The Runner: Volume 7, Issue 17

KWANTLEN’S MOST ELABORATE NAPKIN SINCE 2009 VOLUME-07-ISSUE-17 / MAY-05-2015

Cheap Eats

Solo Travel

Summer Movies

Outdoor Adventures

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Masthead

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News|The search for space 05 The Runner is student-owned and operated by Kwantlen Polytechnic University students, published under the Polytechnic Ink Publishing Society.

Arbutus 3710/3720 12666 72 Ave. Surrey, B.C, V3W 2M8 778.565.3801

www.runnermag.ca Vol. 07, Issue no. 17 May 05, 2015 ISSN# 1916 8241

Cover Art: Pifanida is a Spanish artist currently living in Vancouver. She usually draws funny stuff, and sometimes, she makes her work move. She draws both on paper and digitally, and she sometimes dares to do this on the walls as well. http://pifanida.com

CONTRIBUTORS Renee McMillen, Jeffrey Trainor, Nina Mosall, Joseph Keller, Kyle Prince, Amanda Paananen, Ashley Powell, Durrah Alsaid, Natalie Mussel, Danielle George, Jordan Bray, Scott McLelland, Hailey Logan, Rosaura Ojeda and Pifanida.

The Runner recognises that our work, both in and out of the office, takes place on unceded Coast and Strait Salish territories, specifically the shared traditional territories of the Kwantlen, Katzie, Semiahmoo, Sto:lo and Tsawwassen First Nations. Our name is inspired by the hun’qumi’num meaning of Kwantlen, which is tireless hunters or tireless runners. Just as Kwantlen is adaptable and changing so is The Runner.

EDITORIAL DIVISION Coordinating Editor / Kier-Christer Junos editor@runnermag.ca @kierjunos

The sharing aspect of the space is “kind of disappearing” according to Michaels, who frequently hosts the inclusivity workshops meant to promote social justice in the clubs/social justice room. “The concern that we’d really like to see resolved is having a Pride space that’s not appropriated for other uses.”

FEATURES| SUMMER IN BEAUTIFUL B.C. 10 Nestled in Kootenay National Park, Radium has a natural mineral hot spring carved right into the Rockies themselves: a natural oasis to let all the worries of your past semester fall away. From Radium, you can also easily take a day trip to the Columbia Icefields and walk along one of the largest glaciers in the Rocky Mountain range.

CULTURE|WRITING DEPT. READS 13 Locating the reading away from school meant that anyone wishing to attend would have to test their dedication by first mapping out a route to the event and then finding the means to get there. This was no doubt a risk for the department, as student events at Kwantlen, even those that are held on campus, have the perception of being notoriously ill-attended.

COLUMNS|VIDEO GAME LOGIC 08 Here’s a wide community building custom maps for anybody to try out, and there’s co-op game play which allows you to tackle the oncoming hordes of monsters with friends. You can craft your own armor and weapons in the game, and even go up against custom-made monsters.

OPINIONS|KEEP THE SENATE? 15 Other criticisms centre around the senators’ beefy six-figure salaries which don’t even include the expense account (ask Mr. Duffy about that one). Add to that the fact that the Senate is seen as a source of political gridlock and you can see the Senate abolitionists’ point.

Executive Editor / Samantha Thompson deputy@runnermag.ca @sampthompson

Production Editor / Roland Nguyen production@runnermag.ca

#BestPhoto featuring Kwantlen’s finest

from @kpu_ambassadors on Instagram (KPU Student Ambassadors) Each week we’ll pick our favourite photo from the Kwantlen social media community. To submit your photo, use the hashtag #kpufall.

Co-Art Director / Mark Stewart photos@runnermag.ca @markstewart

Co-Art Director / Charis Au

Social Media Specialist / Yaunna Sommersby @yaunnarae

Associate Editor / Connor Doyle

Staff Writer / Tristan Johnston

BUSINESS DIVISION Operations Manager / Scott Boux office@runnermag.ca / 778.565.3801 “The Student Ambassador team at Party for the Planet! Go get your picture taken at the #KPUphotobooth!!!! | NJ #KPU #Kwantlen #Surrey #CityOfSurrey #BC#PartyForThePlanet #p4tp #KwantlenU #SAteam #RunnerMag #Photobooth #FunTimes #FreeStuff @thecityofsurrey”

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From the Editors

Is the KSA’s transit referendum campaigning undemocratic?

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Kier-Christer Junos Coordinating Editor

If you listen really closely, you can hear the sound of first-years forgetting to sell back their textbooks.

Enter the Kwantlen buy-and-sell Facebook group. It’s nice that there’s a venue beyond B.C. Bookworm where KPU students can make a different kind of sound. They say you hear the sound of an opening till when someone finally sells their U-Pass illegally for exorbitant amounts of money. But the page is also a great place for reading funny comment threads, like the spicy little entry bashing the Kwantlen Student Association transit plebiscite campaign—the “yes” side of which the KSA are obviously proponents.

They sent out an email on April 17 encouraging students to embrace the KSA’s views in voting yes to the transit plebiscite, which closes May 29. The email also details what the tax, if approved, hopes to create (this includes increases to bus service and new light rail, among other things). Some students were not fond of this email, deeming the KSA’s methods inappropriate. Some even called it undemocratic. But the few

who now plan to create working Gmail filters are just plain wrong, really.

The very definition of campaign includes the promotion of that product. Some who disagreed with the email suggested that they would rather the KSA did something more informative and neutral. It seems these students don’t appreciate having these views pushed on them. But let’s be real here: the KSA is not made up of a bunch of wizards.

That email doesn’t force you to do anything.

They’re obviously lobbying pursuant to their policies on advocating for accessible transit for students. If you disagree with the KSA’s policy, then just tell them why it shouldn’t be a part of their mandate. Why not, right?

“Informative and neutral” is the fourth estate’s job, really, and if you were a politician, it’s not even remotely intuitive to say

something like, “Well, if you do vote for the other guy, that’s alright, I’m sure they could probably do a pretty good job.” In fact, we’ve seen that campaigns do the opposite. Take an example from Canadian politics: the attack ads against the Liberals in the 2006 federal elections were abhorrent, but they fucking worked, and now Steven Harpsichord has been playing his baroqueass Beatles cover for too damn long. (Thanks for my TFSA, though.)

Levity aside, that leaves another thing to consider, a great point brought forward in the thread by one-who-would-rather-not-bebound-by-email-bloodpacts. Should campaigning, in every regard, really be the way it is now? Should people with agendas really be pushing? The commenter suggested that it’s specifically at a university where processes like

Natalie Mussel

these should be challenged. If you don’t agree with that, well, all I can say is think bigger.

Universities should be encouraging independent thought just as hard as poising labour-ready people. Maybe, for one, this generation should be trying to found something that supplants the mechanism of lobbying and ensures that government policy actually reflects a true majority of their constituency.

Maybe this generation should even head out to the polling station once in a while. Perhaps that’s a pipe dream. But consider why, in a place of supposed higher learning, we’re being taught to keep the status quo. Surely it’s not because it’s working.

We don’t actually have true representative democracy in Canada; take a look at the dismal voter statistics in Canada and you’ll see that the government really represents a minority of voters because people didn’t and don’t vote. Same deal with the KSA: a little handful of Kwantlen students voted for-or-against representatives that are proponents of the Yes campaign in the upcoming plebiscite. We then have a minority running everything, not because we want it that way, but because people can’t be bothered.

And then people complain about the way things are? Spare me.

What’s up this MONTH! with Samantha Thompson! Highlights for the month of May Tuesday May 5 KPU Eagles men’s soccer scrimmage vs. VWFX Alimni The KPU men’s soccer team will be going up against the Whitecaps alumni, for a game that is sure to be a lot of fun. There’s also the possibility of the Eagles’ head coach throwing on some cleats himself and hitting the pitch.

8 p.m., Newton Athletic Park. Free.

Friday May 8 Canstruction Vancouver 2015 Until May 8, you can witness GIANT structures built out of cans. I remember one time I went to this thing and saw a dragon made out of cans that was taller than me. Their theme this year is “fact or fiction,” which let’s face it, pretty much covers everything.

I’m not entirely sure why we decided to build things out of cans, but it looks cool and kind of encourages recycling.

All day, Four Seasons Hotel Vancouver. Free.

Saturday May 9 Sheep to Shawl Sheep are pretty great, and at this quirky event you can watch REAL sheep get their get their wool sheared off and woven into shawls. And they’re going to do this all in four hours, as a race! It’s going to be quite the nail-biter, and if at any point you get bored you can try your hand at weaving on their real spinning wheels, which is very cool.

11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Surrey Museum.

Admission by donation.

Sunday May 10

Wednesday May 20

Opus Outdoor Painting Challenge What’s better than painting inside? Painting outside! For the fourth year in a row, Opus will be playing host to an outdoor painting challenge where people are encouraged to go to a Designated Painting Zone with their chosen medium and paint away! What an idyllic Sunday.

10 a.m., various painting zones. Free.

Friday May 15 Cloverdale Rodeo Every year around this time, Cloverdale becomes a little less B.C. and a little more Alberta with their annual rodeo. One time when I was in Calgary, I saw a photo on the cover of a newspaper that showed Harper flipping pancakes at the Calgary Stampede. Things like this are weird and hard to get out of your mind even years later.

Maybe ol’ Harps himself will even come to the rodeo--and what a treat that would be!

Until May 18, Cloverdale Fairgrounds.

Admission prices vary.

Langley Community Farmers’ Market May 20 marks the day that the Langley Community Farmers’ Market will once again appear on KPU’s Langley campus.

Fill your wicker basket with fresh bread, cheese, fruit, vegetables and a host of other farmers’ market-y things. It’s referred to as “Langley’s tastiest outdoor market,” which could very well be true. The market happens every Wednesday.

2 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., KPU Langley campus.

Cost of tasty fruit and veg.

Friday May 22 Vancouver Comic Arts Festival Until May 24, this cool festival will give you plenty of opportunity for art tutorials, panels, comedy, and an exhibit with a bunch of comic book professionals. It’s the perfect way to spend a day if you love comic books, or art I reckon.

All day, The Roundhouse Community Centre.

Free admission.

Thursday May 28 City of Bhangra Festival One of Vancouver’s best festivals returns to welcome spring with style. It’s basically a huge dance party, and turns downtown Vancouver and Surrey into vibrant, music-filled places. The festival showcases the music and dances of the Punjab regions of India and Pakistan.

Until June 6, throughout the cities. Admission varies.

Friday May 29 Vancouver Craft Beer Festival Beer is cool, and craft beer is even better.

This week-long festival features 17 beerthemed events, finishing in a two-day event at the PNE fairgrounds that boasts a whopping 100 breweries and 400 beer tastings.

Until June 7, various venues. Admission varies.

Got a tip on an upcoming event? Send us an email at

editor@runnermag.ca

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English Bay oil spill draws heavy criticism Government’s environmental decisions put under the microscope.

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Joseph Keller Contributor

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Response to the oil spill that occurred on the English Bay in early April was met with heavy criticism coming from a variety of sources, including activists and politicians.

The government’s preparedness and efforts for environmental protection are now under serious scrutiny.

The spill was first reported at 5 p.m. on the day of the spill. Western Canada Marine Response Corporation, the industry funded organization in charge of responding to spills in the area, wasn’t brought in until 8 p.m., according to several sources including the Vancouver Sun. “The response to this spill was unacceptable,” Mary Polak, the B.C. environment minister, told the Vancouver Sun. Over 2,700 litres of oil permeated English Bay, devastating the local ecosystem, according to The Globe and Mail. Despite cleanup efforts, oil remained across 40 kilometres of English Bay shoreline. Vancouver mayor Gregor Robertson called the incident “Vancouver’s worst nightmare,” in a statement. Environmental organizations such as the Wildlife Rescue Association of B.C have been working around the clock since the incident to mitigate the effect on local wildlife.

Much of the criticism against the federal government has centered around the decision to close down the Kitsilano Coast Guard station. The station was closed in 2013 as a cost-cutting measure, a decision that was met with outrage. The Coast Guard’s perceived slow response to this incident has reignited calls to reopen the station, from which critics say the Coast Guard

could have launched a quicker response.

Conservative MP James Moore praised the response tweeting, “Eighty per cent of the spill was cleaned up in the first 36 hours, 95 per cent was cleaned up in the first 60 hours. That is a job well done.” and calling the response “world class.”

The Canadian Coast Guard has also defended their response to the spill in a statement on their website on April 12. The Coast Guard called the effort, “Exceptional by international standards, a fact corroborated by a U.S. oil spill expert.” The statement has since been refuted by the cited U.S. oil spill expert, president of the

National Response Corporation Steven Candito, in an interview with The Globe and Mail.

Representatives from the Western Canada Marine Response Corporation as well as the federal and municipal governments and Canadian Coast Guard declined to be interviewed by The Runner about the incident and cleanup effort.

Jordan Bray

New Season Preview for Bard on the Beach Bard’s Director of Education and Training came to Kwantlen to give us a sneak peak.

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Renee McMillen Contributor

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For the past 26 years, Bard on the Beach has been taking us all the way back to the English Renaissance. Held right here in Vancouver’s Vanier Park, Bard is one of Canada’s

largest not-for-profit Shakespearean festivals, and kicking off this newest season was the announcement that Bard on the Beach plans to construct a new stage in the Burrard Inlet.

“We’d say the only place to expand was to go into the water–literally!” says Bard’s artistic director Christopher Gaze. Last year alone saw more than 100,000 patrons make their way out

(Left) Mary Hartman, Direction of Education and Training (right) Elizabeth Bordeaus Event Facilitator - Renee McMillen

to enjoy and support the theatre community, so the need to expand was clearly evident— despite the fact that their geographic location limits them with water on two sides of the site.

This year Bard on the Beach has introduced a promising line-up of plays including, King Lear, The Comedy of Errors, Love’s Labour’s Lost, and Rebel. Typically, a full 18 months goes into development of these plays, according to the director of education and training, Mary Hartman. Hartman says the goal at Bard on the Beach is to “inspire our community through dynamic experiences,” and with their open-ended mainstage tent that reveals a unique backdrop of the mountains and the water, it’s easy to say they’ve met their goal.

On April 20, Hartman, along with fellow Bard facilitator Elizabeth Bordeaux, came to Kwantlen Polytechnic University to discuss the upcoming season. Hartman began with Love’s Labour’s Lost, citing an interesting quote from renowned Shakespearean scholar Jonathan Bate, who says the play is a “Great feast of linguistic sophistication on the theme of the inadequacy of linguistic sophistication. Full of poetry and mockery of poetry.”

Hartman went into greatest detail for Love’s Labour’s Lost and King Lear. If the rest of the production team has half as much passion and enthusiasm for the plays as Hartman did, it’s a guarantee that the season will be successful. When asked which of

Charis Au

Shakespeare’s play was her favourite, Harman replied, “whichever play I’m currently working on.”

Regardless of the time in which these plays were written, the issues and obstacles that characters within the stories are faced with are not that much different than the ones we face today.

Hartman discussed the themes explored in Love’s Labour’s Lost, from love to hardship, heartache and duty. It is a story that empowers women and celebrates their commitment to the greater good.

In King Lear, Hartman discussed the themes of family, loyalty, greed and betrayal. The characters are as real as our own families, without the castles and titles, of course. Lear is a coming-of-age tale, not only for his daughters, but for Lear himself.

Bard on the Beach comes to Vancouver not just to inspire, but to go beyond the typical entertainment experience you get from a movie theatre or playhouse. Not many places actively encourage their patrons to bring along a drink to enjoy while the performers attempt to thrill and dazzle you. It’s the kind of experience you’ll catch yourself returning to every year, to see what they’ve come up with next.

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The Search for Space

Student organizations all vie for one room—and nobody’s happy.

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Connor Doyle Associate Editor

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“Space is probably the most sought-after commodity in this establishment,” says Simon Massey, a Kwantlen Student Association arts representative who was recently reelected to council. A major tenant of Massey’s election campaign was the need for more student space on the Surrey campus, a complaint that several students and student organizations have been echoing for a long time.

“Right now the only form of club space we have is the social justice room,” says Massey. “It was originally set up as a dual space for clubs and social justice, which at the time was a working idea.”

The room in question is Birch 208, an area beside the cafeteria that also includes the Pride/KPIRG offices. The room was reappropriated as a “positive space” in 2010 as part of a joint venture between KPU and the KSA. This was following a sit-in staged by the Kwantlen Pride Group and the former KSA Queer Liaison, who saw the need for a safe space on campus for members of the LGBTQ+ community, many of whom did not feel comfortable being “out” at school.

The back room of Birch 208 was designated the new Pride office, while the larger room outside was converted into a shared space for social justice issues. However, according to Massey, as well as KPU student and Pride volunteer Kari Michaels, the University also intended this room to serve, at least in part, as a shared clubs space for student organizations. No definition could be found as to how the room could best realize its dual purposes, though it was stipulated that club leaders wishing to use the area would have to

undergo an inclusivity training workshop to support the themes of social justice.

These days, Birch 208 is largely used by two parties: the Kwantlen Public Interest Research Group (KPIRG) and the Kwantlen Gaming Guild (KGG). Following its incorporation in late December 2013, KPIRG moved into the office as part of an understanding between itself and Pride—while KPIRG searched for its own space, it would be allowed to use the Pride office as an ally in social justice. A formal document outlining the agreement is posted on the walls of the office.

The KGG began using the shared clubs/ social justice space outside the office shortly after they formed in March of last year. Proving immediately popular, the Guild quickly grew into the most populous student organization at Kwantlen, boasting nearly 400 student members. The KGG needed a consistent space in which to gather, and the clubs/social justice space was the only suitable location on campus.

“We’ve created a decent community at Kwantlen of people who get together and play games,” says Tanvir Singh, an executive member of the KGG who is also a recently elected KSA Arts Representative. “But we don’t have the space on campus for our members outside the social justice space.”

“There have been complaints,” he adds.

For its part, KPIRG has made its concerns about the use of the room well-known.

KPIRG’s Administrative and Research Coordinator, Richard Hosein claims that a lot of social justice groups on campus don’t get proper use out of the room because of its role as a clubs space.

Singh says that the KGG has heard the concerns and agree that something needs to be done.

The sharing aspect of the space is “kind of disappearing” according to Michaels, who

frequently hosts the inclusivity workshops meant to promote social justice in the clubs/ social justice room. “The concern that we’d really like to see resolved is having a Pride space that’s not appropriated for other uses.”

The KSA has recently been able to move forward on its plan to secure a loan for the construction of a student union building.

It could be entirely devoted to the affairs

of student societies and organizations. But Massey remains unconvinced the problem will be addressed anytime soon.

“The institution needs to introduce a clubs-only space, and it needs to be larger than the safe space is now,” he says. “Obviously the building of a SUB would help that [and] I’m optimistic we’ll be able to secure a loan, but any building is never fast.”

Danielle George

Love in Da Club

Kwantlen Film Club wants to share movies with everyone.

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Kyle Prince Contributor

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On March 20, the Kwantlen Film Club held its very first screening in the auditorium in Fir building. Founded by Rick Kumar and Calvin Tiu, the club hopes to ignite the passions of film enthusiasts campus-wide.

Unfortunately, in staging their inaugural event the duo faced roadblock after roadblock, first with their posters being taken down for featuring the Inglorious Basterds title, which has a swastika in it, then with a room booking mishap. But after much consternation and a little re-planning, the show did go on. Those who showed up or the event joked about the mishap, and were rewarded for their patience with a wide variety of pizza, chips and drinks, as well as a free raffle

draw with some pretty great prizes.

When asked why they chose Inglorious Basterds rather than something that might cause them less trouble, Kumar says: “It’s eyecatching. We’re looking for movies that will get people’s attention, and get people talking.

That’s why we made the club, after all.”

By their own admission, Kumar and Tiu say they’re “just two kids who had a dream to share films with the world”, and that they’ll discuss just about anything from a movie—be it favourite actors, performers who should have filled certain roles, who the best directors are, how storylines should have gone, and many more topics.

Being the film buffs they are, Kumar and Tiu were enthusiastic to discuss their favourite movies. For Kumar it’s Drive. He says his favourite parts are: “the soundtrack, actors, Bryan Cranston, and Ryan Gosling”.

Tiu chose Idle Hands, a comedy/horror film featuring Seth Green and a young Jessica Alba. They are open to suggestions for which movie their next screening should feature, and are always looking for more members, friends, or people interested in specific genres. The topics are varied enough so anybody can feel included.

The pair says they “don’t want to just show movies,” as there’s more than just watching. It’s the conversations, the debates, and the community that surrounds those who share a common interest. So if you’re a movie lover, or just want to catch a movie with some friends at Kwantlen, keep an eye on the Kwantlen Film Club.

Roland Nguyen

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CURTAINS UP ON Kwantlen’s inaugural theatre CLASS

Ribkoff: “That’s basically the principle of the course; we create from nothing.”

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Kyle Prince Contributor

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Kwantlen Polytechnic University recently had its first theatre production, put on by the students of IDEA 1400. The class was run

by Fred Ribkoff, who had “been trying to do this course for a long time.”

They put together an ancient Greek tragedy by Euripides called The Bacchae, which they performed for the end of their class.

Music, lights, and of course acting: the students worked over the course of a semester to make something they could be proud of.

There were a few slip-ups, but that’s to be expected from a first-time crew.

Ribkoff says he, “wanted a course where students could just experiment with theatre,” and that’s exactly what he got.

Ribkoff chose Euripides’ The Bacchae, a more obscure play instead of a more wellknown one, because he “wanted to try it.” He was also teaching an English course with the play as the reading material, so it fit to have students from another class perform the play itself. The class made changes to the play in order to incorporate everyone’s interests and talents. A group sang originally composed songs, for example. That’s part of what makes the class unique, it’s the only theatre-specific IDEA class “focused strictly on producing live performances and other art forms.”

Ribkoff commented on where he saw the class going in five years and he said that third- and fourth-year versions of his class are already being developed, with more focus on individual performances and contributions. So, Kwantlen can look forward to more work being

done by interested and dedicated students.

Unfortunately, Kwantlen doesn’t have the proper space available for a theatre class, but Ribkoff isn’t discouraged.

“We’re using a lecture room, which is a big challenge,” he says. “This is the kind of course where we’re creating from scratch with whoever’s in the room and with whatever we’ve got and that’s basically the principal of the course; we create from nothing.”

Most of the students in the course were either brand new to acting or went in with very little experience under their belts. Jordan Reuser, who played the part of a mortal Dionysus, was one of the few with more experience than most. He went through high school taking drama classes and attended summer camps to help him along the way. When asked why he took this class, Jordan replied with a simple, “I’ve always loved acting.” He signed up as soon as he heard about the course. The other students each have their own story for why they took the class as well; Jacob Currie always liked the background areas of drama, and when a friend of his mentioned the class he signed up to check it out. Samantha VanDeventer, Tiresias in the play, always had a passion for acting but ended up being steered away from that career path, so when the opportunity arose in this class, she jumped on board and enrolled, happy to finally do something she actually enjoyed. Joisa Tillack was looking for a way to become more confident in front of other people, but also wanted to have some fun, and this class ended up being perfect for both of those. Richard MacMillan had previously taken an IDEA class, and liked the concept of it enough to try out the other options in the area.

Monica Mah

Currie loves “being behind the camera and catching all the funny moments in the class.”

VanDeventer’s favourite bit was, “putting it into motion.”

“I like to actually have the end result and get feedback, and just do it.”

“For me it’s the memorizing of the lines because it’s a different method, different language and you don’t normally talk like an [ancient] Greek,” says Tillack. “Being able to help other people memorize, I have moments with the words and it’s easier for me to remember them that way.”

Reuser couldn’t pick one moment, but went with something that kept popping up over the course of the semester: “I think there’s been a few times where 10 minutes before class, me and Jacob and a few others get together and we’ve been in Fred’s office and we just come up with the best things, in the span of 10 minutes we come up with idea after idea and we just throw it into the play and it’s just crazy how it all comes together.”

For Ribkoff, his favorite moments were,

“Those improvisational moments where we’re figuring things out as we go.” For example, the original play only had one actor playing Dionysus, but in their production they split the role into two parts, the god and the mortal, where “they created this duality […] that created a spin of other things”.

The class only met once a week. Most productions meet and practice several times a week for hours on end, but since it’s a university course, students have a full course load and jobs on top of that.

“It’s very hard to coordinate outside of the once-a-week meetings,” says Ribkoff.

VanDeventer added that she really did look forward to this class, saying that all of the other classes went by so slowly while she thought, “Oh crap, my acting class ends tomorrow.”

“Just so students know, the next time we’ll be running this class will be in spring 2016,” says Ribkoff. “So for all you theatre lovers out there who want to get more involved with any aspect of it, mark your calendars and make sure to get in the class before it fills up.”

“Break a leg out there, everyone.”

Protectors speak out against Kinder Morgan pipeline project Fort Langley serves as host for Saturday rally.

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Renee McMillen Contributor

A typical Saturday afternoon in Fort Langley usually consists of a coffee and some people-watching at Wendell’s, but April 11 was different..

From Macmillan Island, about 400 people, according to the Langley Times, joined together to march down Glover Road to oppose the development of Kinder Morgan’s

proposed bitumen pipeline expansion project. Before they had finished crossing the bridge over the Fraser River, you could hear the beat of their drums and the resonating sound of singing from the Kwantlen, Musqueam and Tsleil-Waututh Nations.

The march ended in front of Fort Langley’s town hall. Afterwards a number of speakers addressed the ralliers on behalf of the community, including Brandon Gabriel of Kwantlen First Nation, Petrina Arnadon, Carleena Thomas, Ben West, Lynn Quarm-

by and many more. The rally took place the day before Canada’s premiers sat down to discuss climate change in Québec City. According to the Langley Times, if built, “The pipeline will carry 890,000 barrels per day of diluted bitumen through Fort Langley to Burnaby.” Developers have already drilled into Aboriginal land, to which Gabriel says, “We did not give them permission to drill on our lands . . . We must protect the beautiful and bountiful land that has sustained us for thousands of years.”

Renee McMillen

The goal of the rally was to “make a clear statement that in Langley there is a strong community that does not support the Trans Mountain expansion project,” according to Andhra Azevedo, a Fort Langley resident and the chapter coordinator for the PIPE UP Network.

Many members of the community came out to show their solidarity with people of the Kwantlen, Musqueam and Tsleil-Waututh Nations.

“We are not protesters, we are protectors,” says Gabriel. Twinning the pipeline and running the expansion through Langley is a project that the people loudly, and together, said “no” to.

According to Huffington Post, this rally is one of many demonstrations the public has launched to oppose the plans. There have been “round-the-clock protests on Burnaby Mountain.”

“As protectors it is our responsibility to show respect and to support land and treaty rights,” says Ben West, the executive director of Tanker Free B.C., an organization opposed to Kinder Morgan’s plan.

“In a civil society, the next step is to get out there and do civil disobedience,” says SFU professor Lynn Quarmby. “It’s the loudest we can communicate, together.”

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Fireside Chats with Alan Davis Reflections on the spring semester.

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Samantha Thompson Executive Editor

“Some people said it was the best event they’d been to at KPU; it was a very powerful and emotional ceremony,” says Kwantlen Polytechnic University president Alan Davis. He’s referring to the ceremony that installed Lekeyten as the institution’s first Elder-in-Residence, at the end of January. “We obviously have a lot of conversations with our First Nations in the region, but this was a very symbolic step and it said a lot about how far we’ve come in recognizing . . . the rights and the expectations we should have around our First Nations relationships.”

“I think the bigger question is, why did it take so long?”

Davis credits Sal Ferreras, KPU’s provost and vice-president academic, with taking the initiative to jumpstart the process of appointing an Elder-in-Residence at KPU. Ferreras is engaged with the Aboriginal community in many ways, particularly through music, so he knows many people and was able to start looking at how others would choose an Elder-in-Residence, according to Davis.

“It’s just that no one has come around with the wherewithal and the persistence, and the sense of priority to make it happen, so I really have to hand it over to him,” says Davis. “I was just sort of cheering him along, along the way.”

Lekeyten has already spent a lot of time in KPU’s classrooms at the request of instructors, and is now doing so in a more official capacity. Davis’ hope is that he’ll engage with students and speak about things

related to Indigenous issues. In his role he will also welcome students at various ceremonies, in particular those for orientation.

Mingay report Last year, the Mingay report concluded that there had been issues with executive compensation reporting at KPU, and consequently the institution commissioned a series of audits to prevent such a situation from occurring again.

The audits came back with a number of recommendations, which KPU agreed to.

“It comes across as a bit harsh,” Davis says. “But the fact is, that a lot of the recommendations are good . . . we’ll be very public, we’ll share with people the results of our work, and we’re hoping to put this behind us and just get back on track.”

He explains that when you’re trying to attract someone to a position, there is a negotiation process that happens as you work to stay within the provincially-mandated compensation guidelines. He emphasizes the importance of checking that the guidelines are being met, prior to making an offer to a candidate.

“My sense is, with one or two small exceptions, there were no seriously bad decisions,” he says of the incorrect compensation reporting incidents. “People made the right decisions in good faith to try and get the job done, or to pay people for the work we were hiring them to do.”

“It is very difficult for me to see that we’ve made any grossly bad decisions on that, and this is very much a process,” he explains.

“Every time you have an audit, the job of

those auditors is to look at everything so closely that they will find something wrong.

If you look at them closely and hard enough, you will find imperfections. We expect that.”

Smoking task force Also in the works at KPU is a smoking task force, that is working to create a new policy for smoking on campus. The goal is to get people away from the doors, and to “take the next step towards protecting people who are having to walk through a cloud of smoke,” says Davis.

Davis notes that an interesting discussion comes up surrounding medical marijuana, and whether or not those with a prescription are required to go to the smoking area, or if there is a different arrangement for them.

“It turns out that more people than you think actually have a prescription, and although there are ways you can ingest or inhale marijuana . . . do they have to go back under the smoking shelter in order to access their medication?” he asks.

The group is hoping to come up with a new solution quickly, and so they can begin implementing the policy.

“We really do need to move on because

Hira Matharoo

there’s a lot of mess, and cigarette butts and all kinds of things in some of the major entrances to KPU and nobody likes it,” explains Davis.

“I still have a problem with garbage generally: people just seem to drop their Tim Hortons cups where they finish their coffee, and they assume that somebody else will...well somebody else will pick it up, but you’d hope that at a university, people would have just a little bit more personal responsibility,” he says.

“I’m not going to walk by and see litter on the floor,” he explains. “I’m going to pick it up. It’s kind of embarrassing for some people to see the president picking up litter, but it’s what I do--I’m afraid I can’t stand it.”

Video Game Logic

DeathTrap: Tower Defense 2.0

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Kyle Prince Columnist

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NeoCoreGames’ DeathTrap hits the Goldilocks zone for a lot of things—game play, equipment, skills, even level variety. The balance and features available in this game allow for some interesting combinations. You can go all-out damage with the barbarian class and just smash things up as you go. You can try to control the battlefield with the sorceress, freezing enemies, buffing traps and wielding the awesome power of the arcane. Or you can scour the map, waiting for the perfect chance to strike as a rogue character, leaving trails to poison and disorient your enemies.

Each of the classes offers a wide range of skills that you unlock as you progress through the game, and while the traps are the same across all classes, the play style of each will have you favouring specific types to suit the character.

In addition, you unlock traps as you reach certain quotas for damage or actions. This means the more you play, the more there is to play with.

There are a few downsides to the game though, the first being that it isn’t all that hard.

Even overlooking the text-based introduction and tutorial, the game itself is easy enough to pick up and play that they could have added more levels of difficulty. There’s the normal spread: easy, medium, and hard, and different rewards to go along with what difficulty you complete the level on—but there really ought

Danielle George

to be something above that since, as a first-time player of the game, I was able to run through it on hard without any major problems.

This might have been done to avoid what other games in the genre have done in the past, where they expect you to play through the game multiple times, each time coming back to earlier maps at a higher level and playing at a higher difficulty. If that was their goal, then well done, mission accomplished. To be fair, they do include other modes to play on, and there’s plenty of end-game content that opens up once you’ve reached a certain level. In the early game you might feel limited, but the game does open up for you once you’ve sunk a few runs in.

Of course, this is just the single-player aspect of the game. There’s a wide community

building custom maps for anybody to try out, and there’s co-op game play which allows you to tackle the oncoming hordes of monsters with friends. You can craft your own armor and weapons in the game, and even go up against custom-made monsters. So if you’re like me and have any complaints about difficulty, just hit up the community boards and check out their maps, because there’s no shortage of insanely hard challenges there.

Verdict: However you play this game, there’s enough variety to keep you happy and invested long enough to become hooked. If you grew up playing tower defense games, then this is the game for you.

Deathtrap - NeocoreGames

Features

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09

Rosaura Ojeda

One not the loneliest number after all Tips for solo travel, and being awesome.

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Samantha Thompson Executive Editor

If I sit here and tell you that traveling alone is the best thing ever, you’ll probably think I’m some weirdo who doesn’t have any friends to go cool places with. “Only losers travel alone,” they’ll say. “Get a friend,” they’ll say.

Let me tell you a fun little secret: traveling alone is the shit. You can do whatever you want, and this includes spending all day at a super nerdy museum. You can eat wherever you want, including at a sketchy fish and chips joint with neon green walls. You can sleep whenever you want, including at 8 p.m. so that you can watch Pretty Woman in bed.

The only problem with traveling alone is that the world isn’t ready for you. It’s structured for duos and groups, and wandering around solo will get you some pretty curious looks. Your friends will question your decision (and wonder why you didn’t ask them to go with you).

Lucky for you, I’ve got a series of great tips for dealing with a couple-only world— so hold your head up high and strut right into that pen museum with pride.

1. Take advantage of the pity Okay, the first thing you have to realize is that people are going to feel sorry for you traveling alone, because they don’t understand that sometimes people want to be a party of one. Instead of letting their pity get to you, cozy up to them and try to get some freebies. Free stuff is awesome, and the transition from pity to free is pretty simple. Start with where you’re staying: if there are staff,

5. Expanding beyond the selfie chat them up and let them know you’re a really nice person. In some cases, they’ll make you breakfast every morning and then you can start your day off right. I stayed at this bed and breakfast recently and one of the employees remembered that I didn’t want meat in my breakfast three days in a row. It really makes you feel like someone cares! If you do this in a restaurant you often also get free appetizers, like garlic bread (yum!).

2. You’re an interesting human This brings me to my next point: eating alone garners some of the worst looks. One time I went to a little restaurant to get some lunch, and when the waitress asked how many in my party, I looked around and said, “One.” “Just one?” she inquired, with a hybrid look of pity and disgust on her face.

Yes, just one! She then proceeded to offer me a newspaper (which was basically a tabloid so obviously I turned it down) and, confused, she asked, “Well what are you going to do then?”

This is what I’m talking about. Apparently eating by yourself is so boring you absolutely need something better to do. But honestly, you’re a pretty interesting person all on your own. Here’s what you do: either stare into space, looking really intelligent and thinking about your next adventure, or bring a notebook and work on some brilliant piece of fiction, all the while pretending you’re the next J.K. Rowling. Do you think she ate in the company of someone while writing about Harry and his pals? Exactly.

Eating alone is indicative of a brilliant mind.

3. Karaoke is your pal After eating, going out is one of the hardest things to do alone. You don’t want to be that goof in the corner nursing a beer for three hours and creepily people-watching. But for many cities, their watering holes offer a different perspective on life that you won’t get from the tourist attractions. The best thing to do is to hit up karaoke nights. This serves a number of purposes: first, there are always individuals there alone who are simply practicing their musical numbers for their next big karaoke contest, so you’ll blend right in; and second, if you go up and sing a song, drunk people will high-five you and make you feel like one of the team. Just watch out for those who are too drunk and determined to wiggle their butt in your face with a 21st century dance move.

Bring back the Shopping Cart, I say.

4. Remember that you have friends If you travel alone for a long time, society’s dirty looks and snarky attitudes towards parties of one can start to get to you. Fear not! Just remember that you’re a really cool person doing an awesome thing, and that you have friends at home. It can be hard to go through a whole day without really talking to anyone else, which is why it’s important to have those post-photo op conversations. And remember, traveling alone gives you stories that belong only to you— making you the life of the next party you go to with your hundreds of real-life friends!

Obviously you’re going to want to remember your totally awesome solo trip with photos that garner hundreds of ‘likes’, but ridiculous selfies can get a bit tiresome after a while. “Oh here I am with half an elephant,” the Instagram caption will read. Wouldn’t you rather have a full elephant, and your whole body?

Precisely. So here is my super pro tip: lurk around the major monuments and just wait, like a lion to a zebra. This works particularly well if you’re up on a mountain or at a place with high altitude, because you can easily pretend to be taking in the breathtaking views.

Eventually, a nice looking group of people will end up at the monument too, and you’ll watch as they decide who doesn’t get to be in the group picture so that they actually get a decent shot. Let them struggle for about 10 seconds, and then walk up to them as though you’ve just arrived yourself, and offer to take a photo for them. They’ll be so grateful, they’ll feel obligated to take a shot for you as wel— and just like that, you’ve got a great photo and made someone’s day! Couples in particular are good for this because it’s clear they don’t want a photo of just one of them standing in front of statue: they’d much rather have a snuggly photo that shows they are #inlove and #blessed.

I once took a photo for this couple in front of a lake, and they were so grateful they thanked me about a million times and then felt obligated to ask me about my life, which served the double-purpose of giving me someone to talk to other than myself.

As they walked away, the man turned to me and said, “You know, thank you so much for this. You’ve really given us...a memento. That’s what this is.”

Features

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The Land of Plenty Finding your British Columbia adventure.

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Jeffrey Trainor

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I am sure by now we all know the slogan, “Beautiful British Columbia.” This phrase from the government’s tourism department has been shoved down our throats for years on television and radio advertisements. On these advertisement we see cascading waterfalls, snow-capped mountains and vast expanses of forested hillside stretching for miles and miles.

These images are highly dramatized but the truth is British Columbia does have a wide array of hidden gems throughout the province that deserve your patronage.

1. Picture Perfect For those of you who enjoy a majestically scenic experience, some highly suggested regions are Haida Gwaii and the Rocky Mountains. Both are quite a long trip from the Lower Mainland, but the payoffs are spectacular. On Haida Gwaii, the options range from exploring the rich cultural heritage of the local First Nations, to walking along the 100 kilometres of beach in Naikoon Provincial Park. If neither of these fit your fancy, Haida Gwaii features one of the largest and oldest old growth rainforests in the world. A

week-long camping expedition to this remote island in the Pacific would surely make your summer vacation a memorable one.

As far as the Rockies are concerned, the obvious draw is the mountains themselves. Though the most notable places in the Rockies are Banff and Jasper (both part of Alberta, boo), the B.C. side of the Rockies holds its own, often overlooked treasures. A prime example of this is the small resort town of Radium Hot Springs located about 120 kilometres outside of Cranbrook.

Radium Hot Springs is known as the gateway to the Rockies, but the real pleasure lies in its amenities. Nestled in Kootenay National Park, Radium has a natural mineral hot spring carved right into the Rockies themselves: a natural oasis to let all the worries of your past semester fall away.

From Radium, you can also easily take a day trip to the Columbia Icefields and walk along one of the largest glaciers in the Rocky Mountain range.

Another option is exploring Mount Robson, the largest peak in the mountain range, which is also a short jaunt from Radium.

2. Thrill of Life For the thrill seekers out there, your best options are either Whistler and Pacific Rim National Park. We all know Whistler for its winter skiing but with changing climate patterns, Whistler has made a strong push to turn the

Ilustrations by Danielle George

village into a year-round destination. Whistler is truly a thrill seeker’s paradise in the summer, with its multitude of bike trails, rafting expeditions on the Green River and ziplining through the rainforest canopy. Unfortunately all these adventures come with a hefty price tag, but its close proximity to Vancouver will save you lots of time and money on travel.

The other option for the adrenaline junky in your life is Pacific Rim National Park, located on Vancouver Island’s western coast. Pacific Rim stretches between Ucluelet and Tofino, and features a multitude of islands and inlets and a surfer’s dream in the form of Long Beach. Long Beach is heralded as the best surfing location in the province, but if taking up a new sport isn’t your goal, exploring the region’s islands and inlets by kayak is another option. Pack up your kayak with a tent and overnight supplies and claim your own piece of British Columbia for the evening. This would be the truest B.C. getaway there is. There is also a brilliant multi-day hike along Rescue Trail that will take you across some of the best coastline British Columbia has to offer.

3. Taking It Easy This category is for all those who enjoy the simpler or proverbial, “finer things in life.”

For those of you who are just looking to lay back and take it easy, B.C.’s Okanagan is the

place for you. The region offers a plethora of options, far too many to cover here. You could easily spend a day traveling through the area’s many wineries on a tasting tour. This will be sure to make you feel warm and fuzzy all day, as well as exposuring you to the winemaking process, the landscapes of each winery, and a taste of what British Columbia wines have to offer. If drinking isn’t your thing, perhaps eating is. Keremeos is the self appointed “Fruit Stand Capital of Canada.” Keremeos features the freshest fruit in the province and one could easily spend a day walking between stands, diving into the diverse and mass agricultural productions of the area. Failing that, there are also many beachside retreats where you can find your own sandy getaway.

4. Road Less Travelled There are also a couple lesser travelled local options to explore on a daytrip or on an overnight stay. Located in Maple Ridge, Golden Ears Park is one of the best-kept secrets in the Lower Mainland. Featuring the beautiful Alouette Lake, this provincial park features hiking, fishing, swimming and camping: the four main elements of any successful B.C. summer. Best of all, it’s only a short 45-minute drive from Vancouver.

Another great option is Bowen Island. Though you need to deal with BC Ferries to get there, a walk-on boarding pass is $12.10 for a return trip, which isn’t too bad for what it has to offer. Bowen Island features a very similar offering to Whistler, with hiking, biking and swimming, but on Bowen Island, you are sure to find fewer tourists.

Some more intense experiences on the island, for the more adventurous of you, include caving and rock climbing around Mount Gardner.

By no means is this an exhaustive list of what you’ll find when you get out and explore British Columbia. See it rather as an invitation to start looking. We are lucky enough to live in one of the most diverse and unique climatic areas in the world. We have deserts in the Okanagan, rainforests on Haida Gwaii and the towering expanse of the Rocky Mountain range in the east. Just go out and explore B.C.’s gems for yourself.

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Culture

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SUMMER movie preview SUMMER movie releases TO CHECK out in May and JUNE. BY

Yaunna sommersby, social media specialist

That’s right, it is that time of year again. Time for superhero blockbusters, buddy comedies and crazy action films. There are tons of exciting releases set for the summer months and we have picked five movies you should go see during May and June.

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Title: Avengers: Age of Ultron Release date: May 1 Director: Joss Whedon Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johannson, Jeremy Renner, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Bettany and Cobie Smulders Why you should see it: The highly anticipated sequel to 2012 hit, Avengers: Age of Ultron is set to be one of the biggest movies of the summer. We will get to meet some new characters and see the Avengers fight against Ultron.

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Title: Far From the Madding Crowd Release date: May 1 Director: Thomas Vinterberg Cast: Carey Mulligan, Matthias Schoenaerts, Tom Sturridge and Michael Sheen Why you should see it: Adapted from Thomas Hardy’s classic novel, the story follows a headstrong Bathsheba Everdene as she navigates being a women in Victorian era England. Fans of Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility should definitely give this movie a chance.

5 Title: Pitch Perfect 2 Release date: May 15 Director: Elizabeth Banks Cast: Anna Kendrick, Brittany Snow, Anna Camp, Rebel Wilson, Alexis Knapp, Adam DeVine, Hailee Steinfeld Why you should see it: The Barden Bellas are heading back into competitions and have new members on the team.

Another highly awaited sequel, the competition will likely intensify and the Bellas are going to have to be aca-amazing.

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Title: Jurassic World Release date: June 12 Director: Colin Trevorrow Cast: Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Ty Simpkins, Nick Robinson, Irrfan Khan, Vincent D’Onofrio, Jake Johnson, Omar Sy, BD Wong and Judy Greer Why you should see it: Starlord, I mean, Owen Grady can train raptors. The park is officially open, but the scientists on Isla Nublar are doing dangerous experiments with dinosaur genes.

Title: Me and Earl and the Dying Girl Release date: June 12 Director: Alfonso Gomez-Rejon Cast: Olivia Cooke, Thomas Mann, RJ Cyler, Nick Offerman, Jon Bernthal, Connie Britton and Molly Shannon Why you should see it: Greg Gaines and his friend Earl are aspiring filmmakers who befriend Rachel, a classmate with cancer. Yes, the story may sound like The Fault in Our Stars, but both books were published in 2012 and they focus on different aspects of dealing with cancer.

Information from IMDb and Entertainment Weekly. Photos from IMDb.

Culture

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Writing Department ends year with a bang New venue and new scholarship for KPU writers.

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Connor Doyle Associate Editor

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Every year in April, KPU’s writing department holds its annual year-end reading, handing out scholarships and celebrating the best student writers of the fall/spring semesters. This year was no exception, and the 2015 reading, which took place on April 16, is already being heralded as one of the most successful writing department readings in recent memory.

The most likely reason for its success is that this year’s reading was held at the Newton Cultural Centre, a first for a writing department celebration of this type. Typically held in either the art gallery or the auditorium, both of which are found in Fir building, past year-end readings have always been a campus affair. This made it easier for students to attend the readings, as a quick jaunt across the Surrey campus would get them there. However, it would also limit the

scope of the readings and relegate them to being just another student event happening on campus.

Locating the reading away from school meant that anyone wishing to attend would have to test their dedication by first mapping out a route to the event and then finding the means to get there.

This was no doubt a risk for the department, as student events at Kwantlen, even those that are held on campus, have the perception of being notoriously ill-attended. Luckily for both the professors of writing and the student writers being featured, this year’s reading was highly popular, featuring the largest crowd in years.

“I’m especially happy with this venue,” says Cathleen With, a writing professor and one of the primary organizers of this year’s reading. “The student volunteers and I had a conversation about how we wanted to make the event off-site this year [so] it could be kind of special. We like the spaces at Kwantlen, but they’re not as big as the Cultural Centre, and we wanted a venue that could hold 100 peo-

FICTION

Geoff Nilsson, Angela Rebrac, and John Raoul / Louis Luzuka

ple. Make it feel like a graduation of sorts.”

In attendance for the reading was the Dean of Arts, Diane Purvey, as well as Kwantlen’s current president, Alan Davis. Davis was there, in part, to present the scholarship named for his predecessor, President David Atkinson, who, as a parting gift for the writing department, created the David and Terry Atkinson Award for student writers dedicated to community-building at Kwantlen.

This year’s winner of the David and Terry Atkinson Award was Geoff Nilsson, who read selections from his poetic manuscript, which was recently selected as the runner-up for the Writer’s Federation of New Brunswick Alfred G. Bailey prize.

“I had tried for a few years to win [the scholarship] and it felt good to finally break through,” says Nilsson, whose active involvement in the Kwantlen writing community earned him his award. “This has a been a great school year for my development as a writer and it makes it easier to believe in the process when it works out.”

Ashley Powell

Nina Mosall Trigger warning: story contains sensitive material

Durrah Alsaif

Grim and Fischer is a Strange Delight.

Honesty Hour

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Noting the change in scenery, Nilsson says, “It was a great venue. The room was perfect for the event. A good size and shape to project. I was happy to see a new contingent of poets—some very strong work in a range of different forms.”

This year also saw the establishment of a new scholarship for the writing department. The Wordsmith Award honours writing students at Kwantlen and their achievements both in and out of the classroom with a $1,000 annual scholarship. Funded entirely by Polytechnic Ink Publishing Society (PIPS), the Wordsmith Award will be handed out for the first time at next year’s reading.

“For a smaller university, we really kick ass,” says With, regarding the Writing community’s recent successes. “We’ve got an amazing faculty. We’ve got students who are really involved and who love each other.

I’ve been to the bigger institutions and it is harder to build student involvement.”

“There is something happening here at KPU creative writing,” agrees Nilsson.

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The restaurant was the perfect place to tell a secret. Anna sat in the last booth by the window. She noticed it had cracked leather and smelled like cigarettes and old apple pie.

Not many people had come in, so besides the eighties hits playing on the radio, it had been quiet. It was a good thing, too, since Anna had smudged makeup and a ripped tube top. Quite a party outfit.

Anna took a long sip of her peppermint tea. It tasted like the piss she smelled down her neighborhood’s alleys. If anything, it reminded her of alcohol. Everything tasted like alcohol. Still a little drunk, she should have probably been in bed. But she wanted to tell Margo everything, and this seemed like the best time and place to do it.

Margo came through the front door like a rock star. She wore her black shades, even though the sun wasn’t out, and had her hair in a large, messy bun on the top of her head.

It looked ridiculous. It was Margo.

“I am so. Tired. So tired,” Margo said.

Practically hugging the leather seat opposite to Anna, she closed her eyes and exhaled.

“You look beat, too! Really beat, actually.”

“Yeah. That party was crazy,” Anna said.

She stared at her tea. The steam rose to her

face. It felt good, like a warm blanket. “Do you remember everything?” she asked.

“I think so, yeah.” Margo said. Her bun kept falling apart. She slid herself out of the booth and bent over to gather all her hair together. “But oh my god I have to tell you something when I come back. You will be so surprised. I’m gonna get some coffee and something to eat. Want anything?” she asked.

Anna shook her head. She watched Margo stride to the counter, her hips rocking side to side. She greeted an old man with thick glasses at the cash register. Margo was something else, Anna didn’t know how to describe her.

She always looked as if she came out of some sort of hurricane, but it worked to her advantage. Guys always thought she was “interesting” and “beautiful.” Anna thought so, too.

She considered Margo her best friend. The only person she could share anything with.

The bright lights in the diner hurt Anna’s eyes so she squinted a little, just enough to see a white line of light and nothing else.

Maybe if I close my eyes and fall asleep, last night will disappear, she thought. Anna had trouble remembering everything, but she remembered that she said “no.” It was something she learned a long time ago from her mother, but it didn’t seem to work at the party. A guy she knew named Jones seemed to not know what it meant, either. At the end of the night she had bruises on her chest and a pang in her stomach. It was her first time, too.

Anna closed her eyes and laid her head

on the table. It cooled her cheek. She just had to tell Margo. She’d know what to do; she always handled things well from the start.

Margo carefully placed her coffee and blueberry muffin on the table and slowly slid into the booth. “Okay, so basically what ended up happening was that I kissed Jones,” she said. Grabbing the muffin, she took a huge bite. Crumbs fell on the counter and Anna could not help but think that those crumbs were bits of her reality, breaking and falling out of place.

“I know, right!? Well, to be honest he totally kissed me, but I was cool with it, cause, you know, I like him,” Margo said. Her cheeks gradually turned cherry red.

How can I tell her now? Anna thought.

It became clear to her that this was not the right time. Margo liked him too much. She couldn’t hear anything otherwise.

“Wow, Margo. That’s amazing! Are you gonna call him?” Anna said. She could feel her eyes tearing up. Her voice cracked. She had to get out of there.

“Well, duh!” Margo said. “I’m thinking of doing it tomorrow. You think that’s—” Anna jerked out of the booth, practically tripping, and interrupting Margo’s train of thought. She hit her hip on the edge of the table as she hurried out of the diner.

“Anna! What’s wrong!?” Margo yelled after her.

Anna ran. The cold air felt refreshing and the overpowering smell of coffee disappeared. She clutched her hip. It wasn’t time to tell Margo.

“Death meets his match … in a tenacious granny not ready to breathe her last.”

//

Kyle Prince Contributor

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It’s not every day you get to see a grandma face off against death, but that’s exactly what the crew over at WonderHeads has put together in a play called Grim and Fischer.

This entertaining vision of how someone so close to the end can look death in the eye is even more astounding when you learn there isn’t a single line of dialogue in the entire play. Music and sound effects are utilized to great success, but the actors portray their emotions through physical action—not even facial expressions are allowed.

Throughout the performance, the actors cover their faces in great costume pieces called larval masks. Though the detail and artwork on these masks is tremendous, they are all the actors have to work with in regards to facial expression. Despite this, one would swear the features on the mask begin to change expressions as the actors move their way through the story.

Overall, Granny Fischer’s dance with death is both strange and mesmerising.

Though the absolute lack of dialogue can make the production feel slow at times, even without words, the attitude, emotion and brilliance of the play comes through in full force. This is a delightful departure from traditional theatre, and is a performance that everyone can get something from.

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The Senate needs to change, but how?

Should it stay or should it go, now?

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Joseph Keller Contributor

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The trial of senator Mike Duffy for corruption charges that is now well underway in Ottawa has brought on all kinds of speculation regarding ramifications heading into the 2015 election. But it has also reignited debate about the role of the Senate in today’s Canadian politics. The current system wherein senators are appointed to the Senate by the Governor General (but actually by the prime minister) with all similar power but less accountability than their elected counterparts in the House of Commons is seen by many as undemocratic and susceptible to abuse. The latter point is clearly demonstrated by the Duffy trial.

It’s not hard to see why people are questioning the purpose of the senate. The fact that senators are appointed by the incumbent Prime Minister leads many to argue that the senate represents the political interests of the ruling party rather than the will of the people.

Other criticisms centre around the senators’ beefy six-figure salaries which don’t even include the expense account (ask Mr. Duffy about that one). Add to that the fact that the Senate is seen as a source of political gridlock and you can see the Senate abolitionists’ point.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper made an attempt at his own version of Senate reform last year, only to be shot down by the Supreme Court. Harper’s measures would have addressed some of the common issues of the senate, namely allowing voters to be consulted regarding senate appointments (in a non-binding manner) and adding a fixed

term limit of 10 years (currently, senators sit until the age of 75). In a unanimous decision, the Supreme Court denied the Prime Minister’s modest changes on the grounds that such changes to the legislative system would need to be supported by both houses and at least seven provinces. This ruling effectively ended Stephen Harper’s approach to Senate reform. Regardless, Harper’s proposed changes wouldn’t have addressed the true issues with our current Senate model.

To be truly effective at reforming the Senate, we need to take party affiliation out of the equation. Under the current system, with senators being appointed by the Prime Minister, senators are largely expected to toe their respective party lines. In the House of Commons this party discipline serves the purpose of creating a sense of cohesion for

voters—that is, voters have a general sense of what an MP candidate stands for based on her party. This is not true of the appointed Senate which, in a two-house system is meant to provide a “sober second thought.” Liberal leader Justin Trudeau acted on this line of thinking in 2014 when he removed all sitting Liberal senators from the Liberal caucus.

Of course the other solution would be to simply blow it up and abolish the Senate altogether. Canada would join several other countries that have a single house parliamentary system. Advocates of this rather drastic measure argue that doing so will streamline

the political process and save the taxpayer millions yearly. The question with abolition becomes whether or not doing so will cause too high of a concentration of power among the remaining legislative branches.

We’re ultimately left with a question of whether or not there’s a way to get the Senate to do a better job at providing its “sober second thought,” or if we’d do better removing it altogether. What is clear is that the Senate in its current iteration does not work, and action in some form needs to be taken.

Scott McLelland

Prayers shouldn’t be political The place of God in government.

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Amanda Panaanen Contributor

Last week, Canada’s Supreme Court ruled that Saguenay, Quebec will no longer be permitted to begin its council meetings with prayer. The Court declared that the recital of the Catholic prayer during legislative assemblies infringes on the freedom/rights of religious and individual expression. According to the Globe and Mail, the case began in 2007, after Alain Simoneau, atheist and Saguenay resident, stated that the use of public prayer at City Hall contributed to his feelings of “isolation, exclusion and stigmatization.”

The ruling has far-reaching implications for Canada. Currently, a House of Commons prayer that starts off with “Almighty God” is being scrutinized. According to Parliament’s website, the prayer is read by the Speaker of the House before the doors are opened to the public. Each parliamentary member in attendance is expected to stand during the prayer, which is customarily followed by a moment of silence.

Even Christy Clark has chimed in on the controversy. She sees no inherent harm in opening each sitting of the legislature with daily prayer. She told AM730: “You know the thing in British Columbia is, the prayer is sometimes a prayer that’s completely non-

religious. Sometimes it does refer to God or Allah or Jehovah, or any of the other names that people use for God.” …okay…?

Now don’t get me wrong, prayer is a wonderful thing. However, prayer should be a personal expression to a deity of choice, not a political statement. The problem exists in

marginalization. There are many Canadians who don’t believe in God, or don’t believe in the Christian or Catholic God, in particular.

Then there are those who do, but dislike the idea of a lip-service type prayer presented by a government that only employs religion when it serves its own purpose.

Statistics Canada shows that in 2004

Hailey Logan

more than half of Canadians aged 15 to 29 and nearly 60 per cent of British Columbians stated they had no religious affiliations.

Likewise, a 2005 study by Phil Zuckerman, professor of sociology at Pitzer College, found a whopping 19 to 30 per cent of Canadians identify as atheist or agnostic, making Canada one of the top 20 non-religious nations in the world. But Canada is also renowned for its multiculturalism, boasting an array of cultural and religious traditions.

Zuckerman showed that depending on which area you live in, it seems opening a council meeting with a Catholic prayer may only be appeasing a small minority.

Ultimately, the Supreme Court of Canada has not vetoed our public/private rights to prayer, it has simply excluded prayer from being reduced to a contentious, exclusive, ritualistic government custom.

In the words of John Stackhouse, who holds the Sangwoo Youtong Chee Chair of Theology and Culture at Regent College: “Prayer in public secular events is like holding up a photograph of your mother and saying, ‘I’ve got Mom on speakerphone now, so let’s all tell Mom how much we love her as our mother and how we hope she’s proud of us for what we’ve done at university/work/ war.’ People would look at each other and then at you and think, ‘You’re crazy. She’s not our mother, and we didn’t do it for her.’”

Are you listening Christy Clark?

Opinion

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Charis Au

I hunger

Cheap eats in Metro Vanfoodver this summer.

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Kier-Christer Junos Coordinating Editor

So. You’re stuck in Metro Vancouver this summer, drawing endless supply-demand graphs in ECON while perplexed that you actually passed Math 11. Since you’ll clearly need sustenance after exhausting yourself from wallowing in your horrid decision to take economics this summer, you’ll be glad to know that I’ve compiled this list of random eats that will keep your wallet as full as you will be. Kind of.

Take a bite out of O’Neil’s, the little homestyle sandwich shop and only reason to go eastbound into Abbotsford. On the weekdays, you’ll meet Vern, a surly old fellow who kind of looks like a poor man’s Meatloaf. But don’t you bring it up.

Ask him for “The Classic.” With a grunt, he’ll shuffle back into the kitchen, fry an egg, halve a loaf of O’Neil’s signature sweet potato bread, slice through tomatoes and

ham, cover it in sauces, before stacking it all together in a sandwich so delectable that Hell’s Kitchen freezes over and Gordon Ramsey says, “Fuckin’ell.”

Speaking of the Brits, if you’re into some tea that doesn’t taste like despair, pop across the street from Cedar building’s backside into Urban Masala, one of Surrey’s many passages to India. You can get a cup of first-flush Cardamom cheaper than a night out in Mumbai with a single Sterling pound. But really, it’ll cost you $10 to fill a dish with anything you find from the row of bottomless hot plates, all teeming with flavour and colour. But you gotta commit. If you fail to finish your plate, then you just fail in general (They charge extra).

“My dinner partner commented that the sauce was a bit too spicy for him,” says R.C., from Vancouver. “And now that I think about it, there isn’t a milder option listed on the menu and we weren’t offered the option by the server, although I would hope that if you were to ask they would be able to accommodate.”

Well R.C., I truly hope that they don’t

accommodate and that your mouth will be forever a flamestorm like the unholy mango chutney I put on my toast.

Once upon a time, I was hungry in Gastown before a late-night show at the Hindenburg, and I stumbled upon TacoFino, a place where the pencil-skirted drunks in the line insist that, “The food is really good here.” The place is open until midnight so it’s subject to that sort. TacoFino, a shop born from a convoy of esteemed food trucks, sells burritos that would incapacitate even the most brazen ostrich-eating contest alumni.

So when you pay around $10 for a succulent meat mass (or vegan surprise) wrapped in a flour tortilla, trust me, it’s all you will ever need. To order, just yell “SATIATE ME, PLEASE.” They’ll respond, “Right away, madame,” and conjure the sustenance package lickity-split, and then you can dress it with the mystery sauces on the counters nearest the windows. The drunks asked me the flavour of the sauce I was applying.

I said “green.” Afterwards, you’ll probably

never eat again, let alone visit the toilet until you get your doctorate degree. Which is never, of course. Though the place is called TacoFino, to get actual tacos you have to visit the taco location in this place called Blood Alley Square. Bring your sacrifice to get through the passageway and you’ll be on your way to taco hell, a place where you can’t taco’bout nothing but tacos.

I lived in Richmond for a summer to do some intern reporting work, and often I found myself alone in the easy-to-miss place that accepted all my solitary self-loathing — Charcoal, the Sushi and BBQ restaurant that I frequented when I needed to eat and drink through my journalism inadequacies.

It’s like most sushi restaurants in B.C., but they have something quite unique: shark fin salad with jellyfish. You might be unhappy with that, but either way, sit at the bar by yourself, sulk a little, dig into some baby octopus and wash it down with some sake. Put some romanticism into your student life!

Roland Nguyen

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Procrastination

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SUDOKU SUDOKU 4 5

No. No. 120 119

2 7 8 7 3 9 2

2 3 6

6

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2 3 4 1 7 5 9 3 2 9 6 4 5 7 8

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Horoscopes

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74 56 92 68 85 47 39 23 11

61 89 23 92 44 56 78 15 37

97 75 38 21 19 83 56 62 44

58 12 41 33 66 79 87 94 25

19 23 55 84 37 92 41 78 66

46 37 64 55 78 11 23 89 92

82 94 79 47 21 68 15 36 53

3 8 7 6 2 5 4 1 9

5 1 6 9 3 4 2 7 8

Capricorn Dec. 22 - Jan 20

This time next year you will finally realise your life-long dream of being a dead person.

I’m trying very hard not to judge you.

She is trying VERY hard not to judge you.

Pisces Feb 20 - Mar 20

Aries Mar 21 - Apr 19

Taurus Apr 20 - May 20

The king has capitulated. Your authority is absolute. The people await your victory address.

A day wherein you do not wake up in a circus where the audience is in shackles and clowns scream their nightmares at you from the high top is a good day by me.

This week you will, unfortunately, be Randy Newman.

Gemini May 21 - Jun 20

To complete To complete Sudoku, Sudoku, fill the fill the board by board entering by entering numbers numbers 1 to 9 1 to 9 such that such each thatrow, each column row, column and and 3x3 box3x3 contains box contains every number every number uniquely. uniquely.

For many Forstrategies, many strategies, hints and hints and tips, visit tips, www.sudokuwiki.org visit www.sudokuwiki.org you like If you Str8ts like check Str8ts out check ourout our 5Ifbooks, iPhone/iPad Apps and books, iPhone/iPad Apps and much more our on store. muchon more our store.

Cancer Jun 21 - Jul 23

1. One who deals in small craft 9. California peak 15. Toothless 16. Putrid 17. Portrayed 18. Having sound 19. Naval rank, briefly 20. ___-disant (self-styled) 21. Law of Moses 22. Film ___ 24. Jumpy 28. Compass dir.

29. Bright golden brown 31. Horse color 32. PIN requester 33. Group of two 34. Stabilizes 36. Swelling 38. Interlocution 40. Oscar winner Patricia 43. Russert of "Meet the Press" 44. Nicholas II, for one 45. Grommet 47. Charlottesville sch.

48. Regard 50. Magma 51. Sucrose 53. Calendar abbr.

55. Singer Torme 56. Culmination 58. Somite 60. Related through males 61. Explosive shells 62. Required 63. Not extreme

Down

1. Didn't exist 2. Tonsil's neighbor 3. Tenseness 4. Conclusion 5. Numbered rds.

6. Dark brownish red color 7. Dined at home 8. Actor Beatty 9. Grads-to-be 10. Informal folk concert

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Did your father rot slowly? Or was his decomposition in some ditch along the 91 Highway accelerated by your thinking of him?

I’m really starting to think there might not be local singles in my area...

Virgo Aug 24 - Sept 23

Libra Sept 24 - Oct 23

Scorpio Oct 24 - Nov 22

Laura isn’t mad at you, she’s mad at Continue Tomorrow you’ll be singing lead the herself for not being able to communicate soprano in aConversation! junk man’s choir. her problems. Reach out to her, you’ll find Find The Runner on Social Media she has quite a lot to say.

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It’s not you, it’s me. I hate you.

Contine the Conversaton!

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Leo Jul 24 - Aug 23

Hells bells, Trudy!

CROSSWORD Across

Aquarius Jan 21 - Feb 19

Sagittarius Nov. 23 - Dec 21

Previous Previous solutionsolution - Easy - Very Hard MediumEasy

© 2011 Syndicated Puzzles, Inc.

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11. ___ extra cost 12. Ogle 13. Lease holders 14. Hymn 23. Gaucho's rope 25. Sign of a slip 26. Soft 27. Strong wind 30. Make impure 34. Sired 35. Alloy of iron and carbon 37. Rock clinging plant 38. Communicate 39. Conceive 41. Oakland's county 42. Young hare 43. From Florence, e.g.

45. Chewed the scenery 46. "Honor Thy Father" author 49. Diciembre follower 52. Diary of ___ Housewife 54. Windmill part 57. Crossed (out) 58. "The Wizard of Oz" studio 59. Blemish

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Brain Thought Word Say ( www.brainthoughtwordsay.com )

Private I

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