The Cascade Vol. 21 No. 17

Vol. 21 Issue. 17

www.ufvcascade.ca

June 19 to July 2, 2013

Whipping off our station master’s hat since 1993

Travelling man

Q&A with Scott Wilson of Departures and Descending p. 10-11

National Aboriginal Day takes to the green p. 4

CBC2 ads are a necessary compromise p. 9

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NEWS News

Champions for Health

Griffy Vigneron takes a look at the recently-returned Champions for Health Promoting Schools study tour in Antigua, West Indies. Focusing on teaching life skills through physical education, the group gets real classroom experience. These students are making a difference in people’s lives one game of tag at a time.

Opinion

CRTC stands up for the consumer

With the announcement of the new regulations surrounding wireless phone contracts designed to benefit the consumer rather than the provider, skeptics have to worry. Katie Stobbart praises the changes in the short-term but looks warily for the retaliation of the major cellphone providers.

pg. 6

pg. 8

Arts & Life

The Maine chat before their show

Drummer Pat Kirch and vocalist John O’Callaghan of headlining band The Maine sat down and talked with Melissa Spady about how they got started, the process of their latest unedited album and their other projects, like a documentary and a photography book, before stepping on stage at Vancouver’s Rio Theatre.

pg. 16

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 19, 2013 www.ufvcascade.ca

Sports & Health

Know thy beach There’s no better summer destination than a day at the beach.

It’s a great place to read a book or take a nap, and the allure of the water in the heat of the day can make swimming a real treat.

But before you pack the picnic and call up your friends, check out Stewart Seymour’s ultimate beach guide to the best beaches in the area.

pg. 20

EDITORIAL

Graduation terror? Think of Master Chef DESSA BAYROCK THE CASCADE

Last week hundreds of students shook Mark Evered’s hand and received an expensive piece of paper as part of UFV’s three convocation ceremonies.

As one of the students that crossed the stage this year, I can attest that it’s terribly exciting and drop-dead boring, an ecstatic and anticlimactic dream come true for graduates and, I imagine, their parents.

Stepping out of the darkened arena and into the blinding overcast ambience of the outdoors felt like leaving the proverbial nest, jettisoning out of a comfortable university uterus and into the brightly frightening real world.

I was suddenly filled with terror, holding a degree that felt suddenly and suspiciously flimsy. What have I learned that is really supposed to help me? I thought. What if the real world EATS ME ALIVE? But as English majors often do in times of stress and high emotion, I found comfort in a metaphor.

Master Chef.

I was just as surprised and skeptical as you are, but hear me out.

For those unfamiliar with the program, Master Chef is a fairly run-of-the-mill cooking

show: competitors battle to create tastier, more innovative and better-looking food than their fellow contestants while enduring the constant criticism of chef Gordon Ramsay.

For the purpose of this metaphor, you are the determined and terrified contestant. You long to be a master chef, but will you ever break out of the constant strain, stress and adrenaline? You’re blindsided by orders to cook dishes you’ve never heard of and correctly use combinations of ingredients you’ve never thought about, not to mention somehow keep on the good side of that backstabbing bitch in the corner who brags she used to be in a gang. Your head alternately spins and aches, and above all you pray you won’t burst into tears when Gordon Ramsay looks at you.

Life was so easy before I joined this show! You might think to yourself. Why did I ever leave my old life behind? What was I thinking?

But even if you stay in your own comfortable kitchen, each of us has a Gordon Ramsay in our own heads. His clever and caustic British jabs will be with you no matter where you are.

So there is no choice; you get up every morning and walk in the doors of the Master Chef set and you put your game face on. Today is going to be the day you make Gordon Ramsay

Volume 21 · Issue 17 Room C1027 33844 King Road Abbotsford, BC V2S 7M8 604.854.4529 Editor-in-chief dessa@ufvcascade.ca Dessa Bayrock Managing editor michael@ufvcascade.ca Michael Scoular Business manager joe@ufvcascade.ca Joe Johnson Online editor michael@ufvcascade.ca Michael Scoular Production manager stewart@ufvcascade.ca Stewart Seymour Art director anthony@ufvcascade.ca Anthony Biondi Copy editor joel@ufvcascade.ca Joel Smart News editor news@ufvcascade.ca Jess Wind Interim opinion editor opinion@ufvcascade.ca Nick Ubels

Image: UFV/ flickr

Don’t burn the sauce, and don’t have a nervous breakdown. proud. Today is the day you shake Mark Evered’s hand.

And even though you feel like your heart is going to beat out of your chest like a bird escaping a cage, you realize that even if the kitchen is a hell of a lot bigger, it’s still a kitchen.

You have a stove and an oven, a sink and a dishcloth, all kinds of cutlery and serving utensils. You’ve been cooking all your life, and cooking in the big leagues of reality TV might be scarier, sure, but it’s still cooking. Everything you know still applies. Don’t let anything burn, right? Don’t forget to put the vegetables on to boil. Keep that sauce warm right up until you put it on the plate, because there’s nothing worse than a cold sauce.

I’m making these facts up, because in reality I know very

little about cooking. But the metaphor stands: the things learned at university are meant to serve us well in the real world – don’t drink coffee unless you want to stay awake.

Start projects well in advance.

Find study partners you can trust with your life, and more importantly, your test scores.

Don’t break the yolks. Don’t let the rice cook too long.

Always proofread your work.

Get at least six hours of sleep every night.

The lessons you have learned will serve you well, whether you’re trying to win Master Chef or start a career, whether you graduated last week, in 1998, or plan to next year. Just keep doing what you’re doing, one step at a time – it’s high time you learned to cook more than Kraft Dinner anyway.

UPCOMING EVENTS Now – Aug 30

July 1

Game days

June 22

Envision Twilight Concert Series

Canada Day parade and celebration

Stanley Cup Finals at Aftermath

Battle of the Bands

Bring a lawn chair and enjoy live music at Mission’s Heritage Park. With everything from high school bands and choirs to professional musicians and Celtic groups from all over BC, there is sure to be something for everyone. The event runs every Wednesday and Friday at 7 p.m. and admission is by donation.

Floats, hay rides, mini golf, fireworks and so much more! Abbotsford’s annual Canada Day celebration kicks off at 11 a.m. on South Fraser Way and goes all day until the fireworks begin at 10 p.m. at Rotary Stadium. With a “Wild, Wild, West” theme this year, the celebration promises free family fun.

Watch two of the Canucks biggest rivals duke it out on the ice for Lord Stanley’s cup. Aftermath is serving beer and snacks for anyone looking for a cheap way to relax and watch the game on a TV that’s nearly the size of the wall. This event runs for as long as it takes Boston to beat Chicago.

Eighteen bands. Ten weeks. The battle is on.

CIVL is hosting Battle of the Bands at Aftermath, held every Saturday from May 11 to July 13. Doors open at 7 p.m., and bands go from 7:30 until 9. Tickets are only $5 per night, beer is only $5 a bottle and the full musical glory of the schedule is available online at civl.ca.

Interim arts & life editor arts@ufvcascade.ca Amy Van Veen Interim sports editor joel@ufvcascade.ca Joel Smart Photojournalist blake@ufvcascade.ca Blake McGuire Staff writers Jasper Moedt, Melissa Spady, Katie Stobbart and Griffy Vigneron Contributors Jeremy Hannaford, Keith Morden, Sean Morden, Riley Nowlan and Tim Ubels

Printed By International Web exPress Cover image courtesy of Ryan Edwardson; manipulation by Anthony Biondi The Cascade is UFV’s autonomous student newspaper. It provides a forum for UFV students to have their journalism published. It also acts as an alternative press for the Fraser Valley. The Cascade is funded with UFV student funds. The Cascade is published every Wednesday with a circulation of 1500 and is distributed at UFV campuses and throughout Abbotsford, Chilliwack, and Mission. The Cascade is a member of the Canadian University Press, a national cooperative of 75 university and college newspapers from Victoria to St. John’s. The Cascade follows the CUP ethical policy concerning material of a prejudicial or oppressive nature.

Submissions are preferred in electronic format through e-mail. Please send submissions in “.txt” or “.doc” format only.

Articles and letters to the editor must be typed.

The Cascade reserves the right to edit submissions for clarity and length. The Cascade will not print any articles that contain racist, sexist, homophobic or libellous content. The writer’s name and student number must be submitted with each submission. Letters to the editor must be under 250 words if intended for print. Only one letter to the editor per writer in any given edition.

Opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect that of UFV, Cascade staff and collective, or associated members.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 19, 2013

Convocation 2013

www.ufvcascade.ca

KATIE STOBBART

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NEWS

UFV family celebrates another year of excellence

THE CASCADE

“There is no such thing as a self-made man,” Sol Sun said Friday morning in his student address. The psychology major, bound for the University of Toronto next fall, took a moment to thank family, friends and professors of graduates.

“We would not be here if not for the amazing team of individuals by our sides,” he said.

Family, community and excellence stood out as central themes in the three ceremonies celebrating the convocation of graduates this year. Director of research services and industry liaison Brad Whittaker emceed the three events. First, the faculties of open studies and professional studies took the stage on Thursday afternoon. Then on Friday morning the college of arts crossed the stage, with the faculties of science, health science and trades and technology finishing up on Friday afternoon. Graduates crossed amid the cheers and whistles of family and friends in the crowd, many recognized for earning multiple certificates in addition to their degrees.

But there is more to a degree than just a piece of paper, and there is more to this moment than a single achievement or a single student.

“This is where things get interesting, as everyone starts branching out,” Nicole Balston, sociology major and French minor said.

“I’ve gotten more from [UFV] than just a paper credential.”

Balston—on her way to teach in France next year—credits UFV for her success and opportunities.

“It’s a teaching university, and you can take full advantage of that. Take directed studies in something you’re interested in, talk to professors about research opportunities ... You remember experiences later on, not the grades.”

In his address to the students, UFV president and vice chancellor Mark Evered encouraged the students to take risks.

“You can take confidence in knowing that you can reach out into the unknown, not just with a credential, but with the strong foundation of your studies behind you,” he said. “As of today you become alumni of UFV, permanent members of the UFV family ... your success is our success.”

The UFV family also extended its arms to Canadian musician and motivational speaker Bif Naked, scientist and journalist Penny Parks and artist George Littlechild by bestowing each with an honorary doctorate.

“It’s such a thrill, and so humbling, to be recognized that way,” Naked said on International Women’s Day after Evered asked her to accept the degree.

UFV chancellor Brian Minter challenged the students to be a positive change in the world in his address.

“Greatness goes beyond the ordinary, and passion is what will get you there,” he said. “Be positive – in a world of negativity, the positive shines like a beacon

of light and turns negativity in a different direction.”

One graduate recognized for outstanding achievement this year was political science major Surjit Atwal, who has persevered through cerebral palsy while completing his studies. He received a standing ovation when it was announced that the Surjit Atwal Remarkable Achievement Award had been created in his honour.

“Tomorrow and beyond, we will watch with pride as [graduates] use their knowledge, skill and creativity to benefit us all,” Evered declared in his address.

“Vibrant, innovative, healthy, inclusive and sustainable communities are built on the contributions of such graduates.”

UFV recognized a number of students for their achievements, including library and information technology graduate AnnaMarie Krahn, the recipient of the Governor General’s bronze medal. Sun, Derek Froese and Laurie Shulz were given the honour of speaking at the three ceremonies.

Communications instructor Linda Pardy was awarded for UFV Teaching Excellence, and chemistry instructor Noham Weinberg was given the award for Research Excellence, while Darryl Plecas earned the designation of Professor Emeritus.

“In our communities we seem to find fewer and fewer opportunities to get together. But today we do,” Evered said, speaking of convocation as a time to publicly recognize the talent of faculty and the students that UFV is privileged to serve.

Image: UFV/ flickr

Graduates shook hands with UFV president Mark Evered and chancellor Brian Minter.

Image: UFV/ flickr

Over 2000 students crossed the stage this year to claim their brand-new credentials.

Tweets from the seats

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NEWS

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 19, 2013 www.ufvcascade.ca

National Aboriginal Day on the green JESS WIND THE CASCADE

Speakers, drummers and crafts were some of the attractions at yesterday’s National Aboriginal Day event. Held on the green at the Abbotsford Campus, the event marked the biggest SUS event held this year and is second only in size to their annual fall Weeks of Welcome.

Aboriginal representative Ashley Camille organized the event in order to bring all the aboriginal students on campus together.

Camille says approximately 400 students self-identify as Aboriginal.

“But you wouldn’t think that if

SUS launches annual community event on campus

you go to the aboriginal room or if you just hang out in those areas,” she notes. “There aren’t 400 that come in and out of there,” she said.

Plans for the event started out as a simple awareness day, but quickly grew into a full National Aboriginal Day celebration after Camille noticed a need for it in the area.

“Last year when I was taking classes in the summer, I googled it, I didn’t come up with anything local,” she explained. “There’s no event in the Fraser Valley right now ... of this nature that happens this time of year, so that’s why we opened it up to the community,” she explained.

Students from surrounding

schools including Terry Fox Elementary and W.J. Mouat Secondary attended the event along with students and members of UFV and the surrounding communities.

Camille commented on the challenges she faced with putting on such a sizable event.

“I have not had to plan an event of this size before and I wasn’t intending to,” she explained. “The thing was learning the ins and outs, what you can and can’t do on campus and collaborating with all the different areas.”

The day was comprised of a variety of tents and presentations, with something new happening every 15 minutes. A troupe of dancers and performing drum-

mers provided entertainment and SUS sold $2 food tickets, each providing a salmon kebab, local produce, authentic bannock and a drink.

The demonstrations and vendors included Wendy Richie’s discussion of the Earth and cedar, Métis finger weaving, crafts

by Helena Mussel, carving demonstrations and Michael Forbes glassware.

Apart from the various performances and displays, two speakers were also present at the event.

Bev Sellars, chief of the Soda Creek band near Williams Lake has recently released the book They Called Me Number One: Secrets and Survival at an Indian Residential School. She spoke about her

Image: Blake McGuire

Aboriginal performers exhibited traditional dances on the green.

book and the place of Aboriginal individuals in the world today.

Eddie Gardner, current UFV elder-in-residence, was also invited to speak on the medicine wheel.

“There are actually a lot of students who are interested in it, who had heard about it, but they’re a little bit shy to go up and ask somebody, ‘Hey, can you tell me about the medicine wheel?’”

Camille explained.

The event began at 10 a.m. on the green and in U-House and the Centre for Indo-Canadian Studies, and ran into the afternoon.

As the first event of its size and nature to be held by SUS, Camille is well on her way to fulfilling her campaign promises in her term as Aboriginal rep.

Image: Blake McGuire

SUS hopes to bring the inclusive event back to campus on an annual basis.

Image: Blake McGuire

Craft and food demonstrations filled several tables and drew the eager attention of the crowd.

Image: Blake McGuire

Community members and students alike participated.

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NEWS

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 19, 2013 www.ufvcascade.ca

SCIENCE ON PURPOSE KEITH MORDEN

Ancient cocoa plant rediscovered

CONTRIBUTOR

Chocolate is known worldwide as a sweet treat with no equal. People have long been producing different kinds of chocolate, experimenting with different ingredients, different amounts and even the species of cocoa the chocolate bean comes from.

Almost a century ago, in 1916, there was a region of Ecuador that was the only known area to contain a type of cocoa plant recognized as pure Nacional.

Although the region still exists today, a disease had wiped out the entire population of pure Nacional. It was thought that the plant had gone extinct until 2010 when a dramatic discovery took place.

Dan Pearson and Brian Horsley were searching through Peru’s Maranon Canyon with a small crew and happened to stumble upon a small remote village. This village was surrounded by a 6000 foot cliff shaped like a horseshoe. In this village were a number of farms, and found among them was one farm growing cocoa plants. After a quick taste, one plant was sent for analysis to Dr. Lyndel Meinhardt and Dr. Dapeng Zhang. Meinhardt is the head researcher at the USDA sustainable perennial crops laboratory in Beltsville, Maryland, while Zhang is a geneticist working in the same field. Both are respected

Image: Shelly & Dave/flickr

A cocoa plant thought to be extinct was rediscoverd in Peru. for their knowledge in pursuing more sustainable crops by selectively breeding favourable genes and traits.

Meinhardt and Zhang went to work on analysing the plant.

By sequencing parts of the cocoa bean’s DNA, they were able to compare the data against an international cocoa database

of about 5300 entries. None of these entries being pure Nacional plants with white berries, the fact that one was delivered right to these researcher’s doors is unprecedented.

By taking genetic samples of the plant, it was possible to connect this newly discovered plant with the old, thought to

be extinct, variety.

Pearson and Horsley had an unknown, yet renowned chocolate maker in Switzerland produce the first chocolate bar made from pure Nacional in almost a century.

Soon after they returned to the tiny village in order to participate in the harvest of the pure Nacional beans. This was done in order to observe the harvesting and cultivating techniques that have been used for generations. It was the past and future of chocolate coming together.

The science of genetic testing has helped confirm a new strain of cocoa bean, and now pure Nacional may start appearing in modern chocolate.

A single bar (80g) made from pure Nacional was produced in 2011 and priced at a little over $20. Since then it has become more readily available, but is still only grown in Peru.

Fortunato no. 4 is one of the few brands of chocolate that feature pure Nacional beans in its recipe. The plant is best known for 40 per cent of its beans being a gorgeous white colour when ripe. With production at an all-time high, we have travelling chocolatiers and a team of well-respected geneticists to thank for this new breed of cocoa plant.

Chocolate lovers everywhere rejoice.

Faculty reception permanently removed from faculty services DESSA BAYROCK

THE CASCADE

This summer saw major changes to faculty services – namely, the end of faculty reception.

Up to this month, the hard copy of a student’s paper or project could be dropped off at the faculty reception desk, stamped with the time it was received and ultimately delivered to the appropriate professor.

This service allowed students to hand in assignments after a professor’s office hours had ended, or if a student had missed class. It also operated on an inter-campus basis; a paper dropped off in Chilliwack could make its way to a professor in Abbotsford at no cost to the student.

As of the end of May, this service is no longer available.

In a press release dated May 14, Nicole Hitchens of the provost’s office stated that the university sought to reorganize and streamline the many functions of faculty services to better reflect a digital age.

“When faculty services was first established, there was no email, few computers, no de-

NEWS IN BRIEF Biggest protests in 20 years sweep Brazil

(Reuters) – As many as 200, 000 demonstrators marched through the streets of Brazil’s biggest cities on Monday in a swelling wave of protest tapping into widespread anger at poor public services, police violence and government corruption.

The marches blocked streets and halted traffic in more than a half-dozen cities, including Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Belo Horizonte and Brasilia, where demonstrators climbed onto the roof of Brazil’s Congress building and then stormed it.

Contrasting the billions in taxpayer money spent on new stadiums with the shoddy state of Brazil’s public services, protesters are using the Confederation’s Cup as a counterpoint to amplify their concerns. Police clashed with demonstrators outside stadiums at the opening matches in Brasilia and Rio.

Change to come slowly after election of Iranian moderate (Reuters) – The victory of a moderate in Iran’s presidential election has kindled the hopes of liberals for a return to the “golden years” of reformist president Mohammad Khatami, when Iranians enjoyed more freedoms and Tehran had better relations with the West.

While the president-elect is unlikely to seek such farreaching reforms as Khatami, his position at the heart of the Islamic Republic will provide him with a wider political base to get things done.

“Rohani will be able to decrease tensions and slightly relax the security atmosphere which has gripped much of the country for four years,” said Eskandar Sadeghi-Boroujerdi, a researcher on modern Iran at Oxford University.

“But he will not have much or any say over the Ministry of Intelligence or the Revolutionary Guards.”

Canada says not receiving information from U.S. spying program

Image: Amy Van Veen / The Cascade

The office of the provost states faculty reception is an unnecessary service in a digital age. partment assistants in the arts and sciences, and its main role was to provide secretarial/ word processing services,” Hitchens noted.

With the evolution of technology, the press release continued, faculty reception is no longer strictly necessary, as

students and professors can communicate and exchange assignments via email.

Kathy Gowdridge, who worked Abbotsford campus’s faculty reception desk for many years, will continue to provide services to faculty and staff in a redeveloped role with

faculty services.

Hitchens declined to comment on these changes to faculty reception until the fall, stating that these changes are still under implementation.

“It will be difficult to speak to how the changes are working so far,” she stated.

OTTAWA (Reuters) – Canada has no access to data gathered by a top-secret U.S. government surveillance program, but the nation’s secret signals intelligence agency is monitoring foreign phone and internet traffic, officials said on Monday.

Opposition lawmakers had said they feared Canada’s topsecret Communication Security Establishment (CSE), a branch of the defense ministry that specializes in gathering signals intelligence abroad, might be using Prism data to circumvent rules that ban it from spying on Canadians.

Canadian Defence Minister Peter MacKay had earlier confirmed a report in the Globe and Mail newspaper that said CSE which is not allowed to monitor domestic telecommunications or target Canadians – runs a global electronic eavesdropping program designed to detect patterns of suspicious activity.

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NEWS

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 19, 2013 www.ufvcascade.ca

Drafting student competes for national acclaim at Skills Canada competition, finishes in top three KEITH MORDEN CONTRIBUTOR

UFV recently found itself on the national stage due to its trades and technology department. Skills Canada was the host of a national drafting competition, and UFV sent one student to participate. Davejot Sidhu, a student enrolled in the trades and technology drafting program, took up the challenge.

Before nationals, Sidhu competed in the regional drafting competition in order to properly qualify. Using AutoCAD, drafting software utilized in real world situations, Sidhu was asked to create accurate cross-sections based on floor plan information provided. He surpassed the other contestants and won first place.

At the national competition they gave problems, often based on misleading or erroneous data, to test the knowledge of the competitors. Only five participants, including Sidhu, were competing at this level.

He was confident in his abilities, and did little to practise as he felt his skills would not fail him.

“The overall difficulty wasn’t much, the real challenge was just not messing up the simple stuff,” he said.

Image: Library of Congress/Wikimedia Commons

Davejot Sidhu had to draw up drafting plans in a strict time limit as part of the competition.

The overall competition was to take three hours, however bonus points could be awarded if the contestant finished in less time. There were up to 60 points to be awarded for effectively managing time, or otherwise finishing early.

Sidhu participated in the Skills Canada drafting com-

petition and found the challenge much more exciting than the regional qualifiers. He described the room as having an eerie feeling.

“It was like experiencing the calm before the storm,” he said.

National judging was much stricter than it was at regionals, as they were looking for

many different aspects of their final cross-section to show.

Points were awarded for the overall presentation, including the overall neatness of the work and proportions, for organization of the sections, for following drafting conventions, as well as drawing accuracy and proper scaling.

In order to best gauge the quality of the participants work, the judges for the annual Skills Canada drafting competition are all experienced draftsmen. With the judging criteria in mind, Sidhu knew that it was not going to be easy.

He went to work on the assigned problems, working fast to complete as much as possible.

“It was surprising, they were very real world situations.

Stuff that you’d see professionals working on,” he said.

As with any test, the air was full of tension, and not much could be heard besides Sidhu’s busy typing. However, he felt well prepared after attending UFV’s drafting program and managed to finish on time.

Final scores are kept confidential, but Sidhu was informed that he was in the top three before leaving to continue with his studies at the Trades and Technologies Centre in Chilliwack. A great amount of pride goes with Sidhu as he represented UFV at the national level and came out a victor. Not only will his success at this competition help UFV’s reputation, but also Sidhu as he goes out in search of a job after graduation.

Students champion health in Antigua

Students combine physical education and life skills

GRIFFY VIGNERON

THE CASCADE

Many students wish to spend their summer in an exotic location while gaining valuable experience for their careers. For one group of UFV kinesiology students and aspiring teachers, that wish came true.

Champions for Health Promoting Schools is a one month study tour that gives students the opportunity to gain relevant handson practical experience and the chance to make visible, positive changes within a community.

Kinesiology instructor Joanna Sheppard specializes in teaching through physical education and is the director of the Champions program. Each year she brings a group of UFV students to Antigua in the West Indies to teach life skills to elementary students.

Fourth-year kinesology student, Inderpret Bring comments on the benefits of being a part of the program.

“It just opens your eyes to what else is out there. It’s a really good opportunity to get out there and experience [teaching] hands on ...

It allows you to learn about yourself as well,” she says. “You’re seeing how the students are so willing to learn, and how big of an impact you really do have. You

don’t realize it until you’re actually down there.”

More than a regular teaching experience, the goal of the program is to teach life skills through games and physical education. And it’s not just for inside the classroom, Bring points out, it’s for use in their families and in their community as well.

While on the study tour, UFV students are referred to as student teachers. They put together lesson plans and games for the classes they are placed in. They also work carefully with Antiguan teachers, learning from and collaborating with them.

“Seeing the passion the teachers there have and how the students want to learn from them as well, just seeing that relationship was really powerful to me,” Bring emphasizes.

Each Friday the student teachers get together to hold an event they call Unity Games. The event is much like a sports day, Bring explained, except that the student games are focused on life skills – much like the lesson plans. A whole school will participate in the Unity Games, which is about 200 to 480 students.

“When you ask them questions they say things that they learned from other games ... like two weeks ago during a different les-

Image: Used with permission by Joanna Sheppard/ UFV

Student teachers organize games and activities with elementary school children. son plan,” Bring says.

Every year the program goes to the same schools and the same communities.

“I knew these little ones when they were in grade one and now they’re in grade six. It’s pretty exciting for myself as the director to be able to see ... their growth and personal changes, but also my student teachers from UFV [get] to see how much impact the

past years have had on these students,” Sheppard says.

While the program is geared towards kinesiology students, it is open to anyone interested in teaching.

“The important aspect of this program is the life skills teaching. We use physical activity and health education, but other students within other programs have their art background or

photography or film – whatever it is, we really connect with it,” Sheppard says.

Applications for the 2014 Champions program will be open in early September. More information can be found on the UFV Kinesiology website under the Champions tab or by contacting Joanna Sheppard at joanna. sheppard@ufv.ca.

www.ufvcascade.ca

Curtailed commentary on current conditions

SNAPSHOTS

7

OPINION

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 19, 2013

DESSA BAYROCK

KATIE STOBBART

Riley Nowlan

Amy Van Veen

Avocados, avocados everywhere

Apartment hunting and hoop-jumping

Honk if you’re an impatient driver

Shampooing etiquette

If there were an award for ugliest and tastiest fruit in the world, I would nominate avocados. They are delicious and diseased-looking, and I would like to believe that avocados and I are fast friends.

I remember the first time I saw someone eating avocado, three or four years ago. She peeled the flesh out of the skin with a spoon and sliced layers onto bare bread. No other fixings needed; instant sandwich. It looked delicious – oily, but somehow not in a bad way.

Thus began my love affair with avocados. But now something has changed. At the risk of sounding like a vegetable hipster, it’s become popular. Diet plans have picked up on the fact that avocados are both tasty and, at least in some way, good for you, and it was all downhill from there.

Now you can get avocado on a burger at A&W. You can get it on a Subway sandwich.

I can’t blame the avocado. It was merely being delicious. Instead, I glare at the leprous ball of media, ever-hungry for the next profitable and exploitable fad. For shame!

Leave the poor avocado to grow and be harvested and eaten by hippies and wanna-be health food aficionados in peace! Get your cheap, fast-food, gold-digging claws out of here!

I’m apartment hunting. And while I’d like to make this about the number of people who can’t spell the city or street name where their quiet (usually misspelled “quite”) apartment is located, I have a more pressing concern.

Many students like myself have student loans. The reason I subsist primarily on my loan instead of a near-full-time job is so that I can devote most of my time to my studies. Seems straightforward, no?

Obtaining an apartment to rent is not like it once was; you can’t just walk in, have a chat, and get a set of keys any more. You have to prove you’re worthy. They want credit checks, criminal record checks, deposits on your deposits and extra fees for pets. They want leases and contracts, and they want you to be making enough money at work that you can pay for one-and-a-half times your rent.

The trouble is, my primary source of money is my student loan, and there’s no place for that on the application. So I find myself writing out a letter to management explaining this factor in addition to my application for the one available apartment in a nice building near campus.

Sometimes it is tough to be a student.

My favourite thing about driving is the advanced green arrow when turning left. That and pullthrough parking spots. But the left arrow, how great of an invention is that? So it would stand to reason that my least favourite thing is having to turn left without the comfort and reassurance of that flashing green light.

What could make this moment of nervousness worse? That would be the person directly behind me who believes it necessary to flash their lights or honk at me, assuming they know better than I when I should turn.

I admit that I am not the best driver but it is still my decision whether it is safe to pass through oncoming traffic, to take my chances and hope that the driver going straight isn’t speeding and that I haven’t overlooked any other cars. The fact that people behind me think it at all possible that they have a better view of the road than the person in front is completely baffling to me.

Furthermore, why do they believe that a shocking honk or blinding light in my rear-view mirror is a compelling argument and a good reason for me to make a driving decision that could put me and others in danger? Anyhow, thank you for your advice, impatient driver, but I think I will rely on my own driving skills to make decisions.

Can we just discuss for a moment what a person’s supposed to do when they’re getting a shampoo at a salon?

Those shampoo girls know what they’re doing and getting a head massage combined with super expensive products you would never be able to afford in your own home is a luxury, but what’s a person supposed to do?

If you close your eyes and moan, you may be asked to leave.

If you keep your eyes open, you’re forced to keep up conversation with the shampooer while staring at a specific point on the ceiling.

And if you switch between the two, you look like you’re having an episode of some kind and require medication.

There may be some kind of happy medium and I may be overthinking it a touch, but my point still stands – what’s the etiquette for a shampoo? Would it break the moment if I ask them while their hands are scratching my scalp?

Would it bring too much attention to the social faux pas of the moment to have a stranger massaging my roots? Should I maybe just stop thinking about it and hope she doesn’t even notice because her job is to shampoo strangers’ hair all day?

I could try to stop thinking about it.

But instead I’ll just close my eyes. And try not to moan.

Image: photoscott/flickr.com

With no funding to feed its growth, UFV is starving JESS WIND

THE CASCADE

UFV is bursting at the seams, and government funding continues to dry up. Apart from hefty waitlists, we haven’t really felt the tightening belt the government keeps strapped around post-secondary institutions.

That is, until recently. And UFV isn’t the only one getting hit.

A recent Capilano University budget showed a $1.3 million shortfall, according to The Vancouver Sun. Proposed slashes to programs would see the end of textile arts, studio arts, interactive design, computing science, geology and advanced ceramics. Some of these programs are unique to the university and would force local students to go out of province for their education. Just what BC wants, I’m sure.

Capilano has since suspended the vote on the austerity budget in order to provide more time to find a better solution after protests from students, staff and faculty members. By cutting full programs instead of thinning out funding

Slashing budgets can mean slashing entire programs. across departments, they will be able to maintain the quality of their core programs.

UFV is doing things a bit differently. While they’re not saying goodbye to any of their programs yet, they are making significant cuts to services on campus that will certainly affect students.

The Abbotsford Times reported that $46 million will be cut from

Image: UFV/Flickr

post-secondary education over the next three years thanks to Minister of Finance and six-time Abbotsford West MLA Michael De Jong’s February budget proposal.

Open common areas that foster a healthy study atmosphere and lively community are being restructured to make more offices for the bursting university.

The student services centre is

boarded up for renovations, with the waiting area having nearly disappeared. Library-seeking students in Mission will need to commute to Abbotsford or Chilliwack; the closure of the Mission campus library was announced at the beginning of the month.

We are also seeing the restructuring of faculty reception which eliminates the service that allows students to hand in papers after a professor’s office or classroom hours have ended.

What does it all mean? Perhaps not much, perhaps it means that UFV is simply streamlining their services across their multi-community campuses. Perhaps it is an attempt to cut from areas that won’t affect students as directly rather than cutting whole programs.

In an interview with The Abbotsford Times, VP provost Eric Davis commented on how the cuts will always affect students.

“At whatever level, just about everything we do at UFV impacts student services and it’s a big challenge to take money out and not affect them,” he said.

The moral of the story is that as

services keep disappearing from campuses, waitlists keep growing and tuition keeps climbing, it will no longer become financially feasible or worthwhile for students to attend university. They will have to take whatever entry level, lowpaying jobs they can swing or they will have to swallow the mountain of student loan debt, which frankly BC, you aren’t going to be getting back any time soon.

Fast forward 30 years when we’ve forgotten about this $46 million funding cut (and any more that may come our way) we will be undereducated and skills that come with university education like critical thinking, analysis, creativity, composition and knowledge of the world outside our own communities will have become obsolete within a generation.

As the effects of the funding cuts are ongoing and ever changing, we will continue to look into the topic. If you have questions you would like us to investigate or if you have an opinion you’d like to share, send it to jess@ ufvcascade.ca.

8

OPINION

OPINION

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 19, 2013

Awareness campaigns only serve to spawn more armchair activists

MELISSA SPADY

THE CASCADE

Awareness campaigns are annoying.

There, I said it. Let the shitstorm fall upon me. I’m ready for the world to dislike my opinion and I’m prepared to point out why it’s not such an awful opinion to have.

I understand that there are valid reasons behind having awareness campaigns, but I truly believe that none of those reasons are realized when most campaign promotions and events are carried out.

The purpose of an awareness campaign is two-fold; first, to make the public aware of a relatively unknown problem, and second, that people will get up and do something about it.

These campaigns aren’t effective, though. They’re usually kicking a dead horse as opposed to shining light on obscure issues of public importance. Bracelets, magnets, t-shirts, and a variety of other regular items in pink don’t bring awareness to breast cancer because everyone already knows about it. If we were living in the 1960s when no one had heard of breast cancer we wouldn’t be having this conversation. The campaign would have a legitimate purpose. As it stands today, I don’t understand how purchasing a product emblazoned with a pink ribbon is supporting people with breast cancer, or breast cancer research. How much

Image: Anthony Biondi

Let’s be serious: are you actually accomplishing anything by buying that “breast cancer” hammer? of that measly $8.99 you spent on a “breast cancer” hammer is going to actually help? Without getting into the nitty-gritty of statistics, it’s not very much. All purchasing these products does is let you feel good about yourself for doing something instead of nothing.

Another huge problem with these kinds of campaigns is that they dole out feel-good vibes to

people for doing next to nothing, and that alleviates a vast number of us of the obligation to do anything else.

This mindset is problematic because it promotes the bystander effect: the more people who witness a problem, the less likely it is that anyone will step in to intervene.

Now this isn’t always the case, but I bet you can think of a time in your

life when people stopped to look at a perilous situation and no one moved to get involved. If everyone buys the breast cancer baking set and thinks, “someone else will donate money directly to the cause.

I’ve done enough,” then nobody is effectively helping. You become a bystander, but you also get to pat yourself on the back for just being present. For me that creates a whole

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slew of behavioural problems that I can’t even begin to touch on.

Nowadays any Joe Schmo (sorry Joes, your name rhymes nicely) can start up an awareness campaign or an internet meme for “awareness.”

One time in my life I spent the better part of three days arguing on a social media website about why most awareness memes are useless, and in the end I just wanted to tear my hair out. Try as I might, they missed my point entirely. For a while we saw pictures of our favourite cartoon characters from childhood plastered all over the place in an attempt to bring awareness to child abuse. At first I assumed we were just being nostalgic and jumped at the opportunity to change my picture to a Pokemon.

Apparently I was inadvertently raising awareness for children affected by abuse, or the fact that child abuse happens, or stopping child abuse. I’m not entirely sure.

There’s a term I use when discussing this: armchair activists. I adapted it from the term “armchair anthropologists,” which refers to those who don’t go do their own research but read about it and discuss it at length as if they do. Awareness campaigns create an army of people who will pompously argue at length why their bumper sticker is helping your aunt battle a horrific disease when all it does is put money into the pocket of a company who couldn’t care less.

New wireless code favours consumers KATIE STOBBART

It’s about damn time, but is it too good to be true?

THE CASCADE

No cancellation fees after two years. Capped data and roaming charges. Trial periods. Clear contract language and notifications.

Doesn’t it sound too good to be true?

These are some of the regulations introduced in a new wireless code which promises to make the wireless market more dynamic and consumer-friendly.

The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunication Commission (CRTC) created the code in response to consumers’ complaints and feedback on wireless services.

Essentially, it clarifies the rights of consumers and the responsibilities of service providers.

Having been a sufferer of wireless rage (a state of all-consuming anger at one’s cell phone, contract, or wireless service provider) in the past, I can see how many of the new guidelines will alleviate financial and emotional stress for Canadians who use cell phones. About 26 million Canadians have wireless devices; even if one tenth of those are frustrated or have had to pay unexpected charges and fees for their cell phones, this change spells a major decrease in unrest.

My last mobile phone experience triggered a particularly strong case of wireless rage (I was angry at my phone, my contract, and my provider). I opted for a basic, no-

frills phone on a three-year contract. My plan was only about $25 per month, offered unlimited text messaging, free calling times, and a few other perks. I paid part of the phone cost when I signed up.

By the end of the first year, I was ready to turn in. I had to take the phone in numerous times to be fixed, was told it would cost hundreds of dollars to end my contract even after my second year, and there was little I could do about the phone after the warranty ended.

My provider would not even let me upgrade to a new phone without completely buying out my contract. It was frustrating, to say the least.

The new rules favour the customer over the service provider.

Early cancellation fees cannot be more than the “device subsidy,” which is the suggested retail price less the amount originally paid for the phone by the customer. The fee also has to decrease every month over a maximum period of two years, so that by the end of those years the fee is zero.

In my case, the cancellation fee after one year of my contract would have been less than $100 had such regulations been in effect. After the second year I would have been free to walk away. Or, with the introduction of trial periods, if I noticed issues within the first 15 days, I could have returned the phone entirely, free of charge.

The wireless code clearly outlines a number of other regulations

Image: ario_/flickr

The new code will make things more convenient for consumers in want of new cellphones. which should make for a much more positive experience for consumers. What I like about the idea is that it basically lays out a code of behaviour for corporate entities.

Optimistically, what this looks like is a return (at least in the realm of wireless communications) to the idea that the customer “is always right.” Consumers have a right to be treated fairly, and this should be

a priority for any company.

Unfortunately, I have a feeling the perfect world we might hope for is still out of reach.

Corporations are not human beings, after all. So if the CRTC’s wireless code denies them a few hectares of profit margin, they will be willing and capable of finding other ways to gain at the consumer’s expense.

I would like to believe that will not be the case. However, when something sounds too good to be true, it often is. And in the case of wireless service, it seems that most of us want it and will put up with all kinds of frustration (and cost) to get it.

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OPINION

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 19, 2013 www.ufvcascade.ca

Ads on CBC2 not a threat to integrity NICK UBELS

Advertisements are a revenue stream, not a source of bias

THE CASCADE

Wedged awkwardly between timeless classics from Schubert and Mozart, the familiar strains of commercial jingles from United Furniture Warehouse and I-Travel-2000. com are set to invade the airwaves of CBC Radio 2 for up to four minutes every hour. Despite these intrusions on the listening experience, pursuing additional sources of revenue is undoubtedly a positive step for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.

The CRTC has struck a compromise with Canada’s public broadcaster to allow for the inclusion of minimal commercial messages on both the all-music Radio 2 and its French language counterpart, Espace Musique, for a three-year trial period. According to the CRTC, the network will have to formally request an extension at the conclusion of this period, which will be subject to further review and study.

This has left some listeners and media watchdogs livid. And I get it. It tastes sour. I especially empathize with those who make the endless stream of music their workplace home but now have to endure advertising scattered throughout the day. That is one of the station’s biggest draws. Yet if this is the price we have to pay to maintain CBC’s unparalleled services, so be it.

And let’s face it, the CBC needs every penny it can get these days.

Tightening federal budgets have resulted in massive cuts to CBC funding over the last few years.

In 2012, the broadcaster’s operating budget was cut by 10 per cent, totalling over $150 million in lost revenue. I’m a proponent of pub-

Image: website screenshot

Every dollar Canadians pay into the CBC produces approximately $4 in economic benefit. lic investment in the CBC, and long-form studies show that it is an investment that produces great dividends. A 2011 report from an independent UK research firm Deloitte found that every dollar Canadians pay into the CBC produces approximately $4 in economic benefit. Yet Canadians rank a dismal 16th out of 18 Western countries studied in per capita dollars spent on public broadcasting according to a study by Nordicity, a global consulting firm. In spite of these financial challenges, the news service provided by the CBC is one of the strongest in Canada, boasting 14 foreign bureaus, the largest number of any Canadian media organization.

However, it is unlikely to see any return to its prior funding levels with a Conservative majority in the House of Commons. You have to choose your battles: fighting for social programs that struggle to find non-government sources of funding is much more important.

Perhaps the most telling aspect of the CBC’s license renewal decision is that the network originally requested an unlimited advertising license for Radio 2 and Espace Musique. Clearly, the CBC needs to find additional ways to generate revenue or risk sacrificing the quality of its services. The good news is that these resources do exist.

One of the most compelling arguments against this move to-

wards further advertising is that it jeopardizes the CBC’s integrity. Yet the CBC has sold ad space on its television networks for years and that has not seemed to compromise its mandate. In fact, television advertising produces 20 per cent of the CBC’s overall revenue.

NPR and PBS, two highly-respected American public broadcasters, have taken a different tack when it comes to advertising. Instead of sacrificing airtime to advertisers, shows are often underwritten or sponsored by particular clients. In theory, this has a much greater potential for bias. Yet this reliance on a few, big contracts has not seemed to result in many conflicts.

Balancing the financial and journalistic obligations of any news organization is never easy, but it’s a fact of life that news organizations must negotiate. Supplementing the CBC’s meagre income with some additional advertising dollars does not threaten to undermine the network’s credibility unless the journalists, producers and other content creators choose to let it.

The CRTC, in limiting this advertising venture to a three-year trial period, is providing a controlled and responsible environment to test the waters, to see whether this allowance has any unexpected or detrimental effects. The reality is that the CBC has reached a critical moment in its existence, one in which the public faith in news organizations is faltering, and governments are pressured more than ever to cut taxes and any non-essential services at every turn. The CBC’s positive effects on Canadian society are unmistakable, but they can seem less tangible compared to other government services or infrastructure upgrades.

With yearly haemorrhaging of once-reliable federal funding, the CBC does not need to privatize, but find multiple streams of revenue that will not only allow it to continue to provide high-calibre content, but in fact improve its output and relationship with the public it serves. Minimal advertising increases and fundraising drives are a necessary part of that equation. Both will ultimately minimize the CBC’s reliance on the government and thus increase its editorial freedom.

Restaurant through the back door RILEY NOWLAN CONTRIBUTOR

I believe it should be necessary for everyone to work in a restaurant at least once. If everyone continues to go out to eat, they should at least experience the other side of the situation.

As you may have guessed, I work in a restaurant. My job has given me insight to a world I had rarely considered when I was entering restaurants through the front door. I never thought much about the person serving me, or the people in the kitchen making my food exactly according to my very particular specifications, until I became one of those people.

I started as a hostess and became quickly aware that not everyone is as easy-going as I may have hoped.

We were taught to seat customers evenly between each server’s section in order to guarantee the most efficient service. I could always

understand wanting to be comfortable for your meal, but something I never could quite comprehend is why people would get so upset when I was unable to read their minds and bring them to the table they most desired. My reasoning was that the food will taste the same no matter where you sit, but multiple customers have made me question this theory.

I am now a full-fledged server.

I can make Bellinis and Caesars, answer all your menu and nutrition questions and carry up to three plates at once (impressive, I know). I really do feel horrible when someone doesn’t enjoy their meal and I truly want to make customers happy, but sometimes it’s out of my control or it isn’t my fault. Sometimes my attention is captured by a large table or someone in the kitchen made a mistake. I will do everything to right the wrongs done against you, but it isn’t always easy, especially

Consider the plight of the hapless server

when I can feel hostility radiating from someone. Now don’t get me wrong, not everyone acts this way, in fact some customers are insanely nice and one of my favourite parts is making them happy. But somehow it always seems easier to recall the people who yell at you than the ones who smile.

It’s easier to serve people who work or have worked in a restaurant. They understand lengthy wait times, the unfortunate running out of menu items, or the mistake on a meal. So next time you go out and something doesn’t go your way please take a second to consider that perhaps your server is working a double shift, or the kitchen is short-staffed, or there is a table of 20 sitting across the room.

Please take at least one moment to consider these things, and then feel free to request your food be fixed or discounted afterwards. I am sure I’m not the only one who wants to see the customer go home happy.

Image: jm2c/flickr

Don’t be a jerk: have empathy for the wait staff serving you.

Have an opinion about something? Share it with us.

Send letters to the editor (max 400 words) to editor@ufvcascade.ca

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ARTS & LIFE FEATURE

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 19, 2013 www.ufvcascade.ca

Departures, Descending, a view of the world with S

S

BY JOE JOHNSON

cott Wilson is a key part of the team behind two acclaimed Canadian travel shows, Departures and Descending. One show spent three years travelling different countries, the

other an underwater exploration. A few things the shows have in common: beautiful cinematography, a view of the planet with intrigue and curiosity, and a fan base across the world. With Andre Dupuis behind the lens, and co-hosts Justin Lukach on Departures and Ellis Emmett on Descending, Wilson has produced something very rare and hopes to continue doing so in the future.

What sparked your drive to actually see the world?

I think for me it started at a pretty young age. Being teachers, my mom and my dad both had the summer off, and as kids obviously you had the summer off. And so we would vacation together quite a lot, and my parents would always take us camping – long camping trips into northern Ontario.

In 1985, I was five years old and my parents took us camping across the country. We drove out to Vancouver Island and back from Ontario and saw a lot of Canada at that point. I think seeing a lot of Canada at such a young age. It really stuck with me.

As a kid that was so valuable, to have that knowledge of such an expansive country like Canada. When you start to get into your middle grades and you have to do projects on Canada, or talk about different geographical parts of the country you live in and everything, and I felt like I was so far ahead of the game. I had such a great knowledge of what the prairies look like, and where Regina was, and what the capital of Alberta was, and these sorts of things.

And I think that was a huge spark for me from a very young age to take an interest in geography and what else was out there.

What’s closer to your heart, Departures or Descending?

I don’t think there’s one that’s closer to my heart. They were both co-created by myself and by Andre, so obviously they are both passion projects. When we get to create something and pitch it to the network to get it off the ground, we want to do something that is strictly a passion project and nothing else.

Despite it seeming like the best job in the world, there is a lot of stress that goes along with it. You’re not just being paid a cheque to travel around the world, the entire vision is on your shoulders and if people don’t like it—or if you don’t like it, probably just as importantly as if people don’t like it or if the network doesn’t like it—everything comes back and falls on your shoulders. When you miss a plane and you’re buying new tickets for the entire crew, it’s out of our pocket – it’s not out of anybody else’s pocket.

We take everything personally when we’re doing it, and so it has to be a huge love – both shows were definitely a huge love and a huge passion project. And it just happened that Andre and I had this vision for Departures early on of what a travel show could be—or should be—and we did that. We felt like we accomplished what we wanted to, and we did three seasons of it. At that point we started to feel like we were in danger of growing stale. We didn’t want anybody to ever say Departures was great until season four and then it kind of went downhill. It was better to burn up than fade away, and so while we still had the energy and the inspiration to keep traveling, we felt it was best to try and change gears and keep the inspiration really high.

Because it takes so much energy to do the shows – that we wanted to make sure we weren’t cheating ourselves, or cheating

the product. And we had a new inspiration, something that we wanted to do and show off in a new way, and that was Descending. Unfortunately, Justin’s not a diver and kind of had no interest in that – otherwise I’m sure he would have been a part of it as well.

Was Descending easier to make happen after the success of Departures?

I think maybe it was easier for us to sell to a network because of the success from Departures. Even then, it comes with its own challenges. The network at that time actually wanted more Departures. They asked us for season four.

We said no and we said we had something else in mind. And they told us, “Whatever you’ve got in mind, you let us know.”

And Andre and I went in and sat down with them and said, “We want to do a diving show.” I think they all kind of looked around the room at each other and they were like, “Anything but that.”

And again, despite being in what we thought was a good position, we had to go out on our own dime and shoot our own demo of a show in order to properly explain to them what the show was. We wanted to show what we could do and what our vision was. I remember when we went back in with the demo—and we shot the demo actually in British Columbia— and we came in and showed the demo and they were blown away.

However, the actual creation, the filming and execution of Descending, was far more difficult than Departures. You’re spending that much time underwater. It’s risky. I mean, every time you’re underwater—let alone underwater with full facemask trying to put together a show with lights and audio equipment—there’s a lot of challenges.

Any great discoveries while diving?

Yeah, tons. Every time we went into the water, it seemed. Especially for people like us. I think that was the approach for Descending, just as it was for Departures. We’re looking at it with fresh eyes, the way anyone else hopefully would.

When we were traveling with Departures it was the fact that we’re not well-seasoned pro travellers. We’re kind of rookies at it, and where we’re going and what we’re seeing is for the first time, just like hopefully it would be for the viewer as well. The approach with Descending was a page out of the same book – we were rookie divers being blown away by what we were seeing under the water around the world.

And so that was kind of the success and approach of Descending, and the idea that every time we went underwater we saw something new. It was good because different members of the team took away different things. I mean, we all appreciated every single dive, but for Ellis I think it was more of the animal side of things – the creatures. While I was blown away by so many of the creatures we saw, for me it’s sort of always been the history – so seeing the shipwrecks, and seeing the plane

Andre Dupuis, Justin Lukach and Scott Wilson hike to impressive heights to bring viewers of D wrecks from wars past (and things like that) underwater were what really resonated with me.

“...when you travel, you’re a sponge and you just absorb everything because the entire world around you is new. You’re hearing a different language, you’re smelling different things, you’re tasting different things…”

Just traveling for the average person, if they wanted to see the world, is that kind of a difficult cost to absorb?

We’ve had a lot of people ask, “How would I fund taking off for a year?” And it’s a really difficult question to answer. It’s based on where you want to go, how long you want to stay, what your spending habits are, what you feel is comfortable. Some people aren’t comfortable sleeping in a tent. Some people need a roof over their head. Some people are fine in places that might not be comfortable even for me, or somebody else. Everybody has kind of a different barometer of what makes a good trip and how long they need to be away for.

So it’s really, really hard for me to answer that.

But plenty of people do it. It’s not like we’re the first people to do it or anything.

It’s a huge risk to take, but I think if it’s what you want to do, you do your own research and find out kind of where you want to go.

It’s easier the more you can socially network, the more couches you can sleep on, or the more floors you can sleep on, as you’re kind of begging, borrowing and stealing your way around the world.

But people also have to realize for us there were certain concessions that we had to make – making a TV show. Even when I travel on my own, or with my girlfriend in Europe, we can stay at hostels and that’s fine. It was hard for us during Departures to stay at some hostels, for instance, because of that communal set-up to things. I mean, when you’re traveling with thousands of dollars worth of camera gear—and more valuable, the hard drives that contain the footage of your show that you’ve shot so far over the past month or so—you can’t afford to risk that. You can’t afford to have that stolen. We had to do things in different ways than even I do normally when I travel just for myself, or on my own.

How important is it to travel and see the world?

For me, it’s crucial. I mean, I can’t stop now. If I’m off the road for more than six months I go a bit mad. And that’s why I have to travel on my own, as well. It’s hard, too. I miss home when I’m gone, but I always try to focus on what’s in front of me.

Obviously I’m close with my family and there are elements of home that I miss, but I appreciate what I’m doing so much that I’m never home long before I want to get back on the road again and do something else.

If you’re five years old, or 25, or 65, I think you’re always in that childlike mentality when you travel. You’re a sponge and you just absorb everything because the entire world around you is new. You’re hearing a different language, you’re smelling different things, you’re tasting different things – it’s just experience overload for the body, and I think it’s a great thing.

You absorb so much, you learn so much, and I think 99 times out of 100 you grow and change in better ways because you become more tolerant or more understanding of the world around you.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 19, 2013 www.ufvcascade.ca

11

ARTS & LIFE FEATURE

Scott Wilson

image: Christian Loader

Ellis Emmett, Andre Dupuis and Scott Wilson filming underwater for Descending.

image: Darren Portelli

Departures a fresh take on new sights.

So what are some of the wilder things that never made it into the episodes of either Departures or Descending?

There are tons of little moments and things that happen that wouldn’t just work into the story, or would be too hard to explain and waste 10 minutes of screen time trying to explain what happened.

Or certainly moments that were just for us. I remember being on a rooftop or a precipice, or something, and there were just certain moments that would sink into you – whether they were a sunrise, or a sunset, or just seeing something happen.

Andre can’t be filming all of the time, obviously, and those moments kind of went by.

Sometimes they were just for us.

Did Andre have a lot of time away from the camera?

Not really. I mean he kept that thing on his side, even when we would sit down to eat dinner the camera was right there. So when you see us eating after a long day, and we’re talking about the meal we’re eating or whatever, that means that poor Andre is now waiting an extra half hour to eat because he’s got to film us eating, and talking about what we’re eating, and that sort of thing.

When we’re climbing a mountain, well obviously if you’re seeing us climb it, that means not only is Andre climbing it – he’s climbing it with a camera. There weren’t many times when Andre wasn’t filming or didn’t have the camera there. And usually if a moment was missed, it wasn’t because we decided to leave the camera behind, it was because it just happened to be at the moment we were changing a battery or Andre had been waiting and waiting and waiting for something to happen that we were expecting to happen, then you just sort of give your eye a rest and put the camera down and it happens. I mean, that’s just Murphy’s Law, and those sorts of things happen.

“Andre can’t be filming all of the time, obviously, and those moments kind of went by. Sometimes they were just for us.”

Spending that much time together with the three of you guys, can you talk about the relationship that develops?

I mean some of the shows you’ve got to put them together in only a couple of weeks, and you’ve got the pressure of trying to show off this country or capture your experience in just a short time. It builds a tremendous amount of stress. And so it’s a pretty special group of people that can do that together, time and time and time again, and get through it without killing each other or smashing beer bottles over each others heads and stuff like that.

You know, obviously you have fights, you have disagreements, but it’s how you handle them and it’s how you get over them.

Especially with Justin, he and I were roommates the entire three years of Departures.

And it was great, we always got along, and when we disagreed about things that was fine—we would disagree about them—but we could talk through them. And we could use each other as a bit of a crutch. When he was down about something, whether it was something being influenced from home, or it was something on the road, or if it was something from me, we could go out and talk about it. We could go out, even after filming was done, we could just say, “Screw it, we’re both ready to finally get some sleep but what the hell, let’s go out and let’s find place to grab a beer and talk about this,” and we would. We’d solve so many problems that way.

So I mean there’s a huge relationship that builds with people that way, it’s sort of that band of brothers mentality. You’re going through things, and experiencing

image: Jeff Wilson

Scott Wilson had a vision for exploring the world both above ground and underwater. things, that no one else will understand because they weren’t there. You have a neardeath experience because you suddenly almost get hit by a bus, and you go through that together. That’s huge. It builds a relationships that will last a lifetime.

How has your life changed since Departures began?

I think from a personal standpoint, I’ve continued to grow and learn and develop so much, as a person, and develop an understanding of our world – of what’s going on in other places, what they look like, what other people go through.

Extrapolate that out to the show, and to the fans, and to those who have written to us and said that it’s inspired them to go places, or do things, or see things. We’ve had emails and letters from people who have been in long-term hospital care and said that the show helped them get through things. That’s huge. It’s hard to know even what to say at that point. I never expected to have the reach that it did, but I’m happy, I’m proud, and I hope we can continue to do more things like that.

It has changed my life. It certainly just burrowed in that travel bug even deeper, and it’ll even mean that the rest of my life – as long as I can put one foot in front of the other, and even maybe well beyond that, I’ll keep traveling, I’ll keep exploring. Because the world will keep changing. I can go back to Cambodia in five years and it’ll be different. I won’t be seeing it necessarily for the first time, but some things I’ll be seeing for the first time, and I’ll certainly be seeing it in a completely different light and compare it to the last time I saw it.

Because of the show I’ve been able

to do and see things, and go places, I’m sure I never would have been able to get to. That’s just part of being able to do the show. The camera sometimes allows you to do [certain things, but] ... sometimes it prevents you from getting in places or seeing things because a lot of people see that camera as almost an ATM machine or a price tag. They see that all of a sudden you’re doing TV, well there must be money involved. So in order to film this temple, or to go in here, or to do this or to do that, they want money for it. But more often than not it opens doors because quite often people are interested in what you’re doing. They want to show you things. They want to show off their home or their town or their ceremony, or whatever it is. And so it’s opened so many more doors that if I was just traveling to those countries on my own I don’t think would have ever been opened for me.

So it’s changed everything. It’s definitely changed everything, and it’s given me an ability to stay in the TV industry and to continue to create our ideas. And I think we’re so lucky because of that, to not just be turning out shows because they’re a pay cheque but rather we’re turning out shows because they’re a passion. The payment’s secondary. It’s not like we live in mansions or anything like that. It’s far from it. This is Canadian television; nobody’s getting filthy rich off of this. We’re doing it because it’s so rewarding that we want to keep doing it.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

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ARTS & LIFE

CROSSWORD 3 5

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5. This is a great gift so that dad can sit around and watch TV, more comfortably

anyway. (8 letters) 9. Motor-powered or not, this can get him around on two wheels rather than two

feet. (4 letters) 10. This promises to keep Father’s Day from ending in sobriety. (7 letters) 13. It couldn’t hurt to give something to make dad well-dressed. (5, 5 letters) 15. Take dad out of the house and stick him in a tent in the middle of nowhere.

He loves that sort of thing. (7 letters) 16. A new set of these each year will add a whole yard to his swing. (4, 5 letters)

DOWN

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by SEAN MORDEN

ACROSS

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www.ufvcascade.ca

What you should have bought your dad

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WEDNESDAY, JUNE 19, 2013

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16 EclipseCrossword.com

1. This is to be preferably drawn with crayon and made with construction paper

to celebrate this special day. (4 letters) 2. A container full of items to make a real handyman. (7 letters) 3. Because he would much rather have one of these over the money he could

have put inside it. (6 letters) 4. This is to make sure he can have his steak just the way he wants it: burnt and

black. (5 letters) 6. Perfect for the father who resembles a burly lumberjack with a beard to match.

(5 letters) 7. You may not catch anything but seaweed, but at least you’ll get to stare at lots

of water while doing this with dad. (7 letters) 8. The perfect gift for a dad who likes to read ... even if it doesn’t have a lot of

pictures in it. (5 letters) 11. It only tells time, but it sure looks nice and expensive. (5 letters) 12. You could always take him somewhere new, just don’t stumble on the way

there. (4 letters) 14. These will keep his feet comfy, but you do have to buy two! (5 letters)

LAST WEEK’S Answer Key Across 2. KEGEL 3. CUNNILINGUS 5. MISSIONARY 7. CONDOM 9. THIRTEEN 10. BONOBO Down 1. GLANS 2. KAMASUTRA 3. COSMO 4. PORN 6. REDWINGS 8. DOLPHIN

The Weekly Horoscope Star Signs from Galompicus Phonx Aquarius: Jan 20 - Feb 18

Gemini: May 21 - June 21

Libra: Sept 23 - Oct 22

If you jump into a lake, you may just meet a lady of the lake who will grant you special lake-like powers, like the power to creep out people with urban myths of kelprelated deaths.

If you’re bitten by one twin, nothing much will happen. If you’re bitten by two twins, you may grow two heads. If you’re bitten by two twins simultaneously, you will grow another person on your hip in a Siamese fashion.

Be wary around all scales – bathroom scales, produce scales, snake scales, metaphorical scales. They will come after you. And you will be faced with the awful truth: you have vertigo.

Pisces: Feb 19 - March 20

Cancer: June 22 - July 22

Scorpio: Oct 23 - Nov 21

If you jump into a stream you may be bitten by a fish-like creature who will grant you fish-like powers, like the power to sometimes get caught by a hook and a psychopath who toys with you and then sets you free.

Even though crabs are more inclined to pinch rather than bite, their bite is rather exciting. You get to crab-walk your way through life which is hilarious on elevators, but treacherous on escalators.

Sure, if a scorpion bites you, you may die, but you also might be given the opportunity to walk around on all fours with a tail that hangs over your head. That tail can come in handy as a great purse or coat hook since you can’t use your arms.

Aries: March 21 - April 19

Leo: July 23 - Aug 22

Sagittarius: Nov 22 - Dec 21

Go to the zoo. I dare you. Because if you go to a zoo, a lion will find you and bite you and once lions get a first bite, they like to keep on biting. So you may want to arrange your will before stepping across the threshold of the Greater Vancouver Zoo.

It’s not just any archer that’ll get you, it’s the centaur archers that are the big problem. A regular human archer just turns you into an avid fan of darts; but a centaur archer turns you into the bow. Literally.

Taurus: April 20 - May 20

Virgo: Aug 23 - Sept 22

Capricorn: Dec 22 - Jan 19

Swine bites aren’t as deathly as some flu outbreaks may have you believe. It’s actually one of the better bites since you suddenly have the opportunity to have bacon whenever you want. Although, it would then be considered cannibalism.

Don’t worry, Virgos. Nothing happens if a virgin bites you. You may get a slight indentation on your arm, but that’s about it. Sorry, Virgos. No superpowers for you.

Much like Aries, if you’re bitten by a goat you will suddenly find yourself itchy. But it gets worse. You’ll also produce a lot of subpar dairy products that people buy from you because they feel bad and you keep talking about it.

If you stumble into a field, you may be bitten by a ram (if you’re lucky) or a sheep (if you’re less lucky). Either way you’ll find yourself chewing more obnoxiously and being perpetually allergic to your own hide.

ARTS & LIFE

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 19, 2013 www.ufvcascade.ca

Cascade Arcade

Book Review

Everything is Perfect When You’re a Liar

by Kelly Oxford AMY VAN VEEN

THE CASCADE

Kelly Oxford has become a household name. Maybe not so much in households that don’t have or don’t know about Twitter, but for those tweeting households, Kelly Oxford’s name is spoken in hushed and reverent tones.

Or maybe not so many hushed and reverent tones. Those who like her love her, like magician David Copperfield and late night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel. And those who hate her tell her, often in misspelled rants, and then she retweets them.

For those ignorant buffoons who tweet their hates at her, they clearly have not been following her for very long and they also clearly don’t know about the many ways she’s been self-publishing since GeoCities was a thing back in the ‘90s. Because if you’re a fan of Oxford, you know her irreverent and brutally honest musings of parenthood, life and pop culture are brilliant – not hate-worthy.

This is why I was so excited to find out she’d published her book, Everything is Perfect When You’re a Liar. (That and it gives chills of excitement when I get a chance to read another comedy book by another hilarious lady.)

I knew Oxford could blog since I follow her on Tumblr and gleefully anticipate her entries when she r ecords what her children say while

watching films like Forrest Gump, Dirty Dancing and Grease. And I knew she could microblog, since I follow her @kellyoxford and laugh at her oft-misunderstood tweets.

But as with any internet-to-book release, I was wondering how those skills would translate into an over 300-page collection of memoir-esque essays on her life.

The result was something I wouldn’t have guessed – brutally honest and daringly heartfelt.

It did, as I somewhat predicted, make me cough-laugh while on breaks at work and annoy friends and family by reading out excerpts that made no humourous sense outside of the context of her story and style – like her husband’s sombre warnings before their trip to Disneyland.

There were some chapters that made me squeal with delight at the references I know and love, like the allusions to Sound of Music in “She’s a Darling, She’s a Demon, She’s a Lamb.” There were other chapters that made me gasp-laugh – an audience reaction Oxford has perfected, especially in the chapter entitled “I Peed My Pants and Threw Up on a Chinese Man.” And then there was that one chapter that surprised me most of all – the chapter that made me cry.

In “The Backup Plan” Oxford recounts her decision to go back to school (having only ever received her high school diploma) in order to get qualifications for a higherpaying job than a waitress in case her now-husband were to leave her a widowed mother of one. In true Oxford style, its laugh-outloud moments are just the comedic relief that break up her stories as a student training to be a rehabilitation assistant in a senior care centre and a brain injury care home. I was not expecting a comedy book by an author of brashly humorous tweets to be able to make me cry.

So congratulations, Kelly. You got me crying in the bath for reasons other than PMS. Whether you love her or hate her, follow her or have never heard of her, it’s worth it to glimpse into the world of this Canadian comic by flipping through the pages I could not put down and snort out in laughter while in crowded waiting rooms or on the beach.

Haute Stuff

Pockets put the function in fashion KATIE STOBBART

THE CASCADE

It often seems like fashion is the opposite of function. Cute boots aren’t waterproof, sweaters are made with giant holes and many shirts are nearly transparent. A garment or accessory is created to serve a purpose, and fashion eventually endeavours to make it almost completely frivolous.

Potentially the most irritating example of this is the pocket.

The pocket has evolved over hundreds of years to best suit our need to carry stuff around. It took us a long time to figure out pockets as we know them today, and we have adapted most of the things we like to bring with us (cell phones, keys, money) to fit into our pockets.

Historically, small purses, often worn around the waist, were used to hold coins. However, these were easy targets for thieves, and slits were created in pants and skirts to make purses harder to steal. Eventually garments were made with pockets already sewn into these slits. The added benefit of this method is that it is impossible to forget one’s pockets at home, which still happens with purses.

When back pockets were made smaller and even disappeared

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from some pants altogether, I wasn’t bothered. I don’t use back pockets much anyway – the stuff I have to carry around is more accessible in the front pockets and less likely to slide out. So if back pockets were only decorative, it didn’t really affect me.

Fun fact: the reason commonly cited for the disappearance of back pockets is not that they were useless – it was to make bums look better.

What I failed to realise was that when back pockets went, front pockets would follow (though the logic behind this is mystifying). It is now easier for me to find pants without pockets or with false seams sewn where pockets should be.

Those are particularly frustrating – why false pockets? If pockets don’t look good, why sew on fake ones? Because of these, I am constantly aware of my homeless hands. (The other pocket perk is having a comfortable handhome.)

Another confusing fact: the jeans I am currently wearing have back pockets but false front pockets. Why?!

Is it the price? If I looked for more expensive pairs of jeans (though it seems silly to pay extra for a service my pants have always provided) would I be suc-

image: pj_vanf/Flickr

Homeless hands need a home.

cessful? Lack of pockets does not seem to be limited by fabric (cotton, polyester, denim) or style (boot-cut, straight, skinny leg) or even store (though I did have success in my pocket-friendly jean hunt at Old Navy).

Maybe someone in the fashion industry decided pockets were not trendy and had to go. Maybe manufacturers felt the need to cut costs. Perhaps it’s a conspiracy, and someone with a pocket vendetta decided to cut all the pocket-making instructions out of clothing patterns.

I am afraid that pockets may be an endangered species in the fashion world. Since I am not pursuing a career in fashion design (I can barely sew two pieces of fabric together), I also have no idea how to save them.

Microsoft falters, Sony triumphs, used game stores lose

image: netzkobold/Flickr

JEREMY HANNAFORD CONTRIBUTOR

In the past three weeks, there has been a fairly large response to Microsoft’s next generation console, the Xbox One, and a large portion of it has been quite negative. By implementing a constant online requirement and restricting used games, Microsoft has figuratively slapped their entire fanbase in the face. Feeling betrayed and insulted, the internet has been alight with nerd-fueled rage.

This congregation of online fury started when the Xbox One was revealed several weeks ago.

A short reveal featured integrated television (probably only available for the United States for a considerable amount of time), advanced Kinect features and a Halo television show in the making. What Microsoft Games president Don Mattrick and his fellow presenters failed to do at both the console reveal and the Microsoft E3 press conference was go into detail about the system itself.

This was revealed in an online press release that, although short on specifications, outlined exactly what gamers did not want to hear.

Microsoft stated that their system has to be constantly connected to the internet. The system could only play games for one hour offline before shutting down. This single feature has been the centre of the controversy amongst others such as usedgame restrictions and an always active Kinect.

What is most concerning about this issue is that Microsoft has not stated why it needs to be always online. They mentioned features like constant updates for games and systems, but that hardly justifies it. What much of the gaming community believes it to be is a Digital Rights Management (DRM) function. This function prevents gamers from using hacked or illegal copies of games on the system. But such a system has never been approved by the gaming community or even fully worked. A prime example was Ubisoft’s DRM for their PC games. Ridiculed by the public for its lack of use and its troubling functionality, Ubisoft finally scrapped it from all of their PC titles.

Despite this and other obvious indications, Microsoft is continuing on with this feature. When Geoff Keighley from GTTV asked Mattrick what gamers who have little to no internet access are sup-

posed to do, Don simply stated, “Fortunately, we have a product for people who aren’t able to get some form of connectivity, it’s called the Xbox 360.”

After announcing a $499 price tag, Microsoft ended their presentation. Then came Sony’s turn. After showcasing the system, they announced the system would have no used game restrictions, no constant online connectivity and a $399 price tag. The conference hall was full of resounding applause and with one fell swoop, Twitter feeds were full of Xbox owners announcing their conversion to the PS4. Afterwards, certain things were brought up, such as the fact that Sony could only confirm that their exclusive titles wouldn’t have used game restrictions, not those created by third party publishers. But this hardly deters the fact that they gave the community what they wanted – a system with no online restrictions and, for the most part, the ability to play used games.

For the past few years, gaming publishers like EA, Ubisoft and the former THQ were attaching online passes to their games.

These “codes” obtained from brand new games allowed players full access to online multiplayer or features. Without it, you had to pay an additional fee to use them.

This was the beginning of things to come. Obviously, this tactic has heavily affected shops that sell used games like Willow Video or EB Games. Making trade-ins is now more selective and problematic; I myself have not bought a used game in over a year. So when Microsoft announced their used game restriction, it wasn’t a surprise, more of a disappointment. It is uncertain what lies in store for gaming stores or services like Gamefly, but one can only think it isn’t in their best interests.

Details about how much the reactivation fee for used games will cost are still uncertain. Microsoft had the chance to try and clear the air during the conference.

They could have gone into detail about the Xbox One allowing multiple family members sharing the same game over multiple consoles or even how it works. But instead they essentially tried to buy off their angry fans with lots of games. Despite Mattrick saying they respect and listen to their fans, Microsoft seems to have abandoned their fans for profit and enterprise. And as more of my friends convert over to PS4, I only wonder how long I will last until I make the change.

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ARTS & LIFE

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 19, 2013 www.ufvcascade.ca

Film Reviews

Man of Steel: Snyder and Nolan miss the landing

JEREMY HANNAFORD CONTRIBUTOR

When you hear Jonathan Kent tell his young son Clark that he needs to keep his powers secret, even if he has to let people die, you know you aren’t in the same Smallville you once knew. The idea of the lone Kryptonion going against his instinct and hiding his true self from the world is a new and intriguing interpretation of the fabled hero. It’s a shame that

Man of Steel doesn’t live up to this standard.

From the first trailers, we were teased with the idea of a reclusive Superman – a man with untold power who is afraid to show himself in fear of how he will be persecuted by mankind. And it is a focus of the film, all too brief perhaps, but it is there. Man of Steel does feel like a new experience in the history of the character. After an eventful opening on Krypton with Jor-El sending his son away from the dying planet, the film

travels into the future with KalEl/Clark Kent (Henry Cavill) as a young man drifting from one life to another.

With a running time of two-anda-half hours, a majority of this time is felt in first act. While we see KalEl perform small feats of strength and heroism only to disappear into shadow, we don’t see him actually commit to being a hero for nearly half the film. This story arc is the true gold of the story. While he hides amongst the broken and downhearted, we see glimpses of

his childhood through flashbacks that establish why he hides his true self. A small boy hiding from the noises of the world that fill his ears was the beginning of what this film could have been. With such untold power, how would a child be able to control it? And even if he could, would he still want such power? Before these points can be defined though, the film returns to the present day, leaving an opportunity half spent.

Instead we are given a barrage of amazing fight sequences in the third act that just keep coming.

The intensity of Kal-El’s fury that he has hidden so well throughout his life is unleashed in the final confrontations. These sequences are incredible to watch but it seems that director Zach Snyder kept saying to himself, “We can destroy a few more buildings.” The destruction is what you would expect of a modern day Superman film.

With the help of Weta Digital, the effects are crisp and beautiful but they start to take over the film and the story sits on the sideline while super aliens fight each other.

There were moments that the true conflict of ideologies and commitments could have come to the forefront; but while they are present, you are always left feeling that it could have been better.

Snyder has shown that his best work (the Dawn of the Dead remake, Watchmen) has been reliant

on heavy source material. Trying to make stuff out of thin air has proven to be troublesome and unorganized, as with his last film Sucker Punch. With Man of Steel, Snyder tries to right his wrongs and bring a new vision of Superman to the screen. He even sacrifices his trademark slow motion for the sake of the film. But unfortunately, it isn’t enough to fix the holes left by David S. Goyer’s script. Goyer has proven time and again that he has interesting ideas for comic book films, but his execution borderlines on disaster.

The Dark Knight films were great because Christopher Nolan was always part of the writing team and would stop Goyer going off the rails and losing focus. While Nolan is a producer on the film, Goyer goes unchecked, taking the story’s pacing with him.

While the story is weaker than it could have been, Man of Steel is an aesthetically amazing blockbuster. With a great performance from Cavill, the character of KalEl still has his all-American grassroots but also a side of humility and fear that was absent from the previous films. Along with a great soundtrack from Hans Zimmer, Man of Steel is sure to entertain you but you will keep thinking about how much of a better story it could have been.

Before Midnight: charting romantic time MICHAEL SCOULAR THE CASCADE

The Before films have no equal in recurring series, or (for that matter) anywhere else in film. There are other individual stories, novels, trilogies that may share some similarities, for a chronicle of a relationship can be found everywhere, but Richard Linklater’s collaboration with Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke has nothing to do with most points of comparison within American romantic movies.

Revisiting characters and seeing the effects of time, both in the advancement of age and the invisible gaps left by the space between scenes, or in this case successive movies, does have precedent. The closest examples of charting people over time can be found in the films of François Truffaut with Antoine Doinel, the Up documentaries by Michael Apted, the way a career aligns in the case of someone like Emmanuelle Riva (Hiroshima mon amour to Amour), and there’s something to be said for the natural progression of any movie star as they age into older roles in the same genre. But unlike even the most ambitious of recent high profile American romance (This Is 40, The Five-Year Engagement), what is remarkable about Before Midnight is not how life finds its way into plots and stars and comedic expectations, but the way Linklater, Delpy and Hawke have created cinematic time that clears away all of that, laying bare the fine space between an act, a real conversation and a film.

That’s not to say this is an exercise or an unnatural experience.

Before Sunrise contains in it the nervous energy of spontaneous romantic-conscious meeting, Before Sunset the mixture of sadness and joy that is reunion and Before Midnight, among many things, is also filled with the kind of humour possessed in a person rather than their comedy routine. Each movie, divided by years (from 1995 to 2004 to 2013), is essentially a document in semi-real time of time spent between Jessie (Ethan Hawke) and Celine (Julie Delpy). Their relationship evolves over a tendency to talk about everything that is important about being alive, but not in a way that is confined to speech, and not in a way that rests on canonized ideas. Development is matched in the movement of each film, in step with speech that has not become dated, even going back to Sunrise, because none of their conversations are about pop culture items each likes or the quotes of the moment that strike either as worth repeating. Jessie and Celine talk about what they are going to do (in work, love, their lives that they always rationally see passing through worst case scenarios), and then Linklater, through the continual revision of the time-structured series, shows it.

Unspliced conversations that unspool in walking and driving give a sense of intimacy to every character in a Linklater film, a staple from his earliest movies (Slacker, Dazed and Confused) to his more recent ones(A Scanner Darkly, Bernie), but it is also part of the larger effect Linklater’s focus has.

Linklater doesn’t give his movies thickheaded political agendas – when they do come up, the most pointed statements will come from ambiguous characters, teachers, directions that encourage a measure of distance and interpretation.

In a landscape where “independent” has fractured into a genre of drama and comedy that has nothing of the term about it and the actual no-budget filmmakers that still fill that non-commercial avenue, Linklater occupies a third branch, which is independent in its way of looking at the world – there is an extension of kindness to the margins that shows in every casually great performance in a Linklater film, and also a sense of the feeling of improvised conversa-

tion, but ones so full they can only be something crafted and distilled.

Linklater’s technique of long takes doesn’t sell but presents his teens, parents, and in between lives in a way that makes every glowing advertisement that plays before in a multiplex and every studio release supposedly in the same genre alongside it look hopelessly separate from the overflow of life Linklater excels in showing.

Before Midnight does not need extensive summary or quoting in this space – hearing the dialogue from the movie itself is the best way to learn about it, and if you’ve seen the first two in the series that’s context enough. It’s a movie that pulls back and examines experience but doesn’t fail to be one in itself,

not living by vicarious romantic wishes but engaging with them in a way no other director is.

The social media-free walks of Before Sunrise and Sunset might look unreal in a way in retrospect, but Before Midnight shows that was never the point – the spaciousness of life is a problem that doesn’t change drastically for better or worse because of technology alone.

A part of Before Midnight’s running time is taken up with the weight of schedules, the rarity of time free to be not “spent” or “wasted” but inhabited, and it’s part of the greatness of the series that Linklater extends the same question and its too-brief release in one gesture.

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ARTS & LIFE

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 19, 2013 www.ufvcascade.ca

Pop pop!

Dine & Dash

Curry Time

Dan Harmon to return for season five of Community

MELISSA SPADY

THE CASCADE

A sigh of relief escaped my lungs when I heard the news: everyone’s favourite frontrunner Dan Harmon is set to return for Community’s fifth season. While there has been some debate over how crucial Harmon is to the magic of Community, I personally noticed a loss of flair during last season.

If I had to sum up my feelings on our most recent adventures into the zany world of Greendale I’d call it less organic. Many fans noticed the difference with discomfort, whereas others took it as an opportunity to get on their soapboxes and denounce the missing creator entirely. Critically, the season was met with more mixed reviews than the usual high acclaim it garners. Phrases like “hit-and-miss” and “lukewarm” have been thrown around a lot. Naysayers can act like it

didn’t make a difference to Community when Harmon left, but the near cult fan following and critics agree: Community and Harmon go together like Troy and Abed.

Harmon announced his return before the papers had been officially signed, speaking volumes to his own enthusiasm about returning to Greendale. Some fans have proclaimed they will refer to season four as “the lost season” or part of “the darkest timeline,” but Harmon isn’t planning on picking up from where he left off.

“I don’t think it would be very Community of me to negate anything. Season three was weird, season two was weird, season one was weird; they’re all weird,” he told E! News. “So if season four was weird in a different way, [it’s] season five’s job is to reveal that all four of those weird things add up to some weird hip-hop dance that when you put it on a loop, you go, ‘Oh, I get it!’”

It’s refreshing to hear that Har-

mon is seeing this as an opportunity to be creative and tie it all together, as opposed to laughing at the work done on his (what is being referred to by some as) “forced sabbatical.” I personally have never heard of a creator being fired after bad blood and then reinstated.

I hope the focus will remain on the positive possibilities of reuniting the Community family, and not on the ugliness that resulted in the changes in the first place.

After a very public fight with actor Chevy Chase, and not achieving the ratings his superiors at NBC were asking of him, Harmon was shut out of the show he hand-raised with his authority being cut down to a “consulting producer.” The fourth season was put on indefinite hiatus before finally returning for a lacklustre and shortened season. Fans have been waiting patiently for this news, and it’s finally here, and official. Several Facebook groups are dedicated to the sole purpose

of discussing why they want Harmon back on Community, and there are plenty of reasons, memorable quotes, hilarious gags and endearing character moments to back them up.

Personal favourite moments of Harmon’s reign include (but are not limited to) the Beetlejuice Easter egg where, after being recited three times in three different seasons, a man dressed up as the character walks by in the background, Abed’s Batman impression, Annie’s Boobs, parallel earths in the mock UN episode and resulting Annie’s tantrum, the Jeff and Shirley foosball past tie-in, and, of course, the paintball finales. I could really go on and on about how awesome, smart and funny I think Community is and how I have high hopes for Harmon’s return, but I’d just be explainabragging all over the place.

Discussions Below the Belt

Peer-reviewed porn journal to be more than just “highbrow wank mag” JOHNNY RODDICK SEXPERT

A lot of misunderstanding and finger-pointing has been the initial reaction to the announcement that 2014 would mark the release of an academic journal focused on pornography. Yet, advocates of Porn Studies feel that because pornography is so pervasive and so widespread, it is important that we better understand the experiences of those who make it and those that consume it – and to look at what that means in our culture more generally as well.

Of the journals primary critics, The Guardian highlights the views of Gail Dines, a British sociology prof who has also published a book called Pornland. While she agrees with the idea that porn needs to be studied, she fears the journal will do more harm than good, saying the journal’s editors come from “pro-porn” backgrounds, and deny the already-

proven negatives that porn is responsible for – going so far as to compare the editors to “climatechange deniers” and supporters of “junk science.” Dines is not alone in her critique, either. An iPetitions protest has garnered 900 signatures in protest of the organization Routledge, which is set to release the journal. They, as well, critique the composition of the editorial board composition, arguing that the board is not as neutral as it claims to be. They fear that the journal will not give equal weight to submissions by those that take an anti-porn stance.

To be fair, the journal’s editorial board does include a pornographer, Tristan Taormino. Yet, she hardly fits the stereotype. Taormino is a feminist author, sex educator and activist that seeks to critically address the negative effects found in most porn.

This is where I stand in stark contrast with opponents of the journal. I see Taormino as the

ideal person to sit on the editorial board because she is aware of the issues on both sides; she is devoted not to eradicating porn, but to addressing the issues as they become understood. She wants to make porn that benefits everyone involved.

I’ll be the first to admit that mainstream porn is highly problematic. It can reinforce stereotypes (think racial beliefs about genital size) and start self-shaming social trends (labiaplasty and complete body-hair removal are the first to come to mind). In short, it can portray and normalize unrealistic and sexist ideas about sex.

That’s why we need an academic journal dedicated to exploring its effects – not to get rid of porn, but to look for a way to satisfy the demand for it without all of the harmful effects.

Porn Studies could begin to answer questions that people on either side of the pro- and anti-porn debate might ask. For example,

does porn made by women address the issues of autonomy and domination that have faced performers in mainstream porn?

What effect is the proliferation of free, amateur porn having on younger generations’ understandings of sex and pleasure?

Increasing the amount of high quality discourse on pornography is a logical step for a culture that consumes porn at higher levels than almost any other entertainment medium (up to 30 per cent of all internet bandwidth, according to The Guardian). As Callie Beusman argues in a Jezebel article in support of the new academic journal, “It’s obvious that ignoring porn won’t make it go away.”

An increased focus and a dedicated forum for increasing our understanding of porn may not make porn go away either – but it promises to improve our culture’s relationship with it (and with sexuality as a whole). That is an endeavor worth supporting.

The Cascade is holding its Annual General Meeting!

You should totally come.

The action hits the boardroom on July 17.

We’re going to get pizza, and probably some soda, and we’re going to talk about policy and elect some students to our board.

Stay tuned for more details!

(Seriously, we really want you to be there.)

If you have any questions, give us a shout at editor@ufvcascade.ca

#2 – 3280 Mt. Lehman Road, Abbotsford Phone: 604-625-1947 www.currytimecuisine.com Hours: Daily from 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.

Price: up to $13.95 (not including family packs)

AMY VAN VEEN

THE CASCADE

Every time I discover a new delicious Indian restaurant, I get a rush of excitement and feel the need to shout it from the mountaintops.

Although, now that I think about it, I have yet to have a bad butter chicken experience – but maybe it’s because our corner of the Fraser Valley knows how to marry those creamy spices into one delicious explosion of flavour.

Curry Time, nestled behind the Starbucks by the Mt. Lehman Road exit, has been a favourite of mine for purchasing one-too-many samosas. I call ahead and pick up a dozen or two on my way to the beach, on my way home and pretty much whenever I want people to like me because they are, in a word, perfect.

With the right amount of crunch on the outside and spicy red pepper flakes on the inside paired with a dipping sauce that makes me too happy to speak, their samosas are consistently delicious. I decided, then, that it was about time for me to peruse their menu and see what other dishes could live up to the samosa standard. And since butter chicken is my weakness (and they have a $10.95 special including butter chicken, rice and naan), I couldn’t resist.

And boy, I was not disappointed.

The butter chicken was somehow both creamy and light with a stronger tomato flavour in the sauce than other butter chicken dishes I’ve had. Though they didn’t offer different levels of spice, the heat was just the right amount to keep my mouth happily scorched – provided I had a large glass of milk within arm’s reach since my foray into spicy foods only began in the last couple of years.

The naan melted in my already burning mouth, soaking up the heat and filling my heart with happiness. (What can I say? Naan is a weakness.)

With friendly staff who don’t judge me for picking up a dozen samosas on my own, chicken orders that don’t skimp on the chicken, a creamy, spicy sauce that I have dreams about, and both dine-in and take-out options, Curry Time is a return-worthy place.

Plus, from that one butter chicken order, I was able to get four meals – though next time I would order more naan (because there’s just never enough naan to go around).

16

ARTS & LIFE

Concert Review / Q&A

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 19, 2013 www.ufvcascade.ca

The Maine perform with special guests A Rocket to the Moon, This Century and Brighten

The Rio Theatre, 1660 E Broadway, Vancouver, BC Wednesday, June 12, 2013

above image: John O’Callaghan of The Maine sings out while guitarist Jared Monaco accompanies. left image: Guitarist Kennedy Brock of The Maine has a good time on stage at The Rio Theatre.

MELISSA SPADY

PK: That’s kind of when the band actually “started.”

I’ve been on many adventures in Vancouver, but this was my first time at the Rio Theatre. I expected the Rio would share the same “theatrelike” qualities of the Vogue but boy, I was wrong.

Red carpet, velvet ropes and curtains, gold accents, popcorn machines and properly staggered seats – this was a legitimate theatre.

Outside, the fans lined up. Those at the front of the line were decked out in neon shirts that read in their own girlish hand, “Tour 8123” (the management team). Through eavesdropping I learned there there had allegedly been people waiting outside since 9 a.m.. I don’t know how much was exaggerated, but I smiled at the thought. I love people who are as passionate about hearing music as musicians are about playing it.

Interview time finally rolled around. I grew up on music, and have dreamed about speaking one-on-one with musicians for a long time. I had a mix of butterflies and Mexican jumping beans tumbling inside my stomach. Earlier I made a pact with myself to remember to breathe, lest I vomit all over my first interviewees. Lucky for me The Maine’s drummer Pat Kirch and vocalist John O’Callaghan, were charming, genuine and comforting; they gave me a Kinder Surprise egg when I mentioned I was nervous.

I was reading on your website that Forever Halloween is your fourth full-length album, but what I found most interesting about it is that no computer editing techniques were used.

JO: Correct.

THE CASCADE

Is this your first time in Vancouver?

JO: It is not. I believe it’s our third time. We played here on the [Vans] Warped Tour, and then we were here last year, with Arkells.

So I don’t have to apologize for the weather, you know what it’s like.

JO: [laughs] No! It’s kinda like Seattle.

We are basically duplicates. Let’s start at the beginning. Tell me the story about how you guys started the band. Were you musicians before or did you start together?

PK: Me and Garret [the bass player] were in bands together for a little bit. As people got older ... they didn’t want to be in a band anymore, and my older brother heard John singing at a party, and told him that he should be in a band with me. John gave me a call, came over the next day and we started.

JO: A couple months later, we wanted to go out on the road and tour, and the two guitar players who were originally in the band didn’t feel the same way, so then we got Kennedy and Jared ... It’s been a process.

And that you [John] described it as having an “older, wiser, intimidatingly glowing woman in the room,” which I think is a really great metaphor, but could you tell me a little bit about what the process was like literally? If there is no editing, do you just have to play from start to finish in one take?

[In unison]: More or less.

JO: We didn’t start at song one and play until song 12, but ...

PK: We’d pick a song, and work it out and then keep on performing until we got the take that we thought was “the one.”

And for us that was so completely different than what we’ve done in every single way. It almost felt like you had to learn how to record albums again, from the start. Which for us, I think was great. I feel like sometimes you learn too much about how things work, [and] maybe that’s a bad thing. You have to just go with it, and be okay with things.

I’ve been listening to the album for the last few days, and it does have a more genuine sound than some other bands where you can tell it’s very edited ... which isn’t always a bad thing but I do really appreciate that honesty you hear in one take.

JO: For us, too, we really appreciated it because it’s a direct reflection of our abilities. We weren’t allowed to go and sing like Celine Dion or play guitar like whoever – I think what it did for us was it reignited our passion for what we do and gave us a fresh perspective on making albums and making music.

You’ve made two albums with a record label, and two independently. What would you say are the pros and the cons of doing it the way you are now?

PK: Pros are definitely that we get to make the album that we want to make, and there isn’t anybody but us who gets to say what the album is. We have 100 per cent [control],

we can record with whoever we want, wherever we want, within our means.

JO: That’s probably the con. We don’t have a ton of money.

PK: I think you learn to make it work though, and I think sometimes constraints can end up being a good thing.

I wanted to ask about the album Forever Halloween. It’s an interesting title. What inspired you to choose that song as the title track?

JO: More or less it’s about the misconception that what your clothing looks like is a projection of who you are. I think we’re very susceptible to falling under the assumption that material things dictate what we’re doing, and who we are as people. I think that the way it correlates with the process is [that] there wasn’t any gimmick behind what we were doing. All we did was record music. We made music that we could make as a band, and I think that reflects the title because I’m not saying that we know who we are as people, I think that’s an ongoing process – but I know we’re not projections of other people. So I think it’s harmonious with the process we went through making the record, having it be analog, and the earnest representation of what our band is capable of.

Do you guys have a favourite track?

JO: We’re still diving into it live, but as far as a favourite track, I like “Sad Songs.”

Which is ironically one of the more upbeat songs on the album.

JO: Yeah! It’s my response to a taxi-cab driver I had in Newcastle who told me a sad story of him losing the only girl he ever loved to an arranged marriage, and it’s sort of me telling him that he’ll find another true love.

Awww! You guys have a lot of projects under your belt, like the documentary Anthem for a Dying Breed and the photography book Roads. What does the future hold for The Maine?

PK: All that kind of stuff comes as something happens that we really want to capture, or a message that we want to convey.

We get inspired to do something and then we do it.

JO: I think spontaneity is important be-

cause we get to do all of this on our own – we get to do whatever we want.

PK: And you know you put so much thought and planning into a record and tour, so the little things we get to do on the side ...

We like to think of an idea and then go do it.

We don’t know what we’re doing in a year from now.

Finally, did you know you have a line around the corner?

JO: Did not know that. That’s awesome! It means we’re doing something right.

Perched at the back of the theatre, I waited patiently for the show to begin.

Taking the stage first was guitarist/vocalist of Brighten, Justin Richards, borrowing two members from This Century for his performance.

Richards crooned his way into the hearts of the female audience members with comfortable and easy acoustic folk jams that made me liken him to a male T-Swift. Despite the short set, Brighten left a distinctly dreamy impression on the audience.

This Century came out second and woke us up with their clap-a-long pop-punk love anthems.

They wooed us with their jerky pop rock and harmony-infused vocals, but their pretty-boy-bandesque energy stood out the most. They were in to it, and those who weren’t bound by a drum-set made sure to visit each side of the stage. If I were 16 again, I would’ve fallen under their deliciously catchy spell.

Next up, Massachusetts alt-pop-rockers A Rocket To The Moon, used their self-deprecating sense of humour to change up the pace. With a subtle touch of folk/country to their boyish shala-la melodies, ARTTM rocked the bad boy looks and had the crowd singing along to almost their entire set list.

After a short delay to organize the stage, headliners The Maine made their entrance. If the theatre seemed crammed before, it was now overloaded with energy. Gracious, fun-loving and straddling that fine line in-between over-talkative and awkwardly mute, The Maine worked their magic with ease. They played their hearts out, shared their honest perspective, and let a fan to come up and sing on stage, making it a personalized show. Fans respond to artists who give every city their all, and I think that having that quality makes The Maine a band who will continue to have fans line up 10 hours before the venue doors open.

17

ARTS & LIFE

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 19, 2013 www.ufvcascade.ca

Album Review

The Limousines – Hush

house of an album.

The ambience for much of the album is set from the first track, “Love Is A Dog From Hell.” However, this is also the song on the album that most resembles The Limousines of old – simply due to its radio-friendly appeal. A story of innocent early love, the vocals are clean, there’s some very nice high-end synth, and nothing too complicated.

The second track, “Stranger,”

opens with “Never get sick of falling in and out of love/ with a stranger on the other end of a string/ smiling in a picture glowing on a screen/ she don’t know I’m on the line and listening,” is surprising and turns up the dirtied synth in an enjoyably creepy way.

“Bedbugs” follows and is the story of a breaking relationship.

It’s easy to see this being the next single to drop given its pulsing rhythms. Unfortunately, that does

also mean it turns slightly more generic.

Things take a turn for the ‘80s on “Fool’s Gold.” This is also where the album really takes off. It’s hard not to be moved by the smoky synth atmosphere, especially when the saxophone kicks in.

That same atmosphere continues to “Haunted.” While it’s lyrically shorter, Victorino is emotionally expressive to the terrors of a lost relationship. And as good as the vocals would be on their own, they’re improved by the beautiful, muddy reverberation.

There’s a certain drive in “Little Space” that just exudes from the core of this album. The dirty synth, ‘80s influence, and progression creates something that’s just hard not to feel in your bones.

Even though so many songs stand out, there are a couple that fall just an inch short, as exemplified by “Undercover.” But after such a song, the album comes right back with something astounding with “Wrecking Ball.” It’s a perfect dance song that keeps within formula. Staying with the up-tempo is “Scream Please” which is simply a warm track to jam with.

However, once “GRB 09042” streams out the speakers it’s obvious there’s more progression happening. It’s light on the vocals as they hover just along the keyboard, and there are some infused hip-hop beats, but it feels like the

The Maine Forever Halloween

Apache Tears Barricades

Eleanor Friedberger Personal Record

Portugal. The Man Evil Friends

Arizona alt-pop-rockers The Maine show up to play ball with their fourth full-length album Forever Halloween.

Their new release presents a more polished and mature side, but they maintain that distinctly fun quality that pop rock has to offer. Unabashedly honest lyrics on tracks like “These Four Words” keep the collection from getting too bubblegum, and the selfdeprecating quality to “Birthday in Los Angeles” adds an on-trend freshness to the mix. “Love & Drugs” is the quintessential summer jam that will have you tapping your feet, wishing you were at a house party. With almost ghoulish harmonies, the title track brings the album to a sombre and contemplative close. There is a song on Forever Halloween for everyone, and the grab bag nature makes it an accessible listen to those outside the genre.

An album that manages to make me want to dance, laugh, cry and go out and get into trouble on a warm summer evening, plainly put, wins my vote.

Some artists are able to capture lightning on their debut release. Vampire Weekend, Joy Division and REM all produced classic albums on their first outing. Some artists, like The Stone Roses or Television, put out their best work on their first try, channelling years of song writing, musicianship and experience into one breath-taking collection of music. That’s a problem that Apache Tears will never have to worry about. On Barricades, the UK band have crafted a how-to manual for lifeless, generic modern rock in the guise of jagged, drone-heavy minorkey anthems. The melodies are predictable and forgettable, an overcomplicated by-the-numbers affair that highlights song writing weaknesses by embellishing them with uninspired, overwrought guitar work that poorly apes the dark, muscular garage riffs of recent Arctic Monkeys output. The band’s outlook improves slightly with quiet send-off track, “Isolated Sleep,” which combines double-tracked vocals and a forlorn reverb-drenched guitar for a pleasant, albeit brief, coda to an unremarkable album. At the very least, Apache Tears are gracious enough to offer something of a palate cleanser after six tracks of big, loud, and utterly vacant rock affectation.

Eleanor Friedberger possesses an alltoo-rare near-bottomless songwriting vocabulary. Refreshing stories of unconventional descriptors that spin into unexpected rhymes is the typical way a Friedberger song goes, though not in a way that alienates, for each still has a mind for returning to pop choruses. Friedberger writes songs that run along guitar and drum lines content to settle into arrangement, not force walls of noise or riffs begging to be extended, lending a sense of play to the way her voice jumps from image to association to reference to metaphor, even when at base tethered to the convention of songs about love. Though that tie is anything but constraining; Friedberger regards each situation with a mixture of unimpressed amusement and attached wistfulness – lines curve up at the end, whether perfecting response to the foolish persistence familiar to so-called romantic idealism (“You’ll Never Know Me”) or asserting the way memory works (“I Am the Past”). That (im)permanence edges in on more than one song, and in the way Friedberger’s vocals resound – ghosts, hauntings and echoes all the same, tried out as positives, and left unknown (and better) for now as on the shift of “Singing Time” that closes Personal Record.

Existing as outsiders for almost a decade, Portugal’s easily accessible Evil Friends brings them closer to the center of the scene. With adaptable Danger Mouse at the production helm, the band decided to shed much of their endearing eccentricity and has instead embraced the way of synth leads that are mostly laid overtop their usual frenzy of fuzzed-out guitars. These small modifications have established a fresh glisten to Portugal’s tracks, and sometimes this gloss makes the songs feel too processed. One of Portugal’s greatest strengths in the past was the ability to compose extravagant choruses, complete with string sections, choirs and positive lyrics, a formula seemingly tailor-made for large festival shows, where fans can sing-along to their favourite feel-good tunes.

However, the choruses on Evil Friends are much darker, like on “Atomic Man” and sometimes feel like they don’t fit with the song’s verse, see “Hip-Hop Kids.” Currently signed to Atlantic Records, Evil Friends being their second big-label release, the band is making a solid attempt at making the jump to the mainstream markets, even if they miss the mark on a few odd tracks.

MELISSA SPADY

nick ubels

MICHAEL SCOULAR

TIM UBELS

JOE JOHNSON

THE CASCADE

Mini Album Reviews

SoundBites

After 2010’s Get Sharp debut, the Limousines were a band that had considerable expectations to meet.

Having come out with social commentary tracks like “Very Busy People” and “Internet Killed The Video Star,” they brought more than just the typical indietronica pop found in countless other bands.

Now three years later, with the duo of Eric Victorino on vocals and songwriting and Giovanni Giusti covering production, Hush has come out.

Almost as important as the release itself is the fact they’ve made the album entirely on their own, having dropped their record label. They’ve instead raised $75,000 through Kickstarter. The reason they’ve given: any lows over the last few years were due entirely to the recording industry – strongly emphasizing that record labels have no place in the future.

Interestingly, the album’s also a departure from expectations in terms of both sound and lyrics. Almost entirely gone is the energydriven pop aesthetic. Instead, it’s replaced with gritty synth and the motif of love. Falling just under the 50-minute mark with 13 tracks, it’s a considerable amount of work.

And it’s also an absolute power-

album has been building to this point. Giusti is really proving his capacity for magnificent layering of tracks here.

“The Last Dance” continues with the hip-hop direction. But in keeping with the integrity of the album, the synth is still at the core.

And while it’s a touch darker, it’s largely driven with extremely raw emotion. Lyrically, this is also Victorino’s best work by far.

Following that is “Gimme Control.” Musically, it’s a cross between metal, electronica and ‘80s funk.

But perhaps rightfully, the album closes with “Hush.” It’s not heavy on the lyrics but there’s something unnerving. Partly that’s due to the clean, echoed sound but also to the fact that the song alludes to a particular secret that has to do with the theme of the album.

Rarely does it take one listen to persuade me following a band moving in a new direction. But that can’t be said for what The Limousines have accomplished with Hush. This is one of the most complete and enthusiastic albums I’ve heard in a long time. While their older catalogue was absolutely above average, it was always meddling around in indietronica pop. Progressing over the past few years they’ve crafted something that’s focused and alive and they deserve all the credit.

18

ARTS & LIFE

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 19, 2013 www.ufvcascade.ca

Wildcard bands hit CIVL Battle

CHARTS

1 2 3 4 5 6

Losses Demos The Courtneys The Courtneys Open Letters 1-6 Full of Hell Calm the Fire

Thee Oh Sees Floating Coffin

METZ Dirty Shirt b/w Leave Me Out

7

DL Incognito Someday Is Less Than A Second Away

8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16

Disclosure Settle Savages Silence Yourself Justin Hines How We Fly

Black Sabbath God is Dead La Chinga La Chinga Anciients Heart of Oak Anthrax Anthems Nazi Gold A Message of Love

The Ketamines You Can’t Serve Two Masters

17 18

Warm Soda Someone for You TRI 5 La Dee Da

Shuffle MICHAEL SCOULAR NOT A CIVL DJ

CIVL’s Battle of the Bands is now into its semi-final round.

Wildcard voting goes until Friday, and the competition itself will continue to be seen on Saturdays at Aftermath.

Here’s a selection of some of the best to go on stage so far.

DESSA BAYROCK THE CASCADE

Casinos – “Canadian Disco” One of a number of high school bands to make it into the main competition, Casinos won week two. Though their lyrics reflect that (all “cute girls” and “carry on”) there’s something to be said for songs that get by on their titles alone, and this one is by far the best of the BOTB slate.

Derrival – “Modern Age Kids” Derrival opened their quarterfinal-winning set with this tune, which shows off concerns that aren’t exactly modern and seems to be singing to the same kids already mined to bedrock

by Arcade Fire’s The Suburbs, but hey, those opening chords are pretty fun!

Hrdwtr – “Invermere” The solution to weak lyrics: none at all. Hrdwtr’s progressive instrumental probably won’t be heard in the second round, but it makes a case for Jason Sylvester’s act as one to pay attention to if he records something beyond his initial EP. Divine Fits – “Shivers” Big Damn Heroes closed their invigorating opening set on the last night of the first round with a cover of this cover, containing a perfect opening couplet and closing in barely broken guitar jamming. While their prospects for winning the wildcard are looking slim, the band’s first public appearance signaled good things to come.

The first round of CIVL’s Battle of the Bands came to a close last Saturday as the last three bands of the competition competed for a single remaining spot in round two.

June 15 saw Big Damn Heroes, MG Graveyard and Derrival fight with guitar, kickdrum and the occasional tambourine in front of the laid-back audience filling Aftermath. Although all three bands had energetic and tight performances, Derrival rose to the challenge and joined six other contenders as semi-finalists in the competition.

The night ended with a bittersweet and unscripted monologue from MC Lance Skullz, who ruminated about the winners of past Saturday showdowns.

“The theme of CIVL Battle has been ‘young and adorable,’” Skullz reminisced, going on to describe all the triumphant bands so far.

Derrival joins Casinos, Empty After, Losses, Merciful Angel, The Nacaals and Poppy and the Pistols in round two, which begins Saturday, June 29.

Since the competition began in May, 11 bands have been eliminated and graciously thrown in the towel.

But as MG Graveyard stated (albeit in a completely different context) during their set last Saturday, “It’s time to get funky!”

Although nearly two-thirds of the bands thus far failed to make it to the next round, CIVL has granted each unsuccessful band a second chance.

Through a poll on CIVL’s Facebook page, fans have a chance to vote for their favourite unsuccessful band and put them back in the

running. The top two bands from the poll will play this coming Saturday, June 22 in a final mad dash for the remaining spot in the semifinals.

Wildcard bands will hit the stage starting at 7:30 p.m. and as always, SUS will provide a selection of cold beer and hot pizza for sale. Although, as Skullz said, the night will be “nothing you haven’t seen already,” it promises to be just as rollicking as the previous six nights of the first round.

Faced with one last chance for the CIVL crown, bands just might be able to harness enough adrenaline and desperation to gain an advantage over their competitors in what promises to be a high-stakes battle.

As CIVL states on their website, “It’s official; anything can happen!”

19

SPORTS & HEALTH

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 19, 2013 www.ufvcascade.ca

UFV student Christie Weightman opens Off the Mat yoga studio JOEL SMART

anything you would wear to the gym.

Yoga can be the perfect solution for end-of-semester stress. It can relax the mind and body, while also improving one’s strength, flexibility and overall health. In other words, it’s a great outlet for the often far-toosedentary student.

For UFV Bachelor of Arts student Christie Weightman, yoga has become a way of life. After years of practice, she eventually became a teacher and has recently opened the doors to her own yoga studio in Chilliwack called Off the Mat.

Does your yoga studio offer something unique from other yoga studios in the area?

I suppose that the uniqueness offered at Off The Mat is that of a challenge, where a challenge is sought out, and variety in terms of classes never being exactly the same. There is always something new or different to learn, or a new way of learning it.

THE CASCADE

How did you develop an interest in yoga?

I developed an interest in yoga upon investigating in books and taking classes at the local gym facility. Luckily for me the instructor at the time was an actual classically-trained yoga instructor with an amazing amount of knowledge and passion for the practice.

I was 18 when I started in 2004.

The practice quickly became an integral part of my everyday life.

What made you go from enjoying yoga to thinking, “Hey, this is what I want to do for a living.”

image: Off the Mat

Christie Weightman teaches Hatha yoga in Chilliwack.

There was never a defining moment of me thinking, “I want to do this for a living.” It just kind of happened. I became a teacher in 2009, and taught a few classes here and there, but I never dreamed of opening my own studio and teaching full-time. Again, it just happened.

Everything in my life worked out in a way that led to this opportunity. For now, this is what I do, but that could change ... I am open to whatever comes my way next. Whatever that may be.

Is there something about living in the Fraser Valley that

Whitecaps PDL pick up Cascades’ striker Sasa Plavsic JESS WIND

THE CASCADE

While many students crossing the stage last Thursday and Friday were thinking about their careers as a result of their graduation, one student is already following his passion on the soccer pitch.

Midfielder Sasa Plavsic has played for the UFV Cascades’ soccer squad for the duration of his four years at UFV and led the team in scoring for the last three.

His career with UFV may be over, but he is far from done with the sport. Plavsic was named, along with the Cascades’ 2011-12 rookie of the year, Colton O’Neill, to the Vancouver Whitecaps Premier Development League (PDL) club.

Playing for the Whitecaps marks Plavsic’s third experience at the PDL level, but says there is more to be said for the Major League Soccer (MLS) club affiliate.

“It’s great to play here and be surrounded by so many likeminded players and have such a good coaching staff,” Plavsic said, adding that the Whitecaps organization is, “much more professional [with] higher expectations.”

Plavsic and O’Neill, on the UFV Cascades, compete at the Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) level of play during their September to November season; the Whitecaps PDL competes in the United Soccer League (USL).

The league is comprised of 65 teams across Canada and the United States with the Whitecaps PDL competing in the Western Conference, Northwest Division. It is the top developmental men’s league in North

America.

Credit for getting these UFV players noticed goes in part to the Cascades’ varsity men’s soccer coach, Alan Errington who recommended both players to the Whitecaps club scouts. From there, Plavsic explained, the decision was made based on a series of trials.

In an interview with UFV Cascades’ sports information and marketing coordinator David Kent, Errington shared his pride at having two of his players picked for the Whitecaps PDL club.

“I am very proud of both Sasa and Colton. They will have a great experience under Stuart (Neely, Whitecaps PDL head coach) this summer,” he commented. “The PDL is a great level of play for CIS student-athletes to improve their skills and be in top physical condition for the fall.”

Plavsic noted the differences between the CIS level of competition and the USL level.

“I think the level is much higher and there is more parity in the league. Anyone can beat anyone on a given day,” he said.

Plavsic aspires to continue to move up in the sport, but remains focused on the task at hand.

“For now I am focused on performing here and making the playoffs,” he said, adding that he’s not sure where his future may go at this point, but soccer is definitely a part of it.

The Whitecaps PDL season runs from May into July with their home field being Thunderbird Stadium in Vancouver.

Games are Friday nights or Sunday afternoons and admission is free.

makes yoga especially relevant and meaningful?

No, not in particular ... Yoga is relevant and meaningful everywhere that I may go in my life.

Though, it does keep me sane when it rains for weeks on end!

What is the skill level required?

We have classes to accommodate beginners and classes to accommodate advanced practitioners.

Do you need to bring special attire?

Wear comfortable clothing –

Do you teach a specific type of yoga? What are some of the basic differences?

I teach Hatha yoga in the Anusara Style, which is described as: Anusara (a-nu-sar-a). It means “flowing with Grace,” “flowing with Nature,” and “following your heart.” Anusara yoga is a school of Hatha yoga which unifies a life-affirming Tantric philosophy of intrinsic goodness with Universal Principles of Alignment.

Is there a spiritual aspect to yoga for you?

For me, personally, yes there is a spiritual aspect. The practice has become more than just physical activity. The physical aspect of

yoga is one-eighth of the practice.

What are your favourite yoga positions and why?

Too many favourites to list!

Different poses affect the body in different ways. Some are to strengthen, and some to build flexibility.

The body is like a vehicle – it needs to be maintained to run properly. Yoga poses are maintenance practices for the body.

What would you say to UFV students who have maybe never really considered taking a yoga class before?

I would say that practicing yoga is a great way to stay sane during semesters at school!

Learning how to breathe, and learning how to link that deep breathing with movement can really help reduce stress levels and maintain a healthy outlook on the future.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

For those interested in attending Off the Mat, their studio is located at 1-45832 Wellington Avenue, Chilliwack, BC. Student rates are available.

Exploring the Fraser Valley: Hicks Lake JASPER MOEDT

THE CASCADE

In our predictably slow start to summer we have been hardpressed to find a day that stays sunny and hot enough to justify a long drive out to the lake. Last week I was lucky enough to get a day off on a day with some sun so I decided to head up to one of my favourite lakes in the eastern Fraser Valley: Hicks Lake.

The drive up to the lake is a little longer than I would like, taking just under an hour-anda-half, but it is well worth it. To get to my destination I drove through Harrison Hot Springs, a tourist town which is a day of exploration in itself, and alongside Harrison Lake. Harrison Lake is another beautiful destination but I have always found it to be a little too cold for my liking as well as too full of people and motorboats. After leaving the paved road for the gravel road of Sasquatch Provincial Park and driving 10 minutes or so, I arrived at the parking lot for Hicks Lake.

Hicks Lake has its own campground, day-use area, private

group site, as well as a hiking trail that circles the lake. I started my hike heading north on the trail that leads away from the public campground, hopping over a barrier that keeps vehicles off the path. The trail is a relatively shaded, flat-surfaced path with minimal overall altitude gain and loss, making for a comfortable trip even for the beginner.

The trail lacks a real opportunity to view the lake until the halfway point, when the trail winds down to a beach at the end of the lake. Hicks Lake is known for its sandy beaches and unusually warm waters, making it a great early summer lake destination.

As I pulled myself away from the beach and back onto the trail I began to see that the second half of the trail is much more exciting. The shore of the lake is much steeper on the south side and it makes for a great view for much of the second half of the hike.

Also featured on this shore is a rope swing that starts from a 20foot ledge over the lake. When I hiked past, there was a line-up of

young and old alike taking their turns swinging out over the lake and taking the plunge into the light blue water.

Continuing on, the trail eventually leads to the day-use area for the campground and another sandy beach. The trail winds along the shore between the campground and lake to one of Hicks Lake’s most fascinating features: a series of flat, smooth, rocky ledges that draw the heat from the sun. On a warm day these rocks are the perfect location to lie out and soak up the sun and dive into the lake from.

Unfortunately on this day the rocks had been all but spoken for, as most of the campgrounds patrons had staked out their spot early in the day. I had to settle for a spot on the beach – a compromise I was more than willing to make.

Despite the lengthy drive, Hicks Lake is a worthwhile trip.

Whether you are looking for a hike or just a day at the beach, this park has all that you need.

Just be sure to get to the lake early if you want a spot on the rocks!

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SPORTS & HEALTH

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 19, 2013 www.ufvcascade.ca

The Cascade’s official summer beach guide

by Stewart Seymour

The great thing about living in the Lower Mainland is the great number of beaches that are nearby. Rather than bitch about how hot the weather is, you can make a trip to the beach and live a little. While some amazing beaches have been left off the list, here are some of the best beaches in the area – see if you can catch them all this summer. And don’t forget to invite your friends; there’s no cheaper way to enjoy a perfect day.

White Pine Beach Location – Port Moody, Belcarra Park With a sandy beach and calm waters, White Pine Beach is very popular during the summer months.

A freshwater lake surrounded by plenty of trees, it makes for a great place to swim and the water is not freezing. The beach can get busy at times, but it’s still a quiet beach compared to most others.

Image: imseekingbalance/Flickr

White Rock Location – White Rock White Rock is a beach that nearly has it all within walking distance.

This is a great beach to lounge and stroll, but you likely won’t see too many swimmers here. One popular spot is the White Rock pier, which extends 1500 feet past the shoreline. The great number of shops and restaurants make White Rock worth the trip for both day and night.

Cultus Lake Location – Cultus Lake Provincial Park, southwest of Chilliwack Cultus Lake is a great option as you can spend the day or the weekend but it can get busy. There are a number of campgrounds and trails in the area. Cultus has a nice sandy beach but beware, according to the BC Parks website, Image: GoToVan/Flickr “swimmers itch” may be present.

If you want to play it safe there is a waterslide park that will run you a few bucks.

Centennial Beach Location – Tsawwassen, Delta This is a beach not many people know about. The beach itself is sandy, expansive and not as crowded. When the tide is low, you can venture far out from the beach. When the tide rises, the heated sand warms the ocean water making it perfect for a swim.

This is definitely a beach worth coming to in the summer. There is a concession and a restaurant here as well.

Harrison Lakes – Harrison Hot Springs Location – Harrison Hot Springs This is one of the largest lakes in the lower mainland. The water is slightly on the cool side but it is still a great lake to swim. It is the southern part of Harrison Lake that offers a sandy beach where the village is nearby. There is also a lagoon-type lake right on the beach as well, where the water is very warm and soothing.

Kitsilano Beach Location – Vancouver Kitsilano is arguably the most popular beach in the Lower Mainland, although not the best looking. On hot summer days this place can get busy, with a young and happening crowd. There is also an abundance of grassy areas and trees to give you a break from the sun. There are lifeguards on duty too.

Image:DennisSylvesterHerd/Flickr

Image: Aaveragejoe/Flickr

Image: Wandering Weeta/Flickr

Image: Stephen Rees/Flickr

Alouette Lake Location – Golden Ears Provincial Park The advantage of choosing Alouette Lake is that it is located within Golden Ears Provincial Park. So, it can be a day or a weekend getaway. Like many provincial parks, there are campgrounds and trails nearby. There are a few beaches to choose from but if it is a sandy beach that you want, head Image:keepitsurreal/Flickr to South Beach. There are BBQ pits and picnic tables as well. Rental facilities nearby allow you to rent canoes or kayaks if that interests you.

Spanish Banks Location – Vancouver This is the nicer alternative to Kitsilano and it has a great view of the city skyline. Like Kitsilano, there are beach volleyball courts, washrooms and a lifeguard on duty. Barbecues are allowed as well. There is also a grassy area if the sand gets too hot. There is plenty of parking, but this beach can get busy so try to arrive before noon.

Chilliwack Lake Location – Chilliwack, dumbass!

The advantage to spending time at this lake is that it never gets as busy as some of the other beaches.

This sandy beach itself is somewhat smaller but it still makes for a great choice to spend the day. The lake itself is quite scenic as it is surrounded by mountains. There is a boat launch and campgrounds are close by. The water is calm but it may be slightly cool even on hot summer days. Still, a great lake if you like to swim.

Wreck Beach Location – Vancouver Clothing – optional The world-renowned Wreck beach is certainly not a place to be missed; it’s one of the coolest beaches in and around Vancouver.

Clothing is optional and people here just want to have a good time.

Hardly anyone stares. Because it’s located on UBC property—and beImage: GoToVan/Flickr cause of a steep staircase down to the beach—the spot tends to draw a younger, free-spirited university crowd. There are plenty of vendors that sell food, clothes and jewelry; some vendors even stroll along the beach. So, if you’re looking for something a little different, head to Wreck Beach. The vibe can’t be beat.

Image:miss604/Flickr

Image: keepitsurreal/Flickr