"No" wins in transit plebiscite

STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY

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FIRST PEEK

What is failure, really?

Typically, it’s known to be the absence of achievement. It’s the state created by inability. Failure is a condition virtually everyone knows, and perspectives on it are constantly developing. The idea of failure alone is alluded to by various aspects of education, ranging from the precise moment you step foot into the classroom to the letter grade on each assignment. As a student, I see sfailure is a significant part of my education.

We tend to think of failure as a negative result to a situation, often leaving us helpless and bitter. If this is the case, then it should be avoided at all costs, right? My past experiences tell me otherwise.

I have never really been academically distinguished. My school grades are representative of my somewhat ineffective diligence for studying. The walls displaying my ‘academic prowess’ are instead tiled with nothing more than lackluster attendance awards and recognition for menial tasks accomplished with satisfactory behaviour. My collection of consolation prizes pale in comparison to those of my siblings and my friends. It’s like having

July 13, 2015

frames and trophies acknowledging my scraped knees.

“This isn’t me,” I thought.

The readily acceptable excuse has always been my artistic aptitude, and my current university experience has been widely determined by this. Being very indecisive about my future career at the time, my amazing solution for applying to universities involved accommodating for everything I could possibly be. Expectedly, I was not accepted into all my choices, and I am now studying graphic design at SFU.

Personally, my failures were a symbol of shame. The standards I set for myself were insane. My grades told me I just wasn’t smart.

I often feared that pursuing a career that didn’t guarantee a favorable salary was risky. Being creative was just bad luck to me, like I had fished up a boot in the lottery of society’s prosperous aptitudes.

“I hate this about me,” I would say.

To my surprise, I’ve enjoyed my time studying design and grown passionate for the field of work. I’ve excelled beyond my expectation, and have become more confident

in my creative abilities. How did this turn out so well when the process was so painful? Reminiscing, I realized some valuable truths about failure. It often sucks to experience; it is, however, essential.

Failure is necessary for success. No one is as perfect as they want to be. For me to set an abysmally high standard for every goal I was interested in was naive. Failing is as necessary and sequential in this process as planting your foot on the next step is to climbing stairs. To me, mastering a skill involves knowing how to fail in every element of doing it.

Furthermore, failure isn’t shameful. In fact, I would be more inspired by someone accomplished who has failed countless times than a natural born genius. Failure is the very element of life that makes it authentic and human.

Implementing this perspective in my daily life is still a challenge.

I won’t pretend to completely understand how to deal with failure.

Even now, I still struggle with new experiences and fall victim to comparison. Despite this, my realization of what failure really is has made me a stronger, freer person.

One day, I want to be able to look back at all the times I’ve scraped my knees and say with a smile “This is me.”

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NEWS

July 13, 2015

news editor email

Melissa Roach associate news editor news@the-peak.ca

Metro Vancouver votes ‘no’ to transit tax

of voters.” The organization also admitted that voting for a tax increase was a “tough sell,” but that it would be a challenge for public transit to meet the growing needs of Vancouver without this extra funding.

The results of the hotly debated Metro Vancouver Transportation and Transit Plebiscite were announced on July 2.

With a ‘no’ majority result, 68 per cent of voters voted against the 0.5 per cent PST increase to fund future public transit projects.

The tax would have contributed to increased bus services, maintenance of the Pattullo bridge, and many other transit projects. Critics of the proposal highlighted TransLink’s perceived history of mismanaging funds and also drew attention to TransLink CEO Ian Jarvis’ compensation, which totalled more than $400,000 for 2013.

Later on the day of the announcement, TransLink weighed in on the results, explaining in an online statement that they were “disappointed, but [they] respect the decision

The overall results were in stark contrast to a survey The Peak conducted in March, which showed 71 per cent of respondents were planning to vote in favour of the plebiscite. When it came time to vote, only three municipalities out of 23 voted ‘yes’: Bowen Island, the Village of Belcarra, and Metro Vancouver Electoral Area “A.” Maple Ridge had the lowest vote in favour of the tax, with only 23 per cent of voters voting ‘yes’. Altogether, forty nine per cent of eligible voters submitted a ballot, totalling 750,000.

However, the failure of the tax does not necessarily mean that transit will not be developed at all. Surrey mayor Linda Hepner explained to The Now that public transit is the biggest problem the city faces and that new sources of funding will be sought.

“I think it was an uphill battle,” said epidemiologist and SFU assistant professor of health sciences Meghan Winters, explaining that voters aren’t used to longterm policy planning.

“We don’t vote on new bridges, we don’t vote [on] road investments, all of which have budgets even larger than the transit referendum.”

According to Winters, policy decisions like this one may be best “left to elected officials.”

The last time British Columbians were asked to vote on a similar policy decision was in 2011, when voters rejected the Harmonized Sales Tax by a slight margin.

The media coverage of the vote is also believed to have

been a factor in the results, and may have made the vote about something other than what was on the ballot. Winters explained “it’s not many people who are against public transit,” but the ‘no’ campaign focused on the shortcomings of the governance of TransLink, something that was not on the ballot.

When asked about potential reorganization of TransLink, Winters said, “Oh, something’s going to happen in TransLink, sure,” expressing a necessity to accommodate the growing Vancouver population’s need for public transit without any new sources of funding. “In the meantime, we won’t have dedicated long-term funding to strategic regional transportation and transit investment” she added.

Winters expressed her dissatisfaction with the process, saying, “I think it was a mistake for them to hold the referendum.”

In the coming years, Winters predicts that TransLink will have the considerable challenge of holding up to public scrutiny, while navigating a period of scarce funding and growing demand.

Samaah Jaffer

You still have time to check out the Indian Summer Festival taking Vancouver by storm!

This year marks the fifth year of the annual festival, running from July 9 to 18. SFU’s Goldcorp Centre for the Arts (149 W. Hastings St.) is hosting a wide variety of talks, as well as music and art events.

Check out one of three lectures offered on the evening of Thursday, July 16: learn about igniting your own entrepreneurship, revolutionizing the world through sanitary pads, or enjoy a healthy dose of enlightening religious perspectives.

For the more business-inclined, check out the Jack Austin Centre for Asia Pacific Business Studies Seminar Series — hosted by the Beedie School of Business — which is offering a lecture on the “One Belt, One Road” (OBOR) Initiative in China on July 13 from 10 to 11:30 a.m. This talk will be presented by Bo Chen, a professor from Shanghai University of Finance and Economics. He will be sharing his perspectives on OBOR at the Segal Graduate School on 500 Granville Street in Vancouver, Room 2800.

Find yourself near Surrey campus on July 18 or 19? Drop by the Surrey Fusion Festival!

This weekend affair offers a full schedule of events and activities packed into Holland Park, including cultural performances of music, dance and, of course, food!

This week at Surrey campus, you can get an extra edge with your own career in employment counselling or career development by taking part in the Career Development Practitioner Certificate program.

This hour-long session begins at 8:30 p.m. on July 15, and will be presented by the Management and Professional Programs for Continuing Studies.

NEWS

July 13, 2015

There has yet to be a course at SFU specifically to push nearlygraduated students towards a path in which they could use their creative skills within a business idea of their creation.

This led to the Creative Entrepreneurship class, created and led by Howard Jang and Jon Festinger, SFU professors of professional practice.

Howard Jang, the director of SFU Woodwards and co-professor

of the class, explained that the course is designed with the goal of “helping the artist” to “develop a career around what they are passionate about.

“We’re looking at a dancer, a filmmaker, a theater artist or a designer, and really helping them take what they’ve been drawn to as their life’s passion and make a career out of it, [. . .] building a life out of it,” he said.

The class is not meant to create business leaders out of the artists, and not all students need to have a fully developed plan for their future. Jang described how the class will use what they’ve coined as the “toolbox approach.” He explained, “For this particular situation, we are asking them: What’s your idea, how do you want to move it forward, and what’s the first thing you are going to do?”

The two professors realise that the information they provide to their students might not be relevant to all of them right away.

However, they hope that students will find it comes in handy later on as they further develop their creative ventures.

“We’re giving them tools [with] which to understand who they are as an artist, how to talk about what

SFU’s Faculty of Environment has announced the creation of the interdisciplinary Pacific Water Research Centre (PWRC), which will bring together numerous faculties, NGOs, and local communities to further waterrelated research.

At two water-related seminars last month in Vancouver, SFU Blue and Canadian Water Summit, SFU announced the creation of the PWRC to academics, community leaders, and industry officials.

Led by interim director, SFU REM professor Murray Rutherford, the Centre will work with local communities for a focus on water issues close to home as well as around the world.

Water management has long been a concern for British Columbia, with particular attention to fisheries, forestry, industry use, and disposal. On a global scale, climate change and the warming of the earth’s surface and oceans poses a particular challenge to water research.

Steven Conrad, an SFU PhD candidate and prominent water researcher explained in Water Canada, “Just as we can no longer rely on the climate being stationary, we can no longer rely on water cycles being stationary.”

Research at the centre will aim to adapt to a changing

An SFU hub of creativity, the School for Contemporary Arts based out of SFU Woodwards will soon offer an educational experience that mixes fine arts and business, with a new class this spring semester.

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they’re passionate about, and then figure out ways in which to move their career forward.”

The course will also look at how to strategically plan for the future with finances in mind.

Jang added that students will be provided with “the opportunity to understand the basics of building relationships within the community, how to do grant writing, and how to find resources in the private sector.”

At the end of the program, students emerge with a “personal

plan” rather than a business plan, one of the key things that differentiates it from a business entrepreneurship program.

Jang explained that instead of solely focusing on how to monetize an idea, this class encourages the student to “really progress as an artist and figure out the things and experiences you want to have as an artist, and how to build a life around that.” They’ll have the resources to further their growth, and “it won’t be so much of a dark hole to them anymore.”

Instead of focusing on the many steps that gets them to an end result, the personal plan lays out the first couple steps they can take to realizing their artistic goals and dreams.

The creative entrepreneurship class is aimed at third and fourth year students and it is open to enrollment by all SFU students, with priority given to students within the School for Contemporary Arts. The class will be running Fall 2015 and Spring 2016.

environment with new methods of water management, such as water regulations to ensure adequate stores in our reservoirs.

Metro Vancouver is currently employing such regulations, imposing level two water restrictions that limit lawn watering to once a week.

droughts, [. . .] I would expect [the reservoirs] to be inadequate to meet our needs.”

The World Economic Forum has declared the world to be in an official water crisis, identifying it as a top global risk in its Global Risks 2015 report. The lack of access to fresh water, the depletion of current stores, and the perceived mismanagement of water by industries through pollution and waste are all issues that led to this conclusion. These are the challenges the PWRC and SFU researchers will tackle, starting with local concerns.

By focusing on the community, the PWRC hopes to engage locals who have experienced issues such as water scarcity first hand. An SFU media release indicated that Rutherford believes such community members “are invaluable to the process.”

Through the PWRC, the Faculty of the Environment will be partnering with the Beedie School of Business, establishing a Sustainable Business program to bring together financial issues with water conservation and research.

The PWRC is also in discussions with other Canadian universities, governmental institutions, private companies, and local communities about collaborating. SFU hopes the PWRC will serve as a “cluster” of collaboration and problem solving.

Conrad told The Vancouver Sun , “In Metro Vancouver, we have three large reservoirs that can collect enough water to meet our summer demand. But if we were to continue to have

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A small fire broke out near the Cardiac Trail on Burnaby Mountain just before 10 a.m. on Sunday morning. The fire spread on the north side of the mountain before firefighters were able to respond, but remained a few hundred metres’ distance from SFU campus.

Initially reported by CBC as only four and a half square metres in size, according to Burnaby’s assistant fire chief Rick Weir, the blaze grew to 30 by 80 metres.

Around 40 firefighters and multiple emergency vehicles were dispatched to the contain the fire.

“It grew rapidly, it got up into the canopies of the trees,” Weir told CTV News.

Officials suspect the fire was the result of human activity, likely due to a disposed cigarette. Weir warned the public to take extra precautions, especially with cigarettes, due to dry conditions.

July 13, 2015

“To the public, really be careful out there with your smoking material,” Weir told CTV. “The forests are tinder dry, this is my fifth [fire] in three days that I’ve been on. . . The crews are working extremely hard right now.”

The fire was contained with no risk of reignition by 3 p.m. that same afternoon.

SFU Safety and Risk Services (SRS) issued a statement regarding Metro Vancouver’s Air Quality Advisory with personal health tips and a notice on the prevention of further fires.

The statement noted that Campus Security has already responded to over 17 grass fires on Burnaby campus this summer, “most of which were determined to be caused by carelessly discarded cigarettes.”

The statement echoed the concerns of the Burnaby fire department: “For the safety of everybody, it is important that flammable materials be discarded in approved containers and never just carelessly discarded on the ground.”

This is not the only fire to break out on Burnaby Mountain in recent history. In July 2010, a

fire on the south side near the base of Burnaby Mountain saw the eviction of multiple homes in the area. The fire was started by three children playing with matches. Although the fire grew to one hectare — 10,000 square meters — before it was extinguished, damage was minimal.

The 2010 fire was costly, putting a strain on emergency service availability, and disrupting traffic flow on Burnaby Mountain.

The Kinder Morgan oil tanks on the south side of the

mountain pose an additional hazard, which, if ignited could result in “a catastrophic explosion,” according to Burnaby Fire Department. However, there has never been a fire at the facility, and KM has undertaken safety measures specifically in regard to fire prevention.

Steven MacLean, senior director for SFU Campus Safety and Security Services encourages students on campus in the event of an emergency to check the university’s

online platforms for updates and instructions.

While the incident was not severe enough to call for an evacuation, Maclean assured, “that decision would not be taken lightly,” and would “be made in consultation with University administration and local authorities as soon as it became clear that there was a developing threat to life safety.”

With files from CBC, Global News, and CTV News

Free WiFi on buses to Waterloo campus

Asexuality conference at U of T [TORONTO] — The University of Toronto hosted a conference on asexuality. The two day long event featured workshops, keynote speakers, and community building activities, and drew approximately 300 asexuallyidentifying people, support service providers, and activists.

Student Brian Langevin described an asexual person, sometimes preferring to be called an ‘ace’, as “someone who does not experience sexual attraction to other people.” He explained how isolating and challenging the experience can be, denouncing the ideas that there is something wrong with you if you are asexual, and that you need to be “cured.”

With files from The Varsity

[WATERLOO] — Students riding the 407 West and Waterloo/Mississauga GO buses are now being offered a free WiFi connection for their convenience.

As a six-month pilot program, Greater Ontario Transit introduced the service on June 3 as an answer to the demands of its customers. Although feedback has been positive, some customers are asking GO Transit to advertise the service to more students.

The length of the program will depend on feedback from the users.

With files from Imprint

Dalhousie Dentistry Scandal Report May Offer Insight [HALIFAX] — Dalhousie University released a detailed restorative justice report on May 2015 in response to its dentistry scandal involving misogynistic and homophobic Facebook comments. The report stated that restorative justice could not offer solutions, but rather sharing what participants have learned could help to build a more inclusive community.

Recommendations were made to make the filing of complaints more accessible and easy to navigate. The report expressed a need for universities to build confidence in its systems to increase students’ trust.

With files from The Varsity

NEWS

The week of June 26 saw people dancing and waving rainbow flags in streets across America, celebrating a win for the rights of homosexual people.

The United States Supreme Court made a five to four ruling legalizing gay marriage in all 50 states — a historically significant move that Canada made 10 years ago.

After decades of fighting for this right, the LGBTQ+ community gained a victory under the 14th amendment that affords equal protection for all citizens under the law. The court ruled

July 13, 2015

that it would be a violation of this amendment to deny them of the right to marriage when it is granted to heterosexual couples.

Many debates still surround this ruling, especially as it only affects state laws and all religious institutions are still entitled

GRAD CORNER

The GSS is offering its members some discounts on tickets this summer. Members that purchase tickets for Playland and the PNE from the GSS will get a 10 per cent discount.

The society is also offering a discount on BC Lions tickets on July 10 and October 10 that can be purchased online by using a provided promo code.

The GSS will be celebrating its eighth birthday on July 29 at the Highland Pub! Appetizers, cupcakes, and one free drink will be provided for each grad student! Register in advance if you wish to attend.

An event series that will launch in Fall 2015, SFU Educator Talks will feature presentations on teaching.

The goal of the series is to encourage interdisciplinary discussion and encourage the sharing of exciting teaching ideas. Graduate students,

TAs, TMs, sessional instructors, faculty, staff, and recent alumni interested in presenting are encouraged to fill out and submit an application form at sfu.ca.

The organizing committee is also asking that graduate students talk to their departmental grad caucus about supporting the event.

Council also discussed recent developments of the Kinder Morgan expansion. On July, the GSS posted a media release on their website in response to Kinder Morgan reportedly donating hundreds of thousands of dollars to Kwantlen Polytechnic University and Thompson Rivers University, contingent on the approval of the Trans Mountain Expansion Project.

In the release, the GSS condemned the donations as “corruption of [the] environmental review process.”

Mark Perry, Director of External Relations for the GSS, reported that administration informed him that SFU does not intend to accept money from Kinder Morgan while the pipeline project is under review.

the choice of whether or not to marry same-sex couples.

“It’s important to pay attention to the reasoning used by those opposed to justify denying the vote,” said Elise Chenier, SFU professor of history and director of the Archive of Lesbian

Oral Testimony, “There’s still a powerful minority who strongly oppose equal treatment of homosexuals.”

Chenier expressed that although many contemporary struggles remain, this legislation was extremely significant as it was a step towards full citizen rights for homosexual people.

When asked about why it took the U.S. 10 years longer than Canada to legalize gay marriage, Chenier said it’s mainly based on how the two political systems are structured, and that in Canada, gay marriage was presented as a charter challenge and never subjected to a vote. “The Charter of rights and freedoms allowed for a different legal avenue for Canadians,” she said.

Although many are jubilant over the victory of the legislation, people are recognizing that there is still a lot of work to be done. One criticism is

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that marriage equality is an issue that benefits a minority of people and that the queer community is much more diverse than those who would benefit directly from the legislation.

“We need to be careful of not letting the conversation end,” said Devyn Davies, SFU Out on Campus’ (OOC) Interim Office and Volunteer Coordinator.

“There are still many challenges that the queer community faces both in the U.S. and abroad.”

OOC representatives collectively expressed their optimism for this legislation to be the turning point for a better future, but that there is still a long way to go.

“Vast amounts of resources were spent on marriage equality but not nearly as much is put into supporting transgender people or queer homeless youth,” explained Davies. “We need to start working to include those most vulnerable and marginalized in our community.”

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OPINIONS

July 13, 2015

opinions editor email

Adam Van der Zwan opinions@the-peak.ca

There are several things our direct neighbours to the South excel at compared to us: having a charismatic leader, putting bacon on everything, winning the World Cup (is that one too soon?). However, one of the most garish and unpleasant characteristics of American politics has slowly but surely been creeping its way up north.

This past spring, the BC Liberal government announced that there will be more cuts coming to a public school near you. As the summer heat continues to rise and productivity levels continue to drop, I cannot stress enough the importance of being mindful of this issue, especially with students returning to school in a very short couple of months.

Despite the fact that public schools have seen unprecedented cutbacks in recent years, the budget that was released this past February forces school trustees to cut another $137 million from their spending over the next three years.

Meanwhile, private schools in BC over the next three years will receive an additional $54 million in government funding.

This means that private schools now receive up to 50 per cent of the funding that public schools receive per student.

The fact that our province can find additional funds for private schools before their public counterparts is

completely backwards. It is neither the province’s job nor the taxpayers’ to fund private education. Public funds need to be used for public resources and services — it’s as simple as that.

The BC Liberals hide behind the notion that strong private schools give working families in BC a ‘choice,’ an idea riddled with falsities and contradictions. The reality is very few families can afford to send their child to a private school and no amount of public funds will be able to dissolve the high ticket price of a private education.

For example, St. George’s private school, the school that BC Liberal Premier Christy Clark’s son attends, charges over $21,000 in tuition a year to all their high school students.

Public schools deserve the funding that’s being allocated to the private schools. After all, public schools foster inclusive environments, where students from all socioeconomic backgrounds and who face a variety of learning strengths and weakness come together to form a class.

They do not turn away students very often, and they

incorporate the needs of all their pupils. Due to this, public schools need proper funding from the government for proper resources and wellequipped staff and teachers.

The same cannot be said about private schools that hand pick their students.

All the BC Liberals have done is create a stronger system for the rich, and a weaker one for working families. It is the government’s job to protect public schools first; they are the base of any functional society and without the proper funding and support, they will collapse and bring our great province down with them.

Growing up in BC, I saw firsthand how devastated our public schools are — they have been stripped to the bone in terms of financial support. Now, being out of the system for several years, I see that what the government is trying to do is starve teachers and school staff out of their position to negotiate fair wages, classroom size and composition, and proper funding.

The BC Liberals will keep the cuts coming and wait for public education collapse in order to move ahead with their own privatization agenda. This can and should be considered a war on public education waged by our own provincial government.

All three major party leaders in Canada have launched a campaign to amass fundraising and launch barbed attacks at each other, often in the form of malicious advertising. When is the next election, you ask? Not until October 19. This extended election period risks compromising the subdued and substantive nature of Canadian politics.

The reason for this phenomenon traces back to the Canada Elections Act, which does not place any restrictions on spending from parties before there is a writ of election. After the writ is dropped, parties must limit spending to under $20 million.

In addition, third parties are also free of restrictions before an election is officially called, after which they would have to register with Elections Canada and restrict their spending.

This flaw in the election regulation is made worse by having fixed election dates. If the date of the election is known, all limits are off and parties can engage in a race to the top (or bottom, if you see it that way) in terms of who can spend the most in the preelection period.

In the United States, a protracted election period carries several negative consequences.

One is that the business of governing is put aside halfway through the term in favour of politicking and positioning.

For evidence of this in Canada, one need only look at the federal Liberals’ tepid response to Bill C-51. Their support — albeit with a caveat — clearly betrayed the traditional ideological leanings of the party, in favour of chipping away at disgruntled Conservative voters.

With longer election periods, there is a higher risk of voters being distracted from the issues by the personal characteristics of the party leaders. The media has more time to expose scandals about various candidates and drag their names through the mud rather than devote time to their policies.

For example, the current scandal du jour is NDP Leader Thomas Mulcair allegedly having considered joining the Conservatives in 2007. The allegations have been disputed and critiqued, but the mud sticks.

Or perhaps an even better example of personal politics are the ridiculously juvenile attack ads on Justin Trudeau.

The ads, which are impossible to avoid, portray the affable Liberal leader as an inexperienced and entitled brat who doesn’t understand the business of governing.

Absent are actual critiques of the Liberal’s proposed policies and in their place are soundbites and generic populist statements.

Where is the substantive political debate? A short election period means a scarcity of time, meaning that the media should be devoting attention to issues that matter rather than injecting bias into the voter base.

Canada must abandon fixed election dates or change its election rules to ensure that no matter when an election is held the democratic process is not compromised before the writ is even dropped.

It ought to be a point of national pride that our elections are seen as restrained and dignified in comparison to those in the USA. Canadians should be wary of the way in which our laws might warp that election process and never forget that it is impossible to divorce the integrity of a democracy from how elections are held.

OPINIONS

people are really unlikely to support raising taxes unless they’re given a convincing reason to do so, and the campaign run by the Mayor’s Council did little to focus voters’ attention away from the extra tax and towards the benefits they would reap from better transit service.

Like a lot transit riders who have kept up with the news these past few weeks, I’m disappointed, but I’m not surprised.

Metro Vancouver has voted “no” on a 0.5 per cent tax hike for increased transit services, including more bus service, a new Pattullo Bridge, 11 new B-lines, and better SkyTrain service.

And it wasn’t even that close: 62 per cent of the area’s population voted against the proposed tax, versus 38 per cent in favour.

Even Vancouver, where the effects of the planned tax would arguably have been the most pronounced, edged out a no vote, 51 per cent to 49.

We’re talking about a tax that would have costed the average Metro Vancouver household about $125 dollars per year — to put that in perspective, that’s about how much you probably spend on your annual Netflix subscription. In fact, most people reading this article would probably be paying even less, since the tax would have affected households based on annual income, which tends to be pretty low for starving college students.

Still, a “yes” win was always pretty unlikely. For starters,

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July 13, 2015

Furthermore, most similar referenda in the US, which the Mayor’s Council cited in their mission statement as successful examples, gave voters years to consider the questions they were answering, not months.

Not to mention that distrust in both the spending practices and performance of TransLink — a system paradoxically admired nationally but despised locally — didn’t exactly get voters in the mood to give them more money.

Given that the vote was a plebiscite and not actually a referendum, local governments and TransLink are essentially free to enact these changes anyway — they’re just likely to find the money elsewhere.

Maybe from road tolls, or cutting wage, or reallocating government spending from other sectors? Those all seem like popular alternatives.

But let’s bring all of this back to SFU. I probably don’t need to

tell you that this is a commuter school. With three main campuses and a diverse group of students from across the province and the world, almost 90 per cent of us take transit regularly, and those of us who do spend about twice as much time on buses as the average student in Canada does.

Given that most university students are low earners and fewer than ever are buying cars, we rely on transit a lot more than most Vancouverites — and, as anyone who has waited half an hour for a bus at Production Station or watched the third completely full 135 in a row drive by will tell you, there is definitely work to be done. But the results of this plebiscite mean that progress from here on out will be molasses slow, if there’s any progress at all.

And it’s only going to get worse.

By 2041, roughly one million more people will live in Greater Vancouver, 700,000 more cars will be on our roads, and TransLink will contend with many, many more passengers on their already crowded buses and trains. You think the 135 is packed now? Just you wait.

In March of this year, The Peak polled almost 100 SFU students, 71 per cent of whom said that they intended to vote “yes” on the transit plebiscite.

The reason? BC students want better transit, and they’re willing to pay extra to make sure that they get it.

By the same token, it’s students who will be hit hardest by the “no” vote, and it’s us who will be picking up the pieces in 2041.

Getting sunburnt is absolutely the best feeling in the world, and you know it. Just stop and think about it for a second.

A sunburn means that you’ve actually succeeded in tanning; it’s hard work laying on your back and stomach garnering no seeable results. It can be downright disheartening sometimes. A sunburn is like hitting the speed boost in Mario Kart; it gets you closer to the bronze.

Secondly, just think about how your body responds to a

patch of scorched tissue. It fluctuates between feelings of stinging heat followed by the most transcendent chilling body shivers anyone could ever ask for. It is a lot like taking shower with a little sibling turning the tap water on and off. At first it’s annoying, but afterwards — pure bliss.

Finally, a sunburn allows you to get that sensual aloe vera back massage you always dreamed about receiving. So blast some Bob Marley and take it easy, because today your pain is your gain.

This month we were introduced to another facepalm-inducing trend, continuing the spirited tradition of greatly avoidable stupidity. Ladies and gentlemen, bear witness to maybe the dumbest one yet: sunburn tattoos.

Yes, people are actually using the sun to burn everything from intricate kaleidoscopes and flowers to smiley faces onto their pasty white bodies.

Adult males in particular are burning Batman logos onto their chest in what I can only assume

is an ill-conceived audition to be Gotham’s savior. Let me be brutally honest with you blokes: we neither need you nor do we deserve you. I would not trust you to guard my empty beer bottle.

Worse still, these simpleminded buffoons are increasing their risk of melanoma. Is it really worth getting skin cancer for a dumb trend? Look, children, if you were looking to do something stupid that would not be of detriment to your health, you should have just invested in Bitcoin.

sfu.ca/sca

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10 OPINIONS

[CUE THE DRAMATIC MUSIC] My dearly beloved Renaissance at Cornerstone, It saddens me to think that you’ve used the last of your coffee filters this past June 27; that you have shut your doors; that you are no longer. I gave you five to 10 minutes of my life (‘cause damn those lines can be long!) twice each week, in order to caress the rim of your styrofoam cup with my lips, and satisfy my salivary glands with your cheese bagels with cream cheese.

I greatly admire what you stood for. You stood to serve fresh, homemade delicacies, to

Maybe some of your remember earlier this year when SFU released this year’s addition to its annual April Fool’s gag — a YouTube a video depicting hallway ‘traffic’ police, separating and maneuvering distracted texters through the ‘slow’ lane, while urging those without phones through the fast lane. The video showcased an elaborate set-up, with pylons, brightly coloured traffic signs, and a highway speed monitor.

The actors cited texting while walking as the main cause for hallway accidents and injuries; an irrefutable relation to highway traffic.

Lack of attention sometimes leads to severe consequences.

Nonetheless, the video gave me a laugh. I remembered the odd time I’d accidentally ‘crashed’ into

bring a community of students together, and to brandish school pride with your SFU Burnaby origins.

Alas, it took a mere 10 years for your small, local business to be trampled upon, smothered, thwarted by an incredibly wealthy topless mermaid, who straightens her green crown, flips her flowing locks, and takes a duckface selfie before hauling her corporate ass through those doors.

And you have left me gutwrenched, grief-stricken — a piece of my caffeinated soul lost forever.

I’ll be honest, your mochas taste a bit like burnt rubber, but it sickens me to envision hordes of students soon blindly feasting their tastebuds upon plastic croissants that conspire against our stomachs, or seductive tongues tickling our ear canals with lies of authentic ‘cuisine de France’ — all for five times the price.

You were local, you were fresh, you were honoured as part of the SFU community.

Tears now glisten down my now sunken, Renaissance-depriven cheeks!

Starbucks has undermined the inextricable values of small,

July 13, 2015

independent business, and with it a sizeable portion of SFU pride.

It’s brought further shame upon this campus by hiding under a visage of promises which include “creating community social space,” and “improving areas,” as the director of Ancillary Services Mark McLaughlin so justly stated.

I scoff! You, Renaissance, accommodated the same community

social space. In fact, my beloved, you had no choice, for you housed the exact same number of square feet to offer our cranky, burgeoning academics. And believe me, my bruised hip-bones can attest to the fact that you were most definitely not short on table-space.

As for “improving areas,” allow me to be frank: what the hell does that mean?

smartphone generation. Here guys, you can have the super slow lane!

But turning the tables, I think it’s pretty sad that universities fall prey to unnecessary carelessness and narcissism. In other words, the U of N shouldn’t be responsible for the ways students choose to behave as they walk around campus.

For some reason, many of us can’t seem to tear our eyes away from our screens; like, ever.

somebody while traversing the AQ. I tend to walk quickly — this is a subconscious feature of the 1993 “model ‘Adam’;” I was unfortunately manufactured with only two gears, running and walking very fast. This makes my head-on collisions a little more catastrophic when I become part of the digital roaming dead (or driving dead, in this case).

I then realized that hallway collisions aren’t actually that much

of a joke. Universities in Utah, China, Belgium, Philadelphia, and who knows where else, have now started to paint ‘traffic’ lanes on their campus floors. The University of Nevada, in particular, is attempting to give pupils a choice of speed: whether to run, walk, or text as they move from one place to the next.

First, I find it humorous that the slowest lane is actually labelled as ‘text;’ a lovely sentiment to our anxiety-ridden, self-absorbed,

I’ll admit I’ve made a conscious effort the past couple years to break away from the digital abyss by pushing my Samsung to the bottom of my backpack before I walk around campus, but temptation is unnerving — it’s hard to resist the urge to browse through things that you’ve already seen four times that day!

Though, in all honesty, this isn’t a great excuse to be irresponsible

Oh, the irony! What does this topless mermaid have that you do not? Ambiguity? Diabetes? High cholesterol? Boobs?

I understand that you still have two locations on our corporateladen campus, and that these locations are only a three-minute saunter apart from each other, but put simply, losing you, Cornerstone, means losing one of three dear friends; one who makes me feel like the SFU student that I am, and who understands that my wallet is in tatters by cheaply medicating me with the lifeblood of pure, black, liquid gold.

And now we have no choice but to let this witless mermaid twerk an espresso shot into our sleepy mornings, contaminating our psyches with falsities of what defines valuable (and successful) business.

Sure, your mochas are shit, but the entity that is you, and your home made toasted cheese bagels with cream cheese, will remain in the hearts and minds of Cornerstone-going coffee addicts forever.

Goodbye, Renaissance at Cornerstone.

Your sorrowful sipper, Adam

when pushing through the crowded AQ between classes.

To paint lines on university floors reminds us exactly of this: we’re addicts, we’re selfish, and yes, we actually risk the safety of ourselves and others when we don’t watch where our feet take us. A ‘text’ lane turns our surroundings into a hallway of shame, and I hope this isn’t a trend that sticks.

It’s our responsibility to make sure our we don’t risk safety when our thumbs are having conversations.

If the hall is crowded (as it most often is at SFU during the day) we’d be best off to step to the side and let other people pass while we aimlessly browse social media or engage in conversations with our friends. As grown-ups, it’s not up to the university to police how we act.

So take a personal challenge and put your phone away for these short amounts of time; liberate yourself from social media and let your mouth do the talking for once. Your eyes, rather than your feet, should guide you to your destination.

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ARTS

arts editor email

July 13, 2015

Tessa Perkins arts@the-peak.ca

COMIC CONNOISSEUR

of his existential crisis when he meets a young and attractive student. This movie couldn’t sound any more Woody Allen, so let’s just hope it’s the good kind.

The Look Of Silence (July 24) Sun’s out, guns out — that’s the summer movie motto. While Jurassic World, Terminator: Genisys, and Magic Mike XXL have flaunted their junk to wide audiences, these five upcoming films, which don’t feature time travel, strippers, or dinosaurs, unclothe all exaggerations to tell grounded, human stories. Hiding in the shade of the summer blockbuster season, these are five hidden gems.

About Elly (July 18) The Iranian director behind masterpieces like A Separation and The Past, Asgar Farhadi, made this film in 2009 before breaking out as one of cinema’s most powerful and complex filmmakers. Having never been released theatrically, About Elly is now being distributed across North America.

Like Farhadi’s other films, About Elly begins with mundane interactions that eventually lead to reflection on political status quos and complex moral situations. A group of friends go to a beach resort and Elly, an acquaintance who has been brought along for mysterious reasons, disappears. Farhadi is as concerned with exposing insidious and sexist moral traditions as he is with telling a compelling and grounded thriller. This is the best film I’ve seen this year.

In 2013 Joshua Oppenheimer’s nauseatingly powerful documentary The Act Of Killing was released to widespread critical acclaim and controversy. The film traced a few gangsters involved in the Indonesian genocide of 1965–1966 where one million people were killed for their alleged allegiance to communist ideology.

The Look of Silence, the followup documentary to The Act Of Killing, centers on an optometrist who interviews the gangsters who killed his brother. Oppenheimer’s debut created a discourse about this dark patch of Indonesian history as well as America’s involvement in the genocide. The Look Of Silence adds more fuel to the discussion on Indonesia’s nefarious past and dark present.

Eden (August 1) Mia Hansen-Love’s film is about the rise of house music during the ‘90s, and a young DJ who navigates the scene. This film shares many similarities with last year’s Boyhood: the plotless structure, the deliberate pace, the epic sweep of time. Eden takes place over two decades and the film begins to find its thematic focus as the world around the protagonist continually changes while he stays the same. At about two and a half hours, Eden is quite long, but by the time it’s done you can’t help but want to start it all over again.

Irrational Man (July 24)

Dope (TBA)

The general rule for Woody Allen is that every second film he makes is the good one. Midnight in Paris was solid, To Rome With Love was not; Blue Jasmine had widespread acclaim, Magic in the Moonlight wasn’t lauded. Irrational Man should be another return to form for the prolific director. The film, which debuted to mixed reviews at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, is about a tormented philosophy professor who gets out

Along with Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, Dope emerged from this year’s Sundance as a favourite for both critics and audiences. The film has already had a wide release in the US and Toronto but no date has been set for Vancouver — however, it should make its way to the west coast before September.

Dope tells the story of Malcolm, a nerdy high school student who lives in the ghetto of Los Angeles with dreams of attending Harvard.

Flipping through What We Need To Know, a reader might come to the conclusion that this is an unfinished work — and to a certain degree, they wouldn’t be wrong.

The art is only pencilled; it lacks the inks and colors that bring everything together nicely.

Rest assured, Willy Linthout’s reasons for this were not out of laziness or succumbing to a deadline; he does this to symbolize the haze of psychosis his characters feel as they combat the ghosts in their lives. The art is unfinished and needs development, not unlike the characters whom we follow in this melancholy tale.

What We Need To Know follows the story of three estranged brothers coping with their aging mother’s slow decline in health. With their ma at death’s door, long-gestating issues among the siblings begin to manifest like never before.

Each brother faces his own inner demon in the story — and each deals with it differently.

Carl, a man haunted by the suicide of his son, has exiled himself from his wife and the world.

He writes poetry at his desk secluded from everyone. When his mother’s health concerns come to pass, he is forced to leave his protective shell and reacquaint

himself with the world he left behind.

Roger, on the other hand, battles alcoholism — and not very well, either. With his mother falling to sickness, his drinking issues become further exacerbated.

Ignoring his doctor’s and wife’s cries for him to cut down on his heavy drinking, Roger secretly sneaks to his barn to get drunk sharing in the company of a hallucinatory chicken, enabling him to drink more.

Lastly, Walter, who lives with his ailing Mother, is a controlling and lazy man who often secludes himself from others. He is an inadvertently humorous character who often makes the declaration that he does not need others to take care of him, and yet shows no proficiency in self-efficacy whatsoever. Of all the brothers, Walter is the most humorous, but also the most tragic.

Willy Linthout writes an endearing and heart-wrenching drama sprinkled with dark humour. But as engrossing as this story is, it is not without its flaws.

The most notable one being that the time dedicated to each brother is inconsistent. For example, Walter’s story arc has many pages dedicated to it, whereas his brother’s storylines are significantly fewer. Granted, What We Need To Know is a sequel to Years of the Elephant, for which a considerable amount of time was dedicated to Carl’s character.

With that though, I bring up my second critique: for those unaware of the first in the series, the book can be a little confusing at times. As readers continue to dive into the lives of the characters continuing plot threads become clearer, but not as clear as they could be.

ARTS

FVDED, the annual hip hop and dance music festival, presented an interesting crowd, from kids who looked about eight years old to the sixty-six year old woman I met on the SkyTrain who was following her favourite DJ downtown to see another show. Just about anyone you could think of wearing anything — or nothing — was there.

FVDED presented an equally interesting lineup: eccentric rappers like Danny Brown came together with more mellow and chill house and techno producers like Claude Vonstroke.

The two stages worked very well in terms of not necessarily dividing the audience, but in keeping a solid separation between the mainstream and the alternative.

Tommy Kruise, a French-Canadian man with luscious hair, played incredibly well on stage.

Considering he was given the first set at the main stage, it’s

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not surprising people were still milling around and determining their place at FVDED during his set. Sadly, he seemed to be the only one excited about it.

Nobody seemed to get into his smooth sounds, which is a shame to say the least.

Next on stage was Danny Brown, the man who questioned Su r re y ’s fadedness: he said, “So this event is called FVDED in the Park, but how many of y’all are actually faded in this motherfuckin’ park?” The crowd was pumped for him. This guy is a true rapper’s delight. Even if hip-hop

isn’t your cup of tea, he was a truly engaging performer, despite his often hard-to-makeout lyrics.

DJ Chuckie killed it. The growing audience just loved Chuckie’s mix of house and top 40. The people at Holland Park were barely touching the ground! This vibe definitely continued with Flosstradamus.

Both of their white outfits and trippy backgrounds did it for the mostly naked adolescents that filled more than 90 per cent of the field.

At this point, Tyler, The Creator and Deadmau5, probably the two biggest acts for the two-day music festival, were the only ones left for the main stage. Tyler, a twenty-four year old lanky rapper from California, was awesome. Anyone who claims their “boxers are too big” for the stage must be wicked. His rapping and charisma charmed the crowd.

All these great acts paved a hard path to follow for Deadmau5, the evening’s headliner.

They always say to save dessert for last, though, in FVDED, the first six hours were sweeter than the final act. Deadmau5 was nothing more than brussels sprouts. Raw — not even served with cheese sauce. Also, did he just have his heart broken? He sounded sad.

The tunes he played were sad, mellow, and chill; everything you don’t expect a rave to be. Every so often, he would perform a decent drop that got the crowd back into caring about his mouse mask.

Overall, Deadmau5 was weak, but everyone must have been so hopped up on drugs and booze that it was probably decent in their ears. This is only a maybe, since the bulk of partygoers ended up leaving midway during his set.

The only lively thing about this dead animal was the light show; otherwise, it was a pure disappointment.

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Aside from Deadmau5’s slipup, the evening was ace. In my eyes, Chuckie was the star. He not only appealed to the largest number of people, including both the eight-year-olds accompanied by their mothers and fathers and the grandparents closing their eyes for bedtime at 7:30 pm, but every beat drop was unreal. Chuckie is not child’s play — he’s the real deal, and he most definitely stole the show.

FVDED didn’t just live up to my expectations; it surpassed them. It was an inclusive event which encompassed an interesting crowd, making the experience all the more fun.

14 ARTS

Raincity Juicery is the place to visit this summer. As a resident of New Westminster I celebrate chic local finds like the Hide Out Cafe, Brick and Mortar, and Old Crow Coffee, but the community has long been anticipating the opening of Raincity Juicery — a delicious coldpressed juice bar.

Seizing the opportunity to check out a new local business, I was able to try some of their products and hang out with Tylan Fraser, one of the three business owners, as well as the lovely recipe creator, Jill.

Tucked away on Front Street, large wooden double doors lead into a space that is both sophisticated and irresistibly inviting.

Along with a wide variety of coldpressed juices, they also have smoothies and yummy bites like guacamole and zucchini noodles.

The ambiance of the place is devotedly comfortable and makes you feel free to drop in and pick up

Andy Toth has played Edna Turnblad in Hairspray before, but this time he actually had a chance to rehearse. Last time, he was filling in at the Arts Club and prepared for the role in only 17 hours. “It’s luxurious,” he said with a laugh, explaining that reprising the role at Theatre Under the Stars has been a lot of fun and the production feels just as professional.

The character of Edna Turnblad was created by John Waters for his 1988 film, and was written for his good friend, the drag queen Divine.

Since then, Edna has always been played by a man, and the crossdressing element is important to the role. If the role was played by a woman, Toth explained, “it wouldn’t be the same as the original. He wrote the role with [Divine] in mind

July 13, 2015

a quick to-go juice or stay a while reading a good book.

“It all started with wanting a juice or smoothie in the morning,” Tylan Fraser said, emphasizing the inclusivity of the business towards all lifestyles — raw, vegan, otherwise. “The menu is constantly developing.”

Like many others, I had heard about Raincity Juicery many months back through pre-grand opening Instagram posts. I was surprised and impressed, however, to find that social media and word of mouth have been the main marketing method, with only booths at social gatherings to support the effort.

The most difficult part of opening a local business, Fraser explained, was “not knowing what to expect. Every day is a new thing, and it takes work just to get it open, but it really takes work to keep it open.” Fraser also expressed gratitude towards his welcoming and supportive customers and neighbouring local businesses.

As a business that recently opened and is still figuring out their systems, everything on the menu is fresh, unique, and effectively prepared. I tried all of the juices through two flights (healthy flights — not beer flights, folks — that’s what’s

and it metaphorically accentuates that she doesn’t fit into society.”

While Edna’s character is a prominent figure, her daughter, Tracy, is the protagonist of the show. Tracy wins a spot to dance on a popular television show and becomes an instant celebrity, using her new status to try to convince the show to be racially inclusive.

up), and I thoroughly enjoyed most of them. The 6UP and Pinks were tangy and sweet like an imitation of sour candy; Remedy and Tropical Express are both fruity drinks with a unique but strangely delectable kick, one from cayenne and the other from jalapeno. Sounds weird, but don’t hate it until you try it.

The only one that was too intense for me was All Greens — a green juice that was a little too

Hairspray has been described as the ultimate feel-good musical, and Toth chalks that up to its themes, which everyone can relate to.

“There’s a universality in needing to belong and hoping for the best, and Tracy has that in spades.” Everyone has their moment of triumph — even the antagonists finally accept racial integration, and it sends the

savoury for me. If you like Caesars or are used to green juices, it’s definitely worth a try. My favourites would have to be the New Beets, New West Sunset, and OJ: smooth, sweet, and an agreeable companion to have in surviving the hot summer sun.

Along with the juices, I tried the Zucchini “pasta”: spiralizer zucchini with fresh tomato and cashew cheese sauce. It was undeniably

message that everyone is welcome and this ideal world is possible.

Edna is an endearing character, and Toth said that he enjoys the relationship she has with her husband, Wilbur. “She and her husband are in each other’s corner. He kinda supports her crazy, and she loves him for it.” His favourite song to perform, he says, is “Timeless to

satisfying for a summer palette that craves more cold than hot — you don’t miss the wheat, or remember that you’re essentially just eating a salad. The dish is filling, rich, and raw vegan.

Raincity Juicery is well worth the visit. The people, the products, the decor, and the ambiance all go above and beyond and are refreshingly down-to-earth. Don’t miss out on this hidden local gem.

Me” because it’s about the strength of their relationship and that they can never be apart.

Playing Edna is not all fun and games, though. “I’m not looking forward to getting into the polyester wig and clothing,” laughed Toth, describing the sweat-inducing costume as providing a large physical transformation.

The uplifting feeling is continued by the live band rocking out with key changes and an explosive pop of joy at the end.

The final song, “You Can’t Stop the Beat” is very uplifting, but Toth explained that Broadway performers refer to it as “You Can’t Stop to Breathe” because it is six minutes of nonstop dancing and singing.

“The show’s a blast,” said Toth.

“Even if you’ve seen Hairspray, people will find something in this one that they haven’t seen before.”

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HUMOUR

July 13, 2015

humour editor email

Jacey Gibb humour@the-peak.ca

ARTS

Donald Davidson is casually going for a stroll in a swamp when — bang! — a flash of lightning comes down and kills him.

Another bolt carrying all of Davidson’s DNA hits the swamp and creates his perfect replica: Swampman. If the naturalist and materialist were correct, Swampman would go on to finish writing Davidson’s essays as though nothing had happened.

This famous philosophical thought experiment — an imaginary situation that examines the consequences of a theory — seeks to support the dualists’ view that personal identity is not identical with anything physical.

I mention this thought experiment in relation to Tarsem Singh’s new science fiction film Self/Less for three reasons. First, it’s a really strong argument against those that think personal identity is solely a cause of the material body and not the result of an immaterial mind with memories and consciousness.

Second, the best and most thought-provoking science fiction is like a thought experiment.

Freed from the constraints of natural laws, filmmakers are free to imagine paradoxical and absurd consequences that stem from certain philosophical theories.

Third, Self/Less, the story of a dying rich man, Damian (Ben Kingsley), who wants to save himself by transferring his mind into another body (Ryan Reynolds), engages with the philosophical debate alluded to by Swampman.

It’s a film which, on the surface, seems to simply be a thought experiment sci-fi, but Self/Less abandons philosophical inquiry after a fascinating opening hour in favour of a more generic genre film with predictable guns and car chases. This is a dumb film that begins by engaging with some very smart ideas.

I am conflicted. I recognize that Self/Less ’s screenplay by David and Alex Pastor could have lent itself to a more complex and

July 13, 2015

cerebrally thrilling film, yet I’m stuck evaluating the one with a safer, more mediocre narrative. For all the promise of the first act, Self/Less would rather be just another man-on-the-run thriller and should therefore be evaluated as such.

The director, Tarsem Singh, has made bad films before, but never a bad looking one, and this is no exception. With a background in music video direction, his imagery is always distinct, unique, and stylized, and his previous films all take place in fantastical worlds. What’s interesting about Self/Less is how he shoots and edits an imaginative film with a more grounded framework. The narrative may ignore the higher realms of science fiction for conventional beats, but the direction is far from generic or lazy.

Singh pays attention to architecture and the emotional responses it elicits: a gold-plated apartment in New York city reeks of cold detachment; an exotic mansion in New Orleans feels like a second chance at life; the underground lab where Damien’s consciousness is transferred into another body is sinister and shady, but also exciting and futuristic. If his characters are sometimes stoic, Singh’s visual energy expresses the feeling that his characters lack.

Simple hand-to-hand combat sequences display a careful attention to space.

Montages that are used to efficiently progress the narrative are expressions of the protagonists’ subjective experience. Many scenes in this film don’t work on an intellectual or narrative level, but their visceral intrigue comes from the inspired bravado of the aesthetic.

In many ways Self/Less works like a muddled non-narrative experimental film: any attempts at plot are pointless and the ideas are hard to follow and half-baked, but the intrigue comes from experiencing how the filmmaker can paint rapturous imagery with juxtapositions of light, movement, time, and music. I would have preferred to see an adaptation of Donaldson’s Swampman, but you will see worse and less visually inspired films this summer.

Returning with a new take on his folk-pop sound, Matt Epp released his full-length album, Ready in Time, on June 23. The record was foreshadowed by his EP Luma last October. Hailing from Winnipeg, Epp’s Canadian content has been showcased on CBC Music this past month. The songs off Ready In Time maintain a lighter pop sound, despite their serious undertones that diverge from his folk roots.

Epp’s songs follow a narrative style; they tell the listener a story. His sound for this album is mellow and relaxed, with some catchy guitar riffs thrown in. He has power behind his vocals, and he shows that off in songs like “Aftermath” and “Cash & Blood.”

What this album does lack is some cohesion between the themes of the songs. Half of the songs, such as “Let Her Know,” “Go Somewhere,” and “Something Better” seem to address themes of relationships and love, straying the furthest from his original folk sound. Other songs such as “Ready In Time,” “Hard to Say,” and “Cash & Blood” deal with more serious themes and work with a stronger narrative.

“Ready In Time” and “Hard To Say” have clichéd narratives, which feel too simplistic, and as if they are attempting to be more moving than they actually are. “Let Her Know” and “Cash & Blood” have been done before as well. A man loses a girl in “Let Her Know” because he doesn’t value her, and surprise, the “good guy” swoops in and wins her over because he admitted to his feelings. That has been sung before.

In “Cash & Blood,” the guilt of first world living when people

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across the world are suffering feels like too obvious a choice for a “deeper” theme.

Just because the lyrics can be simplistic or cliché at times doesn’t mean the album isn’t enjoyable though. “Cash & Blood” consistently gets stuck in my head, and Matt Epp provides us with some catchy choruses. If you’re interested in some light, fun, summer tunes, there are definitely a few tracks on this album for you, as well as some more thoughtful pieces for you to mull over.

HUMOUR

Shirley Gnome is aware that comedy musicians have a slightly tarnished reputation. For every successful example like Weird Al or Flight of the Conchords, there are a dozen acts that flounder, either from poor songwriting, poor jokes, or some hellish combination of the two. But with a string of accolades to her name — including back-toback Canadian Comedy Award nominations for Best Variety Act — and her signature bright pink cowboy hat in tow, Gnome has hit the perfect note. Read on to learn about how she first got involved with comedy, the live album she recorded earlier this year, and why country music and comedy can be a difficult hybrid to sell to an audience.

How would you describe your comedy to someone who’s never seen Shirley Gnome?

I sing country songs about the stuff that women talk about in living rooms when they’ve had too much wine. The comedy is about being honest about a lot of things involving love, sex, relationships, and desire. I would describe it as very X-rated, very explicit, super honest, sometimes very silly, sometimes thoughtful comedy.

Honestly I usually just tell people they have to see it. The live show’s kind of an experience, so you have to see it to believe it.

Have any family members seen your show before?

Yeah, my parents, my brother, my grandma, they’ve all seen it.

They all think it’s awesome. My parents are actually very strong supporters, they’ve helped me out a lot. My mom even came to the Montreal Fringe this year. She handed out flyers, helped me sell merch, and sometimes even carried my guitar. Everyone was calling her roadie mom. So yeah, they get the jokes, they get the cleverness. They think it’s funny.

Has music always been so interwoven into your comedy?

I consider myself a musician before I consider myself a comedian. I love all kinds of music and I didn’t even know there was a stand-up scene in Vancouver until somebody invited me to do it. It wasn’t something that was actively part of my life, but music always was. I don’t think I would do comedy without music.

When did you first get into comedy?

I mostly did music and burlesque shows for two or three years.

It was just sort of a joke side project

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and then my friend, who was bartending at a restaurant that had a comedy night, asked me to come and play his favourite song. I was weary about it, but then he offered me free bourbon if I showed up, so I thought, “Worst comes to worst, I get a bunch of free bourbon.” I went down and that night there were a bunch of great comics and everyone asked me where I had been hiding and they told me about all of these other comedy rooms. From there, it just took off.

Country music especially seems really polarizing; people either love or hate it. What’s been your experience with that?

There are two things that work against me when it comes to getting on stage: country music is one, because people have an aversion to it, and the second thing is, unfortunately, musical comedy often has a bad rep.

People have seen enough bad musical comedians that they assume you’re going to be bad. Ask any musical comedian, they have to fight the first five or 10 minutes because they have to prove to the audience they’re not going to make them feel shitty. It’s always this upward climb. Musical comedy’s hard because you have to be a good comedian and you have to be a good musician. Most people will assume one of the elements is going to be off and it’s not going to be enjoyable.

What can you tell me about your latest release, the live album Lady of the Night?

That one was a reflection of me, being a part of the comedy world.

The last two releases were studio albums with full bands, and this one was the act that I’ve developed from being in the comedy scene, so it’s just me and a guitar and an audience — that’s what my show’s turned into, in a sense. That’s why I

decided to do a live album. Plus I had all of these songs I hadn’t recorded. Basically I was like, “Oh shit, I need to get all of this recorded so I can make room for more stuff.”

You’ve already done one set of Fringe shows, and you’re slated for two more this year.

What can you tell me about the show you’re performing?

Fringe audiences are amazing.

They just sit there and watch and they’re quiet and you can do whatever you want and they’ll go with you wherever you go. So what I’ve done with my material is taken all of my songs and woven them into an arc of a story that I tell. I change up the first half of the show sometimes, changing what songs I play, depending on the crowd. Sometimes I’ll go on a random tangent. There’s usually a variation, and then the second half is set as a mini arc with some darker themes. I get to play with a few stage conventions, like lighting cues, in a way that I don’t get to do at comedy or music shows.

If someone was trying to break into the Vancouver comedy scene, what would be your advice to them?

Someone was just saying this to me, about how they always wanted to give comedy a shot.

Honestly, there are so many cool little rooms where you can try and most of the audience will be comics anyways. You can just get up there and people are pretty supportive. It’s not hard to start, but the thing is you have to keep with it. That’s trickier than just starting; it’s not stopping.

Sometimes it’s frustrating. You’ll bomb at the beginning and it’s not a nice feeling, so you have to persevere. Get advice from the pros. When they’re there, ask them for feedback. It’s a great city to be in to try out comedy, so take advantage of that.

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18 HUMOUR

July 13, 2015

The fundamental skills of archaeology will be covered in this course, including how to measure your head-size for future fedora purchases, both practical and impractical uses for a whip, and how to grow just the right amount of facial hair to appear scruffy (but not too scruffy).

In this four-credit course, students will study the rise of sarcasm as a form of storytelling for modern audiences.

We will also look at the various ways in which literary writers have tried — and failed — to convey the tone of sarcasm and some of the most famous examples of how sarcasm led to a big miscommunication. Wow, sounds like a really insightful course.

This altered consciousness-heavy course will look at the multiple realities that are produced whenever humans fall asleep during class, as well as the peculiar thoughts that manifest whenever we let our minds drift to something more interesting. Like, have you ever considered that when you’re going between time zones, you’re technically travelling through time?

Intensive study of what to do if your life ever takes an Agatha Christie-style turn, and you’re forced to solve a crime whilst aboard a fast-moving train in an exotic country. Fifty per cent of the final mark will come from coursework, while the other half will be based on applying the learned knowledge to a reallife scenario. Please note that this course is reserved for Criminology honours, majors, and people who have just always wanted to do something as cool as this.

An investigation into the dialects used on your Facebook newsfeed, as well as those found on Instagram, Twitter, and whatever other dumb social media platform is trendy now. Course requirements include having Internet access at home and a smartphone with data, as students will be expected to access social media regularly and excessively.

Introduction on how modern economics influence our society, as well as how to use this first-year knowledge to become instantly rich and successful. We will also look at what to do when you simply have too much money and no clue what to spend all of those fat stacks on.

An assessment of the term feminist, as it should already apply to everyone.

Examples of why people say they’re not a feminist will be examined, along with logic-filled rebuttals students can use to discredit the anti-feminist movement.

Prerequisite: common sense.

An in-depth look at how schools often serve as the backdrop for countless successful television shows and films, despite none of the actors’ ages correlating with the characters they’re portraying. Please note that this is a viewing-intensive course, with students required to binge-watch many of the shows they were probably already watching anyways.

The battle for total corporate domination at SFU Burnaby has claimed another victim: last week, beloved food kiosk Guadalupe Handmade Burritos made an announcement that after a short but illustrious run, they will be packing in their beans, guacamole, and assorted heated sauces. Students now have only three weeks to get their fill of the most delicious burritos and tacos to ever grace the university’s campus.

Guadalupe’s seemingly sudden announcement has left many students feeling confused, sad, and suspicious that this might finally be the sign they’ve been looking for that God doesn’t really exist. A petition has already begun circulating the Internet, with over 10,000 signatures amassed as of July 12.

Criminology major and burrito addict Lindsey Cho, a regular at Guadalupe, told The Peak she is fearful for her mental stability after this unexpected revelation: “This can’t be happening. Every time I go to grab some food there, the line’s 10 people deep. It’s always buzzing with customers. Now how am I supposed to get my fix? I’m going to be burrito-tweaking hard by Friday.”

As it turns out, Guadalupe’s closure has nothing to do with a lack of lucrative earnings; the now-former owner of the food stand confided in The Peak that the closure was due to politics and competition from a well-known rival company.

“Not a lot of people know this, but we secured the lease shortly before Taco Bell was supposed to,” said the source. “They were pissed about it. They had plans to open up in the Ladle’s previous location.

However, they were threatened by our success and comparatively better product.

“It wasn’t an easy decision to make — given our success and the wonderful staff I have — but

at the end of the day, it wasn’t just about the money. It was about a lot of money. I mean, not only can I pay off my mortgage now, but I have enough money for a boat or maybe two.

Straight-up pimp daddy of the seas, thanks to Taco Bell.”

Guadalupe will soon share the same fate as Himalayan Peak and the Cornerstone branch of Renaissance Cafe — a shift that has many students theorizing the fate of other independent establishments on

campus. Dean McClees, an economics professor at SFU, suggested to The Peak that the closures might be far from over.

“Himalayan Peak, the Renaissance by the upper bus loop, and now the popular student food destination Guadalupe. It’s an unsettling trend with foreboding notions for the food landscape at SFU Burnaby.

I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if the Highland Pub was turned into a McDonald’s somewhere down the line. On the bright side, given the

space they would have to work with, the PlayPlace would be epic.”

Coincidentally, McDonald’s is indeed scheduled to replace The Ladle in September 2015, still occupying the left portion of the front of Higher Grounds coffee.

Taco Bell is set to take over Guadalupe’s space before fall semester begins, meaning students should start mentally preparing themselves now for the unsatisfying and mediocres flavours they will soon be choosing to consume. Patrons are also being advised to cry on their orders to make them more edible, potentially diluting any unsavory notes the chemically injected ingredients will undoubtedly have.

On Friday July 31, Guadalupe’s will serve its last chicken stuffed pinto bean-filled mouth-watering Free Runner, capping off its righteous and drool-inducing run in the pantheon of SFU food stops. Editors of The Peak newspaper will be holding a candlelight vigil in memoriam of this sad event. All SFU students, staff, and faculty are welcome to attend.

DIVERSIONS / ETC

July 13, 2015

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LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION

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20 LAST WORD

T

he main floor of SFU’s AQ building is a major thoroughfare. It’s busiest at peak class times, especially in the fall. It’s a transit hub, but also as a social space — perhaps the most social space at SFU’s Burnaby campus.

Found on this floor, across from the largest lecture halls in the school, are the SFU Galleries. This space stewards the Simon Fraser University Art Collection which includes in its holdings of over 5,500 works, significant regional and national works spanning the last century. One of those is Brady Cranfield’s Rhythmanalysis, marked on a bright poster outside of the SFU Gallery, which continues to illuminate this space at SFU. It is one of several personal rhythmanalysis studies conducted by SFU artists and writers near literal windows at the SFU campuses, and these posters are just one facet of a grand, three-part exhibition put on by SFU Galleries this summer, titled Through A Window.

Curated by Melanie O’Brian and Amy Kazymerchyk, Through A Window traces the history of art at SFU of the past 50 years. The inspiration behind the project stems from Henri Lefebvre’s book Rhythmanalysis (1992), particularly the chapter “Seen from the Window,” which allows us to consider three social, spatial, and material windows of SFU, and explore different rhythms since SFU’s inception in 1965.

Lefebvre’s method of rhythmanalysis begins with observing the rhythms of the body and how they are impacted by the natural and synthetic rhythms of the economies and cultures we live within, which in turn produces social practices and public spaces.

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“It is such a big idea, and SFU is a portal,” explained Melanie O’Brian, the director of SFU Galleries. “Here we can look at those big and small rhythms in a meaningful way.”

The rhythmanalysis takes place in the framing of these different spaces, and is rooted in the concept of the ‘lens.’ We can first look through our lens at what’s going on ‘out there,’ on the other side of the window. We can also be introspective, and look at the rhythms within the walls of SFU and ourselves.

The exhibition is anchored at three SFU windows: SFU Gallery at the Burnaby campus (established 1970), the Teck Gallery at Harbour Centre in Vancouver (established 1989), and the Audain Gallery at the Goldcorp Centre for the Arts in Vancouver (established 2010).

Each space reflects its own unique history, psychology, community, and rhythms. Therefore, though the works one sees and the experiences one has are completely different, they still contribute to a whole cohesive and powerful narrative.

O’Brian asks, “What is each without its context?” and stresses that each window “provides a space for social development.”

The SFU Gallery showcases intimate moments from our past, ranging from works of photography — my favourite is a grainy, oversized one of a professor throwing books from her office in the AQ — to video installation, such as an assignment in which a student records himself walking back and forth, over and over, in the space where the original SFU Pub was located.

Historically, our Burnaby mountain location has been slightly

July 13, 2015

removed from the city’s rhythms, and so a unique situation of special freedom and ‘bird’s eye view’ thinking has manifested here. Featured are conceptual artists from the SFU community such as members of N.E. Thing Co., Christos Dikeakos, Ken Lum, Jeff Wall, and succeeding generations of SFU students and faculty, including Allyson Clay, Carol Sawyer, Reece Terris, Stephen Waddell, and Jin-me Yoon.

The Audain Gallery, located in the heart of Vancouver, is rooted in a more political performance, and uniquely takes up sound, activism, film, literature, photography, and performance as extensions of Lefebvre’s process of rhythmanalysis. It includes works by Lorna Brown, Rodney Graham, Tiziana La Melia, Elspeth Pratt, Judy Radul, and Althea Thauberger.

At Harbour Centre’s Teck Gallery, Sabine Bitter and Helmut Weber’s installation, The Templeton Five Affair, March 1967 (2010) features two opposing images: one of the exterior of the AQ with all people removed, leaving only white space, and the other of all those people without their surroundings. It investigates the struggle for academic freedom, as well as collective agency and the educational institution.

O’Brian acknowledged that the intention behind the exhibition is to lay the foundation for art history at SFU. “It’s about making what has happened here known,” she emphasized. “It’s recuperative and celebratory.”

Entering into the frames and rhythms of art and SFU, it’s clear that there have been huge transformations throughout the decades.

Pointing out pieces by students,

alumni, professors, and community collaborations, O’Brian explains how the societal consciousness and external rhythms are reflected internally through the artwork at SFU. Looking back at work from Jeff Wall from 1977 reveals a process of relation rooted in conceptual art and photography. Moving into the 1980s, the shift of identity politics and feminism in the community is reflected through the change in teaching styles of art instructors at SFU, and subsequently the artists and art itself.

In the 1990s, through the age of the Internet, new media, and questions of gender, labour, and corporate versus individual identity, there was an increasing pull towards video and installation as the landscape of identity politics continued to change.

Through A Window is a dynamic and special exhibition. It signifies the first time that the art history of SFU has been collected, documented, and, of course, shared. It lays down the foundations of what our past has been, and sets us up to explore our future of possibilities.

We will be able to explore the rhythm of our history for some time longer — until July 31, 2015 at SFU Gallery in Burnaby, until August 1, 2015 at the Teck Gallery at Harbour Centre, and until April 30, 2016 at the Audain Gallery at Goldcorp Centre for the Arts.

The next time you find yourself power-walking to the Renaissance Cafe or your downtown location of choice, I encourage you to take a moment to stop by and feel the rhythm of our past 50 years. You won’t regret it.