it. I don’t like to arbitrarily be contrary to the masses, but I do find flaws in the big picture that dictates how we all should be happy for the same exact reasons as everyone else on the planet.

The word love gets thrown around, a lot. On a daily basis, I hear people say they love anything, from their husband of 20 years to the

THE VOICE BOX

By JJ Brewis

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NEWS

NEWS EDITOR ×

LINDSAY HOWE × N E W S @ C A P I L A N O C O U R I E R . C O M

NO FRIES WITH THAT CANADIANS SEEK HEALTHY OPTIONS WITH NEW CAMPAIGN Victoria Fawkes × Writer In our extra-large, extra-cheese world, we’re constantly confronted with choices between what we believe to be “healthy” and “unhealthy” meals. But because of misinformation, the salad that you feel good about choosing could actually be packed full of fat and calories, something that the Heart and Stroke Foundation is trying to change.

It’s rare that a restaurant will actually divulge the nutritional information on its menus, which leads diners to make less-informed decisions about what they eat. To help combat this, the Heart and Stroke Foundation has begun a campaign that will petition restaurants to begin disclosing the details on the calories and core nutrients in every item on their menus. “Many restaurants in B.C. do not provide point of purchase nutrition information or healthy options because they are not aware that their customers are asking for them. Research indicates the majority of consumers do want nutrition information and healthy options available when dining out,” says Erica Callowhill, the director of marketing and communications for the Heart and Stroke Foundation B.C. “The mission of the Heart and Stroke Foundation is to help people live healthy lives free of heart disease and stroke, and eating healthy is one of the best things people can do to help live a healthy lifestyle,” she adds.

This January, the Heart and Stroke Foundation launched the We Want It campaign in B.C. This innovative advocacy campaign plans to bring people together by calling for nutritional information in restaurants. By rallying this using a variety of online tools and social media channels, the campaign aims not only to create a convincing business case for restaurants, but also to help create a community of health-conscious citizens. So far, over 600 Canadians and counting have requested that the Heart and Stroke

Foundation petition close to 60 different restaurants. On Apr. 1, the Foundation will send requests to the restaurants on Canadians’ behalf, which will hopefully encourage Canadian restaurants to assist their customers in making better choices about what they eat. Currently, Cactus Club is in the lead for Canadians’ requests, with White Spot and Milestones trailing close behind.

According to the Heart and Stroke Foundation, two-thirds of Canadian adults are in favour of seeing information about fat and sodium levels at all restaurants. Women in particular are interested in having restaurants provide them with nutritional information about what they and their families are eating. Restaurants are also starting to recognize the customer demand for more nutritional information. “Research shows us that when people have nutritional information available

when they are dining out, they are able to make better-informed decisions about what to order.

Having nutrition information is the first step in making an informed choice, but people also need to understand the information in order to use it,” says Callowhill. Canadian restaurants can also participate in the Health Check program, a program developed by the Heart and Stroke Foundation that highlights healthy meals on restaurant menus.

Restaurants voluntarily submit their menus, which are then evaluated by dieticians who select the healthiest menu choices. Currently, the Health Check program is implemented at Boston Pizza, White Spot, Swiss Chalet and Pizza Hut, to name a few.

The Heart and Stroke Foundation also offers easy tips for ordering healthy meals in restaurants, such as not ordering on an empty stomach, holding off on ordering fries, eating slower, and ordering dressing and sauce on the side.

The Heart and Stroke Foundation is optimistic that after the requests are sent out, many Canadian restaurants will understand the need for more nutritionally detailed menus. By petitioning Canada’s favourite restaurants, the Foundation will be able to ensure British Columbians are equipped with the information they need to make health-conscious choices when dining out, improving their health and lengthening their lives.

To join the movement, you can visit the Heart and Stroke’s website, Wewantit.hsf.ca, and tell them at which restaurants you’d like to see nutritional information. You can also see updates about the Heart and Stroke Foundation’s We Want It campaign on Facebook and Twitter.

×× RYAN ROSE

IF CRAIGSLIST AND FACEBOOK HAD A BABY

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VANCOUVER-BASED SITE PEOPLEMELT.COM ENTERS SOCIAL MEDIA GAME

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Katherine Gillard × Writer A recently-launched website called Peoplemelt.com combines social media, reviews, job postings, dating services and other local events and information into one easy-to-use website. To use the site, users have to go to the URL and begin looking. To begin, users type their current location into the search bar and the website zooms in on what is happening directly near you. The company’s aim is to show you anything from restaurants and events to pictures of animals and memes or even finding local singles. The information shared is up to the user’s discretion, having anywhere from no personal information shared to absolutely all information. An account isn’t necessary in order to use the site, making it even more convenient to use, however users can make their comments and shares personalized.

The purpose of the website is to encourage people

worldwide to share in this one single website to include more people in local events.

PeopleMelt’s CTO, Sereguei Rogov says, “The idea of PeopleMelt was conceived by our CEO. While traveling on business he discovered it was unusually difficult to find local information for things to do.”

The company’s aim is to make it easier to find things when you’re travelling, using one main discovery platform rather than using multiple different sites. PeopleMelt is still working on certain parts of the site, but has already made it possible for users to find social updates and events. Rogov spoke more about the available information and their charity of choice, saying, “What’s more, we’re also working with local non-profit organizations and have recently started including updates from both the BC SPCA and the Vancouver City Archives. The BC SPCA is a project we’re particularly proud of because we hope to enable pets to find new homes and reunite lost pets with their owners.”

The map layout of the site aims to make it efficient to find out the user’s exact proximity, however it still has its minor flaws in having minimal information available for certain locations. Rogov explains, “What you will notice is that we have more popular areas than others that we service, and that’s mainly down to our available resources and the local online habits of users. While the content on our site is primarily driven by users, we coax things along by posting important updates and helping event organizers and local businesses with posting events.”

Currently, the best features of the site seem to be finding local events and interacting with others in the Lower Mainland. The website’s headers fall under posts, events and classifieds with differentiating information being shared on each header. The events section enables users to find last-minute activities, with listings anywhere from sports, food, concerts, art and more. The site also lets users change the time frame of their search to look for events or classifieds either recently posted or from a while ago.

The website can also be used if you are single and looking for a relationship or even friendship, as users can find that person online and then find an event to go to using PeopleMelt. The website makes it easy to find something convenient for both of you and an event or activity that is of mutual interest. Without the convenience of PeopleMelt, you might end up on Facebook looking for a friend, Craigslist looking for something to buy and Groupon for a deal on a date. Peoplemelt.com is an innovative and time-conserving way to socialize online.

PeopleMelt is a new way to use social media while also finding classifieds and events. The site is easy to navigate and offers a wide range of information making it ideal for anyone, but especially for people with nothing to do and no one to do it with.

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AVOIDING EXTINCTION TIMES ARE CHANGING FOR THE WORLD’S POST-SECONDARY INSTITUTIONS Andy Rice × Staff Writer Today’s university is a different place than it was 30 years ago. Like an ever-changing landscape constantly being developed and redeveloped, postsecondary institutions must continuously evolve and adjust to better serve their students. If they don’t, they risk becoming obsolete, says Capilano University’s President and Vice Chancellor, Dr. Kris Bulcroft. Bulcroft will be the guest speaker at an upcoming installment of the Capilano Universe presentation series on Mar. 6, where she will present an interactive talk on the demise of the public university. “I think that there’s lots of predictions that universities, public and private, that they’re not going to continue to exist because of online education and now these MOOCs [massive open online courses] and all of these new ways of delivering post-secondary credentials,” she explains. “It’s changing what we’re doing, but I always believe there’s going to be a physical place for a university.”

Traditionally, says Bulcroft, universities have been highly selective and predominantly inputbased, placing the most value on things like research productivity or endowment. This creates an environment where a university’s reputation is founded more on the capability of its current faculty than on the success of its recent graduates. “I think the future of universities, public universities in particular, should be on output, on the student

themselves and on their learning,” she says. “The public needs to understand that the quality of a student’s education and what they learn has very little to do with the input variables and universities are going to have to themselves understand what the output is, what their students are learning. They’re going to have to be responsive to their learners and they’re going to have to demonstrate to their public that they’re producing students who are job-ready, society-ready, life-ready. We’ve never been asked to do that.”

Flexibility is becoming more and more important for today’s graduate entering tomorrow’s world. “The emphasis should be put on those [skills] that unfortunately society calls the soft skills but it’s the soft skills that make people successful in life,” says Bulcroft. “We do need people trained for particular skills, but at some point we also need people who are trained to be flexible because those skills are going to go away in five or 10 years. What have we really given a student by credentialing them if they don’t have the soft skills that make them flexible and adaptable and continually able to create and learn?”

For a university and its faculty, this will mean taking some risks. “Teaching sometimes is a risky enterprise and to try and get students to take risks, [teachers] have to take risks,” she says. “ I think that we have an obligation to give that to faculty and to really ... model that message to our students.”

Bulcroft is no stranger to taking risks. Her career took her around the globe, from Slovakia

to Switzerland to the United States before she grabbed the reins of Capilano University back in 2010. As a sociologist, she is well accustomed to studying group behavior and organizational structures, two things that play a significant role in her ability to shape Capilano University into an innovator, a change maker and what she calls a “positive deviant.” ”What drew me to Cap is that Cap is one of the few places that I’ve ever worked that really, really lives the student-centered ego,” she says. “Other places say they do it but they don’t ... I really see this place as a place where the vast majority of people, staff too, really want to work with students and get to know students as people.

That’s a really great foundation on which to build, because you don’t have to try to change a culture.

The culture’s already here.”

Bulcroft says she intends to continue to build on this culture by shaping the university’s facilities as well. “Look at all these changes that have happened at Cap since I’ve come, all these social space things. That’s all intentional and it’s all with the eye that this is a place that’s got to be a destination for students and that some of the most important learning happens outside the classroom.

We have to create more spaces where students can just by happenstance meet, talk and learn from each other, because that’s really the deepest learning that takes place.”

“We’re unlike any of the other universities in B.C.,” she continues. “And that’s an inherent danger when you become a university. There’s just such a seduction in that [input] model for faculty.

CHALLENGING THE STEREOTYPE REMOVING STIGMA ABOUT MENTAL ILLNESS Jaline Pankratz × Writer

NEWS BRIEFS CAPILANO UNIVERSITY BOARD OF GOVERNORS MEETING Lindsay Howe, News Editor The most recent Board of Governors (BOG) meeting of Capilano University was held on Feb. 12. The major issues discussed at this meeting pertained to the financial status of Capilano University as well as tuition changes for the upcoming year.

UNIVERSITY FINANCES Capilano University is currently working with the Ministry of Education to solve its financial issues. Due to a lack of funds, and the University working to balance the budget, there will be no increase in compensation for university employees for now. Somehow, the Minister believes that the University will have a $3 million surplus for the 2013-2014 year, a figure that BOG Chair Robin Brayne does not understand how the Minister arrived at. Although the Minister’s senior staff is working closely with Capilano to balance the budget, his officials claim that the University was not co-operating in the review of the budget as the Assistant Deputy Minister (ADM) allegedly requested documents that were “prevented and blocked” by university employees. The University has since contacted the ADM to inquire about what information they did not provide.

The University forecasts a surplus of only $90,000 for quarter three, aside from the $8 million they do have in reserves. Money that is in a reserve is meant for specific projects, such as campus development and purchasing two parking lots that are still owned by the District.

The Board of Governors announced that tuition charges for International Students will be changing for this upcoming academic year. Now, International Students that are not ESL will be paying $525 per credit, up from $500 per credit this year, and International Students that are ESL will actually be getting a break and paying $425 per credit, down from $500 per credit this year.

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about hers. “Whenever I’m in [a] pageant I always hope that people take away my message and what I’m trying to do, and reflect it on their own lives and they talk to the people around them.”

One of the biggest issues, and Jamieson’s main concern with the negative associations attached to mental illness, is that not enough people are getting help. The fact is, mental illness is a topic that is widely avoided. According to the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Ontario, only 50 per cent of Canadians would tell their friends or co-workers if a family member was diagnosed with a mental illness.

The CMHA website states that in Canada, only one out of five children who need mental health services receive them and many youth choose suicide as an answer to their difficulties with mental illness. Yet mental illness can be treated effectively, if the topic is not avoided. Jamieson is a testimony to that.

“I would say, to anyone else out there, follow your dreams, follow your passion.” She realized she could do anything she puts her mind to, “and so can anyone else.” Her enthusiasm for Faces of Mental Illness and her pageants is contagious, and she says, “I am on the right path. I’m doing the right thing with my life, and I think that’s what I get from this.”

Dr. Bulcroft’s presentation for the Capilano Universe series will take place on Mar. 6 at the Burnaby Public Library, Bob Prittie Metrotown Branch (6100 Willingdon Ave.) Admission is free.

the capilano courier

Christine Jamieson, a Capilano University graduate is bringing awareness to the very real issue of how people with mental illness are perceived.

When Jamieson began university, she wanted to do something about the stigmas of mental disorders and bring awareness to mental health problems. Jamieson is personally affected by a mental illness.

In grade nine she began struggling with depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder and anxiety.

She found she could not talk about it. When Jamieson tried to share what was going on with people she thought she trusted, they walked away.

According to Callbs.ca, a website that focuses on changing the way mental illness is perceived, only 58 per cent of the Canadian population would consider being friends with someone who has a mental illness.

“Even when you walk into a hospital or an ER, you get the nurses rolling their eyes and telling you, ‘Oh, she’s just here for attention,’” says Jamieson. Yet, according to the Canadian Mental Health Association, one in five Canadians under the age of 65 has a mental health issue, and every Canadian is affected by mental illness, either directly or indirectly.

When Jamieson started her post-secondary education, she found out that there had been people in her high school grade that were suffering with the same things that she was going through. “If I had been able to talk to them about it then it would have been a lot nicer, because when you’re going through something like that you feel so isolated and so alone and it’s devastating.”

This was one of Jamieson’s reasons for co-founding the project, “Faces of Mental Illness.” Their Facebook page outlines their vision: “People with mental disorders are people first, ones that happen to have a mental disorder. They are not their mental disorder. Mentally ill people have the same interests, same expressions and same qualities as those who do not.”

One of Jamieson’s own interests lies in the world of beauty pageants. A little over a year ago, she began competing. She has been titled Miss Charity Vancouver and Miss Coastal Vancouver Beauty for a Cause, most recently. She started participating in pageants with the intention of learning how to control her anxiety, but she found the pageants offered her much more than that. Mental illness has stigmas attached, but so do pageants. “I think there’s a huge misconception of what pageants really are,” she notes.

When reference to Miss Congeniality comes up, she smiles and says, “You know the pizza party scene? That’s basically like, every girl is partying all the time, having a good time. They’re not stuckup people ...They’re like my best friends in the whole world.” The pageants Jamieson competed in taught the competitors how to present themselves, and speaking skills that were necessary for going on stage in front of a large group of people. These are skills that Jamieson takes with her, not only for competing, but also for interactions in daily life.

“It’s hugely about how to present yourself in society and how to become a better person, and just how to basically be the best you can be,” says Jamieson. The pageants offered a sense of empowerment by giving her a bigger voice to speak up against the stigmas of mental illness. Many people join pageants for bringing awareness to their own cause. Jamieson’s goal is to open up a discussion

We at Cap have to resist the seduction of elitism, and we will. I want this university to distinguish itself in a way that we focus on our learners and that we focus on giving them these changemaking skills.”

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Columns

COLUMNS EDITOR ×

JJ BREWIS × E D I T O R @ C A P I L A N O C O U R I E R . C O M

STYLE REVISITED

Katie Blecker × Columnist

FUR AND PREJUDICE While working in the vintage clothing industry, I have noticed that there is one topic that seems to really divide people: fur. Whether for or against it, people get very passionate about their stances regarding vintage fur garments and accessories. It goes without saying that working with vintage garments every day, and growing a deep passion for historical clothing and costume has had a strong influence on many aspects of my life, including forming my own opinions about vintage fur.

A HAIR-RAISING CHOICE Having a number of vegan friends and having once been vegan myself, I do understand and respect the choice to not wear fur at all, vintage or otherwise. Obviously for many, it is a matter of animal rights. Even those who eat animal products but choose not to wear fur have their own valid reasons for doing so.

Because of the public’s difference of opinion on the matter, a stigma has developed against wearing vintage fur. I’ve had some people tell me that they want to wear it, but were afraid of what the public reaction may be.

But the benefits of vintage fur are less to do with what the general population might think. “Wearing fur back in the day for the everyday person was not for the appearance of being glamorous or showing their wealth,” says Pamela Kilburn, a local vintage collector. “I wear vintage fur on a regular basis during our colder months for practical purposes such as warmth. Historically, this was the same.”

Some will argue that wearing fur of any age helps create a demand for the modern fur

industry to keep producing new products. In my opinion, the world can sustain without any new fur production at all. The modern fur industry is a cruel business. Given that a surprising amount of vintage fur exists out there in the world already, there are really enough pre-existing fur products to go around.

COAT OF ARMS Vintage garments are works of art; they represent a time when more care was put in to clothing production. Many vintage garments are styles that are no longer manufactured today. This rings true to items such as fur coats. As a seamstress, I can recognize the attention and skill that went in to making those coats long ago. I like to think that wearing and preserving such garments is helping to maintain or give new life to items that may not otherwise be treated in such a manner. I also believe it of importance to allow all clothing as long a life as possible for both historical preservation and environmental sustainability.

There’s no way around it – fur, whether vintage or not, comes from a deceased animal. Back in the day, say the ‘40s and ‘50s, factory farming did not exist in the capacity that it does today. Many of the animals killed for their fur were wild ones, not ones raised in closed captivity. Though I do not believe animals should be killed for their furs in today’s world, I think it’s important to give new life to the fur garments from the past that may otherwise be wasting away in an attic or thrown into a landfill. Considering that in many ways, the “damage is already done,” it is more respectful and honourable to wear and exhibit these furs than to

toss them.

ANIMAL INSTINCTS As for the opinion that wearing vintage fur creates demand for new fur to be produced, for the most part I do find that to be a bit of a stretch. The average person likely cannot afford to see somebody wearing vintage fur and run out to purchase a brand new fur garment, which often run in the range of thousands of dollars. I think if anything, it creates demand for the more affordable option of vintage fur and perhaps makes it more socially acceptable to wear a recycled fur garment.

There is also the issue of faux fur, which is very readily available today. Many choose this as an alternative to any type of real fur, however it is not without its issues. Faux fur is essentially made from chemicals and a huge percentage of poisonous emissions are released into the environment for each faux fur coat that is produced, not to mention the amount of oil it takes to create this product.

“Wearing vintage fur does not harm our environment,” Kilburn says. “To outsource and produce new fur or even faux fur is far more destructive to our environment than it is to source materials that we already have available.” Though the modern fur trade is also very harmful to the environment, the imitation fur industry has much higher public demand and is one that has a larger detrimental impact on the earth than most people are aware of.

Something neat that I read a while back, which may be of interest to many despite their stance on vintage fur, is the ability to donate furs for use

FILM CLUB

in animal rescue and rehabilitation centers. The Humane Society says, “Fur can provide warmth and comfort to orphaned and injured wild animals. Wildlife rehabilitators will usually cut the fur into an appropriate size for the animal, whether it be a bobcat, fox, raccoon, squirrel, or rabbit, and place it inside the animal’s enclosure. The furry blanket becomes a surrogate mother to orphaned animals, reducing stress and giving comfort.”

Let’s face it, ethical or not, fur is not for everyone. But it does have a place in our world – this is a wonderful option for garments that have been damaged beyond repair or if you are in the possession of a piece of fur that you no longer want.

Love it or hate it, fur is going to be around, and as Kilburn notes, using something today that was created decades ago is the more sustainable choice.

“I wear vintage fur because it fits into the authentic nature of my 1950s appearance,” she says, “But most importantly, for me, it’s another way of recycling clothing.”

Katie Blecker is a devotee to vintage style, with a particular interest in collecting items from the 1930s, ‘40s and ‘50s. She also enjoys s ewi ng, Old Hollywood, dance and cheesy puns. Follow her on Tumblr at Threadandcloth.tumblr.com.

×× JACK WU

Brandden Dancer × Columnist

ALONE, TOGETHER

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46 issue N o . 17

Why do people still go to the theatre? With rising ticket prices, ever-growing crowds and dominating monsterplexes, you’d think people would choose to stay home to enjoy films. But even with viable options like torrents and Netflix, there is still something special and ritualistic about going to the theatre to watch a film.

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A CURIOUS COMMITMENT Let’s be real: you can watch a movie anywhere these days, ranging from the big screen to your phone. But there’s something that attracts people to the theatre, even when they have the capability to watch it right in their own pocket.

People are showing they’re still inclined to pay all kinds of money to sit in a room with a bunch of strangers, even when they can watch the latest blockbusters in the comfort of their own home for free, naked in bed. Festival Cinemas president Leonard Schein says it’s “the social experience” of seeing a movie that keeps people coming back.

When you go to the theatre, you’re sharing the experience with others. “If you are watching a comedy, you’re laughing together. If you are watching a horror, you’re getting scared together,” he says. The mutual experience is simply not there for home viewing -- it’s then a completely different, more insular experience.

The summer when I was 14 is my earliest memory of going to the movies with girls. By

“going to the movies with girls,” I mean a group that consisted of both girls and boys. At that moment though, the seeds were planted for the ideas of dating. Movie going is the first time for a lot of young people when they start to consort with members of the opposite sex in a social setting outside of school. Before they are old enough to go to clubs and bars, malls and movie theatres are prime destinations for teens. That summer, while the credits rolled for the film Loser (I was a big Jason Biggs fan), I sat in the back of the theatre and had my first real make-out session, while our friends waited for us outside.

SINGULARILY SOCIAL Recently, I ventured out of the house by myself to see Life of Pi on the big screen after a friend cancelled on me. I had heard the visual effects were incredible and would definitely benefit from the 3D effects. It was a Friday night, so I simply pulled out my phone and bought my ticket. I arrived at the theatre fifteen minutes before the movie, scanned my phone, pushed my way through the crowds and found a nice spot at the very back next to an older gentleman who mumbled to himself about how he thought pre-show Gear Guide host Marc Saltzman was a dork.

It still boggles my mind that it is just that easy to see a movie nowadays. You literally don’t have to talk to a single human being between deciding

to see the film and finishing it. There is even a sign on the front door of Scotiabank Theatre that says something to the equivalent of, “Still buying your tickets at the box office? Do you even know what the Internet is?! Get with the times, ya idiot!”

BONUS FEATURES It is no secret that the film industry has taken many blows due to downloading and streaming websites. Rental shops have all but shut down, save for a few strong-willed independents such as Black Dog and Limelight. Yet despite the closing of the two biggest rental chains, Blockbuster and Rogers Video, it is clear that although home video rental saw a decline, the same is not likely for the theatrical experience. Cineplex Entertainment, the nation’s largest theatre circuit, has held sway over the majority of Canada’s independent theatres.

Still, large corporations like Cineplex have had to get savvy with ways to keep the numbers up, both in profits and theatre seats filled. Cineplex has the SCENE membership card, which allows viewers to accumulate points resulting in free movies. The chain also charges an extra three dollars for both 3D tickets and their own UltraAVX (which I can only assume stands for Audio Visual XTREEEMMEEE!). With UltraAVX you get bigger and better picture and sound, but what is most worth the extra cash is the reserved seating. Let’s say you weren’t a dateless me on a Friday night and you

actually had friends, you could buy your tickets for a show on opening night and still get to the theatre right before it starts. You could even show up halfway through the film and still be guaranteed the best seat in the house.

Going to the movie theatre really is all about the experience. The public has shown there’s something attractive about leaving home to sit in silence in the dark for two hours, whether you are alone or in a group, seeing a new movie at Scotiabank Theatre or a midnight screening of a cult classic at The Rio. Movie going can be paired with dinner to make an evening out of it. It is a way to get away from the distractions of our daily lives.

Going to the movies still holds a certain romantic quality, one that recalls the golden age of cinema.

Seeing a film in the theatre still feels like seeing a film that way it was meant to be seen.

Brandden has a variety of interests, one of them being film. He co-hosts an Internet movie review show called Dangerhouse Reviews which features movies, friends, comedians, and fellow Courier writers. You can watch it at Youtube.com/dangerhousereviews. He is father to a cat named Wyatt, who is a weirdo.

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GRAHAMMAR

Graham Robertson

ENGLISH: A DOG’S BREAKFAST Some of you might have noticed that English is a little wacky. We have Germanic sounding words like bear and house, Latin derived terms such as triumph, and a word like foyer which we straight up stole from French. English is essentially the product of three languages uniting. But it was an awkward, sweaty union. How was this merger formed? The answer lies 1000 years ago, a story which will not only arm you with conversation material to impress that bookishly cute guy/girl at the next party, but one that also has resonance today.

Around the 10th or 11th century, what the residents of England spoke bore little resemblance to what spouts from our mouths today. Commonly known as Old English, it was a more or less strictly Germanic tongue: Hwæt wē Gār-Dena in geār-dagum, For those playing at home, that's the first line of the poem Beowulf. It roughly translates as “Listen!

We Spear-Danes in the olden times...” So, yeah.

Good luck with that. However, a scant three centuries later, Chaucer's writing looked much more familiar: This Somonour in his styropes hye stood; Upon this Frere his herte was so wood If you tried sounding it out, you'll notice that Chaucer’s Middle English just looks like wacky spelling. But Beowulf’s Old English is unintelligible. For this to happen in the span of a few hundred years is pretty shocking. Imagine opening a Dickens novel and discovering it was in Norwegian. This was a sweeping change, dramatic in its speed and long term effects. We’re now living with the hangover – the way we speak a direct product of politics instead of organic change. The fact that we can say “kingly,” “regal,” or “royal” to describe a king is downright odd. But it becomes even stranger when we consider that it’s partially thanks to a

Frenchman winning a war nearly 10,000 years ago.

I'm simplifying a bit, but what happened when William the Conqueror and his buds took over England in 1066 was that all the government posts and noble titles started going to Norman French speakers. Suddenly, all administrative business and polite conversation was either in Norman, French, or Latin. Of course, most members of the unwashed masses were pretty unconcerned; they were going to get horrifically oppressed regardless.

Things got a little awkward though, once their direct bosses – minor nobles – started speaking a different language. Norman French trickled down and everyone started to use words like “royal” out of necessity.

The shift from Old (unintelligible and Germanic) English to Middle (Norman French/ Latin-influenced wacky spelling) English was so rapid because it wasn’t organic. It was top-down, a forced march of the tongue due to those in power ramming their speech down the throats of others.

The Old English of the peasants had to change, as their day-to-day activities were now hampered by the old way of speaking. All the good jobs, like cleaning horseshit 10 hours a day instead of toiling until one dropped dead, were going to those who could speak the right language.

Which is why we get to deal with the fact that the plural of goose is not gooses: a mess of different influences that were never given time to properly sort themselves out. English has a ridiculous number of irregular verbs and idiosyncratic grammatical rules. Compare it with an easier language, such as French or Italian. While they have more rules to worry about governing the gender and inflection of nouns, the application is more consistent: there are fewer irregularities, so they are therefore easier to use and parse. Despite its widespread use, nowadays English is a bit of a bumbling mess: one

× Columnist

of the bleary-eyed, disorganized cousins of the linguistic family.

What’s so interesting about this broad stroke of a history lesson is that we’re seeing a similar phenomenon across the globe. Instead of a military invasion however, it’s due to economic dominance.

English nowadays is a truly global lingua franca: the language of business and trade, regardless of an individual’s mother tongue. More importantly, many business and factory owners in a country like Honduras tend to speak English. This may change, of course – I’m looking at you, Mandarin.

But for now, the bosses and those with money are speaking English.

Sound familiar? This current shift is subtler than what happened to English, but you can see it in English advertisements on the streets of Beijing, or that many in New Delhi comfortably use terms like “okay” or “Coca-Cola.” The shifts in languages around the world may not be as dramatic, but the subtle economic pressure may see Spanish joining English in the bumbling cousin corner 200 years from now.

Robert Catherall × Columnist

A TOAST TO LIQUOR REFORM

46 issue N o . 17

Having seen some of the world’s greatest (and worst) cities, Robert believes Vancouver can become the former. However, it will not happen without some growing pains. Through his writing he intends to show that development can have a positive social effect, but only if we are willing.

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however, these rules are not valid for beer in B.C. and the latest policy reform did not address this issue. Giving diners the ability to bring their own beer could make the appeal of small restaurants with limited beer menus more universal.

Nonetheless, this latest reform is a cause célèbre for the modernizing of B.C. liquor laws – but there is still work to be done and for beer enthusiasts like myself it is exciting to know advocates such as Adam Chatburn are working towards equality.

“CAMRA’s newest initiative is to have beer receive legal parity with wine. Rather than work on its own new set of laws, why shouldn’t there be a common approach to all alcoholic beverages?” he says.

The current enthusiasm brewers, consumers and advocacy groups are showing for various artisan alcohols is giving beer a much needed face lift, that I can only hope results in further regulatory equality. But for the time being, many others and myself have raised our glasses to these changes.

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whose conservatism we so smugly decry. In fact, B.C. is last remaining province in the country that does not allow bars to discount their drinks for only a few hours of the day.

The policy rebuttal to happy hour is often cited as concern for over-indulgence, and that people are more likely to go straight home after work if they are not tempted, which I can only guess is supposed to lead to a more temperate society.

Recently joining the discussion is the Campaign for Culture, approaching the issue from a humanistic perspective that puts responsibility in drinkers’ hands while mitigating the loss to local businesses. Regarding happy hour, their website states, “The archaic nature of British Columbia’s regulatory framework for liquor products undermines our population’s ability to make conscientious and responsible decisions for ourselves,” and I am inclined to agree. I find it embarrassing that patrons are not given the opportunity to prove they can behave after a few cheap drinks and are consequently discouraged to visit at all.

Meanwhile, in an effort to keep up with the country's status quo, a bring-your-own-wine program that restaurants may voluntarily opt into began last summer. Similar programs are offered in Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. Bear in mind that establishments will charge a corkage fee ranging from $5 to an astonishing $65. Unlike Quebec,

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simple though, as “Liquor licensing in B.C. is very complex ... and a simplification of the system would go a long way to helping consumers and pub operators,” says Chatburn. Nonetheless, it is groups like CAMRA who have volunteered countless hours (and I suspect as many pints) drafting letters and pestering politicians to modernize B.C.’s dated liquor laws.

Ever wondered why you haven't seen Parallel 49 on tap at the craft beer mecca of St. Augustine’s? They’re under the same ownership, and until recently a brewery was prohibited from owning an establishment that served their own product, a puzzling law that Chatburn felt was hurting craft breweries. New directives announced Feb. 8 have thankfully removed these laws, allowing small and medium-sized breweries to stock their product in up to three of their own bars. Tasting room limitations have also been removed. Beer enthusiasts were previously only allowed to consume a total of 12 ounces per day from the source. Brewery lounges are now able to serve visitors as regular pub patrons.

However, some key policies remain overlooked by the recent changes. On a trip to Seattle last summer I was delighted to find that a number of bars offered happy hour specials: drink specials aimed at the after work crowd that usually run for an hour or two between 4 p.m. and 7 p.m.

The same rules apply for our Albertan neighbours,

Graham Robertson is a graduate student at SFU who writes about issues in language and literary culture.

You can follow him on Twitter @onehandhighfive, but it’s pretty obvious he has no idea what he’s doing.

×× AARON CAMPBELL

GROWING PAINS Critics have long decried B.C.’s provincial liquor policy for being draconian and reminiscent of the prohibition era. And if you’ve ever enjoyed a pint outside of the province, I’m going to venture that many are inclined to agree with these associations. Adam Chatburn, president of the Vancouver craft beer advocacy group Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA), explains, “In the years before prohibition there was a large brewing industry [in Vancouver]. However, the tight regulations during and after that period meant the variety dwindled and was subsequently dominated by the big beer corporations.”

Meanwhile, B.C. wine culture has painstakingly constructed a high society image for itself that until now has resulted in preferential treatment for B.C.’s darling drink. Advocacy groups seeking equality for the beverages have helped push a number of these differences into the public eye and into the hands of policy makers. “The craft beer boom [in Vancouver] is succeeding in spite of strict legislation. It would be wonderful if the government recognized the positive contributions to the economy, culture and tourism,” Chatburn explained, just days before the new policies were announced.

Like Chatburn, I too wanted the laws to reflect our blossoming appreciation of taste. Manufacturers, on the other hand, needed reform if growth, diversity and equality were to flourish. It’s not so

English, for all its fun quirks, can be a frustrating language to learn and use, which stems from the top-down influence I've discussed.

Like a 12th century trader, a young investment banker in Hong Kong is quite possibly required to do business in English, investing time and energy grasping the various subtleties of its tense forms. Of course that'll affect the way he speaks Cantonese at the bar after work. We tend to think of our language as static or unimportant, but since we use it everyday, even small shifts may be surprising. This downward pressure we’re currently seeing may amount to nothing, but the unwelcome influence of one tongue can stifle the growth or beauty of another. Who knows, perhaps soon enough some languages will start sounding very similar, and we’ll all be bumbling along together.

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Columns

COLUMNS EDITOR ×

JJ BREWIS × E D I T O R @ C A P I L A N O C O U R I E R . C O M

ADVENTURES IN HOLLYWEIRD

Luke Atlas × Columnist

LET’S BE FRIENDS like these people instantly understood me – the insecurity in not knowing when or where (or if ) your next idea will come, and the self-doubt that comes with working at home with little outside feedback. In this big friendless city, this new mutual understanding was a huge relief. Knowing I wasn’t alone in this weird profession gave me the confidence to not only open up and collaborate with my classmates (which I still do, months later), but to take on the next big step.

That step began with an innocuous text conversation in class (sorry, Teach). A friend back home knew a guy who knew a guy in L.A. that worked in the “music industry.” Details were foggy and the prospect of possibly maybe meeting him didn’t thrill me, but a few days later I received an e-mail from this guy’s assistant requesting a meeting. I almost ignored the message after a Google search was mysteriously inconclusive, but being self-employed meant I might as well take a break from my YouTube k-hole to check it out.

I pulled up on an unmarked, heavily gated beige building in a Los Angeles suburb and pressed the doorbell outside. A voice cracked “Studio?”

I stated my business and was buzzed inside. The interior was eerily quiet with lights hung low in purplish tints. A man in his early thirties emerged from a door and welcomed me. He asked about what led me to L.A., and instead of my usual terse responses, I made an effort to be friendly and conversational, even though it felt fake at first. For the next hour we just talked about music; I hadn’t had a conversation that long in months.

The same ideas that seemed so foreign back in Seattle – that good pop music can be both experi-

mental and accessible – made perfect sense to this guy. He explained that this studio was a bastion of left-of-centre pop production, as he introduced me to its founder. I tried to hide my nervously-shaky hands upon meeting this man whom I recognized, whose album credits read like a VIP Grammy party guest list. It felt unreal that I had only been three weeks into my new life in L.A. and was already here. What was supposed to be a quick hour-long meeting stretched into the night, as other writers and producers peaked out from their workrooms to say hi. A few were even fans of my former band.

Over the coming weeks I realized I was “in.”

Despite my insecurities, I was being invited to meetings, asked to work on projects, and stumbling in on rooms playing secret mega-star hits in their infancy. This company has connections to almost anything and anyone involved in music, and after meeting these guys the walls of the impenetrable fortress of the “music industry” dissolved in my mind. It’s the case for any job field in which you may want to work; it’s all just made up of people – not the big machine you’d imagine it to be. There are just a few gatekeepers who once tried to learn and make friends in kindergarten too. They all have faults, insecurities, and desires.

Once you realize this, it becomes a lot less scary.

You never know what seemingly insignificant personal connections could lead to other bigger connections, so even if you have to force yourself, be friendly and go meet people. You don’t even have to believe in yourself or your skills. Just find a way to be that good person that someone else wants to have around. After all, I’m learning it’s so much better with people by your side.

Luke Atlas is the former singer and songwriter for Natalie Portman’s Shaved Head (later renamed Brite Futures). He currently resides in Los Angeles, California, where he is an aspiring Svengali for the pop stars of tomorrow. He enjoys hiking in The Hills followed by eating pizza with everything on it.

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This may be a surprise, coming from someone who used to regularly writhe around onstage wearing face paint and skin-tight pants in front of hundreds of strangers, but meeting new people is hard for me – even painfully awkward at times. I’m not naturally the kind of person who can strut unaided into a party and start up conversations with anyone hovering around. I’d much prefer to stay home and work on a song to be danced to at the party, than actually personally attend.

So when I moved to Los Angeles, I made a plan to combat my introverted tendencies and force myself into some old-fashioned human interaction: I’d take a nine-week songwriting class.

I actually planned my move around it so I’d be occupied and meeting new people within a few days of arriving. The idea was to have learning paired with making new friends, together in harmony just like in kindergarten when it was all so easy. Before I moved to L.A. I thought I’d probably have to take on the world alone. I’d been let down by people before and didn’t want anyone’s help to succeed. But there was still a spark in me hoping I was wrong.

I drove to my first class with my windows down, radio blaring the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ lonely-Angelino ballad “Under the Bridge”, the lyrics of which suddenly resonated with me for the first time. Three days in and I was already praying this class would save me from the whole City-of-Angels-being-my-only-friend and shooting-up-heroin-under-the-bridge thing. For someone who had rarely experienced a room full of people passionate about the same specific field, my songwriting class was a new sensation. I felt

×× DAVE MCANSH

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× STAFF EDITORIAL ×

WELL-SEASONED CULINARY COMPROMISES FOR A MUSICIAN’S BUDGET Andy Rice × Staff Writer

I’ll admit it, I’m a bit of a food snob. Long past the initial stages of denial, I’ve managed to embrace this attribute and wear it proudly. Frankly, I have no shame regarding my extensive library of cookbooks or my collection of ergonomically designed garlic presses. The contents of my fridge, however, are a whole other matter. For the past five years I’ve been a starving student transitioning into a career as a starving musician.

It’s a bad combo.

My job here at the Courier fuels a passion for writing but my main source of income is teaching private music lessons five days a week. It generally involves playing the piano and getting sneezed on by little kids. I also tour and gig pretty frequently with a local indie rock band, which generally involves playing the piano and getting sneezed on by drunken adults. Sure, I make ends meet, but having an expensive culinary taste and working in the arts can be a bit of a financial balancing act, to say the least.

Despite what song lyrics and fortune cookies will tell you, the best things in life aren’t usually free, particularly when it comes to food.

And if they are, they’re probably long past their expiration date. Eating gourmet on a tight budget requires a clever combination of self-control and creativity.

In my dream world, I’d love to be the next Anthony Bourdain. What fun I would have living life on a perpetual culinary tour, eating amazing food and charging it to the Travel Channel’s expense account. I watch both of Bourdain’s shows religiously, salivating enviously for the entire duration of every episode. But for now, daydreaming in front of my TV screen is about the closest I’m going to get. The finances app on my iPhone has informed me that eating foie gras at a Michelin-starred restaurant in France or slurping up hand-pulled noodles at a street market in Shanghai isn’t exactly within my budget. I can, however, afford the $8.95 Combo A at a certain Chinese food restaurant at Park & Tillford. All I need to do is close my eyes, picture an international culinary experience, and let the MSG do the rest.

When it comes to my own cooking endeavors, I must also use a little imagination. My basement suite isn’t equipped with the gas burners and double-walled ovens that my Food Network idols have at their disposal, leaving me to improvise.

Over the past five years, I’ve roasted chickens in

toaster ovens, grilled steaks in panini presses and entertained guests with festive fireworks displays that require nothing more than an empty Campbell’s soup can and a simple household microwave.

Think of me as the redneck version of Martha Stewart.

I learned the basics of cooking throughout my childhood and began experimenting with recipes more and more as I got older. By the time I graduated from high school I could grill a steak to a perfect medium-rare using instincts alone and make a slow-simmered Bolognese sauce that had all the Italians in the neighborhood descending upon my yard with offerings of basil and homemade mozzarella.

Moving out for university brought some pretty drastic changes to my culinary perspective. I quickly learned that meat is really damned expensive, and so is butter, at least in the quantities I was accustomed to using it. I had to rein in my culinary extravagance significantly, and for a while there I was convinced I’d lost my mojo in the kitchen. It took me the better part of two years, but in the spring of 2011 I finally came up with the ultimate solution: a custom seasoning blend. Equal parts Kraft Dinner cheese mix, Ichiban soup powder and grape KoolAid, it’s a burst of flavours capable of sprucing up everything from Chef Boyardee to week-old leftover pizza.

Yes folks, that secret recipe of mine can make just about anything taste gourmet, or at least create the allusion that it’s from another country, or planet – or something.

It also works wonders for warding off potential dinner guests and other moochers like friends, bandmates and parents. In fact, whenever my mom and dad make the five-hour trip to visit me they always seem to talk me out of cooking for them, somehow convinced that a restaurant meal is the only way to go. All it takes is one little glimpse at that technicolor baggie of seasonings and, boom, we’re on our way to Cactus Club or Vij’s or some other revered culinary wonderland.

Bourdain’s got the right idea: being a food snob is a lot more fun on someone else’s tab. But seeing how jobs like his don’t appear on Craigslist too often, it looks like I’m going to have to think outside the box. If I found a way to mix such unlikely flavours into an ultimate seasoning medley, surely I can find a career that mixes my love for music and food with my passion for writing. Maybe I should start a new band that only plays songs about food.

Maybe I should work as a jingle writer for yogurt commercials. Maybe I’ll have to think a little bit harder on this one.

×× KATIE SO

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arts

ARTS EDITOR ×

CELINA KURZ × A R T S @ C A P I L A N O C O U R I E R . C O M

FINDING SPACE IN A CROWDED CITY RED GATE AND ROYGBIV JOIN FORCES TO OPEN NEW MULTI-USE SPACE Celina Kurz × Arts Editor

another group. “[The owners initially] offered the lease to us at a crazy price. We kind of scratched our heads, did some digging, found out the City of Vancouver owned it [and] they were trying to make money – like a ton of cash – because their business was failing,” says Harris. After the business folded, he continues, the City of Vancouver “kept us in limbo … people didn’t answer phone calls ... [We] found out through the scene that a different group [was getting the space].” He describes the entire process as “non-transparent.” The same day they found out they’d lost the space on Industrial, they put in a bid for the current space they ended up with.

The collective hopes to run the space with an “intentionally social” mind-set, building on what they had created before. “We want to have art shows that have lots of people showing, we want theatre groups to be able to rehearse here, we want people to do workshops, [and] we want people to be able to hang out and make art if they don’t have their own studio,” explains Harris, pointing out that in the past, artistic projects and partnerships managed to grow organically by running the previous space in this way. “We used to have a bimonthly thing ... it was basically a drop-in, hang out drawing jam where we’d open the doors … and

we could just hang out and make art.”

After nearly a year and a half, the Red Gate collective managed to continue its existence without losing hope in finding a home and folding. Harris accredits their staying power to the strong core of key members in the organization. “It’s just the combination of people ...There was probably like 12 people who were directly involved with performance, art galleries, party, art shows in the art gallery, people producing art, [and] people who were staff at shows,” he explains. Their membership fluctuated and reached a peak when they found out they were being kicked out, and the media took interest in their story. However at the core, for the most part, there remained the same group of people. “As time went on, we never stopped having meetings – in a year in a half. Usually one meeting a week ... we had shows, we had fundraisers.”

He concludes, “I can’t answer for those folks, but I just wanted to get another space. That’s why I did it.”

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In Vancouver, it’s an unfortunately rare and exciting thing when a new cultural venue finds its footing – or, in the case of the Red Gate, an old venue resurrects itself. A year and a half after they were evicted from their previous space, a three-storey warehouse that they occupied for seven years on the 100 block of West Hastings, they’ve finally found a new home.

Located at 855 East Hastings St., the new space was previously a food services facility and is in need of some cleaning up before it opens. “We still have to envision what the space will look like physically, [and] how it’ll run internally,” explains Matty Harris, who has been involved with Red Gate for approximately five years. According to Harris, they hope to start hosting events in the spring. “I can’t say [for sure], if I tell someone something I don’t wanna go back on that, but sooner rather than later,” he says. “We’ll be having open houses [before then] so that people that donated or that supported us ... can come out and see the space.” They’ve joined forces with ROYGBIV, another group that ran a similar multi-use music

and art space that was evicted from their space at the end of January.

Before their eviction in October 2011, the Red Gate was host to a variety of artists – visual artists renting it as studio space, theatre groups using it for rehearsal, and the JC/DC recording studio on the top floor, which recorded acts like Destroyer and the New Pornographers. It also regularly opened up to a variety of events, from local music shows and all-night dance parties, to movie nights and book club discussions, on top of being an art gallery and community meeting space. It was one of many art spaces that were pushed out of the West Hastings neighbourhood around the same time. “That whole block for as long as I’ve known was artists, years and years,” says Harris.

The lease that they’ve signed is for three years; however, attached to that is a demolition clause, which means that after three years, the owners can demolish it with three months notice. “The neighbourhood isn’t zoned, but it’s slated for development,” explains Harris. “We don’t know what’s going to happen, but it was the best option for us.”

The space was actually a fall-back plan, as the group initially put a bid on a larger space on Industrial Ave. Unfortunately, after being put on hold for nearly a year, they ultimately lost the space to

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×× LYDIA FU

13-02-22 9:28 PM

BUT IS IT ART (SPIEGELMAN)?

VAG PRESENTS RETROSPECTIVE ON MAUS CREATOR’S CAREER Peter Warkentin × Writer It’s getting harder and harder to ignore the validity of comic art: at this point, the idea of comics and graphic novels as a valuable cultural resource is pretty much mainstream. Right now, the Vancouver Art Gallery is hosting CO-MIX: A Retrospective of Comics, Graphics and Scraps, an exhibit comprised of work by renowned cartoonist Art Spiegelman that spans his 40-plus-year career.

Spiegelman, who is probably most widely known for creating the acclaimed graphic novel Maus, has been credited as a revolutionary in the world of comics by both critics and peers alike.

Bruce Grenville, the senior curator of the Vancouver Art gallery, first collaborated with Spiegelman in 2008 when they co-curated an exhibit called KRAZY!, which focused on anime, manga, videogames, comics, animated cartoons, and visual art. “The idea [with KRAZY!] was to set a benchmark for looking at both history and thinking about the way forward,” explains Grenville. “Part of the reason we were doing that is because of a general interest in looking at an area of culture that’s not necessarily well-represented in contemporary museums.” This theme is continued in CO-MIX, which includes over 400 preparatory drawings, sketches, studies and comic panels, created by Spiegelman.

CO-MIX focuses in part on Maus, which is Spiegelman’s most widely known work, but also contains many pieces from his early career, when he was a part of the “underground commix” movement in San Francisco. This initiative created content that challenged mainstream comics by using social commentary and satire, and defied regulatory groups like the Comics Code

Authority in their depiction of violence, sexuality, and drug use.

In 1980, Spiegelman began publishing a comic anthology magazine called Raw, with his wife Françoise Touly. It was in Raw that he first released a serialized version of Maus, which follows two stories: Spiegelman’s conversations with his father as he attempts to reconcile their relationship, and his father’s memories of life as a Jew during the Holocaust. Maus made a huge splash in the world of comics and graphic novels, and its influence quickly spread across the industry.

It inspired many young artists and writers to create more personal, socially relevant stories, pushing the established boundaries of the medium.

“They couldn’t exist, in a way, without Maus,” says Grenville of many modern comics. “It set the bar so high, and so many people have risen up to that. It really pushed everybody up to a level that didn’t exist before.” The comic was collected into one graphic novel in 1991, and in 1992, it won a Pulitzer Prize, the first graphic novel to ever be awarded this honour.

CO-MIX also covers Spiegelman’s career post-Maus. From 1992 to 2001, Spiegelman worked for The New Yorker magazine, creating both covers and comics for the publication. After this period, he released two more graphic novels: In the Shadow of No Towers, his reaction to 9/11, and the autobiographical Breakdowns: Portrait of the Artist as a Young %@&*!. In 2011, Spiegelman released MetaMaus, a deconstruction of his seminal masterpiece. In an excerpt from MetaMaus, Spiegelman states, “Y’know, Maus has had a far larger impact on the world than I ever expected!”

Despite the respect that Maus and similar graphic novels have garnered, most comics are not treated as art in the same way as other mediums.

“For the time being, we’re still living with this sort

of strange stigma of a past that doesn’t really seem to have much relevance today,” says Grenville. “It still lingers, it’s very hard for that to change. But it is changing – this generation that’s growing up, that’s looking at graphic novels and reading them in school the same way we’ve read other classics.”

CO-MIX aims to expose comics as art to a larger portion of the public. “There’s lots of crap out there,” says Grenville. “There’s lots of really bad traditional visual art. And there’s lots of terrible comics and graphic novels. But there are some extraordinarily outstanding things that are well worth spending time and energy on. To understand that, or to see that, you need to build your literacy.”

Although the artwork on display in CO-MIX was originally intended for print publication, Grenville points out the unique opportunity that gallery viewing presents: “What you see in a show like this is a sense of the process that you can’t get any other way. You get a sense of how the work is made, the sort of complications that are worked through, and in this instance, you get a sense of continuity of the practice from the late ‘60s through to the present. You have a sense of connectedness and repetition where ideas re-emerge or reconfigure or are repurposed in different ways. The value in a museum show is that it takes a larger practice, a lifetime really, 50 years of work, and allows people to see that in a certain configuration.”

×× ART SPIEGELMAN SHORT ORDER COMIX NO. 1. COVER. 1973

CO-MIX: A Retrospective of Comics, Graphics and Scraps is on display at the Vancouver Art Gallery until June 9, 2013.

×× ART SPIEGELMAN STUDY FOR THE COVER OF RAW NO. 7, THE TORN-AGAIN GRAPHIC MAG. MIXED MEDIA. CA. 1985

STARTING WITH THE MAN IN THE MIRROR LIFE AS A CELEBRITY IMPERSONATOR REQUIRES DEDICATION, PASSION Connor Thorpe × Staff Writer

of in-tune Michael Jackson was,” he says. “White socks and loafers. That’s the biggest style no-no in the world. Who the hell can get away with that?

He did … Michael Jackson made it work. Red leather jacket – made it work. Cast on his arm, tape on his fingers and after he did that, everybody would copy it.”

Toy and Marshall exemplify the specificity of the conditions required to become an impersonator. In addition to having the look, the attitude and the admiration, they’ve had the luck to fall into their professions effortlessly. They’ve also done what every good impersonator needs to do – become someone else while being themselves, all at the same time.

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was then that Marshall’s agent and husband Steve asked Toy how good his moonwalk was.

“We got a makeup artist to teach me for hours and hours and hours how to alter my face to give it more of a Michael Jackson type of appearance – like raising the cheekbones and putting little clefts in my chin and of course altering the nose,” Toy explains. His research and practice were supplemented with a custom-tailored wardrobe and a selection of accessories. “We bought some crazy wide-brimmed fedora hats. Do you know how much fedoras cost? Like $250 each – for a hat!”

Eager to accomplish a successful Michael Jackson impersonation, Toy took to YouTube to study the work of other impersonators.

“I noticed that they were all very, very, very off.

The choreography was right, but it didn’t look the same. They’d grab the crotch but it wouldn’t be the same – they’d throw their finger out to the side, and I guess it’d be technically correct but it wouldn’t be the same,” Toy says. He drew from his acting background in an attempt to accurately personify Jackson. “It became really apparent to me that I basically [had to] get into character and try to figure out, in a way that worked for me, to figure out how I thought Michael Jackson thought, or what he was going through in these different dances, so I could embody it as much as possible.”

Though he was never a hard-core fan of the subject of his stage show, Toy’s passing interest in Jackson has grown into an intense admiration.

“It’s so funny how both ahead of his time and kind

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the capilano courier

As the closest living embodiment of iconic celebrities, impersonators often have a shroud of mystery surrounding them – often drawn from their unique profession or perceived personality quirks. Tina Turner impersonator and World Rock ‘n’ Roll Tribute Champion Luisa Marshall contends that this isn’t the case – most of the time.

“Have you ever met an Elvis impersonator? It’s like a cult. It’s crazy. They sometimes think they’re really Elvis Presley,” she says, noting that the differentiation between herself and her work is vital.

“I’m not Tina Turner, so I try to separate that.

When I take off the wig, it’s me.”

Despite the oft-misunderstood view of tribute artists as being obsessives hoping to recapture the glory of an icon, Marshall says that she fell into her current gig through her reluctant acceptance of a few one-off joke tribute shows.

“In the beginning I admit that I just did it for fun…it was a gimmick. I said that of course I didn’t want to do it, because I didn’t think that was my purpose in being an artist. I wanted to be me, me, me, myself, Luisa, Luisa,” Marshall explains.

Still, she doesn’t hide her admiration for Turner – suggesting that in order to become someone else, albeit temporarily, choosing a subject that is relatable is key. “It’s going to be hard to

impersonate or to pay tribute to somebody that you don’t relate to. I think it’s got something to do with the way her story was, how she became famous, the soul in the music she does and overall, her life story.”

Kyle Toy, who now performs regularly as Michael Jackson, scored his impersonation job through his former position as a backup dancer for Marshall. However, he discovered his ability to impersonate Jackson completely by accident.

“While I was [at Grant McEwan University], out of the laziness, the sheer laziness and poverty of being a student, I just stopped cutting my hair and it got really long – and for Halloween one year, I was like, ‘I’m just going to throw my hair back in a ponytail, put a fedora on and be Michael Jackson for dance classes,’” Toy says of his initial transformation into the King of Pop. After fashioning an arm brace, putting on a layer of white makeup and taking a trip to Value Village for a pair of beaten up loafers and a blue dress shirt, Toy made his way to class. “Because I was busy putting my costume on, I was late for class. When I walked into class, the entire class just screamed, because apparently I looked a whole lot like him.”

While Toy’s initial transformation into the King of Pop didn’t launch him into his current career trajectory, it planted the seeds that would be sown upon his relocation to Vancouver. His continuation in the field of dance – and later, film – would eventually land Toy a position as a backup dancer for Luisa Marshall’s Tina Turner show. It

ELLIOTT

13-02-22 9:28 PM

arts

ARTS EDITOR ×

CELINA KURZ × A R T S @ C A P I L A N O C O U R I E R . C O M

GOLD CAN STAY SHINING BRIGHT LIKE DIAMOND RINGS JJ Brewis, Editor-in-Chief

ALBUM REVIEWS

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BEACH FOSSILS CLASH THE TRUTH

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ALEX CALDER TIME

Colin Spensley, Distribution Manager

JJ Brewis, Editor-in-Chief

Three years have passed since Beach Fossils released their seminal debut record and it seems a few things have changed for frontman Dustin Payseur. While on Beach Fossils Payseur’s chilled out melodic indie musings sounded confident yet shy, the overall sound of Clash The Truth takes the high road of overproduction, hasty songwriting and pushed tempos. Perhaps the best aspect of Beach Fossils was that they had managed to carve out a sound entirely their own, borrowing from bands like Real Estate and Wild Nothing, but capturing a tone unseen before. Having lost key member Zachary Cole Smith to equally melancholy indie chill vibes band DIIV, Beach Fossils seem to have lost their way .

Songs like “Sleep Apnea” and “Burn You Down” still visit all those old places we liked to go with the Beach Fossils of 2010, but with a slight detour – a trip through a band in transition, unsure what’s coming next. It seems that the fame has forced Payseur into rushing a record he wasn’t ready to write and very few aspects of Clash The Truth measure up even remotely to the self-titled masterpiece that is Beach Fossils, so maybe just forget this one and stick with what’s good.

In just seven songs and 21 minutes, Edmonton’s Alex Calder has enough time to craft a completely distinct and cohesive debut. The 23-year-old steps out on his first solo release, following in the footsteps of his former Makeout Videotape bandmate, Mac DeMarco.

On lead track “Suki and Me”, Calder sets the tone for a focused and distinct release. The songs here are refreshing in their bare-bones approach, giving Calder room alone with his soft oohing and chaotic strumming, avoiding overproduction that would easily ruin the charm of the output. It’s a quick yet lasting listen, memorable for pairing off-kilter, slightly deranged vocals with moments where Calder is sly enough to ground the rustling musical components, such as unpredictable melodies and temperamental drum beats that seem to fade in and out without reason. And part of the approach is just that – who needs a formula to subscribe to?

The whole thing is glazed with a fondness with psychedelia that ties the project to a core of eyeshalf-open haziness. Even with a lack of polish, the songs retain a sharp cinematic approach, drawing visual allusions to half-blurry photos from the ‘70s, complete with rounded corners.

“People say you should write what you know, and I agree fully,” says Diamond Rings, the stage name of Toronto-based electro-pop star John O’Regan, who says his songwriting draws strictly from “my own personal experiences.”

For the last half-decade, Diamond Rings has been on a steady climb, staking claim as one of Canada’s most unique and charismatic entertainers. Ever made up in flashy colourful makeup and avant-garde in style, Diamond Rings is more than your standard pop musician, and equally linked to a visual identity that has helped set him apart from the pack. “Both [the music and visuals] are inextricably linked and continuously inform each other in constant aural and visual dialogue,” he says.

His music videos bridge the gap between DIY indie aesthetic and high-gloss pop production, and in many ways helped lead the way for similarly minded artists like Grimes and Purity Ring. In “Show Me Your Stuff”, he dons a shimmering basketball uniform in a choreographed dance number; in the new “I’m Just Me” clip, it’s a frenzy of 1980s-inspired lasers, smoke, stacked TV screens and monster-sized shoulder pads.

“I'm a sculptor more than I am a musician, and perhaps my desire for cohesion comes from a desire to create work that can be viewed from any angle while still upholding its own structural integrity. Everything talks to everything else.”

Before the hair bleach and gold chains, O’Regan fronted Guelph, Ontario indie outfit The D'Urbervilles. The group developed a significant following, but it was stepping out on his own in his early 20s that gave O’Regan the courage to create what he was born to do – on every level possible. “I want to make a career out of being an artist,” he says. “I also want to balance those professional goals with my personal goals. I want to be a good person and I want to be there for those who are closest to me.”

His debut, 2010’s Special Affections became a quick sell with infectious low-fi electro-pop singles such as “All Yr Songs” and “Play By Heart” becoming instant hits. Critics lauded his release – even the often-finicky Pitchfork gave Affections an 8.2 out of 10. Soon, Letterman and Leno came calling, and Diamond Rings was an international sensation.

On the heels of his debut, O’Regan perfected the synth pop creations of Affections and tunnelled them into his sophomore release, Free Dimensional, a glossier, more polished foray into his sound, more fully embodying the strutting showman fans see onstage. “I’ve become more confident as a writer, producer, and performer,” he says. “I’ve listened to a wider variety of music.

I’ve had more life experience.”

Recently nominated for two SiriusXM Indie Awards (Male Artist of the Year and Artist of the Year), Diamond Rings is in demand, at least partially due to the party anthem nature found on Free Dimensional. Where his debut marked a rare moment for electro-pop to be relatively stripped-down and introverted, Dimensional provides the opposite to that coin: club-ready anthems crammed full with sonic revelry. It’s a carefully constructed combination that is, in a way, a thankful payoff for the fans who got O’Regan to

where he is now. “I want Diamond Rings to be something that not only brings me joy, but brings joy to others as well.”

Party anthems aside, O’Regan retains a core sensibility of musicianship, as seen by the radio recorded acoustic sets widely available online.

It’s building off this foundation and spinning it into something else that O’Regan proves the age old adage is true – you need to know the rules to break them.

Pop music, as proven by O’Regan’s peers, is largely a woman’s game at the moment. But Diamond Rings shies away from the gender dichotomy that comes with the turf. “I think every artist ultimately wants to make a name for themselves in some capacity. I think it’s great that there are so many strong and powerful women writing, producing and recording music right now,” he says. But he’s no stranger to the idea of staking his own claim on the realm he’s found himself in.

“I think there’s room for everyone with a story to tell, and I’m just excited to have the opportunity to add my own voice to the contemporary discourse.”

“I give a tremendous amount of myself to my audience through my music and videos and I'm a firm believer that an artist’s work should speak for itself,” he says. Like many recording artists who find themselves perched behind a keyboard, rocking a penchant for outsider fashion choices, Diamond Rings has been questioned on just how much of himself goes into his artistry and his performances versus the age-old question of the “pop persona.”

“I don't draw any ‘lines’ so to speak, but I do have a desire to keep my personal life as such,” he notes. “The person on stage is no more or no less the ‘real’ me. The only difference is that when I'm on stage, I'm performing. When I'm at home, I'm doing the dishes.”

Diamond Rings plays the Commodore Ballroom on Mar. 1 with Yukon Blonde. Free Dimensional is out now.

×× KATIE SO

13-02-22 9:28 PM

A MILLION DIFFERENT FACES THE 39 STEPS A COMEDIC TALE SHROUDED IN MYSTERY, HUMOUR Samantha Thompson, Copy Editor The Arts Club’s latest production on tour, The 39 Steps, demonstrates their ability to not only maintain a diverse repertoire, but to do it well.

The story takes place across the United Kingdom, beginning with an ordinary man bored with his life in London. Everything changes when a sly Russian woman asks to stay with him, and shares a secret of national importance. It transports the audience to a time reminiscent of Hitchcock, Monty Python and typical British humour, for the entirety of its 90-minute runtime.

The melodramatic show is adapted from the 1935 Hitchcock film and 1915 novel by John Buchan. It has plenty of Hitchcock references

for the die-hard fans, while simultaneously being lively and hilarious.

While the show gets off to a slow start, with some of the jokes coming across as a bit forced, it is easily saved by an effortless and punchy second half. Every minute is littered with a series of oneliners, self-referencing humour, and sketch comedy reminiscent of Monty Python’s best moments.

What is perhaps most impressive is that the four talented actors comprising the small cast share more than 150 roles between them. Their ability to make each character completely different from the last, with sometimes an only three-second costume change, stands testament to each performer’s ability to mould themselves into any character, as well as their incredible stamina and dedication to the craft.

The minimalist set design, often enhanced by the characters using dramatically emphasized body movements to demonstrate that they are, in fact, on a train. The performance stands as a testament

MBV FOLLOW UP THEIR MASTERPIECE YOUR TURN, DR. DRE Giles Roy, Managing Editor

PHOTO BY DAVID COOPER

passion of the antichrist MARILYN MANSON BANKS ON ILLUSION JJ Brewis, Editor-in-Chief

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Nobody quite knew what to expect when Marilyn Manson entered the stage for his appearance at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre. Sure, the crowd was familiar with his notorious theatrics, intrusive banter and penchant for sinister imagery.

But mere days before this appearance, a Saskatoon performance went awry when Manson collapsed onstage during the encore.

Anyone with even a shred of doubt where Manson was at physically was proven wrong within the first 30 seconds of set opener “Hey, Cruel World…” Clutching a microphone encased in a brass-knuckles handle, Manson raced back and forth across the stage reassuring his loyal crowd that, 20 years into his game, he’s still got it.

Coincidentally, Manson’s Vancouver performance capped off B.C.’s first-ever Family Day holiday, perhaps ironic to some folk, but to those who participated in the experience it was a surprisingly fitting connection. Manson’s fans, many in faded, crusty shirts dating back to his 1994 debut, are devout followers. To plenty of them, this is their god, and his show is church. The bonding experience in the theatre before the performance led to one bold female fan baring her chest to her peers, erupting in an ear-piercing cohesive crowd approval.

But no cheers matched those received by the Antichrist Superstar himself. By the second song, “Disposable Teens”, Manson was already present in his first costume change of the evening. And like everything he did that night, this helped set the precedent of his go big or go home mantra, something that remained constant throughout his set. Donning a massive Pope hat and robe, Manson’s outfit choice was all the more on point, noting the news announcement of the actual Pope’s departure the same morning. Hilarious yet symbolic, it’s a duality that Manson is steeped in.

Every last song of the set saw a new thematic element – be it set change, prop, or costume.

The overarching theme of the show seemed to be characteristic villainy. On “Coma White” he stands mid-stage wearing an oversized Zorro hat, lit by a single spotlight with artificial snow raining down on him. Following the actual mirror that

accompanied him for “No Reflection”, Manson emerged from backstage with a perfectly iced white cake, and began to stick his two forefingers into the centre, making suggestive sexual noises. Seconds later, he tossed the cake into the crowd. During “The Dope Show” Manson let a little glam in his show, but not without taking some piss out of that iconography, donning a filthy white suit jacket, a tattered looking mink stole, and aviators.

Manson doesn’t need to fill in his show with all these production components, being a career artist with a nine-album oeuvre and a very loyal fan base, but all the bells and whistles make for a hell of a show. His guitar and gloves both shoot red lasers, he wipes his face with newspaper smut ads before discarding it into the crowd, and pours vials of conspicuous white powder on-stage.

From a production standpoint, it’s clear that every last second is calculated, yet comes across as a cinematic collection of great stage moments.

“I want everyone to know that I've been sober for the past...I couldn't even say that with a straight face,” he laughs before puncturing a beer can with the knife attached to yet another gimmicky microphone, shortly before shot-gunning said beer and launching the can into the crowd.

Love him or hate him (and really, at this point, who would dare deny the enjoyment of this production – humourous, legitimate or otherwise?), Marilyn Manson is a creative genius, borrowing from any and everywhere he can. On a cover of Depeche Mode’s “Personal Jesus”, the stage is temporarily blanketed in upside down American flags while Manson sings, giving his lipstick an off-side smear, making him the likeness of Heath Ledger’s ill-fated Joker.

Set-ender “Kill Kill 33°” saw a fleet of gasmask-wearing guards wheeling out a towering podium, complete with a line-up of microphones as if Manson were about to conduct a satanic press conference. He proceeds to eat pages from a Bible, and discard them into the audience. The crowd of course goes into a frenzy, grappling at a chance to own a tangible piece of rock and roll history.

It’s fun as hell, but no doubt Marilyn Manson is drawing ties to his thoughts about the world he’s in. As the third round of white confetti is fired off into the masses, the show is over – giving the illusion that Manson just came all over his entire crowd.

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The 39 Steps will be on tour in the Lower Mainland until mid-March. See Artsclub.com for details.

the capilano courier

That My Bloody Valentine’s first album in 20 years is called mbv could be considered a warning flag. The self-referential title implicates a laziness (or at least an out-of-touchness) that’s unbecoming of its creators. But the journey to this release has been notable, convoluted, and exhausting. This album is inseparable from its context, and its title is one of the least bizarre things about it.

The Dublin band’s last album, 1991’s Loveless, was showered with unprecedented critical acclaim upon its release, hoisting a subgenre (ahem, “shoegaze”) to its indisputable peak and making a mysterious god out of frontman Kevin Shields (who, by most accounts, was the band). It was lauded for its sound, an impossible-to-explain mix of noisy rock and dreamy pop. Seeing how immediately the record had become a cultural touchstone, a generation of wide-eyed scruffy-haired music lovers optimistically anticipated a follow-up. Of some sort.

It is now, in case you missed it, 2013. Shields turns 50 this year. The band approaches their 30-year anniversary. An entire sub-generation of My Bloody Valentine sound-a-likes have come and gone, and the notion of an unworthy followup to their masterpiece is about as old as Loveless itself. Like Brian Wilson and Axl Rose before him, Shields was stuck in a decades-deep hole with, frankly, little hope of eventual redemption.

There would have been approximately three successful ways to put out a worthy successor to what some people (maybe even me!) would call the best album of the ‘90s.

One, get it out of the way quickly to capitalize (commercially and otherwise) on its predecessor’s success. By the same token, focus on poppy, dreamy songcraft rather than hallucinatory noise.

Do this before 1994.

Two, recognize that the primary appeal of both prior albums was really that they sounded like absolutely nothing to come before them, and intrepidly push forward, sonically. Make sure that, just as Loveless essentially rendered 1988’s Isn’t Anything obsolete, the new one knocks the old one off its throne. Do this before, say, 1997.

Three, psych yourself out entirely! Allegedly

explore both options before scrapping hours worth of material! Flirt with drug-fueled club music, while that’s a thing! Snap out of that phase and disappear! Emerge over 20 years later and nonchalantly mention in an interview that, no big deal, you completed the album! Sidestep the hype (as best you can) by releasing it suddenly and digitally! Barely even give the thing a name!

Kevin chose the third option. Which is to say that mbv sounds neither like a concession or a revelation. All else considered, it kind of just sounds like Loveless.

Which is fine! Because every song ends up fitting snugly into the band’s limited catalogue. It sounds like a ‘90s album just in time for a cultural ‘90s resurgence, but it’s filled with unique melodic ideas throughout that are hard to imagine coming from any other creative mind. There are standout tracks (“Only Tomorrow”, “Who Sees You”) and relative lowlights (“Is This And Yes”) but the whole thing is surprisingly, mercifully good.

A strange aspect about all of this is that Kevin Shields doesn’t actually appear to be the insane perfectionist that such a history might typically warrant. Just last year, in an interview with Pitchfork.com, he said, “I tend to work really quickly, suddenly, and I might be willing to do that right now.”

This means that he wasn’t exactly sitting on these songs for two decades, making sure each element was flawlessly arranged before committing them to tape. Instead, it implies that when Kevin Shields writes a song, any old song, it just happens to sound this beautiful. And one day, presumably quite recently, he realized that exact thing himself and decided to just go for it.

It also implies that he could hypothetically continue that trend, and release more albums this good with something resembling frequency. You know, mere years apart. Dear fucking Christ, I hope so.

to the idea that good theatre can exist without high-budget, over-the-top productions.

The 39 Steps fits into a genre of acting that is too-often absent in the North American theatre scene – one which is simple comedy at its finest, without the unnecessary theatrics of elaborate set changes or special effects. It will take you on an adventure you’re unlikely to forget: one filled with raw, hilarious comedy.

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FEATURES

FEATURES EDITOR ×

NATALIE CORBO

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

RENTAL RIGHTS REVISITED KNOWING YOUR RIGHTS IN THE B.C. RENTAL MARKET

Lindsay Howe

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× News Editor

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Life was good. I had finally found an apartment in a safe location at a reasonable price and moved out of my parents’ home. It became a pleasure to do the simplest chores that my mom and I had previously argued about, because this time, I was doing them for me. Suddenly, washing dishes, cleaning my room and taking out the garbage were enjoyable tasks, and “puttering around the house” had turned into a favourite pastime. It wasn’t until I received a message from my landlord “forbidding” me from having male visitors to the apartment that I began to wonder about the downsides of rental housing.

According to an article in the Tyee, over half of households in the city of Vancouver are renters due to the high cost of buying a home. This can make the tenant-landlord relationship an important aspect of how happy many people in Vancouver, especially students, are with their living situation. A great landlord can make life easy, but an inattentive or difficult landlord can leave you feeling powerless, especially if you aren’t fully aware of your rights as a tenant. The plight of the renter is a common tale in Vancouver, as they deal with the struggle to find stable, affordable rental properties. It is not uncommon for Vancouverites to be evicted from their rental homes due to the landlord’s family wanting to occupy the rental, or the landlord wanting to conduct renovations.

Finding a decent property can be half the battle, and while Craigslist and Kijiji make it easy to peruse listings in your underwear from your parents’ basement, they can present obvious

risks, particularly for finding rentals in other cities. While many quality, legitimate listings exist on these websites, both by owners and through rental agencies, some apartment seekers forget to be weary of online deals, or are victims of plain bad luck, and find themselves in a rental property fiasco they never saw coming.

TENANCY TROUBLES Judy Robinson, a medical professional who divides her time between Palm Springs, California and Vancouver, was accustomed to using the Internet to find a rental property in the Lower Mainland when she and her husband migrated north each summer. Robinson had previously used Craigslist a number of times to find a rental property without any trouble, but certainly found trouble during her most recent Craigslist rental endeavour. After corresponding via email, and viewing photos online, Robinson, then situated in Palm Springs, agreed to pay the full rent for May to August up front, as she was getting a discounted summer rate on a suite that was usually rented to students.

Upon arrival, the suite appeared bright and similar to the photos posted online, but Robinson did have some concerns with the property. “We realized there was no fire exit per se, but we realized also that it was an illegal rental.” Robinson adds, “There were bars on all of the windows, the bathroom window, the kitchen, the bedroom window, everything … and he sold that as a security feature but they were padlocked … and we had no key to these padlocks.” The suite, which was one of two basement apartments on the property, with the landlord living upstairs, had a couple of other issues that left Robinson feeling too close for comfort with her housemates. “The laundry area had a door that opened right up to the next apartment,

and there was also a door off of the bedroom that didn’t have a lock on it that opened right up to the other lady’s living room … it was totally weird.”

While the layout of the suite wasn’t ideal, it wasn’t the biggest issue on Robinson’s mind. Over the next few weeks, she would discover that the vinyl flooring was damaged, the suite did not feature a dishwasher, as advertised online, and that phone, television and Internet were the responsibility of Robinson to pay in full, despite what the online ad had indicated.

Issues only escalated for Robinson when her housemate’s son came to visit and had a problem with Robinson’s husband. The thin walls dividing the two basement apartments allowed Robinson to hear the man on the phone speaking to his mother about what he had said to Robinson and her husband. “He starts on about ‘Oh I really scared him, and I can take him. And I’ve got buddies and we can throw him in the back of the van and take him out to the country and take him for a nice long ride and teach him a lesson, I can go through that bedroom door right now and rip his arms off.’”

At this point, Robinson and her husband called the police to the property. “The cops came over and said 'You should leave. You should pack up and just go.'” After this major conflict, Robinson also discovered that the “landlord” was actually just a man renting the house himself and trying to rent the basement apartments to make profit.

Robinson and her husband moved out of the suite all in one go, on a grey rainy day. “You’ve never seen anybody move out of a place so fast in your life!” Robinson adds.

Sandra Steilo, a Communications Spokesperson for the Ministry of Housing explains that even if you are renting a large property, it is not completely up to your discretion how you

wish to use the property. “The Residential Tenancy Act states a tenant must obtain the landlord’s permission in writing before subletting any part of the rental unit. If you sublet without permission, the landlord can end your tenancy with one month’s notice. When a landlord allows a tenant to sublet, the tenant remains responsible to the landlord for the rent and for damages that the subtenant or their guests might cause.”

Sean Sharma, a BCIT student, had a positive rental experience up until it was time to move out.

Sharma, who had found the place on Craigslist and was renting it only for the duration of the school year, was told he would not be receiving his damage deposit back at the end of his tenancy. “He refused to give me my damage deposit back due to the fact that we moved into an “as-is” apartment, and the landlord was doing renovations when we moved out. Therefore, the damage that was fine prior to my living there was being blamed on me.”

Sharma was so frustrated with the situation that he decided to stop renting and purchased an apartment close to the location of his rental last year. “This experience was a large part of the reason I decided to buy an apartment,” he says.

Sharma, who is now a current landlord, explains that if a similar situation arose with his tenant, he would handle it a lot better and be reasonable. “I would take very detailed notes and pictures of each room to ensure I could pinpoint the damage done from my tenants, and also ensure I give them a reasonable estimate on the damage so they could receive a reasonable portion of their deposit back.” Sharma believes that if you take the right precautions in the beginning, renting can be a positive experience for both the tenant and the landlord. “Ensure you take notes and pictures of the before and after move in, move out,” he says.

“Be clear on what the Tenancy Act gives rights to

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each person. E-mail or call the Tenancy Act when a problem arises. Ensure you seem to get a good impression from the person you rent from or rent to.” Sharma's suggestions echoes the Tenancy Branch's recommendation to conduct condition inspection reports with your landlord prior to and after your rental agreement, to ensure you are not blamed for pre-existing damage.

IN DEFENSE OF LANDLORDS

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PROTECTING YOURSELF

Robinson ... discovered that the ``landlord" was actually just a man renting the house himself and trying to rent the basement apartments to make profit. Robinson and her husband moved out of the suite all in one go, on a grey rainy day."You've never seen anybody move out of a place so fast in your life!"

Robinson adds.

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Just as often as tenants have problems with their landlords, landlords have problems with their tenants. Kate Wilson* (named changed due to on-going legal proceedings) experienced conflict with her tenant when she signed a one-year lease to rent out her East Vancouver apartment. “I tried to do it the safe way, tried to get references from the last place they lived from the landlords there and [made] them sign a contract.” Despite her efforts, Wilson ended up bound to a lease with no concrete reason to break. “He was a nice-enough guy, always paid rent on time, but there was a ridiculous amount of damage done to the apartment, absolutely ridiculous. Unbelievably huge holes in walls, holes, I don’t even know how he got a hole there; it looks like he put a shot-put through the high wall above the doorframe between the bedroom and bathroom.”

Wilson had originally chosen to rent to this specific person as his girlfriend was going to be living with him in the apartment. “I wanted a couple, couples are generally more stable, [but] four months into the lease they broke up, and I’m like, oh god, bachelor guy trying to be the cool guy, and definitely it all went south at that point.” Although there were discrepancies between Wilson and her tenant, such as him somehow unplugging all of the lines to the dishwasher, and noise complaints that Wilson received through the strata which the tenant denied, Wilson felt as if she did not have concrete grounds to end the tenancy.

“For me to break that year lease, there has to be substantial proof of damage to the place. I’d call to do a couple check ups, [and] he’d clean it up enough so that it didn’t look like anything was wrong, I was caught feeling like I [couldn’t] do much about it. There were some red flags but I had no proof.”

Wilson continued to search for valid reasons to end the tenancy, including looking into whether he was paying on time, but surely, he always did.

Wilson, feeling as if she had no recourse, allowed him to stay in the apartment for the duration of the one-year lease. When the tenant moved out, Wilson discovered all of the major damage he had done. “He did try to patch up some of the walls, but he did such a poor job. So then he’s fighting over deposit money, but when I looked at how much I was spending on repairs it exceeded the damage deposit.”

Wilson, who fixed up the apartment and has since sold it, is still battling her former tenant in order to receive compensation for the money she had to spend in order to fix up the apartment and get it back into a sellable condition.

According to the Residential Tenancy Act, tenants are required to leave, in writing, a forwarding address where the landlord will be able to send their damage deposit. Once the landlord has completed the move out condition inspection report, they have 15 days to either return the deposit, get the tenant’s written permission to keep the deposit, or apply for a dispute resolution in order to claim the deposit.

my boyfriend over, but has enabled me to look over the agreement I signed months ago and identify clauses that do not coincide with the Act, meaning that legally speaking, I do not have to abide by them.

In Br i t i s h C o l u m b i a , a l l l a w s pertaining to tenancy agreements fall under the jurisdiction of the province’s Residential Tenancy Act and Manufactured Home Park Tenancy Act. Tenants and landlords are able to seek information regarding their rights through one of the Government’s Residential Tenancy Branches. Here, agents inform residents with legal advice to help avoid any future issues when they decide to rent, but also offer dispute resolution services for those who have already experienced the conflict. These branches, which exist across B.C., are also a helpful resource for renters that are not concerned with conflict, and are simply seeking general information about rentals in B.C. – including allowable rent increases and deposit interest rates for the new year, and updated versions of legal tenancy contracts in B.C. that should be signed by both parties before entering into an agreement.

While everyone hopes they never have to deal with an unfortunate rental experience, knowing basic facts regarding your rights as a tenant or landlord will only assist you in finding a fair, reasonable rental agreement in the future. In terms of guests in your rental area, Steilo explains, “When a tenancy agreement is in place, generally speaking, a landlord cannot restrict a tenant from having certain guests.” This also applies to renters wanting to have small gatherings in their suite.

Steilo adds, “It would be up to the tenant to ensure a gathering or party respects other tenants’ right to quiet enjoyment, which includes freedom from unreasonable disturbances.”

In terms of numbers, it is important to think about what you are agreeing to and if you are absolutely positive you will want to live in the same area for a year when signing a oneyear lease. If not, Steilo says, “In a fixed term agreement, the tenancy begins on a specified date and continues until a predetermined expiry date.

If a tenant wants to leave early without the landlord's approval, he/she can be held accountable for any loss incurred by the landlord, including rent.” It’s also important to note not to rent places that you are only barely able to afford, as Steilo explains, increases on rent are allowable. “Under The Residential Tenancy Act, landlords in B.C. can raise the rate of rent once a year with three months notice in writing. The Province sets limits on the rate to give tenants stability and peace of mind.

Landlords may increase rent annually by a percentage equal to the inflation rate plus two per cent. The allowable increase for 2013 is 3.8 per cent.”

Lastly, it’s important to realize that Canada is a very ethnically diverse nation. This factor can come into play when signing agreements that are not from a Residential Tenancy Branch, that have been set up by a landlord. There are agreements that are commonly printed off the Internet and used by landlords in B.C. If you sign a contract that is not from B.C., and it contains rules or regulations that are not part of B.C.’s Residential Tenancy Act, although you signed it, those terms are still void.

While renting property can be stressful and time-consuming, taking the time to look into your landlord or tenant's renting history, as well as following a contract created by the Residential Tenancy Branch, can help you be certain that you are being treated fairly, and that all the pennies you’ve saved to afford shelter in this overpriced market are going to good use.

As for myself, understanding the Residential Tenancy Act has not only made me confident in the fact that I cannot be evicted for having

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FEATURES

FEATURES EDITOR ×

NATALIE CORBO

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

×× MILES CHIC

final cut FOR YEARS, BC'S REPUTATION AS HOLLYWOOD NORTH HAS GROWN. BUT CAN IT CONTINUE TO SURVIVE WITH THE INCREASING COMPETITION BACK EAST?

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Julian Legere × Writer If there’s one group that you can be sure has passion, it’s artists. That’s likely the reason why last month’s rally at North Shore Studios drew over 2,000 people – some reports had attendance as high as 4,500 – who all gathered to hear industry experts and lobbyists speak about recent efforts made to demand action from the B.C. government to save the film industry.

THE NEW HOLLYWOOD NORTH

HOME GROWN FILMS

MISGIVINGS AND MISPERCEPTIONS

TAKING ACTION, SEARCHING FOR SOLUTIONS As part of the Save BC Film campaign, a petition circulating online has gained over 30,000 signatures, and a poll funded by MPPIA (the Motion Picture Production Industry Association of BC) has reflected fairly strong public support

"I fear that my three to four years of intense schooling won't be put to good use when there

are so few jobs."

46 issue N o . 17

Some of the Save BC Film advocates have claimed that there is a public misconception concerning the need for tax breaks for big budget American films. “Tax credits are not paying for Brad Pitt’s million dollars to come here.” Leitch reminds the crowd at January’s rally. The current tax policies reflect that, since only money paid to B.C. residents or companies are eligible for the tax breaks.

Along the same lines, Davies emphasizes the nature of the provincial government’s investment. “It’s not a subsidy,” he explains. “The B.C. government doesn’t write a cheque. There has to be money generated in order for money to be refunded.”

This point is reflected in the comments of the other advocates at January’s rally. “We are an industry, not a special interest group,” someone points out during the question and answer session, and Paul Klassen, senior business representative for IATSE, the film and theatre technicians union, agrees: “This is about the economy of BC.”

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The film industry as a whole is a hugely important component of the B.C. economy, employing an estimated 25,000 people and bringing around $1.2 billion worth of revenue into the province annually, but it’s not just the financial benefits that members of the film industry are fighting for.

Citing his long-running hit TV show The Beachcombers, filmed in Gibsons, as an example, Davies describes the importance of domestic productions not only for their direct investment into local economies, but also for the increased tourism. “All around the world, they see the beauty of B.C. We get to tell our stories.

That’s not just a business investment, that’s a cultural investment.”

Stewart agrees that the film industry is important both for its economic and its cultural benefits, and that the B.C. Liberal government should be doing everything it can to encourage the industry’s growth: “It seems counterproductive to not continue investing. It creates tourism opportunities and it allows actors and other artistic people the chance to actually pursue what it is they love.”

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The second concern is the loss of domestic film production. Currently, B.C. gives tax credits to domestic productions, to the tune of 35 per cent.

In 2009, Quebec and Ontario both raised their incentives to match that 35 per cent. According to Jackson Davies, vice-president of the Union of BC Performers and instructor at Capilano University, B.C. saw about $500 to $600 million worth of domestic film production annually prior to 2009, but since Ontario and Quebec increased their domestic productions tax credits, that number has fallen to about $200 million.

Davies also worries about the long term implications of the $300 to $400 million loss triggered in 2009, because the lack of productions causes a

CULTURAL ECONOMY

as well. According to the report, 56 per cent of British Columbian adults believe the province should “encourage strong growth” of the film industry, putting it in second, behind the tourism industry with 67 per cent in favour of strong growth.

In addition to more funding for tax incentives, industry leaders such as Brian Hamilton would like to see B.C. create some sort of body to liaise between the government and the film industry, similar to the Ontario Media Development Corporation. “Where is our ministry?” he demanded at January’s rally, to rousing applause from the crowd. The OMDC is an agency of the Ontario Ministry of Culture and Tourism, and their mission statement describes them as, “the central catalyst for Ontario’s cultural media cluster. It promotes, enhances and leverages investment, jobs and original content creation.” The OMDC oversees distribution of much of Ontario’s media related arts funding, including their film tax incentives. According to Hamilton, the creation of a similar agency in British Columbia would provide the creative industries with a “one stop shop to address our needs.” B.C. NDP leader Adrian Dix has expressed support for a ministry for the creative sector, though neither his party nor anyone from the industry seem to have a viable plan as to how that would work or how much it might cost.

Meanwhile, Clark has been promoting the potential benefits of her government’s attempts to strengthen ties between B.C. and the Indian film industry. The government invested $11 million dollars to secure a deal that will bring the Times of India Film Awards to Vancouver in April.

The deal also guarantees at least one Indian film production coming to B.C., and Clark hopes that that is going to be the beginning of a long, profitable trade relationship between B.C. and India, rooted in the film industry.

Ultimately, the implications of a declining industry would be undeniable. “I know acting is a risky profession to go into,” Stewart laments, “but this just makes it even harder to secure a living doing what I love.” As the debate continues to rage, and with a provincial election rapidly approaching, the future of the B.C. film industry seems precarious. Many are waiting to know if they’ll be hearing a call of “action” or “cut.”

the capilano courier

Save BC Film, the lobby group that organised January’s rally, has been advocating on behalf of an estimated 25,000 industry professionals whose livelihoods they claim are being threatened by increased government support for the film industry in Ontario and Quebec.

The first concern is the loss of foreign, namely American, film productions, the presence of which in the past earned Metro Vancouver the moniker “Hollywood North.” Currently, the B.C. Production Services Tax Credit offers a credit of 33 per cent of BC labour expenditures only, whereas Ontario and Quebec offer a 25 per cent credit on all production expenditures within each respective province. In 2011, B.C. fell to the fourth-ranked production centre in North America, behind Ontario. Industry advocates, including those present at the rally in January, are calling for policy changes in order to keep B.C. competitive. Peter Leitch, president of North Shore Studios, advocated at last month’s rally for an “All Spend Policy” that would give foreign productions tax breaks on all production spending within B.C., the same policy currently in place in Ontario and Quebec, rather than solely labour spending.

Premier Christy Clark defends the current policies, describing B.C.’s current $285 million tax credit as “generous.” She goes on to call the increased tax credits in Ontario and Quebec as a “race to the bottom,” and makes it clear that she has no intention of allowing B.C. to engage in that race, a view reflected in her government’s recently released budget.

Industry members contest the idea that increasing B.C.’s investment in the industry would create that kind of bottomless climate because according to Brian Hamilton, a vice-president at Omnifilm, American productions prefer B.C. due to its better infrastructure and talent pool. Leitch says that American clients who have worked with North Shore Studios have told him the same things: “We don’t need to match Ontario and Quebec, we just need to be competitive,” he explained to the rally crowd.

loss of film industry infrastructure, including facilities like studios and editing suites. “Once all the infrastructure is gone from the community, they have to shut down or move to Ontario,” he says.

Once that infrastructure is gone, and the talent moves to the East, there’s even less incentive for revenue and job generating American productions to come to B.C. Aaron Stewart, an acting student at Capilano University says that he sees the decline of the film industry in B.C. as an enormous obstacle to his future career: “I fear that my three to four years of intense schooling won’t be put to good use when there are so few jobs. And on top of that, I fear that I may have to pack up and move to a new city, hell, even a new country, to get work.”

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SUBMIT!

The Capilano Courier, your award-winning student magazine, is looking for contributors!

To get involved, email editor@capilanocourier.com.

Better yet, come to a story meeting: Tuesdays at noon in our office, Maple 122.

Satisfy your desires! Make new friends! Get paid! www.capilanocourier.com

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cap calendar

What’s Up Doc? Series: The Chocolate

There will be a special screening for this powerful film that tells the story of the American civil rights movement through its music. It is one of many excellent events the City of Vancouver is putting on as part of Black History Month.

7 p.m., Vancouver International Film Centre. $6.

Farmer It’s movie Monday! Check out this documentary that tells the tale of a year in the life of a cacao farmer and his family, as “they struggle to preserve their values in a world that is dramatically changing around them.”

7 p.m., Downtown VPL. Free.

Status of Canada’s Birds and Climate Change Did you see that viral video on Facebook last week, about the birds with the garbage in their stomachs? It was so sad. This event isn’t about that, but it’s about Canada’s birds and how climate change is basically screwing them over. Learn!

7 p.m., NSCU Centre. Free.

Gritty City: Vancouver in the ‘60s This is the last in a three-night series of film showings that document Vancouver in the mid-20th century. Tonight will feature Westend ‘66 and A City’s Story, two CBC Archival Films that are sure to tickle the fancy of any city lover.

7:30 p.m., Hollywood Theatre. By donation.

Gamer Corner Club Meeting Now, I bet you’re wondering why this club’s meeting gets a special place in the calendar, over all the other clubs. I’ll tell you why: on Reading Break I spent a whole day playing Harry Potter video games and I kind of miss it so this is my way of warming my own heart.

Want your club meeting featured? E-mail me!

4 p.m., MA102. Free.

Chutzpah! Festival presents Haunted Here’s a steamy tale! When Abby’s husband dies she starts attending synagogue, and soon her friendship with the young rabbi David starts to turn into something more. Presented as part of the Chutzpah! Festival.

8 p.m., Norman and Annette Rothstein Theatre. $24.

Kokoma African Heritage Dance Ensemble These high-energy dances will really encourage you to get off the couch and do something physical. Each dance has plenty of mythological imagery, rendering it a very powerful performance.

12 p.m., Scotiabank Dance Centre. $10.

Discover Dance! Israel ‘Toto’ Berriel and Friends Noon is a popular time to showcase dance apparently, because this dance performance is happening at the same time (and same place!) as Kokoma! Berriel is a renowned traditional Afro-Cuban percussionist and will be accompanied by energetic dancers and singers.

12 p.m., Scotiabank Dance Centre. $10.

Jim Green Memorial Lecture Jim Green was the legendary activist who worked in the Downtown Eastside, once ran for Vancouver mayor, and participated in the Woodward’s project. Sadly, he passed away last year and this lecture by Ken Lyotier will explore community development in the first annual Jim Green Memorial Lecture.

7 p.m., Goldcorp Centre for the Arts. Free.

Opening Night of Swan Lake The National Ballet of China is here to present Swan Lake, a show that quite honestly I’ve always wanted to see. I don’t know if you guys have ever seen that animated classic called The Swan Princess, but I imagine this ballet to be even better than that.

8 p.m., Queen Elizabeth Theatre. $60-$120.

FRI MARCH 1

THURS FEB 28

MON FEB 25

Soundtrack for a Revolution

ple’s Art at ArtStarts Gallery Check out this different type of art – it features the work of young people from 16 schools across B.C. It’s been around since September so you might’ve seen it already, but if not you should go soon because it’s only on for a few more weeks.

Until Mar. 15, 808 Richards St. Free.

TUES FEB 26

Sense of Place: Exhibition of Young Peo-

WED FEB 27

Indians and Night Beds Do you remember this guy who calls his band Indians? I do! He came to Vancouver last year! He’s awesome! This indieelectric outfit is from the distant land of Copenhagen, and he’s been taking the music world by storm. Seriously though, if you haven’t had the chance to witness this amazing one-man band, featuring Søren Løkke Juul, you better get on it!

8 p.m., Electric Owl. $12.

Toro Y Moi This upbeat, funky singer will reach out to you with his beautiful voice and make you want to dance. Apparently his music belongs to the genre known as “chillwave.”

8 p.m., the Biltmore. Sold out.

Overcoming Procrastination Workshop When did procrastination become popular? I sure as hell don’t know. It’s very unproductive but people are like, “I’M THE BEST PROCRASTINATOR EVER!” Stop.

It’s not something to be proud of.

10:30 a.m., Dogwood 115. Free.

Cap Cinephiles: Grave of the Fireflies Woah, two weeks in a row I’ve seen the movie the Cap Cinephiles are showing! I had to watch this movie last semester in a history class, and it was mighty sad. So sad in fact, that I didn’t actually finish watching it. I just wasn’t expecting such graphic detail a) in an animated film, b) from the maker of Totoro.

Disney doesn’t prepare you for this.

5 p.m., Bosa Centre. Free!

How Has My Love Affected You? Sometimes your family might drive you crazy.

Here’s a play about it! The story “questions the nature of familial obligation: what do we owe to each other, and what do we owe to ourselves?” and tells the tale of a son and his relationship with his mother. It’s going to be good.

8 p.m., Revue Stage. Prices vary.

Referendum Holy shit! A referendum! I love these things!

The CSU only holds these when they have a Very Important Question they need to ask you. If I were to guess what this one is about, I’d say the U-Pass – but that is what we call Uninformed Journalism. (Please note: this event might not actually happen, their calendar is very confusing.)

10 a.m., Library Lounge. Free, probably includes lunch!

Haiku Invitational 2013 Apparently Vancouver has 40,000 cherry trees, which seems like a lot for one city but they’re really pretty so I don’t mind. Express your love for cherry blossoms by submitting your haiku about them! You can submit them from today until June 3.

Forever, by a cherry tree. Free.

Make Money Fast!

Feeling broke? Enter the CSU’s Handbook Contest by designing next year’s handbook cover art! If I was voting I would pick the one with the most: cute animals, Harry Potter, Disney, seafoam green. In that order. (You can win $300).

Deadline is 4 p.m. on Mar. 27. Free to enter, win money!

Emán López Nussa with “A” Band and NiteCap “López Nussa combines rhythm and beauty, style and lyricism, fusion and purity, in his contribution to the panorama of contemporary jazz. López Nussa creates original works that are becoming a common part of the Cuban, American and international repertory.”

8 p.m., NSCU Centre. $32/$29.

Remarkable Women Poster Workshop Women are pretty cool, right? Honour the women in your community with this really fun workshop! You’ll get to make posters, and feel good about yourself.

6 p.m., Kerrisdale Community Centre. Free.

Rock Concert with Liftoff Everyone loves a good rock concert! I think?

Liftoff is very rock, I think you’ll really like them because I do. And they’re Canadian!

7:30 p.m., Joe’s Apartment. $12/$15.

LeAnn Rimes Do you like country and pop? Then Rimes is for you. She recently sang a song with Carrie Underwood, which I think means they’re friends – and I like that!

8 p.m., Red Robinson Show Theatre. $120$171.

Self-Publishing Fair Self-publishing is a pretty big deal, but it’s not the easiest thing to figure out how to do.

Participate in this day of panels and workshops, and you’ll get a pretty good idea.

Experts from book-binding, printing, cover design, and more will be there to answer your questions.

10 a.m., Downtown VPL. Free.

Vancouver Recital Society: Ning Feng Violin recitals are awesome when the person knows how to play the violin. Feng is one of those people – he’s internationally celebrated and will be performing a diverse repertoire at this evening’s performance.

3 p.m., Vancouver Playhouse. Ticket prices vary.

Design Sundays: Upcycled Urbanism Participate in this design project where you get the chance to reimagine Vancouver’s public spaces. You’ll work with a team to brainstorm potential designs, and then in July you’ll be able to build it! It sounds awesome – and you don’t even need a design background!

2 p.m., Museum of Vancouver. $14.

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Ana Moura Moura is a fado singer – a genre of music that elicits feelings of fateful suffering, longing, and loss. It will be a very emotional evening, and you’ll be hearing from a star who has sung with the likes of Prince and Mick Jagger.

8 p.m., NSCU Centre. $35/$32.

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VSO: Romeo and Juliet In high school we performed this play for a class and I was Juliet and my best friend “pretended” to kiss me and we had to keep practicing which was a little awkward, to be honest. At least I got to wear a sweet dress!

Now you have the chance to experience this classic through music, which I guarantee is better than anything I did at 17.

8 p.m., Orpheum. $17-$62.

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SAT MARCH 2

CALENDAR@ C A P I L A N O C O U R I E R . C O M

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OPINIONS

OPINIONS EDITOR ×

LEAH SCHEITEL

× OPINIONS@CAPILANOCOURIER.COM

MEET NOMOPHOBIA

COMING TO TERMS WITH CELL PHONE ADDICTION Scott Moraes × Humour and Fiction Editor Tomorrow, you will leave your phone at home, on purpose. It’s an experiment. Go catch your bus, go to school or work, go about your everyday routine.

See how long it takes for your hand to jump to your pocket, with no particular trigger other than habit. Write down how you feel when you realize it's not there. No Angry Birds, Twitter, Instagram or trivial texts about the bus or your pressing need for coffee. Despite your most gut-wrenching feelings at that moment of isolation, life could be worse. Couldn’t it?

You need the experiment because the first signs of a true addiction are withdrawal symptoms. If you are incapable of turning your phone off during a two-hour long movie, or can't help but check for texts every few minutes, or cannot function normally without your phone, even at tasks not at all phone-related, then it is quite possible that your phone has overgrown its function as a utility tool, and has instead become a central part of your social life. Almost physiologically, a part you simply can’t live without. And that’s cause for concern.

There is a word for that now: Nomophobia (“no-mobile-phone phobia”). This is not yet a strictly medical term. British researchers coined the term in 2008, and it relates to freaking out at the mere thought of losing mobile phone contact.

This phenomenon is fairly recent and has not been studied enough and defined officially as a mental disorder. But let’s start tossing it about: we should acknowledge the pathology of our relationship with our phones, and start talking about it. We became addicted to computers and televisions, and we

are addicted to our phones, even more so as their already-extensive features multiply by the year.

This is particularly worrisome because phones are portable – they are with us at all times and can always be connected to the Internet by satellite, unlike computers and televisions. They are the go-to friend in times of boredom, anxiety, loneliness, restlessness – a friend always available, and always soothing. That doesn't sound too bad, until you realize your phone may have become your best friend. There’s something wrong with the picture, and we’re not bound to notice unless someone else points it out.

James Roberts of Baylor University, located in Waco, Texas, is the author of a recent study on cell phone dependence amongst college undergraduates. He concluded, “Cell phones are used as part of the conspicuous consumption ritual and also act as a pacifier for the impulsive tendencies of users.” Roberts also describes the smart phone as the status symbol of the moment, and claims, “It is eroding our personal relationships.” People have different degrees of dependence on their phone and different degrees of personal relationships, so it is impossible to generalize on the extent to which phone usage affects personal relationships. But here are some facts: Addictions are profitable for those who feed them. Smart phones are a growing trend, and related disorders are more than likely to spread as phones become more prevalent and, for lack of a better word, more addictive.

You might ask, is this really serious enough to be called even informally an “addiction,” or is it the overzealous and conservative voice of old people mocking young habits? How can such a useful and fun device lead to or aggravate an actual mental disorder? A study by Dr. Lisa Merlo

of the University of Florida found a link between anxiety and smartphone dependence. According to Merlo, many patients use their cell phones to alleviate their mental health symptoms. “You might see a person with obsessive-compulsive disorder [OCD] who is using the phone to check things, or you might see a person with social phobia who is using the phone to avoid interaction with people.”

There’s a fine line between embracing technological marvels and completely subjugating to their functions. Technology should be complementary to our natural social features, not a hindrance or an artificial substitute.

The only apparent way to forestall the trends is to make an effort to resist them. You have a few choices. Option one, denial, because, well, it's comfortable being the way you are; option two, You can become a hyper-aware neoLuddite who refuses to accept any new technology; or option three, you can fall somewhere in between, recognizing the faults in your lifestyle and truly desiring change for the better, while still enjoying the latest tech convenience.

Te c h n o l o g y has its wonders. But there’s nothing more reassuring to human behaviour as letting your phone ring at will in your pocket, as you dare not disrupt a face-to-face

conversation – or to turn it off entirely for two hours while watching a movie or the ballet. It’s crucial to remember that the thing in your pocket is just a machine, and it works for you.

×× KSENIA KOZHEVNIKOVA

BONE TO PICK

PUBLIC ART INSTALLATION DOGGED BY CRITICISM Andy Rice

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A seven-foot poodle statue on a 25-foot pedestal has unleashed quite a backlash in Vancouver’s Mount Pleasant neighborhood. Some say it’s a waste of money, while others say it looks like a dog’s breakfast. Even the city’s arts-conscious mayor has mentioned the piece recently on his Twitter account, revealing that he’s “...not a fan...”

The sculpture, called Untitled (Poodle), was created by Montreal artist Gisele Amantea and towers above a small park at the intersection of Main Street and 18th Avenue. Since its unveiling back in January, residents have been scratching their heads trying to figure out not only what the piece means, but why it cost so much as well. The price tag was a reported $97,600, shared by the City of Vancouver, the federal government and TransLink.

A poodle certainly seems like an odd choice, even for Main Street where many of the artsy types and hipsters in the area walk around with hairstyles that seem to mimic that famous Continental clip so often worn by the breed in question. The statue’s height is a curious thing as well. Towering above street level by a total of 32 feet, the piece could have a variety of meanings, none of which are readily apparent. Perhaps the piece is intended

as a statement that visual art, or even art in general, is important above many other things, given that it so often gets cast aside in favour of other forms of expression. Maybe not, though – it could just be suggesting that when it comes to Vancouver neighborhoods, Main Street thinks it deserves the title of best in show. It’s the beauty of art that no one is really sure.

The model used for the statue is also rather puzzling. Mount Pleasant is an area of Vancouver that prides itself as being eclectic and alive and yet the piece wasn’t even sculpted to resemble a live animal. Instead, inspiration was drawn from a poodle figurine Amantea’s husband brought back from London, of all places. Yes, Vancouver’s brand new poodle isn’t even from Vancouver. Not even from Canada.

In fact, Amantea herself was imported especially for the project as well, having lived and worked in Montreal since the 1990s. A Vancouver artist would have been a far more appropriate choice, not only to better capture the spirit of the neighborhood but also to support the local arts community. It’s already a dog-eat-dog world out there for artists, but especially if sculptors are swooping in from across the country to design the city’s public art installations.

Most astonishing, however, is the total cost of the project. At a time when arts funding is already

under a lot of strain, spending nearly $100,000 on a single piece is a hard thing to justify to most people. TransLink’s involvement is perhaps the most frustrating of all, given that the poodle appeared back in January, just weeks after the company implemented a 10 per cent increase to cash fares and a 12.5 per cent increase to monthly fares.

TransLink’s contribution came in the form of vinyl wrapping for three of its buses in the Main Street area, one of which has been given a hot pink knitted poodle sweater complete with looped fringes near the wheels and a wooly poodle head across the back. (Think teapot cozy or crocheted tissue box cover, but far less useful.) The second bus depicts a bunch of poodle cozies looking longingly at a porcelain poodle, and the third has cards decorating the interior. The decorated buses are a secondary component to Amantea’s statue with the intention of bringing a mobile piece of the poodle to the surrounding neighborhood. That’s really nice and all, but it begs a question of priorities and whether or not these major fare hikes could be avoided if TransLink were to spend less of its budget on public art installations and a little more on fulfilling its actual purpose. It’s the perfect example of barking up the wrong tree.

While the majority of Vancouver’s population may not understand or even like the city’s new poodle, the thing is here to stay. Residents have

the right to question its cost and its lack of benefits to society if they want to, but it’s time to call off the dogs when it comes to dissing the art itself.

Art is meant to be provocative, controversial, and thought-provoking. The beauty of the poodle may not actually lie within in the statue, but rather in the fact that it has succeeded in those three aspects better than any other Vancouver art installation in recent history. And who knows, maybe in 30 years the poodle on Main Street will be a social gathering place or a beloved local landmark, having gained enough popularity to warrant the commission of half a dozen pole-dwelling puppies. After all, every dog has its day.

×× STEFAN TOSHEFF

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PENNY DOESN'T MAKE CENTS

CANADA ABOLISHES THE ONE-CENT PIECE Connor Thorpe × Staff Writer

“It’s not the daily increase but daily decrease. Hack away at the unessential,” said Bruce Lee – and it appears, in at least one way, that the Government of Canada agrees.

As of Feb. 4, the Canadian Mint circulated the last Canadian penny – ending a 155-year run for the one-cent piece. However, the beginning of the end for the penny came last May, when Finance Canada ceased production of the coins, citing the “excessive and rising cost of production relative to face value, the increased accumulation of pennies

by Canadians in their households, environmental considerations, and the significant handling costs the penny imposes on retailers, financial institutions and the economy in general,” as reasons for the demise of copper currency. While pennies will still be accepted as legal tender, cash transactions will now be either rounded up or down to the nearest nickel. Debit and credit transactions will not be altered. The move by the Canadian government mirrors those that have taken place successfully in Australia and New Zealand previously.

No one should miss the penny, as no one has a sufficient reason to miss the penny. They had

become a completely illogical, economically draining waste of space and deserve to remain comfortably in the dark recesses of our collective memory. At the time that the federal government announced that we didn’t have to carry around a pocket full of near useless coins anymore, a lone penny cost 1.6 cents to make. Anyone with a basic grasp on the principles of economics can realize that producing currency with negative value is an inherently bad thing. This is especially true after over a hundred years of inflation that has caused the penny to plummet to a state of miniscule value. Simply, the difference between paying $2.03 and $2.05 isn’t significant enough to justify the government throwing away a penny every time they make two.

Economically, phasing out the penny is a nobrainer. It removes an economic burden while providing an economic boost – Finance Canada estimates that the federal government will save $11 million every year that the penny remains out of circulation.

There are those who could care less about the economy, but fewer that could care less about their own convenience. The ratio of cash to electronic purchases has declined significantly as the prevalence of new forms of payment increases – only 20 per cent of transactions in Canada are now completed using cash. Pennies in particular are cumbersome when compared to their relative value and

as such are often relegated to accumulation in jars, car cup holders and the like.

The National Post, explaining how superfluous the penny has become, published an info-graphic about the abolition of the penny entitled, “Common Cents”.

“The standard post-2000 weighs 2.35 grams which works out to about a $1.80 per pound of pennies – roughly the same price as grocery-store ground beef,” the article reads. “Any worthwhile penny drive, charities now realize, will have to involve industrial tonnages of coins.”

Still, Canadian charities are offering the public a way to unload their unwanted copper, while benefiting their causes, by holding penny drives. One such event held by Free the Children and RBC collected over $700,000 to provide clean drinking water for 100,000 people.

“As Canadians if we’re going to get rid of a currency we might as well put it toward a social purpose,” Free the Children co-founder Marc Kielburger told The Globe and Mail. “It’s so Canadian of us.” Similar events have since sprung up countrywide.

Finance Minister Jim Flaherty emphasized the uselessness of the penny in Canadian society.

“Pennies take up too much space on our dressers at home,” he said in his 2012 budget speech on Mar. 29, 2012. “They take up far too much time for small businesses trying to grow and create jobs.”

In the same address, Flaherty supported the initiative to have pennies collected by charitable causes, urging Canadians to “free your pennies from their prisons at home and donate them to charity.”

There’s sure to be a faction of nostalgic pennylovers who will bemoan the loss of the one-cent piece, but even they don’t have to worry – there are an estimated 30 billion of them kicking around, and they’re sure to be here for a while.

By halting production and distribution of pennies, Canada is effectively paring back a superfluous aspect of the country’s financial landscape. In the words of Bruce Lee, they’re hacking away at the unessential.

×× SUSAN LI

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OPINIONS

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LEAH SCHEITEL

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a Neanderthal baby NEEDS TO ANSWER SOME QUESTIONS Kelly Mackay × Writer We know that Neanderthals existed because we have evidence to prove it, but that doesn’t mean we need to bring them back into present-day society. In an interview with Der Spiegel magazine, Harvard professor of genetics Dr. George Church claimed, “I have already managed to attract enough DNA from fossil bones to reconstruct the DNA of the human species largely extinct. Now I need an adventurous female human.” With the intention of combining the Neanderthal genome with that of a human, Church is hoping that someone will step up to the task and act as a surrogate mother for his Jurassic Park reality show.

There is something not right about the concept of re-creating an extinct species, especially when the intention is for them to live amongst us. In the same interview he said that, “When the time comes to deal with an epidemic or getting off the planet or whatever, it’s conceivable that their way of thinking could be beneficial. They could maybe even create a new neo-Neanderthal culture and become a political force. The main goal is to increase diversity. The one thing that is bad for society is low diversity.” As if recreating a Neanderthal in the first place isn’t controversial enough, he also believes that they can be integrated into society.

Not only does this concept set off Planet of the Apes alarm bells, it just doesn’t seem even vaguely acceptable in terms of ethics.

The idea of walking to the store to buy some groceries, and being served by an “intelligent” Neanderthal, handing out samples and drawing

attention to sale items, isn’t really something that would be accepted. The main problem would inevitably be rejection, considering society, in general, doesn’t exactly have the best track record of being inclusive. Perhaps it could be understandable that the lab child might teach us something about the past, maybe, but the clone wouldn’t be in its original habitat, or amongst its kind, so who’s to say we would even learn anything from this experiment? And that isn’t even bringing up the concept of mating. If Dr. Church is planning on re-creating a Neanderthal, then surely he needs to think about the consequences. In terms of procreation, which was obviously a priority 33,000 years ago, what will the outcome of that be? No one is going to respond to a Neanderthal’s shoutout on Match.com, so think fast, Dr. Church. You have some questions to answer.

WILL ANSWER SO MANY QUESTIONS Thomas Finn Hearn × Writer Messing around with DNA has been an interesting topic of discussion in the scientific community from the simultaneous success and failure of Dolly the sheep, to the fictional world of Jurassic Park. Cloning is known for its amazing possibility yet it is also known for its extreme restrictions. Science has a history of challenging our beliefs, not simply from a religious standpoint but also what we consider morally acceptable. There are a number of examples: The acceptance of anatomy and dissecting of human corpses was forbidden in past centuries due to the perceived inhumanity of desecrating a human corpse – but look at what we have learned from finally opening up the

×× STEFAN TOSHEFF

human body. The research into the “insane” and the understanding of what mental illnesses were, was considered strange and unnecessary and yet look at what this “strange” research has done. We have such a greater understanding of the function and dysfunction of the human brain, all due to once-controversial science experiments.

In the case of Dr. Church’s desire to impregnate an “adventurous woman” with a Neanderthal baby, the scientific discovery and theories that could arise from the experiment would potentially outweigh whatever disadvantages may arise. After all, Neanderthals have been dead for thousands of years, so it’s not as if any living beings would be harmed. Dr. Church is looking for the right candidate for a mother, who would be informed of all the dangers and risks posed by the fertilization. She would be entitled and able to make whatever moral decision she chose for her body. Yet, this experiment would allow us to push the boundaries and study the differences between humans now and humans 25,000 years ago. This is a giant opportunity to see one of our ancestors in the flesh.

Where humanity evolved from is a question that has plagued paleontologists and paleoanthropologists for many years. It’s obvious we share a history with Neanderthals. Studying a live specimen could help answer so many questions and help us trace our roots back with more accuracy. While some may question how this would benefit our society at all, there is room in this world for exploration.

We don't know what could happen, but it is at least worth trying. All discovery starts with a step into the unknown – and isn’t the basic purpose of science, to help us understand what was once a giant mystery?

It's a Tight Fight

LEGGING FASHION TREND IS A LAZY STYLE Katherine Gillard

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The fashion trend of wearing tights, leggings and yoga pants in public has made headlines as many schools across eastern Canada and the USA have banned girls from wearing them to school. The most recent school to join the battle is St. Boniface Diocesan high school in Winnipeg.

One school in Minnesota has encouraged girls to stop wearing this type of legwear because they are too form fitting and have been leaving very little to the imagination. David Adney, the principal of Minnetonka School in Minnetonka, told Yahoo in an interview that, “We want them to strive for modesty, we can’t define modesty for every family but we can ask them to make good decisions that reflect well on their families.”

Leggings and tights were by no means created to take the place of pants. In fact, when worn with a dress the look can be very modest and tame.

However, to show off the entire curvature of one’s body gives off an entirely different message.

Adney also stated that girls had been coming to school in yoga pants and leggings for years but had paired them with tunics, long shirts or dresses.

However, the style has recently changed to be more revealing. Wearing Lycra spandex pants with a crop top reveals much more than what most tunics used to cover. This brings up a certain degree of self-respect. There’s a way to dress that is comfortable and looks good without hanging out of your clothes or having your clothes suck you in.

This style simply puts the body on display which isn’t at all appropriate for school. School isn’t the kind of place where one should be showing off their butt – you’re heading out to learn, not to a nightclub. Sure, there was a time that women were restricted to only wearing skirts or dresses to school, and we’ve broken out of that – so young women should be able to wear whatever they want. But for a young girl to be wearing leggings to school that show the shape of her butt and her style of underwear is degrading in the way it reveals her body. School is a place of respect and education, not for wearing sexy non-pants and showing off your curves. As Adney said, “Cover your butts up – I’m just going to say it straight up, we’re seeing too much.”

This idea also applies to older women too.

Leggings are certainly casual wear and for most situations aren’t really something to be worn out for university or work. School deserves a little

more respect than wearing yoga pants or leggings in the place of pants. Running a few errands or doing yoga in yoga pants is appropriate but school is a place to dress with esteem. If one is looking to go into a professional career they should be leaning more towards an appropriate fashion trend than workout apparel. For most, leggings are being worn with just a simple shirt, when the shirt should really be covering a lot more of your body.

The trend is lazy and doesn’t look professional – it’s that simple.

Style impacts what we think of people. If someone is working at a restaurant wearing leggings, we perceive them to be a lazy dresser. If someone is wearing leggings, yoga pants or tights anywhere other than the gym, we perceive them to be trying to flaunt their body. Leggings and tights were created to go under your dress or tunic, and yoga pants are for yoga. To wear them for their purpose makes sense, but to wear them casually gives off the wrong impression.

Even fashion website Styleblazer.com speaks out about the trend in their list of “8 Fashion Trends That Never Faded Although They Are Total Fails”.

The site calls ladies out on the trend saying, “For the most part, we’ve seen a decrease in the ladies who rock the second-skin latex leggings. But some

of you (and you know who you are) still won’t let your bottom half [breathe].” This trend is so tired that even fashion sites don’t even think they look nice, and the fact they call them a “fail” states it pretty clearly.

Considering everything, leggings, tights and yoga pants were created to workout in or wear with dresses. The style has warped into being worn as something sexy and inappropriate. Girls wearing these in place of pants should reconsider their sloppy style and dress with a bit more self-respect and respect for their schools. After all, being judged for wearing tight leggings that show way too much of your body isn’t the ideal way to get attention, and your bottom half may want to breathe.

13-02-22 9:29 PM

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CABOOSE EDITOR ×

SCOTT MORAES

× CABOOSE.CAPCOURIER@GMAIL.COM

FRIENDS AND FOES Scott Moraes × Humour and Fiction Editor Adolescence’s shining feature must have been that rush of pubescent pride. It came to me quickly in the wake of massive embarrassment.

Shark Breath was the devil in plain sight.

He had an atrocious bush baby face and pointy stinking teeth. I've never been one to generally judge a book by its cover, but occasionally I do feel the urge to tear the cover off. My daily acts of defamation against him urged him to retaliate with an admirable campaign, which culminated in my being photographed in the locker room. Which brings me to the issue of pride: I had to make a case that fucking with me was a messy affair.

So I started a war. He became my personal project, my rite of passage into the grip of evil.

We were both lightweight wimps, and fistfights were instinctively unappealing to both of us. We were eager strategists, little Napoleons thirsty for conflict. He was a much more capable opponent than I first esteemed. All the childish practical jokes were soon exhausted. Theft, prank calling, sabotage... We then moved on to coldly calculated psychological warfare.

He took to calling me “son of a bitch and a butcher.” He said it with an Italian accent and it struck all the chords with all the kids – he was a hero. Although at first offended, I soon realized that indeed I was just that. Dad was a fat Italian butcher, and mom slept around like there was no tomorrow. Didn't care to hide it either – did it at home, with no vocal discretion at all. Neighbours talked, gossip spread like wildfire. She might have

even been running a business. Dad didn't mind, he had long fallen out of love and probably got it on with the Chinatown sluts from time to time.

My only defence was a bold public announcement: “I may be the son of a bitch, but the butcher part is a 1 per cent chance.” That drew all the public support from his side into mine. We were under the spotlight. It became a public war, and a very entertaining one at that. Eventually, we became immune to each other’s offences – our war had turned us into steel, and subsequent efforts proved to be all too futile.

At last, I resorted to the cruellest deathblow I could conceive of in my depraved 14 year-old mind: I deflowered his sister – a terrible mistake. I don't think it was fun for either of us.

She yelled during all 30 seconds of it, and I felt like I was trying to dig a tunnel – nothing like the movies. I opened for her a door into the world of promiscuity (which was the reason she agreed to it in the first place), while taking nothing in return except a traumatizing conception of women’s murderous tightness. Shark Breath was barely affected – as an only child I knew nothing of the contempt teenage boys often feel for their big sisters.

After this sad episode, I was dry. Our animosity had worn itself out. We met for a serious talk but instead did the last thing we had left to do: we punched each other in the face and fought rough and dirty in the parking lot. Then we called a truce and went to a movie. At last we became best friends. We became movie geeks together and the kings of comedy – we entertained people, for money, calling each other names. This seemed immensely more appealing than going to

college, so we did not bother. Our ugly lifestyle had brewed comics – the fearless dropout kind.

I took to the stage, he took to writing. His first book just recently came out. It is not at all a bad book, but God, that bush baby face. I had to tear the cover off. I once saw a movie and took away a motto dear to my heart: Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer. Some people just never grow up.

×× SUSAN LI

“LUNCHEON” YOU MEAN LUNCH ASTEROID HITS RUSSIA NICE TRY, SPACE

BAD BOYFRIEND KATIESO.TUMBLR.COM

SOME PEOPLE STILL USE TUMBLR TUMBLR WAS A WEBSITE

RAPPERS REALLY MEAN TO EACH OTHER SODIUM? I HARDLY KNEW UM! SECRET AUSTRALIANS I NEED TO KNOW UP FRONT

46 issue N o . 17

SPORTS COVERAGE IN THE COURIER THIS IS IT

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MY LIMITED VOCABULARY NOT VERY TIGHT

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MEL GIBSON IS AUSTRALIAN DID YOU KNOW THAT

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STAR TREK ON NETFLIX GREAT, PERFECT, JUST WHAT I NEEDED

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the caboose

CABOOSE EDITOR ×

SCOTT MORAES

× CABOOSE.CAPCOURIER@GMAIL.COM

SHOTGUN REVIEWS

COFFEE LIDS Lindsay Howe

ADAM LEVINE JJ Brewis

GAME OF THRONES Giles Roy

This is a big deal for me. I've had pretty cool hair for quite a while now. Starting in January of last year, when I bleached it and tinted it pink, the coolness peaked during the summer, when I had double dip-dye fuchsia and blue tips. I was at least as cool as the girls who are famous on Tumblr for having cool hair! I would do cool things like wear it in braids and the colours looked so rad. Even this autumn, when I dyed it orange and I knew it wasn't as cool as it was in the summer, it was still pretty cool. And when I got an undercut a month ago it definitely boosted my hair coolness. However, this morning I cut all of my hair off basically and it looks like I frosted my tips like I'm in a boy band from 1998. Which could be cool, but it kind of isn't.

Also if anyone wants to even it out in the back and will do it for free, that would be rad, because I did it in the mirror and it's kinda wacky.

You know, there are many different coffee lids that are available for purchase to companies.

And yet, Tim Hortons feels it’s necessary to still purchase lids without holes in them. Instead, they must be thinking, “Why not use lids without holes, and people can try and rip open the lid, and will probably spill half the coffee all over them, forcing them to buy more?” Yes, this must be the logic behind these ridiculously inconvenient lids, why else would they be used?

Perhaps they are cheaper to mass-produce? I wonder if there’s a detailed list of coffee lids available to companies that shows the more holes you want, the more you will pay. Is this a thing?

There’s even a cool lid out there with a switch that closes the hole, keeping your coffee safe and warm. Is Tim Hortons really this cheap? Well, they do offer some pretty great breakfast specials; perhaps they need to save money in other areas, such as coffee lids. Also a good idea: bring your own mug.

Everyone has their guilty pleasures. Except for me. No, in fact, I full-on embrace and flaunt them. What’s the point in hiding what you enjoy with your deepest desires? Adam Levine is the most loveable douchebag in entertainment today no matter how much everyone tries to pretend he sucks. Terrible cheesy pop band?

Yup. Penchant for taking off his shirt whenever and wherever possible? Indeed. Hilarious guitar tattoo? You bet. In this case, a million wrongs do make a right. The reality of everyone’s distaste with Adam Levine is that every dude secretly wishes they looked that good in a V-neck that went down to their dick, sounded that smooth while singing lyrics about sliding it in, and had the ability to sit in the same room as Christina Aguilera on The Voice without their brain melting. Sure, Maroon 5 is terrible as fuck, but so is every other band on the radio! Tell me you haven’t put on your most revealing underwear and danced in front of the mirror to “Moves Like Jagger”. There’s a little Adam Levine inside all of us. And boy oh boy, what I wouldn’t do to have a little Adam Levine inside of me.

After years of making fun of this show and its fake-nerd fanbase, I accidentally watched the first 18 episodes of it and I think I’m addicted now.

It’s a real problem and I can’t even talk to anyone about it. Except for you, sweet shotgun review.

Except for you. Now I’m always doing killer impressions of Robert Baratheon and Tywin Lannister but the people I actually care about impressing don’t get the references and I sound like a freak. Conversely, I suddenly have a bunch of stuff in common with the people I hate, but I can’t do these impressions around said normies because normal people don’t do stuff like that!

I’m going insane here. I actually dreamt about it the other night. Honest to goodness, a Game of Thrones dream. What am I supposed to do, keep it to myself? The whole thing pisses me right off.

You think you’re cooler than me? You can’t act cooler than me, I invented that. Also, being a nerd. I invented that too.

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I NO LONGER HAVE COOL HAIR Celina Kurz

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