The Confluence Issue 3

Confluence

The

...and action!:

Stance Vs Posture

-Page 2

Poetry: Graham

Pearce and Garett Svensen deliver the verse -Page 10

Feeling Chilly?:

TRAC fills you in about your tenant rights with heating -Page 3

Cinema CNC: The film festival begins March 9th -Page 6

Feb-March2012

Post North 4

Ryan White, Contributor Poets are seldom described as exciting by the general public; however, Post North4: For Love included Northern British Columbia poets who deserve such a title. Whether it was Jana Tausendfreude giving me goosebumps after examining the horrors of detox for both the user and the witnesses in poetic form or Dave Ogilivie trading in his hard hat and tools for pen and paper. The diversity was immense. The Twisted Cork was chosen to house these rebellious poets and their rowdy audience; a perfect venue to read poetry because of its beautiful décor, soft palate colour schemes, and pitchers of Canterbury costing $11.95. Post North4: For Love was held on February 10th 2012 to correspond with the poets views on love around Valentine’s Day. As tagline may have already implied, a vast majority of the readings examined love as an event leading to imprisonment, torture, and/ or death. However, despite the lost hope of love, the air during the readings was absolutely electric. Graham Pearce began the event with some poetry, humour, and honesty, while creating the energetic tone that lasted throughout the readings. Some poets added a touch of humour to an overall impressive reading. For example, Darcie Smith created a humorous, but powerful list including both orgasms and the thought of Obama with a moustache, while Melodie St. Jean wrote about her love for a big red cherry bong. Other poets, such as Azedeh Gagnon and Shane Darroch captivated the audience’s attention with strong material and powerful undertones examining the fragility of the human condition and the downfall of love. Kael Walske was also of 1 The Confluence

High Fashion at the Main Event, the wrap-up to Black History Month Andrea Johnson, Photograph

Environment Canada 5-Day Weather Forecast: For Prince George, BC. 1-5 Mar 2012 Thursday, Mar 1. High of -3°C, Low of -10°C. Mix of sun and cloud Friday, Mar 2. High of 2°C, Low of -9°C. Chance of flurries. 60% POP Saturday, Mar 3. High of 3°C, Low of -3°C. Rain or snow.

Sunday, Mar 4. High of 4°C, Low of -2°C. Cloudy. 60% POP Monday, Mar 5. High of -1°C, Low of -9°C. Cloudy. 60% POP interest, as I rarely hear sound poetry done so confidently while still being interesting and deep. The charming Andrew Kenway also had a fantastic reading following a mulligan to take control of the surly crowd.

Immense amounts of applause, confident poets, a full venue, and the occasional wolf call from yours truly added to the energetic atmosphere that made Post North4: For Love such a huge success. There was not a time, except for the occasional bathroom break, that I was not shoulder to shoulder with fellow poetry lovers. The place was packed: I would say we were less like sardines in a tin and more like a group of the faithful, listeners waiting for the good word of poetry.

It is important to note that Post North did not always run so smoothly. The previous Post North events were criticized by the “great literary minds” of Prince George as offensive, tasteless, and demeaning.

It was enough complaining and criticism about the event and its coordinators to create enough local buzz to make this an annual event.

The event was a huge success and I didn’t have to get my Toronto Mapleleafs jersey covered in blood, poetry groupies, and beer. If you ever have the chance, go to Post North.

You can expect to laugh, get goosebumps, and meet an exciting poetry community that leaves shame at the front door.

Stance vs Posture Straw Needle, Contributor At what point did it become standard operating procedure in our society to blame somebody else every time things don’t go smoothly?

Seriously. This tendency is both pervasive and inherently detrimental to progress. Life is hard? Blame the government. Failed a test? Blame the teacher. Hooked on smack?

Blame your parents. Killed some folks? Blame the entertainment industry. Popped a vein standing up because you weigh more than a small car? Blame Ronald McDonald.

I don’t mean to come off like an asshole, and I know that some people are victims of circumstances beyond their control. But in a world where emotions have become symptomatic of miscellaneous disorders, each and every one treatable with some wonder drug derived from the profits of the previous magic pill, maybe the best prescription is a dose of personal responsibility.

If you don’t like something, change it. No, really. Take the time you plan to spend whining and complaining and actually do something constructive to address the problem.

Take ownership of your life, both the opportunities and the restrictions.

Stop making excuses, and start making a difference.

Case in point: The “Occupy Movement”. I fully support the act of protest, and I would never begrudge anyone the right to have their voice heard. But reading a bunch of questionable facts on the internet and then making a sign to wave around in front of some government building is a poor substitute for substantive

action. If you are genuinely dissatisfied with society, realize that you are a part of that society, and are as such obligated to help steer its course.

Showing up for a couple of days and squatting, playing protest songs that you wrote in your parent’s basement on an acoustic guitar made in Bangladesh while sipping Coke Zero and enthralling those around you with your encyclopaedic knowledge of the transgressions of the Fascist Pigs doesn’t count.

Love it or hate it, the system exists, and it’s not likely to fall before the fury of you and your unwashed armpits. Now is the time to make a real difference. Now is the time to become “The Machine”.

Real and lasting change can only be affected from within.

our general lives. These days, we are led to believe that the appropriate response to hardship is to find someone else to blame, rather than being accountable for our actions and taking the steps required to change things. This is the difference between a stance and a posture.

While the former is difficult to take, mentally, spiritually, and even physically, it is not as easily discarded as the prior. You may find that, once taken, a stance will go a long way toward solidifying the pretzeled mess you call a spine; once you stop shifting from one paradigm of the week to the next, you can start the task of discovering how you truly wish to define yourself.

So stop whining and DO SOMETHING. Just saying...

If you don’t like something, change it. No, really. Take the time you plan to spend whining and complaining and actually do something constructive to address the problem.

Now, I could go off for the next 20 minutes ranting about the necessity of a deep and thorough re-evaluation of the priorities of our society, and give some long-winded dissertation on the merits of real, active resistance in some pseudo-revolutionary expulsion of nuttiness that nobody wants to read. But that isn’t the point I’m trying to make.

This so called “Movement” is just an example, a symptom rather than the disease. The same problem plagues our courts, our schools, and

Garett Svensen, Production Editor

Andy Johnson, Editor In Chief

Contact and Submission Info: The Confluence is looking for submissions of any type from students, alumni and staff.

The next deadline is: March 11th 2012 Send letters, opinions, questions, content and concerns to: confluence.editor@gmail.com Send classified ads to: confluence.classifieds@gmail.com

The Confluence 2

These Boots Were Can my Landlord Turn Off my Heat?

Made for Walking Andrew Sakamoto, Executive Director, TRAC Tenant Resource & Advisory Centre on the 8th Andy Johnson, Editor In Chief On March 8th 2012, the CNC Criminology Club in association with the CNCSU will be hosting an anti-violence walk starting in the atrium at 3pm. The walk will follow the same route as this year’s zombie walk. After the walk, Tom Wainwright (From the Northern John Howard Society), Si Transken (Associate Professor of Social Work at UNBC), and three additional speakers from the Phoenix Society will be giving a few presentations speaking out against violence. Once the presentations wrap up, the film “Tough Guise-Media, Violence and Masculinity” will be shown in the Student Lounge in the new Tech Centre.

Anti-Violence Walk March 8th 2012 3 pm, CNC Atrium

http://cncsu.cfs-services.ca/en/student-saver

3 The Confluence

TRAC is a non-profit organization that provides free legal information on tenant-landlord law.

If you are a student renting your home off campus and not as part of a “homestay” living arrangement, then you are most likely covered under the Residential Tenancy Act (RTA).

Each year we answer close to 8,000 phone calls on a variety of tenancy topics. Landlords restricting heat is one such topic, and especially common around this time of year.

Under BC’s Residential Tenancy Act, it is against the law for a landlord to turn off or restrict a service or facility that is essential to the tenant’s use of their rental unit. This includes heat, hot water, electricity and any other vital service or facility related to your tenancy.

If your landlord is not following the law, write a letter asking that they correct the situation within a reasonable period of time. Date it, sign it, and keep a copy for yourself. For your convenience, TRAC has created a template demand letter for this very purpose www.tenants. bc.ca/main/?factsheets. You can also call the Residential Tenancy Branch (RTB) and ask that an Information Officer intervene by calling the landlord and explaining to them their legal responsibilities. Always keep a record of the name of the Information Officer with whom you spoke and the date of your call. The RTB can be reached at 604-660-1020 or 1-800-665-8779.

If your landlord is still refusing to turn on your heat after receiving your written warning, you can take legal action through the RTB by applying for a dispute resolution

hearing. This process is different than going to court and you do not need a lawyer. There is a $50 filing fee, but this can be recovered if you win your case (and indicated on the application form that you wish to recover the fee from your landlord).

Or, the fee can be altogether waived if you cannot reasonably afford to pay it. Forms to apply for dispute resolution can be found on the RTB website www.rto.gov.bc.ca.

On your application form, you can ask for an order that the landlord turn on your heat and compensate you for the time you were without heat. When deciding how much money to ask for, be as reasonable as possible. In support of your application, you can submit evidence such as the above mentioned demand letter and other correspondence, witness statements, photographs, receipts, etc. For any dispute resolution hearing, it is crucial that you have evidence to back up your side of the story.

This is one of the many issues we deal with on a daily basis.

What do you do if you get bed bugs or mold? Do you have to repair appliances when they break? How do you get your security deposit back if your landlord is ignoring you? For answers to these and other frequently asked questions, visit TRAC’s website at www.tenants.bc.ca.

Horoscopes

Fun & Games

Aries: You may not be operating at top speed as the week begins, but then again, sometimes slow, yet rock-steady progress wins the race. While flattery won’t go over well now, a timely, sincere compliment will be much appreciated.

Taurus: You’re a force to reckon with — even more so than usual — at the beginning of the week. A challenge at work doesn’t stand a chance, and if you have a romantic idea, make it into sweet, hot reality.

your life. How can you show your priorities with actions, not just words?

On Sunday, you’ll treasure whatever or whoever opens your mind.

Cancer: If you have a work presentation or social occasion at the beginning of the week, they’ll love you. If you don’t, set something up and take advantage of this stellar energy! Expect some intensity— endings, beginnings, and all sorts of emotions — from Friday through the weekend. Listen to your heart now; it won’t lead you wrong.

Leo: You may be ready to roar as the week begins, but the stars say a quieter approach is in order. Things are in flux now, so before you sound off, recognize that your feelings may soon shift, too.

Gemini: As the week begins, engage your logical side and find a sensible way to deal with a potentially emotional situation. Work relationships, friendships Virgo: You’re achievement-oriented and romantic connections are allCNC in theConfluence stars. From Friday through the weekend, as the week begins, and you have your values in mind, too. Choose your path the universe may ask you to consider Samurai - Puzzle 4 of 5 - Hard

Sudoku 9 8 3 7 4 3

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9

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2 7 9

5 1 2

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and feel truly fulfilled — you can’t lose.

Around Wednesday and Thursday, what see Libra: If you’re stuck in the middle of a sticky situation as the week begins, use that trademark diplomacy of yours.

Bringing people together, luckily, is one of your fortes.

Scorpio: If you’re fixated on material things or pinning your hopes on a particular person, some rethinking is in order as the week begins. It’s important to have your values, including independence and forethought.

Sagittarius: Thinking of the big picture while tending to the little things can be exhausting at the beginning of the week, so get plenty of rest.

Capricorn: Let that twinkle in your eye shine as the week begins! Others may be stumbling around half-awake, but you’re off to a stellar start, enjoying yourself and getting a ton done.

Aquarius: Bored much? As the week begins, it’s up to you to cultivate a new interest, meet a new person or even just pick up a new book. Bonus: You’ll discover something about yourself, too.

Pisces: If you have a special someone, let them know exactly how special they to you are as the week begins. If you’re solo, shop the online personals and don’t hesitate to make the first move!

9 4 5

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2

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www.sudoku-puzzles.net

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4 5 3

5 4

Oh my god, how did this get here?

I am not good with computer.

The Confluence 4

CNC FITNESS 2012

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FREE Fitness Classes Weight Training / Circuit Training Mondays, 4 pm to 5 pm in the weight room Come and increase your knowledge of weight training and circuit training while decreasing your circumference. Instructor: Ann Holmes Yoga Wednesdays, 4 pm to 5 pm in Room 1-501A (Bouldering room) Stretch, hold, relax, repeat! Yoga mats are supplied. Instructor: Ann Holmes

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Butts & Guts Tuesdays & Thursdays, 12 noon to 1 pm in the gym Come and work your core — front and back!

FREE Fitness Facilities Weight Room Open Monday to Friday, 8 am to 6 pm. See Jana (1-508) to sign a waiver and get a key card (Refundable $10 cash deposit required).

Squash Court Open Monday to Friday, 8 am to 6 pm. See Jana (1-508) to sign a waiver and make a booking. Equipment is available.

Bouldering Wall Open Monday to Friday, 8 am to 6 pm. See Jana (1-508) to sign a waiver and make a booking. Great core workout — fun, quiet and effective.

Gymnasium Come and shoot hoops, play volleyball, badminton, table tennis, fooseball or a variety of other sports. Open gym time is available every day.

Check www.cnc.bc.ca/exploring/services/recreation for available times.

For more information or to book CNC fitness facilities, please contact Jana: Rec Office Room 1-508 (by the gym) / 250.561.5803 / petersj8@cnc.bc.ca

Job Fair March 6, 2012 CNC Atrium 5 The Confluence

CNC 2012 Convocation CNC 2012 2012 CNC

Convocation Convocation 2:00 pm CN Centre Saturday, May 12, 2012

Saturday, May Saturday, May12, 12,2012 2012

2:00 Congratulations 2:00 pm pm CN CNCentre Centre— you’ve done it! — Congratulations Congratulations — Now, celebrate your you’ve done it! you’ve done it! achievements with family

Now, celebrate your

Now, celebrate your and friends! achievements with family achievements with family and friends!

Apply to attend CNC’s 2012 and friends!

Convocation byCNC’s filling 2012 in the Apply to attend Apply to attend CNC’s online form atby filling Convocation in 2012 the Convocation online form atby filling in the cnc.bc.ca/Attending/Convocation online form at cnc.bc.ca/Attending/Convocation cnc.bc.ca/Attending/Convocation

Deadline for applications is Deadline for applications is

Friday, March 16, 2012.

Deadline for applications Friday, March 16, 2012. is For more information, For more information, Friday, March 16, 2012. contact Lonnie orLynn Lynninin contact Lonnie or For more information, CNC CNC Communication Communication contact Lonnie or Lynn in Services, Room2-354 2-354 Services, Room CNC Communication Services, Room 2-354

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CNCSU Referendum Results

CNCSU Electorial Commitee Contributor Voting for the 2012 Recreation Referendum took place over three days (Monday February 27-Wednesday February 29), and the counting took place on Wednesday February 29th. At the end of the ballot counting the results were as above.

The Electoral Committee, based on the voting results, declares

that the $2.50 per semester fee passes for implementation as of 2012Fall.

The CNCSU Executive committee will now be working with the College of New Caledonia to develop an agreement for guaranteed student access to: CNC’s gym, weight room, squash courts, exercise classes, basketball, floor hockey, volleyball and other sports.

The Electoral Committee would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone that helped with conducting this Referendum, as well as those members who came out to vote.

Out of the 244 ballots that were cast for theFebruary 2012 Rec-

reation Referendum, the following outcome was reached: YES- 188 (77%) NO - 55 (22.5%) Spoiled Ballot - 1

The Electoral Committee Members Present were: Teleah Old (CNCSU Chief Electoral Officer), Robert Chavarie (CNCSU Executive Director), Leila Abubaker (CNCSU Chairperson), Hamsah Hussain (CNCSU Womens Students’ Representative), Jana Peters (CNC Employee/Scrutineer), Clint Everall (CNC Student Scrutineer), and Catherine Munisi (CNC Student Scrutineer).

Upcoming Events

-10 am

-3 pm

Campus Karaoke Night Elections

Elections /Elections Campus Sustainability Showcase The Confluence 6

Arts & Entertainment

Art for Art’s Sake Paul Strickland Contributor Work, like fire, is a useful servant, but a fearful master.

During the past thirty-five years, work has moved from being a third of our daily existence to taking up practically all of our time outside of sleep – and there aren’t many hours allowed for that any more. In the 1960s some economists and sociologists talked about a near future in which people would be able to support themselves working twenty hours per week. Now too many people work seventy to eighty hours per week, and sometimes both spouses or partners in a household do this. There are students who hold down two or three demanding jobs to try to make ends meet while they complete course work towards diplomas and degrees. Their grades and health suffer.

On the street, people ask each other tauntingly, “Working hard, or hardly working?” If a person mentions working a seventy-hour week or having put in an all-nighter, the response is often: “Well, keeps you out of trouble, doesn’t it?” In the recent documentary film Manufactured Landscapes, about excessive industrial work hours and landscape degradation in China and Bangladesh, employees are shown putting in long hours on assembly lines in factories big enough to cover several city blocks, and other workers are shown scrambling up and down heaps of discarded computer parts, looking for anything that might possibly be reusable. In one scene, one of these workers walking down a lane sees 7 The Confluence

another using a break to wash her dog. “How do you get the free time to wash your dog when I don’t?” the worker challenges her.

Walter Pater, the British classicist of the latter half of the nineteenth century, emphasized the doctrine of Art for Art’s Sake and, citing the pre-Socratic philosopher Heraclitus, the importance of living life to the fullest and “burning with a hard, gem-like flame”. The aesthetes of the 1880s and 1890s, while sometimes a little too preoccupied with

On the street, people ask each other tauntingly, “Working hard, or hardly working?” If a person mentions working a seventy-hour week or having put in an allnighter, the response is often: “Well, keeps you out of trouble, doesn’t it?” the precious, followed up on Pater’s philosophy and provided a point of resistance to the workaholism of industrial Victorian England. “We live in the age of the overworked and the under-educated: the age in which people are so industrious that they become absolutely stupid,” said Oscar Wilde, the most notable proponent of aestheticism, in his early 1890s essay collection, Intentions.

Wilde’s comment was an appropriate retort to the still very prevalent Calvinist and Puritan work ethic in the United Kingdom at the time. However, it might strike some as snobbish, since so many people working 10- or 12-hour days in British factories had no choice about

their work schedule if they wanted to support their families. Today’s young people trying to finish a course of study without graduating under a crushing student loan debt, also have little choice. The American classics professors, Victor Davis Hanson and John Heath, in their book Who Killed Homer?, draw attention to the excessive off-campus work students must take on to stay financially afloat through university, with the result that their studies suffer. Young minimum-wage workers working two shifts just to pay rent and buy groceries, also have little choice about their schedules.

Oscar Wilde’s supposed indifference to hard work was something of an act, says his grandson, Merlin Holland, in his preface to the 1994 HarperCollins edition of The Complete Works of Oscar Wilde.

“Even while he was still at Oxford, Wilde was at pains to cultivate this image of creative idleness,” he says.

However, friends at Oxford University noted he read surreptitiously late into the night, and added he could not have won the high academic honours he achieved there without many hours of assiduous study. Wilde was also concerned about the poor and those who had no choice about having to tolerate overwork if they wanted to survive. One of his most important essays was “The Soul of Man under Socialism”, in which he said the poor should not be thrown crumbs by society but should be at the table enjoying the main feast with everyone else.

The people Wilde criticized for being so industrious as to become positively stupid were those Puritanical souls who made busy-ness into a cult that they sought to impose

on everyone else. These were the people who helped make life in the nineteenth-century UK into a hell of work and worry. Today similar people, constantly citing the necessity for increased “competitiveness” under the pressures of globalization, are turning our society into a corporatist work state.

Wilde said it was important to take time aside for oneself to do what one really enjoys doing – as important as paid work. This is not selfishness, he said. “Selfishness is not living as one really wants to live,” Wilde said. “It is asking others to live as one wants to live.”

Wilde was an accomplished scholar of the Greek and Latin classics. The philosophy of Aristotle informed much of his work and literary art. Wilde would have been aware of Aristotle’s emphasis on leisure as a human necessity and as a basis for profound, searching knowledge. In his Ethics, Aristotle said, “It is commonly believed that, to have happiness, one must have leisure; we occupy ourselves in order that we may have leisure, just as we make war for the sake of peace.”

Our society could use a little more of Aristotle’s and Wilde’s perspective.

Learning, Thumbs up Grades, OMG Burton Alexis, Contributor Grades, of course, are important. They are designed to determine the level of students academic progress. But there is something I have noticed (I am sure I am not the first one), students seem to focus too much on the grade they expect to receive. It seems like they worry too much, and it gets the best of them.

I think students would be better off focusing on the material, rather than the grade that material will earn them. If you are thorough with your work, then you will get a promising grade.

First let’s look at some possible factors that might be involved in making students worry so much about just the final grade. The first and probably the most obvious one is standards. I’m sure some students may set personal standards for themselves to ensure they get the grade they want, but this will only work if you set realistic standards. This is not to say that students shouldn’t be confident, but being realistic keeps you level.

Despite what you may set out to do for yourself, it becomes more probable that when you focus on the material at hand, the work load seems to be much easier.

How about accountability?

Do students worry about their grades so much because they want those A’s and B’s to ensure other educational facilities, or businesses recognize them as capable individuals? That sounds reasonable, but once again if you focus more on the outcome rather than what you have to do to achieve that outcome, then you will struggle in your course load.

Another factor could be, expectations. Perhaps some students are pressured by parents or peers, so the student who has someone else setting the standards for them most of the time will feel that thier backed into a corner.

Other possibilities are external. Perhaps the student picked the wrong time to get back into school, maybe they are dealing with addictions that are affecting their performance, or could simply be that the student needs assistance, but does not have the resources to seek out the help they need to be successful.

For whatever reason, I believe students would get further if they just focused on the material they are here to learn, rather than the grade they are hoping for. Because when you focus on the material, do what your instructors tell you to do, the grade you are hoping for will follow.

Learning is important, always remain positive. When setting, or following standards always make sure you remain realistic. I believe that education is about gaining knowledge from the content you are learning, skills from what you have learned, and the proper attitude to uphold and pursue further education.

The Confluence 8

Review: We Will All Be Trees Josh Massey, Conundrum Press, 2009 Andy Johnson Editor in Chief What do you get when a group of tree planters get involved with an national conspiracy plot involving the cloning of saplings? We Will All Be Trees by Josh Massey.

This is a frustrating read, however if you are willing to check the thesaurus every few pages, then this may be the book for you.

Usually I am willing and able to get through a tough slog of a novel, but this book I had to put down after twenty-three pages. This may seem unfair at first-- that is, unless you were to pick up the novel and attempt it for yourself.

The book at a glance seems like a pretty intriguing read since the basic plot revolves around a group of tree planters stationed in Northern Ontario who get caught up in an espionage mission to “upend the malevolent plans of Northern Cloners and reset balance between planter and tree.”

We Will All Be Trees is apparently centred around a character named Grant, although by page twenty-three Massey is still introducing what seems to be “main” characters. The cast of characters that I managed to get through included Grant (who starts the book off in two parts, narrative and a journal entry), “Anarchy minus the An” (possibly the most interesting character in the novel), Rico and Big Boy Shnogg (two white gangsta types who will remind any reader of Mudflap and Skid from Transformers 2) and Murielle (a Montreal girl who wants to practice English).

9 The Confluence

Throughout the twenty-three pages I managed to get through, Massey jumps from character to character(s) setting up backstory, yet is seemingly unsure of where they are in relation to the rest of the story.

This comes from Massey introducing Grant immediately en route to the planter camp, while the other characters seem to either be concerned with how much money they will make during the season, waiting for a ride, or are simply in a bad relationship without much else going on in terms of plot, or theme development.

Massey, however, does do an excellent job at setting a scene. Most of the time the dialogue matches the characters he is describing, and doesn’t over complicate his settings with intricate details. For instance, in Grant’s journal entry (which I wish would have been consistent from chapter to chapter) he describes a bus ride on a dusty road which makes the reader feel like they are on a bus ride with an old friend.

However, this falls apart when Massey introduces Murielle.

She is described as primarily speaking French, yet a majority of her dialogue is written in English, and even though Massey does make some effort in placing some French phrases and dialogue into Murielle’s

story, she does not come off as believable. This technique would have been better implemented as a bilingual character who slips from French to English in her dialogue, which is how most people from Montreal actually speak.

The biggest draw back to We Will All Be Trees is Massey’s constant tone of speaking above the reader’s head with the use of extended syntax and pedantic language. This could be considered a red flag to the casual reader as it alienates them from the point of the book.

Overall, We Will All Be Trees is a passable book due to the off pacing, academic jargon, and lack of consistent narrative structure. This is a shame because I really wanted to find this book entertaining, funny and fulfilling, instead it was lackluster and disappointing.

The Prodigals

Garett Svensen, Production Editor What is the voice of my generation?

What assortment of painters and wordsmiths Will spend world war III on neutral ground?

It will happen, as did the last.

The voracious old vampires have Drank their last reserves And so set amongst themselves.

Active Placebo Graham Pearce, Contributor I.

The wicked side/ sobriquet, its side effects: infinities shed

guilt over dogma and chisels – then ooh za, pink fluorescents in sapiosexual seduction the girls ordered drinks intuited vitamins

We’re the bastard children of Cronus Searching for the son The stone replaced Before the boulder crushes the last Of our bones and sinews, Flesh reduced from the corrosion.

the blue-blood waits for oxygen as a beer is handed/ over salad-sugar/a ground-drug tincture nixes the electrical buzz of neurons shufflin’

A generation stuck In a perpetual state:

saw soap bubbles hold reflections of a japanese zero – in the fuselage was a face

A late bloom of Arrested development, Suspended animation, While the old prodigals Squander the last of their 30 pieces, fee received For dark deeds done: Like old jack’s whores Gaia is dead in a ditch With her tits cut off.

The dying don’t give a fuck For the impetus to live.

They burn the last of the oil, The light goes out tomorrow.

Children as a vanity project A half-remembered mirror.

What crone stares in the Mirror as they get old?

The mirror breaks, Shattered by a varicose hand If immortality can’t be given By our strange science and obscene cures.

The butterfly, fleeting is Captured in a scalpel net, Wings chopped, hundreds of legs installed And mandibles forced into a coiled proboscis.

Zeus is living his heroic life, God to another lost generation.

Dulled to insensitivity by daytime TV And unemployment cheques.

He doesn’t remember his mother.

He doesn’t know his siblings, But watches Aphrodite stream Live, over a webcam in Prague.

during a 4-post stretch the brain chord ripped your face, the other one, drifted

you thought the reincarnate was you, you pseudo-guru I monger a version of your mental sorority: saddle eaves troughs, build levees, poet, in the path of physical erasure and the machines you’d converted to print money your penis retired on pension lonely in the library too much time was spent under the hood obsessing over lost parts your friends, impressed detached one of theirs and hit you with it at the gates of exile, you were hospitalized in mc-molecules carried from floor to floor on the back of a repurposed donkey truncated, wet, genderless and weird short a lung your chest cavity gained the capacity of a lake a past-perfect body print pressed into the hay field, turned into the hum of a tractor and somewhere around here, the burr probes the prop and the tip of your propeller minds its way deeper into the fanny pack on your brain

The Confluence 10

march

film festival

16th Annual Cinema CNC Film Festival like us on Facebook 9-11, Prince George Playhouse, March 9th-11th 2012 see the trailers on 2012 Passes: Books & Co. CNC Fest Pass: $48, Friday: $14, thepulse.ca Saturday: Bookstore, UNBC Bookstore

follow us on twitter: @cinemaCNC

for the love of movies!$21, Sunday: $21, Single Tickets: $8

March 9: 7 pm: CLOUDBURST Dir: Thom Fitzgerald 93 mins 2011 Cast: Olympia Dukakis, Brenda Fricker, Ryan Doucette

In this adaptation of an award-winning play, Stella and Dot are a lesbian couple in Maine, whose more-than-30-year relationship has brought them to a nursing home after Dottyʼs daughter institutionalizes her. The pair decides to make an escape to the open road, heading towards Nova Scotia where they hope to make honest women of each other. But their straight-line journey begins to curve as Dottyʼs blindness and a young hitchhiker named Prentice complicate the trip. With Prentice just trying to get to his motherʼs house and Stella and Dot trying to stay together, family is always at the centre of this trip.

March 10: 1 pm: EDWIN BOYD Dir: Nathan Morlando 98 mins 2011 Cast: Scott Speedman, Brian Cox, Kelly Reilly

Edwin Boyd is a dashing and charismatic gentleman striving to support his family as a street car driver after returning from the war. Disillusioned by his return to normal life and desperate to fulfill his dreams, Boyd, in a fit of desperation, disguises his appearance by donning his wifeʼs makeup, grabs his World War II pistol, and successfully robs his first bank. This is a fascinating character study of an extraordinarily flawed individual, trying to find his place in the world. A story of love, forgiveness, greed, andredemption, as well as the role media plays in cultivating celebrity, Edwin Boyd is an extraordinary film not to be missed.

March 10: 9:30 pm: PINK RIBBONS, INC. Dir: Léa Pool 98 mins 2011 Documentary With: Barbara Brenner, Barbara Ehrenreich, Samantha King

Fuelled by informative and often chilling interviews, this is a ferocious and infuriating exposé, bound to incite discussions about a subject particular to our times. One of the central issues in the film is the diseaseʼs status as the poster child for what activist Barbara Brenner deems “cause marketing,” a kind of microcosmic variation on disaster capitalism, rife with hypocrisy and awash in money. From car manufacturers to fast food companies to sports leagues, corporations have wholeheartedly embraced the effort — but many of the campaigns to raise money have done more for the companies than for the cause.

March 11: 7 pm: MONSIEUR LAZHAR Philippe Falardeau 94 mins 2011 French with subtitles Cast: Fellag, Sophie Nelisse, Émilien Neron

Following the tragic and shocking death of a schoolteacher, Bachir Lazhar – a middle-aged Algerian immigrant seeking political refuge in Quebec - swiftly pursues the opportunity to fill the sudden vacancy and come to the aid of the over- worked principal and students affected by this tragedy. To these children in shock, Lazharʼs traditional teaching methods may well provide the structure they need. As more information about Lazharʼs own history is revealed, his struggles and experiences make him all the better suited to guide these children into adulthood. Nominated for an Academy Award for best foreign language film.

March 9: 9:30 pm: SURVIVING PROGRESS 93 minutes 2011 Dirs: Mathieu Roy & Harold Crooks

Intelligent and compelling, this is nothing short of a massive taking-stock. Drawing on historical examples, it guides us through a sweeping survey of the major progress traps facing our civilization in the arenas of technology, economics, consumption and the environment. Along the way, we hear powerful arguments in interviews with modern luminaries such as Jane Goodall, Margaret Atwood, David Suzuki, Stephen Hawking and Ronald Wright himself, as well as grassroots activists. From prevalent issues like untenable economic structures, deforestation and political corruption, to the more controversial domains of overpopulation and synthetic biology, Roy and Crooks do not shy away from even the thorniest of topics.

March 10: 7 pm: A DANGEROUS METHOD 93 minutes Germany/Canada 2011 Dir: David Cronenberg Cast: Viggo Mortensen, Michael Fassbender, Keira Knightley Set in Vienna on the eve of WWI, the film explores the relationship between novice psychiatrist Carl Jung and his mentor Sigmund Freud. Studying under the already well-established Freud, Jung practices his teacherʼs methods while developing his own theories based on the clinical study of disturbed patients. When a young Russian woman arrives at the clinic, both men are fascinated by her case and spellbound by her vulnerable yet dangerous sexuality. Sharp-witted dialogue and a pristine turn-of-the-century Vienna setting add a refined tone to a film that explores the anything-but-civilized depths of human desire.

March 11: 2 pm: LE VENDEUR 107 minutes 2011 French with subtitles Dir: Sébastien Pilote Cast: Gilbert Sicotte, Nathalie Cavezzali

Marcel is the top car salesman in town. Past retirement, he still shows up for work with the same enthusiasm heʼs always had. His only interests outside work are his daughter Maryse and his grandson. "Forget my retirement. I'm not dead yet," he tells Maryse. Part of Marcel's drive comes from his painful awareness of his own mortality, but it's also sparked by the state of the town: he may actually outlast it. The paper mill is being shut down and most people are leaving. But there are events even a top salesman can't control, and Marcel's life is about to change suddenly and immeasurably.

March 11: 9:30 pm: DOWN THE ROAD AGAIN 84 minutes Canada 2011 Dir: Don Shebib Cast: Doug McGrath, Kathleen Robertson, Jayne Eastwood

It is 40 years since the seminal Canadian film, Goinʼ Down the Road, set the measure by which other road films are judged. This welcome follow-up reintroduces us to Pete, just ending his career with Canada Post, receiving, simultaneously, news of Joeyʼs death, a fist -full of money, a series of letters, Joeyʼs ashes, and a quest to finish some of what the two of them started, including talking to Joeyʼs estranged wife and the daughter he left behind.

A Chev Impala with a flame paint-job, an aging drifter, and a cross-Canada trek... what more could you want in a film?