Confluence
The
This Painting is Awesome:
A feature on our cover artist: Megan McKenzie
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Short Stories:
Megan Wall, Andy Johnson and Paul Strickland write.
Is Diablo 3 Any Good?: Take a look at our impression
-Page 3 Funds Raised: Lakeland Mills fundraiser a success
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Spring 2012
Hey You! Creative Person! Be Creative!
Garett Svensen, Production Editor Check out that cover. Awesome ain’t it? This time I can’t take credit for it. The cover picture is a painting by a fine-arts student named Megan McKenzie. And it is great. Know what else is great? Your stuff. Yours. Yes, yours, as in the stuff made by the person reading the paper. But we never get a chance to see it if you keep it all to yourself. The paper is entirely studentfunded, And as such it should represent the student body here at CNC. Not to mention show off the talent inherent in CNC students. We reject nothing. Out talented, hardworking team of two Prince-Georgeclass editors will help you bring anything to the student showcase of this, the student paper. Contact us at: confluence.editor@gmail.com for submission entry and info.
Megan McKenzie: Work From Love
“Art is what you can get away with.” - Andy Warhol Megan McKenzie is turning 21 next month. She works as a Customer Service Representative for TD Canada Trust, and is on track for a career in the finance industry. Megan also has a not so secret second life, that of a visual artist. This month’s cover of The Confluence is titled ‘Our Time,’ and has been published with the permission of such a talented young artist. Megan’s interest in the visual arts was piqued when she was attending Kelly Road Secondary, and has continued what started out as a simple interest into her passion. It 1 The Confluence
Feature
Megan McKenzie
is no wonder that after high school, Megan attended the College of New Caledonia for the Fine Arts program, which she graduated from in 2010. “I’m very interested in learning everything that I can about art,” McKenzie said. Among sketching and painting, Megan has also been learning photography, and has decided to branch out from the worlds of paper and canvas to the third dimension. “Recently I have decided to learn welding, it took me a day to learn the basics, and by the end of that day I had made a small metal man.”
When Megan made her debut into the Prince George art scene, she admits she was a little nervous, but “once I had my first piece out, I was like, okay I can do this!” Megan has most recently been featured in an exhibition titled “Fruition” that ran from May 11-26, 2012. This event was hosted by Groop Galley in Prince George (groopgallery.com). “I also have two more pieces that will be going up in Exile Tattoo soon and hopefully in the near future I will be hosting my own exhibit at Art Space.” Megan has also been accepted to both Emily Carr for the Visual Arts program, and the University of Victoria for the Bachelor of Fine Arts. “I don’t know which one I will be attending just yet; both are great programs, so I will have to make a choice pretty soon.” Regardless of where Megan decides to attend, it is clear that she is determined to go as far as her dreams will take her.
“This month’s cover of The Confluence is titled ‘Our Time,’ and has been published with the permission of such a talented young artist.” So far Megan has sold one of her works. She recounted the first time someone made her an offer, “One woman offered me fifty dollars for one of my first pieces when I was still in high school. The piece was pretty personal, and I felt that if I were to sell it, I would want to ask for a bit more than fifty. It just seems that people don’t fully understand how much work actually goes into art in any form.”
“Untitled.”
News & Opinion
Some Conditions May Apply
Andy Johnson, Editor-in-Chief As most students may recall, February 1st, 2012 was a national day for students to take action against rising tuition costs. For most post-secondary institutions, the “Day of Action” was peaceful. Most students signed petitions, or hosted walks, or rallies. Currently, Montreal students have organized nightly protests, marches and picketing lines in the hopes to freeze tuition hikes. Last week, the Conservative party released the 2012 budget, which does not seem to bode well with NDP Post-Secondary Education Critic, Rathika Sitsabaiesan. “This budget fails Canadian students and makes post-secondary education less accessible,” said Sitsabaiesan. “There is no new investment or funding to the provinces for post-secondary education, nor are there any new accountability measures to ensure that existing funds are spent on education.” “In addition to ignoring skyrocketing tuition fees, all new research and education funding included in Budget 2012 is geared towards individual programs,” Rachelle Aldrich notes. Students of CNC are all too aware of education funding being allocated toward individual programs; especially those enrolled in arts-humanities University Transfer
courses. “The province has given CNC $725,337 in one-time funding to deliver skills, trades and technical training at its campuses this year” (Vanderhoof Omineca Express, bclocalnews.com).
CNC Lakeland Fundraiser
Andy Johnson Editor-In-Chief The evening of April 23, 2012 will be forever remebered as a tragic night in Prince George history. An explosion at Lakeland Mills claimed the lives of two men, Allan Little (43) and Glenn Francis Roche (46), and left dozens more injuried. On May 15, 2012 CNC hosted a Lakeland Mills fundraiser in hopes to ease the finacial strain felt by families directly affected by this disaster. Events hosted at the college included free parking at all CNC lots courtesy of Impark, a silent auction, a dunk tank, live music and a barbecue. According to the press release from the CNC Communications Department, the event raised “more than $33,000 for Lakeland Mills employees.” The dunk tank, live music and barbecue were held outside in the college’s courtyard; while the silent auction was held in the college’s atrium. In total, 1,750 attended this three hour event. Tickets for the barbecue managed to raise $11,404, and was hosted by the college’s culinary arts students; While the raffle and silent auction raised $15,152. The remain-
Environment Canada 5-Day Weather Forecast: For Prince George, BC. 5-9 June 2012 Tuesday, June 5: 13°C, 9°C, rain. Wednesday, June 6: 11°C, 9°C, rain.
ing balance came from local supporters such as The Prince George Public Library, Prince George and District Arts Council, Caribou Chrome and a donation from CNC’s culinary arts students. Local businesses including Save-On Foods and Costco showed their support by donating food products, and a free shuttle was provided by PWTransit. The proceeds collected from this event were donated to the Prince George Community Foundation (PGCF), it is this foundation that will distribute the funds raised to those affected by the Landland Mills fire. Executive Director of the PGCF, Judy Neiser said, “The Foundation has a long standing relationship with CNC. It is overwhelming to see the effort put forward by the students and faculty in support of the Lakeland Fire Assistance Fund and we are so very pleased to accept the funds for this purpose.”
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: July 3rd, 2012. Send angry invective, self-indulgent contributions, and jokes to: confluence.editor@gmail.com
Thursday, June 7: 15°C, 4°C, rain. Friday, June 8: 17°C, 6°C, cloudy, chance of showers, 40% POP. Saturday, June 9: 18°C, 6°C, sun and clouds.
Send classified ads to: confluence.classifieds@gmail.com
The Confluence 2
First Impression: Diablo 3 Garett Svensen, Production Editor I wrote this article having played from the beginning through to the end of normal difficulty with a witch doctor, so some aspects of the game may change by the time I reach the harder difficulties and with different characters. I will not be held responsible for lost loot, poor builds or auction house regret. Consider yourself warned.
I played Diablo and Diablo 2 for an unhealthy amount of time when I was younger. I still go back now and then for a quick fix of clickkill-smash-loot-level every once and a while, but Diablo 2 is starting to really show its age. It aged well, but in gaming years, it’s practically geriatric. The game was impressive when it released in 2000, but 12 years later, it needs updating. Enter Diablo 3.
awesome. And the Wizard throws around the powers of the cosmos. Seriously, the Witch Doctor can, as an early weapon ability, THROW A JAR OF SPIDERS AT PEOPLE! And then summon a rain of freaking toads before resurrecting zombie dogs that are ON FIRE! The game, in my opinion took the most enjoyable parts of the diablo series: looting and speccing, and improved on them. It was always fun in the earlier Diablo games to look ahead at what you wanted your character to become, and plan a build over several levels. What did grate on me though was the permanence of those decisions. You couldn’t go back and undo any “Unwanted gear is broken down by the smith, and then recombined, for a fee, into new gear with hopefully better bonuses.”
of your specializations originally, Blizzard patched in the ability to respect in Diablo 2 somewhat later in After about an hour of the game’s life. Often you wouldn’t frustrating connection issues as even be able to try out any of the Blizzard sorted out their servers on cool abilities your character could launch day, I was in, sitting at the learn in one play through because of character select screen. And it’s a the necessity of putting points into beautiful screen, with a clean UI and previously selected abilities to make ten eager characters just waiting to them more effective, neglecting stuff light up the battlefield. There are you hadn’t unlocked. Diablo 3 does male and female variants on each of away with the stresses of leveling a the five classes, each with a distinct character by unlocking at least one silhouette, playstyle and ability new ability or variant thereof (called range. Like its predecessors, Diablo a ‘rune’) every level that you can 3 is not a game of subtlety. The swap with any other ability at any characters are larger-than-life, cliché- time with only a short cooldown. ridden badasses that are capable The loot is similar to that of murdering dozens of zombies, in the previous games. It has the monsters, and demons within mere same blue-yellow-green-orange seconds with a huge variety of colour coding, and a similar system colourful, nicely animated effects. of random bonuses attached to The Barbarian is the tough, each item of blue quality or higher. vikingesque melee fighter from Making the move from gambling for Diablo 2. The Demon Hunter is a items to the blacksmith and auction nasty, crossbow-slinging, trap-laying house allows for a greater sense of inquisitor-type. The Monk uses focus when shelling out hard-gotten mad Kung-Fu to ruin zombies and gold for new and hopefully better dance around. The Witch Doctor is gear. The blacksmith is essentially 3 The Confluence
the gambling merchant from Diablo 2 combined with a crafting system from a MMO. Unwanted gear is broken down by the smith, and then recombined, for a fee, into new gear with hopefully better bonuses. There still is a great deal of random chance involved, but there are more guarantees than the old system where you could empty your gold stash only to find junk from the gambling merchant. I will say, though, that I haven’t found some of the stranger gear effects from Diablo 2 yet. Stuff like gear with a chance to cast Frost Nova on hit seems, so far, to be absent from my playthrough. And with the new skill system, there don’t seem to be many skill buffs, most of the class-specific gear just provides increased recharge rates for the energy pool of a given class. The less said about the story, the better. Never a focal point for games of this type, the writing in Diablo 3 is pretty bad. The CGI cutscenes have that super-impressive visual sheen characteristic of Blizzard, but the characters are flat, the dialogue long-winded and excessively expository, and the plot itself is yet another example of the typical mashup of clichés and halfhearted twists that pass for story writing in games these days. All in all, it’s a nice evolution of click-kill-smash-loot-level: It hits most of the gameplay notes that made the older Diablo games great, satisfies that class-building impulse, and feeds directly into the magpie section of my brain where I collect the shiny things. The game isn’t particularly well written, but I doubt most people will be playing this type of game and expecting a rousing commentary on the human condition.
Detail of Distance: The First 23 Minutes Andy Johnson, Editor-In-Chief
On May 15 2012 Kim Churchill released his second album, Detail of Distance. What can be said about this album? The first track, Coded in Concrete, is definitely the weakest song in the first 23 minutes of the album. It seems to lack the same energy that saddles the rest of the album. Although the lyrical content is at least consist. It seems that Churchill scafolds most of his lyical content in this song from poets such as William Blake, or John Keats, which does make the song at least interesting. Unfortunately Coded in Concrete feels repetitive and almost like a Bon Jovi clone of Blaze of Glory, rather than the folktale rock song which seems to be what Churchill was going for. The Crazy follows Coded in Concrete. The Crazy has a soundscape that is dangerously close to that of Coldplay’s. This is unfortunate since the atmosphere that the song attempts to create is overshadowed by the fact that it sounds much more like a manufactured clone to fill space, rather than an atmospheric experience. This syntethic feeling also bleeds into the lyrical content of the song, which is also unfortunate since the message of accepting one for their faults is a positive one, but has been clichè since the alternative movement of the mid-1990s. Sarah is where Detail of Distance really finds its direction. Churchill’s lyrics are much more story based, as is most folk oriented music, and uses the soundscape to accent and enhance the story in which he is telling. The striped down melodies are charming and one
cannot help but tap their feet to this track. Track 4 is titled Bathed in Black, and it is hard to imagine why Detail of Distance did not open with this song. Lyrically, it is not the strongest song on the album, primarily its message is focused on making your own way in the world. However, the general mood Churchill describes is easily accesible enough to anyone in their 20s or older. Bathed in Black hits its mark in terms of blending folk conventions with a hard edge. Season’s Grind is the first single off Detail of Distance. This is definitely a strange beast. Overall the song is a fun track, the lyrical content is decent and the atmosphere feels almost like a Cajun dance track. Yet, everything about this song seems like it should not work together as well as it does. The backbeat and bassline are primarily disco/funk driven while most of the guitar work is more hard rock oriented, and the harmonica riffs seems to be straight from a Western showdown at highnoon. The lyrics seem to match more closely to the harmonica riffs, yet seems to be about a guy questing for a princess. Wander the Tracks returns to a similar format as Sarah. Instead of being an intense and fun dance track, it is stripped down to a few swells and a melodically plucked guitar. Unlike Sarah though, it does not keep building on the soundscape. The accents are moments of musical pause, and while a slower track, works to keep the already calm atmosphere of the song going. Lyrically the song addresses a girl named Marilyn, and the overall story is told almost in a epistolary fashion. This track also features background vocals from Babette Hayward, which lends to Churchill’s already genuine feeling of the track. Unfortunately It Will Be Morning Soon is close to six minutes long, which runs past the time frame of this review. The first three minutes
of this track is reminicent of the yacht rock era of the 1970s-1980s. In other words, it is smooth. The soundscape features next to no folk influence, but is juxtaposed by folktale lyrics about being on the road. The overall descriptions in Churchill’s lyrics revolve around experience and reflection. So what can be said about Kim Churchill’s Detail of Distance? The first 23 minutes of the album definitely has its share of faults. At times it seems to be directionless, while at other times it hits the mark. Overall though, Detail of Distance is an enjoyable experience and deserves a listen, especially if travelling.
Kim Churchill
Kim Churchill has been living and breathing guitar for over a decade. When he plays you can hear the dedication and countless hours of rehearsal and you can’t help but have an appreciation for his talent. When you find out he’s only 20, it puts him in an entirely other league. His flawless guitar technique and his lyrical outlook surpass his age and these skills have allowed his career to blossom. You will not find him lacking. The Confluence 4
Arts & Entertianment
Five Little Bitches
and airways in between.”
Andy Johnson, Editor-in-Chief Anvil Press’s latest publication “Five Little Bitches” by Teresa McWhiter promises to be this spring’s “full-throttle grit-lit.”
“The novel is a testimony to a generation of girls in revolt,” according to Anvil Press.
Teresa McWhirter
McWhiter’s new book chronicles the rise and fall of Wet Leather, an all-girl punk band. The five women who make up the band, while dealing with their own “demons,” find themselves hopelessly devoted to their music. While touring Canada, the U.S. and Europe, Wet Leather alsoCNC seem Confluence to turn up in “alleys, gutters, back stages, vans, hotel rooms, highways, Sudoku 9x9 - Puzzle 5 of 5 - Medium
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Teresa grew up in Kimberley, in the east Kootenays of interior BC. She received a BA with a double major in English and Creative Writing from the University of Victoria. After extensive travel across Canada and the US, her first novel, Some Girls Do, was published by Raincoast/Polestar books (2002). Following an assortment of jobs, including teaching English in Korea, driving an ice cream truck, and scaring children at a haunted house, she published the novel Dirtbags (Anvil Press, 2007) and the young adult novel Skank (Lorimer, 2011). During the past few years Teresa has toured Europe and North America with punk rock bands, gathering material for Five Little Bitches. She lives in East Vancouver.
Horoscopes
Taurus: There is a very big difference between being lazy and being relaxed, and you are definitely not lazy! So there is nothing wrong with taking it easy today and saving the heavy lifting and hard work for another day. Feel free to take a long lunch, kick up your feet, and let other people compete in the rat race. Gemini: Put your observation skills to use today — there should be many finance-related clues around you, and they shouldn’t take you too long to decipher. If your finances are getting tricky, you are about to find a few ideas that will help you simplify them. Remember to do your research before committing to anything! Cancer: Just because a person is hard to read doesn’t mean that he or she doesn’t want your understanding. Your ability to connect with other people can serve as a bulldozer, breaking down the walls of fear and aloofness in order to reveal the truth. Leo: The sudden generosity you’re being shown is nothing to be alarmed about! The friendly and magnanimous behavior of the people you’ll be encountering today is a direct result of the compassion and generosity that you’ve shown so often in the past. This may seem like amazing good luck, but you’ve earned this. Virgo: Talking about your feelings will give you an immense feeling of release today. The stars say that there are a lot of value-oriented
issues that you need to figure out for yourself. Too much outside influence is coming your way right now — let your thoughts wander, and you will come to some extremely important realizations about yourself. Libra: What do you want in your life more than anything else right now? If you said ‘romance,’ then the stars have some very exciting opportunities in store for you! But if you’re expecting a parade of attractive potential new sweeties to come knocking on your door, think again. You need to spend some time romancing yourself! Treat yourself like royalty. You deserve it. Scorpio: You’re eager to resolve an issue you’ve been having with a close friend. So it’s time to stop the phone tag or the sporadic emails — all this back and forth is not getting you anywhere. The right solution might be to just let your friend ‘win’ this one, and chalk this episode up to experience. Sagittarius: Your reputation is shining more brightly than ever right now, so don’t be surprised if people in your work or school life start looking to you for answers. What’s important here isn’t to give the correct answer every time — it’s almost certain that you won’t be able to in at least one situation. Your encouragement will be more helpful than any rote answer could ever be. Capricorn: Your emotions might be very fragile today, in part because of the negative behavior of someone you trusted too willingly. Once bitten, you are twice shy — and that’s okay. You should give yourself the time you need to nurse your wounds. Take time to appreciate your true friends, who are always there for you. Let them help you feel cherished and respected (as you should feel). Aquarius: Your social energy is skyrocketing today —
without even trying very hard, you will manage to make some interesting new connections. When it doubt, talk! Unleash your charms and see what happens. Your empathy will earn you some gold stars from some important people. Pisces: It’s time to make things equitable in your life — review what you owe to others, and what others owe to you, and make a plan to even things out. This isn’t just about financial matters, either. Plan a long weekend with someone, and enjoy dedicated one-on-one time with someone who makes your life better.
Trivia 1.) Which continent does not have any mildew or mold? 2.) If you looked at an American penny, whose picture would you see? 3.) There are bears all over the United States. Which state has the largest bears? 4.) What vegetable according to legend did Colonel Robert John eat outside the court house to prove that it was not poisonous? 5.) Who is the author of the book called, The Lorax? 1.) Antarctica - Mold actually breaks down dead organic matter like leaves and trees. 2.) Abraham Lincoln - Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the USA. He was shot and killed in 1865. 3.) Alaska - Polar bears can be found in Alaska, as well as, Grizzly bears. 4.) Tomato - Legend has it that this feat took place in Salem, Massachusetts. 5.) Dr. Seuss - Dr. Seuss also wrote Green Eggs and Ham and The Grinch who Stole Christmas.
Aries: Let’s get it started in here! Today you will be very focused on beginnings — which is perfect, because the stars say that this is a superb time for new projects. Entertainments and social festivities are favored over business or educational endeavors; enlist the help of a friend who has an address book full of amazing contacts.
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Worth
Creative
In moments of selflessness I would imagine that he believed what Megan Wall, he said. After careful observation of his blank expression, I concluded Contributor he was content to be disillusioned I can’t recall how I became by my blurry visage. He seemed too this hollow. Maybe it was the way young in his mind to understand the I had succumbed to practicality love I offered. I was momentarily over emotion until all of the disgusted by this simpleminded unspoken gestures dulled into bland boy, imagining myself as a bully acceptance. Maybe it was the way at the beach kicking over his sand he had crawled inside of me, slowly castle. But it’s like that bullshit they devouring me bit by bit. I knew it say about bullies: I did what I did wasn’t his fault, it wasn’t anyone’s fault really. I knew I could do better, because I was hurting on the inside. Every time I worked up the and he knew it too, but it was easier courage to tell him, I faltered. I this way. allowed myself to be enveloped His eyes moved across the and comforted, so I could forget television screen where an action my convictions for a moment and movie I had reluctantly agreed to watch was playing. I didn’t need him have somebody to cling to. I was to see me anyways. All I needed was still a child, allowing fear to force the touch, the human connection that me into hiding. It was hard to reminded me that I was worth loving, convince myself that my unyielding though the feeling never lasted long. dissatisfaction was worth hurting him and disappointing everyone We were old enough that we else in my life. What was worse was were tiring of this game, yet young imagining trying to explain what I enough not to know any other way. couldn’t understand myself; that this His hand found my thigh easily. I wasn’t working. could feel the heat of each individual “All you had to do was tell digit through my jeans. The touch me,” he said. was simple, yet too comfortable for Even in recollection his me to feel the intrusion of morality. voice was shocking to me. I had “I was lucky. Everybody told me so. I had a man who ‘treated me right,’ tried to explain the things I didn’t understand and unsurprisingly he who ‘loved me,’...” didn’t understand either. I knew that I wasn’t malfunctioning, I didn’t I was lucky. Everybody told need to be fixed. I needed to be me, me so. I had a man who “treated me and that isn’t something that can be right,” who “loved me,” they would brushed off with idle conversation. say. But his perception of me was I would invite him to my house coloured by the bias of his feelings, under the clever guise of watching and I gave into expectation. He was in love with the parts of me he could a movie and end up bent over a couch with his hands in my hair. see through his short sightedness The awkwardness of the inevitable and my isolation. I constantly hid was overwhelming. Whatever stupid the micro-flinches when he touched movie we were pretending to watch me or when he said he loved me. was rolling the credits and he had With all of his good intentions he apparently decreed it was time to had forgotten to see me, and I had move to the bedroom. I found myself forgotten to show him. 7 The Confluence
being picked up and carried in some youthful parody of masculinity. The banality of our experiences was tainted by his hope. Every touch became a masterful attempt to impress me; his moves were well orchestrated, practiced. We could more easily suspend our disbelief that way. I rolled off of him to my sanctuary of separation, the other side of the bed, as he began to speak. I hated this part. “I love you, you know.” “Yeah, I love you too.” I would say it again and again and again until it was worth it.
Megan Wall
Megan Wall attended CNC for psychology, but soon found herself immersed in the Prince George and CNC writing community. In 2011 she published her first chapbook of poems Obsessive Destructive. Recently she has released a second chapbook.
Wrapped Up A. Warren Johnson, Contributor
It was twelve days before Christmas, and like all children, Joshua was excited. He looked forward to the presents wrapped under the tree. His favorite one (at least the present that was his favorite color) was the shiny blue one. He was certain it would still be his favorite even after he had ripped the wrapping off and knew what it was. Unlike other children,
especially around Christmas, Joshua was dying. His mom and dad told him that he would be alright, since he was their “little miracle.” Joshua never really understood how, or why he was “sick,” all he knew was that cancer was painful. At this moment Joshua thought about being at school. He missed his friends, he missed recess, he even missed the after school bell. He missed teasing Brandy Ekhart about her red hair, he missed telling Bobby Williams how many goals he would score in their next soccer game, but what Joshua missed most of all was being able to go outside. Today it was snowing. Big white flakes of snow, almost as big as the tumor, Joshua thought. He imagined that the snow which was falling was good snowball snow, because he could see Johanna Mitchell and her brother Robbie in their front lawn across the street through the picture window. They were building a four ball snowman. Joshua always wanted to try and build a snow man with four big roughly round balls of snow, but he knew he would never get the chance to. Curled up on the couch, and wrapped in a white blanket, Joshua looked at the shiny blue present for what felt like the hundredth time that day. He stared at the shiny blue present under the tree. It seemed that he found something new about that present every time he looked at it; the left side was sealed a little higher than the right, the tiny silver bell inside the matching blue bow. It made him feel a little better to know that his mom and dad had wrapped the presents themselves, for some reason it made him feel loved. He had caught his dad wrapping that blue present, three weeks before the pain really began to hurt. Joshua had come down the stairs past his bedtime because he was thirsty and wanted to get a drink of water. He had been thirsty a lot that week, and also felt much warmer
than he thought he should be. Once downstairs, Joshua had walked by the living room, on his way to the kitchen. Joshua saw his dad sitting on the floor, cutting that shiny blue paper; he was humming to himself. Joshua forgot for a moment that he was thirsty and decided to see what his dad was doing. As Joshua got closer, he noticed that his dad was wrapping a box that said “Fragile: Handle With Care.” Joshua’s mom came into the living room from the doorway that led to the front door. She looked like she had been crying, then she began talking to Joshua’s dad. “What should we do?” “We should just wait. It’s probably nothing, but if it is serious, we will deal with it when we find out. For right now let’s just be thankful that he--” Joshua’s dad saw him standing in the corridor that led to the kitchen. His mom looked over, she look as if she saw a ghost. His dad smiled gently at him. “Why are you not in bed young man?” She said. Joshua was sure his mom was trying to sound stern, but it seemed like she was more sad then angry. “I was thirsty.” “Well let’s get you a drink, but then you must rest sweetie.” “Okay mom.” All Joshua wanted to do at that point was ask why they were sad. Was it something he did? Could he fix it? Somehow make everything alright? His mom reached out for his hand. He took it, and they both walked into the kitchen. After Joshua had gotten a drink of water, his mom walked with him up stairs and tucked him back in. “Mom?” “Yes, pumpkin?” “Am I in trouble?” “What? No, no sweetie. What
gave you that idea?” “Well, it’s that you and dad were talking about me, and I hope I didn’t do anything wrong.” “You haven’t done anything wrong sweetie. Your dad and I. . .” She sighed, “You’re sick sweetie.” The tears began to form in her eyes. “You’re sick, and. . .” She sniffled. “And we are worried about you. We love you. . .” Another sniffle. “You will get better. It will just take some time, but you will get better. I promise you will be better. But in order to get better, you need your sleep, okay honey?” “Okay mom.” “Good night my sweetheart, sleep well.” “I will.” Joshua paused, “Mom?” “Yes, sweetie?” “I love you too.” Joshua’s mom smiled sadly at him and gently shut the door. As Joshua remembered that night, he began coughing. Joshua hated coughing because it messed up his hair, and even though he didn’t have to go to school, he felt that his hair was his best feature. Even if there were only a few strands left. Joshua felt a chill and wrapped himself up more in the white blanket. The blanket was all bunched up under him, making his left side higher than his right. He closed his eyes.
The Confluence 8
Betrayal Paul Strickland, Contributor
At the Copper and Tin Grill coffee shop one afternoon, Warren Jensen and Lyle Milano looked through a series of new applications for membership in their civic action group, Vya Citizens for Controlled Growth. The organization had carried on for months with just 30 or 40 members, of whom only eight or ten regularly attended meetings. Now a flurry of prospective supporters had filled out and sent in membershipapplication forms. Warren, president of the group concerned about excessive casino-resort and suburban development during a severe drought, thought he had heard the name of one of the new applicants before. Was Dave Auburn the same Dave Auburn who was a member of the carpenters’ union, which had uncritically supported all casino development proposals? Lyle, vice-president, said he didn’t think so, and was pleased with the number of responses to the group’s recent newspaper ad that had contained a membership-application form. From the bar they could hear bits and pieces of President Carter’s address to Americans urging energy conservation and a more environmentally conscious approach to urban planning. Warren and Lyle and the majority of the current membership of Vya Citizens for Controlled Growth had approved in principle a plan to circulate recall petitions against Mayor Rudo Enitucci and councillors John Wallis, Claude Biliosi and Garry Forke after they had voted in one meeting the previous June to approve construction of six hotel-casinos ranging in size from four-hundred to seven hundred fifty rooms without 9 The Confluence
proper notice to the public or any meaningful major project review by planners. The City of Vya was already suffering from major traffic jams and smog was getting worse. It was also running out of water. Warren and Lyle joked that they should have sat in the upper gallery during that June meeting, dropped a cloud of one-dollar bills on the councillors below and shouted, “Duce! Duce! Duce Enitucci!” But they decided against that course of action, reasoning they would likely have been charged with disrupting a public meeting.
“The sergeant at arms, who had the build of a pianomover, had had to work that night at his job as a motel clerk, and so was not available to deal with the toughs disrupting the meeting.” In response to the outrage over the approval of so many major projects at once, the Vya City Council did bring in a semblance of major project review and provided the public and reporters with less opaque council agenda packets. The following fall, more than a year later, the major project proposal for the 2,500room NTO hotel-casino, complete with surrounding ponds and artificial palm trees, was before Council. At a recent Vya Chamber of Commerce meeting, Mayor Enitucci declined to say how he would vote on the project. “I can only say that there is a major project under consideration by Council.” Asked about water shortages, he said, “In this world, there are no problems, only solutions.” Warren and Lyle called a general meeting of Vya Citizens for Controlled Growth in the basement of the
public library’s downtown branch to see if the membership was sufficient to circulate recall petitions throughout the city and get enough valid signatures within 60 days to recall Enitucci and the three pro-developer councillors. About eighty people attended. However, after Warren had called the meeting to order, some of the new members started proposing frivolous objections and raising points of order before he could get past even the housekeeping portions of the agenda. One beefy man Warren had never seen before (but later learned was one of the operating engineers) kept moving, without a seconder, that the agenda item to initiate a recall petition be tabled until three meetings later (long after Council would have dealt with the NTO casino project scheduled for consideration in mid-November). After the third time the man repeated that same motion, Warren ruled him out of order. “Wanna FIGHT?” the man said. “I’ll find you in the alley after this meeting.” Other supposed new members shouted and yelled and made threatening comments until they had turned the meeting into a shambles. The sergeant at arms, who had the build of a piano-mover, had had to work that night at his job as a motel clerk, and so was not available to deal with the toughs disrupting the meeting. Warren, concerned for his safety after the meeting, took up the offer of two members of the Vya chapter of Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) to escort him out to his car. “Maybe we should call the FBI about these goons!” Warren remarked to them. “They’ll never help you,” the ACORN members advised. However, some of the new members subsequently came forward
offering to help. Gary Friar, a prominent businessman, and his daughter, Sue, came to Vya Citizens for Controlled Growth executive committee meetings in late September and early October. They gave good advice on the appropriate legal terms to use in a recall petition, and said they could find volunteers to circulate copies of the petition. Warren and Lyle let them in on the details of their strategy and timetable for circulating the petitions. The development community seemed worried. Some developers formed a front group they called Neo-Environmental Action Trust (NEAT) who took out billboard ads condemning “no-growthers” who would stop job-creating development in the Vya district altogether. They released statements to radio and television outlets saying Warren, Lyle and other members of the Vya Citizens for Controlled Growth executive had never shown them the courtesy of consulting with them about local development plans before proposing a recall petition. In fact, Warren had tried to see the president of NEAT but was shown the door. The recall petition never got off the ground before the November Council meeting on the NTO mega-casino project. Warren, Lyle, other members of the executive of Vya Citizens for Controlled Growth, university planning instructors, and representatives of conservation groups spoke to Council against the project. Agreeing with them was a seventy-nine-year-old woman who told Council the controlled-growth group’s idealism reminded her of her days working with the CIO (Congress of Industrial Organizations) during the 1930s and early 1940s. Up in the gallery, however, were employees of local casinos who had been instructed by their superi-
ors to attend the council meeting to support the NTO casino development proposal. Also in the gallery in numbers were members of the carpenters’ union, headed prominently by Dave Auburn. To their right, also applauding when the majority on Council approved the NTO project, was Gary Friar, who looked ahead with the smile of Stalin at a May Day Parade at the Kremlin in the late 1940s. Standing next to him was Sue.
Paul Strickland
Paul Strickland, 62, is currently a freelance writer. He was a reporter for Canadian daily newspapers for 28 years, nineteen of those years at The Prince George Citizen. He was also a columnist and reporter for the University of Nevada-Reno Sagebrush from 1977 through early 1981. Paul holds an M.A. in English from UBC in Vancouver (1974) and a M.A. in History from the University of Nevada-Reno (1980). He has been a resident of Canada for 35 years, and a Canadian citizen since 1994. Paul is currently making the transition from hard news to creative writing, including poetry, short stories and essays. Recently he has released his first chapbook: Blank Streets A Collection of Stories and Essays.
Sweetwater 905 Line up
This year’s Sweetwater 905 literary, visual and music festival line up was announced early in May 2012. Michael Turner, author of Hard Core Logo, The Pornographer’s Poem, American Whiskey Bar and 8x10, will be the Master of Ceremonies and has been charged with the task of introducing quite a mix of talent: Alyssa Hudson, Brianne Hudson, Judy Sillito (From Schizophrenia to Self: A Woman’s Experience with Aboriginal Healing), Caily Oldershaw (Artist), Rio Fitch (Filmmaker), Shannon Butler (Artist), Linda Connell Studley (Musician/Poet), A. Warren Johnson (Poet/Writer), Marilyn Belak (Poet/ Writer), Jeannie Lindgren (Poet), Sabrina L’ Heureux (Poet), Matt Partyka (Poet), Graham Pearce (Poet/Visual Artist), Jayden Stafford (Poet), Christy Burres (Artist), Karl Mattson (Artist), Donna Kane (Poet), G.P.Lainsbury (Poet), Krista Belle Stewart (Photographer), and a tribute to the late Leon Leroy Augier (Artist). Music preformances at this year’s festival include: Wax Mannequin, Party On High Street, Electric Cheese, Picture The Ocean, Hazen Sage, Shred Kelly, Miss Quincy & The Showdown, Doug Koyama, 100 Mile House, Dave Soroka and Freesoul. Sweetwater’s children’s entertaintment will be provided by GO GO BONKERS!!! Tickets for this event are $50 for Adult, and $30 for Youth (early bird special), $60 for Adult and $40 for Youth at the gate. Day passes will also be available for $35. The Confluence 10