The Cascade Vol. 21 No. 19

Vol. 21 Issue. 19

www.ufvcascade.ca

July 17 to September 3, 2013

Reminding you that fall semester is less than six weeks away since 1993

Catching all the Harrison festival ACtion p. 10-12

Why Abbotsford’s homeless deserve downtown housing p. 8

New staff, new mural at Aftermath p. 5-6

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NEWS

WEDNESDAY, JULY 17, 2013 www.ufvcascade.ca

News

Student pub gets a new look

The dark back corner of Aftermath is getting a fresh coat of paint, literally. Melissa Spady has the story on the mural currently being worked on by the Visual Arts Student Association to freshen up the back corner of the student lounge. They’re keeping the details of the mural fairly under wraps, but they’ll be looking for your ideas before it’s complete.

Opinion

Get out there and eat some bugs!

The U.N. recently released a report stating that bugs are both a nutritional and admirable source of food. Should we buck up and put crickets on our pizza? Melissa Spady explores the issue and dabbles in cricket bread. For science!

pg. 6

pg. 7

Arts & Life

Sports & Health

Sustainably epic

Cascades to ‘Caps

Where does a person go when they want to celebrate all things sustainable, local and ecofriendly? To the EPIC Sustainable Living Festival, of course. On July 6 and 7, Van Dusen Botanical Gardens opened its gates to those wanting to sample all that sustainable living has to offer – including a sip & savour garden and a food truck alley.

He overcame an injury and earned his spot. UFV Rookie of the Year Colton O’Neill talks to writer and Whitecaps aficionado Jess Wind about his recent acceptance into the ‘Caps Premier Development League club and the increased expectations it carries.

pg. 19

pg. 13

EDITORIAL

An uphill battle to reclaim summer DESSA BAYROCK

THE CASCADE

With relief, I welcome you to our last issue of the summer.

All of us here at The Cascade are now free to hit the beach, and we hope you are too.

Summer still has a mysterious allure left over from grade school – it means freedom, an escape from schoolwork, a chance to slough off as much responsibility as possible. After that magical last day of school, there is nothing that needs attention until the fall.

Presto! What a magical season!

Unfortunately, this reality doesn’t last forever. As a university student, “summer break” quickly becomes infected with tumours of responsibility. Part-time jobs turn into full-time employment; if you can’t volunteer with exams breathing down your neck during the school year, you’ll have to pump up that CV experience in the summer semester. Maybe you should take summer classes – get ahead or just doover. Not to mention personal projects: didn’t you promise yourself you’d paint your room this summer, when you had time? How about start that blog? Read some books that you don’t have to take notes on – maybe plant a garden, start a new gym routine, visit your

grandparents— Before you know it, you’re busier than you were during the school year. Your to-do list is threatening to choke you.

Before you know it, summer is over. What happened to the magical season you were looking forward to?

The world is out to get you.

More specifically, the world is out to get your summer.

As soon as you finish your last class of the winter semester and step into the sunlight, you begin an uphill battle. The prize? The perfect, stress-free summer. The foe? The leeching fingers of responsibility and the poisonous grip of thoughts like You know what I should be doing right now?

In mid-April or so, I came to the terrifying realization that this is most likely my last summer before I have to enter the real world and work for the rest of my life. This is probably my last summer off ever.

Well, shit.

Maybe you’re nearing the end of your time in university and similarly sense monstrous, real-life responsibility creeping up behind you. Here’s my advice: run. Run like hell. You get out there and enjoy this summer like you’ve never enjoyed a summer before. Run through the sprinklers on the neighbours’ lawns! Be a beach bum! Buy a canoe! Get thee to

Volume 21 · Issue 19 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 emily@ufvcascade.ca Emily Seitz Production manager stewart@ufvcascade.ca Stewart Seymour Art director anthony@ufvcascade.ca Anthony Biondi Copy editor joel@ufvcascade.ca Joel Smart News editor jess@ufvcascade.ca Jess Wind Interim opinion editor opinion@ufvcascade.ca Nick Ubels Interim arts & life editor arts@ufvcascade.ca Amy Van Veen

Image: Dessa Bayrock

These people are canoeing! So could you be! a music festival! Pursue activities because they’re fun, rather than because they’re on your to-do list.

The sad and scary truth is that time is running out. You have to grab it with both hands and hang on for dear life.

I firmly believe that students are given summer break for a reason, and to fill the season up completely with projects, work, and maybe even classes completely defeats the purpose of summer break.

I recognize it’s impossible to just drop everything. But take moments for yourself: if you work, book a week off. If you’re taking summer classes, skip

a couple. I’ll even write you a doctor’s note. [Editor’s note: Dessa Bayrock is not a doctor.]

The fight between you and your sense of responsibility is going to be hell of a showdown, and you might feel hopelessly outmatched. But you know what? It’s worth it. It’s plain unnatural to be stressed-out and busy in the summer. Take a minute or an hour or a weekend for yourself. I guarantee you deserve it.

So again, I welcome you to our last issue of the summer.

We’ll be hitting the beach, and I hope to see you there.

Interim sports editor joel@ufvcascade.ca Joel Smart Photojournalist blake@ufvcascade.ca Blake McGuire Staff writers Jasper Moedt, Melissa Spady, Katie Stobbart, Griffy Vigneron Contributors Katherine Gibson, Jeremy Hannaford, Ashley Mussbacher, Tim Ubels

Printed By International Web exPress

UPCOMING EVENTS Now - Aug 30

Now - Aug 15

July 24 - August 4

July 19

Envision Twilight Concert Series

Jam in Jubilee

Technicolour Dreamcoat hits Chilliwack stage

CIVL Gala

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.

Bring your blanket to downtown Abbotsford’s Jubilee Park for the annual summer concert series. Held every Thursday night, the event features local musicians of all sorts and art vendors from the Fraser Valley. The concert series continues through the summer with CIVL Battle of the Bands highlights Casinos and Old Mare, local legends Oh No! Yoko, and more.

Local theatre company Secondary Characters presents Andrew Lloyd Weber’s wildly famous musical about the adventures of Joseph.

There’s slavery, betrayal, pharaohs and prophetic dreams, plus a captivating soundtrack that touches on all different styles. On stage at UFV’s Yale Road campus, tickets are $12$20 and performances are Wednesday-Sunday, evenings or matinees.

Your campus community radio station is getting classy. Held at The Reach gallery in Abbotsford, doors are at 7 and the show starts at 7:30.

Put your best gala wear on and come out to enjoy some stellar local music including You Say Party, Oh No! Yoko, Little Wild, The Parish Of Little Clifton, The New Atlas and Casey Ambrose. This is an all ages show with a cash bar; tickets are $15.

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.

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NEWS

WEDNESDAY, JULY 17, 2013 www.ufvcascade.ca

Minter Gardens to close after 25 years GRIFFY VIGNERON

THE CASCADE

“In life you have to make difficult decisions [and this is] one of them,” says Brian Minter, UFV chancellor and co-owner of the world famous, family-owned Minter Gardens.

With changes in the tourism industry and the deterioration of weather in the Fraser Valley, Minter Gardens has seen a significant decrease in business in past years. As the business has become less and less sustainable, the Minters have decided to close after 25 years of service.

“If you look at the weather patterns in terms of the amount of cool, damp days we’re having in springs, it ... dropped quite a few years ago and it has been that way ever since,” Minter explains.

The change in weather, while not necessarily a detriment to the plants, has become a deterrent to people.

“The psychological factor, and we’ve studied this, is that when you have a cloudy day or rainy day people are less inclined to do outdoor activities,” Minter notes.

Since the Fraser Valley only has a few months of good weather in the year, the deterioration of summers has resulted in a significant loss of visitors.

Changes in tourism trends also affected business. The events of September 11, 2001, drastically affected the tourism industry, especially in the

Minter Gardens will be closing its gate due to low guest attendance.

Fraser Valley, due to its close proximity to the border.

“Going back to [pre-2001] we had so many American tourists that we worked very hard to maintain. 9/11 stopped most of those,” Minter explains.

Tougher border restrictions post-September 11, combined with the fact that many Americans didn’t have passports, resulted in lower visitor attendance at the gardens.

The movement of cruise stops from Vancouver to Seattle also resulted in decreased guest attendance. While previously there had been a deal bringing cruise guests out on a Rocky Mountain tour passing through Minter Gardens, the location change halted that.

More tourists are travelling by air, passing by Chilliwack and the gardens.

In an attempt to gain back

Image: Tjflex2/flickr

some business, Minter Gardens opened their services for weddings and catering.

“We’ve done very, very well; our folks have truly done a magnificent job out there, but again the problem is as a seasonal business,” Minter explains. “It’s hard when you have three or four months of doing business and weddings [and] there’s eight months where you’re not.”

The closing of the gardens, with much of the Minter’s family history being a part of it, was not an easy decision.

“Imagine spending your life, blood, sweat and tears, with your whole family’s involvement and [the involvement of] many, many wonderful people ... and having that disappear.

That’s incredibly devastating,” Minter says.

Some staff will still be kept on, as the gardens will still need maintaining.

Minter also explained they have been working with staff to ensure they find work elsewhere that suits them.

Minter is doing his best to stay positive about the whole situation.

“I guess it’s always about making the very best of any situation and being very positive as you move forward. I think that’s absolutely crucial,” he says. “At this point we’re just simply closing the gardens.

We have to assess what the opportunities might be going forward.”

The Minters are already speculating about the future, and making the best of what they’ve got.

“We are going to focus on our destination garden centre, which is about 30 acres in Chilliwack, to significantly upgrade that in terms of being a world-class facility and turning it into a visitor facility as well,” he explains. “So we are not going away, we’re simply shifting focus.”

New high-antioxidant berry researched at UFV KATHERINE GIBSON

CONTRIBUTOR

Lonicera caerulea, Haskap, or the blue honeysuckle. If you are thoroughly confused and have no idea what these names refer to, you are probably not alone.

The blue honeysuckle, otherwise known by its Latin and Japanese names respectively, is a new breed of plant being researched at UFV primarily by Eric Gerbrandt, a PhD student in the University of Saskatchewan’s Plant Science Department.

As Gerbrandt explains, this plant reflects attributes that many people are familiar with.

“The blue honeysuckle is a species of the honeysuckle plant, like the garden variety ornamental honeysuckles that have nice-smelling flowers,” he says. “This is just another species within the same plant family, with the addition of edible blue berries.”

As a crop, the blue honeysuckle has been developed over the last 50 years – primarily by the Russians and by the Japanese. However, this is the first time a heightened level of this plant’s genetic diversity has been brought to Canada’s west coast.

Image: Eric Gerbrandt

New blue honeysuckle berry promises high antioxidants.

In addition to learning how each variation of this plant adapts to the west coast’s unique climate, the fruit quality and the characteristics that would make this crop effective for farmers to cultivate, Gerbrandt acknowledges that it is the potential antioxidant value of the plant’s berries that has many people excited.

“There is some science behind the antioxidant theory of

extending one’s life, preventing cancer and reducing various types of diseases,” he continues, “and these berries are very high in antioxidants.”

Even though you won’t be seeing blue honeysuckle berries in your local supermarket any time soon, the potential for this crop to influence the market is there.

“Although I think it will be a while before everybody knows

Image: Eric Gerbrandt

PhD student Eric Gerbrandt researches new berry at UFV. about this plant,” Gerbrandt continues, “you will probably start to see this product being sold in niche markets, [at least initially], as people start growing it.”

“The blue honeysuckle is a crop with a lot of potential and

with continued diligent work we are going to see a new and interesting crop come into the public eye,” Gerbrandt concludes, “and UFV being involved with that work is an exciting thing.”

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NEWS

WEDNESDAY, JULY 17, 2013 www.ufvcascade.ca

SCIENCE ON PURPOSE

Mosquitoes – if you can’t trick ‘em, track ‘em DESSA BAYROCK THE CASCADE

The summer season has finally bloomed, but with the rising heat and humidity comes a less-loved side effect: mosquitoes.

For centuries, these bloodsucking pests have been the thorn in the rose of perfect summer weather, so it’s no surprise that this past month saw attacks on the insect from two scientific teams researching on two different continents.

TRICK ‘EM Dr. James Logan spearheaded research at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, which focused on developing a way to trap malaria-infected mosquitoes using the odor of smelly feet.

The team’s studies showed that mosquitoes infected with the disease are far more attracted to human body odour, which Logan speculates may reflect just how much malaria parasites can manipulate their mosquito hosts.

Malaria kills approximately 600,000 people a year, and about one per cent of mosquitos are infected with malaria.

As part of their mosquito studies, the team wrapped human subjects in foil and piped the resulting build-up of body odour into a nearby room filled with mosquitos. The mosquitos

Image: Anthony Biondi

Cross-continental research threatens mosquitoes. flocked to the outlet, but largely ignored a flow of fresh air.

The team also noted that while stinky feet and the smell of some strong cheeses are extremely similar, mosquitoes can accurately distinguish between the two and ignore the distraction of cheese.

“You have to get the mixture, ratios and concentrations of those chemicals exactly right,” Logan noted in the National

Post, “otherwise the mosquito won’t think it’s a human.”

If scientists duplicate the smell of feet, it could be used in a trap irresistible to mosquitoes. The only tolerance the pest could develop to the trap would be to ignore the smell of people entirely – which would also be a success.

TRACK ‘EM A team of student research-

ers at the University of Manitoba developed an app to help track mosquito levels around the world, warning those heading outdoors just how much bug spray they should pack.

The app is titled M Tracker and is available for both iPhone and Android. In short, users note levels of mosquitoes on a scale of green (no pests) to red (heavily populated with the blood-suckers). These reports are shared with anyone else who has the app, so those planning a trip outdoors can see just how many mosquitoes they should expect.

Engineering students Rory Jacob and Chen Liu developed the app under the supervision of professor Bob MacLeod. On a basic foundation, the app shares DNA with both flutracking and traffic-tracking programs.

While the app originates in Winnipeg, where mosquito levels are notoriously high, it functions anywhere in the world. The team says it’s been downloaded across North America, as well as in the U.K. and Russia. The map covers the entire globe, and the rest is up to users.

“Realistically, the more users the better because this is a user-driven app,” Jacob told CBC. “The more people who report, the better the data is going to be.”

Aftermath includes students in management restructure

JESS WIND

THE CASCADE

Over the summer SUS has been thinking hard about how to restructure Aftermath after its head position was vacated in April. Previously the restaurant employed one manager to oversee operations, management and marketing.

But since then SUS has divided the management position into three student manager positions: marketing, human resources and operations. They have also accepted applications for new serving staff. The kitchen will continue to employ one full-time kitchen manager, but for the other positions the applicants need to be students as long as they hold their position.

“I believe that the Student Union Society should also offer students jobs,” Potter says. “If we can hire these intelligent, bright, strong individuals, give them management experience on their resume, give them a reference letter, that’s going to help them.”

The positions were advertised through SUS media outlets as

well as through posters on campus. Despite the non-competitive wage of $11/hr for a management position, Potter is confident they attracted solid applicants.

“It’s not super competitive, but what we are doing is we’re providing students with an opportunity to essentially have their hand in running a business, so the value that they’re getting in that is extensive,” he says. “[We’re] getting people with years and years of work experience, professional experience, skills that they can bring to the service to improve it.”

Earlier in the year, SUS spoke about hiring outside consultants to determine the best direction to go with the restaurant. They still intend to do this, but are moving forward with the new management structure based on structures at other universities.

“Bringing in consultants is expensive and between [SUS general manager, Meghan McDonald] and myself we’ve found that just talking with other student associations ... looking at how other schools are doing it has given us a huge amount of data,” he explains. “That doesn’t mean we’re not going to still go with outside

NEWS IN BRIEF Protests held after Zimmerman acquittal SANFORD, Florida (Reuters) President Barack Obama called for calm on Sunday after the acquittal of George Zimmerman in the shooting death of unarmed black teenager Trayvon Martin, as thousands of civil rights demonstrators turned out at rallies to condemn racial profiling.

Saturday’s not-guilty verdict was decried by civil rights leaders and protests were organized in several cities, including Boston, San Francisco, San Diego and Sacramento.

Around Sanford, some residents expressed relief at the verdict, while others said they failed to see how Zimmerman could have been acquitted.

“You said he’s not guilty, but why would you say he’s not guilty?” 28-year-old Robyn Miller said. “It’s crazy.”

–

Texas passes abortion restriction bill, governor certain to sign (Reuters) – Texas’ Republican-controlled Senate has voted to ban most abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy, ending a high-profile political battle that stirred debate over abortion rights well beyond the state’s borders.

Already approved by the House, the sweeping bill to restrict abortions now goes to Republican Governor Rick Perry, who is certain to sign it and had called a second special session of the legislature to get it through.

The pink granite statehouse was packed on Friday, with Texans opposed to the bill wearing orange and holding signs that said, “My body, my choice,” some of them jumping, chanting and loudly shouting outside the Senate chamber.

“What happened here tonight is going to fast-forward change in Texas in the long run, but unfortunately a lot of women will suffer in the process,” said Cecile Richards, president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America.

Independent thinking “not encouraged” in China’s film schools

Image: Anthony Biondi

New management positions at Aftermath will go to students. help on how we want to construct things.”

Potter says they will be looking to assess their suppliers and point of sale systems for ways to improve, but that students shouldn’t worry about the menu or prices.

“I don’t want to make too drastic changes. We’re still going to go through the mentality of keeping food prices relatively inexpensive,” he says. “I’ll guarantee you that we’ll make sure it’s cheaper than anything around.”

As far as bringing in an outside consultant, Potter wants to wait until the new hires are in position and then bring them in on the decision making process.

“The people that we’re hiring, the people that we’re bringing into the service are customers of Aftermath. These people have a really good idea of where we need to take it and where we need to grow,” he explains.

CHINA (Reuters) – Chinese authorities have put an abrupt end to a training program for aspiring independent filmmakers.

There’s still no official explanation why the ninth Edition of the Li Xianting Film School in Beijing was closed down a day before it was due to begin, when more than 20 policemen came to the school and forcibly transferred the teachers and students to a hotel in Tongzhou, a district on the outskirts of Beijing.

Wang Wo, independent filmmaker and lecturer at Li Xianting Film School, told RNW that no convincing explanation has been given for the move.

Despite being evicted, the teachers and students are not giving up. ”The only thing we know is that we’ll go on with the training program as planned,” said Wang Wo.

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NEWS

WEDNESDAY, JULY 17, 2013 www.ufvcascade.ca

SUS to launch mobile app and new website for fall JESS WIND

THE CASCADE

Expect to see a much more technology-friendly SUS this September.

The Student Union Society will be launching a new mobile app and a redesigned website.

Students will be more up-todate on what events are happening on campus.

President Shane Potter elaborates on the move to modernity.

“Because not all students are on campus all the time, we want to make sure students are able to access our services, know about our events, know about the things that we’re doing through the most modern means possible,” he explains.

“I can reach more students through a website or through a mobile app than I’ll ever meet in real life. So that’s really the directions we have to go in getting with the times.”

The app is already designed and being used by other universities across Canada. Students will sign on using their

Image: Dessa Bayrock

With mobile apps and website redesign, SUS hopes to reach more students than ever. banner ID and be able to view class schedules and rooms as well as receive notifications regarding events on campus.

However, with the app comes a scaled-back production of the SUS student agendas. They will still be provided next year, but Potter likens their decline in

use to the decline of the phone book. “[Former SUS president Carlos Vidal] is still president if you open up an agenda right now. It shows how old the information can be,” he says.

“The agenda is great for writing down classes or writing

down a to-do list, but more and more people are moving towards the smart phone.”

On top of the app, SUS is hoping that a redesigned website will make their services more accessible. As it is right now, the website provides information, but student clubs still

need to fill out a paper form in order to apply for funding.

Potter hopes to eliminate this paper use.

For the website redesign, SUS is hiring a UFV student as opposed to outsourcing to a web development company.

“Why am I going to pay some guy from some XYZ company when I can give that money to a student that can pay their tuition next semester?” he asks.

“I believe in students, I know the calibre of students that we have here and I’m always going to make sure that our students have the first chance for any opportunities that this society has.”

As far as cost for the two technological upgrades, Potter is not concerned.

“The money that we’re not spending on agendas this year, we’ve spent on website improvement and the app. The money is there, it’s just reallocating,” he says.

New Aftermath mural spotlights student work MELISSA SPADY

THE CASCADE

This fall, students will see some changes to their student lounge.

A mural has been commissioned by SUS to brighten up the dark and underused back corner of Aftermath. Last April, the campus hangout got a “thorough clean-up,” says SUS general manager Meghan McDonald, and although the space is now tidied, “several students commented that the back area was dark, uninviting and underutilized.”

Instead of simply painting a bright colour over the deep red, it was proposed that the space be used as an opportunity to showcase the talent of UFV students, particularly those from the Visual Arts Student Association (VASA).

VASA accepted the proposal and has since been working on the mural.

The mural will feature Mt. Baker and Mt. Cheam with trees and blue sky, but there’s a twist to keep the piece unique.

Scattered throughout the mural are empty bubbles, and students will be able to shape

what goes into them.

“We’re asking students to come in and tell us ‘what is UFV,’” VASA member Julie Epp says. “Then we’ll paint it in the picture.”

The mural is being worked on actively by four members of VASA and is is set to be completed in late August. Although it’s not a secret that the mural is being painted, Epp says they’re trying to keep the specific details under wraps until the unveiling in Fall.

“VASA hasn’t really done anything big. We did a couple of art shows last semester,” she says. “That was our first step in letting people know that VASA is active. It was dead for a while and we revived it in January.

We thought this would be a nice opportunity [to let people know].”

While the mural will certainly brighten up the space, the question remains on what will happen to all the hard work Epp and other members of VASA have put in over the summer after the new building is completed and Aftermath moves.

“Unfortunately we won’t be able to take the mural with us, but we will likely take photo-

Aftermath’s back wall will feature a new, student-inspired landscape. graphs of the piece for posterity,” McDonald says.

The end of August will see the unveiling of the finished piece, as well as a plaque commemorating all the hard work that’s gone into the project since late May. When Aftermath re-opens in the fall, other changes made during the summer may interest returning students.

“We have added a number of power bars along with a large shelf for laptops and books,” McDonald says.

“Students [will be] able to grab a bite to eat while studying and meeting with others.”

The space is undoubtedly revamped for the upcoming semester, but what will become of all the effort put into it once the SUB is finished? Epp hopes

Image: Anthony Biondi

it will be used for something else so VASA’s work can continue to be admired.

“It will be interesting to see what happens, maybe we can suggest something to them [UFV] to do with it, like use it for clubs and associations,” she says.

The Cascade is having an Annual General Meeting!

You should totally come.

The action hits B133 at 5:30 on July 17.

We’re going to have pizza, and almost definitely some soda and we’re going to talk about policy and elect some students to our board.

(Seriously. We really want you to be there.)

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

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OPINION

WEDNESDAY, JULY 17, 2013 www.ufvcascade.ca

SNAPSHOTS

Curtailed commentary on current conditions

Pipeline!

Barbecue!

Signals!

Tanning!

Joel Smart

Joe Johnson

Ashley Mussbacher

AMY VAN VEEN

There’s nothing more despicable than a political regime or corporation that uses a tragedy to advance its profit-driven goals.

Yet that could very well happen after the horrific—and entirely avoidable—train derailment that caused toxic oil to spill, ignite and destroy the centre of Lac-Mégantic, a small Québec town. It certainly didn’t take long for journalists and experts to begin foretelling it. Just days afterwards, articles began to sprout up about how it would never have happened if only a pipeline had been in place.

Yet, how fitting is it that those who wish to quell the horror we feel about the risks of ramming a pipe through our farms, schoolyards and parks would use the example of an even more horrendous oil-transport disaster?

I’m sorry, but Lac-Mégantic is even more evidence that we need to cut back—not scale up—our extraction and transport of a deadly, toxic substance that, even when not spilled, is destroying the world we rely on for survival. We need to stand up for what is right or Lac-Mégantic will have happened in vain.

It’s right up there with swimming, golfing and loud music as a necessity of summer. In fact, it’s hard to argue that there’s anything better on a beautifully blue-skied, 30-degree day.

Really, it’s so great that even dropping a ribeye steak right off the searing grill onto your knee is worth the outcome.

There’s no doubt taste is a major factor in the outdoor grill’s greatness. But taste is only one of the many. Just think about all the foods that are cooked at their pinnacle on the barbecue: steak, hamburgers, chicken, corn on the cob, asparagus, potatoes and yes – even bacon.

There’s also the portability. A portable barbeque can be used to cook just about anywhere – just crank on one of the propane cylinders, or light up the charcoal, and you’re set. Being able to have that kind of freedom also ties into what are the greatest parts of summer – camping, friends and family.

If you’re a driver, I assume three things about you: first, you have a license; second, you know what all the buttons, switches and levers in your car do; and third, that you have the capacity to use them.

Sadly, this is not always true.

There’s a lever in your car on the left side of the steering wheel. It can be moved up or down. This device is called a signal. Use it.

I’m getting tired of using my mindreading ability to determine what direction you’re turning as you slam on your breaks before a green light. Just signal left or right and I’ll forgive the unnecessary emergency stop.

Worse is when you signal left and turn right. “A” for effort, I guess.

Or when you leave your signal on. How does that even happen? Don’t you hear the obnoxious clicking sound? Or see the little arrow on your dashboard?

Tanning isn’t great. I mean, it’s okay when you’re doing it in a healthy way with proper sunscreen application and all, but then there are the accidental tanning moments. In these moments you think you’re protected but the next morning reveals the unfortunate truth.

I’m talking about the driving arm.

Anyone who drives knows what I’m talking about. You think you’re safe in your little car. You think all the world is well and the sun can’t touch you because you’re basically in a moving room and windows protect you, right? Right?

Wrong.

Your left arm gets significantly darker than your right and you begin to plan out scenarios in which you could pull it off. Like maybe you could walk into a room with the left arm entering first to trick people into thinking you’re beautifully dark everywhere. Or maybe you could coordinate with shadows at a party to hide the truth of your pasty white right arm.

Sadly, we all have to face the truth of growing up: being an adult means wearing sunscreen every time you leave the house.

Entomophagy: The art of eating bugs MELISSA SPADY

THE CASCADE

If my mother saw this article, she’d probably laugh hysterically in disbelief.

As a child I was an extremely picky eater and during my teen years I wasn’t much better at adapting to new tastes or textures.

But I’ve found since becoming a 20-something, my taste buds have finally decided to broaden their horizons. I first heard about Entomophagy (or the act of humans eating insects) on a local radio station where one of the hosts turned his nose up at the thought.

His reaction echoes many other Westerners. As it turns out, we have two restaurants in Vancouver that serve a bug inspired dish.

Vij’s Restaurant features a paratha (South Asian flatbread) with flour made of roasted ground crickets and Rangoli Restaurant’s menu has a naan bread pizza with whole roasted crickets as a topping. I plan on letting my own taste buds test bot.

Vancouver is a trend-setting city known for being a little daring. But beyond the cool factor, could eating insects help sustainably end starvation around the globe?

The United Nations say yes!

It is widely accepted amongst experts that by the year 2050 there will be close to nine billion people

on our planet, and with one billion already starving worldwide, we need to pay serious attention to how we can expect to feed all these people if we’re already struggling.

In “Edible Insects,” a 200-page report published this May, the U.N. estimates that roughly two billion people currently incorporate insects into their diet. Although nutritional value varies by species, some insects are a good source of protein, and have high fat, fibre and mineral content. According to the report, crickets rate highest in their nutritional yield. For every 100 grams of cricket you ingest you’re getting 121 calories, 12.9 grams of protein, 5.5 grams of fat, 5.1 grams of carbohydrates, 75.8 milligrams of calcium and more.

Other benefits include the ability to process their food into body weight more efficiently than traditional livestock. Research also indicates they leave a much smaller carbon footprint.

There is no downside large enough to derail giving it a shot; however I can almost hear some readers cringing at the thought of having crickets on their pizza or incorporating worms into their stir-fry. Over 80 per cent of the world’s countries eat insects on a regular basis, and yet most of us here squeal in agony when an ant crawls on our arm. The truth is that we have enough food on the

Image: X-Files

Open up: insects are high in nutrients and available almost anywhere, so why not eat them? planet right now to feed everyone, but the ratios of distribution are grossly out of proportion.

This point is often over-looked when discussing hunger and starvation. I think it’s awesome and completely necessary to look for a new, sustainable way to feed the growing population, but where is the justice in hoarding food? (I’m looking at you North America!)

Sure, we could all donate to World Vision and feed hungry children –

there are certainly worse things to do to end world hunger. However, the problem is largely the attitude of those in the first world rather the existence of a viable solution.

When you go home, stare into your full cupboards, and complain that there’s “nothing to eat,” you truly ought to be smacked for acting so spoiled. I really feel that those who scoff at an option to feed people just because it’s different from their own diet, or think its

“gross,” need to re-evaluate their priorities, especially if they’ve never tried it themselves. We have thousands of different food choices every single day, but because you don’t see chocolate covered ants as a snack, suddenly it doesn’t qualify as a meal?

We have a solution, it just seems so outlandish to some that it’s going to take a while to get it off the ground.

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OPINION

OPINION

WEDNESDAY, JULY 17, 2013 www.ufvcascade.ca

Community services hindered by Downtown Business Association

KATIE STOBBART

THE CASCADE

The newest episode in the Abbotsford vs. the homeless saga involves a contentious new project proposed by Abbotsford Community Services (ACS), that aims to house men who are homeless or at risk of homelessness.

According to ACS, the building across the street from their downtown offices on Montvue Avenue would be converted into a 21-unit apartment building. The idea is essentially that addressing mental health issues and substance abuse is most successful once basic needs are met, so the building would give residents a stable place to live as well as supportive services in addictions, life skills, employment and mentoring.

“Our goal is to house people who are homeless and support their transition into independent housing,” says the ACS website.

The project will be low barrier, which means residents don’t have to be clean and sober to start living there, but they do have to agree to address their own health issues and substance misuse when accepted. No illegal substances will be allowed on the premises and alcohol consumption will be monitored and restricted.

To me, this sounds like a responsible and effective way of working toward a solution. It’s sensible; it has always baffled me how people

Image: Anthony Biondi

Transition housing in downtown Abbotsford would get homeless off the street. How is that bad? can be expected to get jobs if they don’t have a roof over their heads.

To function successfully in our society, you have to have an address.

So it’s reasonable to think that providing someone with a place to live is a step in the right direction.

However, many community members including the Abbotsford Downtown Business Association (ADBA) have concerns about the project. The ADBA has created a petition against the project which now has over 2000 signatures. According to a report by CTV, the

worry is that even 20 people could be a problem for the downtown core, which has been working on building itself up from a run-down area into a shopping destination for some time.

I recently lived in the downtown core, not far away from what was dubbed “crack alley.” I frequently visited the Saturday market and many of the businesses downtown, listened to the Jam in Jubilee concerts and walked to the transit exchange on Montrose to get around.

I moved last year when the house

I lived in was torn down to make way for seniors’ housing.

Here’s the thing: while I lived there, I saw many homeless individuals on a regular basis. Many people lived in the alley just outside my backyard. None of them ever bothered me, even though I often walked home from the bus stop in the evening after work. When I visit that area now, the homeless are still in the area, though they have been nudged further into the downtown core by the new construction site.

Doesn’t it make more sense to clean up the downtown area by making housing available for the homeless where they already live?

Having people suffer ill health, addictions and the elements in the street, instead of helping them to find support, doesn’t make for a friendly community. Disenfranchising people who need a hand doesn’t make me feel good about visiting my old neighbourhood, and frankly, seeing a petition like the one the ADBA is circulating posted in a window makes me question whether I want to continue shopping in the downtown core.

So, while I agree that the threat written over one of those petitions, “you need to shut up or else,” is an inappropriate way to express the sentiment, I can understand some of the anger behind it.

The homeless people downtown live in that area. It’s their neighbourhood. And while I certainly don’t enjoy seeing people living on the street, and I don’t appreciate some of the activities that occur in the vicinity, I don’t think it’s right to just kick someone out of the only place they have. ACS is trying to create a friendlier and more inclusive community.

It seems like the ADBA is more of the same mind as the city; what they fail to realize is that shut-outs and chicken shit are not solutions – they’re just creating more problems.

The Sensible BC plan to decriminalize pot just makes sense

JOEL SMART

THE CASCADE

What would happen if we treated and policed marijuana like alcohol? Would it reduce gang violence and open up police resources to more important crimes than gardening? Wouldn’t it make sense?

Alcohol is worse than pot. It makes people more violent and more likely to get behind the wheel of a car when intoxicated – not to mention that it’s incredibly addictive. Nicotine is another deadly and incredibly addictive drug. Yet I strongly believe people should have the right to use those substances if they make an informed decision to do so. So something seems wrong to me when our police force is spending huge amounts of money trying to find hidden gardens (“grow ops”) being used to cultivate a relatively harmless plant – one that many sick people use as medicine. It really bothers me that otherwise innocent people are in jail because of marijuana possession charges. Frankly, in a world where we understand how incredibly important some-

thing like InSite is, the fact that pot is illegal is just dumb.

That’s why—even though I’m not a big fan of any drugs—I intend to volunteer my time collecting signatures for Sensible BC, an organization aimed at bringing BC a marijuana referendum. If the referendum passes, simple possession of cannabis would no longer be a crime, and police resources would be diverted to more important tasks. And don’t worry, minors in possession of cannabis would be treated the same as minors with alcohol. It’s a plan that would keep a lot of innocent people out of jail.

But to even bring about a referendum, Sensible BC needs to collect signatures from 10 per cent of the voting population of each political riding in BC – over 400,000 between September and November this year. I think it’s worth the effort.

People who want to ingest (or inhale the smoke of) a plant in private and who do so responsibly and without harming anyone else shouldn’t have to rely on gangs and illegal growing operations in order to do so. Not only that, think

about how many fewer dollars would go into the hands of drug dealers, traffickers and gangs if there were legal means for people to get it. Gangs aren’t making a lot of money off alcohol these days. It doesn’t take a gun to protect your home brewery because we realized that prohibition didn’t work – it only fuelled an illegal, violent era of powerful gangsters.

I’m not one of those people claiming that weed is going to cure cancer or that the drug is some gift left to us by aliens or anything like that. In fact, even if you believe marijuana to be harmful, to make it easier to experiment with other drugs, or to be otherwise immoral, I encourage you to support the Sensible Policing Act this fall. Because, just like alcohol and cigarettes, we need to let people make informed choices for their own bodies. If we’re worried for people and want to help them, we need to treat them like mature adults. We need to give them the best, most accurate information we have, and we need to be prepared to offer them support if they need it. Beyond that, people need to be allowed to make choices

Image: sillydog /flickr

Is marijuana really worse than alcohol or cigarettes? for themselves.

We need to stop pretending that we can police and jail drug use out of our culture. It’s the wrong strategy, and we need to start heading

Have an opinion about something? Share it with us.

down the path towards a better approach – and Sensible BC is the right first step.

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

9

OPINION

WEDNESDAY, JULY 17, 2013 www.ufvcascade.ca

Penny for your thoughts!

Feel like sharing your short-andsweet opinion? Keep an eye out for our whiteboard-toting pollsters roaming the halls.

Al-Qaeda just another media scare word JEREMY HANNAFORD

CONTRIBUTOR

Canada Day is a celebration of our country as a whole and the union we share with our fellow provinces. But this shining symbol of union was tainted when a bomb threat was discovered in Victoria outside the provincial legislature.

Two suspects, John Stewart Nuttall and Amanda Marie Korody, were arrested and charged with conspiracy to commit a terrorist activity and possession of an explosive substance. The news media was quick to label the duo’s plot as an al-Qaeda-inspired attempt.

But what if it wasn’t inspired by al-Qaeda? Would that make it less terrifying or more so?

News sells fear. Whether or not we care about the people related, people can’t look away when something horrible happens. The bomb threat in Victoria is just like this.

A quick background check on John Stewart Nuttall confirms his conversion to Islam, though he had been rejected by his previous mosque. Representatives of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) confirmed that this attack wasn’t al-Qaeda inspired.

They were acting on their own

mysterious motives instead.

That sounds a hell of a lot scarier to me.

Al-Qaeda activity has become familiar. Their attacks have never reached the same height as they did on 9/11. Despite the panic generated by the Boston Marathon bombing, authorities were able to find and locate the Tsarnaev brothers and stop further threats very quickly. But acts of terrible violence performed by random citizens continue to be a source of fear and horror. Acts like the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary or the Aurora Theater are always traumatizing despite their brutal simplicity.

We can never anticipate something like this.

Al-Qaeda and other scare words news outlets use are meant to produce fear and bluster. But sometimes they feel like comfort words.

The idea of something familiar, however horrible it may be, is always preferable to the unpredictable alternative.

In the case of Nuttall, there are many possible motivations for his actions. He has had previous run-ins with the law. According to court records collected by the Toronto Star, Nuttall was a reformed drug user. Other media outlets stated that he recently acted as an

enforcer collecting drug debts. His brother was killed in Afghanistan five years ago. But his brother also had a lengthy criminal record for drug and property offences. All are possible starting points for the source of Nuttall’s aggression. But rough upbringing or drug history do not carry the same weight as scare words.

Sometimes people do not want to accept the most simple and horrifying outcome: people sometimes do evil things.

10 10

ARTS & LIFE FEATURE

WEDNESDAY, JULY 17, 2013 www.ufvcascade.ca

Literary Café a night of ecology and storytelling at Harrison Festival KATIE STOBBART THE CASCADE

D-Fest plays find their way to Harrison

image: Emily Seitz

AMY VAN VEEN

THE CASCADE

Colleen Plenert is a UFV student whose direction of the play The Brothers Grimm Spectaculathon found roaring success at this past spring’s Annual UFV Directors’ Festival. As a result, her one act production got picked up for this year’s 35th Annual Harrison Festival of the Arts.

How did The Brothers Grimm Spectaculathon do at the Harrison Festival of the Arts? Was it a good turn-out for you?

It was a lot of fun doing the Harrison Festival! Performing a show in a new space always presents its own challenges, but this show transitioned fairly smoothly.

The nature of D-Fest forces you to keep your lighting, sound, and set fairly simple; something that came in handy while moving the show to a new location. The cast performed to a sold-out audience and from the sound of things, everyone enjoyed themselves.

How did you find it differed from showing it at D-Fest?

One of the major differences between Harrison Festival and D-Fest was the type of space we performed in. At D-Fest, we were in the theatre at UFV, which is a thrust stage [audience on three sides]. At Harrison, the Memorial Hall is set up as a proscenium stage [audience on one side].

That meant we had to adjust all the blocking for the show to accommodate the different angles as well as different entrances and exits. However, my cast was so talented that the changes were pretty seamless.

I’m so appreciative that Harrison provides this opportunity for young (and somewhat inexperienced) directors to remount a show, fix anything that maybe you weren’t quite satisfied with during the first run, and do a show you love again.

It sounds like you guys had a good time. Are you working on any other projects at the moment?

Yes, I’m acting in a play called Two Rooms

by Lee Blessing. It’s the inaugural production of Working Title Faction. I play a character named Lainie. My husband, Michael (played by Derek Ward-Hall), has been tak-

en hostage by terrorists in Beirut so I have cleared out a room in our house of all the furniture so that I have a way to connect with him and try to experience what he’s going through. The other cast members are Beth Gasser and Matt Veenbaas. It runs August 13-18 in the studio at the Carousel Theatre on Granville Island.

Dylan Schroeder, a graduate of UFV, wrote and directed the coming-of-age play What the Water Gave Me, as well as starred in The Brothers Grimm Spectaculathon under the direction of Colleen Plenert. Both performances at the Annual UFV Directors’ Festival and Harrison Festival of Arts were met with a full house.

How do you think What the Water Gave Me went at the Harrison Festival of the Arts?

It went super well! My actors were all amazing and we had a very responsive audience. It was sold out; they ended up having to print out extra tickets.

Did anything particularly memorable happen before/during/after the performance?

Well since I was acting in the second show as soon as I had cleared off my set I had to refocus and get ready to perform.

Being involved in both shows was pretty memorable, as was spending the day in Harrison with my casts and having all my friends in the audience.

How did Brothers Grimm go?

It went great! Colleen was a great director and the audiences responded super well to all the jokes. It was exhausting, but since I got to play so many ridiculous characters it was also really fun.

Any other shows lined up for you or any other plays sitting in the back of your mind?

I’m going to be adapting Snow White with Thomas Smith for a local theatre group called Theatre Junkies Anonymous and after that I’m sure something else will come to me. We are using the Grimm Brothers’ version as our model but we haven’t committed to any time periods yet.

“We need a new language, and art and metaphor is the form it’s going to take,” Rex Weyler, ecologist and UFV’s most recent writer-in-residence announced to a rapt audience at the Literary Café on July 8, which was part of this year’s Festival of the Arts in Harrison.

The event celebrated a new anthology of eco-lit, Cascadia: the Life and Breath of the World, co-edited by UFV professor Trevor Carolan and Frank Stewart, and published

by University of Hawaii Press. Weyler, Victoria poet Eve Joseph and Tsleilwaututh storyteller Gabriel George were featured as the evening’s speakers.

The room was warmed instantly by the glow of candles at each table, and by the smooth and intriguing alternative country of Abbotsford’s Franklyn Currie. The hum of quiet conversation dimmed with the lights as UFV’s director of continuing studies, Cheryl Isaac, welcomed guests and read greetings aloud from the University of Hawaii in Manoa.

Isaac was followed by Carolan, who took the podium to speak on the ecological theme of the anthology and the motivation for its creation.

“Language and literature ... bring us close to the truth of a place,” he said, and intimated that part of the intent behind the volume, which took roughly two years to assemble, was “to try and help fortify people for some of the [ecological] changes that may be ahead.”

Contributors to the book are diverse, ranging from prose writers to First Nations chiefs, from ecologists to poets. The writings of Chief Dan George, Jan Zwicky, Eden Robinson, and many others are anticipated within the pages of Cascadia.

Joseph confessed she felt compelled to look for the meaning of “Cascadia” after being asked to contribute. She said that Cascadia means “land of falling waters,” and expressed her sentiments of kinship to the landscape, likening the qualities of water to her own imagination.

Historically, Cascadia refers to the region spanning from the south of Alaska as far down as Washington, the bulk of which is currently BC. Hawaii and BC also have historical linkages; Hawaiian fur-traders called Kanakas were recruited to help portage canoes along the Fraser River, many living in Fort Langley and leaving their name like footprints on the waterscape: Kanaka Bar near Litton, Kanaka Creek in Maple Ridge.

The artwork inside the anthology includes sketches from the original journals of Emily Carr, dating back to the 1900s. Before the Literary Café, Carolan explained that the Provincial Museum and Archives had offered their permission to have the drawings reprinted. This makes the seldom-seen sketches accessible to a wider audience and showcases a famous player in BC’s cultural history.

One of the central themes that emerged at the Literary Café was honouring our historical roots and where we come from – not just place, but people. George began to speak by introducing himself by his ancestral name, and moved on to talk about his grandfather, Chief Dan George, before reading some of the poetry from the anthology.

“He was very gentle, very quiet, and he had this incredible silent way about him,”

he recalled, noting he was nine when his grandfather died. George also shared the raw and emotional song he sang to his dying brother, who asked George to sing him home. “[Tonight] is a celebration of humanity and of nature and also of the indigenous people of these lands,” he said, finishing with a song to pick up the mood again before Joseph rose to speak.

Joseph read from her collection of poetry, The Secret Signature of Things, two poems dedicated to her daughters, and one about the missing women in BC called “Tracking.” She noted the darker theme of death in both George’s and her own readings, but said, “If we want to know the stories of a place ... we have to know the stories of the dead.”

The tone of the evening turned again toward the ecological when Weyler approached the podium as the last speaker.

He said he finds it frightening that our culture has not learned an essential lesson on sustainability.

“To learn to live on a piece of land without destroying it,” he said adding that it is a battle that we are not winning. The key to this is thinking like an artist. “[We need to] express ourselves in the way artists express themselves … experimenting with the randomness in the world.” Weyler reminded the audience that there are no singular things in nature – everything exists as part of a system or relationship, and the flaw in our thinking is acting as if fixing one piece will make everything better.

Weyler also recognized the darker thread to his declaration that after all the things we have collectively attempted to fix to save the environment, we are still overshooting the capacity of our habitats.

“It’s not pessimism to be realistic about the world we live in ... We all want hope, and hopefulness is a very good frame of mind to carry out what will need to be done. But hope is not a strategy.”

He identified one part of our problem being consumption; our survival will depend on our consuming much less than we do. He also said that there are no solutions that are not local.

“Localisation is the opposite of globalisation, and it is the trend that’s going to save us.”

Both the publication and the Harrison Festival of the Arts itself seem to align with this idea that the local and artistic community is an essential part of an ecologicallyminded and sustainable existence. Cascadia: the Life and Breath of the World promises to paint a comprehensive portrait of this region’s cultural history for readers.

The book also gives UFV several opportunities to shine; George and Currie are both former UFV students, Hugh Brody is UFV’s Canada research chair in Aboriginal studies and Robert Bringhurst received an honorary doctorate from UFV in 2006.

UFV president Mark Evered said participating in the Harrison Festival with events like the Literary Café is a great way for the university to be present in the community.

The event was co-sponsored by the UFV research office and UFV continuing studies, and the eco-lit publication will be used as a textbook in some classes in the fall semester.

The Literary Café wrapped up with more music from Currie, many attendees lingering to chat with speakers before going out into the warm summer night with a renewed sense of place.

11

ARTS & LIFE FEATURE

WEDNESDAY, JULY 17, 2013 www.ufvcascade.ca

Canadian icon performs at Harrison Festival of the Arts

image: Taylor Cunningham

“We need to ... experiment with the randomness in the world.” ~Weyler

image: Shea Wind

Fred Penner still performs with the grace and energy that originally endeared him to television children’s audiences in the ‘90s.

EMILY SEITZ

The Cascade

image: Taylor Cunningham

“If we want to know the stories of a place ... we have to know the stories of the dead.” ~Joseph

Canadian icon Fred has entertained audiences with his witty music for the past 40 years. He is most well known for his television show, Fred Penner’s Place, which ran for 12 seasons. This year, Fred Penner performed at the Harrison Festival of the Arts. He did two musical performances: one on the beach and another for Children’s Day. I attended the Children’s Day performance at the Harrison Memorial Hall and sat down afterwards with Fred Penner for an interview. The hall was filled with generations of Fred Penner fans; young parents who grew up singing along to “The Cat Came Back” brought their children to introduce them to Penner’s music and talent. It was a fun, hour-long concert with Penner playing solo on his guitar, everyone in the hall singing and clapping along to his repertoire.

That was a wonderful show.

Thank you so much.

I enjoyed the whole thing because I grew up watching Fred Penner’s Place.

So, what is your favourite part of doing all this, coming around and performing?

Well, getting onstage is the big part. The travel can be tiring ‘cause it’s multiple vehicles: flight, getting cars, driving through traffic, and all of those mundane parts of it, but once you get to the stage, that’s where I feel I can relax.

And then you hear the children in the crowd, do you start feeling ...?

Not just with the children, but with the parents; parents and grandparents, ‘cause I think of what I do in that full encompassing thing. It’s about children, certainly, but it’s about the youthful excitement of just sharing the song and I want parents to be as involved as any children might be.

image: Taylor Cunningham

“[It] is a celebration of humanity, nature ... and the indigenous people of these lands.” ~George

And is it your first time at the Harrison Festival of the Arts?

It is.

Welcome! Are you thinking of coming back?

Well, it’s a phone call away.

So, are you just here for the two days, yesterday and today?

I arrived on Monday, so I stayed Monday night, did the beach on Tuesday and here today, and I’m actually going to be driving in a couple of hours to visit friends in Point Roberts in the Tsawwassen area.

I can tell when watching your performance that you just love your job.

I’ve gotten pretty good at it, after 40 years of doing it – it’s completely organic.

I don’t necessarily plan out my set; a few minutes before, I’ll get the opening in my mind and then once that gets rolling then it’s following the audience and, “Okay, well, I’m going to go here,” and I can just sort of flow through the set list, until that guy over there, Mr. Kevin, gives me the high five saying that it’s five minutes left and then I trim things up to complete the show.

When you started, did you ever get nervous?

Oh yeah, in the beginning when I was unsure of exactly how it worked, I mean, as anybody would. But once you develop confidence and realize that you have some ability, skill to that, to get onstage in front of any size audience and go into your creative pool and find your songs and the ability to make your music that goes with the songs. And whether it’s solo or with a band I’m comfortable in many genres now.

But yeah, you work through any nervousness, that’s the idea: practice, practice, practice is the bottom line.

What is the largest audience you’ve ever performed for?

In Winnipeg, actually, when the Jets, our hockey team, were sacked, and the team went down, so they had a big rally at the Forks and there were about 10,000 people there, so that’s about the max I think.

Do you mind signing ...?

[Signing] Good to meet you.

Nice to meet you, too.

Until we meet again.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

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ARTS & LIFE

CROSSWORD

WEDNESDAY, JULY 17, 2013 www.ufvcascade.ca

Weird-looking animals and their friends

by KATIE STOBBART

ACROSS

4. This camelid is popular in our society – there’s even a song. A Disney movie

features an emperor who turns into one. These creatures even live in

Abbotsford, but watch out! They spit. (5 letters) 5. This little critter looks a bit like a mouse, but is not a rodent. It has sharp teeth,

and eats about 80 per cent of its own body weight in food every day.

Like bats, it uses echolocation. (5 letters) 8. A flippered marine animal whose female specimens are called “cows.”

(6 letters) 11. These mammals have armour and the ability to stay underwater for up to six

minutes. (9 letters) 12. The placement of this sea creature’s eyes give it 360-degree vision, and the

shape of its head is an advantage for hunting ... but not by nailing their

prey. (10, 5 letters) 13. If you’ve ever seen one of these up close, you probably thought it looked

creepy. These long-nosed backyard pests are not easily dissuaded and

can be violent toward pets. (6 letters) 14. Looks funny, sounds funny and eats flies. It’s also not a bad jumper, though

some would try to eat its legs. (8 letters)

DOWN

1. This spineless slime-producer could be mistaken for an odd sort of eel.

(7 letters) 2. Though technically an insect, this creature deserves a spot on the weird

animals list. – tiny, green, predatory and often considered religious.

(5 letters) 3. Wrinkly, grey ... this animal kind of looks like a giant rock with horns. And you

don’t want to make it mad. (10 letters) 6. This animal looks a bit like a bear, and you wouldn’t want to come up against

this ferocious carnivore. It lives in the Northern Hemisphere, usually

in places with deep snow. (9 letters) 7. What has a long nose, lips but no teeth and eats termites? (8 letters) 9. This well-known animal in Australia kicks hard and carries its babies in a

pouch! (8 letters) 10. Also known as “honey bear,” this rainforest mammal is on the cute side of

weird, has large eyes, small ears and a large tail. You might not guess

that this member of the Procyonidae family is related to the raccoon.

(8 letters)

LAST WEEK’S Answer Key Across 2. BAGEL 7. COLDPIZZA 8. TOAST 10. OMELET 12. WAFFLES 13. CREPES Down 1. PANCAKES 3. APPLE 4. SMOOTHIE 5. FRUITLOOPS 6. ORANGEJUICE 7. COFFEE 9. OATMEAL 11. MUFFINS

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

Gemini: May 21 - June 21

Libra: Sept 23 - Oct 22

Beware of white swimsuits. They are not your friend.

Don’t be the one to hog the popcorn. If you bought it for everyone, share with everyone. However, if everyone else bought their own snacks, you have the right to slap them in the face mid-movie should they reach for your kernels.

The next time you feel like condescendingly treating your friends like your own children, don’t.

Pisces: Feb 19 - March 20

Cancer: June 22 - July 22

Scorpio: Oct 23 - Nov 21

Get to the movie on time. And if you’re not there on time, don’t complain about not being able to find a seat. Also, beware of double negatives.

Be aware of how to send emoticons. If you’re adding unnecessary noses, using incompatible iPhone smileys or putting going parenthesis before colon, your phone will self-destruct.

Be kind to your fellow walkers and pick up the pace – especially when in narrow pedestrian situations where people can’t get past you, otherwise they will push you.

And you will be mad. And angry glares will ensue.

Aries: March 21 - April 19

Leo: July 23 - Aug 22

Sagittarius: Nov 22 - Dec 21

The next time you refer to your significant other as a pet name in front of your friends, your friends will throw you into the nearest body of water – whether it be a lake or a toilet, you have been warned.

Don’t be that person who orders wine with a pronounced French accent. You will soon find yourself without friends drinking that cabernet sauvignon alone.

Taurus: April 20 - May 20

Virgo: Aug 23 - Sept 22

Capricorn: Dec 22 - Jan 19

If you feel the need to chat with your fellow campers, beware that you may be opening up a Pandora’s Box of social awkwardness that will haunt you every time you leave your site to use the outhouse.

If the next time you’re out for dinner and your server doesn’t write down your order, you are given a free pass to take out a pen and write it on their face. Just be sure to write it backwards so that when they look in the mirror, they know what you want to eat.

Don’t make raisin cookies and let people believe they’re chocolate chip. There’s a special place in hell for people who do that.

Be kind to your fellow parking lot attendees and follow the rules. If you are not a small car and you’re trying to pass for a small car by taking the small car spot, a small car will run you over.

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ARTS & LIFE

WEDNESDAY, JULY 17, 2013 www.ufvcascade.ca

Epic living: Vancouver’s sustainable living festival

Vancouver’s EPIC Festival was held amidst the beautiful flowers at Van Dusen Botanical Gardens.

JESS WIND

THE CASCADE

To be honest, my first impression of the event was disorganized. We entered onto a pathway and were met by a few vendors, including TD Bank offering reusable bags and the option to digitally plant a tree (I’m told the real tree will be planted in Coquitlam).

It wasn’t until walking into the middle of the tents and throngs of people that the information booth could be found. After unsuccessfully trying to find the gardening workshop, it seemed that the best place to start was the sip and savour garden.

With 22 wineries and breweries to choose from, it provided an ex-

cellent introduction to the mood of the festival. Relax, enjoy and embrace sustainability.

The top wine prize went to the FreshTAP & Vancouver Urban Winery tent featuring wines on tap from various local wineries.

The best grapes came out of SouthEnd Farm & Vineyards, a small winery located on Quadra Island, BC. It was a bright red with complex fruity notes and a clean finish.

Best served chilled, the wine was a perfect complement to the hot weather.

Stanley Park Brewery, Canada’s first sustainable brewery, took the top beer award. They have entered into an economic sustainability partnership with the park, adopting a portion of the land for pro-

image: Shea Wind

tection. A recent release took the top brew award: as a throwback to their founder Frank Foubert, the Belgian wit was perfectly cloudy, with full yet light flavour and a clean finish – a summer beer asking to be enjoyed at any West Coast beach.

Next we perused the exhibitors set up under the marketplace tents. Everyone from Cascades paper products to Fortis BC and the Green Party were showing off their sustainability. There was a multitude of eco-friendly vendors advertising their lavender-infused mini donuts, organic matcha lemonade, bamboo clothing, coconut sandals and dairy-free cheese.

Situated between the marketplace and the beer and wine gar-

It promotes sustainable living on the West Coast.

image: Shea Wind

den was the Kids Zone featuring a sandbox complete with eco-friendly construction themed toys. A short walk down the hill brought us to Food Truck Alley, with the most interesting option coming out of Beljam’s Waffles. I enjoyed a lightly deep-fried hotdog wrapped in bacon and smothered in mustard, fried onions and sauerkraut, all wrapped in a warm Belgian waffle. The sharp savoury flavours inside complemented the slightly sweet flavour of the waffle making for a perfect handheld meal to enjoy on the grass.

As the sun began to dip behind the Vancouver landscape, people settled on the hill facing the Peak 102.7 Concert Stage. All day local musicians took to the microphone

to provide a folky soundtrack to the festival. We caught Kelowna native Lindsay May whose bold voice and silky melodies filled the garden.

EPIC was jam-packed with exhibitors all urging you to buy, eat and live sustainably on the West Coast. However, the festival didn’t feel like a trade show begging for your money or membership. People lounged on the grass, walked around barefoot and enjoyed the warm July sun well into the evening. This year’s EPIC festival set out to move away from the consumer-style expo that they have done in previous years and move towards a festival focused on living sustainably in all aspects of life, and in this it succeeded.

had luckily come right in the middle of their daily half-price appetizer deal. Most of the items were typical fare, but seeing the spicy crab and shrimp dip the decision was settled. The average price for the appetizer was $10.99.

Only a couple minutes later, it was delivered – a creamy sauce covered in a layer of thick melted cheese and a considerable amount of tortilla chips. The chips were slightly brittle breaking through the cheese, but it was absolutely delicious. Not so much spicy, as the name would suggest, but more zesty; the chipotle was certainly noticeable.

After powering through the appetizer, a tougher decision had next to be made. Tired of hamburgers, those were ruled out. Sandwiches and wraps didn’t sound filling enough, so the two of us both ordered from the entrees.

Again, we were waited on quite quickly. I went with the fish and chips and my friend ordered the perogies and sausage, both for $12.99.

Fish and chips are very much a standard, but not always the best choice. They often turn out overbattered and greasy. However, once the food was brought over,

that turned out to be far from the case.

The presentation was above expectation for both our dinners, given that it was a relatively averagepriced sports bar. It looked like my friend had about eight perogies on his plate, with a foot-long sausage laid on top.

But back to the fish and chips, I had two sizeable pieces of breaded pacific cod. Breaking into them with my fork was a magnificent pleasure as the fish sparkled in the sunlight and tasted amazing. My worries were set adrift as it was very clean and the amount of fish under the batter was bursting out.

The fries were plentiful and good enough, albeit an afterthought.

We both attempted to devour the meals. But it wasn’t long before it began to feel like a sequel to The NeverEnding Story. This dinner was one of the greatest food struggles I’ve ever had the pleasure to take part in.

In the end, I gave up with about a quarter of the fries left. But I was satisfied as we sat back on the sundrenched patio. The Rendezvous Pub offered fantastic service, great food and a very reasonable price.

Dine & Dash

Rendezvous Pub 20620 56 Ave, Langley (604) 534-3455 Hours: 11 a.m. - 11 p.m.

Price: Up to $14.99

JOE JOHNSON

THE CASCADE

The journey to culinary delight has, this week, brought me to Langley for the Rendezvous Pub. This sports bar is located on the corner of 56 Avenue and 206 Street, right in the old downtown core.

While it’s easily missed when casually driving by due to its brick and mortar design and low-key signage; it has actually been operating there for over three decades now.

Upon entering, the first taste of atmosphere was dark, stuffy and weak on air circulation. But for four in the afternoon, there was a sizeable amount of people enjoying themselves.

To my immediate right was a small alcove, nestled in front of the bar. The main sitting area was up three steps to the left. Unsure of where to sit, but not wanting to be too conspicuous in the middle of the bar, my friend and I saw a patio and made our way outside.

It was nice to have the protection

image: Joe Johnson/The Cascade

It doesn’t look like much on the outside but once inside ... of a sun umbrella, the croons of classic rock and a pitcher of Canadian. We also had the picturesque view of the parking lot.

While there was a slight delay in being waited on due to a mix-up in a shift change, I was impressed

when things did get sorted out.

The service was one of the better experiences I’ve had in some time.

The waitress was very friendly, fun and genuine.

While trying to decide on an appetizer it was pointed out that we

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ARTS & LIFE

WEDNESDAY, JULY 17, 2013 www.ufvcascade.ca

Lorde - The Love Club / Tennis Court MELISSA SPADY THE CASCADE

Mini Album Reviews

SoundBites

Bow down to the new queen of pop.

I was scrolling through Tumblr one day when I came across a little gem titled “Royals.” Normally, I don’t click on links or videos (I’m here for the photos of cats and trees); however, that fateful afternoon something pulled me to push play. Lorde’s (born Ella Yelich O’Connor) single off her debut EP, The Love Club hooked me from the first smooth snap, and there was no turning back.

The stripped down beat and minimalistic fashion with which the song is pinned together drove me crazy for weeks. What caught me even more off-guard was the tender age of the composer (16 years old) and the contrasting mature grasp of lyrics, vocals and composition.

I’m not one for judging a person’s talent based on age, but I remember being 16 and still having my head really far up my own ass. The fact that Lorde is already showcasing such a strong passion for music and is able to produce a

looming over Lorde’s music and attracting attention.

The tinkering touches of electronic beats that linger in the background show her smarts in a market oversaturated with “wub-step,” watered down bubblegum-pop tracks, and generic club music. Title song “The Love Club” breathes sweet air into the crispness of the EP, causing me to have a shoulder dance party in my car every single time it comes on shuffle (that’s the extent one can safely dance while driving a moving vehicle). She reverberates her own voice to create the mirror image of an angelic (sometimes devilish) choir to back her up. This technique serves her in keeping the overall sound uniquely and cohesively Lorde.

“Million Dollar Bills” amps up the energy enough to keep the pace moving, and the rawness of the track’s flow reminds me a little of everybody’s favourite industry rebel, M.I.A. The low point in the mix is track “Biting Down,” a meditative reflection that belongs as the finale to the delicious adventure Lorde’s taken us on. This is a song that will take time to grow on you, although once it does, it holds

its own against the forwardly dance tracks.

What gets me about this release is not only just the infectiously minimal beats and powerfully vulnerable vocals, but the fact that Lorde executes familiar themes in her first jump off the cliff with both precision and punch. Music is not only about having all the right pieces, but knowing how to put them together. This leads me to believe that if she wrote a song about spilling a glass of milk I’d enjoy it just the same.

Coming up after The Love Club is another EP titled Tennis Court to tide us over until the inevitable full length due to hit us sometime in September. If possible, it’s even catchier than anything I heard on W, and instead of satiating my thirst for the time being, it’s created an even bigger void. I’ll be waiting to see what Lorde can do with more wiggle room than a mere two- to five-song EP along with the rest of the music industry, but I’m already preparing my bow for royalty.

Dustin Bentall & the Smokes You Are An Island

Vampire Weekend Modern Vampires of the City

sophisticated sound speaks to her skills as an artist. Grasping enough of the world to make such a pointed social commentary with lyrics like, “Everybody’s like Cristal, Maybach, diamonds on your time piece/ Jet planes, islands, tigers

on a gold leash/ We don’t care, we aren’t caught up in your love affair,” prove she’s out for blood.

Tracks like “Bravado” show off the intensity her voice can hold, but the allure of another powerful pop vocalist isn’t the only thing

Classixx Hanging Gardens

Spectrals Sob Story

Classixx (Michael David and Tyler Blake) are not about to claim any “song of the summer” titles like more popular electronic duos Daft Punk or Disclosure have this year, but with Hanging Gardens they have made a more consistent, well-paced dance album than either. It can’t boast of the maximalist house and lyric play of Pet Shop Boys’ “Love Is a Bourgeois Construct,” or the high profile guest-list of Disclosure’s Settle, but it has moments that strike close to the heart of both, as when Sarah Chernoff ’s vocals provide the necessary turns on “Stranger Love.” Like most of the tracks here, it isn’t an anthem of hedonist maxims nor strictly a comedown. More an ambient energy that, unlike the genre allotment of an occasional break from assaultive beats, a short breath before the next rush of overpowering noise, Hanging Gardens is almost entirely within the space of relative calm, knowing there’s a storm of distortion and earringing volume just on the other side, but leaving that, preferring a debt to disco (“Holding On,” “Dominoes”) or wind chime rhythms (“A Fax from the Beach,” “Borderline”).

Spectral’s sophomore release Sob Story is quite a departure from their debut record Bad Penny, an album where Louis Jones provided the lyrics and nearly all the instrumentation, while his brother Will filled in on percussion. In Sob Story, the band employs the help of Chet “J.R.” White, former bassist and producer of both Girls’ records, who beefs up production and successfully builds on the band’s knack for charming power pop tunes. White lifts the duo’s melodic sensibilities out of a lo-fi approach and creates a sound for the band that is broader, deeper and more layered. Vocally, Louis Jones is reminiscent of both House of Freaks’ Brian Harvey and Elvis Costello, and while Louis demonstrates improved crooning abilities on Sob Story, his talents truly lie in conveying heartbreak.

While the opening track “Let Me Cave In” has an engaging guitar hook, it’s lyrics like, “At some point I will have to grow ... Within a year if I don’t have enough for a wedding ring, let me cave in” that draw the listeners’ attention. Even though Sob Story has a few missteps, the Jones brothers have cultivated the right balance of charisma, clever lyrics and relatability in order to produce a solid summer album.

The Bentall name is fairly synonymous with Canadian music from the late 1980s and ‘90s. Keeping the namesake alive for the current generation is Dustin Bentall. Dustin, with his band, continues his ascent amongst the altcountry elite with the release of You Are An Island. It’s under the direction of producer Ryan Dahle that this album is relatively short, coming in at just eight tracks for a total length of under 25 minutes, while still managing to find the room to experiment. Much of the album is aimed at the rich, warm and, at times, sombre summer ideals of reminiscing, drinking and the ups and downs of relationships. One of the biggest assets that The Smokes have going for them is fantastic violin work by Kendel Carson. This is particularly true on “Shine,” where you can’t help but love the strong country twang. Interestingly, that’s followed up by the sedated, experimental, “Dreaming of a Nightmare.” Trailing that is the very indie-friendly track “You Are an Island” which hones the haunting backing vocals of Carson. My personal favourite is “Oxford Street,” featuring a simple steel guitar plunk. But it’s a beautiful tale of a friendship gone adrift through winding paths. In the end, what’s offered by Dustin Bentall & the Smokes is a strong, albeit short, country release. The last track essentially sums up how this album feels: “Pretty Good Life.”

Michael Scoular

TIM UBELS

JOE JOHNSON

If there’s one word for this album, it’s “infectious.” Varied and unexpected percussion acts as a second heartbeat, resulting in an almost irresistible urge to dance and clap. Seldom does a recording capture the pizzazz of a live performance, but Modern Vampires of the City brings the entire band into your head, and they prove almost impossible to kick out. My favourite track by far is the third on the album, “Step.” The dreamy harmonies and harpsichord are the perfect watercolour background to the lyrics: “the gloves are off/ the wisdom teeth are out/ what you on about?” It’s like a metaphor for growing up that is both perfect and matter-of-fact. The voice distortion on “Diane Young” (and briefly at the end of “Worship You”) is a little distracting, but for the most part the clear accent of Ezra Koenig cuts through a complex and delicious cast of instruments and harmonies.

This is an album for convertibles and being in love. It’s everything I loved in Vampire Weekend’s previous albums, but with all the fat cut off and roasted to perfection. I guarantee you will want to literally twist, shake and sway your body as you listen to this album – it’s as infectious as malaria, even as it closes with the short and sweet lullaby of “Young Lion.”

DESSA BAYROCK

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ARTS & LIFE

WEDNESDAY, JULY 17, 2013 www.ufvcascade.ca

Q&A

Tom Barlow: Music on the brain and your brain on music DESSA BAYROCK

the cascade

CHARTS

1 2 3 4

Deafheaven Sunbather Needs Rare Earths Open Letters 1-6

Bertha Cool/ Hemogoblin Bertha Cool/Hemogoblin Split

5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

The Courtneys The Courtneys

Zebrassieres I Am A Human

Silver Dapple Silver Dapple Cellos The Accident Babysitter Eye Brighter Arrows Dreamliner

Late Bloomer Late Bloomer Tile You had a Friend in Pennsylvania

13 14 15 16 17 18

All Sharks All Sharks Bone Throne Bone Throne Odd Dates Get Even Throat Manhole Ten Volt Shock Strasbourg

Shannon And The Clams Dreams In The Rat House

Shuffle AARON LEVY

CIVL STATION MANAGER

CIVL is holding its first ever fundraising drive, and to top it all off, we are having a Gala Fundraising Semi-Formal event at The Reach Gallery and Museum at 7 p.m. on July 19. $15 cover gets you cash bar and some of the best bands in the mainland, including: You Say Party – “The Gap” “The Gap, between the rich and the poor, poor, poor” In Frasier, he thought Roz meant the clothing store. Here, Becky Ninkovic means class stratification. CIVL wants to help fight that, but needs your help.

Come support amazing music like this on July 19 at The Reach in Abbotsford!

Oh No! Yoko – “Mimi Ashi” If you want to get on top of a really great new band that no one really knows about but is going to in about ... two months or less ... Oh No! Yoko is the one to get with. Just check out their stuff and see them at the gala.

Little Wild – “Money” “Money, that’s what I want.”

Truer words are rarely spoken than these in the context of CIVL’s first ever fundraising drive! These guys used to be known as Rags to Radio and will be blessing The Reach’s stage this Friday in Abbotsford!

Best things are free; this is not though.

The Parish of Little Clifton – “DJ Set” For the last couple of years The Parish of Little Clifton has been a mainstay of Valley scenesters from Chilliwack to Abby, and it’s not only their live, but DJ sets as well! Come see one of Valley legend Teen Daze’s favorite alternative DJ’s in the Lower Mainland! On Friday!

Barlow hit the Canadian scene nearly a decade ago with his self-titled album, and released a long-awaited second album earlier this year. His work between the two albums has included allying with researchers to study the effect music has on learning and brain chemistry through school visits and study tours. Our conversation ranged from neuroscience to politics, and took place in a relatively quiet corner of a busy coffee shop in Regina during Juno week. Although Barlow was nominated for a Juno, it ultimately went to another artist.

Tell me more about your interest with neuroscience, and how you got involved with that project.

I read a book called This is Your Brain on Music, David Levinson’s book. When you hang around musicians you obviously love music, so you talk about music a lot. We talk about music all the time. And I realized that in spite of the fact that I knew a lot about music, I didn’t know the basic things: where did it come from?

Why do we make it? What does it do to our brains? What kind of chemicals are released when we listen to it?

So this guy, David Levinson, was coming to Waterloo and was doing an experiment with 100 people, so I got into the experiment and just fell in love with the concept. And at the same time, I thought, kids love music. Kids love music more than you and I love it. When you’re 12, 13, 14, it’s so overwhelmingly powerful.

There’s a connection at that level, when your brain is growing and you’re growing as a person, and who you are starts to be identified with Taylor Swift or Justin Bieber, or the Beatles – that goes to a very special place in your brain. That’s why when people have Alzheimer’s or dementia, their brains remember that. They remember those songs more than their child’s names, more than where they were born.

So all of this magical stuff that music did – I just became fascinated by that. And I thought, why not tell kids about that? It’s not stupid that they love Justin Bieber.

I’m talking about their passion for it – it’s important. It’s powerful. It alters their brains, and their brain development. And if we can use

Image: mikec_905

Barlow has taken a long performing route to his second solo album. that power to help kids learn better, we’re idiots not to. Our society still hasn’t accepted that.

It’s a tangled thing, right – because it’s a passion of mine, but it’s not my job. The thing I love doing most is writing songs and playing songs. It’s like those hockey players who are obsessed with golf – I’m a musician, and I have this thing I love talking about and I love taking to kids. They get it.

You don’t have to explain it to them. It’s adults who don’t get it.

In some ways I think we’re telling the kids so they tell the adults.

Moving away from neuroscience and back into music – your first album came out in 2004?

2003? Then you kind of dropped off the map for a decade, but now you’re back. Where did you go?

What did you do? What have you seen?

Well, I was with a major label, and the major label got swallowed up by a different major label, and that’s always a pain in the ass.

We’re talking about lawyers and managers and corporations – so I thought, I’m just going to let that go and do other things.

So I had a really cool indie band, called the Beautiful Unknown. We did a lot of touring, and made a lot of cool records.

And I travelled a lot; I started doing tours in the Arctic—you know, those eco-tours—to the most remote Canadian communities. Baffin Island, northern Labrador, Greenland. I did Central America, and the Galapagos, and just everywhere I wanted to go.

Tried to become a better writer, and tried to have different experiences.

Then I sent some songs to my old management, and they were

like, “We should do a record.”

And we did, and I really like it. I get to reconnect with people who were fans of that old band – that band had some really cool songs that did really well, and I think this album is on that page. Like, chapter two.

I think the reason that first album got so much attention was because you were dealing with things like homelessness and body image and same sex marriage – just kind of bringing them out in the open and saying, “Here they are. I’m going to talk about them, and in a normal way.”

You don’t get to pick what you’re going to write songs about – they pick you. I remember a lot of people in the industry and not in the industry thought it was a little preachy. And I thought, I don’t care. It’s preachy to you – it’s not preachy to the person that needs to hear that, and that’s the person I’d rather talk to.

You know – we have a song about the financial crisis on the new album. Financial crises and rock and roll are not really two things that would generally be put together. Why not? Virtually all of our politicians are lawyers or businessmen. There’s a need for different voices, and musicians can be a different voice. Neil Young was a different voice. Bob Dylan was a different voice, and Bob Marley was a different voice.

So if something bothers me, and it’s a more political or social thing, I’m going to write something about it. It’s my job. That’s the way it goes.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

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ARTS & LIFE

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Webcomics, How to not be disgusting games and the at summer weddings genderqueer Haute Stuff

AMY VAN VEEN

THE CASCADE

Sometimes I fear that the heat affects me differently than everyone else. That the back sweat accumulating in a stagnant-heat traffic-jam is my shame alone or that the shiny way my nose reacts to even the slightest rise in temperature is my own personal burden to carry.

But when the breeze stops, we’re all left sitting there, borderline disgusting ... and on our way to a wedding.

So how do you stay cool when the temperature threatens all the work you put into looking fantastic for a few hours of listening to speeches and enjoying the hopefully open bar?

There are a few things to consider when preparing for those inevitably hot weddings in these summer months.

First, go light on fabrics. No one will survive in thick cotton, polyester or wool – think light cottons, sheer fabrics and as much flowiness as possible. Gents, maybe think about forgoing the suit jacket and opting for light khakis instead of thick dress pants – that is if the tone of the wedding isn’t formal and in a ballroom at a downtown hotel you can’t afford.

That brings us into the second clothing element to favour (which is sadly a ladies-only option) –

flowy fabrics! The simple explanation is that flowy fabrics allow you to feel breezy with just a waft of a full circle skirt or a chiffon dress. The more complex reason to go with the flow is sweatiness is more difficult to detect. In a tight dress, the less attractive side of a hot day is quickly evident – especially with the colour grey. I don’t know why that colour needs to be so evil when it comes to sweat stains, but it just is. But when you’re wearing a breezy fabric, there isn’t time for the sweat to accumulate because as soon as you’re feeling too warm, a quick swoosh cools you right down. It’s the same logic behind elephants’ giant ears being their own personal air-conditioner.

Next, you may want to consider bulking up your purse with must-have on-the-go essentials like tissues, oil-absorbing sheets, antiperspirant and a bottle of water – if you can fit it. If not, at least make yourself known to toilet seat covers. I know it sounds weird, but those free papers of wonder not only protect your rear end from unwanted toilet seat deposits, but they’re also made of the same materials as the expensive oil-absorbing sheets. A quick dab (with a fresh sheet) makes your oily skin matte as new.

Another trick you can have in your arsenal is to plan ahead.

When you know you may have to sit in construction traffic on your

way to a fancy wedding in Vancouver and you’re not sure how refreshed you’re going to feel after you sweat through your first layer – take off your second layer and save it for when you get there.

This only works with very specific outfit choices, but if you plan on wearing a cute skirt with a cami and a sheer button-up, take off the button-up for the drive so that you can throw it on when you arrive and feel properly put together. Or, for you fellas, have a spare shirt for the drive. You’re blessed with the social acceptability of doing a quick shirt-change. Take advantage of it.

And gents, do yourself another favour and undo that top button.

You’re going to feel anything but cool when the tightness of a top button leaves a collar of sweat all for the sake of a tie. You could play it cool by having a loose tie with an undone top button and make it even cooler with a thin black button-up (less susceptible to obvious sweat stains), a pair of suspenders and some Chucks.

The most important thing, though, is not to sweat the sweat.

Everyone’s going to feel borderline gross when the heat attacks, but by the end of the wedding, the sun should be setting, ice drinks should be available and you can enjoy a night of dancing – where no one cares about the back sweat.

Book Review

Wedding Night by Sophie Kinsella AMY VAN VEEN

THE CASCADE

A botched proposal, a past love reignited, an impulsive trip to Greece and a series of hilarious antics – what’s not to love about chick-lit artiste Sophie Kinsella’s latest novel, Wedding Night?

Well, unfortunately, there are quite a few things not to love.

Sophie Kinsella is the author of such pink-jacketed books as the Shopaholic series, I’ve Got Your Number and Can You Keep a Secret?

She also has a number of titles under the penname Madeleine Wickham. It’s hard to believe a name change would bring about a quality change, but in my expert chicklit opinion, the Kinsella books are far superior to any of the Wickham pieces.

It’s with some sadness, then, that Wedding Night seems to veer off the rails of such Kinsella classics as Undomestic Goddess and into the less hilarious, more uncomfortable waters of Wickham.

It’s got all the ingredients required for getting lost in a written romantic comedy and chuckling away on the beach, but it somehow falls flat. Unlike Kinsella’s other novels that follow the firstperson trials of a relatable leading lady, Wedding Night follows the first-person trials of two sisters,

sparring back and forth, showcasing the predictable older sister/ younger sister, Sense and Sensibility-esque dynamic. There is the hope that this tried-and-tested formula would turn out, but the downside of having one sister’s narrative pointing out all the faults of the other sister is that the reader sees only the annoying flaws of each character. Not once are we given the opportunity to relate to one sister before being pulled into the voice of the other as she’s bitching about the first.

It’s as if a reality show was made about Lottie and Fliss (yes, those are their names), each trying to

one-up the other on the spectrum of the ridiculous. Fliss, the eldest, is too sensible for her own good, letting her logic ruin her sister’s vain attempt at momentary happiness by running off with her college love after her stable boyfriend doesn’t propose. Lottie, the youngest, is too driven by her senses to stop and rethink her idiotic plan of marrying her sexy boyfriend from that one summer spent abroad. All her decisions are based on how to defy Fliss. The reader is left flipping pages with the occasional chuckle, all the while keeping their brow furrowed in judgment wondering at what point these foolish women-behaving-like-hormonalteenagers get their acts together.

As with all Kinsella novels, it has the easy flow to whip through the pages in a matter of beachside afternoons, but unlike other Kinsella novels, it didn’t have me flipping the book open immediately after I’d finished, ready to get lost in the classic chick-lit moments that are too fun not to indulge.

Sadly, the missing Kinsella ingredient of character relatability didn’t have me rooting for Fliss and Lottie. Instead, the Wickhamesque use of multiple characters casting judgment on one another pointed out all the reasons I would not be friends with these women.

Image: ohjoysextoy.com

JOHNY RODDICK SEXPERT

Dildos. “Tranny” cocks. Sexpositive porn. It’s all interrelated as games and comics are taking a cue from punk music as they deal with the lives and lusts of the genderqueer.

Porpentine makes erotic computer games. Erika Moen makes erotic webcomics. Both use their medium to share their own stories and adventures on sex, while educating the public about queer sexuality. While Moen’s work is more accessible, Porpentine’s work is more experiential. You’ll actually be there, in a way. Regardless, both artists are creating fresh, eye-opening content that is worth checking out – even by straight guys like me.

Sure, it’s one thing to support gay marriage, but it’s another thing to try to understand the complexities and oppressions faced by those in the LGBT community. Because we live in a culture where heterosexuality is the norm, it’s easy to ignore queer sexuality altogether. But, through the work of Porpentine and Moen, among others, we can develop a more accurate understanding and appreciation for our differences and our similarities.

As I played through Porpentine’s most recent game, Parasite, I was impressed with the creativity and reality that seemed to meld together – if most mainstream games are like a Coldplay or Britney Spears concert, her game is like a punk show in a rundown basement. And I mean that as a compliment. It doesn’t pander to you. It dares you to come to it.

The game is more like an interactive book than what most people picture a game to be. You read the story and make choices by clicking choices or words – sometimes clicking changes the story in unexpected ways. Some-

times you get stuck. Yet through the words and the choices, you feel what she feels, experience what she’s experiencing. Sometimes it’s sexy and sometimes it’s frustrating. Either way, you reach the end with a deeper understanding of her life and her experience with being trans.

Moen’s most recent comic on her website Oh Joy Sex Toy is about a genderqueer porn series called The Crash Pad. It’s porn for all bodies and sexualities – it’s a veritable rainbow of fuck. Moen waxes poetic about the porn she watches, drawing cartoon versions of her favourite parts. She explains how much she loves that these performers aren’t acting – they’re doing what feels good. It’s real and we’re just watching. Her favourite part, she adds, is when they burst out laughing.

But Moen does more than review porn – she reviews sex toys by drawing the way she uses them, the way she thinks other people should use them, and making the whole thing a little bit sexy and cute the whole way through. In one comic she reviews a high quality butt plug because she wanted to “try something high end for [her] rear end.” By the time you reach the point where she’s drawn a straight couple having sex, each with a butt plug in (and him making a comment about how he can feel it on his dick) you’re thoroughly entertained. And while she’s making the whole thing fun, she’s also emphasizing the importance of being safe.

It’s a great combo.

Even if webcomics and interactive fiction are not your forté, these reinventions of each medium are important. They tell more honest and unique stories about sex than you might find in more conventional erotica.

They’re different and in a good way. It’s good to be different.

And, in a way, I think that’s the overarching message of both artists.

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ARTS & LIFE

WEDNESDAY, JULY 17, 2013 www.ufvcascade.ca

Film Reviews

The Lone Ranger MICHAEL SCOULAR THE CASCADE

As a messy 150-minute history epic (or so it aims to be) must begin, The Lone Ranger opens not with its own story, but its future’s.

Gazing on its own nostalgia with a measure of contempt, the tag team of the white rider (Armie Hammer) and native tracker (Johnny Depp) is not simply brought back for chases and triumph (though that is part of the formula), but summoned into the present to contain its own desire for easy narrative and solution while tracking in the guilt of the original imperialist attitudes that made the original series’ pairing seem novel.

So many blockbusters this year have made it their smart pandering or misguided serious responsibility to invoke, include and project the current landscape of political distrust and contemporary disillusionment, taking idealists down several pegs when they’re not making not-so-subtle references to recent national crises. There’s the theory of cinema as coping mechanism, or as a platform for engaging comment, but in commercial moviemaking, that’s rarely what’s remembered. The scattershot way it is often undeveloped (an image of disaster relief, or a non sequitur remark to tragedy, and nothing more) makes it dubious how much of it is a filmmaker’s idea and how much just happened to be around, touched by a wide-as-possible appeal-begging script and pitch.

The Lone Ranger carries some of this baggage, but in an unexpected way. Gore Verbinski’s film’s closest

recent relative is Django Unchained.

Like Tarantino’s, it’s a weird mix of apologia and action-comedy, both exploitive and self-exploding, not as genuinely angry in result as it might have been were it committed to what it frequently alludes to,

but surprisingly uncommitted to making an audience feel comfortable about its history.

Like Verbinski’s The Mexican, which made a movie-long joke of Brad Pitt’s character’s American self-centric ignorance of any lan-

guage or life not his own, The Lone Ranger is a movie where many exterior collaborators seem unprepared for or unaware of the film’s best moments. Hans Zimmer, who now only writes scores for Nolanlevel nuance, only emphasizes the back-and-forth movements of the script. A rewrite job by Justin Haythe, it unambiguously paints capitalistic progress as the villain of the piece and reminds the present of injustice, yet also stretches to lighten the mood with unrelated recurring jokes, as if, squeamishly, there is a limit to just how much reckoning with reality a popular movie is allowed to do.

Not that there’s any actual change to be found in the aftereffects of even the most didactic (and, from its frame story, The Lone Ranger is a bit of that) story – however “blistering” or “accusatory” Django Unchained may have been, most of that was absorbed or discarded by the overall culture of coolness, the result a series of lines and an image of summation. With The Lone Ranger, there’s the inscrutable figure at the periphery of each part: Depp as an outcast, memory-repressed Comanche. Like a lot of The Lone Ranger, the idea originates from a movie. Verbinski references Leone, Zinnemann, Ford and more, with varying degrees of revisionism, some losing the source picture’s vitality in translation, as in the case of Jim Jarmusch’s Dead Man, known for its rare consideration of Native American life in American film, but here the basis for Depp’s mixture of silent film stoneface and humorous mannerisms. None of these problems (including the

one of building a history out of films already one or more steps removed from any real account) go away, but The Lone Ranger’s at times perplexing inconsistencies by their nature beg question by diverging from the near-nostalgic, permanent past-ness that has come to mark most modern instances of being a finely crafted western.

For The Lone Ranger’s first half, it is actually a very compact movie, involving the law rallying after a wanted man like more than many westerns. What Verbinski does do well is discern the energy of movement and the necessary—and no more—place of dialogue, making great action scenes that complement the tone of violence beforehand. There isn’t a contemplation of its effects as in Dead Man, but a considerate half-step towards it, reveling more in the pairing of two of cinema’s enduring expressions—galloping horses and charging trains—than any use of guns.

Balancing regret and its neverending futility next to laughter, Verbinski doesn’t make a movie that truly links with his references or to future installments. It isn’t a movie more sophisticated or advanced in its way of thinking than any of them: genre, images or racial borderlines. It is unchangeably part of the current way of making blockbusters. It also, in tracking its own demise, is unlike and superior to any of the others it is already being unfavourably compared to.

Pacific Rim JEREMY HANNAFORD CONTRIBUTOR

In Pacific Rim’s opening moments, we are given a short lesson in localization. Jaeger is the German word for “hunter” while kaiju is the Japanese word that translates into “strange monster” – the names for the two massive forces colliding in Pacific Rim. This is probably the only part of the film that isn’t filled with something hugely exciting.

Pacific Rim continues to show that Guillermo Del Toro can combine action, emotion and humour all into one in this super-sized mech warrior battle royale.

Pacific Rim isn’t just about massive mechs going up against Godzilla-like creatures. It’s about humans and robots melding together to fight as one. This element is called the Drift. The Jaegers are too powerful to be controlled by one single human, so two pilots are joined in mind to control a Jaeger in the Drift. This aspect did look silly in the trailers but it actually provides a very thought-provoking part to the film. For a good Jaeger team to function, they must be sound not only physically but also mentally. The joining of the minds not only links them to the mech but lets them delve into each oth-

er’s memories and thoughts.

Del Toro basically slaps Michael Bay in the face with Pacific Rim, as he shows that battles about robots aren’t supposed to be funny or short-lived. They are hard, long, brutal and terrifying. In the opening battle scene, I found myself shuddering in the intensity of the battle and at the cry of the massive

Kaiju monster. Unlike the messy direction of Bay’s Transformer films, Del Toro keeps the action centred on what is important. He even at moments adds small bits of humour – but only rarely so as not to take away from the intensity of the battle. The crisp visuals of the film help solidify these epic fight scenes. When you see a Jaeger

swinging a cargo ship at a Kaiju, you can’t help but drop your jaw.

Pacific Rim, however, does have some moments similar to that of Independence Day. There are several cheesy speeches and some scenarios presented even more ridiculous than giant fighting robots. One recurring issue is the change in the film’s emotional pacing. Being a

Del Toro film, there are bound to be some upsetting scenes. And they hit really hard. But just after the audience has felt any emotional impact, the film seems to forget what it just did and switches to a different tone. This odd change of pace does affect the reality the characters are facing. Pacific Rim offers a fine cast, but the film doesn’t give most of them enough time to develop. Many characters are simple types and rarely deviate.

But walking into this movie, these are issues that you should expect for the most part. You are watching giant robots fight monsters, after all. It follows a straightforward story with a clear objective in mind. It keeps the film going while trying to be as badass as possible. While Pacific Rim exceeds the two-hour mark, it doesn’t feel like Del Toro leaves in any unnecessary content. While it isn’t his best film, it is probably one of his most interesting in terms of scale. It doesn’t beat the creativity of Hellboy or the emotional fortitude of Pan’s Labyrinth but it nearly reaches them. In any case, it is most definitely the most entertaining Del Toro experience to date.

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ARTS & LIFE

WEDNESDAY, JULY 17, 2013 www.ufvcascade.ca

Discovering the dark forces that bind us at Sith Happens

A stormtrooper mourns the loss of his fallen comrades, depicted in the work of Chris Woods.

GRIFFY VIGNERON THE CASCADE

Sometimes our fears are like sandstorms. They shroud our view, blur our perceptions of reality and prevent us from moving forward.

In a sandstorm, you lose direction; you may get lost. Similarly, as any Star Wars fan knows, fear also leads one astray – to the dark side.

Sith Happens occurred last Saturday at The Reach gallery. The focus of the event was the exhibition Sandstorm, a collection of Star Wars paintings by pop culture artist Chris Woods. The paintings focus on a perspective from the dark side – that of Darth Vader’s.

In his artist statement, Woods describes his intentions. “[The] images will illustrate what instills fear in Vader’s mind and will allow us a window on what motivates him,” Woods writes. “By assuming the perspective of Darth Vader I hope to examine how self-deception becomes a malignancy to the individual so virulent that it not only consumes its perceived ‘enemies’ but eventually itself.”

At Sith Happens, Woods spoke over the hordes of Star Wars fans and gallery-goers, describing the reasons behind his paintings in detail. With a costumed storm trooper in tow, he stopped at the painting that has become the icon of his exhibition, “Dead Soldiers.”

A massive painting, at 80 inches tall and 160 inches wide, it depicts the lifeless bodies of the identical Star Wars stormtroopers strewn about a bunker hallway. Initially from a de-

leted scene, Woods saw the image as a massacre scene. He explained that it shows the effects of Vader’s pervasive fear and anger taken out on the faceless and nameless people, a recurring scene and theme in the history of leaders.

At Sith Happens Woods also held a behind-the-scenes event. He sketched in charcoal and spoke in depth about his own fears and his trials as an artist.

His words resonated with the fears at the heart of perfectionism.

“Fear is one of my worst motivators.

I find it tough to work, because I’m scared. I don’t want to do it wrong. I want to make sure everything is perfect the first time,” Woods said.“I was letting my little abilities that I had, I was letting those sort of do the heavy lifting and I was just kind of sitting back being a little whiner about it.”

Moving from a photorealistic style to a looser artistic one for Sandstorm, he pushed himself to move past the need for perfection. In order to do so, he picked up the unforgiving medium of charcoal.

“Charcoal is so imprecise. It teaches you how to work quickly and allow it to be its own thing. It doesn’t have to be a perfect copy. You’re allowed to be messy, you’re allowed to do a lousy job,” he said. “It’s remarkably freeing.

When you’re allowed to make mistakes you get a lot more done.”

Through his methods of letting go, Woods managed to go from one to two paintings every two to three months, to one painting about every two weeks.

Vader overcame his fear in the end, and it looks like Woods has too.

Chris Woods immerses himself in the Star Wars universe at the opening of his exhibit.

Image: Jeremy Hannaford

Image: Jeremy Hannaford

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SPORTS & HEALTH

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Women’s flat-track roller derby is the best thing in town www.ufvcascade.ca

JOEL SMART

THE CASCADE

Women’s flat-track roller derby is flourishing in the Fraser Valley. It’s growing and evolving.

While increasing in popularity, it challenges stereotypes of sport and gender. But more than that – it’s just plain fun to watch.

I spoke with Undead Heart Throbs bench coach Ellie Ruchkall (AKA Dita VonTits) about her role on the team and about what exactly it is that makes the sport so damn awesome.

Originally a skater, she became a coach after a hip injury playing the game. Ruchkall trains her girls to work hard, but also smart. “It’s a full contact sport – you have to know what you’re doing,” she says. After a hard practice, “they leave with bruis-

es, aches and pains.”

“We do what we can to avoid major injuries, but just last week one of our skaters broke her wrist,” she says.

It’s intense, but you won’t hear any of the skaters complaining – they love the bone-crushing body checks just as much as the audience does.

Ruchkall and the Undead Heart Throbs are part of the Fraser Valley Roller Derby Association (FVRDA) and they strictly follow the rules and guidelines of the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association, which has leagues all across the world from Finland to Japan.

What Ruchkall really loves about roller derby is the fact that it’s an accessible, empowering sport for women.

“It all about embracing yourself no matter what your size or shape, and with that you gain so

Sun protection in your pantry AMY VAN VEEN

THE CASCADE

Sun protection is the hot topic of the day (pun intended) and while we have all heard it’s better to wear some than to go bare, there are some health concerns surrounding that bottle of chemically-saturated SPF that many people don’t consider.

What if the solution to all your oxybenzone woes is the same product you use to make a tasty bruschetta? Yes. Olive oil—along with other natural oils—has been found to contain SPF. Now, I’m hardly suggesting you douse yourself with coconut, castor, almond or chaulmoogra (whatever that is) oil before stepping out onto your beach mat, but the possibility for natural ingredients to be used in sunscreens takes away many of the fears related to products dependent on those chemicals you can’t even pronounce listed under the ingredients.

According to Environmental Working Group (EWG), these sorts of ingredients do far more than just help filter out UVA and UVB rays. They can cause allergic reactions, be a factor in skin damage and even disrupt the natural hormonal and reproductive systems. It’s hard to believe that something created to protect our skin can permeate it and affect such things as endometriosis (which can lead to infertility) and be absorbed to such an extent that it can be passed on through a mother’s milk.

Instead of taking this as a free pass to avoid the greasy feeling of dollar-store sun protection, EWG suggests informing yourself about what active chemical ingredients actually do to your body. The

main chemicals to avoid are oxybenzone and octinoxate which can affect reproductive systems and hormone levels.

Those chemicals with slightly fewer toxicity concerns are homosalate, octisalate and octocrylene, which are found to cause skin allergies and disrupt some hormone levels.

Additionally, there is the risk of nanoparticles and nano-powders which, though they don’t penetrate the skin, can be inhaled and enter the bloodstream through the lungs – so beware of the spray sunscreens that include ingredients such as zinc oxide and titanium oxide.

What about all those natural ingredients, then? Is it really a great idea to ditch the Coppertone for a container of avocado oil?

One study done by the University Institute of Pharmacy in Raipur, India, suggests that these different natural oils can be used in the production process of sunscreens rather than just being used on their own.

Olive oil and coconut oil are at the top of the list with SPF as high as 7.5. Other natural oils include castor at 5.6 and almond at 4.6.

While some mommy blogs might suggest taking a DIY approach to making your own sunscreen – the process is much more complicated than mixing together lotion and oils and calling it natural sunscreen. The production process is still important for making sure the natural active ingredients remain active – but there are dozens of natural sunscreens on the market for you to reap the benefits of fewer hormone disruptions at the same protection levels.

much self confidence. I think the derby names and alter egos help that,” she says.

Dita VonTits, Ruchkall’s alter ego, certainly exemplifies that confidence. “I am the sexy diva of destruction, and the mistress of pain,” she adds with a smile and a wink. But it’s not just silly fun; it can be a real, tangible boost that some women really need.

“Personally, derby gave me the confidence to leave a bad marriage. And it’s taught me how to stand up for myself.”

That and it’s given her the skill set to modify old t-shirts.

I asked her what else was great about roller derby.

“Other than the fishnets?” she laughed.

Many sports are criticized for unnecessarily sexualizing and marginalizing female athletes – usually in doing so, female

athletes are forced to emphasize femininity while trivializing their performances. Jennifer Carson’s 2010 academic article “The Female Signifiant in AllWomen’s Amateur Roller Derby” touches on this point, while arguing that roller derby—like punk did with the music scene— creates a “rich, adventurous space to satirize athletic and feminine norms.

In other words, roller derby lets each skater be who they want to be – if you want to be sexy and wear fishnet stockings, it’s celebrated. But, just as importantly, skaters are free to forego the stockings in favour of their own preferences. Perhaps the most exciting are the players who opt to dress even more creatively – zombie makeup, war paint and other themed players challenge our preconceived notions about conformity and uni-

form in sports.

Whether it’s the hits, the competitiveness, the unique personas and players, or the way the sport challenges expectations, roller derby is an exciting sport that too many people in the Fraser Valley are missing out on.

Look them up online, make an effort to get out to a bout and make up your own mind.

If you’ve never been to a game, Saturday, July 27, might be the perfect day to change that.

On that date, Nanaimo’s Harbour City Rollers are set to take on the home team, the Undead Heart Throbs. The bout begins at 7 p.m. at the Abbotsford Curling Club on McMillan Road – right next to the Abbotsford Recreation Centre (ARC).

Cascades coach kids to healthy future at summer camp JESS WIND

THE CASCADE

Ultimate frisbee, touch football and many more sports were the focus of UFV’s first multi-sport kids camp.

Over the summer UFV runs various kids camps for the community that get children active and interested in some of UFV’s programs, including the wellestablished Science Rocks! multiweek camp and a fashion design camp.

This year UFV athletics joined the list of available camps and got kids playing sports in a weeklong program that ran from July 8-12. Campers became mini-Cascades; each was treated to a snack and take-home t-shirt.

Game day coordinator Alicia Hurley described the inspiration for the camp.

“Our inspiration from the program came from wanting to provide a service to our community and an environment where kids could get a taste of top-level coaching and facilities right here in Abbotsford,” she said.

The camp was designed around UFV’s varsity ball sports: basketball, soccer and volleyball as well as rowing and swimming.

Throughout the week, top-level coaches from the department were present for coaching sessions tailored to the skill level of the campers. UFV’s athletes assisted the coaches, and kids were inspired to commit to healthy lifestyles. Athletic director Rocky Olfert delivered volleyball coaching sessions to the kids and former team Alberta field hockey coach and facilities instructor Cheryl Van Nes coached as well.

Also present to coach were Alan Errington, coach of the men’s soccer squad, Al Tuchscherer, coach of the women’s basketball team and Liz Chisholm for rowing.

Hurley provided the campers with a kids crossfit session.

“The kids were able to learn to

Image: Jess Wind/The Cascade

Mini-Cascades participants played soccer on the varsity pitch.

Image: Jess Wind/The Cascade

The Abbotsford Heat donated their mascot’s time to the camp as well. play a few sports they would not likely have access to. We believe the campers came away with a new or higher skill set in many of the ball sports,” Hurley said, adding that ultimate frisbee came away as the favourite.

Campers were also granted the opportunity to tour the home ice of the Abby Heat, which ended up being one of the highlights of the camp, Hurley noted.

The camp was open to kids from grades 3-6 and was advertised locally through the community and schools. Hurley assured

that they hope to expand the program.

“It is our hope that this camp can grow in the future to allow us to run a wide range of age groups within the multi-sport format as well as sport specific camps,” she said.

As well as expanding the program to make room for more campers, Hurley said that the success of the program would create more opportunities for UFV students to get involved in future summers.

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WEDNESDAY, JULY 17, 2013 www.ufvcascade.ca

Exploring the Fraser Valley

How to live healthy, ninja style

Elk Mountain

ASHLEY MUSSBACHER CONTRIBUTOR

JASPER MOEDT

THE CASCADE

Hiking season is in full swing.

In this season many of my fellow students pack their sacks and travel to distant mountains to search out the most remote locations to escape the bright lights of civilization. These true hiking enthusiasts know the best trails and spend much of their summer out in the woods somewhere.

To be able to devote this kind of time and energy is truly a life choice and commitment.

Unfortunately for the average student there is never the time or the money to engage in expeditions like that. So where does that leave the rest of us? Are we stuck hitting up the same select few beaches and trails all summer? It was this question that fuelled my search for new and more exciting outdoor locations in the Fraser Valley – I figured the quest for the great outdoors didn’t always have to include a lengthy and arduous drive. One location on my search was a very promising trail on Elk Mountain.

I began my quest at the UFV campus in Abbotsford where I met up with a few equally inexperienced hiking companions.

We all loaded into my vehicle and headed east on the highway to our destination. The drive up to Elk Mountain took just about an hour and 20 minutes. I got my directions from Google Maps and was pleasantly surprised to find that my little Honda civic had no issues with the logging roads that led up to the trail base in Chilliwack.

By the time we arrived it was about noon and the sun had really begun to beat down on us.

Although this trail is fairly well known among the locals in Chilliwack it was evident by the lack of vehicles at the base of trail that we were going to have the whole trail to ourselves.

The view from Elk Mountain is a worthy payoff for this moderately challenging hike.

As we headed up the trail, the initial grade was relatively flat and the trail was wide and easy to navigate. We found ourselves in the shade for the first hour or so of the hike and the view was obstructed by tall trees, but considering the heat of the sun shining down, the shade was a welcome relief.

Near the lookout point, the grade of incline gradually increased and the trail was more exposed to the sun and wind. In combination with the increased steepness of the trail there was a fair amount of loose gravel and rock spread out across it, mak-

ing the final portion of the ascent more challenging than the lower sections of the trail.

When we reached the top of the trail it was clear why Elk Mountain had been so highly recommended in trail guides – the far reaching view of the Fraser Valley was spectacular. From this perch I could see Cultus Lake, the Chilliwack River valley and a wide range of Chilliwack and Abbotsford in the distance. The near 360-degree views are something better seen firsthand than described in a newspaper article.

After taking in the view, having lunch and recuperating we

Image: dfrtn/Flickr

headed back down the mountain into the shaded paths of the lower trail. The descent took about three-quarters of the time of the climb, leaving the total hike time at about 3.5 hours. Not a bad day’s hike.

Overall, the Elk Mountain trail is a hike that is best suited for intermediate hikers who maintain a decent level of fitness. This trail is a great way to get a workout while experiencing the outdoors in our own backyard. For anyone looking to check out a new trail in the Fraser Valley, Elk Mountain is the place to be!

Cascades Colton O’Neill as a Vancouver Whitecap JESS WIND

THE CASCADE

From a sprained ankle to the Vancouver Whitecaps, UFV Cascade’s Colton O’Neill is having an eventful summer.

O’Neill—UFV’s 2011-12 rookie of the year—was picked up by the ‘Caps Premier Development League (PDL) club and has been honing his skills in the United Soccer League (USL), competing with teams from across Canada and the United States.

Previously O’Neill played for the Abbotsford Mariners PDL for three summers and was excited to be granted the opportunity to play with the Major League Soccer (MLS) affiliate.

“It was a big honour for me to be selected to the Whitecaps PDL team and to be a part of a professional organization like the Whitecaps. I had been working hard for many years and wanting to be a part of this team,” he says.

Like his former Cascade teammate, Sasa Plavsic, O’Neill was scouted by the PDL coach, Stuart

Image: ufv.ca

Colton O’Neill as a Cascade.

Neely during their Keg Classic tournament in March.

Unfortunately O’Neill suffered a sprained ankle and only played 20 minutes; he thought his chance to play for the Vancouver club was gone.

“I was very disappointed,” he says. “A few weeks later I got a call from Stuart asking to come

to the start of the practices for the PDL team. I had to try out to get onto the team.”

The tryout paid off and O’Neill earned a place on the team.

Now, having been playing since May, he notes that dressing in Whitecaps blue and white comes with certain expectations.

“We go into every game being the favourites and expecting to win because we have the name Whitecaps,” he explains. “The other teams know this and they know they will be playing a good team.”

The USL consists of 65 teams across North America and, like the Whitecaps, many of them are affiliated with MLS clubs.

Competing at that level opens doors to the MLS and other international leagues for university players like O’Neill.

He hopes to be granted one of these opportunities one day.

“If I get the opportunity to play professional soccer I would take it in a heartbeat. Playing with the Whitecaps would be great because it is the hometown team,”

he says. “Playing in Europe is also a dream of mine.”

O’Neill is fine-tuning many aspects of his game, and will be able to bring them back to the Cascades’ pitch for the fall.

“I think I will be better in all aspects of my game after this PDL season. The biggest improvements I have made are in my quick decision-making and passing,” he says. “I will be a much improved player and I will be able to pass on some of the things I learned to my UFV teammates next season.”

The regular season is wrapping up for the Whitecaps, and their playoff chances are looking good as they sit in third place.

Soon O’Neill will be back at Chilliwack Exhibition Field preparing for another season with the Cascades. Be sure to look for O’Neill on the back line this fall, bringing his summer as a Whitecap to the pitch.

Whenever we think of the word karate we immediately associate it with kicks and punches, crazy backflips and ninja stars. Hollywood has managed to build a sense of mystique around it. But let’s strip off all the glamour and take a closer look at the martial art.

When we strive to get fit, we sometimes forget that a very important part of staying healthy is not how much you can bench press or how high you can kick.

It’s a pursuit of balance – physically, mentally and emotionally.

Like three legs of a barstool – if just one is shorter than the rest, the whole thing topples.

First, the workout. Karate training develops endurance, stamina, strength and cardio, while learning self-defence.

Two birds, one punch. Like any sport, a typical karate session starts with a warm-up drill of push-ups, crunches and a bit of running laps of the dojo.

Next comes the most important part of the entire workout: stretching. True, pretty much everything in karate is ballistic stretching, but it’s best to have everything primed before you try kicking at head height.

Then the training begins.

Depending on the martial arts, there will be a rotation of activities from sparring to kata (a combination of techniques performed in a specific order). All activities are geared towards developing physical strength and endurance and helping you discover how your body and mind react under pressure. It’s as intense as it sounds, but worth every drop of sweat.

But karate is more than just getting your heart rate up, staying active, building muscle. It’s a lifestyle. Gima-Ha Shotokan-ryu Karate is a traditional Japanese style rooting back to the original Shotokan School of Karate, and every student is encouraged to live by a set of principles called the Dojo Kun: seek perfection of character; be faithful; endeavour; respect others; and refrain from violent behaviour.

Paul Sexton, fifth-degree black belt and instructor at the Abbotsford Dojo, says that karate is more than developing speed and flexibility. It helps you strive to build self-respect and free your mind of self-doubt.

The Dojo Kun applies not only to karate training, but to everyday situations as well. Endeavour to achieve your best in school, in work, in relationships.

Seek perfection in character by trying your hardest and applying yourself in everything you do. Respecting others is straightforward enough. And it’s important to refrain from violent behaviour by diffusing heated situations; as Sensei Paul explains, “Your martial arts skills should be used only as a last resort.”

Balance. It seems simple enough – the key to healthy living is to maintain our sense of self. Physical exercise and eating right may take care of our bodies, but we can’t forget about our mental and emotional well-being. Karate encourages the balance, and on top of everything else, the workouts are fun and practical.