The Cascade Friday, March 12th, 2010

Friday, March 12th, 2010

. Riding the bus year round since 1993

- ass

A UFV Alumna, Coca-Cola,& Metls Art pg. 10

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THE CASCADE

FRIDAY,MARCH 12th,2010

UFV has Successful Graduates

Volume 18 · Issue 9 Room ( 1027 I King Hoad

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drink company to be displayed in mit, I have alway8 thought that SONJA SZLOVICSAK Vancouver to tourists from all over Coca-Cola has a sloppy marketing EDITOR-IN-CHIEF the world. division (they make commercial!! few weeks ago, a contributor In other words, Lisa Shepherd where polar bears and penguins submitted an article about can be considered a world famous live side-by-side, de::;pite the fact UFV's theatre program. The writ- artist. that they live on opposite sides er, Jennifer Colbourne, criticized Desigt1ing giant pop bottles of the earth); however, looking UFV Theatre for being too tame probably isn't what Shepherd had at "The Awakening," it's obvious when it comes to their production in mind when she began her stud- that this is Shepherd's work, and choices. She pointed out that UFV ies at UCFV. However, she cred· not some piecf.!of Coca-Cola marmight have a hard time attracting its the classes :;he took here with keting. The bottle was a canvas, and retaining student:; that will helping her design the bottle. and Shepherd applied her croft to go on to have a successful career Creativity isn't something that it extremely well. in acting because the productions can be taught; many universities Even though students may be put on each year are, she stated, for will try to tell p·rospective stu- forced to practice skills in a mandent:; that they can teach creative ner that may seem tedious, they senior citizens.

UFV may not have produced genius. H's not possible. are valuable skills, The idea is, any big name thespians yet, but However, a university can give these skills should be transferrable that doesn't mean UFV is incapable students the tools to be successful. to other, more interesting, areas. of producing successful artists.

UFV obviously does not have any Despite claims to the contrary, Coca-Cola held an Aboriginal courses on designing giant bottles, UFV does produce successful Art Bottle project. Of the 15 art• but the courses taught here obvi- graduates. Unfortunately, our ists chosen to participate, a 1JCFV ously have skills that can be tran• univer::iity may not have room in alumna's design was the one Coca- ferred to pop bottle design. its budget to do things that bigger Cola selected to display at the VanShepherd also helped design universities (as in, UBC and SFU) couver Olympics. costumes for the opening ceremo- do.

Lisa Shepherd graduated from nies. It seems she's very versatile.

However, the faculty here is the Apparel Design program in Now, some readers will prob- supportive of its students. If a 1991.Her design of a giant six-foot ably argue that Shepherd has sold student wants to try something Coca-Cola bottle, ''The Awak- out by designing something for a different, there's usually a faculty ening," wa::i selected by the soft company like Coca-Cola. I'll ad- member that will help them out.

Ahhcmtorcl, RC V2S 7MH

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Editor-in-Chief cascade.chief@ufv.ca SOJIJ,l S ·lov1cs,,I, Managing Editor cascade.manager@ufv.ca l.l'\VJS V,111Dyl Production Manager cascade.productlon@ufv.ca Jl.1ndon:1 CotH.1d

Production .)t'd Mmor

Copy Editor A.M Bcm

News & Opinion Editor cascade.news@ufv.ca Paul Brnmnwr Arts & Life Editor cascade.arts@ufv.ca P,1ul f-1,11.tt·dc.iu

UFV SUS to hold "ParkingConference" SUS plans to bringstudents concernsover event night parkingto UFV administration a press release.

SONJA SZLOVICSAK EDITOR-IN-CHIEF The SUS has identified four key areas that need to be addressed: ue to the number of corp- "ineffective communication replaints about parking on the garding parking alerts, availabilAbbotsford campus that the UFV ity of spaces to UFY student:; in Student Union Society (SUS) has UFV lots, traffic patterns on and received from students, VP Aca- around the campus and personal demic Baraa Ali and the SUS will safety issues that have come up be holding a "Parking Conference" with changing traffic patterns," on March 19 from 1-4 p.m .. stated the SUS press release.

Based on the number of comlJFV sells parking to patrons plaints the SUS has received of the Abbotsford Entertainment about parking, they expect many and Sports Centre on event night students will attend. "This is a at a higher price. While the City of unique opportunity that the SUS Abbotsford did build some addiis pursuing and putting [on) such tional parking along Gilli::.Avenue a conference is a challenge, but and College Drive to service the we're hoping that considering the arena, there are not enough spaces number of complaints we've re- for patrons of the stadium. As a resu ll, neighbouring businesses, and ceived we'll get 25 or 30 students out at the very least," Ali stated in UFV,have been providing parking

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for event's patrons.

The parking along Gillis Avenue and College Drive b currently free, but the City of Abbotsford plans to begin to charge for these spaces this fall. Once'the pay park· ing is implemented, the free parking will no longer be an attraction to events' patrons.

The SUS plans to bring student concerns about parking to the UFV administration. ''The SUS can't go to the Univen;ity admini::itration with a bunch of complaints gathered informally by word of mouth," Ali stated. "This event is an opportunity to give constructive voice to the frustration people have been feeling."

The press release stated that the conference will have three sessions: "first an open dialogue

that will give the opportunity to air any issues and frustrations students are feeling, next will be focus group discussions centering on the four l_ssueslisted above plus any others those in attendance bring to the table during the open discussion, and last will be a final overview of all those issues and the solutions that will have come out of the focus groups."

Ali has started a Facebook group, called "Parking, T'mStuck" to informally ask student:; for input about parking al UFV. The SUS will be handing out prizes to participants at the conference, including a semester parking pass.

For more information, contact the SUS at communications@ufvsus.ca.

Sports & Health Editor cascade.sports@ufv.ca Britt.my Wiesner

Staff Writers Trevor Fik Ju~cin Or k·witz Jordan Pitdwr

Jud Smart Contributors A.1rn11H,,yl's

Mann,, P,1r,1p1ni

Ali Slww,111 S,1r.1hSpillman Kylc-"t'Swaddt·u Al(·x W.1tk111s

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FRIDAY,MARCH 12th, 2010

THE CASCADE

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ChileRecoversfrom MassiveEarthquake KYLEE SWADDEN CONTRIBUTOR his week, Chile began three T days of national mourning for the victims of the recent earth• quake that struck outside the country's second city, Concepcion.

The quake reached an 8.8-magnitude on the Richter scale. It is the second major earthquake in mod• ern Chilean history, and took place almost exactly 50 years after the first. The most recent earthquake was only 230 km north of when! the original struck in 1960.

The Chilean president at the time of the earthquake, Michelle Bachelet, whose term ended on Thursday, encouraged the country lo understand that "We have never had an event of this mag• nitude that affected such a large part of the country. We have not stopped to rest a single minute.

But complete recovery ls going to take time."

President Bachelet was criticized for the time it took to distribute food and water to victims of the earthquake. Also, Bachelet was accused of not deploying the army quick enough to restore law and order on the streets in the two days after the quake. The Times reported that "Polls published in the newspaper El Mercurio said that 60 per cent of citizens thought that the Government had been slow to respond, and 72 per cent that its efforts to re-establish order had failed."

The incoming president, Sebastifo Pif'lera, said that the reaction of Bachelet's government was too slow In the i;dtermath of the quake, and singled out ""the lack of co-

ordination and the weaknesses that this tragedy has uncovered" as areas his administration will work on. In addition, Pinera has pledged that he will "overhaul the country's National Emergency Agency," according to the Times.

One of the reasons given for Bachelet's perceived indecision in the deployment of troops is the memory of General Pinochet's military coup of 1976.Juan Emilio Cheyre, director of the Centre for International Studies at Santiago's Catholic University and former commander-in-chief of the Chilean army, told the Times that "The armed forces were prepared. Sorne people from the armed forces say

that the decision was influenced by past history. But the armed forces today are very different to the ones who acted improperly during the military dictatorship."

Bachelet herself was imprisoned and tortured under Pinochet's dictatorship, and her father, a military commander who opposed the coup, died in prison.

The Sydney Morning Herald reported that the death toll of the earthquake that was previously estimated at 802 dead has been dropped to 452 as many of those reported missing were being counted as dead.

Chile's second most populated city, Conception, was one of the

most affected by the earthquake where a 15 floor building fell on its side during the quake and trapped 100 of its residents, killing nine. the Though Chilean earthquake was more powerful than the one in Haiti in January, the death toll is less than one per cent of what Haiti suffered only a month before.

Despite this, the earthquake in Chile destroyed 500,000 homes and has left ap· proximately 1.5 million people destitute.

The Canadian government has stated that it is "ready to provide any necessary ast.istance to the Government of Chile during this time of need." Chile has requested that Canada provide them with a field hospital, a pontoon bridge and generators.

An estimated 5,000 Canadians live in Chile; about 1,000 of whom live in the affected area of the country. 520 Canadians have been located and as of March lst, 337 were yet to be found.

The United Nations secretarygeneral Ban Ki-moon announced that the UN will send Chile $10M in UN fund!:!to assist the country in relief efforts.

The US is contributing to the effort by pr·oviding the country with satellite phones. The U.S. Secretary of Stale, Hillary Clinton said, "One of thelr biggest problems has been communications as we found in Haiti in those days after the quake," according to the Globe and Mnil.

Clinton also said that Chile's communications systems are much more sophisticated than Haiti's but communication in Concepcion is particularly difficult in the present circumstances. lt has been projected that Chi lc's economy will recover as most of their biggest copper mines will remain open and were minimally affected. Despite the economy's positive projections for the future of Chile, people are sti 11concerned for their livelihood. The Globea11d Mail reported that ex-President Bachelet consoled a Chilean and told him, "At least we are still alive. And as long as we are alive we are going to get on our feet and move forward."

A community leader of a small town called Dichato told the Vn11couverSun that "More than 75 per cent of the village is destroyed.

After the earthquake there were three waves. The first two were big and didn't do rnuch damage, but the last one almost wiped the vi IIage off the map."

Initially, the damage was difficult to assess because of the more than 100 aftershocks that followed the earthquake in that same weekend. The damaged has been assessed and the cities are now working to find homes for people whose houses were damaged or lost in the earthquake.

Provincial, Federal Politicians Condemn Israeli Apartheid Week Pro-Palestine students say government has no business making statements about student movements

DANIELLE WEBBhome

ONTARIO CUPBUREAU

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or Daniel Bader, being a Jewish student at the University of Toronto during Israeli Apartheid Week is like walking on eggshells.

"It was as if people were too afraid to speak out against it, in fear that they would be assaulted," Bader said of his past experiences.

"It made me very uncomfortable."

For students like Bader, news that the Ontario legislature unanimously passed a motion condemning Israeli Apartheid Week on Feb. 25 was very welcome.

Approximately 40 campuses worldwide will be holding IAW events this year with the intent to, according to its organizers, "educate people about the nature of Israel as an apartheid system and to build boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS)campaigns as part of a growing global BDS movement."

Now, the frustration felt by both students and average citizens over the event's controversial message is being heard. At least two provincial governments and the federal government are making known their displeasure with IAW's organizers.

Peter Shurman, a Progressive Conservative legislator - who represents Thornhill, which is

to York University, as well as Ontario's largest Jewish population - presented a motion to condemn IAW to the 30 sitting members in the 107-seat Ontario legislature on Feb. 25.

Shurman said he went forward with the motion after receiving a lot of pressure from his constitu• ents who live, work and study around Toronto's York University and were getting increasingly frustrated by the racial tensions at the school.

"People in the community said, 'I wish we didn't have to have this,"' he explained.

"There's something inherently wrong with an event that has that name. There's nothing wrong with people expressing opinions right, wrong or otherwise. That's one of the great things about Canada, but there is something wrong with beginning the dialogue with a premise that's one-sided," he added.

"My attitude is you have to get rid of this word, apartheid, because that's not what Israel is," Shurman said, noting that he believes the current dialogue curtails his own fn.edom of speech on the subject.

Shurman said reaction to his motion has been immense.

"We've stimulated others to do likewise. This thing has taken on

a life of its own, for beyond what I expected when I filed the resolu· tion," he said.

But not everyone is pleased that politicians are getting involved in a student movement in this way.

"We think it's outrageous that the motion was passed without any knowledge of the situation in Palestine In general. None of the (Ontario legislators) ever attended any of our events or asked questions," said Yafa Jarrar, spokesperson for Carleton University's Students Against Israeli Apartheid.

"We think it's an attempt to suppress freedom of speech and freedom of expression," she said.

Shurman said he's received word that a member of the Manitoba legislature is interested in pursuing similar debate in that province because of the Ontario motion.

But condemnation of the provocative awareness week isn't only happening at the provincial level.

Edmonton MP Tim Uppal is also planning on introducing a similar motion to the House of Commons, having said that the week itself, as well as the position that Israel is a racist state, is "one-sided, intolerant and unbalanced."

"This has helped create a public opinion environment where Jewish students who happen to also

support Israel are subject to condemnation and opprobrium," Uppal said in a statement on Feb. 26.

In a statement issued by federal Liberal leader Michael lgnatieff on March 1, he said his party also condemns IAW actions.

"The very premise of Israeli Apartheid Week runs counter to our shared values of mutual respect and tolerance, regardless of nationality, race or creed," lg· natieff wrote. "It is an attempt to heighten the tensions in our communities around the tragic conflict in the Middle East."

Students Against Israeli Apartheid spokesperson Jarrar said that her group is planning on writing letters to the politicians who will vote on the matter in the House, as well as university professors in hopes of garnering support for their cause.

"I don't think politicians have the right to condemn or ban or make statements about student activism," Jarrar said.

"The irony is that they failed to condemn when Israel was attack• ing Gaza in December (2008),"she added. "They're not putting their energy in the right place."

Bader disagreed, believing that the government made the right move.

"The government has an obliga-

tion to promote free speech and freedom of religion," argued Bader. The protest week, he said, "is hateful to Israel and to the Jewish population of Canada, who should not have to walk by people calling £or the destruction of a country."

Despite its negative associations, Jarrar said that IAW is very important because much of the world is complacent when it comes to Israel-Palestine relations.

Israeli Apartheid Week began six years ago in Toronto. The week's events feature lectures, panel discussions and celebrations of Palestinian culture from March 1-7 on some campuses and March 8-14on others. In the past, though, it has sometimes been linked with violence, aggression and hate.

A handful of students at the University of Western Ontario reported receiving death threats this year after joining a "UWO Students against 'Israel Apartheid Week"' Facebook group.

Last year, altercations were reported at the University of British Columbia between pro-Palestinian and Pro-Israeli students in a residence building. And at New York University, students were suspended following a two-day occupation of their school's cafeteria to raise awareness of the humanitarian situation in Gaza.

THE CASCADE

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FRIDAY,MARCH 12th,2010

Immigrant Protests Uncover Divided Modern Societies greeted with a chant declaring that "there are no black Italians," STAFF WRITER the BBCreported. march protesting anti-immiIn an attempt to understand the gration laws and sentiments feelings of racism that have perin Italy has highlighted the racial meated much of the Italian popuundertones that have dominated lation, UFV history professor Dr. the country in recent years. 'Tne Alisa Webb said that the issue of "nationwide strike" saw organiz• racism in Italy can be understood ers of the event asking migrant in both "historical and modern workers to stay home from work, contexts." and boycott local businesses in "For the historical, Italy was an protest for the day. imperial power in Europe, exertProtesters gathered in 60 ing its influence over eastern Afrisquares around the country on ca, particularly Ethiopia. It particiMarch 1, holding yellow balloons pated in racial discourse through and cradling signs that were the 19th century and the first half plastered with slogans reading, of the 20th century which depicted "What race are you - human or Africans as less than human and inhuman?" The protesters, who as in need of European civilization numbered in the thousands, were and control," Webb said. joined by individuals in other EuWebb noted that although Italropean countries including Eng- which stipulates that only 30 per- to immigration." ian immigration policy has been cent of non-fta Iia n chi Id ren shou Id land, Greeceand Spain.

Many of the immigrant workers relatively lax up until the 21st cenThe protest was organi;;:;ed by be allowed in public schools. occupy jobs that are essential to tury (passing legislation in 1986to "The Day Without Us Commit• Many political analysts are the industry and forming sector in protect migrant workers), moderntee" and spanned 24 hours. It was calling Italy's renewed interest in Italy, contributing "about 10 per- day Italian immigration policy has planned with the sole purpose of tightening immigration deflection cent of the country's gross domes• been dominated by the "Christian ;,highlight[ing] the importance by a government wrought with tic product, often in jobt. snubbed values" of the conservative Prime of immigration for the socio-eco• scandal. Berlusconi has recently by Italians," according to the New Minister Berlusconi. nomic and cultural fabric of the seen public favour of his adminYorkTimes.Thet.e jobs are centered Berlusconi responded to comcountry." istration fall after his involvement in the farming industry, with la- plaints of "leniency" in the ItalSimmering anti-immigration in a corruption and bribery scan- bourers and fruit pickers making ian immigration policy with legattitudes were brought to the sur- dal was brought forth, according up the majority. islation designed to "send illegal face last week when Italian Prime to the Gazette.

The racist sentiments of many immigrants back to their origiThe current wave of immigraMinister Silvio Berlusconi said Italians have not been limited nating country within 5 days of that leftist leaders are "wanting an tion experienced by Italy, set off to immigration, and have even detection," Webb said. Legislation invasion of foreigners" in order to by a worldwide recession, has 1,een found their way on to the soccer tightening immigration increased increase their votes. racial tensions rise in several parts pitch. According to the BBC, Ital• in 2008,with the passing of laws Berlusconi has remained ada- of the country. immigrants pres· making "it possible to imprison ilian soccer clubs have been fined mant that a multi-cultural Italy ently make up 4.3 million (7.1%) and matches have been forced to legal immigrants for up to 4 years would never be seenunder his rule of the population of Italy, accord- be played in empty stadiums, due and make it easier to expel illegal as prime minister. Throughout his ing to the Guardian.The same re- to the racist hostilities of fans. immigrants." administration, Berlusconi has port cited a recent survey that has Ii;t ~any Italian soc~er clubs and yYh/le, pr?-~mmigrat~on proenacted' several controvers~al poli- ,~smn~Jbat a~,!PH;)X ~1any pa,rts ~~·tnjy stadi~ps,. js ifj;:lativet~1,C?FW-1on tests roc1,,id a.s,,~5R.~~8~,nt, 1 •!.(1,, H,f h cies related to immigration:o.oe' of of young Italians remain "opposf;ld for .Play r~ of Africa1;1_on!$mto be o~.~ar~H~'i 1"'h)IJ ,t, e ':"'eekep~ '11 arc 7

5·7 saw protesters in the tens of thousands marching on Rome, alleging misuse of the justice system

by Berlusconi. Tn what is being called the "purple protest," citi• zens donned striped suits and Berlusconi masks. These groups are promising increased action before the Italian elections at the end of March.

In response to the anti-government protests seen around the country, Italy's Northern League Party organized a counter demonstration on the outskirts of Milan, according to the Voiceof America.

The Northern League Party, acting on behalf of the Berlusconi govemmt.!nt, highlighted the plight of native Italian workers in the country.

Northern League Party leader David Boni noted the "serious unemployment problems" that have come "in the name of forced integration."

When asked about a potential resolution to the current state of racism in Italy, Webb said that ''it depends on whose perspective you're taking," as all players in the debate, whether government officials, immigrants or native Ital• ians, have different solutions in mind. Webb did say however, that government programs introduced in Germany, the U.K. and France, designed to "offer education in language, culture, custom, government, and law" to newly arrived immigrants have seen some success, and their implementation in Italy is p possibility.

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UBC NOW

Global movement condemns 'Israeli Apartheid' forsixthyear

Montreal lecturers walkoffthejob

Alongwaitforanswers overUBC student's death

Last-resort student union referendum

atQuebec's largest university walked Details oftheevents surrounding thedeathof TheConcordia Student Union isn'twaiting forthe Thesixth-annual International Israeli Apartheid lecturers Rogers aregoing totakelonger tocometo Canadian Federation ofStudents toapprove their Week israising moreofa stirthaneverthisyear. offtheJobFeb.24,aftercontract negotiations SIias a standstill. lightthansomemightexpect. request toholda referendum overleaving the Aseel AlDalla I,president ofStudents forPalestin- reached manfromSaintJohn,N.B. died organization. ianRights (SFPR) attheUniversity ofWaterloo, The2,433 lecturers, whoteachalmost a quarter The20-year-old oftheclasses atUniversite deMontreal (UdeM) afterbeingfoundunconscious ina University of OnFeb.25,CSU president Amine Dabchy issued explained thattheglobal movement aimsto "expose Israel's system ofapartheid [and]expose and,according totheirunion, teachalmost half British Columbia residence during thefinalweek a presidential decree toadd,"Are youInfavour of oftheOlympics - a dayafterbeingreleased continued membership intheCanadian FederatheInjustices thatthePalestinians havetolive ofundergraduate courses, havebeenwithout a through." contract forsixmonths. froma holding cellforbeingdrunkinpublic. tionofStudents?" asa referendum question inthe forsmaller classsizes, changes TheInvestigation Isexpected totakemonths.

CSU March election.

TheOntario provincial government unanimously TheunionIsasking passed a resolution condemning theweek, citing tothewayworkIsdistributed andsalary Increases Theexactcauseofdeathandtheevents leading CSU bylaws require a 25-day delaytoIssue a gen• of21percentoverthreeyears.Buttheadminis- uptothediscovery ofhisbodyarebeinglnvesti· eralpublic notice ofa pollforthegeneral election. thatItbred"hatred against Israel;' withone gated,butthismuchIsknown: hewasarrested

by Thedecree wasissued asa waytobypass theCSU university saysthere member noting thatIt"diminishes thesuffering trationofthefrancophone ofthosewhowerevictims ofatrueapartheid Isn'tenough money tomeettherequests.

RCMP InWhistler, B.C. onFeb. 23forbeing drunk council toassure thereferendum question made inpublic.

Hewasreleased thenextmorning, only theelection ballot.

"ThemostImportant forallofourmembers regime InSouthAfrica:' TheOntario legislature's votetookplaceInlate isclasssizes," saidlecturers unionpresident tobefoundunconscious 23hourslater.Hethe Butwhatever theresultoftheelection, thewhole February, andfederal Liberal leaderMichael Francis Lagace.

"There aretoomanypeople Inthe following day,Friday, InaVancouver hospital. process mightjustbeforshow. lgnatieff criticized theplanned week, "Letusbe classroom forteachers togiveproper attention to TheVancouver Police Department IsInvestigating CFS treasurer Dave Molenhuls called theCSU's theirstudents:' thecase,butIshesitant torelease Information. attempt atareferendum already •outside the clear: criticism ofIsraeli government policy Is legitimate.

Wholesale condemnation oftheState Buttheuniversity hasrefused toInclude class bylaws." ofIsrael andtheJewish people Isnotlegitimate. sizesInitsproposed collective agreement and SarahRatchford - CUP Atlantic Bureau Chief "Ourrules areveryclear,• saidMolenhuls, whois Notnow,notever," readthestatement. claims thatclass sizeshavebeendecreasing since alsoIncoming president ofthenational federation,which IsCanada's largest student lobby However, despite disapproval frommanyInthe 2002.

International community, theprotests continue. group.

"And therules ofthefederation have tobe adhered toforareferendum.• Jacob Serebrtn - CUP Quebec Bureau Chief Paula Millar - The Cord Amy Minsky-The Concordlan

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Highmediausage correlated with lowlevels ofhappiness inyouth Therelationship between teenagers andthemediaIsthefocus ofa newstudyfromWashington, O.C:s Kaiser Family Foundation.

Reporting Increased levels ofentertainment mediausage,withanaverage ofoversevenhours dally, thestudyhasfounda correlation between lowlevels ofpersonal contentment andheavy usersofmedia.

Twenty-one percentofrespondents wereIdentified asheavy users,meaning they consume upwards of16hours ofmediaperday.

According toMichael Zwaagstra, a highschool teacher andresearch associate, thestudy's find• lngsprove whathehasseenforyears.

"Time spentplaying video gamesisn'ttimespent socializing;' hesays.

"When youaskstudents, 'Howdoyoufeelafteryou've spentallnight playing games7'The universal response is,'Ifeel terrible.

IfeellikeI'veaccomplished nothing:" Zwaagstra advocates formoretimespentonthe fundamental skills ofreading andwriting Inthe earlier yearsInplaceoftechnologically-focused classrooms.

Kristy Rydz - TheUniter

FRIDAY, MARCH 12th, 2010

First Nations School In Peril qualifications, despite misleading PAUL FALARDEAU ARTS& LIFEEDITOR statistics that show high enrolment. Universities do try to enlist or some time there has been a First Nations and ME'.itisstudents, discussion as to whether First but the fear is that afterwards they Nations peoples in Canada should arc not encouraged and helped as have their own schools and uni- much as they need to be. versities which cater specifically Sardarli said that "Because the to their needs. A recent movement social, cultural, historical probis once again pushing for these lems of First Nations and M~tis schools, especially after a drop in have not been solved, the majorgovernment funding. ity of them will fail in the reguTn a lett r addressed to Prime lar unJversities. As a result, if the Minister Stephen Harper, Premier FNUniv closes, the state of First of Saskatchewan Brad Wall and Nations and Ml!tis post-secondary several other MPs and MLAs, sup- education in Saskatchewan could porters of the creation of Native very well deteriorate to where it run and centered universities cited was 25-30 years ago." the success of their previous and The faction that supports these first school First Nations Univeruniversities argues that they not sity (FNUniv) in Saskatchewan. only teach students but help build Dr. Arzu Sardarli, Assistant communities and instil pride and Professor of Physics and Mathunderstanding of their heritage. ematics and Acting Department Another staff member, Dr. Edliead of the Department of Science ward Doolittle said, "Our insticalled FNUniv "the best academic tution has a focus on Aboriginal institution that I have ever worked education at lhc university level in." lhal no other institution comes The letter comes in response to close to matching, especially not rectmtly announced cuts in fundbig institutions. I know that a huge ing on provincial and federal lev- number of intelligent, capable, and els. These cuts, Sardarli said, came deserving Aboriginal !:itudents "at the moment when the Federawill never succeed in such alienattion of Saskatchewan Indian Na- ing environments no matter how tions started to make significant many counselors are provided." changes in the board and adminDoolittle continued, "First Na• istration of the University" tions University could be a world Sardarli explained the adverse leader in community-based reeffects these cuts will have, "It is search, our specialty, saving Abobvious that without the govern- original languages, improving ment funding the FNUniv (as any Aboriginal health, safeguarding other Canadian university) cannot the long term collective memory function. Our students, the major- of Aboriginal communities, and ity of them belong to First Nations graduating productive members and Metis, have been advised that of society who might otherwise they will be transferred to other \h114le;idlive~ of de&pair." universities.n Dr. Linda M. Goulet, an associThe letter argued that at other ate professor in the Department of universities and post-secondary Indigenous Education at FNUniv, institutes First Nations and M~tis said that the errors of history students have not been success- should not be repeated in the asful in terms of graduating with similation of Native students into

F

the Canadian school system, "The people responsible for the residential schools believed they knew what was best for Indigenous children and their parents but history has shown how wrong their approach was."

Now, with these recent developments, many concerned parties believe that a step is being made backwards instead of forward.

M~tis author and artist Joanne Arnott wrote that "The self-employed artists of Canada, Aboriginal and non, are primary producers who to a large degree rely on the health and well-being of secondary producers, in this case all of the professors, teachers and librarians, for the well-being of our own little niche in Canada's economy. Aboriginal arts arc an important part of indigenous economies."

Arnott argued that although the government implies there is a lack of funds to support these schools, investing would in fact have a stimulating affect on the ~conomy.

In a letter sent to Chuck Strahl, Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development, Arnott, who sits on the National Council of The Writers Union of Canada, said that "The fiscal weight of your opinion should not b~ withheld, but rather, it should be reinstated as a positive force in the entrenchment of good governance and the continuing development of a truly national-scope Aboriginal university, steps toward which are already well underway."

It is yet to be seen what action Canada's federal and provincial govetnmlirits will take. To read the lette~s to the govern~ent from concerned staff and members of the community visit www.firstnationsuniversity.ca. Th@ university was founded in 1976 and now has three campuses.

Online News Overtakes Print in Popularity JOEL SMART The community paper is still the STAFF WRITER best way for local businesses like ublic consvmption of online news has finally overtaken print news, according to a recent survey by the Pew Research Center. The report, based on 2,259 completed telephone interviews, questioned citizens of the United States on questions ranging from the mediums they use, to their preferred qualities in a news article.

Highlighting a potential reason for the increased popularity, the report revealed how the internet allowed news to become a social affair. "More than 8 in 10 onlin@ news consumers get or share links in emails." Convenience and the ability to browse through a num• ber of different websites were among a number of other reasons given for the change in news consumption.

Eric Spalding, the social, cultural and media studies department head at UFV, explained that the increased popularity of online news would likely not result in the disappearance of local newspapers, "The AbbotsfordNews and community papers in general should sur• vive the transition to online news for the foreseeable future. Like online news, the community paper is free and readily accessible. Also, its overhead is relatively low and people do tend to read it, not only for the stories but also for the ads.

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supermarkets and pharmacies to reach their existing clients and attract new clients."

"Along these lines, David Black, owner of the AbbotsfordNews and several other community papers, is still very successful, unlike his namesake Conrad Black. His papers arc still making money."

According to the BBC,some big names in online news are planning to begin charging online subscription fees. According to the article, the New York Times, as well as the papers owned by the News Corporation, will begin to charge for onlin@ news, "Media tycoon Rupert Murdoch, the chairman and chief executive of News Corp... announced that his group of papers will charge for online news. n,e group owrn, the Sun, the Times, the Wall StreetJournaland the New York Post, as w@llas Fox and Sky brands."

Spalding addressed this point, and noted that the strategy of charging for online news can backfire, "A small numb@r of newspapers with specialized audiences have been able to charge for their online content. A case in point is the business-9riented Wall Street Journal, because its readers can often get their @mploy@rsto cover the subscripti9n fee. Other newspapers haven't been so successful at charging for content. For instance, the illustrious New York

Times tried and failed. It's a real predicament: if you charge for online access, readers will often just go elsewhere, to sites where the news is free."

Spalding further explained how the changing focus towards online news has some potential downsides for the industry. "Unfortunately, ad revenues for on line sites haven't been high enough for most newspap~rs to k~ep going a!:i they have in the past. The loss of classified ads to Craig's List and similar sites has also been a major blow," "Yet people still want and need news, so even if the print editions of large urban dailies end up disappearing, which is certainly a possibility, journalists themselves will still be needed to report and interpret the news. As it stands, however, there may be fewer of them in the future than tht1re are today."

Spalding had some advice for aspiring journalists, "As for those UFV students considering work as media professionals, I think that t@l@visionand the Internet wjll be more likely sources of employment in the future than traditional print media. The exceptions will be community papers, free commuter tabloids like 24 Hours and papers like the lndo-Canadian Timesor the JewishIndependent that are targeted to specific groups in the community."

Budget Week in the Nation LEWIS VANDYK cation to enroll. The govQrnment MANAGING EDITOR has identified: Aboriginal Canadi-

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ast week both the Canadian Federal government and BC Provincial government released their budgets for the 2010/2011 fiscal year. Both governments, as expected, are running deficits again in a recession year and both expect to come of out deficit budgeting in the fiscal year 2012/2013. The big news for UFV students coming out of these budgets is the federal Career Focus program and a $31 million cut to student aid in BC. The federal Career Focus program is designed to help the incoming berth of University and College graduates find employment after graduation. The program is receiving a one-off $30 million infusion of wage support to employers to take on University graduates, fitting with the overall Conservative plan of increasing employment prospects for everybody in the country.

On the provincial front, funding levels for post-secondary education remain steady from year to year. The big difference coming out of this budget though is that the extra-ordinary funding that students may receive from Studf.lnt Support Program funding is going to decrease drastically. This budget line is being cut by $31 million, or by 27.4 per cent of last years funding with no other new avenues of funding being opened up to make up this loss.

The Federal government also allocated more money to the Indirect Costs Program, which Is where the federal government helps alleviate the hidden costs that many research projects at several institutions may incur. The extra funding that this program is receiving is approximately $8 million. Indirect Costs specifically focuses on things such as utilities and the administrative costs of doing research. The various federal research agencies are also receiving a further $32 million annually.

The federal government also committed $20 million to the Pathways to Education program, which is an initiative for Canadian groups that historically have not enrolled into post-secondary edu-

ans, low-income Canadians, recent immigrants and families without educational backgrounds as the groups most likely to benefit.

Both the provincial and federal governments have made no action regarding the employment conditions for current students seeking to fund their education. Various student groups and opposition parties have criticised this indifference to student employment as a major oversight by the Federal and provincial governments.

The BC NDP said that ;,The student employment rate is currently at its highest in history." The Canadian Alliance of Student Asso• ciations (CASA) National Director Arati Sharma said, "Students lost $500 million in income last year due to high unemployment but there were no new inve!:itments in th~ summer jobs program, no increases in the Canada Student Granls Program, and no changes to the student loan system so students can pay the bills they arc facing today."

Other highlights from the provincial budget include the provincial cutting of several public sector service jobi; as the government downsizes to deal with the deficit it is going to running for the next several years.

In addition, families with children under the age of 18 have the option of property tax deferral to recognize the "high cost of raising a family." Also up $1.9 billion from last year is the $5.9 billion for the 850 accelerated capital projects across BC. Federal non-post secondary highlights included the suspension of the home renovation tax credit, the lack of personal income tax cuts and increases, and the increased capital spending to stimulate economic growth.

The largest concern for both levels of government running deficit budgets is the fact that interest rates are currently at historic lows. Should the interest rates rise, expect the posted deficits at the end of the fiscal year to be signi ficnntly larger than those projected currently.

The Cascade is hiring a News Writer The News Writer works in conjunction

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with the News & Opinion Editor to

produce three news/feature pieces per issue. News Writers must be comfortable conducting interviews and possess strong writing skills. Knowledge of CP Style and inDesign would be an asset, but are not a requirement.

To apply, send applications to cascade. news@ufv. ·a. ..

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6

NATO Airstrike Kills Women and Children in Afghanistan I

JOEL SMART STAFF WRITER NATO airstrike on February 21 left 27 innocent civilians dead, with another 14 injured, in Afghanistan. NATO believed the three vehicles targeted by the attack were harbouring "insurgents", but would not explain what, other than the location, led to the belief.

Stanley McChrystal, head of NATO forces in Afghanistan, apologized for the mistake, which resulted in the deaths of women and children. "We are extremely saddened by the tragic loss of innocent Iives."

However, a Canadial'IPress article reported that Amanullah Hotaki, head of Uruzgan's provincial council, was not satisfied with the apology. ''All the time they shoot civilians and say sorry, which makes no sense to me." Hamid Karzai, president of Afghanistan, called the attack "unjustifiable".

The University of the Fraser Valley's political science department head, Hamish Telford, said the airstrike mistake could push the locals further away. "Every time we kill civilians in these kind of strikes, we sow distrust with the Afghan people. They arc already suspicious of us anyway • - we are foreigners to begin with and the locals know that we will not stay forever. But members of the Taliban will stay forever. The more we alienate lhe locals, the more they wW tend to side with the Taliban."

According to CNN, an official ur,der investigation for the attack explained the strike was launched due to "spccificintellig1mcc" which made them believe that members

A

-~~I of the Taliban were in the vehicles.

He described what led to the helicopter opening fire, "Air assets picked up the movement of the vehicles and after an extensive overhead monitoring, the ground force commander ordered the strike."

The vehicles were travelling towards Kandahar province.

Scott Fast, a political science professor at UFV, explained that this type of warfare has unfortunate results. "Drawing upon the experience of recent history, when nations fight 'terrorists' (non-stale actors who employ violence against persons and/or property to obtain political ends) by dropping bombs on potential targets which necessarily cause collateral damage and death to those not targeted, the result is counter-productive."

Fast went to explain how it may lead to more terrorism, ultimately. "The result is, again and again, to solidify the offended community against those who have dropped the bombs, provide material evidence that can be viewed by all which supports the analysis of the terrorists thems Ives, and serves to produce more 'terrorists' and new generations of 'terrorists.' The United Stales and lsrael never seem to learn this lesson."

Telford explained why airstrikes are actually designed to kill fewer civilians and soldiers,

on

during a war against an insur· gent army like the Taliban. "Insurgent armies tend to be small, fragmented, poorly trained and poorly equipped, but extremely difficult to fight because they can't be seen or easily separated from the civilian population."

"Additionally, insurgent armies tend not lo be worried about causalities -· their own or civilians.

By contrast, western armies are very worried about losing casualties. Every time a Canadian soldier is killed, support for the war effort slips in Canada. The same is true in the United States. For both these reasons •· not enough soldiers on the ground and a desire to minimize casualties -- our armies rely to a very large degree on technology to fight the enemy."

To better understand what makes an insurgent army so difficult to fight, Telford descrJbed some of their tactics. ''They don't wear uniforms, and they don't present themselves on the battle field to engage a regular army.

They move about the country by blending into the local population -- something we couldn't do in Afghanistan even if we took off our uniforms•· and they fight the enemy by surprise attacks and booby-traps."

There have been a number of civilian deaths in Afghanistan recently. A remote-controlled bomb exploded near a bus terminal killing eight people and injuring 16 others, according lo Reilfers. The bomb was one of th rec bombs to go off within 24 hours of each other. The bombings led to a total of four more deaths than the NATO airstrike, as a suicide bomber killed 16, while another bomb killed seven.

FRfDAY, MARCH 12th, 2010

U-PassEligibilityExpanded PAUL BRAMMER NEWS& OPINIONEDITOR Fee-paying students who do not receive credit for their studies are now able to apply for the U-Pass, as part of several changes to the Student Union Society's bylaws that were made at the March 4 Extraordinary General Meeting of the SUS. The change allows any students taking courses at UFV to receive the U-Pass, provided that they pay their membership fees.

Chelsea Waterton, Vice President of Finance, commented at the SUS EGM on the bylaw change, "There are restrictions on the fees. Not just any person from the community can pay the fees to become a are afraid that certain people will member; you must be an ongoing come into power and use funds student to become a member of and resources to remain in their the Society." Jay Mitchell, Rep-at- executive position. This change Large, confirmed that the change will ensure new people can move "ensures that you must be a stu- into executive positions." dent in some form to be a member In addition, the EGM amended of the society." bylaws concerning the workload of Other bylaw changes that were the President and the V.P. fnternal. adapted during the EGM include Under the new byl~ws, both office the restrictions on the tenure of holders are contractually obliged Executive members of the UFV to fulfill a certain amount of their Student Union Society. The bylaw office hours on both the Abbotschange states: "All Directors shall ford and Chilliwack campuses evhold Executive office for not more ery week. The original proposed than five years total, either consec- amendment was only applicable to utively or non-consecutively.'' the President, but it was amended Ryan Petersen, Rep-at-Large, to incorporate the Vice President said that the bylaw amendment Internal also. Disabilities Rep. was needed to pre-emptively deal Debbie Ellis explained the amendwlth the issue of Executive mem- ment. "The Vice President Internal bers holding positions for too long, should be spending time in Chilliand the issues that arise from one wack. It is in their duties and stuperson or persons monopolizing dents have requested lhis.11 positions. "Some individuals feel Another bylaw change said that that some people sitting on the the Vice Pr 1;iiQnt Tn,t~pl w!LI Board for long periods of lime take on the role of the President takes up positions from other peo- when the President is absent for ple." less than one week. However, abWatcrlon, V.P. Finance, echoed sences over a week will necessitate the concern that little or no restric- the Board to approve an Interim tions on the length of terms could President from their Board of Dicreate de facto oligarchies. "We rectors.

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Notice of an Extraordinary General Meeting of the Cascade Journalism Society

Thursday, March 18, 1:00 p.m, room A310.

If quorum is not reached there will be a second try one week later on March 25th at 1:00 p.m in roomA310.

Agenda: i.) Approval of EGM agenda ii.) Minutes from last AGM iii.) Budget for the 2010/2011 fiscal year iv.) Resignation of director(s) v.) By-election of new directors to fill vacant student-at-large positions vi.) New Business vii.) Q&A viii.) Adjourn

All students are encouraged to attend.

For more information, contact the Society President at cascade.society@gmail.com

T FRIDAY, MARCH 12th, 2010

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Atheists, Skeptics and Humanists, 0 AARON BAYES The club has had a few great CONTRIBUTORevents too, but T'mespecially look· ing forward to an evening with 've been writing opinion pieces William B. Davis • you may know for this paper for a few weeks him bcist from his portrayal of the now, and so far I have resisted cigarette smoking government vilthe urge to write about all sorts of lain on the X-Files.lie is quite an things rfind interesting that others outspoken skeptic, and will be at may not. 111ings like my opinion the University House, room F125 on the new Star Trek Online game at 7PM on Tuesday, March the vs. World of Warcraft,my favourite 16th. He'll talk about skepticism Saturday Night Live sketches from in general, and I think he plans to 15 years ago, or which is the hot- discuss skepticism toward global test girl on the Disney channel. Or, warming (global warming is real, old war stories. But now I'm going btw), and he'll also answer your to utilize this space to shamelessly questions about the X-Fi/csl I sinpromote a little club I organized, ccirely hope to see many of you as well as an event coming up there. soon.

I also need to give a shout out I started the Atheists, Skeptics to the Center for Inquiry (www. and Humanists club a few se- centerforinquiry.nct). They have mesters ago, and it's been ... in- supported the club from the beteresting. I've gained insight into ginning, and they publish two of the workiugs of UPV, and what it my favourite magazines, Skeptical takes to get things done around Inquirerand FreeInquiry (thciy sent here (not much, you just have to me boxes of them, just ask me for ask, really). one!).

I've learned something about Recently they bestowed upon the students and faculty here as me the title of Regional Campus well. We have some very intelli- Coordinator, so if you know a gent and respectable people here. campus between the west coast I'll admit I'm a little disappointed and the far side of Manitoba that with the response from the reli- needs help starting a group like gious community in Abbotsford this, let me know.

- there hasn't been one. And I'm Finally, I'd like to inform you certainly not pointing my finger that we are selling fish! Darwin at all believers out there, but some Fish, and other cheeky emblems, of you have torn down my posters! arc just $5. They arc sold at just Don't feel bad for me though, this above cost (I didn't want to carry is just how people react to things metal change) and proceeds supthey fear and don't have the chutz- port the A.S.H.Club. pah to confront. Flattering, really!

Tf you would like one of those

I

magazines, a fish, or to argue/agree about any of the topics intrinsic to atheism, skepticism or humanism, drop by Casciy's on Campus. You can find the club having regular meetings there Tuesdays at noon.

I'll even show you the Darwin fish I have tattooed on my ass!

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Char::1ge Your Minds, Not YourAnthems does not exactly ring true for CaALEX WATKINS

CONTRIBUTORnadians whose religions are not monotheistic, not to mention those ast week our government made who hold no religious convictions and then promptly dropped a whatsoever. proposition to rewrite the fourth Additionally, anti-Olympic proline of the national anthem. The testors inadvertently raised a releline would have officially become, vant point with their alternate ver"In all our hearts' command," sion of the anthem, which changes with a replacement of the term the second line to "Our home on "sons" in ac• knowledgement thab patriotism isn't something felt only by men.

A spokesperson for the Prime Mi ni!:iter's office stated that this was a rcisult of obvious public outcry, and although I apparently wasn't within earshot, I can't say that I disagree with the angry masses.

Yes, as Canadians we pride Native land," addressing the fact ourselves on our belief in equality, that this country is not the native which necessarily includes gender land of the European descendants equality. Yes, numerous scholars who live here but rather the indigwill not hesitate to inform you enous people that the land was that the type of language we use stolen from. in speaking about people and subAdditionally, I feel that in this jects both shapes and reflects the case the zeal for gender equality way we think about them. Howev- and women's rights would be ener, there's no denying the fact that tirely misplaced; the type of petieven if the change was approved, tioning and protest that would be the national anthem would still necessary to fight the public opporemain far from politically cor• sition could undoubtedly be put to rcct. For one thing, the anthem better use in relation to more procontains the line "God keep our found injustices. land, / Glorious and free," which F_or~me thing, changing the na-

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tional anthem would not help the Canadian women working in apprenticeships or trades, who earn 65 cents for every dollar earned by men with the same qualifications.

On a global scale, it would not help the millions of girls in African and Middle-Eastern countries who have undcirgone or will undergo ritualistic clitoridectomies, a practice in which some or all of the external female genitalia is cut off in an attempt to eliminate sexual desire and cinsure chastity and fidelity.

And it certainty would not help Sawsan Salim, a Saudi Arabian woman who - I was disgusted to learn - will receive 300 lashings and 18 months in jail for filing complaints about court officials (most prominently a judge who pressured her to divorce her convicted husband), and for coming to court unaccompanied by a man.

These kind of bmtal and shocking transgressions are the real women's rights issues, and the fact that they continue to occur in the twenty-first century should be a total assault to our sense of justice.

If you have a problem with the national anthem, sing the lyrics differently and encourage others to do the same. But use your time and effort lobbying on the behalf of women who are truly_suffering.

ToJennifer Colbourne,

that will deter patrons, rathcir than invite them. When I say useless vulgarity, I am referring to your comment about running on stage and yelling "VAGINA'' with absolutely no context.

We do not need to resort to useless controversy in order to have our voices heard.

With this information, there should be absolutely no question as to why UFV Theatre presents quality work that will be well received by our loyal, strong and appreciative audience (who just may be slighfly older than your average University student). Perhaps you are not looking beyond the scope of this most rciccint season. Last year, we presented shows from Quebec City in the 60s, to the Arctic, to Denmark. There was nothing homespun about any of those productions. For the record, the UFV theatre does not produce "the occasional Shakespeare". The UFV theatre has consistently produced one Shakespeare production, every year, for the entire 30 years that the department has exii;ted. r thought I should clear that fact up.

I hope that your perception of our two most recent shows will not prcivcnt you from coming out to see A Midsummer Night's Dream. [f that is still not to your liking, [ hope that you will come out to our Director's Festival at the end of April and moybe some of those more cutting-edge shows will be to your liking. Judging by your article, I assume that you have been out to see a few productions and I would like to thank you for your support and I hope that you will continue lo give it.

read your article about how the UFV theatre caters to people over and I would like to agree with you on that point. Yes, the UFV theatre caters to their audience, who just happens to be middle• aged or older. What you failed to mention in your article is exactly why the UFV thciatre caters to this audience.

Did you know that the UFV theatre productions are financially self-sustaining? Did you know that, from ticket sales, we generate enough money to provide budgets for 3 large-scale, main-stage productions each year? And that's not even mentioning the funding that goes towards the Director's Festival and the money that it takes to support two salaries (that of our carpenter and technician) each year. On top of all of this, the University takes a certain percent right off the top of our profits. This doesn't even touch on the other huge issue of moving campuses in Chilliwack and the extreme lack of a theatre in the University's plans for the CEP. The Theatre Department does not have a convenient cut of each student's tuition to fund our endeavors. We cannot all be so fortunate.

Another issue that was not addressed in your article was the fact the UFV is just that, the University of the Fraser Valley. We are not a downtown Vancouver school.

We are a border-line rural, valley school. Why should wci try to pretend to be anything that we're not?

Theatre is a representation of real life and you said yourself that we do it well.

There is no need for useless AliShewon vulgarity in om main-st_ag<_: ~~o~s________ _

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8

Rise of the Google Bots

FRlDAY,MARCH 12th,2010

UFV~ SPEAKS II

JED MINOR PRODUCTION n his Marriageof Heavenand Hell, William Blake wrote that, "If the doors of perception were cleansed every thing would appeu to man as it is, infinite. For man has closed himself up, till he secs all things through narrow chinks of his cav-

I

ern."

Aldous Huxley took from these lines the title of his book, The Doors of Perception, in which he theori1,es, among other things, that a person's mind rather than being a collector of data is like a tap that limits the total information we are able to perceivein order to ensure our survival.

Huxley's concept is that, if we wereable to perceive all the information available to us we would be unable to function and death, not enlightenment, would ensue.

In this he seems to be referring to a sort of ''collective unconscious" similar to that proposed by the Swiss psychiatrist, Carl Jung.

Many other great minds have also talked about a sort of "Universal Intelligence" or "Ether" which binds all human minds, and now those ideas exist in a tangible form.

We know it as "The Internet."

In the early days of the internet, search engines were so inefficient that while searching for informa· tion on "string theory" you were as likely to end up on a low-end shoe website, or a blog devoted to the love of strings (I'm sure they exist), as you were to hit on anything relevant to quantum mechanics.

Now search engines have been refined to the point that you can

Q: Who do you think should have won best picture for the Oscars?

A: Probably Avatar. Cause it was probably the best selling movie.

Q:What was the last movie you saw in theatres?

A: I can't remember ...

Q: What do you think about having to pay for the free parking?

A: I have to pay for parking?! Oh, Tdon't pay for it as it is ...

Q: What are you studying right now?

A: Nursing, its so much fun.

Q: How often do you read the Cascade? [laughs] umm, I don't go to this campus Q: What do you think about the SUS, are they doing any good?

A: [pauses] Yes. Q: Do you go to any events on campus?

A:No. Google the answer to a specific math question and, more often than not, come to the right answer. Homework has never been so easy. Of course, it helps that the total information available on the web has greatly increased. When it comes to some of my interests like graphic and web design, if the an-

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swer isn't contained in a YouTube tutorial it can usually be found in an online forum. Which begs the question - what now is the purpose of education?

If most of the information in the world is maintained externally in a giant electric brain, what is the point of keeping that information internally in your grey matter like some kind of 20th century sucker?

When any data can be accessed almost immediately then perhaps all the 21st century student needs is the will to access that information rather than the physical presence of it in book or human form.

Perhaps the role of the Teacher or Institution in this day and age is to be a motivator to learn rather than a provider of information.

We have all the what and how we need, but at times we are sorely lacking in Why. My dear friend Joel and I were discussing a site that used a direct query as a "security question'' rather than the usual mass of jumbled letters. I believe the question was "What month comes before July?"

This of course is intended to weed out all the computer programs or "bots" that log-on to message boards and proceed to spam them mercilessly. Theoretically only a human would know that June comes before July; check and mate, stupid bots!

How terrifying would it be then if the bots became so adept at Googling information that they are then able to answer any "direct query" security question and thereby pose as humans? By being able to access the sum total of human knowledge, and make decisions based on it, these new bots may be said to have achieved a level of sentience.

As humans, we would like to think that we are very different from a mere computer program given our ability to intake and process complex information. At that point, however, if we humans find the majority of our information on the internet and use that same knowledge to process it as well, how different would we be?

Andrea Q: Who is your favourite hockey player?

A: Louie? The goalie, Luongo. I'm not really into hockey.

Q: Who do you think should have won best picture for the Oscars?

A: I'm not really a huge film person either?

Q: What was the last movie you saw in theatres?

A: Avatar.

Q: What are you studying right now?

A: Visual Arts. Fine arts.

Q: You're into art then. What's the last gallery you went to?

A: Vancouver Art Gallery last weekend. They had Lenonardo Da Vinci's sketchings on the human body on display.

Q: What do you think about having to pay for the free parking?

What?! Oh that sucks! I feel ripped off.

Q: What do you think about the SUS, are they doing any good?

A: I don't know, they haven't really done anything form@personally.

-

Emma Q: Who do you think should have won best picture for the Oscars?

A: I think the dghHul winner won.

Q: Who's you favourite hockey player?

A: Right now, probably Sydney Crosby.

Q: What do you think about having to pay for the free parking?

A: I don't use it. I do care though but I usually pay for parking or else I park at the church and then walk.

Q: What's your favourite NHL Team?

A: The Canucks What do you think about the SUS,are they doing any good?

A: Ummm sure, I don't really pay attention.

., FRIDAY, MARCH 12th, 2010

9

THE CASCADE

Ulysses Ain't Got Nothing on Me MARINA PARAPJNJ

CONTRIBUTORso disappointing to sacrifice practically every night of sleep the week leading have never packed so much life into up and miss the final game because no eleven days. The whirlwind of activ- one in Spain knows what hockey is. The ity started when my father came to visit next morning I ran to a computer in the for a weektmd, in which we crammed hostel to sec the result. When I came a tour of Nice (including some bouilla- back rejoicing, the six Americans with bai8se, a traditional seafood stew), Mo- whom Twas travelling told me that they naco (gambling and winning at the slots had secretly hoped Canada won so that in Montenegro, petting a Ferrari and I wouldn't be miserable company! staring wistfully al some of the largest The last three days of my trip were privately owned yachts in the world), a the true test of my endurance. Saturday r scenic drive to Antibes and finally the morning J woke up feeling ill from too airport in Marseilles. I've seen more of much fun and not enough sleep. Thad a the French Riviera landscape with my difficult time finding the bus station to dad during those days than the whole take me to the airport and arrived just month of being here. Trains arc conve- in time to get one of the last three spots. nient, but coastal roads are much more Had I missed the bus I would have subbeautiful. sequently missed my plane as well. 1 Sunday at Marseilles, my dad and I landed in the Paris Beauvais airport parted ways: he continued onto Jtaly which l mistakenly thought was actuto visit family while I flew into Madrid ally in Paris and not a two hour transit to meet with friends for a tour of Spain ride (first bus, then metro) to the city. I during our week's holiday. By some finally got into town at one in the morndivine miracle, I met llp with them ac- ing, met some random people and didn't cidentally on the Mad.rid subway: they get to bla!duntil six. One hour later I was walked into the exact car in which I was back on the metro to meet up with my sitting. We visited Salamanca (a small sister. town that had beautiful churches and It was such a relief to get into France .very scenic architecture) and spent two again, a country in which J can comdays in Pamplona, the town Hemingway municate easily. I spent Sunday with made famous in "The Sun Also Rises". I my sister and her school: first a walking rounded off my trip with Barcelona, my tour of Paris, then lunch and shopping favourite Spanish city by for. at Champs-Elys~es. We had a farla!well The two things l miss about home are dinner before I left to take the night train our lush, green forests and hockey. And back to Nice, arriving at 8:30 am, just in the major thing I, missed from not being time for my 9 o'clock French exam. Paris at home is the celebration when Canada je t'aimc but Nice is becoming home. won the gold in men's hockey. lt was

I

SilentAuction Helps Raise 'For the love of guitar, . __KAMILA HINKSON THECONCORDIAN Money for Art Grads Visual hen Andrew Whiteman W picks up the phone it sounds Arts show in the future like there's something noisy going TR.E_V_OABK raiser because we have to take into STAFF WRITER account the cost of paint, lights, projectors (light bulbs for the pron a bid to provide funds to keep jectors which are really expensive), up with the constantly expand- food, advertising, catalogues, inviing, and increasingly intricate tations, materials, and entertainBachelor of Fine Arts Grad Show ment," said Tsurumaru. at UFV, the staff and students of Although the VA budget covthe Visual Arts (VA) department ers the essential costs related to recently held a silent auction in the Grad Show, these have been 6106 at the UFV Abbotsford cam- growing in recent years with the pus. The auction, which has been increased popularity of the proheld on an annual basis for the gram. past three years, had up for grabs a "The students are incredibly variety of items ranging from stu- grateful for the support they redent paintings, to gift cards, jewel- ceived through the auction, and lery (constructed by alumni Janet we're also very lucky to have the Comer), and ti:!xtbooks. support of the Student Union SoThe Bachelor of Fine Arb; Grad ciety and the Visual Arts Student Show will take place from April Association," added Tsurumaru.

27 until May 17 this year, and will SomQof the more unusual items begin with an opening reception students, staff, and the general at 6:30 on April 27. The title of this public were able to bid on include years show, "Cannot Not," accom- a clock made out of bicycle parts, panies the theme of "obsession." and a day of crab fishing with Artwork from fifteen UFV stu- UFV student Chris Janzen. A drill dents will be displayed throughfrom home depot, a snuggy, potout buildings 6 and C, something tery, perfume and photo enlargers that UFV VA instructor Grace Tsu• made up the rest of the Hems up rumaru says, is unprecedented for for auction. the program.

The event concluded with a bid"These shows seem to be get- ding war between a UFV student ting bigger every year," said Tsu- and staff member, and the majorrumaru. " Last year the group ity of the items being sold to supwas smaller so the exhibition was port the show. held only in the Gallery, including When asked about whether or nearby hallways. This year will be not the Bachelor of Fine Arts siquite a leap in terms of the number lent auction would be making an of spaces utilized for the display of appearance next year, Tsurumaru artworks," she noted. noted that "Maybe one day there Tsurumaru added that although will be enough money in our budthe silent auction is "incredibly get to cover these costs so that we time-consuming to set up," it is don't have to do our own fundraisworth it as "the funds help pay for ing." Until that time however, exmany items that would otherwise pect to see the auction return for a be unaffordable." fourth consecutive year.

"We needed to do this fund-

I

on in the background. You might expect the muddied sounds to be him tweaking away at his guitar or mastering his latest single. But at 1 p.m. on a Friday afternoon, the day his first Montreal show with Apostle of Hustle since moving there from Toronto, Whiteman is still in bed. "Mc? Busy?" he asks in response to a question about the noise.

Whiteman is the lead singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist frontman of Apostle of Hustle. But he also plays guitar in Broken Social Sc@ne,something that cuts down on the time he has for his own project.

"Broken Social Scene, in a lot of ways, is my first priority." he says, but admits that it's difficult to juggle the two acts. Whiteman said he "love[s] Broken Social Scene, and it makes money. Apostle of Hustle doesn't make money ... we do it for the love of guitar, bass, and drums - for rock 'n' roll."

He revealed that Apostle of Hustle is down to a two-piece band after losing a member to the frustration caused by the lack of income and intermittent activity. ''It's super frustrating for the other guys. They're not playing in Arcade Fire," he says. "Some bands tour their asses off, while we tour twice every two years."

Whiteman grew up in Toronto, but admitted to always having a love affair with Montreal. About a year ago, he decided, ''H was time to get serious, a person can only take so much flirting." As a musician, Whiteman said he has no problem finding something to love in any city. "I can be dumped in the parking lot of a Wal-Mart in

bass and drums'

Boise, Idaho and still find something beautiful."

Dark beauty is what you'll find on Apostle of Hustle's latest LP, Eats Darkness. It's a blend of sound collages and original songs that comes in at 35 minutes. It's a short album by most accounts, but somehow doesn't seem that way untll you real.ize it's done.

Described as a "fight" album, the first line of the second song, "Eazy Speaks," reads "keep your friends close and your enemi~s closer."

Paired with the 30-second sound collage that opens the album, "Snakes," - which explains why untrustworthy people are referred to as snakes - a loose theme begins to develop that reoccurs through out the album.

"What are you fighting? You're

fighting the darkness," Whiteman explains. It's that idea, fighting the darkness in our lives and emerging to the other side of that fight, that makes up the true theme of Eats Darkness.

"Think about the darkness in your own life," he says. "Thereare little ones, and global-spanning ones ... and if you have to live another day, you find a way to deal with that."

His coping mechanism involves "eating" that darkness, using your body to transform it, and "shitting out Ught." But what if while eating that darkness, it becomes too much to bear?

"No one said it would be easy.

You can get lost," he warns. "That how we learn, J guess."

FRIDAY,MARCH 12th,2010

THE CASCADE

10

Tribute to Her People UFV alumna artist Lisa Shepherd onOlympic experience JOEL SMARTbottle designs used at the Beijing STAFFWRITER Games were. However, she was able to get started by treating it as isa Shepherd, a Fine Arts grad- though it were a project assigned uate from the Apparel Design to her at UCFV. "I got into that program at (what was then) VCFV head space, you know the only in 1991, was the final artist of 15 way to cat an elephant is one bile chosen to participate in the Coca- at a time," she said, "and I tackled Cola Aboriginal Art Bottle project it. Actually when I was doing up for the Olympic Winter Games. the design, I really puJJed from my The project, open to aboriginal Fashion Illustration course that T artists, was to artfully design ::i went through at the university." six foot Coc::i-Colabottle to be disAlthough Shepherd took it on played at the Olympics and later as an art project, before long it auctioned off with profits going became much more than that. It to the Vancouver 2010 Aboriginal turned out to be an incredibly rewarding experience, as it transYouth Lcg::icyFund.

Her design, entitled "The formed her relationship with her Awakening," "representi; the art, family, giving them an increased culture, and lifestyle of the M~fo, i;ense of self G?steemand value. It people while remembering and allowed them to reconnect, and honoring the ancestors." Accord- create new bonds in ways she had ing lo the Four Host First Nations never imagined. It began when website, "The design of the bottle Coca-Cola told her that she would itself brings together elements that need to track down everyone who are distinct to the Metis people: appeared in the photos on her beaver fur, the Hudson Bay blan· design. The photos she had used ket, the combination of leather- were of her long-lost ancestors. "It work with floral beading on wool seemed like a really overwhelmthat was so unique to the Mctis, ing task in the beginning, but it the sash that historically had so actually ended up working out. 1 m::inypractical uses and photo im- managed to track down the people ages of the ::incestors." in the photographs, or their next of In an interview, Shepherd ex- kin, and that has caused a whole plained that she was initially quite chain reaction to a reconnection nervous and overwhelmed by the within my family tree." prospect of the creation, especialShepherd shared a touching ly after seeing how beautiful the story about reconnecting with the

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first cousin of her father, who had lost touch with her father over the years. She also talked about a man named George Alexander Campion, pictured on the front of the bottle as a "handsome soldier''.

He died in World War II, but his heroic efforts led to a mountain in the Rockies being named after him. "He was a catalyst for me, in my childhood, wanting to learn about my heritage,'' she said, "He has just been this character on my family tree that I was very intrigued about."

After the bottle had been on display for a period of time, and many of the relatives had come to Vancouver specifically to see the photos on it, she received a surprise phone call. "There was an elderly voice on the other end, and all she said was 'I used to go fishing at Hastings Lake, and for two years before he went off to war, I dated George Campion.' t was in tears," Shepherd revealed.

"Here is this connection now that 1 have, that I am able to ask all kinds of questions about him. We talked for about two hours that afternoon. ( learned so much about him ... It has been an incredible gift to design the bottle, beyond what most people could possibly appre• ciate unless it was their own family that was on there, and they had experienced these things."

Dr. Seuss

Celebrates 106th Birthday at UFV

Shepherd, who was also involved in creating some of the traditional aboriginal clothing that was worn during the opening ceremonies, expressed that she felt the cultural exposure at the Olympics was an opportunity for all of Canada and the world to gain a better understanding of aboriginal culture. She explained that the work she was doing was also important for her people. "lam doing it with the gift that the Creator has given me, and I was given that gift for a specific reason.

I feel the work that I do is for the healing of our ::incestors, and also gives pride to our children.

So there is a spiritual side to the reason why I do what I do."

She is optimistic about the future for her people. ln the past there has been hurt and shame, but she sees a significant change. Pcopk arc sensing an increased identity and value.

"When this happens, it means my little boy, and all children, can grow up without any of those tears, and just celebrating, and just feeling the joy."

Shepherd had some inspirational words to share as the interview drew to a close. "I really do believe in the power of one, and r don't mean as in the title of a book," She explained, "I mean as in your ability to bring forward something good to this Earth, to future generations. As an artist, that is really important in creating. J would encourage any student that is coming through UFV, to re'aJly consider how they are contributing, and to work to their own personal highest potential. Then you will be successfu 1 in your career and in your life."

MUSIC · IS Th . 8 MOS t Sincere Form Of The ra PY

(~l~brated Author Revolutionized Children's Literature

some of their more personal songs PAUL FALARDEAU SARAH SPILLMAN are he::irtwrenching. The band and ARTS& LIFEEDITOR-t-----'"""""""'c""'o'"""Nr"""R...,.IB=u-r.,.o.,.,.R front man, Josh Ramsay, all have a wide range of ability and skill. artin Kelly's hair was stm purusic is the single most powThis is even more apparent at ple from the Holi celebration erfu 1 thing on earth. It has their live shows. There is so much the day before. Already he'd moved on, on his head sat a hat, three feet the power to in:;pire, to bring a energy in the crowd and band, and listener to tears, and to entertain.

R::imsay proves that he truly has tall, maybe more.

Rhyming, just one of the le:,sons Anything and everything can be a gift when it comes to his voice. learnt from reading Dr. Seuss. UFV said in a form of music. A lyric can Hearing a song about something student life celebrated the 106th say something that is at the depth I might have been through makes me feel, as many will say and we birthday on March 2nd. Another les- of a writer's soul. An instrument son learnt was "A person's a person can bring up an emotion someone all know how lame it sounds, less no matter how small." never thought they had. alone and slightly more normal.

When I "grow up," I want to Music can still be powerful, even Martin Kelly, amidst cutting huge be a music therapist. Music thera- without words. An orchestra's mupieces of a fantastic, wobbly, gummy bear covered cake made by student, pists, basically, help an individual sic can provoke raw emotions just and SUS member, Ryan Peterson, overcome personal issues using by playing a few bars. The music told everyone that compared to the music and movement to music. of an instrumental group can, dechildren's stories he had when he Music can also be used to bring up pending on song and situation, be was young, we had things good. He repressed memories and, again, very relaxing, as well. also noted that "without Seuss we help the client overcome problems.

Also, just being a part of a conwouldn't h::ive Harry Potter or any- This profession is used by having cert band is the most amazing feelthing, you don't know how lucky you a client re-learn how to use basic ing in the world. I personally think are." motor functions again by almost everyone should be required to Dr. Seuss, born Theodor Geisel teaching them to move to music, as know how to play one instrument, printed such classics as The Cat in the it has a steady and generally much and perform in a band al least Hat and One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, repeated beat. Music therapy can once, just to know what it is like Blue Fish. Perhaps these titles seem a also be used in group sessions for to have music being made on all bit beneath University students but people who have difficulty with sides of them, knowing that they Seuss' work has undoubtedly been socialization; they all have to com- are contributing to it.

No matter if it is rock, pop, rap, the foundation for many young learn- mu nicatc with each other to make ers. Environmentalism is approached a song. Music is good for the soul soul or ska, music of all kinds in TheLoraxand everyone remembers and mind, and the fact that music provides people of all ages and the words of Oh the Places You'll Go therapists even exist is proof of cultures with a sense of entertainment and release. People all over being read to high school grads and that.

When T think of a good band, the world, since the dawn of man, what would Christmas be without The Grinch.Even HortonHearsa Who, my first thought is, obviously, my have been using music of all forms an atonement for Seuss' involvement favourite band. Marianas Trench to help them communicate and in World War 2 propaganda has valu- is a band from Vancouver who has celebrate with each other. Music is the life force of many and probbeen around as a group together able messages for children.

Check out www.ufv.ca for more since roughly 2002. They are able ably most people. It helps people upcoming events. to put into words things that I get through every day, hopefully, never could, and then sing about with a spring in their step and them; the lyrics can be honest and songs playing on repeat in their bold, and the explanations for minds and on their music players.

M

M

FRIDAY,MARCH 12th, 2010

THE CASCADE

Cinnamon Toast Funk Prove the Crunl{ is Funk Funkatologists agree,Cinnamon Toast Funk: partofa balanced meal second guitarist on stage. Similarly guitar, drum and keyboard solos seemed lo soar a bit louder faster and stronger.

Notable highlights came in the form of singa-long inspir· ing songs like "Anytime is a good time" and the fantastic Michael Jackson Cover, on which lead singer Harrison Mooney nailed every note. Ctis alcomposite of its influences, which ways a pleasure to have a crowd PAUlFALARDEAU ARTS& LIFEEDITOR seemed to be bands like the Kill- chant "grab that junk and strap me ers in some instances and Metric to the funk." 'm sure I'm not the only one, in others. There even seemed to Funk has always come with a considering the Cascade's read- be hints at Abbotsford mainstays, sense of humor and CTF is no exership, that hasn't been to an all- You Say Party! We Say Die! ception. Mooney and bass player ages show in a while. that was The result of their efforts was Jason arc as much comedians as the scene last Friday night at the danceable and coherent indie pop. they are musicians. Their onstage Abby Arts Centre where kids of all However, it was dampened by an rants and playful banter is great to ages packed in for the CD release overly aggressive keyboard sound watch and makes for an even betparty for Cinnamon Toast Funk. which often drowned out the oth- ter show.

Teens with vodka-filled slurpees er players (whether this is a stage The boys have a huge bag of in hand and clad in shorter than malfunction or not is debatable). tricks to use when they perform. ever skirts, parents, and college Still, the Tremulance are an enthu- Instruments are played behind students alike were in for a great siastic young bunch who seem to backs, band members wander into evening. have a genuine interest in making the crowd and jive with concertThe Tremulance were on stage music and that will take them far. goers and jumping splits are perbefore CTF. They are an obvious Taking the stage in match out- formed. The crowd then can't h1;:lp indie outfit if only judging by fits, and headlining the night, but return the favor and Friday's their, well, outfits. Thick-rimmed were Cinnamon Toast Funk. crowd danced through the whole glasses and skinny jeans were evThe band had an instant stage set. erywhere as almost every indie chemistry which had every memOverall it is this spirit, one of stereotype filled the stage, and ber of the audience hooked imme- seriousness in their love for music there were quite a few people up diately. that will see CTF rise to greater there: a drummer, a bassist, a keyIn support of their release, Feels heights. They come armed with board player, and lwo guitarists Much Better, which was reviewed a serious arsenal of killer tun~s.

- one of which shared lead vocals in a recent issue of the Cascade, Look out for them later this month with a female singer.

CTF played all the tracks from at the Duke of Dublin and pick up Overall the band had a good the album. The songs were often a CD, you'll Feel Much Better. sound but one that was largely a notably amped up as there was a

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11

Harma White Rock the Airfare Lounge Every Wednesday BRITTANY WIESNER SPORTS & HEALTHEDITOR

H

arma White - you've probably heard of them, Jn fact, I know you have. Not only do they occasionally play at Casey's on campus, they also preformed at Dis-O and they can be seen every Wednesday night at the Airfare Lounge in Downtown Abbotsford.

So I went to check it out.

The place wasn't packed at first, but it had many of the popular local band's friends and supporters.

The atmosphere was calm - "sometimes it's the regular crowd, and then sometimes you get people who just come to check us out and bring their friends," said guitarist, Kyler Pierce. Once the band started playing the atmosphere changed, and as soon as more people packed into the tiny lounge it became quite a party. They've been playing there since October and it's become a favourite spot for many to spend their Wednesday evenings.

The wall between performer and audience seemed non-existent, it was obvious they were enjoying themselves and loved what they were doing. They even had some people join them on stage to sing, like Dave, who according to some regulars sings a few songs every time, and both of the bartenders joined this time too.

Llncoming ~1flows

When asked why they play, Pierce responded that "obviously we do it for fun, but right now we're putting money away from this gig (because it's a weekly thing, it keeps us well practiced and gets a crowd) to do a recording." They're doing it themselves and will be working on it during March "so expect a Harma White, well, something you can listen too, put on your iPod. I'm expecting to have a good time doing it. That's basically the long term plan."

After the album the band is hoping to hit the road ''hopefully this summer we'll be trying to concentrate more on booking and playing gigs" Shane Clark the drummer said "and have a tour."

"Once we get the album out, we'll have a supporting tour, at least in BC, where we can reach, the island, the interior, we'll see what happens, we're going it for fun, so there's no rush, right?"

Pierce added.

Their overall performance was excellent. They had a raw sound that you don't hear very often anymore. And it's great that they cover the good oldies. Tf you're ever looking for something to do on Wednesday night (from about 9pm-lam), the Airfare Lounge is the place to be. Brandon Clark, the bassist, would like to add, to all the readers "keep it greasy."

SatMAR 27 SCATTERHEART -COMMODORE

SotMAR 20 MonMAR 29 EAT GUITARS· BILTMORE RAPHAEL SAADIQ & INDIA AIRE -ORPHEUM CYMBALS POSTDATA • MEDIA CLUB Tue MAR30 Wed MAR 24 SOULFLY ·VENUE· WEARE SOLD OUT ELECTRIC SIX-BILTMORE ThuAPR 01 DADA LIFE& SOUND OFSTEREO - FORTUNE ThuMAR 25 SOUND CLUB FALL OFTROY· RICKSHAW SAMAPALOOZA •VENUE IYAZ + SHWAYZE • GOSSIP THE SLACKERS -RICKSHAW FriMAR 26 FriAPR 02 NATALLIE PORTMAN'S SHAVED HEAD -PITPUB HUGH CORNWELL -MEDIA CLUB

•••-~•-•••MINI ALBUM IIEVIEWS•••··••···

FearFactory -Mechanize Since the relative shit sandwich of 2004 album Archetype,Fear Factory have done the only thing that they should have done - they rerecruited original guitarist and founding member Dino Cazares.

Cazares brings his considerable chops to new album Mechanize, which sees Fear Factory attempt to wrest back their crown of the best industrial metal band from ... noone in particular. The void that their disbanding left revealed the dearth of good industrial metal bands around. Which is a shame, because when it's done right it sounds freaking awesome. Mechanize will please FF fans hoping for a return to form a la Digimortal

TheFormat - DogProblems "I love being in love, l don't care what it docs to me" sings Nate Reuss, lead singer of The Format on "Inches and Falling" from their album DogProblems.The album is an enjoyable listen that is well worth looking into. " Matches" starts off the album with a fun circus atmosphere. The songs are a joyous dip into the world of pop, although no new ground is being broken by the Format. I Iowever, like the aforementioned quote says, its about the joy of making the music not being hip or cool. An added note. Dog Problemshas a wicked album cover, adding to the appeal of holding it in your hands.

fun.-AimandIgnite

Michael BubleCrazy Love

JasonCollett - RataTotTat

flrom Nate Reuss, singer of The Format (see above) comes fun. Reuss' new band's release is called Aim anrlIgnite and features a radical departure from The Formats practices. fun. come out with a sound that is at once more polished and rougher around the edges. Although woodwinds and strings are featured in tracks such as "Be Calm" the vocals are more frayed and desperate. The result is a joyous cacophony of voices and instruments. fun. produces the album to death, and that's a compliment. Check it out, it's definitely worth the listen.

With his fame rising since he 8ang an excellent version of "The Maple Leaf Forever," Michael Buble, the singer loved by teenage girls and mothers alik1;:,is a great Canadian artist, and his new album Crazy Love shows that dearly. His voice is remnant of a S0's crooner with a hint of modern talent. He covers many great love songs from the past like "Heartache Tonight". And his first single is the popular hit "Haven't Met You Yet" is great example of why he is a Canadian gem. This being his 12th album we're sure to see way more of him to come.

(spin.com) Tn 2008, this Broken Social Sccncstcr released a pleasant, mid-'70s singer-songwriter record, like Jackson Browne's Lat1;: for the Sky by way of Wilco, only softer. Here, he works the '70s nexus between bubblegum soul and country, like Stealers Wheel's ''Stuck in the Middle With You," only less sunny. Collett's vision of AM Gold is homespun (thanks to low-key Toronto backing band Zeus). He can't really pull off Dylan-ish literariness, but when he's loose, he more than earns his corduroy vest and Kris Kristofferson beard.

12

THE CASCADE

FRIDAY.MARCH12th,2010

AlbumReview Clan B Caruana Beatlefessed PAUL FALARDEAU ARTS& LIFEEDITOR maniacs (one of whom breaks ver since Danger Mouse down and starts mashed up Jay Z's The Black crying), and then Album with The Beatles' Wltite Al- Lhe recording of bum to make The Grey Album, there some irale Beatles has been a clamor to find the next denouncers. This big mix-up. approach gives Enter Tom Caruana. Taking you a quasi-bioa cappella Wu-Tang songs and graph ica1 insight fusing them with Beatles tracks, into the cult of Caruana has created something The Beatles, and wholly fresh and new from old makes a nice parts. change from the One of the ways in which Mys- simple cut-andtery Cltamberstrumps The Grey Al- shaft policies bum is its judicious and intelligent of lazy DJs the use of samples. Not content to sim- world over.

There is inply sit a Wu-Tang vocal track atop a Beatles song, Wu-Tang vs. The terview footage Beatles is more chameleonic; half from a 11of the Fab the fun is trying to work oul what Four, the best of Beatles song has been cut and which being John chopped. Also, Caruana has not Lennon defendjust stayed on that same formula ing his claim that - a great number of the songs take they were "Bigtheir samples and inspiration from ger than Jesus". However, without unlikely places. doubt, the best use of stock foot· A perfect example is the use age is the minute-long snap from of voice recordings from self-con- the now-deceased OJ' Dirty Bas-

tard, which is captured on audio professing his love for The Beatles, and the affinity that he feels WuTang's music has for the Liverpool

foursome. Then, 01' Dirty bursts out into singing "Love Me Do", backed up

by The Beatles version. Tt's hilarious, cool, and also pretty touching.

All of the inventive samples aside, the tunes themselves are great - let's face it, you want lo hear Ghostface tell you to fuck that and run over a Beatles track, of course you do. Other standout mash-ups are "Got your Money" and "Da Mystery of Chessboxin'," but to pick out individual tracks for praise seems counter-intuitive.

The real beauty of this album is putting it on start to finish and drinking in the vibe. ft may be hard to believe, but the fusion of those two supposed-

ly diametrically opposite groups comes across as a match made in heaven. Also, like any good mashup, it has the illusion of effortlessness that makes you think, "Why didn't I think of mashing up ODB and Ringo? Cadzooks!" Or words to that effect.

Whereas TlteGreyAlbu111 seemed to altracl attention more for the audacity of the undertaking than the actual album itself (which was not all that great, to be honest), Enter The Magical Mystery Chambershas, for now al least, slipped under the radar. Which is a shame, because this record is much less of a gimmick and more of a concerted effort to fuse not only two styles of music, but two legends, two phenomena, two separate slices of pop culture history, and turn them from opposite to apposite. In this respect, Caruana has triumphed.

The great news is that, thanks to the Interwebs, you can download it for free at ,ca Sea Records' website, tcasearecords.com. So now you've got no excuse.

Jar opposites of one another, coming together to create an album that sounds like two distinctly different things and when it tries to incorporate those two things it is (mostly) u nsuccessfu I. Songs like "The Ghost Inside" and (to a lesser extent) "Citizen" are pure Danger Mouse: undeniably catchy, featuring a strong, throbbing bass line that anchors a slinky falsetto (courtesy of Danger Mouse) that is accentuated by a sparing dose of tinkling piano keys. However, when James Mercer starts singing at the end of "The Ghost Inside" you arc left with a bad taste in your ears, thinking to yourself "what in the fresh hell just happened?" Conversely, "Vaporize" is essentially a Shin's song with Danger Mouse's name tacked on for street cred, I suppose. The real problem is that there only seem to be one or two songs (most notably, "The High Road") that sound like an actual collaboration of artists instead of songs with a

broken sound that work against each other rather than complementing one another.

There are glimpses of light within Broken Bells, but these glimpses of light only appear when Danger Mouse is allowed to be Danger

Mouse and when James Mercer is allowed to be James Mercer, otherwise it sounds like Danger Mouse produced a new Shins album or James Mercer has been inexplicably featured on a new Danger Mouse album.

E

AlbumReview Broken Bells - Broken Bells JORDAN PITCHER stream indie bands and managed

STAFF WRITER to dodge most of the pitch forks the insular indie community hurled at roken Bells is the combination him.

On Broken Bells (which is also o{James Mercer, lead singer of the now-defunct band, The Shins, the name of the band!), the sounds arc beautifully arranged and the and the pro! ific producer/musician Danger Mouse (though he is billed singing is aurally pleasant but by his real name, Brian Joseph somehow the end product remains Burton on this album). On paper, situated closer to the bland side of Broken Bells sounds like the mu- the musical spectrum than the insical equivalent of chocolate and teresting, relevant side.

It is the common trend in indie peanut butter-two things that will not only complement each music right now for musicians to other but blow minds and expand detox from their current band by forming a side project that will realities in the process.

Unfortunately, Broken Bells is usually only last one album. For safe to the point of boredom or, at example, Wes Miles, lead singer of the very least, apathy. l Jistorically, the awesome Ra Ra Riot collabowhen Danger Mouse produces or rated with Rostam Batmanglij, contributes to a musical project, keyboardist of Vampire Weekend the end result is largely unortho- to create Discovery, a band that dox and refreshing-this is the sounded like two people with a case with Gnarls Barkley, The Grey similar vision finding common Album, Danger Doom and Demon ground and producing excellent Days, the 2005 album by Gorillaz. music. Broken Bells sounds like the James Mercer, for his part, created exact opposite, it sounds like two one of the most notoriously main- musicians who arc the creative po-

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THE GOOD THE BAD & THE UFV SHUFFLE PAUL FALARDEAU SydBarrett -Love Song ARTS & LIFE EDITOR

Cinnamon Toast Funk Anytime isa Good Time It's a definite sign of good times when a local band writes a song this catchy. The first time I heard it I thought it might be a cover. The sound is familiar and jovial with a chorus that is so heart warming you won't be able to stop singing it for days on end.

There is something so sad about solo Barrett tracks (he was the creator of Pink Floyd who subsequently went mad and inspired most of their later work). The thing is that the only sad thing is his ultimate demise. His voice has a wonderful melancholy tone here so it is easy to place feelings of despair on it. Listen closely however, it seems as though Barrett may actually be experiencing bliss.

k-os• Love Song

Journey -

SheMakes Me(Feel Alright) Another love song? Not at all. This brilliant piece by one of today's finest hip-hop poets is a scathing rejection of the music industry. He systematically refuses to "build an image," sell out or lie to his fans. The samples and beats fall in to place brilliantly as K-os' rebellious rants are interspersed with childhood memories.

YesJourney. No not the Journey you all know and think you love.

Before they became to cheese fest that pumped out the campy classics like "Don't Stop Believing" (and I'll admit l've drunkenly sang to it in bars, which is what its perfect for, mindless fun, frankly I don't even know if "Don't Stop Believing" is its actual name) they produced some really stellar blues metal mayhem that most rock elitists would really dig. No, seriously.

JohnLennon -Working Closs Hero What a masterwork. The slow apocalyptic guitar here matches the song's somber mood. Lennon snarls and tears down egos as he spits great lines like "your all fucking peasants as far as l can see". In fact, I need give you no more reason to listen to this song.

That line is enough. Go now!

FRIDAY,MARCH 12th, 2010

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The Hurt Mulche1· PAUL BRAMMER NEWS& OPINIONEDITOR

rom time to lime, something comes along that sickens you so much, offends the core of your being so utterly that even gallows humour or self-immolation can't compensate for it.

Advertisements arc bogus - we all agree on that, as s1.mtientbeings (I hope). They have no artistic mer• it, they're gaudy, flashy, sickeningly saccharine sweet. They force a false reality down our throats and encourage hedonism, narcissism and nihilism with grotesque situ• ations and continuations of damaging stereotypes and pre-conceptions and prejudices.

Put it this way- none of us want to walk out of our door and see a drug dealer pushing his wares on the street corner where we live. So why do we allow it into our homes every single waking hour of our lives? Through the TV, the glow of your computer, the magazine you're reading, the side of the bus you're sat on, in people's haircuts, on the sides of products that you've just bought is an ad for something else that you need to part with your cash for IMMEDIATELY. Thank God that we as human beings are able to process infor• mation and recognize something without consciously seeing it - we'd all be exhausted by the amount of pimps and pushers that barge their way Into our field of vision over the course of a day.

And there's no end, of course.

Walk into any popular supermarket, and you'll know what I mean - September, back to school. Then Thanksgiving. Then Halloween.

Then Christmas. Then New Year's.

Then Valentine's Day. Then St.

F

Patrick's Day. Then spring break.

Then Easter. Then Mother's Day. Then Father's Day. Then Canada Day. Then summer holidays. Then back to school stuff.

And repeat. And repeat. And repeat. . .It becomes confusing to keep up with what you need to buy for what occasion - giving Easter eggs to war veterans never goes down well, and getting shit· faced on Guinness on Mother's Day is not always a good idea.

Do people genuinely wonder why kids go and shoot up their schools, or why so many of our generation and the' ones to follow will grow to be broken unrealistic individuals who have little contact with reality? Do we still muse on our inability to overcome the divides and ruptures that plague our society?

Of course, there are no quick-fix

solutions to endemic problems in our civilization, but we would do well to start pointing the finger at advertising. They're not helping anyone except their sordid selves.

Hey, if you've got a product, go ahead and advertise it, flog it, put it up in the shop window. But remember what you're pushing, you jumped-up snake-oil salesman.

If it's Aunt Jemima's, tell me that your syrup is the best and that your pancake mix tastes great.

Don't force-feed me some day· dream, pristine, perfect life that I'll inherit by remaining faithful to your product. Don't get ideas above your station, you low-life scumbag. You're not selling me a lifestyle or the ability to Jay any woman I please or a flawless existence as a minor deity. f've evolved to the extent that 1 can accept that the world is deeply

flawed and imperfect, and I recognize that a new toothbrush isn't going to make my life better outside of the fact that my toothbrush will be better, and my teeth will be better cleaned by extension. Guess what? People who buy Crest white strips still kill themselves; folks with cans of Pepsi-Cola feel alone and insignificant; regular Jocs who buy Ni.vea skin cream get depressed and drink too much and die unfulfilled.

When you cut to the core of the argument, every single advertisement is telling you the same thing - if you buy their product, you will be God. You'll forever remain young, youthful and vigorous.

You'll be at ease with whichever sex you find attractive and have no trouble in maintaining lasting, fulfilling relationships. Every day will be sunny. You'll never be un-

happy. You'll never die. In short, you and your life will be perfect.

You'll be God. As imperfect beings in an imperfect world, the struggle for perfection will always be fruitless. The beauty of our lives is that they will end: "There can be no true beauty without decay."

As lhc late, great Stanley Kubrick said, "Perhaps when everything is beautiful, nothing is beautiful."

Advertisements ask us every day to willfully set aside reality and indulge in their sick fantasies.

Which is not to say that daydreaming and fantasizing is not useful - on the contrary, one of our most distinct faculties as humans is our ability to imagine and visualize and indulge in our imagination. It's how the Taj Mahal was built; it's how Othello was written; it's how Martin Luther King con· structed the future of his race.

But we must not allow advertis• ers to push their twisted agendas onto us any longer. They've had a strong footing in our minds for too Jong. It's time to turn the sound down when the ad break in the Canucks game pops up. It's time to look away from the cinema screen before the movie comes on. It's time to give your mind a rest and think about something you want to think about.

That being said, the Axe one where the guy's made of chocolate and then the women eat the chocolate and they all want to eat him because he's made of chocolate and it's all thanks to Axe that he's made of chocolate and the women all want to eat the chocolate, that one's great. ..

Pass the Jobotomiser.

JasonCollettLeadsthe BonfireBall T.K,DALLMAN INTERROBANG

roken Social Scene frontman B Kevin Drew is "very obsessed with bodily functions," says Ja• son Collett, a BSS bandmate with a growing indie-folk career of his own.

While his solo music is in the folky, singer-songwriter vein, he says the music of Drew's musicians collective is very "stream-of. conscious, and the singing of lyrics was always treated just as another instrument, which is really cool. It resonates on a bodily level too."

In his solo capacity, Collette will performing across Canada in the month to come - but, as he explains over the phone from his Toronto home, it will be anything but a typical show. Hailed as the Bonfire Ball, Collett has put the tour together with another collection of musicians: Afie Jurvanen, better known as Bahamas, and Toronto quartet Zeus.

"We're not playing as three bands, three separate sets. We're all playing together in one set (and) there will be a short intermission, so it's raising the bar to a whole other level. We've been rehearsing it trying to figure out how to

do this. Don't expect it to be Afie Jurvanen starting the show - it'll more than likely be myself, (and) we'll be batting it back and forth from song to song. It's going to be something special, I think."

Collett has been calling this tour a celebration of the history that the three bands share. Over

a year ago, Collett became Zeus's manager, and in return, they became his backing band as he pro• moted his last album, Here's To Being Here.

As he was making that album, Paso Mino, his band at the time, "was beginning to fracture. Not in a bad way, but fracturing nev-

ertheless. Afie Jurvanen had an offer he couldn't turn down to go playwithFeist, so he was beginning that trajectory and he (was just) doing that for a few years."

From there, Collett's backing band was slowly replaced by Zeus, with whom he has enjoyed a symbiotic re• lationship: "I lean on them in a big way to be my band and they've leaned on me to get their foot in the door."

But ties have run even deeper, as Carlin Nicholson and Mike O'Brien of Zeus took over produc• tion duties for Collett's latest album, Rat A Tat Tat. The recording process for the new album got much deeperthan

it did for Here's to Being Here.

"There was some tension in maki11gthat record, but that can be a good thing and I thJnk it all worked out fine," says Collett.

"But therti's a deepness to how this record was made because as we got further along playing together it became pretty obvious that this was a good direction for me to go in, using (Nicholson and O'Brien) as a production team.

It became a great adventure for us evel'ltually and resulted in my strongest work yet.''

An,d though they now all share in each other's spoils from record• ing, managing, producing and playing with each other, Collett insists they're more friends than business partners.

"I don't think of it in terms of a professional relationship. That's more of a monetary thing, and that's not really part of what our relationship is. We have a working relationship, but that's just where all the various dynamics of recording and touring are at play."

*For Bonfire Ball tour dates, go to*http:/ /www.myspace.com/ jasoncollett.

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FRIDAY,MARCH12th,2010

ChannelSurliDU JORDAN PITCHER one and two. While this may be

This raises another interesting point: all logic, which is to say it is absoluteof the substitute love interests are guest ly goddamn illogical. stars, which means It is clear from their boycott that these fanboys don't understand if a fanboy were the nature of television or storycapable of wielding telling, for that matter. Would any- the awesome power of one watch a show where the two foresight, they would main leads were already locked see that both Routh and into a long-term relationship? No, Kreuk leave the proabsolutely not, because that shit is gram soon and thus do not represent concrete boring. The smart fanboy would take a measured approach to this relationship material for either Chuck or Sarah. problem; they would realize that The reasons bea season of a particular television program represents but a chapter hind the boycott are in the overarching plans for the nonsensical to say the least, but the boycott series of that program.

Look at Chuck,or House,or Bones itself manages to or any other show on television take stupidity to an and you will see the factor that almost otherworldly keeps these programs "fresh" is level in that the fans the distinctly stale sexual tension are boycotting the that will never, ever, ever, be fully program because of capitalized upon until the proepisodes that have gram's final season. The writer's of not only already Chuck decided to separate Chuck been written, but and Sarah and put their sexual they have already been aired. This is tension on the backburncr, where it will continue to subtly simmer the epitome of stuuntil Brandon Routh and Kristin pidity.

Krcuk arc off the show.

Right now, the writer's of Chuck

STAFF WRITER true, the reasoning is pure fanboy

anboys arc notorious for being one of the most volatile segments of the general population in the world. Stereotypically, they arc perpetually angry, always ready to don the armor of their chosen passion and dive headlong into the unknowable stygian depths of the internet in order to do battle with the depraved naysayers. When fanboys begin to perceive that the object (be it a game or a television program) of their fickle affection has turned on them, they will not waste a second before turning on it, often displaying greater passion in its excoriation than they ever did in extolling its virtues.

Most recently, fanboys have cast their burning eyes on my beloved-and their once-belovedChuck (this is Channel Surfing, what did you expect?) and have begun boycotting the program.

They have committed this heinous act of treason mainly because Chuck and Sarah (the object of Chuck's affection, for those not in the know) are not dating, and are engaging in far less sexually tense banter than they did in seasons

F

a r e writing new episodes, with new storylincs and twists, etc. The

nature of anything is that it will change, so if fans of Chuckare finding the new romances to be truly odious, they need only wait it out for a couple weeks. The boycott is the equivalent to quitting in the middle of a book because you didn't like just one of the chap• ters.

Further levels of absurdity are reached when you take into account the fact that Chuck is always on the verge of cancellation. In backward fanboy logic, pushing the program they love (though arc not in love with at the moment) toward cancellation is a sign of power. They are essentially trying to say, "It's either Chuck and Sarah or no Chuck."

Despite fonboy assholery, I am proud to say that on Monday March 1st, 2010 CE, Chuck gnrncrcd an impressive 6.7 million viewers, more viewers than the past three episodes have pulled in. Take that, fanboysl

CascadeArcade Cascade Arcade goes bock tothearcade good UWISW.AM,DYK

did it feel when you could finish some of these games on less MANAGER EDITOR than a dollar? aking over the Cascade Arcade Arcades in their heyday were this week (and this week only), always the superior platform on which to enjoy the latest game. No I felt it appropriate to discuss matter how sleek the console was, something akin to its namesake, or how complex the game, the arnamely old school arcade games.

Namely, the games that we all saw cade always seemed to do it better. in amazement as small children, Just look at the console ports of the numerous incarnations of the which were 8 feet tall, weighed Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat hundreds of pounds and made noises that attracted boys of all games from the nineties; you'd be a fool to say that superior experiages to them like flies to sugar.

Who didn't wonder at the gi- ence for any of these games was to ants, with their well-padded wal- be found on the console.

And everyone has his or her lets (not really, $5 seems like a lot when your 7) who played these favourite arcade games. Mine range from Donkey Kong, Ms. Pacgames with an almost artistic mastery, and when the time came man, Street FighterII, The Simpsons Arcade Game, S.W.A.T., Gauntlet, you were the master yourself, how

T

GauntletLegends,JurassicPark,Tek- ing to be much recovery for the kcn, Mortal KombatII, X-Men, Mar- classic fighting, platforming and vel vs. Capcom,Carnevil(which sad- shoot 'cm ups that made them so ly never got the great cohsole pOl't it deserved), Houseof the Dead,Area

52, Ehrgeiz, NFL Blitz, Star Wars and so much, much more. Each of these games are better than all of their console counterparts that appear lackluster when com.pared next to each other.

The arcade has seen better years since the home console and PC units are much more powerful these days, as well as having low per unit costs to the software de· veloper. The arcade has become a plagueland of golf simulators, virtuoso hunting stations and kids that can dance the night away like nobodies business. There's not go-

MovieReview Valentine's Day SARAH SPILLMANfun and light hearted; it's your

CONTRIBUTORbasic feel-good movie.

Even with this all-star cast, omantic movies seem to be Valentine'sDay has many short• a dime a dozen and they comings. It seems the filmmakers spent their entire budget on come on even stronger around this time of year, so how will a actors, and ignored any form of editing. I don't know if it was just movie named after a romantic "holiday" fare? Vale11tine's Day is my theatre, but by the end of the film, l had seen the boom mic at a mixed bag. least ten times.

With names like Ashton Valc11ti11c's Day also fails to be Kutcher, Julia Roberts, Bradley Cooper, and George Lopez, any- original. As mentioned before, I felt like I was watching another one can tell this movie is really trying to fill its roster with big version of He's Jus/ Not TlrntInto names. Va/e11ti11e's Day is kind of You. Each of the love stories has like He's Just Not Tht?tInto You in been done before, for instance in Love,Act unlly. the way that there ore multiple Lastly, the Taylors. Taylor storylincs and characters that arc connected to each other in Swift, in this movie, seemed to some way. "He is brothers with just have a horrid character. Tayhim, who is daling her, who is lor Lautner just made me want to be::,t friends with them." All of punch someone in the face each the events toke place in one day, time he appeared on the screen, and it is fairly easy to figure out but that was just me. connections and stories, once a Reasons to see Valentine'sDay? character is met. The movie is It hl!s a. large rang!:!of actor~ a1:4 .

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you will most Ukely see an actor you recognize and enjoy. If you liked Love,Actually, or just a movie with multiple story lines, this movie is perfect for you.

Reasons to avoid this movie? If you're a stickler for quality editing, and it was not just my theatre, then this movie will drive you up the wall. Also, if you are looking for something new and unique, Valentine's Day is not what you want, overall, r would wait to rent this movie, not pay ten dollars to sit in an uncomfortable seat. 1t is cute, and it is not a complete waste of time, as il did have a few parts where I was laughing out loud.

The best reason to see Valentine's Day is just to sec Tophcr Grace again, after a very long hiatus from mainstream movies as a main character. Basically, Valentine'sDay is not great, but it's not terrible, either.

popular to begin with.

All l can do is urge each and every one of you to get out to the arcades that you do know about (there's one at Castle Fun Park off Whatcom Rd. Abbotsford), and take in some of the older games that they have there and enjoy them while you can. Arcades are very much in their swan song, and unless you have deep enough pockets to buy a working cabinet, I would take the time to play them now while you can.

As 11 last note, Blizzard Entertainment has opened Beta on Starcraft II. The game will be coming and it will be coming soon. BJiz.

zard is also purportedly in closed alpha for World of Warcraft;Catacylsm, and preparing for a BETA in late spring and early suml"ncr (plan your time off). While World of Warcraft is already S years old, it's still going strong and there's lots of time to enjoy that gaming experience.

Final Fantasy Xlll should have hit retail shelves by the time you have read this as well, so expect to hear a lot of people to be digging into the latest Square-Enix installment, no matter how Super Nintendo fanboyish whiney they sounded during the run up to the release.

r::

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BookReview TheAmozinAdventures ofKavalier andCla ALEX WATKINSitself, while Kavalier is seduced by CONTRIBUTORthe opportunity to earn his family's transport to America. Togethicheal Chabon's The Amaz- er, the pair craft a succession of suing Adventuresof Kavalierand perheroes and experience the rise Clay is the kind of book that refus- and fall of the comic book genre. es to be put aside, no matter how The book read almost like a hispractical the reason. From the mo- torical fiction; the QVentsand charment l picked it up, it continually acters, as with many good true nagged and prodded at the back stories, were so believable and yet of my mind, making a case for its so improbable that I felt compelled own completion even in the face to do a bit of re!:iearchand find out of an impending midterm (and I just how much of it was genuine. must admit that I conceded).

Although, as it turns out, many The story begins with Joe Ka- of the characters and plot points valier, a talented young artist who are indeed fictitious, the book is flees Nazi-invaded Prague with grounded in a true understanding the aid of his training in the decid- of comic book history. edly different art of escape. Upon During the formative years of arriving in America smuggled in a the medium, many comic book coffin, he teams up with his cousin writers and artists were Jewish, Sam Clay, who recognizes Kava- as the community had extreme lier's talent and solicits his help in difficulty in accessing the more launching a series of comic books. widely respected areas of the art Clay is driven by the incredible world. Considered a "lower" art potential for wealth he sees in the form and therefore not exclusive, comic book industry and by his the comic book offered procurable own profound faith in the art form jobs for artistically gifted members

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of the Jewish community. In fact, the characters Kavalier and Clay were inspired in part by the reallife Jewish duo Joseph Shuster and Jerry Siegel, who collaboratively conceived and inked the iconic Superman, and who similarly failed to attain the appropriate recognition and compensation for their work.

This account of the Jewish role in the comic book world ties into a central question the book raises: what constitutes true art? lf success in art can be achieved in offering an alternate scope for the interpretation of one's surroundings, in forcing the fingers of the observer onto the social and political pulse of the times, in achieving a sense of poetic justice and punishing the villains who so often succeed in the real world, then the comic book certainly qualifies.

The comic book hero itself is examined in relation to the Jewish myth of the Golem, a creature fashioned out of earth and imbued

on with life in ordQr to serve and protect its creators.

Kavalier and Clay's superheroes act as Golems fashioned out of paper and ink rather than earth, depicted fighting the Axis powers and restoring a tentative safety to citizens of the world.

Overall, the novel makes a compelling case for the comic book's recognition both as an art form and a provider of hope and escape for marginalized people

everywhere.

BookReview hinsI'veBeen Silent About b AzorNaflsi characters in western literature.

SONJA SZlO_VICSAK The EDITOR-IN-CHIEF memoir read very much like a

In Things I've Been Silent About, Nafisi talks about growing up in very long literature essay. a political household. Her childzar Nafisi's first book, ReadHer follow up memoir; Things hood was spent sitting in on poing Lolita in Tehran,discussed I've BeenSilent About, is less about litical debates spiced with gossip Nafisi's difficulties living in Iran her personal struggles (although during her mother's coffee ses• after the Islamic Revolution in she does bring up some deeply sions. Rather than play with other t(an. The q1e1J1oirwas d.eeply per- personal issqe~. Hl<,c ~9r ,no11,s_t•, • ct~WrRn, ,r,,i.a~i!ii., ~ca,~ cl~s~i,c,Per;, sonal; it basically explained the tion at the hands of an uncle) and sian literature, listened in on po• build up to her decision to leave more about her family. litical discussions, and wrote in her homeland, despite her families Nafisi waited for her parents her journal. long history in the country. to pass away before she began to She had an unusual relationship Nafisi used to be a professor write this memoir. I-ler father was with her parents. Nafisi portrays of literature. She taught at a few the former mayor of Tehran, and her mother as mentally unstable; very prominent Iranian universi- her mother was a member of Par- as a child, her family packed up ties, until she was fired for refus- l!a rn.ent(during the brief period in her mother and took her to a psying to wear a veil to class. After Iran when women were allowed chiatrist. The psychiatrist met she stopped teaching, she formed to be members of Parliament) and with everyone in the family except an all-female reading group. Her was quite popular in Tehrani so- for Nafisi's mother. group, composed of her former cial circles. This memoir reads Nafisi's mother was mentally students, read "forbidden" novels like a who's-who list of the Iranian and emotionally abusive. Most like Lolita. Reading Lolita in Teh- political elite (well, the former po- of Things I've Been Silent Abou.tis ran chronicled' the abrupt loss of litical elite; since the revolution, Nafisi detalling the many abuses Nafisi's freedom, and compared the Iranian political landscape has her mother inflicted on her family. it to the suffering of a number of changed - drastically).

Despite her mother's popularity

A

MovieRaview Crazy Heart PAUL FALARDEAU That ability certainly comes ARTS& LIFEEDITOR through in Crazy Heart. Bridge's Bad Blake is low down. He drinks y now tnost people will have and smokes without end, his diet seen or heard that Crazy Heart consists largely of steak and he is is a big deal. The film took home something of a womanizer. Still multiple Academy Awards includ- you can't help but feel bad for the ing "Best Origi na 1Song" and "Best one time star who is now reduced Actor," which went to Jeff Bridges, to playing bowling alleys (a nod to who took home the award for the Big Lebowskiperhaps?) and is u nfirst time. able to even afford his favorites Bridges work here is a true bourbon. Bridges plays the charpowerhouse performance. Bridges acter with such heart and convicmakes it as only he could. That's tion that the pain of his existence what's so fulfilling about the role is palpable. and the long overdue award: few Enter Maggie Gyllenhaal, who other actors could touch this part. plays a fledgling reporter that is Bridges looks like an aged ver- to becom.ethe turning point in the sion of The Dude, his stomach is movie and the source of Blake's bigger, the lines beneath his eyes redemption. Not to give things deeper and his long hair and away but the relationship is not beard are riddled with grey. Bad an easy one. It is initially a strange Blake is a match made in heaven and unlikely pairing, certainly for Bridges, whose ability to slip not the stuff typical to the Hollyinto these filthy guises over the wood limelight (Brangelina?) but years has made him infamous, not despite the instinctive reaction to to mention a frontrunner for one be grossed out, the duos onscreen of today's greatest living actors. chemistry reminds the viewer

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what movie romance can really be.

There are lots of other fine per• formances. Robert Duvall and, yes, even Colin Ferra!, give standout performances. The cinematography is wo11derful, giving a rus• tic, rough and beautiful backdrop to the film, mirroring the humans moving through it.

If there is one component of this film that can match the masterful acting of Jeff Bridges it is the stunning soundtrack assembled by T Bone Burnett. A menagerie of great country fried tracks p~rmeate the film, adding another rich, soulful layer to an already astonishing film. "The Weary Kind," which won the Academy Award for "Best Original Song" is but one of the beauty country gems, sung by actors and musicians alike.

This is Bridges at his Oscar-worthy best, his acting is exceptional and the film is a perfect showcase for it. See it.

with everyone in town, she was a aren't familiar with lran, or it's deeply self-conscious woman, and politicians, this memoir will read took out her self-consciousness on more like a daughter trying to understand her love-hate relationher daughter and husband.

The saving grace in Nafisi's life ship with her mother. is her father; he taught her to escape into a world of literature and \J,\'\;\Jlina.t,l~,n~, :tl:Mo~\'!ih~x~~~pts from her father's journal, the writer gets a sense of where Nafisi infttAOINC LOLIT~ IN 'f(.H111AN herited her love of literature.

Unfortunately, other than this AZAH brief episodes with her father, most of the book is about her fights with her mother. Her sheer frustration Things l"vn Born with her mother takes over most Silenl Abo111 of the memoir, leaving not much room for her musings on the result of living in a society where everything is suppressed.

Readers familiar with lranian politics will love Azar Nafisi's Things I've BeenSilentAbout, as it's full of gossip about past and present politicians. However, if you

NAFISI

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FREDRICTON OWL

FRIDAY,MARCH 12th, 2010

Libra: September 23 - October 22

SAGEOFTHEAGES Lost souls, be not afraid; Fredricton Owl is here to guide you.

Who am l? I am seer of the future, guide to the lost, and, apparently, horoscope writer of the Cascade.

Life takes us down many strange twists and turns, but hopefully with my guidance, there will be no unexpected turns.

Now would be a fortuitous time to C!a!lebrateyour unbirthday. Eat cake, drink tea, be merry. Just remember, whatever you do, don't drink the little bottle with the label that says "Drink me."

Your hygiene has been unaccept· able. No one has explicitly told you recently, but you don't smell very good. Would rinsing off a little more often really be so bad? If you don't smarten up this week, you'll miss out on a great opportunity.

And don't forget to trim those toe nails for goodness sake.

Scorpio: October 23 • November 21 Pisces: February 19 - March 20 You've been watching a lot of porn lately. Weird porn. You're feeling a little guilty about it. Don't. You won't realize it for a few years, but it is going to come in REALLY handy after you meet S.

Aries: March 21- April 19 Take a mornf.!nt to treat yourself al your favourite restaurant this week. But go alone. You need time to reflect and relax with no one else around. When you can clear your mind, you'll realize what you need to do: get a real job, get a car, and stop going to restaurants alone.

Taurus: April 20 · May 20 This week will bring an unexpected surprise. Events may seem to take a turn for the worse, but really, the worse will end up better. l won't reveal the surprise, but all I can say is this: be prepared, but not too prepared.

Gemini: May 21 · June 20 Pick someone a flower this week.

But make your choice well; someone's life is on the line. The decisipn wil\ be easier i£ you rcflc,;:t

...

Have you craved cake yet you were to calorie conscious to make yourself a whole one? Well, I am here to help! This week, l'm step• ping away from our culinary tour of the world, to bring you dessert.

That's right; this week is Cake in a Cup!

Chocolate Coke ina Cup Ingredients: 4 Tablespoons 4 Tablespoons 2 Tablespoons 1 Egg 3 Tablespoons 3 Tablespoons lMug

Sagittarius: November 22 Decembcr21

on your relationships with your friends while listening to the most romantic song you know on youLube. Hint: read the comments.

Cancer: June 21 - July 22 Avoid driving a "Toy"car at all costs this week. It may be the last thing you do. Also, keep a close eye on your food this week. The odds are good that you will have an awful bout of diarrhea this week if you don't.

I•

Directions: First, mix flour, sugar and cocoa.

Spoon in 1 egg Pour in milk and oil, and mix well Put in microwave for 3 minutes on maximum power (1000watt) Wait until it stops rising and sets in the mug Tip contents out of mug onto saucer (or leave them in mug, however you like it) and enjoy!

cake flour sugar cocoa

This tasty treat is perfect for when you have a sugar craving you can't ignore!

milk · oil

Until nexttime,Bonappetitl ·

Leo: July 23 • August 22

111al ex you dumped so many years ago is going to resurface in your near future. Guess what?

That ex is hot, successful, and dating someone better looking than you.

An unseemly gentleman will offer you a personal gift this week. Accept it with no hesitation, or you will find yourself filled with d!a!ep regret.

Capricorn: December 22 • January 19

Virgo: August 23 • September 22 People are plotting against you.

You're not crazy. Anyone that claims otherwise is probably plotting against you. Watch out.

.'

This is a good time lo start working out again. The stars are aligned perfectly for this. Get off your ass.

Call Jenny if necessary.

Aquarius: January 20 February 18

Do something crazy. Take a chance. You have become too complacent in your life. One good way is to invite out some old friends this weekend. If you don't shake up your life, you'll miss out on the big picture.

Note: if you're going to do something crazy this weekend, make sure you keep your clothes on.

If your birthday is between March 12 and 18: , Don't accept gifts from any nonfamily. They arc only trying to buy your friendship. Jt is of utmost importance that you do not wear any underwear this week, for any reason. Ask the questions you normally wouldn't and don't be afraid to make the first move.

That's it for this week.

Disclaimer: Fredricton Owl and the Cascade will not be held liable for any damages caused as a result of advice from these horoscopes.'

On Monday March 1, the South Asian Peer Network Association (SAPNA) and UFV students celebrated Hali at UFV. Holi is the Festival of Colours. The festival abolishes traditional gender and caste roles .

One of the main events of a Holi celebration involves throwing coloured dye at neighbours and friends. UFV celebrated Hali by throwing sponges full of colour at participants.

UFV's celebration also involved presentations and plenty of South Asian cuisine.

I'

FRIDAY,MARCH 12th, 2010

17

THE CASCADE

The HouseThat Al Built LAURIN LIU THEMCGILLDAILY

J

ack Kerouac had his 149 Hudson; Leonard Cohen had his tower of song; Al Purdy had his humble Aframe cabin in Ameliasburgh, Ont. on the edge of Roblin Lake.

The poet George Bowering writes that Prince Edward County, in which Ameliasburgh is situated, reminded him of "certain half-abandoned farm valleys of eastern British Columbia." Purdy's A-frame, Bowering adds, is composed of "lots of inexpert finishings made up for by the sense of talent and energy, and honest usefu 1ness."

Its charm, apparently, was also appreciated by Bowerlng's wife Jean Baird, who described it over the phone as 11a true cottage in the sense of old-time Canadian cottages, with the extra cups and saucers from your real house. 11 1t was a project that entailed years of work, and Purdy called it "the house that was never finished."

Today, 10 years after his death, this spirit continues in a campaign to preserve this heritage site, one that many argue is an irreplaceable artifact of Canada's literary and cultural past. Lead by Baird and a number of other contemporary figures in Canadian literature, the program will foster new generations of poets through a writerIn-residence program, providing them with the same creative sanctuary tha,t spurred Purdy's leap into the Canadian literary canon almost five decades ago.

Some say-that Al Purdy.t,,•~00")11!, was an underdog, or that he was, at least, an ally of underdogs. Al Purdy was a vital voice from working class, anti-authorlt,n,an and anti-

establishment Canada. Bowering writes, "While (Milton) Acorn has found the search for beauty consis tent with the proletarian cause, Purdy has supplied the robust humour without which the prol (sic) would be unrecognized as the authentic Canadian item.11 Purdy's friend, poet Dennis Lee, has been quoted as saying, "He broke with the old, colonial mode of poetry a_rtd recast our imagination, so that it seems perfectly rooted in the place we occupy. No one else in English-Canadian poetry had really done that."

It is difficult to resist mythologizing him as the quintessential Canadian poet, as many literary critics have done. A self-taught erudite with negligible formal ed-

ucation, he was among the many men who rode the rails to Vancouver during the Great Depression.

Purdy also served in the Royal Canadian Air Force, where he wrote his first collection of poems, *The Enchanted Echo* - work that he retrospectively labeled "crap." His best work was yet to come.

What began as an empty plot that the Purdys bought for $800 in the late 'S0s later became the place where Purdy's creative work flourished. In the early years on the property, Purdy was impoverished, foraging through dumps for food - he even admitted to eating roadkill. However, in the years following the construction of the Aframe, Purdy came to see increasing literary and financial success.

An archived photo of Purdy from the University of Saskatchewan library shows the writer doing yard work, wearing sunglasses and a plaid shirt rolled above his elbows - apparently, the same way that he read his poems in front of university audiences.

While he was building the house by Roblin Lake, Purdy also immersed himself in Canadian history and began to research Owen Roblin, grandson of a United Empire Loyalist and founder of Roblin's Mills in Ameliasburgh.

Purdy had d~ep roots in the loyalist bastions of Ontario: he himself was the descendant of loyalists and was born in Wooler, Ont., a settlement near Kingston that has, by now, nearly disappeared. Baird claims that Purdy's work on the house and his inquiries into the community surrounding Roblin Lakechanged him from a "failure of a man" into a prolific poet.

Beyond its importance as Pu rdy's artistic retreat, the Aframe famously nourished rising talent in Canadian poetry, a role that Baird and her collaborators hope to re-ignite. Purdy was a notorious host to dozens of guests, including Canadian literary A-listers like Margaret Atwood, Earle Birney, Margaret Laurence and then-unknown Michael Ondaatje.

Despite his open-armed hospitality, Purdy avoided coteries with other writers. Writing to his wife from. Ameliasburgh on Milton Acorn, in a letter dated 1969, he writes, "Acorn is not like other acorns, he does not lie still on the forest floor and shut his big yap ... . (He) stalks thru the houi;e reciting poems, all of which sound like the T<.ingJames version ... 1expect pity by return mail."

Purdy could be a "grump," said Baird, laughing. Despite this, he was indiscriminate with his houseguests, welcoming both renowned authors and virtual unknowns.

On the Montreal poet Bryan McCarthy's eight-day visit to the Afra me, Purdy wrote in 1966, 11We spent two days consuming beer and the rest yak-yak, which consbted of 18-20 single-spaced pages of question and answer by the time he finished." After Purdy's death in 2000, the house continues to be visited in what Baitd called ''the Canadian poetry pilgrimage."

To maintain this emblem of Canadian poetic achievement, Baird and Howard White, Purdy's publisher, have attempted to preserve the house by founding the Al Purdy A-frame Trust. Poets David Helwig, Steven Heighton, Karen Solie and Rob Budde have also designed the writer-in-residence program, in which chosen writers will receive a $2,500 monthly stipend to write while living in Purdy's former abode.

The A-frame Trust is an attempt to raise money to buy the house, make renovations, and establish funds for a writer's endowment - a project that will cost $900,000 to carry through. If this writer-jnresidence project succeeds, it will be one of only a few similar projects that exist in Canada, alongside the Kogawa House and the Haig-Brown House In British Columbia and the Berton House in the Yukon.

Purdy continues to be a name that is oft repeated and resonant in discussiohB about CanacJ.\anlitera-

'tlMf:...!."61.tt' his'fegaci l,operiilry will live on as a "small whisper" in the woods near Roblin Lake.

The Racialization of Alternative and Hip Hop Music MADELINE COLEMAN black and white in music comes

appropriate it for themselves."

Though he admits he doesn't sic history tells a different story. think we should ignore that hip White people in North America hop started as a way for black muhave been eating up "black" music sicians to work around "particular since the 1800s,but it's been harder social contexts," he says it can still for black people to cross into white be hard for white kids to prove milieus; black musicians in the they've got the life experience to American South during the 1940s back up their lyrics. would sometirn~s get beat up just "There's the self-consciousness for daring to have a drink in the of putting on a front and spicing same "white" venue they had just up your life to have that cred," played. The hostility softened furSteiker says. Artists who are neither north, where D~troit-based ther white nor black are more Motown Records propelled black likely to find relevance in the narartists with soul sensibilities into rative of stcuggle, he continues.

"Hip hop was born out of revolt the pop mainstream.

Chuck Berry, a black American and rebellion. H's a much more singer, songwriter and guitarbelievable narrative to say, 'I'm ist considered by some to be the an Asian-Canadian with an imfather of rock 'n' roll, pioneered migrant backgmund and I'm an a new sound that was picked up outsider and I'm revolting against by white artists like Elvis Presley. the system.' It's more respected than, 'I'm a white kid from the Presley brought a love of black gospel. into "white" pop music-a suburbs."' winning formula that some have On the flip side, Cesar says his decried as exploitative of black skin colour has prompted others to question his credibility, too. His musicians.

Craig Morrison, an ethnomusiband has always worked from a cologist and Concordia professor, "punky, DIY" ethos, he says, but reviewers didn't seem to think he disagrees with that notion.

"Fo.r hirn it was just all music," could pull it off. argues Morrison. "So when it came When he started releasing muout, it came out as this melting pot, sic, Cesar says the reviews "basiElvis-style." cally concentrated on my lack of If black musicians were marginauthenticity, as a black person fallalized, it was not because of the ing into punk rock - as if it was wishes of white musicians, says just this new thing I was getting Morrison. Rather, it was a prodinto, like I didn't know what I was uct of big recordcompaniesand a that white folks took.' It'sbecome doing.

"I found it really offensive, bemass culture that still valourized this absolutely global culture that's white achievements over those of almost like a blank slate. People cause it just makes me come off

THELINK on piano keyboards, but pop mu-

artin Cesar never questioned whether he was listening to the right kind bf music.

As a kid who never quite fit in, he fell in love with the rock of bands like Sonic Youth and never looked back. Relating to the alienation he heard in that music, rock became a refuge for a teenager who says he always felt like an outsider.

But a few years ago, Cesar lead singer of Montreal-based experimental pop band Think About Life - suddenly found he didn't fit the definition of what an indie rocker was supposed to be.

It was around that time that the genre started blowing up in popular media, and with it came images of the kids who were supposedly the only ones involved: "vintage" clothta?s, thick-rimmed glasses being adorned by the overwhelmingly white of the middle class. Cesar, who was born in the Seychelles off the coast of Africa, found himself suddenly "weirdly self-conscious."

"Race has never even defined me," he says now. "I'm Creole, and that's a long history of races and cultures mixing."

But that stereotypical image of a white indie rocker, he says, "put my cultural standpoint into question, and whether my race is what people see more than the actual pel'son that I am."

We might like to think the only

M

minorities. Some cities were so opposed to integrating black and white, he says, that they barrned rock 'n' roll altogether - a music genre he c.illed a "black and white hybrid."

"The great coming together that had been rock 'n' roll and soul music kind of splits apart again for many reasons, the simplest and strongest (being) the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr.,11 says Motrison; adding that the rise of the militant Black Panther Party made race relations more about opposition than harmony.

The impact, Morrison says, was black musicians' transition towards priding themselves upon what they considered "black mu• sic" and rejecting the "whiteness'' of rock.

"After Jimi Hendrix, who was huge and black in rock?" Morrison points out. "You weren't finding new rock performers that were black because it was separated."

There is still a not"iceable absence of black faces in both indie rock bands and audiences, but is the reverse true for traditionally "bfack 11 musk forms?

"The real truth about hip hop today is it's post-racial/ says music journalist Morgan Steiker, who wrote a hip-hop column for Montreal weekly paper "Mirror". "So you can't say anymore, 'Oh, it's just a black thing.' or 'It'sa black thing

...,

liker have no connection to it."

And then there were the comparisons to TV on the Radio, a successful indie rock band boast· ing an almost entirely black line• up. Cesar, the only black member of Think About Life, thinks the similarities between the bands are more visual than aural.

He says he's started to think, "a good mm,ic journalist is when you see a finished article (about our band) and it doesn't include TV on the Radio or other bands where one of the band members is black.

That's great."

Steiker may say that hip hop Is a "blank slate," but there's still a lot written on the surface of indie rock. Narrow definitions of who will want to listen to the music - and ultimately take part in the communities that grow around it - could be alienating to those who don't foel they fit the bill.

What was a refuge for outsiders could end up pushing people out.

Cesar says there's "a lot of bigotry indie rock right now," with an emphasis on r.ice that taints coverage of artists any darker than ecru.

"It just has to do with the overcommercialism that has been happening in indie rock in the past four, five years," he says. "We'll get over it, but it's a shame.''

FRIDAY,MARCH 12th, 2010

THE CASCADE

18

Premier League Update PAUL BRAMMER NEWS& OPINION EDITOR

. Liga he debate as to whether La T or the Premier League is the best league in the world will go on forever. As avid watchers of either league will attest, their league is the best. The Spanish first division is famed for its skill, entertaining play and relatively open title races - though Barcelona and Real Madrid will always be there or thereabouts, teams such as Real Betis, Villarreal, Atletico Madrid and Deportivo La Coruna have all left their stamp on the title race in years gone by.

The Premier League is famous for the intensity of games, the physicality and passion of players, and the fabulous mix of strength and skill. In the last couple of years, there has also been the rtse of the English teams in the European gamf:!- Sir Alex Ferguson has inculcated a staggering degree of discipline in his United teams that play in the Champions League, which has led to them winning in 2008and finishing as runners-up in 2009.

On the lesser European stage of the Europa League (nee UEFA Cup), clubs such as Aston Villa, Tottenham Hotspur and Everton will be hoping to beat Middlesbrough's 2006final appearance by lifting the trophy and taking their club to the most prestigious stage

in European football, the Champions League.

On the domestic level, one look at the league table might seem to be the same old sight - Chelsea and Manchester United leading the pack, Arsenal snapping at their heels, Liverpool waiting in the wings, where a good run of form could take them back into contention.

However, this season has been a lot more - the emergence of getrich-quick Manchester City's sudden idea that they can barge in on the party and become title contenders. Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa also look as though

they may one of these days fulfill thelr burgeoning potential and become a top-four side.

Aston Villa will feel especially aggrieved after losing out on the Carling Cup trophy to Manchester United in February. After taking an early lead through a James Milner penalty, United quickly equalized through a wonderfully taken Michael Owen goal. Unluckily for the former Liverpool striker, Owen limped off in the 41st minute with what has emerged as a season-ending injury, which dismisses any lingering hopes Owen may have had of .making the plane to South Africa for the World Cup

this summer.

Luckily for United fans, Owen was replaced by Wayne Rooney, unarguably the most in-form striker in the world right now. Rooney has enjoyed his most successful goal-scoring season to date, besting his previous best of 23 goals in all competitions with a haul of 28 so far in all competitions. If he stays fit, United have a chance of winning both the Premier League (for an unprecedented four years in a row) and the Champions League. Without him, they would struggle to win one.

Birmingham City arc the biggest success story of the season.

In their first season back since being relegated in 2008.They've only lost three games since October, a run of form that has taken them up to eighth in the league and has guaranteed their survival with a remarkable degree of comfort. The optimist might now say that the Blues can push on for a European spot.

However, the cautionary tale of Ipswich Town must be remembered - in their first season in the Premier League, Ipswich won qualification to the UEFA Cup. However, the following season, they were relegated from the top flight and now languish in the lower half of the Championship.

At the other end of the table, Portsmouth lurch from one crisis to another - they seem all but set

to go into administration, which means an immediate ten-point deduction. The long-term future of the club is unclear, and they literally cannot afford to be relegated this season. Unfortunately for the South Coast club, that may seem to be the case - they lie dead last in the league, and, despite some sparky performances of late, it is difficult to Imagine a way out for Pompey.

Aside from Portsmouth, there are another seven teams who could feasibly go down this season. Burnley sit in the relegation zone after their manager Owen Coyle defected to local rivals Bolton Wanderers. Bolton will be happy with Coyle, who, despite a rocky start, is trying to get Bolton playing good football.

Hull and Wolves both look like the two other likely candidates for the drop. Teams such as Sunderland and West Ham have that bit more of a pedigree and strength in depth that should see them through, tho\.\gh Sunderland will be somewhat disappointed at manager Steve Bruce's inability to have more to show for the money the club have spent over the last year.

With eleven league games to go, and the title race and relegation fight still wide open, there is still time for plenty more twists and turns in the Premier League at both ends of the table.

names, I found myself coming to my own conclusions. I picked my own favourites for my own reasons regardless of the fact that in many events I had no ideo what was really going on. For example, a Russian bobsleigh team ha.d a candid camera moment when their Cana-

near-identical runs down the course.

It was a new way to interact with the rf:!alities of competition, and I cannot overstate how refreshing it was.

Unfortunately, l do not think the trend will last. We will be forced back to our narrated feeds after the Ga.mes, but I can't help but imagine this type of presentation for other sports. Putting aside my aversion to televised golf, I think the inevitable comeback of Tiger Woods provides a good example. Upon his return, I can already hear the circumscribed commentators, having been informed which stories will be told and which won't after the very public disclosure of his recent indiscretions.

How refreshing would it be to see him simply play golf the way he does?

But deep down, we all expect the inevitable and insufferable narration of his comeback directed by the sponsors that need him to be more than a golfer and less than a human being. l hope that this opportunity that wa.s afforded by the Internet, that gloriously semi-anarchic and messy series of tubes, represented a preview of a future alternative to current sports media. That is not to say that I'll stop bringing my portable AM radio to ballgames, or refuse myself the pleasures of Ron and Don on Hockey Night in Canada.I'd just never felt so much like I was "being there" myself just a little more, closer than ever to understanding myself as a viewer and the appeal of the sports we love.

When the CommentatorsFallSilent BENFOLDYprogramming presented by com· THEMCGILLDAILY mentators bombarding our conhere is no real break for the om- sciousness with "context" and nivorous sports fan. I felt thus constructed narratives. obliged to watch a fair amount of The Olympics as we know them the Olympics, putting aside my would mean very little to any of us seemingly de-rigueur views on if we did not buy into these narcorporatism and nationalism so I ratives. There would be no morbid could bear witness to the specta· fascination (or at least no more de of short-track speed skating or than usual) surrounding the sliding track if we are not told of the bobsleigh.

Somewhere between a super-G tragic death of Georgian luger Noqualifier and a curling final, I also dar Kumaritashvili in the lead-up watched Hal Ashby's film adapta- to the Games. Do we lose the poition of Jerzy Kosinski's novel Being gnancy of Canadian figure skater There.The film, which stars Peter Joanie Rochette taking all of her allotted minute to take her startSellers in the role of a protagonist allusively named Chance, fol- ing position if we are unaware of lows a twentieth century Kasper her mother's untimely passing?

Beneath these more salient conHauser who engages with society strictly through what he saw on texts - presumably unavoidable television during his years of iso- if you live within driving distance lation. He becomes a national sen- of a television, radio, local news• sation whose enigmatic tangents paper, or WiFi zone - there is the of television talk are taken as pro- fact that the presentation of most foundly philosophical insights events is a combination of supedicial pedagogy and preachy predicand inspirational guidance. tions. Commentators tell us what Thinking on the philosophy of the film while watching later to expect before it happens, and Olympic events, I kept track of when things happen we process how I was responding to the "pre- them according to their explanasentation" of the events, rather tions. We disregard the fact that, than the events themselves. There without their narration, most of us is undoubtedly a degree of sepa- could never comprehend the subration from the "real" athletic tleties in strategy or contingencies performance and the television that separate world-class athletes

T

BCNU's 4th Annual

Practice

Conference

Sharing Our Successes

Way of Knowing, Ways of Doing S & 6th May 2010 Hyatt Regency, Vancouver, BC

Check It out on the 13C~Uc:alenda.~-bcnu.ora/calendarLearn more about opportunities llke these at www.bcnu.org or contact your Fraser Valley Reglonal Chair at lplpeObc:nu.arg

from one another.

But the Online streams of this year's Games offered a pleasantly surprising alternative. Besides offering English and French "coverage" of events on the CTV-owned networks, the CTV website also offered live streams that took the same camera feeds but played them without any commentary The feeling of watch• ing the feeds is hard to describe. For the first time, I was left a.lone with my thoughts in the middle of what is normally such a narrated event. It is not comparable to watching a televised event with the sound muted. The crowds still roared and the commanding yelps of defencemen on the breakout or women's curling captains doing their best impressions of Meg Ryan in WhenHarry Met Sally were not only still there, but felt more real - as if the athletes could speak for themselves.

Suffice to say, after my first experience, I preferred it immensely to the customary cacophony of commentary.

I became the opposite of BeingThere's Chance, freed of the imposed expectations or even explanations of what I was seeing. Rather than relate to the athletes through artificially normative outcomes or highlight-driven lessons on the sport from some "expert" who cannot pronounce non-Anglo

dian rivals crashed. The Russians knew that their tenuous claim to the bronze depended on missteps by their rivals, and one member of the team was caught smiling and clapping when the Canadians flipped their sled before wincing with a sympathetic grimace.

Over the un-narrated stream there was no sanctimonious mor• alizing about bad sportsmanship - the only sound to the clip was a crowd member laughing at the footage as it played over the big screen. The raw emotions of competition were finally laid bare, without anyone telling me what to think of it. This made a lot more sense to me, as I could see how a team could win based on mistakes by others much easier than I could distinguish differences between

FRIDAY,MARCH 12th, 2010

19

THE CASCADE

Sleep Deprivation Can Kill IBEYQB FIK

STAFF WRITER

L

engthy waits for Tim Horton's accompany a drowsy, zombielike student body waiting for a much needed fix of caffeine. This scene is indicative of one of either two things: either UFV has gone strictly to 8:30 in the morning classes, or we are currently in the midst of midterm season.

With all-nighters regularly accompanying examinations and papers, the likelihood that UFV students are getting a solid eight hours of sleep, accompanied by obligatory nap period1s, is doubtful. That being said, you have to wondct what effect little to no sleep is having on your body. With half of university studenti:; (and individual:; as a whole) worldwide operating on enough caffeine to power a space shuttle, could we be doing ourselves unprecedented harm by missing out on a few hours of sleep?

In an interview with The Washington Post, Nujib T. Ayas, head of the University of British Columbia's division of Critical Care Medicine, said that "We're really only now starting to understand how that is affecting health, and it appears to be significant."

These effects appear to be so significant that some studies are claiming that the national increase of obesity, colon cancer, breast cancer, and heart disease are due in part to the countless late nights of television c1ndinternet now enjoyed by the majority of the world's

population.

The C-Health website provides a list of common short-term side effects of poor or non-existent sleeping habits. These are apparent to anybody who has been up all night, and trying to remember where to place the capitals in APA citation. The effects can include fatigue, irritability, difficulty concentrating and slower reaction times. ft is the long-term effects listed, that appear to be most con-

cerning. These include a weakened immune system, an increased likelihood of diabetes, depression, obesity and high blood pressure.

According to the C-Heulth site, after only a few sleepless nights, the human body enters in to what is known as "fast-forward aging."

This is a process that results in increased memory loss, and metabolism problems involving sugar and hormones. This hormone imbalance is what is primarily responsi-

201 OWinter Paralympics

ble for the rise in obesity :;een with individuals who arc gelling less sleep an evening. rr1ability of the body to process sugar is also one of the leading causes of diabetes.

A study at Dall1ousie University in Nova Scotia took a different approach lo focus on sleep deprivation. Researcher!, there used children between the ages of eight and twelve, analyzing the effects of less sleep on each subject. The study was altered due to the fact that children are expected to get between 10 and 11 hours of sleep (for normal development), something lhul video games, computers, and homework have reduced drastically.

"Studies of adults have found that sleep deprivation significantly impairs the brain's executive control system, which helps people organize, prioritize, and focus on tasks. We want to see if it has the same adverse effects on children," noted Jenn Vricnd, who was the head researcher on the study.

The study is ongoing, but initial results have revealed that children who get less sleep often perform poorly in class compared to those who get a fu 1110 to 11 hours. 'l'hcy are often hindered by headaches, fatigue, and inattentiveness as a result.

Although research in the field of sleep deprivation has thus far been conclusive that not getting enough sleep is harmful for the body, many researchers are urging caution when accepting results of these studies.

"Everyone knowf. that people

- ..,.,

2010Winter Olympic Games Marked byInjury

JORDAN PITCHER STAFFWRITER ould it be fair to say that, in general, people do not care about the Paralympics? It may not be fair but, if the current level of interest generated by the public is any indicator, it is most certainly true. If, upon reading the above couple sentcncqs, you are literally incandescent with righteous fury, f beg you, look deep inside your dark soul and you will come to find the real reason you are incensed by my brazen statement: shame. It is human nature to not care about something unless someone is accusing you of not caring.

Before you begin writing a letter to your congressman (or my editor), let me clarify that this, dear readl:lr, is not a value judgment in any sense of the word; I don't think you're a bad person. I am not passing judgment on you for not caring because, personally, I think that we huvcn'l really been given the opportunity to care because there is no information available unless one actively seeks it. The 2010 Winter Paralympics begins in eight days (from the time of writing this) and I have yet to see a single advertisement on any tell:lvision network. As such, allow me lo help you dodge your reflexive shame and educate you on whul the 2010 Winter Faralympics will en tail.

The 2010 Winter Paralympics will begin on March 12, 2010, with the opening ceremonies being held at BC Place Stadium and will end on March 21, 2010 with the closing ceremonies presumably being held at BC Place Stadium as well.

The opening ceremonies will air

JOEL SMART STAFF WRITER

W

hough not the story most will r~member about the Winter Games in Vancouver, there were some horrifying moments of injury, not just during the games, but also leading up to the games.

However, despite the tragic death of Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili, they were not the most disastrous Olympics of all time.

Wet and icy snow conditions, as well as thick fog were among the culprits that led to a number of frighlcning crushes that plagued some of the events. According to CBC Olympics coverage, United State's skier Lindsay Vonn broke a finger during her second crash in Vancouver, She was quoted in a radio show, All Things Considered, on National Public Radio. "l think lhcy could have done maybe a little bit better job of grooming the hill, and making it smoother for the athletes. It's definitely challenging when you have a long course that's so bumpy, and then al the very end, you have a monstrouti jump. And I think that's a little bil dangerous."

On the same track that led to the luge catastrophe, many bobsledders also had problems. A Swiss team was among the number of teams to crash on the run; the team's driver withdrew from the compclilion after his partner was taken by helicopter to the hospital for a spinal injury, according to a Reuters article. Beat Hefti, another Swi:;s bobsledder, who was a favourite by many for the Gold, was also forced lo drop out after an injury to the head in his first training run.

T

on CTV. Tn addition to airing the opening and closing ceremonies, a 90 minute recap of what happened during the day, and Canada's sledge hockey games, CTV, in conjunction with Rogers will air 50 hours of paralympic footage.

Considering that the 2010 Winter Purulympics will lust nine days, 50 hours is an admittedly scant number whe11 compared with coverage the 2010 Winter Olympic Games received, coverage that wati impossible to e:;cape. If you are hungry for more coverage, the fnternet will, as usual, have you covered us www.para1ympicsporl. tv will be airir,g events and clips from 9:00am to 10:30pm every day.

There will be a total of 64 single events spread over five sports. The sports are: Alpine skiing, Biathlon, Cro!:is-country skiing, Ice sledge hockey, and Wheelchair curling.

Thus far, 33 nations have been announced as participant:;, but this

are getting healthier. Life expectancy has been increasing, and people arc healthier today than they were generations ago/' said Daniel Kripke of the University of California at San Diego. Kripke compared lhc publication of the results of sleep deprivation studies to something akin to "Chicken little running around saying that the sky is falling," adding that more research needs to be done in the field.

However, Sanjay Patel of Harvard Medical School responded to these critics by saying that "the strongest evidence out there right now is for the risk of overall mortality." He cited a study done al Harvard, which found that of the 82,000 nurses surveyed, there was an increased likelihood of death amongst those who got six hours of sleep or less a night.

1'he majority of research completed so far indicates that the amount of sleep required for the average adult varies from person to person. Experts say however, that people should try to get on average between 7 and 9 hours of sleep. Any less, and an individual is predisposed to increased production of stress hormones and a high blood pressure in the body.

This is something that, according to The Washington Post, leads to heart attacks, stroke, and cancer.

On that note, sleep tight. And don't let the chance of reduced sleep result in a heightened state of inflammation in your body resulting in cardiovascular disease bite.

is subject to change as 39 nationi; participated in 2006's Winter Puralympics, and I've never heard of a shrinking number of parlicipaling nations.

If you're wondering about the semi-vague tone I've employed throughout this article, it is because there is simply very little information on the subject. At the moment T am performing a colonoscopy on the Internet just to scrape together enough facts in an attl:lmpt to inspire any interest whatsoever in the 2010 Winlcr Paralympics. The sad, cyclical nature of the issue is that there is very little commercial interest in the 2010 Winter Paralympics (or Paralympic sports in general) because there is little consumer interest, in turn ther~ is no consumer intere:,t because we aren't made aware of it. It's a chicken-egg scenario: what came first, om seeming disinlercsl or theirs?

A snowboarder from the United States remains in critical condition after suffering a severe brain injury training for the games, according to the Star. Keven Pearce, 22, hit his head attempting a dangerous halfpipe trick culled the cab double cork. A snowboarder for Team Canada, Justin Lamou• reux, explained why the sport is so dangerous; "You can't back out halfway through the trick if it goes wrong. The trick has to be done. When they go wrong, they go really, drastically wrong. Like, you're thinking you're going to be in a wheelchair wrong."

One of the most publicized misfortunes was the 5hocking death of a Ca11adian figure skater's mother, who had ju:;t arrived in Vancouv~r to witness her daughter's performance. Joannie Rochette had to perform jusl days after receiving the news. Her performance earn d her not just a bronze medal, but also a place in the hearts of many around the world who empathized with her loss and admired her spirit.

Though the Vancouver 2010 Olympics had their share of injuries and death, they did not come close to matching some of the other horrifying moments that have occurred in previous Olympics.

The Munich 1972Olympics in 1972 facl:lda terrorist attack in which 11 athletes, five terrorists and a German police officer wound up dead.

In the Atlanta 1996 Olympics, a bomb that went off in Ccnlmnial Olympic Park killed two people and injured 111 other:;. Most recently, in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, three people were stubbed, including two American tourists.

20

THE CASCADE

FRIDAY,MARCH 12th, 2010

Heat Reoort .

I

JUSTIN ORLEWICZ STAFF WRITER he Heat returned hom1: after a two week long Olympic road T trip on the east coast to play the Providence Bruins. Despite playing nine games in sixteen nights on the road the Heat came out on top. The Heat traded goals with the Bruins in every period before failing to exchange shootout goals to get the win over Providence.

The final was 4-3; Weller, Sutter and Van der Gulik made the goals for the Abbotsford team.

The following night was game two of the double header with Providence. Van der Gulik started scoring just like he did in the previous match, then Providence traded goals with the Heat, which lead to more overtime and eventually another shootout. Port Coquitlam's own Zach Hamill scored one of the two shootout goals for the Providence Bruins. The final was 3-2 for the Bruins. Despite losing both games in a shootout, the Heat still managed to get two of the possible four points in this series.

After this contest Abbotsford's Riley Armstrong was traded to the Grand Rapid Griffins for veteran defenseman, Andy Delmore.

Armstrong had this to say just hours after he found out about the trade; "I don't really know what to think, I just woke up from my afternoon nap, getting ready to play tonight when I got the call from Duane, J didn't really know what to 1;ay to him. I wasn't expecting

Inside thelocker room acquired defi.mseman Jordan LeoJUSTIN ORLEWICZ

STAFF WRITER pold, Steve Wagner. Other winners were the Phoenix Coyotes, nother NHL trade deadline they traded for a top 6 forward in has come and gone with yet Wojtek Wolski and also acquired another record number of trades at Lee Stempnia k from the Leafs fire 41. Record in quantity not quality, sale. They also traded for a handthe biggest names traded on this ful of minor leaguers and drnft y11ars deadline were Colorado's picks. The Capitals are anoth r Wojtek Wolski for Phoenix's Peter t11amthat beefed up their squad Mueller, and Toronto's Alex Poni- with a handful of role players. karovsky for Pillsburgh's Luca Some of the names that went to Caputi and Martin Skoula (this Washington arc Joe Corvo, Milan lopsided trade was a salary dump Jurcina and Scott Walker. for the Leafs).

The real loser in this year's For winners and losers in this deadline has to be the Chicago year's trade deadline deals let's Blackhawks, the only thing that start with the Canucks; the Ca- Chicago is missing to be a con• nucks didn't ------------tender is a solmake any signifiThe Canucks didn't id goaltender cant moves this make any significant and they failed deadline which moves tliis deadline to get one at can mean one of which can mean one the deadline. two things: they of two things: they are They could are comfortable comfortabre with ·their have easily got with their team team the way it is and a number one the way it is and that they feer _thatthey goalie like Tothat they feel that have a winner mas Vokoun, they have a winCarey Price or ner, or they were JaroslavHalak, trying to acquire a top 6 forward instead they will have to rely on an or top 4 defenseman but no one inconsistent Christobal Huet. This was biting on the recently Olym- is also the last year that Chicago pie hot Pavol Demietra. Either way will be able to keep player like the three moves that the Canucks Duslin Buyflugen, Kris Versteeg made are irrelwant to the team's and possibly Andrew Ladd due to immediate success, the Canucks the current salary cap. Honorable are neither winners nor losers on mentions to this year's deadline go this deadline day. to Toronto, Carolina, Edmonton, One of the teams that did win Atlanta and Columbus for dumpthis deadline was the Pittsburgh ing as much salary as possible.

Penguins, the Penguins acquired Another honorable menlion goes Ponikarovsky who is arguably a lo the Nashville Predators for buytop six forward and could easily fit ing and not selling when they are in on a line with Sidney Crosby or on the verge of being in the playoff Evgeni Malkin. The Penguins also picture.

A

the move al all; I never did ask for a trade or want to leave here. I like all the guys, I liked being here, I had tonnes of fun, but Detroit is an awesome organization and maybe I can get the call up.''

The Heat got only one day of rest afler the trade deadline before

getting back to it with a weekend series against the Worcester Sharks. The Heat got off to a slow start, allowing a goal just 4 minutes into the first, but they turned it around with four unanswered goals spread out over the first and second periods. After cruising into

the last two minutes of the game with a 3 goal lead over Worcester, the Heat got quite a scare as the Sharks bit back with two quick goals in the last two minutes to end the game 5-4 in favor of the Heat. Van der Gulik, Cunning and Latendresse had goals while Colin Stuart notched two and was the game's first star as the Heat finally got a regulation win at home.

The Heat took to the ice the following night for a rematch with the Sharks. Right from the get go, it was obvious that both teams were feeling the fatigue from playing two games in two nights, for the Heat it was the fourth game in five nights. The g:ime remained scoreless going into the second period before Worcester's Dwight Helminen scored. The Heat answered back in the third period with a goal from Jason Jaffray, and just when this contest appeared to be going into another overtime battle, Worcester's Dan DeSilva put the winner in with just over 3 minutes left in the game - giving the Heat their third loss in five nighti.. The Heat now sit third in the North division with a 32-24.-46 record, well within reach of the playoff games.

Can we expect more from Luongo?

JOEL SMART STAFF WRITER t is hard to argue that Luongo been fighting the puck a Ilittlehas bit recently. Though he has been able lo make the big save on numerous occasions in the recent past, the goals he has allowed have often been miserable ones.

In the game early Sunday against the Nashville Predators, the first goal he missed actually went off the knob of his stick and into the net, despit11initially heading wide. Strangely, the same description also explains what happened on the first goal he allowed in his previous outing against the Chicago Blackhawks, a game where he allowed five goals in the first period. It was the second time he was pulled for allowing five goals in his last three NHL games.

During the Olympic Games, Luongo won all five games he played, including the gold medal game, but was highly criticized for his shaky play despite his success.

While some say that the United States goaltender Ryan Miller was better in the tournament, the pressure to win was on an entirely different level for Roberto Luongo.

There was an incredible amount of pressure to win a gold medal on home Jee for the Canadian squad, and a lot of that pressure was directly placed on the hometown hero between the pipes.

A chance to win the Stanley cup comes once a year, but the chance for Luongo lo win the gold medal in Vancouver comes only once in a lifetime, and to see him perform the way he did is reason enough

for all Canadians to celebrate. Vancouver Canucks fans should be the most excited about it though, especially since we know he can play even better than he has been recently.

Despite his recent struggles, though, head coach Alain Vigneault has not been quick to judge the team captain. According to the Province, Vigneault blamed bad luck and poor defensive coverage for the goals allowed by Luongo.

While there is some truth to the comments, most fans of the Canucks have grown accustomed to Luongo bailing out his team and defying the odds with numerous unbelievable saves. So although Vigneault is right to place the blame on the entire team, it is also true that Luongo is not currently playing al the same high standard that he is known for.

There were positive signs in the Predators game on Sunday. In the second period, Luongo quickly moved left to right to make a spectacular save off of a one-time shot

by Patric Hornqvist. In the third period, Luongo made several more magnlficent saves to give the Canucks a shot at coming back. Both goals he allowed in the game were questionable, but he was there to make the save when the Canucks needed him the most. Moving forward, that could be a positive sign that he will be back to his usual self soon.

I fully expect Luongo to round out into formidable form heading into the post-season. ff he can win a gold medal when he's not playing his best, the come-back Canucks might just have playoff games to remember this year.