The Cascade Vol. 26 Issue 10

MARCH 21 TO MARCH 28, 2018

VOLUME 26 ISSUE 10

You fool! Protect the amulet! since 1993

WWW.UFVCASCADE.CA

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 21, 2018

Editorial // STAFF Editor-in-Chief Joel Robertson-Taylor joel@ufvcascade.ca Business Manager Quintin Stamler quintin@ufvcascade.ca

Managing Editor Kat Marusiak kat@ufvcascade.ca News Editor Jessica Barclay jessica@ufvcascade.ca

Production Manager Caleb Campbell caleb@ufvcascade.ca

Opinion Editor Jeff Mijo jeff@ufvcascade.ca

Production Assistant Renée Campbell renee@ufvcascade.ca

Features Editor Joel Robertson-Taylor joel@ufvcascade.ca

Copy Editor Cat Friesen cat@ufvcascade.ca

Culture & Events Editor Cassie de Jong cassie@ufvcascade.ca

Illustrator Amara Gelaude amara@ufvcascade.ca

Arts in Review Editor Martin Castro martin@ufvcascade.ca

Illustrator Simer Haer simer@ufvcascade.ca

Staff Writer Aleister Gwynne aleister@ufvcascade.ca

Columnist Mike Friesen mike@ufvcascade.ca Online Editor Jeff Mijo jeff@ufvcascade.ca

Stillness in waves

Staff Writer Jennifer Klassen jen@ufvcascade.ca Distributor Alena Zheng distributor@ufvcascade.ca

THIS WEEK’S CONTRIBUTORS Marlena Ashton

Cover: Renée Campbell Back Cover: Caleb Campbell

WWW.UFVCASCADE.CA

@UFVCASCADE FACEBOOK.COM/UFVCASCADE INSTAGRAM.COM/THE.CASCADE Volume 26 · Issue 10 Room S2111 33844 King Road Abbotsford, BC V2S 7M8 604.854.4529 The Cascade is UFV’s autonomous student newspaper. It originated under its current name in 1993, and achieved autonomy from the university and the Student Union Society in 2002. This means that The Cascade is a forum for UFV students to have their journalism published in an entirely student-run setting. It also acts as an alternative press for the Fraser Valley.

The Cascade is funded with UFV student funds, and is overseen by the Cascade Journalism Society Board, a body run by a student majority. The Cascade is published every Wednesday with a print circulation of 1,000 and is distributed at Abbotsford, Chilliwack (CEP), Clearbrook, and Mission UFV campuses and throughout the surrounding communities.

The Cascade is open to written, photo, and design work from all students; these can come in the form of a pitch to an editor, or an assignment from an editor. Writers meetings are held every second Monday at 12:00 p.m. in The Cascade’s office on the Abbotsford campus.

In order to be published in the newspaper, all work must first be approved

by The Cascade’s editor-in-chief, copy editor, and corresponding section editor. The Cascade reserves the right to edit submissions for clarity and length. The Cascade will not print any articles that contain racist, sexist, homophobic or libellous content. Letters to the editor, while held to the same standard, are unedited, and should be under 200 words. As The Cascade is an autonomous student publication, opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect that of UFV, The Cascade’s staff and collective, or associated members.

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JOEL ROBERTSON-TAYLOR EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

For a moment, my mind wanders.

The chill is gone while I turn my thoughts to things above, but my skin won’t let me forget the ocean breeze, and my feet up to my shins can’t decide if they’re numb or still cold. It’s good though, I want to be embraced by salty air and rid of any thought not brought by the breeze.

When I last checked, I was once again on the coast. But here, when I forget to remember, I’m caught in a heaven, amid the realization that this Earth is temporal in textbooks but in practice it couldn’t be farther from it.

Somewhere in between, like a body with a spirit or a spirit with a body, in both worlds at once. Twelve years of school doesn’t teach much about this; however many years of university often tries to crush it.

Along the Fraser, up the valley, the canyon, and an assortment of streams, the salmon migrate. It’s a reminder that I forget to remember that getting by sometimes gets in the way of living, and actually living is more important than life. The salmon cycle of life has them return to the ocean —

it’s instinct. It’s instinct for me too, but society’s a harsh editor of DNA. Only kilometres away from the Fraser, hidden behind concrete, wood, and brick, I, like everyone I know, lost their instinct years ago, and now forget to remember to take textbook breaks.

From my vantage of insight, I watch people in constant conflict with themselves. Life gets in the way of living, we say. When you’re thinking about eight things at once, but you’re really only able to think about two, the mind spasms, and a vague sense of, “I’ve forgotten something important” becomes an installation.

Drowning is an awful feeling. When the wave chooses to consume you, there’s not much you can do other than tumble and pray. Then, when you surface and you take a breath before heading back under, you get to appreciate how your mind’s attempt to keep you thinking you’re in control is how you get through most of life.

It’s like a conflict for the sake of itself. It doesn’t need to be there. Why not replace it with peace?

The challenges of life, whatever they may be, will eventually kill you. Why do you fight the current? To surf an-

other day? Make it home to tell somebody you love them? Because toiling against the tumult is all you know?

The adrenaline wave you’ve been riding will eventually break. Sometimes you can ride a hungry comber out without getting eaten. But if you pick up too much velocity, your laminar flow gets turbulent. That’s when you eat dirt, and spend the next month dusting yourself off — if you can get up. I think there’s a better way.

Not that I’m an expert, but I find peace by listening. I find meaning by responding.

I fear the ocean because I don’t really know it, but I know what it does for me. I’d say it’s important to wander into the water, stand still for a moment or two, and thank God you’re still breathing. Find that stillness before it finds you.

In the much more concise and far wiser words of poet George MacDonald: “Certainly work is not always required … There is such a thing as a sacred idleness.”

NEWS

Jessica Barclay — News Editor news@ufvcascade.ca

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 21, 2018

Community Volunteering //

Hitting the trail, taking the trash

NEWS BRIEFS

School district denies claim 100+ students walked out of SOGI presentation

UFV Health Sciences’ monthly trail cleanup

The Abbotsford School District’s spokesperson has denied online claims made by 700 Club Canada television show host Laura-Lynn Tyler Thompson that over 100 students walked out of a recent school presentation at Robert Bateman Secondary. The Christian television program has been a vocal opponent of sexual orientation and gender identity programming in schools.

The presentation, put on by Out in Schools, an organization that teaches students about homophobia, transphobia, and bullying, was a non-optional part of the B.C. curriculum.

“This is only the beginning,” Thompson wrote. “Kids, parents, teachers and school trustees are starting to be fed up with being bullied into the constant LGBTQ indoctrination.”

-The Abbotsford News

Alberta minister apologizes for calling B.C. government “a bunch of shitheads” "Quite frankly, ideally, we need to be more collaborative with the provinces on either side of us, although B.C. is being a bunch of s--theads," Deron Bilous said, according to a report in the ***Edmonton Journal.

The Alberta cabinet minister has since apologized for his choice of words, claiming that the “less than diplomatic” language came from his passion and frustration over B.C.’s delay in continuing the Kinder Morgan Inc.'s Trans Mountain pipeline expansion to the West Coast.

The B.C. government delayed the project in January by calling for reviews on the effects of an oil spill in B.C. -CBC News

Margaret Shamro and Samantha Hampton pick up trash on the Vedder River Rotary Trail. Oct. 19, 2018. Chilliwack, B.C. (The Cascade)

JOEL ROBERTSON-TAYLOR EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

The enjoyment of an afternoon walk along the river is only part of the reason Margaret Shamro organizes monthly trail walks.

The UFV Health Sciences’ Trail Clean Up Walk, organized by Shamro, assistant professor in the nursing program, faculty of health sciences, cleans up their adopted 1.5 kilometre portion of the Rotary Trail between Vedder and Peach Road.

On Monday, just after the 11:45 a.m. meeting time, the group embarked on the walk. Shamro said there’s often a group of five or six volunteers. On Monday, it was only Shamro and Samantha Hampton, associate professor in the nursing program.

Beginning near the dog park, just south of the UFV CEP campus, they walk and pick up garbage for about an hour. The walk is marked by conversation and sightseeing. Shamro said they even saw a

black bear once.

“I started this trail walk because I love this trail,” Shamro said. “I grew up in Chilliwack, and have spent a lot of time in my life on this river — walking, fishing, relaxing, and camping.”

This is the second year of trail tidying.

The group likes to clean up on Mondays, after the weekend, when the trail is typically most travelled.

“Just being on the river is nice for us,” Shamro said. “Being so close, students can come, then go back to class. We say you don’t need to walk the whole hour.”

Recently, the group has been made up mostly of nursing students.

“I really enjoy a chance to spend some time outdoors in the middle of my workday,” Shamro said. “I also really enjoy meeting with community members who see us on the trail, and express thanks — we’ve had lots of great conversations.”

Shamro said the group usually collect a garbage bag of trash.

“We find lots of dog poop, not crazy but

gross,” she said. “Sometimes you find it in the bag, tossed into the bushes.”

Shamro said they thankfully haven’t found any syringes yet. That is a positive for their own efforts, as well as a testament to the kinds of traffic seen along the river.

Though the sunnier months tend to yield the most amount of garbage, there’s always garbage to find. Only recently the ice melted off the trail. But even in the snow, the group walks the trail to clean up as much as they can.

The City of Chilliwack and City of Abbotsford both offer volunteer clean-up adoption programs. To adopt a park or trail in Chilliwack, volunteers must commit to four clean-ups per year. Shamro’s group hits the trail once a month during the fall and winter semesters.

The next health sciences trail clean up will be April 9. Anyone can join, and more information can be found by emailing Margaret.Shamro@ufv.ca.

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NEWS

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 21, 2018

Student Union //

SUS reaches out for members’ opinions on budget

SUS focus groups give students an opportunity to say their piece, says Gill JESSICA BARCLAY NEWS EDITOR

The Student Union Society (SUS) hosted a series of focus groups earlier this month to ask student opinions on issues related to budget and programs offered

by SUS. Gurvir Gill, Student Union president, said the idea came after the Feb. 8 Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM). Some students who attended the meeting expressed irritation over what they described as the misleading nature of the advertising campaign for the EGM, claiming the campaign indicated that the EGM would be a time for open discus-

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sion on SUS-related topics.

“The main purpose [of the focus groups] was to give students at the EGM, or students that weren't there, additional time to ask us questions, and to understand the workings [of SUS] more,” Gill said.

“I felt like there were students that didn't get to say their piece, and ask the questions that they wanted to ask because question period was near the end.”

The sessions were designed to bring together a small group of 10 or less students in a boardroom to give their opinions on a variety of topics to SUS executives. Gill said the idea of the small groups was to allow stu-

Info @ civl.ca

dents to ask questions they may not have asked in a larger, general meeting style setup.

Six sessions in total were held, four at the Abbotsford campus, and two at the Chilliwack campus. Two sessions in Abbotsford were meant to cover the topics of the UPASS, the shuttle bus, and FixIT, a free technical support service for students, and the other two sessions were meant to cover the health and dental programs. Both Chilliwack sessions were for all topics.

Gill said a total of around 10 students showed up to the six sessions that were offered.

“It could have been better, but it's better than nothing, as we’ve

never done this before,” Gill said.

“We had maybe two or three people per session.”

While the sessions were originally intended to focus on gaining feedback on the advertised topics, Gill said students ended up just wanting to talk about the organization in general, and what SUS had been working on this year.

“I know each session had a focus, but realistically, we just wanted to hear the students’ concerns, and their voices, and their opinions,” Gill said.

“I think every student that came in, even if there was a concern or definitely someone more passionate about a certain issue or

program that we offer, left happy, and I think that was another goal too… The organization, we're trying to fix it, and we’re trying to start anew, and get it off the ground. And students understand that.”

Gill said that he hoped this sort of open communication with students would continue on a more regular basis in the future, in similar meetings rebranded as a town hall or open house that would be open to any questions students may have. SUS does have monthly public meetings with a question period, but Gill said that the smaller groups were also valuable.

The Cascade is hiring an Arts in Review Editor!

For info, email kat@ufvcascade.ca

OPINION

Jeff Mijo — Opinion Editor opinion@ufvcascade.ca

B.C. Politics //

Should B.C. lower its voting age?

JEFF MIJO OPINION EDITOR

Last week, B.C. Green Party Leader Andrew Weaver proposed that the province lower its voting age from 18 to 16, an idea that Premier John Horgan was quick to support. The rationale is that if 16 year olds are mature enough to drive, work, and join the army reserves (and join the army proper at 17), they are mature enough to have a say in politics.

While only 56 per cent of registered 18-24 year olds voted in the last provincial election, it’s difficult to see a downside to making the change beyond the potential costs. Horgan said “if you start voting as soon as you can, you will probably vote for life,” and speaking anecdotally, the sentiment rings true. Those who vote once tend to vote every election, but those who never have continue to stay at home.

At 16, young people are in a formative phase, where many are starting to become more aware of the political world, and are engaging in it at a level beyond parroting their parents’ opinions. Sure, they may not be mature in every way, and their opinions will likely change and evolve in one way or the other as they experience more of the world, but does that make their opinions worthless? The same could be said for people at 18, into their 20s and beyond, too — we don’t suddenly become adults with fully developed political opinions on our 18th birthday.

The power to vote is also a valuable tool sparking interest in politics.

With the ability to vote while in high school (perhaps literally ***in their high schools), students may be more inclined to follow current events, to engage in classes teaching them about recent B.C. history and our governmental systems, especially in election years. Perhaps the novelty of voting for the first time would even be greater at that age (it coinciding

Burning Daylight //

with getting a learner’s license would certainly feel empowering), and lead to an increased portion of registered teens going to the polls.

Of course, it’s likely that in the discussion of this proposal, some will bring up the argument that such a change is more advantageous to certain parties than others: it’s no secret that the youth vote tends to lean towards the left, favouring the NDP and Green parties who are putting this proposal forward, and leaving the Liberals out in the cold. A survey from Insights West, published a month before B.C.’s 2017 provincial election, showed that if the election were held then: Voters aged 18-34: 19 per cent would vote Liberals 33 per cent would vote NDP 20 per cent would vote Green Voters aged 55+: 33 per cent would vote Liberals 28 per cent would vote NDP 11 per cent would vote Green The 33-54 demographic predictably fell in the middle. Looking at the numbers, it’s plain to see why the Green party would put the notion forward, and the Liberals will likely speak out against it.

More young voters would strengthen the Green and NDP vote, especially if they turned up to the polls in high numbers.

But the question is: so what? Sixteenyear-olds are people too, and they live in this province, and will (in the majority of cases) spend most of their life in this province. Electoral systems are changing and evolving creatures, with riding lines redrawn, and rules and regulations changed on a reasonably regular basis, and the possibility of serious election reform potentially on the horizon. The change makes sense, and if the B.C. Liberals don’t think they can win if the voting age is lowered by just two years, that says more about their inability to appeal to enough British Columbians than it does the failings of teen voters.

The positive side of daylight savings time JEN KLASSEN STAFF WRITER

Daylight savings time. The time of year when your internal clock is screwed up for the next two weeks, and you don’t know when to eat, sleep, or how long you’ve actually been staring at that blinking cursor on your empty Microsoft Word document.

Every year, the debate as to whether or not this archaic practice is worth keeping arises, and every year, we all seem to agree that it is a nonsensical tradition that serves most of us no good, except for a ready-made excuse for the foreseeable future as to why we aren’t on time for class.

But, instead of knocking it, let’s take a look at some of the positive reasons to keep ye olde tradition alive.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 21, 2018

Interprovincial Woes //

Like oil and wine B.C. and Alberta’s pipeline war rages on

ALEISTER GWYNNE STAFF WRITER

British Columbia and Alberta have rarely seen eye to eye, in part due to our differing beliefs regarding resource extraction vs. environmental protection. The oil pipelines proposed in recent years have only added fuel to that fire by bringing our differing views into a direct conflict, in which there is little room for compromise. Last year, the federal government approved the Trans-Mountain Pipeline project, which would run from Edmonton to Burnaby, and roughly triple the amount of petroleum being shipped out through B.C. waters. This of course doesn’t sit well with most people in B.C., or our government, who fear the environmental impact of a large spill. In January, the B.C. government announced that it would not allow any additional oil to be shipped to B.C. from Alberta until a more thorough assessment of the risks could be made. Alberta’s government, accusing B.C. of trying to take matters of interprovincial commerce into its own hands, responded with a ban on B.C. wines in Alberta government liquor stores. This ban has now been overturned, as have the restrictions on petroleum traffic into B.C. However, Alberta’s premier, Rachel Notley, has threatened an even more severe embargo on oil shipments to B.C. and/or the rest of Canada to “raise awareness of the issue.”

For most readers of this paper, the kneejerk reaction is to rally to B.C.’s banner in our standoff with our eastern neighbor, and to a lesser extent, the feds. It is important to consider issues from the other side, but it is nonetheless difficult to square Alberta’s needs and wants with our own.

The oil industry is a major part of Alberta’s economy, and is the main reason why Alberta is traditionally considered a “have” province, while fellow Prairie provinces Saskatchewan and Manitoba, which lack large deposits of valuable minerals or the diverse set of resources B.C. enjoys, are “have nots”. Alberta understandably does not want to jeopardise this position, and has few economic options besides the petroleum industry. From their point of view, B.C.’s obstinate efforts to block pipelines to the Pacific are robbing Alberta (and Canada as a whole) of industry profits that will ensure their well-being for reasons that essentially amount to selfish NIMBYism.

However, you have to see it from our perspective as well. B.C.’s economy, like Alberta’s, is tied to primary resources. But while Alberta’s keystone industry is oil extraction, which is non-renewable and degrades the environ-

Reason one: That hour taken away from your precious sleep means that you get to enjoy another cup of coffee! That hot cup of java may just give you the bounce in your step you need to make it from your bed to your couch to study (by which I mean nap on top of your notes).

Reason two: The hour lost means that instead of staring at the unbroken spine of all the expensive books you haven’t opened, or even pouring over the notes scribbled between the doodles on your looseleaf, you can instead spend it running around your house, trying to re-adjust all the clocks on all your appliances.

Reason three: Those multiple trips around your house will up your step count for the day! Yay healthy choices!

Reason four: The clock in your car will

finally be correct again. Or, close to it.

Reason five: That glass of wine you need to wind down after drinking all that coffee to stay awake can be consumed an hour sooner. Please pass the rosé.

Thanks to a small town in what is now Thunder Bay, we enjoy the pleasure of having our internal time clock be completely reset twice a year. They were doing it first, before the rest of the world decided on implementing this nonsensical tradition. This is the one time Canada needs to actually say “sorry.” Even Benjamin Franklin wrote it as a joke in the 1770s, stating that the Parisiens could save money on lamp oil by rising with the sun. Even though, apparently, no one took him seriously about it. Then, almost 200 years later, BAM, Germany decided to make it a thing to help the war effort in

ment one way or another, B.C. is rooted in forestry and fishing, which are renewable and depend on a healthy ecosystem to function.

Our salmon fishery is in a precarious enough position without the added risk of a major oil spill threatening to send the whole marine ecosystem (in which the salmon are a keystone species) into collapse. Look at what happened to Atlantic Canada when their cod fishery collapsed and you’ll see what’s at stake here.

Not only that, but it’s the principle of the thing that matters. The lion’s share of the benefits from these pipeline projects (apart from short-term construction jobs) will go to Alberta and the feds, while B.C. is expected to shoulder most of the risks involved. Not to mention, Notley and her government have been using rather heavy-handed methods in comparison to B.C. Whereas B.C. imposed restrictions on any additional oil being shipped, Alberta responded with outright bans. The B.C. government is currently looking through the rules to see if they have any legal recourse, while Notley makes threats that the provincial government may not have the authority to carry out.

As for Trudeau and his federal government, he currently trying to keep a lid on the situation. He doesn’t want to pass up the potential benefits to the Canadian economy that Alberta oil with easy access to world markets could bring. In attempting to justify his position, he says that he is intending to transition Canada to renewable energy, but must safeguard Canada’s economy during the time of transition, which could take many years, as stated in videos from the Huffington Post. This sounds rather counter-productive, moving towards renewable energy while at the same time prolonging and building up the fossil fuel industry.

Sooner or later, Trudeau will have to pick a side, and risk the political consequences either way. At the beginning, Trudeau was leaning more in favour of Alberta, but if B.C. Premier John Horgan plays his cards right, and Notley plays hers poorly through jurisdictional overstep and threatening the flow of oil herself, Trudeau may decide instead that Alberta needs to be made an example of, or that losing the political support of B.C. isn’t worth it.

Trudeau, in a press statement, declared that he will do whatever is in Canada’s best interests.

Notley and Horgan have vowed to do the same for their respective provinces. At least one of them is bound to walk away disappointed.

Still, come what may, at least we will always have delicious B.C. wine to toast our victory, or drown our sorrow, whichever the case may be.

World War I. Another fantastic decision made by Germany.

Just be appreciative that you don’t have as many clocks as the Queen, whose staff spends over 50 hours winding clocks. Or that you aren’t Chris Martin, from Coldplay, whose great-great-grandfather was William Willett, who made a lovely pamphlet that helped make daylight savings time more popular. What a legacy to leave.

But seriously though, as much as daylight savings time is a terrible invention, and should go the way of Clippy, the twerpy assistant in the old Microsoft Word (are any of you old enough to even remember him?), we have to suck it up, and accept that it’s here for the foreseeable future. I think I need a bigger coffee cup...

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OPINION

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 21, 2018

Stop missing your emails

Wail songs

Hey fellow UFV students, especially those involved in group projects. Want to stop missing your emails until days later, or just to deal with Zimbra’s outdated interface less often? Here’s a piece of advice that’ll make your life much easier, and your communication more convenient. Go into the “preferences” tab on Zimbra, and in the “mail” section, enter an email address you actually check regularly in the “forward a copy to:” box.

Ta-da, all of your school emails are coming to somewhere you’ll actually see them much quicker. You’ll still need to log back into Zimbra if you want to reply or send emails from your UFV address with this method, but it’s sure a lot better than remembering to regularly check that extra inbox on top of everything else.

‘Course, now you have no excuse not to get back to your group members’ emails.

They say boat noise bothers the orcas. It’s true, and is part of the reason increasing shipping traffic off the B.C. coast will harm our water-dwelling cousins.

But I think the real problem is the sixyear-olds whose lazy parents hand them an iPad and let them blast obnoxious and overstimulating noises at full volume throughout the entire ferry ride. That’s what’s driving the southern resident population to extinction.

I’m not sure if I’ve heard such an awful and complex set of sounds. I just hope the orcas don’t misinterpret these noises as a form of aggression. Even if not aggression, it gave me a migraine, and I’ll bet the orcas don’t fare any better.

But I have a solution: the steelheads are nearly extinct, and there seems to be an endless supply of snot-nosed six-year-olds. We’ll feed the orcas the children for first offences; for second, we’ll send in the parents.

Problem solved, and I get to enjoy the orcas for another 10 years.

Brief bits of bite-sized brevity

Jeff Mijo

SNAPSHOTS

I’m fascinated by tabletop RPGs, but I can never find anyone to play with.

My mom once got me a Dungeons & Dragons fourth ed. starter set, but we ended up throwing it out because we weren’t getting any use out of it. It was just me, her, and my stepdad, who wasn’t into it. Two players and a dungeon master does not a proper campaign make. I tried and failed to connect with fellow roleplayers in person, and every place I look online has little or no activity by the time I get there, and what RPs do get started don’t go very far. Maybe it’s time to admit that roleplaying just isn’t in the cards (or dice) for me. I guess I’ll have to get off my tail, and start writing fantasy fiction.

Aleister Gwynne

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Curtailed commentary on current conditions

More concoction than coffee

Looking for group

Illustrations: Amara Gelaude

Joel Robertson-Taylor

So I’m standing in a line at a coffee shop, waiting to order a regular 16 ounce mocha to satisfy both my growing sweet tooth and debilitating caffeine addiction, when some flashy chalkboard catches my eye advertising a weekly barista special with all the bells and whistles. So I think to myself, “Yeah I’ll try something new, what can go wrong?” Lots. Lots can go wrong.

Let me tell you something; overly sweet coffee drinks are no longer coffee. Your matcha white chocolate mocha with extra whip and cinnamon on top has lost any sort of coffee status, and is a literal heart attack in a cup. There is something sacred about coffee, and its magical ability to lift my spirits in the darkest of hours. It is perfect the way it is, and does not need 10 gallons of sugar added to every cup.

Cassie de Jong

A History of Change

Where does an institution’s memory reside? How does life flow through the walls of learning, and continue in tradition while evolving with what’s learnt and uncovered?

Learning is evolving. By nature, a university must change, it must grow. The University of the Fraser Valley was once the University College of the Fraser Valley. The University College of the Fraser Valley was once Fraser Valley College.

Founded in 1974, Fraser Valley College attained degree granting status as a university college in 1988, then full university status in 2008.

Originally meeting in schools, church basements, commercially rented spaces, and the Coqualeetza Education Centre, UFV has come into its own as a Fraser Valley institution.

The walls of learning stand and remain standing as a result of this community’s values. May this community continue to value education and knowledge for as long as it exists…

Photo Essay by

Renee Campbell and Joel Robertson-Taylor.

Historical photos from UFV Flickr.

STUDY BREAK Crossword //

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 21, 2018

Made by Cassie de Jong

ACROSS

DOWN

4: The seed from an oak tree.

1: A fleshy, yellowish-red tropical stone fruit.

6: A stringed musical instrument with a long neck and a circular body, made with parchment stretched over a metal tambourine-like hoop.

2: An individual’s sense of self-esteem or selfimportance. Usually referred to as large.

7: A coarse, fibrous, cylindrical bath sponge.

8: An establishment that collects animals for means of conservation, rehabilitation, and display.

9: A person who illegally lends you money, and charges obscenely high rates of interest.

11: A salad dressing composed of oil, wine vinegar, and various seasonings.

12: A large mass of snow and ice sliding down a mountainside.

Horoscope //

5: An experienced official who watches a game closely to ensure that the rules are followed.

9: Animal of the camel family found in the Andes, farmed for its soft wool.

10: Leather with a velvety side, often dyed blue, and made into shoes.

11: Italian Baroque composer born in Venice, and known for composing “The Four Seasons.”

15: A collection of songs or other recordings issued as a record.

13: A powder made from roasting and grounding cacao seeds.

17: A Japanese poem with three lines. The first has five syllables, then seven, and then five again.

14: A small, oval fruit that is either green or brownishblack, and used in pizza, caesar cocktails, and oils.

18: A poster of a model whose image is massproduced to appeal to popular culture, and be displayed on a wall.

16: A long-handled housekeeping tool with a bundle of sponges or thick loose strings, used for wiping floors.

LAST ISSUE’S ANSWERS:

17: A long-handled gardening tool with a thin metal blade, used for weeding or breaking up soil.

Across: 3: Onomatopoeia 4: Overqualified 8: Moth 10: Zeus

Down: 1: Monochrome 2: Yale 5: Rum 6: Fez

11: Oreo 13: Mall 15: Emergency Exit 17: San Francisco

Aries — Mar 21 to Apr 19 You participate in a lot of prank phone calls.

Keep in mind, kids, harmless pranks are a gateway to more serious crimes. Before you know it, you’ll be hiding pictures of Nicolas Cage all over your workplace, or stuffing Oreos with toothpaste. Some people just go too far.

Leo — Jul 23 to Aug 22 If I’ve told you once, I’ve told you a thousand times — stop being so picky when it comes to the cleanliness of your home. Lately you’ve taken to loading items into your washer in alphabetical order by the name of each fabric.

Your cottons will be fine if you don’t wash them before your wools. I swear.

Taurus — Apr 20 to May 20 Your big mouth has recently gotten you into trouble. As a result, most of your peers are giving you a wide berth. If you’re feeling lonely, open up a can of Alphagetti, since it is the one thing that will engage in a friendly chat with you over lunch this week.

Virgo —Aug 23 to Sep 22 Virgos have a talent for surviving long periods of time while thinking about absolutely nothing. Bill Nye, Elton John, and Tommy Wiseau could spend half an hour performing the world’s greatest (and strangest) show for you, and at the end your answer would be “I’m sorry, what?”

Cancer —Jun 21 to Jul 22 Clever Cancers are quite successful at selling tickets to pet rock fights, and other strange occurrences. Don’t get this confused with scalping (the lowest of low practices). These operations are born out of ingenuity and quick thinking. After all, everyone else wishes they had thought of it first.

4: A small, pointed tool used for piercing holes in things, usually leather.

14: A poem meant to address a particular subject.

Astrological mysteries rudely interpreted by Lady May

Gemini — May 21 to Jun 20 Everyone has the right to self-love. Some people find it easier to do so than others, and this is especially true in your case. You are narcissistic to the point that a night to yourself becomes a romantic evening. Try not to fall in love with your reflection.

3: The largest artery in your body.

Libra — Sep 23 to Oct 22 Libras are known for their picture-perfect health. Seriously, I haven’t seen any of you guys so much as sneeze before. But even in your constant state of physical perfection, you can’t overcome being a smart aleck. We realize you pity us mortals while we wither in the depths of cold season. You don’t have to remind us.

Scorpio — Oct 23 to Nov 21 Most people hate Scorpios because Scorpios make people feel well-grounded. I mean this in the sense that they are constantly burying people in the sand at beaches, or throwing dirt at their opponents during sports. A helpful tip: This is not what people mean by “becoming more in tune with the earth.”

7: Desolation 9: Hem 12: Oar 14: Lye 16: Mast

Illustration by: Amara Gelaude Sagittarius — Nov 22 to Dec 21 You take your paranoid approach to life very seriously. You figure it’s safe this way.

If you’re always on the lookout for a trap around the corner, you’ll always be prepared for one. What you won’t be prepared for are the wonderful opportunities you’ll miss while you were too busy trying to determine if your mom has been spying on you or not.

Capricorn — Dec 22 to Jan 19 End of semester panic has begun to set in, and we all react in different ways. In your case, your coordination and balance skills have begun to fail you. Your week will surely end in you accidentally stabbing yourself with a cuticle pusher, or at least tripping over a speed bump.

Aquarius — Jan 20 to Feb 18 Words are escaping you this week in the worst way possible. But don’t worry too much about the fact your term paper sounds more like a 10 page stream of consciousness. Your professors are aware you aren’t entirely sure what you’re talking about, anyway.

Pisces — Feb 19 to Mar 20 Ahh, Pisces. The fish. Also known as the slippery one. You are so fickle, it’s unbelievable. One moment you’re volunteering yourself left, right, and centre — the next you’ve disappeared into thin air.

You’re not going to get your feet wet if you commit to anything. Probably.

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CULTURE

Cassie de Jong — Culture Editor culture@ufvcascade.ca

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 21, 2018

Film Screening //

The means to move forward

On campus film screening raises money to fund this year’s Graphic + Digital Design Portfolio Show CASSIE DE JONG CULTURE & EVENTS EDITOR

Ever wondered how books and magazines were produced before the magical invention of programs like Adobe InDesign or Microsoft Word? It has been decades since the personal computer revolutionized the way the printing and design industries work. But before that, printed material was the result of meticulous preparation by the hands of workers with unmatched skill and precision.

A new documentary, Graphic Means: A History of Graphic Design Production, was screened in room B101 at Abbotsford campus on Tuesday, March 13, and was a fundraising event for the University of the Fraser Valley’s graphic and digital design program. All proceeds from the event will go toward the graphic design program’s grad show in April.

Graphic Means is a brand-new movie released just last April.

The film discusses the history of the graphic design industry using rare archival footage and interviews. It did a premiere tour around North America, even stopping in Regina, but it didn’t come close to Vancouver.

This film was made available to educational facilities such as UFV last month. Rika Heywood, a graphic design history instructor in the graphic design program, applied to acquire the film, and UFV received it shortly afterwards. It has been in the library since, but was kept quiet to help ticket sales for the film screening.

Now the film is available in DVD format for a seven-day rental from the library to anyone who wishes to see it.

At the entrance to the screening, attendees could snatch up a few remaining last minute tick-

Column // Physics

ets. Popcorn, buttons, postcards, and other memorabilia created by graphic design students were available by donation.

What Graphic Means means to do is illustrate how design, as we know it today, came into being. The film tells the history of print, the rise of the agency and corporate design, and the invention and influence of the personal computer. Heywood stated in his opening address to the attendees of screening, that “It is hard to believe, but graphic design used to use your hands, and so this is all about what graphic designers did before computers.”

To briefly summarize the information presented in Graphic Means, graphic design originated thousands of years ago, when people were simply making marks in clay. Since the invention of Gutenberg’s press in 1450, we have made leaps and bounds in

and Folly

Heavy discussion MIKE FRIESEN STAFF WRITER

For a while I’ve been trying to outsource interesting topic ideas for these articles to my friends. After all, if you make a venn diagram with one side being the people who ask interesting questions about the universe, and the other side being scientists, you’ve just drawn a circle. This time round, I was asked, “How much do you think UFV weighs?” So hold onto your hats, because things are about to get heavy.

First off, I know some of you might say that UFV is not the buildings, but rather the people who use them — students, teachers, janitors — heck, even the people who work for SUS. The weight of all these people is easy to figure out; at a little under 70 kilos per person, we weigh a hefty thousand tonnes.

But, as I’m sure you’re aware, the buildings that comprise UFV are not small. If we consider all 11 buildings on the Abbotsford campus, the total floor space is a little over 51,000 square metres. If we divided up the school so that each student gets an equal portion, we would all get nearly 3½ metres to ourselves. Okay, so UFV isn’t huge per person — but there’s a lot of us students, so it must add up. If UFV is similar to most low-rise buildings, each floor will be made of about nine-inch-thick concrete slabs, held up by sturdy concrete columns. Surprisingly, the total weight of UFV’s buildings isn’t significantly more that the weight of the bare concrete structure lying underneath, so with some quick math, and the density of concrete, we can find that UFV probably weighs about 30,000 to 40,000 tonnes.

That’s pretty heavy, but is it heavy com-

12

pared to, say, a species? If you add up the mass of all the lions, tigers, cheetahs, leopards, lynx, and jaguars in the world, you get about 10,000 tonnes of big cats — scary, but still a few times less than the buildings on campus. We’re not even close, however, to matching the weight of all the 600 million house cats in the world. But if I have to pick one from all the animals, UFV weighs in pretty similar to that of the world’s 80,000 giraffes, although given the choice of our campus or one made of 80,000 giraffes, I’d stick with what we’ve got.

Then again, maybe we’re still not measuring the weight of UFV correctly; some other people yet might say that UFV is not just the buildings, but also all of the ground underneath the buildings, and all of the air above. Those people are in that circular venn diagram, they are often my friends, and they make my life difficult. If we take an ice cream cone of the entire Earth, from the centre core all the way out to the edge of the atmosphere — the top bit of the cone being UFV’s Abbotsford campus — and find a way to measure it, it would weigh 2,000 billion tonnes.

This puts UFV in the nice company of large mountains, or large asteroids. (It seems odd to me that those are comparably sized things.) One important asteroid — the Chicxulub Impactor — was a rock about 10 kilometres in diameter, bigger than Canada’s largest mountain, and it is likely responsible for a mass extinction event — the one that killed the dinosaurs.

Our pizza slice UFV would weigh as much as this gargantuan space rock, no longer comparable to a single species, but rather comparable to a mountainous mass that could have ended it all.

printing technology. The invention of the linotype in 1884 shook the industry. Suddenly, books were more readily available, and affordable for the average working person. The real changes began in the newspaper industry, where printing was determined a valuable and hard-earned skill.

Then we moved on from hot metal techniques such as the linotype press, to “cold” techniques such as “paste-up,” in which designers prepared a document for printing by cutting and pasting images, text, and shapes onto a page, which was then photographed. It was during this time that women were entering the workforce.

Women found their way into this industry quite quickly, despite being paid at precisely half the amount of their male counterparts. Since then, the industry continues to break new ground in technology, design, and equality.

The film concluded by addressing the invention of the personal computer. The invention of the Macintosh completely changed the printing industry. Suddenly, the entire studio was in a computer. Many people think we have lost the same standard of quality since the eradication of hot and cold type printing studios. However, similar beliefs surface with every breakthrough, and the new still ends up replacing the old.

Illuminate, the UFV Graphic Design diploma’s first year’s open house will take place on March 21 from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. at UFV’s Mission campus, and UFV’s Graphic + Digital Design Portfolio Show will take place April 24 from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Highstreet Mall in Abbotsford.

To witness the trailer of Graphic Means: A History of Graphic Design Production, you can visit http://www.graphicmeans.com/.

Creative Composition of the Month Creative Composition of the Month is a monthly column courtesy of UFV’s Creative Writing Club. Every month, one short story, poem, descriptive essay, or other form of original work from UFV students will appear in The Cascade to enlighten your creative spirit. Happy reading!

Not Disney’s Love

BY MARLENA ASHTON

My love’s not a delicate glass slipper.

Nor the “happily ever after” found at a fairy tale’s end where the princess is saved by a knight in shining armour.

It’s not the magic kiss from a slimy frog prince, or a song we sing in perfect harmony without practicing even a single word. My love is not written in the stars or the colours of the wind.

It’s not any of these fantasy dreams.

It is a friendly, calming cup of tea; a home-cooked meal in your belly; a close embrace welcoming you back home; a warm, cozy fire on a cold winter’s night.

CULTURE

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 21, 2018

Happy Doggo //

Cascade Events Happy birthday Calendar

to a good boy

March

Note: Some of these events require tickets, most are on Facebook.

If something catches your eye, take to the internet for more details.

21

Jeremy Herndl Artist Talk @ Room C1044 (Abbotsford Campus), 1:00 p.m.

Unpacking the Backpack, a one-woman show by Charlene Hellson @ Room F124 Poetry Now: A lecture with Miriam Nichols @ Room A225 (Abbotsford Campus), 4:00 - 5:30 p.m.

A.L.P.: Laura Tribe. Big Telecom, Government Spying, and the Internet @ Evered Hall (Abbotsford Campus), 3:00 - 5:00 p.m.

Illuminate: UFV Graphic Design Diploma First Year’s Open House @ 33700 Prentis Ave (Mission), 4:00 - 7:00 p.m.

Screaming at Traffic with Atodaso @ Carport Manor (Abbotsford), 8:00 - 10:00 p.m.

Mac enjoying his birthday bash. March 20, 2018. (Cat Friesen/The Cascade)

JOEL ROBERTSON-TAYLOR EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Yesterday, Mac celebrated 14 years on this earth. And so did about 300 students, faculty, and staff who came through to take part in the festivities in the Student Union Building.

Mac, short for Macbeth, is UFV’s resident and well-loved therapy dog. He’s been a PADS (Pacific Assistance Dogs Society) dog from the day he was born — he was born of a breeding dog for PADS, and entered training at eight weeks old.

He was part of a Shakespeare litter, and his three siblings were also named after Shakespeare characters. Mac lived with his puppy raiser until he was one, then entered advanced training, where he learnt advanced obedience and public access skills. After two years of training, he was placed with Dawn Holt, Mac’s owner and coworker.

Holt did her master’s thesis on the bond between assistance dogs and their handlers. That’s how she got connected to PADS in the first place — as a volunteer.

“Mac was going to retire last year, but we decided he wasn’t ready, can’t do it,” Holt said. “He loves his job, he’s good at it, and we love him. We’ll let him work for as long as he wants.”

Becoming a therapy dog takes a lot of work, and the right kind of doggo.

“A lot of dogs absorb emotion and distress from people, and it would give them hotspots and behavioural issues. It actually destroys them,” Holt said. “It’s got to be a dog that loves people, but doesn’t absorb the emotions that are around them.”

What will you do after the party?

I’m going to go back to my office, and have a well deserved nap. I had my pupcake, so it’s time for a nap.

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What’s a pupcake?

It’s a chicken flavored cupcake with peanut butter icing.

Obviously. What’s your favourite treat?

Rice cakes. Plain rice cakes. Best treat ever.

What do you like to do for fun?

I love to play with the cat, play with the eight year old who lives at my house, and I love going swimming. So playing and swimming, and spending time with the family. I love it all.

This interview was edited for length and clarity. It was also translated by Holt.

The Tequila Mockingbird Orchestra @ Tractorgrease Cafe (Chilliwack), 7:00 - 9:30 p.m.

Film Screening: The Human Flow by Ai Weiwei @ Room A235 (Abbotsford Campus), 4:00 - 7:00 p.m.

23

CreWri UFV: Again! Again! Again! @ A315 (Abbotsford Campus), 11:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.

24

Ben Rogers @ Tractorgrease Cafe (Chilliwack), 7:00 - 9:30 p.m.

26

Health Sciences Dean’s Speaker Series: Cathy van Ingen @ Gathering Place CEP-A1457 (Chilliwack Campus), 12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.

28

Valley (W)rites: Exploring the Valley as Muse @ U-House (Abbotsford Campus), 4:00 - 6:00 p.m.

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Mozart Yoga @ Room B121 (Abbotsford Campus), 10:00 - 11:30 a.m.

Do you enjoy your work?

I love it. I come to work every day and every Tuesday we do drop-ins here. That’s my public access time. The rest of the time I work with students in Dawn’s office. We also do the new student orientation, as well as lots of events.

Opening Reception: Visual Arts Diploma Exhibition “Alone in Wonder” @ S’eliyemetaxwtexw Art Gallery (Abbotsford Campus), 4:30 6:30 p.m.

Fraser Valley Filth @ The Vineyard (Chilliwack), 7:00 - 10:00 p.m.

Tunic, Atodaso, Matt Mckeen, Aaron Levy @ Carport Manor (Abbotsford), 7:00 - 10:00 p.m.

Louden Singletree 10th Anniversary Launch Party @ U-House (Abbotsford Campus), 6:00 - 9:00 p.m.

Roots & Blues Night with the Jesse Waldman Trio @ Tractorgrease Cafe (Chilliwack), 7:00 - 9:30 p.m.

Chilliwack with Prism @ Clarke Theatre (Mission), 7:30 p.m.

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CIVL 10 Years of Streaming Celebration w Blessed Witko & More! @ The Stage in Mission, 7:00 p.m. - Midnight

31

Red Haven @ Tractorgrease Cafe (Chilliwack), 7:00 - 9:30 p.m.

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ARTS

Martin Castro — Arts Editor

arts@ufvcascade.ca

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 21, 2018

Album Review //

CHARTS

SHUFFLE

1

MOUNT EERIE Now Only

AARON LEVY

2

YO LA TENGO There’s a Riot Going On

3

SUZIE VINNICK Share the Love Around

CIVL Station Manager Aaron Levy knows you enjoyed the PRLC birthday celebration for Mac the Therapy Dog, and hopes you’ll enjoy this shuffle of dog songs as per Arts Editor Martin Castro’s request. :)

4

BIRD CITY Winnowing

The Stooges — “I Wanna Be Your Dog”

5

THE SUBMISSIVES Pining for a Boy

6

SUE FOLEY The Ice Queen

7

WEAVES Wide Open

8

ESME BRIDIE Today it Rains

This song was aped by one of my all-time modern faves, Queens of the Stone Age, on their debut, self-titled, 1998 masterwork and dubbed “If Only.,” It features a nearly identical riff, melody, and guitar tone, but replaces Iggy’s trademark snarl with Homme’s more southern drawl.

9

TOUGH CUSTOMER Rockgasm

10

PAI Life of Pai

11

LITHICS Mating Surfaces

12

COURTNEY BARNETT Nameless, Faceless

13

NAP EYES I’m Bad Now

14

ROCKY MILINO JR. & THE C4D BAND Pleasantside Blues

15

PALM Rock Island

16

VAL STARR AND THE BLUES ROCKETS I Always Turn the Blues On

17

DADBRAWL Demo

18

A.A.L. 2012-2017

19

U.S. GIRLS In A Poem Unlimited

20

GHOST TOWN BLUES BAND Backstage Pass

14

Jessica Jones: Defender or offender?

CAPPED CRUSADER

Modest Mouse — “Wild Pack of Family Dogs” A quirky, silly, cutesy little ditty dropped into the centre of an otherwise ethereal-sounding turn from the most humble of rodents from the Pacific Northwest, with a parable and a caution to those thinking of quitting their jobs or getting fired, which is still ok if you want rewards.

Led Zeppelin — “Black Dog” This song leads off the cleanup record for that Hindenburg-like craft that was doomed to sink like the “led” of its namesake, according to The Who drummer Keith Moon, upon first witnessing the original reincarnation of the Yardbirds, and its lyrics do not actually contain the word “dog.”

Regular Fucked Up People — “Brindle Bunny Killa” Chicago’s Longface stopped by O’Neill’s Home Cooking earlier this year, and one half of the defunct duo Regular Fucked Up People performed this RFUP classic, a song about that half, Anthony’s dog, who apparently has a taste for hare, and a hair of the dog for a joke I can’t make.

JEN KLASSEN STAFF WRITER

Netflix has released the latest installment in the Marvel Universe.

A new season of Jessica Jones was released on March 8. In case you missed the first season, a brief overview.

Jessica Jones, an unwilling, bitter, quick-witted woman with super strength starts a private investigation service. She’s part of the Defenders, a lesser known, less cohesive, super group — especially when compared to the Avengers. Season one revealed little backstory: just enough of a glimpse into how Jessica came to be, and to uncover some of the darkness inside her.

The second season starts off a little slow, and I was tempted to give up, but I persevered. The remainder of the season improves by leaps and bounds after the big twist. I give it four shots of whisky out of five.

This season explores the theme of redemption, something touched on briefly in the first season. The repercussions of the terrible actions committed follow the characters, causing them to question their morality. Each

character has a moment where they wonder whether they truly are amenable; do their actions define who they truly are? Is there still time to change? Addiction, murder, rage, the desire to make a difference, each topic gives way to discussion.

With the rising of female heroes who are all beautiful, leggy, and strong, it is refreshing to see a hero who struggles with some of the real problems that many of us navigate: abuse, PTSD, family problems — albeit perhaps not on the same scale — and death.

In this, I find Jones more relatable to myself: a woman struggling with her past, wanting to do good, and fighting with her demons.

While the show is entertaining, and the explosion-to-acting-ratio is decent, I found the season left me wondering why issues were brought up, only to be skirted around in the end. While Jones goes through quite the internal battle in the show, hers was really the only character that the viewer was able to see fully delve into a struggle. For example, there are large chunks of the show that focus on the characters of Malcolm and Trish. These are definite

parts wherein they play an almost equal role in terms of screen time, and yet their character arcs are left woefully undeveloped. It seems an odd choice to give them such large roles, but not take the opportunity to develop them any further. In contrast to this, the P.I. and her internal issues create a tension in the second half of the season that far outweighs its slow beginnings.

The show ends on a rather dour note. Jessica, once again isolating herself from her family and friends, alone, except for her new boyfriend and his son. There’s a few directions the show could explore in the future, but unless the leather-clad, raven-haired, heavy-drinking Jones has a major personal breakthrough, I’m not sure the show will captivate audiences through any more of the same storyline.

Overall, the first season of the series was superior, and while the second season does its best to deliver a follow-up, it still falls woefully short of what it could have been.

It’s still better than Iron Fist though, so there’s that.

ARTS

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 21, 2018

Poetry Book Review //

The Idiot on Fire sings even brighter than he burns MARTIN CASTRO ARTS EDITOR

I’m at a book launch, and I’m standing in front of this table.

There are many tiny, colourful books on the table. I’ve already picked up two of them (Cason Sharpe’s Our Lady of Perpetual Realness & Other Stories, and Liz Bowen’s Sugarblood) when I spot Brad Casey’s The Idiot On Fire.

On the back cover, bill bissett (contextualized simply as: “legendary poet”) describes Casey’s collection as “a brillyant n up lifting xperiens.”

A casual scan of the chapbook yields a series of two line stanzas which, by themselves, are so casual they border on antagonistic. However, Casey strings these sighs-as-statement stanzas together with metaphors that light up with the brightness of those magnesium powder flash lamps photographers used before the advent of light bulbs. If his sincerity is striking, the humour with which he reaches sincerity is astonishing.

It’s this way that Casey can begin a section (in this case, the second section of a poem titled or dedicated “For Mouna in New

Mexico”) with a series of seemingly innocuous thought-statements like “this year there was a blood moon supermoon eclipse / i saw it on your instagram / all instagram’d up” and follow up with thoughts that casually (but consistently) amble their way up to staggering crescendos: “we need joanna newsom to drop a new album like rn” he writes. “/ i read that we’re living in a postshrek-the-musical age / drunk and alive like jellyfish.”

When we get down to it, what is poetry supposed to do?

Yes, it’s supposed to be a tool for self-expression, but above all, I think what we ask of poetry (or at least of good poetry) is that it give us a lens with which to reexperience the world. We use metaphors to relate to ephemeral concepts like “love” because we can’t really use concrete language to characterize what are largely individualized experiences grouped together underneath the same umbrella. Casey seems to be innately aware of this. In the sense, at least, that he builds upon individual concrete images to explore the shimmering, notquite-there terrain of individual (yet shared) experiences.

Casey manages to connect to readers by roping together the mundanity of everyday life with images that function as surrealism, throwing two starkly unrelated entities next to each other (or inside each other) in an effort to highlight both the specific qualities of both image aspects, and create in our minds a new connection: the result of both entities impossibly juxtaposed.

By anchoring these instances of surrealism within narratives that are overwhelmingly comfortable (in the sense that they place readers within recognizable environments) Casey indulges in exploring what he calls “the sads” (a state of constant melancholy introspection).

Always displaying the curiosity and humour of someone who, despite obvious experience, has remained open and unjaded, Casey fills The Idiot on Fire with some of the most fervent and convincing contemporary love poems.

It’s almost equally as impressive that Casey’s collection is explicitly accessible by everyone.

You don’t need to be “into poetry” to fall face-first into Casey’s verse, you don’t even need to have previously been in love.

Look my dudes, Brad Casey has invited you to a party.

There will be laughing and drinking and crying. There will be real, serious, passionate love, and even more passionate, serious heartbreak. You’ll

be treated to the most sensuous, honest, platonic embrace of the past couple of years.

All you gotta do is show up.

Concert Review//

We all have to dance once in a while MARTIN CASTRO ARTS EDITOR

Concerts are interesting, specifically because they allow us to revel in the musicianship (or perhaps simply the presence) of the acts that we have (presumably) come to know over a length of time, during which we have listened to or become familiar with their repertoire.

In the ‘40s, big bands filled stages. Towards the ‘60s, they were cut down to quintets, quartets, and trios. After the modern four- or five-piece rock band came to prominence in the ‘60s, most innovations led to either solo acts, or groups made up of multiple singers. The focus, it would seem, has primarily been on members of bands (often, on the singer as the band leader).

On Sunday, March 18, Antibalas, a 12-piece latin/funk/ jazz/Afrobeat band from New York took the stage at The

Biltmore. Look, I’ve been to a good number of concerts now, and up until last week I probably would have cited Ratatat or French Vanilla’s opening set for Surf Curse as the most fulfilling concert I’d been to in terms of actual performance.

Not to disparage those acts, but there is nothing quite as impressive as watching 12 guys pile onto a stage with an assortment of horns, African and Latin percussion instruments, and the conventional keyboards/guitar/bass combo, and break out into a nearly two-hour-long Afrobeat set.

There are two points here that might best explain why I walked away from this concert as impressed as I did. The first was the fact that every single musician on the stage was in sync the entire length of the concert. Skipping over the fact that most of the songs ran upwards of eight minutes each, the fact that, halfway through

a piece the band was capable of breaking on a dime to allow the trumpet to call out four or five quick frills, then pick it all up again only to move it into an entirely different tempo and arrangement, was humbling.

Yes, there’s a somewhat hypnotizing quality to Afrobeat in that it builds itself around a common repeating rhythm that often accentuates movement, but more hypnotizing than that, perhaps, was watching such distinctly talented individuals moving their entire musical undertaking across the room through sheer familiarity with one another and their medium. It’s been a while since I’ve seen any band, number of performers notwithstanding, exercise that level of control over themselves and the sprawling, musical animal they’ve endeavoured to tame and control in front of a live audience. Never mind the

time it’s been since I’ve seen any group of musicians pull off a similar stunt while visibly having so much fun. (The Roots come close, though.)

Look, all music is good if it makes you feel something.

That said, watching a group of musicians make you feel something so intensely that it manifests itself in your very movement, while also pulling off a jaw-dropping feat of synchronization and self-awareness, is a treat you owe it to yourself to experience at least once.

Even if their music isn’t particularly up your alley, do yourself a favour, and cop a ticket next time Antibalas come to town. If your ears don’t thank you, your primal need for rhythm will show gratitude, somewhere down in your bones.

15

The Cascade is hosting an event!

Here are all of the details that you need

ITs gunna be a blast, its gunna be a total blast, you’re gunna have a blast.

Also it’s on thursday, March 29th CIVL is going to be there playin’ tunes There’ll be lots of food , refreshments , and a big bouncy obstacle course that’s called: