The Cascade Vol. 26 Issue 5

FEBRUARY 7 TO FEBRUARY 21, 2018

VOLUME 26 ISSUE 5

Taking a look inside of a book since 1993

SUS EGM

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ART OF THE MONTH

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First attempt failed, second attempt tomorrow.

This month’s winners.

DOUBT

Gallery 7 Theatre puts on a lovely show.

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G N I H C GEOCA IN THE

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WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2018

Editorial // STAFF Editor-in-Chief Joel Robertson-Taylor joel@ufvcascade.ca Business Manager Quintin Stamler quintin@ufvcascade.ca Production Manager Caleb Campbell caleb@ufvcascade.ca Production Assistant Renée Campbell renee@ufvcascade.ca Copy Editor Cat Friesen cat@ufvcascade.ca Illustrator Amara Gelaude amara@ufvcascade.ca Online Editor Jeff Mijo jeff@ufvcascade.ca Distributor Alena Zheng distributor@ufvcascade.ca

Managing Editor Kat Marusiak kat@ufvcascade.ca

Reading Rainbow

News Editor Jessica Barclay jessica@ufvcascade.ca Opinion Editor Jeff Mijo jeff@ufvcascade.ca Feature Editor Laurel Logan laurel@ufvcascade.ca Culture & Events Editor Cassie de Jong cassie@ufvcascade.ca Arts in Review Editor Martin Castro martin@ufvcascade.ca Staff Writer Aleister Gwynne aleister@ufvcascade.ca Staff Writer Jennifer Klassen jen@ufvcascade.ca

THIS WEEK’S CONTRIBUTORS Jake Gibson Paul Okano Simran Kaur Aulakh Justin Dhaliwal Daniel Dhesa Mike Friesen Cover: Renée Campbell Back Cover: Joel Robertson-Taylor

WWW.UFVCASCADE.CA

@UFVCASCADE FACEBOOK.COM/UFVCASCADE INSTAGRAM.COM/THE.CASCADE Volume 26 · Issue 5 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. Pitch meetings are held every second Monday at 2:30 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 400 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

All reading should be done responsibly.

The bridle and reins in the hand of deadlines loosens every so slightly, and drothes of glassy-eyed varsity zombies will diligently arrange their schedules to maximize reading time and time efficiency. And so shall you enter the week with aspirations to hit books and slam novels. Don’t overdo it, now that you’ll have a week to do nothing but.

Reading break is a bit like the cosmos. I’m sure it’s no coincidence that the Space X Falcon Heavy launched a David Bowie-listening dummy and Tesla Roadster into the sun’s orbit the week before reading break. It’s a sign.

We know that only through stellar time management and efficiency could somebody be capable of containing an explosion long enough that the tube it’s in goes up, rather than in every direction as bits of shrapnell.

I imagine the Space X team will take a bit of a reading break of their own, if you catch my drift. It’s been a long haul. Time for books.

I’ve done some reading break time engineering myself. Last week I sat down with a few mates while we plotted out when we should read which books, and where we’ll read them.

It’s fun to read books in other places.

Reading break is a time to get down and dirty with some words.

But book reading isn’t without danger. A rocket will crash and burn in an instant; a moment of exciting inferno.

Reading might launch you into a world of confusion and scary thoughts.

This is to say there are risks associated with reading. Some might say it’s not worth reading at all. Those people probably just haven’t read before, or they overdid it.

Books can be laced with ideas. You can’t always pretest a book for traces of infirmity like anarchism, religion, or freedom of speech on the spot. It’s best to get informed ahead of time.

Read books with people you trust. Stay hydrated, eat some fruit, take breaks between books.

Book breaks are definitely a must.

You’ve got to take time to contemplate the revelation, let your mind come to terms with this new reality. It’s also good to detox from an author if you’ve gotten hooked on a particular one for some time.

Precautions should be taken with reading of any sort. Eyeing over chains of words and trying to make meaning from it is like being a lonely astronaut, abandoned in outer space, endeavouring to know the mysteries of spiral galaxies and twinkling stars — twirling uncontrollably, no friction to redirect.

Unless you read responsibly.

I’m going to make like the Falcon Heavy, and launch into this reading break like there’s five million pounds of thrust making me do so. Millions of pounds of ideas and brain thoughts.

Not a reader, you say? Just try it, you’ll like it. No one’s ever died from reading.

NEWS

Jessica Barclay — News Editor news@ufvcascade.ca

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2018

UFV Chancellor //

NEWS BRIEFS

Student Union Society EGM: attempt one failed

KPU closes applications from international students Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU) has announced that it will be closing applications for all prospective international students for the 2018 summer and fall semesters.

KPU saw a 41 per cent increase in international students over the last year, and twice as many applications for this summer semester compared to the last.

“The university hopes closing international applications now will allow it to deal with the backlog of applications already submitted,” reported Richmond News.

Tatiana Tomljanovic, media specialist of KPU, said to Richmond News that it is not yet known when the university will reopen for international student applications.

-Richmond News

Attendees of SUS EGM. Feb. 1, 2018. (The Cascade)

JESSICA BARCLAY NEWS EDITOR

Jump in animal research in Canada generates debate on science ethics Critics claim that Canada is lagging behind other countries in its work on finding alternative solutions to animal testing.

According to the Canadian Council on Animal Care, there has been a 50 per cent increase in the animals used in research, teaching, and testing over the last five years. Some reasons suggested for this increase include changes in funding priorities, or the development and implementation of new technologies.

“It’s difficult to initiate culture change,” said Charu Chandrasekera, executive director of the Canadian Centre for Alternatives to Animal Methods. “We’re not ready to end animal testing tomorrow morning, but we certainly need to start moving in that direction.”

-Vancouver Sun

The Student Union Society’s (SUS) Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) did not meet quorum last Thursday, and has been adjourned to Thursday, Feb. 8. The quorum requirement will be dropped from first attempt attendance of 98 SUS members to 49 members.

A minimum number of members must be in attendance in order for the meeting to go forward. All students, upon paying fees to UFV, are members of SUS, and may attend and vote at the meeting.

The EGM was called in order to present SUS’s 2017/2018 budget plans for approval from students. Some bylaw changes

were also to be presented and voted on, as well as changes to the election policy. The bylaw changes are required for SUS to be in compliance with the B.C. Societies Act, which came into effect last November.

The proposed budget will directly affect how students’ SUS fees will be used. Despite this, Gurvir Gill, president of the SUS, said that meeting quorum has always been a problem.

“There’s never really a good time to do it, because people are going to be in classes,” said Gill. “You could do it in an evening, but quorum would still be an issue.”

If the required attendance of 49 SUS members is not met again this Thursday, the three-week process of organizing the EGM will need to be started over. Gill be-

lieves that another meeting would likely not be until the end of March, or the beginning of April, when students are just starting to study for exams.

SUS vice-president internal, Jaleen MacKay said that despite the low membership turnout, this was the most advertised general meeting for SUS. Gill said that the SUS is looking into getting academic accommodations with the university for the meetings, allowing students who would otherwise be in class to attend.

“This is important to students,” said Gill.

“This is student money. So, if students have to spend maybe an hour or two out of class just to attend it, I think it would be valuable for the university to look into it.”

UFV Chancellor //

UFV partners with Vancouver Film School JESSICA BARCLAY NEWS EDITOR

UFV and Vancouver Film School will be partnering to allow students to graduate with a VFS diploma, as well as a degree from UFV. VFS students will be able to transfer to UFV with over 60 credits from their oneyear diploma, allowing them to graduate from several UFV degree programs in as little as three years. The accelerated programs offered will include the Bachelor of Arts, the Bachelor of Fine Arts,

the Bachelor of General Studies, and the Bachelor of Media Arts.

UFV students will also be able to apply for the VFS-UFV Acting Scholarship, which can be applied towards a reduction in tuition for a the VFS Acting for Film and Television program. One UFV student has already been awarded a scholarship.

“This partnership between UFV and VFS offers increased learning opportunities and pathways for students,” said Alisa Webb, Associate Dean of Arts. “VFS graduates possess a significant skill set,

knowledge base, and applied experience in entertainment and creative media.

Further study at UFV provides the opportunity to develop new skills, and increase the breadth of their knowledge, all while working towards degree completion.”

VFS offers 13 post-secondary programs, in a variety of disciplines including acting, film production, 3D and classical animation, and game design and programming.

With files from UFV Today.

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OPINION

Jeff Mijo — Opinion Editor opinion@ufvcascade.ca

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2018

Putting it Bluntly //

The legality of weed in B.C. JAKE GIBSON CONTRIBUTOR

Laws around marihuana (that is how it’s legally spelled in Canada) possession and use in B.C., and Canada as a whole, are nuanced and grey. July 1, 2018 will attempt to clear up much of this confusion, by fully legalizing both recreational and medicinal use with the Cannabis Act, marking us as the first large industrialized nation to do so.

Currently, marihuana is listed as a Schedule II substance, which means it may be sold by a pharmacist on a non-prescription basis, as long as there is no opportunity for patient self-selection. Now, if you’ve ever been to one of B.C.’s many dispensaries, you know that patient selfselection is a fundamental part of the business model. That’s because they’re technically operating illegally, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re going to be shut down. Most are charged fines, and while some avoid payments, most pay the fines.

They just turn enough of a profit to remain open, treating the fines as another operating expense.

This is why the law is so nuanced. Essentially, dispensaries are getting ticketed each day, but as long as they keep paying them, there’s no further punishment.

Vancouver has started to put regulations for dispensaries in place, giving them sim-

ilar restrictions to liquor stores. The City of Vancouver also made a statement, as reported by the Vancouver Metro, that they will shut down any non-licensed dispensaries, although currently fewer than one in 10 dispensaries are licensed.

On a personal level, the law gets difficult. Cases have gone both ways, on charges related to possession or purchase of marihuana/marijuana, dependent upon intent, medicinal need, and other factors.

For people already incarcerated the situation is even worse. The question of if and who should be pardoned when the Cannabis Act is put into effect this July is still undecided.

However, some statements have been made. Those who would still be in violation of the Cannabis Act will remain incarcerated, and the current stance is to handle those incarcerated for lesser crimes, such as possession, on a case by case basis. This undoubtedly will cause many controversial cases to make the news in the future, but as for right now, while police in Abbotsford have not made an official statement, arrests for marijuana possession are lower than they have been in the past, with marijuana consumption on the rise.

This leaves a lot of questions about what should be done. On one side you have people saying that the law is the law, and those who choose to break it should be punished, regardless of whether or not the law is ex-

A marihuana dispensary. (“O’dea”/Wikipedia)

pected to change. On the other hand, are we really going to punish business owners for moving faster than the speed of the government? Really, all that these dispensaries are guilty of is pushing a loophole to its limit, with them exploiting the fact that everyone is innocent until proven guilty, and the fact that they only need to remain “not proven guilty” until July 2018 intrigues many business owners.

Of course, the Cannabis Act is not a magic wand, and many illegally operating dispensaries could continue to operate illegally under the Cannabis Act, and I’m sure we can anticipate stories of dispen-

saries being shut down, both legitimately and illegitimately, in the months following the passing of the Cannabis Act. And what does this mean for you, the end user? Well, possession of marijuana is legal as long as it’s obtained legally, and if you believe that you’ve obtained the marijuana legally, it’s been ruled that the fault does not fall on you. However, knowingly purchasing goods and services from an illegally operating business is a crime. So, if you purchase weed from a dispensary, don’t think about any of this too hard. It might make you a criminal.

Oh-Noes //

False alarms and faulty alarms What we’ve learned about emergency alert systems

A big curling wave. (Pixabay)

ALEISTER GWYNNE STAFF WRITER

The Pacific Rim has had a couple of scares this past month. First, there was the missile alert in Hawaii on January 14, and the tsunami warning that was issued for the Pacific Northwest on January 23. While these incidents had different natures, both ultimately led to the same conclusion. In the event, there was no inbound disaster in either case, but more importantly, these two events revealed a great deal about early warning systems on the West Coast, and their effectiveness.

The people of Hawaii were subjected to a missile attack alert when a state employee pressed the button that said “missile alert” instead of “test missile alert,” according to the Washington Post. Thirty-eight min-

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utes of panic ensued before a message stating that it was a false alarm was issued.

The tsunami warning for the coast of British Columbia was a different beast. In this case, the threat was real. A 7.9 magnitude earthquake occurred off the south coast of Alaska around 2 a.m. on the morning of Jan. 23, creating the possibility of a tsunami that could strike the B.C. Coast within the following three hours. Fortunately, according to geologists cited by CBC News, the fault line shifted in such a way that the ocean water above it was displaced horizontally instead of upward, and therefore no tsunami resulted. Even so, at the time of the alerts, it was considered to be a very likely and imminent threat. Unlike in Hawaii, there was no widespread panic on the B.C. Coast. Depending on the location and specific individual, this was

either a good thing, or a bad thing.

In some places, residents passed the test with flying colours, such as at Esquimalt, where residents assembled on high ground in an orderly and timely fashion. Yet there are also accounts of people sleeping through the alarms, only hearing about the earthquake later from relatives who lived far away, calling to check up on them. It is fortunate that there was no real disaster, otherwise it is possible that lives could have been lost. As it is, last month’s events gave us a golden opportunity to test our emergency alert systems, find out what works and what doesn’t, and improve things so that when a genuine emergency arises, people will be adequately alerted.

In Hawaii, where human error was to blame, new safeguards against such errors are being put in place, as well as ready-made procedures for cancelling any false alarms that do occur. These are wise precautions, and it would be a good idea for B.C. to incorporate features like these into future early warning system improvements, if they are not there already. When it comes to the B.C. experience, things are a bit trickier. The goal we want to achieve is warning as many people as possible.

Multiple methods of contact are advisable.

Sirens, calls on home phones, text messages to cell phones like in Hawaii, and more should be used to make sure that if one method of communication fails to get through, another will. It is also important

that sirens should be recognizable. Listening to a video of one such siren in a B.C. town on that night, at times it sounded like a car horn or a loud vacuum cleaner.

Perhaps it is a cliché, but in order for there to be no confusion, it is probably best for an emergency alert siren to sound as much like a WWII air raid siren as possible, since anyone will recognize that sound for what it is.

Having said that, one should remember that it is possible to have too much warning. False alarms aside, over time people can be conditioned to assume there is no real threat when a warning comes. When a fire alarm goes off, most people will assume that it is either a drill, or the alarm is going off unnecessarily. While it may get people to evacuate the building, most people will not take it very seriously, even if there is in fact a real fire. Other types of alarms or drills could have a similar effect if used too frequently. A drill once per year at an irregular and unannounced date is probably the best choice for making the public familiar with the alert system and correct procedures, but not so frequently as to risk creating a “cry wolf” effect.

Hopefully, B.C., Hawaii, and other regions will take this example and opportunity to learn, and apply those lessons to an upgraded and more effective emergency warning system. When a real crisis comes knocking, we will be better prepared.

OPINION

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2018

Canadian Journalism //

On why people should do their jobs, and uncritically publish Nazi arguments

This isn’t hard folks of speech and expression,” she called it. Hearing both sides now includes genocide. Even if you disagree with her journalistic chops, you have to give her credit for the flexibility In the past weeks, the University of New Brunswick’s stu- and training that must have gone into those gymnastics. dent newspaper, the Baron, has been in the spotlight. The Right off the bat, we can question her belief that students controversy surrounds the editor-in-chief’s decision to run should be given the benefit of the doubt when it comes to a full unedited and softball interview with the leader of parsing information, and making critical decisions. The the National Socialist Canadian Labour Revival Party, and strongest argument against this being that while levels of prominent and unrepentant local Nazi, Michael Thurlow. education have risen, our youth are increasingly susceptible Now don’t get me confused, I know that word is thrown to Pepe memes, multi-level marketing schemes, and the age around a lot in this day and age, but we are talking about a old pastime of signal boosting violent ideology. full-blown, Mein Kampf loving, racial slur using, and blamI can’t speak for the role of journalists and the media, but ing abuse in residential schools on “unruly children” type of I do think she should have thought harder about the differNazi. Many have questioned the lack of editorial oversight, ence between presenting point of view and endorsing it by and the decision itself to give a platform for white suprema- giving it an unchallenged platform. There are, in fact, not cy — but I think that like always, there is reasonable conclu- two sides to everyday story, and not every opinion is worth sion that can be found somewhere in the middle. putting in the spotlight. While some people may contend Are Nazis scum? Of course. So we’ll give that to the pomp- that bad ideas should be made public so they can be torn ous, outraged, and zealous left. But at the same time, can down, if anything, the last decade or so also demonstrates we not commend former editor-in-chief Anna Slatz for her the danger of the Overton window moving to make those commitment to misunderstanding free speech, and her job? same beliefs more widespread and tolerated.

Much like Ms. Slatz, I am also incredibly lazy, and if given There is also of course, the obvious political bend to it. an option, will always refuse to do basic research, or even Anytime someone champions “free speech,” and the “exthe duties outlined in my job description. Why edit or chal- change of ideas,” take a look at how they use the narrative. lenge the white supremacist in her interview when she can Most of ones who championed Lindsay Shepherd weren’t just let him mouth off everything, and then write off her lack there in defending Masuma Khan. What this debacle has of challenge, context, or journalistic necessity as a principled showcased is that many people are rabid, and hungry to crusade to have all views heard? In her public comments she make a name and career for themselves in the “martyred made before she was fired, she described her role as some- free speech warrior” role, like Jordan Peterson, to excuse one who would hit publish on absolutely anything without being an asshole who isn’t willing to self-examine or explain editing a word. She claimed students are smart enough to themselves, and casts demeaning others as a moral and know right from wrong, but should still be exposed to dif- righteous crusade against the “post-modern enemy.” ferent opinions, and points of view. An “unfettered freedom This debacle has been important in showcasing just how

PANKU SHARMA STAFF WRITER

A newspaper being read. (Unsplash)

far things have gone and how dangerous things might still be. The same university contended with a white supremacist poster before the interview (the Nazi in question saying they originated from his group). Faces have come out from the woodwork to try and latch onto the attention and activity, like professor Rick Mehta from Acadia University who took this opportunity on January 31 to tweet “I stand with Thurlow”, choosing to ignore the implications of everything Thurlow actually believes. Another in an unending line of self-victimizing reactionaries hoping to gain a following.

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OPINION

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2018

Mentorship //

Passing the torch of knowledge By engaging with and mentoring our juniors, we help to foster curiosity.

PAUL OKANO CONTRIBUTOR

There’s a saying that “Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire,” and I couldn’t agree more. On Wednesday, Jan. 31, I had the chance to be part of one of these tinder moments (swiping left or right was not part of the activity), as we struck flint together, and hopefully made a few sparks and flames that will lead to roaring bonfires.

On that particular day, beginning at 10 a.m. in the U-House of UFV’s Abbotsford campus, associate professor of English, Trevor Carolan, and his English 105 class joined with a group of grade 10 through 12 students, who are taught by UFV alumni and former student of Carolan, David Pastorchik. They came from Chilliwack’s Education Centre, an “alternative school,” and

participated in a joint class to facilitate secondary and post-secondary collaboration and mentorship.

“The idea was to offer a real university learning opportunity to a group of Valley students who have already faced some challenges in their lives, and who might otherwise not receive much encouragement to consider attending university as a way of helping make a better future for themselves,” Carolan said.

Carolan started the class by applauding the benefits of university: a buffet of thought to be sampled from until you find the dish that suits you, and a network of peers with whom you can form lasting bonds that may a last a lifetime. The focus of the class was discussing a selected work from B.C. author Mona Fertig. In addition, UFV’s Zachary Keely, a current student of Carolan’s, treated us to a pleasant musical

Artist Statement: For this digital painting, I wanted to explore the theme of control through visual representation.

The subject of the piece is a musical artist that goes by the stage name of SZA. Her latest album is a deep look at growing up as a black woman in her early 20s, trying to balance relationships, and who she is as a person. Control is a pivotal theme of the album, and I wanted to incorporate the visual elements of that album in the piece. Having computer monitors spell out CTRL implicates the CTRL key of a keyboard.

The butterflies have a deep symbolic meaning of life, which was also used as a source of imagery in her music video for her single “Love Galore.”

Overall, I wanted to encapsulate who SZA is as a person, as well as represent the major themes she talks about throughout the album.

Artist Bio: Mission artist Austin Kwidzinski uses multiple mediums for his practice, such as acrylics, traditional drawing and painting, as well as digital.

His past work has consisted of portraiture, as well as character designs and fantasy. Austin continues to explore different subjects, as well as different practices of art.

performance.

After the class ended, I enjoyed mingling with the students from Chilliwack, and answering their queries about university life by sharing my own experiences. I don’t often think about just how fortunate I am to be at university. If you are a university student reading this, then congratulations, you have won the lottery of life; you are living in a first world country, receiving post secondary education. You are more privileged than the vast majority of the world.

While I don’t quite yet know if I can single handedly solve global issues of inequality or lack of education, and I’m not quite ready to take a bullet from the Taliban in the name of education for all as Nobel Prize Laureate Malala Yousafzai did, there is something you and I can do: be mentors.

In regards to the collaboration, Carolan remarked, “I was gratified by the way our UFV participants really stepped up, and made our younger visitors welcome; they gave them an authentic ‘airing and sharing’ experience within the context of critically reading and thinking about a text.”

It was a great start to addressing a larger issue, and something that I’d love to see universities do more of. More than the physical buildings, reputation, and chance to land a good job after, university offers people a path to education, an opportunity to satisfy the (ideally growing) hunger of your intellect and soul. It is a place to discover who you are as a person. Keep that fire burning within yourself, and when you see another who has nothing but fading embers, feel free to give them a few of your hot coals.

Art of the Month Art of the Month is a recurring feature that highlights the visual arts work of UFV students. In conjunction with the Visual Arts Student Association (VASA), The Cascade chooses the works of multiple artists to be featured each month. To submit your work, please send an image, 50 word bio, 150 word artist statement, and image list with

titles, mediums, sizes, and dates of creation (must be within the past year) to artofthemonth@ufvcascade.ca. Limit of three submissions per person, per month.

Selected works may be displayed at The Cascade lounge, in room S2111 of the Abbotsford UFV campus. The submission deadline for next month is Friday, March 2.

Title: CTRL By: Austin Kwidzinski Medium: Digital Painting, Photoshop Size: 11 x 17 in.

Date: September 2017

Artist Statement: “Cross Section of a Bag Lunch” is a piece about childhood, and unhappy memories. Packing a lunch in a brown paper bag is something which brings up very early memories for a lot of people. Whether they were given a bag lunch as a child themselves or not, most people associate the tradition with grade school, and growing up. The bag is cut in half to represent a childhood that has been interrupted by the death of a parent. It has been dissected in a cold and clinical fashion which contrasts the warm, comforting backdrop of a family kitchen.

Artist Bio:

Title: Cross Section of a Bag Lunch By: Katie Diespecker Medium: Acrylic Size: 24 x 30 in.

Date: October 2018

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Katie Diespecker lives in Agassiz, and primarily works in acrylic, watercolour, pencil, and digital media. Her work often features themes of media, psychology, and technology. She has taken several visual arts courses at UFV, but is also partially self-taught.

Currently, she does digital design and illustrations for UFV’s Academic Success Centre.

OPINION

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2018

I AM SORRY!

Leave the Rio alone!

If you have any sort of social media account, I’m sure you’ve heard by now that the Rio Theatre on Broadway Street in Vancouver has been listed for sale.

The Rio is more than just a theatre: it’s a community.

Establishments like this are one in a million, and something cities like Vancouver need more of. Where else can you see the 1989 Batman on the big screen with a few friends on a Tuesday night? Where else can you get cozy with some popcorn and a blanket in a theatre seat for 11 hours watching an extended edition Lord of the Rings marathon?

The venue has also become

popular for its burlesque events, midnight showings of The Rocky Horror Picture Show on Halloween, and so much more.

To see this business sold to a developer with plans to demolish it would break the hearts of movie fans not only in Vancouver, but throughout the Lower Mainland, and further.

Save the cult classics! Save the Rio community! This is such a beloved neighbourhood treasure, and no one wants to see it go. Except of course those greedy buyers who would rather put up another tasteless box of an apartment building.

Jen Klassen HP Deskjet F4100

If I lived inside a printer, I think life would be just swell.

There’d be nowhere to go, but up.

The ink cartridges would supply me with free tattoos; the paper with cuts.

But if I lived inside a printer, I’d eventually want to be printed. I guess I’d have to be flattened out, because there’d be nowhere to go, but up.

But please, have mercy, don’t print me in black and white — bring me to life in Roy G. Biv; because if I lived inside a printer, I think life would be just swell.

Illustrations: Amara Gelaude

Laurel Logan

S N A P S H O T S

What happens when, after dating someone for five years, you slowly start realizing you don’t love them anymore? The person gives their everything to you: time, love, commitment, companionship, and you don’t have guts to tell them, because you‘re afraid of the hurt that you’ll cause them.

Faking love for three years is a big, big thing. You find yourself in a maze created by yourself, and nurtured every single day. You don’t have the courage, but at the same time you don’t want to talk or hang out with them either.

Sugar-coated, loving words are a hard pill to swallow. You

know they were always with you through thick and thin; times when you looked the ugliest, times when someone took their day out on you, and you had no shoulder to cry on. Gradually, when the attraction disappears, you meet temptations (not sexual, but merely the thought of someone new is no less than temptation), your texts to him decrease, and you feel guilty all the time.

That feeling of guilt is killing me right now! He is still waiting for my final yes/no to a long-term relationship. But apparently that long term is already long enough for me.

Alas!

Simran Kaur Aulakh Enjoy the show!

If you ever walk past the windows outside of the theatre department in D building, you may notice some very random antics going on through one of them in a blue-floored room. Being in a theatre class this semester, I have noticed a solid amount of odd looks through the non-tinted window. We know that the random activities that happen there, which include yelling at a partner in a mock argument or speaking loudly in an

entirely made-up language, can appear a little strange. We know that our log rolling on the floor makes zero sense to the academic in you. We know that our standing in a circle copying the spastic movements of one another maybe looks slightly cultic. But know that we see you looking, know that we know you’re there.

Take a good look, and enjoy the show. We’re okay with being on stage.

Jen Klassen

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Modern day treasure hunting, the great outdoors, and a ‘Cascade Cache’ on campus.

By: Laurel Logan I awake early on Saturday morning, chug a coffee until it replaces the blood in my body, and chow down some cereal until it replaces the empty space in my stomach. I need the sustenance, because today, I’m going geocaching.

I pack the essentials into my backpack: a portable power bank, almond fudge Clif Bars, a varied selection of trinkets, and, of course, a pen.

With everything in order, I hop into my car, pick up some fellow cachers — Alex, Rachel, and Tiff — to tag along, and we head out to find the hidden caches, stowed away in the nooks and crannies of Abbotsford and Chilliwack.

At this moment, there are more than three million geocaches hidden in over 190 countries. And at the time I’m writing this, 13,995 unique caches have been found throughout Canada since Jan. 1 of this year.

So, what exactly is a geocache? In simple terms, it’s modern day treasure hunting. In more technical terms, the words “geo,” meaning, “relating to the earth,” and “cache,” meaning, “a collection of items of the same type stored in a hidden or inaccessible place,” combine to describe the outdoor activity of finding hidden containers around the world. Play-

ers use a combination of a Global Positioning System (GPS), clues and hints, and sheer determination to find hidden containers that are either seamlessly hidden right under your nose, a hop, skip, and a jump off the beaten trail, or sometimes, a whole heck of a lot further than that.

The main item that geocaching requires is a GPS. When geocaching first came about, you pretty much had to buy an expensive handheld unit to participate. But, these days, it’s accessible to anyone with a cellphone, and some mobile data. All registered geocaches can be found using the official geocaching app, where you can search for, log, and comment on an extensive amount of caches. The app is free, but, if you want to go pro, there is an option to pay a monthly rate of $8.49, which grants you access to more caches, offline maps, and a bunch of other features — but it’s not necessary if you just want to participate casually.

On this particular Saturday, we decide to focus on caching around Sumas Mountain, in an attempt to make a slight dent in the seemingly infinite amount of caches the area holds.

The first one we undertake is a complete bust.

Not because it seems particularly difficult to find,

but because we discover that it’s been hidden on private property. This is where geocaching hits an awkward grey area. The owners of these kinds of caches are expected to have taken responsibility that people will be on their property looking for it, but man, does it ever feel uncomfortable. And sometimes, the GPS coordinates can be a little tricky to follow, so it can be difficult to determine if you’re even on the correct property. But many of these types of caches exist, so choosing to search for them usually comes down to making a judgement call when you arrive at the location.

For this one, we make the call to leave, and we continue up the mountain in search of something better. The next one we attempt sounds promising; it’s placed on public property, has a low difficulty rating, a fairly low terrain rating, and is labelled as being hidden in a large container. Basically, we just want something easy for the first find of the day.

The difficulty and terrain ratings range from one to five; one being something you can find in a few minutes, in a flat, wheelchair accessible area; five being something that would require specific knowledge, gear, or tools to find.

The caches generally range from being extra small to large; the smallest ones are called microcaches, which are around the size of a pill; regular sized ones are about the size of a shoebox; and the biggest ones are pretty much anything as big, or bigger, than a five gallon bucket. The large ones tend to be more rare, because, you guessed it, they tend to be a whole heck of a lot harder to hide.

Finding this one feels pretty good; the area is quiet and serene, the soil is comfortably porous under our leather boots, and the light dapples perfectly through the trees as we tread through the forest in search of the container. After some confusion, frustration, and multiple direction changes, Rachel spots a white bucket with a green lid creeping out from behind a decaying log. She calls the rest of us over, and we hover over the container, waiting for that proverbial treasure chest light to blind us as she peels the lid open. Inside, everything is damp, and covered in a thin layer of earth.

When you find a cache, the rules about maintaining it are pretty simple: put the cache back exactly where you found it; if you take something, leave something; and, perhaps most importantly, don’t let any non-geocachers see what you’re up to, because they could foil the whole operation. Fortunately, there was no one around, so we didn’t have to worry about anyone watching us. The “treasure” inside the container is usually a variety of useless trinkets, but sometimes, you can get lucky and find coupons for free french fries from McDonalds, which is always a tad more exciting. For us, it’s not about the prizes, it’s just about the satisfaction of finding the cache.

And nine times out of 10, even if its a microcache, it will have a logbook for you to sign your initials — or geocaching username — along with the date that you found it. And, if there’s room, you can always note where you’re visiting from, because some people travel all over the world looking for these things.

We take nothing, and we leave nothing, save for our names in the logbook. Though the logbook is damp, much like everything else in the container, we’re still able to pen our names in without it bleeding into the page too much. We seal the lid back on (though clearly, it isn’t fully weatherproof), and we head back to the car to set out for another one.

Some of the best places to go geocaching around the Fraser Valley include Sumas Mountain Regional Park, Cultus Lake Provincial Park, and Bridal Veil Falls Provincial Park. Basically, any kind of park is likely to have some, but many hiking trails tend to have some, too. And, though geocaching is usually thought of as being exclusive to these kinds of areas, often times, you can find them hidden in plain sight in grocery store parking lots, at bus stops, or in a variety of other public spaces.

Ostensibly, these ones appear to be easier, because there isn’t as much greenery to camouflage the caches; but, these areas are generally far more populated, so you have to watch out for all of those non-cachers a little bit more closely.

For our final search of the day, we decide to attempt to find one of those pill-sized caches. We take turn after turn on a myriad of roads we’ve never been down before, until we arrive at a small bridge. Our search process rotates through the same cycle as the previous one: confusion, frustration, and multiple direction changes — but, this time, we just keep going in circles, unable to find anything.

Alex remarks that the cache was placed in 2010, so it might be gone by now.

That kind of thing happens sometimes, especially if the cache has been around for a few years; They stop getting tended to, people start tampering with them, or Mother Nature just silently annihilates them.

But, then again, it’s difficult to spot a pill in a haystack, and we’re all a little antsy to find it and move on, so that we can break for lunch.

Then, we see something. A long clear string with a fake black spider attached at the bottom, camouflaged against the black of the sign that it’s resting against. Alex pulls on the string, and up comes the microcache, hiding inside the hollow of the metal post.

As we unscroll the logbook that’s only about the width of my finger, all I can think about is how incredible it is that we’re holding a piece of paper that’s nearly a decade old, filled with faded signatures of people we’ve never met, and how we now get to add our initials to this ever-growing list.

Cascade Cache Difficulty: 2.0 Terrain: 1.5 Size: Small Coordinates: 49°1’42” N 122°17’7” W Description: A film canister located on the third floor of D Building on the Abbotsford Campus. Please bring your own pen to sign the logbook.

Hint: On the third floor of D Building, where tired students roam, lies a hidden cache “planted” between “grass” and foam.

To find it, you may want to look down towards your feet, and after, you can sign the logbook while taking a seat.

STUDY BREAK Crossword //

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2018

Made by Cassie de Jong

ACROSS

DOWN

3: A spring which periodically shoots out hot water and steam.

5: A small, winged mythical being, or creature from European folklore.

6: A pen for pigs.

8: The tendency to look on the bright side of everything, and expect favourable outcomes.

10: Small fruit-flavoured candies made by the Wrigley Company.

13: The young offspring of a carnivorous mammal.

15: Something that relates to, or resembles the moon.

17: Another word for cheesiness or tackiness, that is often used to describe art.

1: A piece of glass, or other transparent substance with curved sides that concentrates or disperses light rays through telescopes or cameras.

2: Large snakes that kill by constricting their prey.

4: A means of broadcasting programs for the public to listen to, by sending out wireless transmissions.

5: The tallest mountain in Japan.

7: A recreational boat or ship, typically owned by millionaires in movies.

9: A paranormal force mastered by witches, wizards, and mythical creatures in many fantasy stories.

11: A common title for monarchs or supreme rulers of Eastern Europe.

12: Beef that is typically taken from the hindquarters of a cow.

14: A male deer or antelope.

16: Venomous snakes found along the Nile river.

LAST ISSUE’S ANSWERS: Across: 1: Mead 3: Oilers 5: Looseleaf 8: Essay 10: Shy 11: Imp 12: Leafs 14: Doctorate 17: Redeye 18: Ezra

Down: 1: Meteor shower 2: Dojo 3: Owl 4: Sarsaparilla 5: Lanyard 6: SOS 7: Fatigue 8: Eel 9: Yes 13: Fur 15: Tie 16: Tide

Illustrated by Amara Gelaude

Horoscope //

Astrological mysteries rudely interpreted by Lady May

Aries — Mar 21 to Apr 19 Most Aries have an inner politician, and our country needs more people like you. You speak the truth, and have the interests of the people in mind. However, it is likely, because of your big mouth, that you’ll need a lot of security around you at all times.

Taurus — Apr 20 to May 20 You are destined for fame and fortune.

Unfortunately, this also means you are destined to a life spent hiding from paparazzi.

Don’t bother avoiding them, they love that.

Instead, drive them nuts by expecting them at every turn with one hand waving, and the other one flipping them off.

Gemini — May 21 to Jun 20 Geminis are obsessively clean individuals.

If you let them come over, they will most certainly do your laundry, dishes, and dusting for you. However, it doesn’t stop there. If you don’t keep a close eye on them, they’ll start “decluttering,” and favourite items of yours will start to go missing.

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Cancer —Jun 21 to Jul 22 Obsessive-compulsive doesn’t even begin to describe a Cancer. You people will develop graphs and elaborate charts to organize even the simplest of tasks. Please keep in mind that it is not necessary to divide the work in your next group project into an overly-detailed pie chart.

Leo — Jul 23 to Aug 22 Leos are the most critical and nitpicky people you will ever meet. However, there is something about the way you carry yourself that helps you come across as charismatic and logical instead.

The best thing about this is that other people find you, at the very least, entertaining.

Virgo —Aug 23 to Sep 22 Despite being the most rooted group of people in the zodiac, Virgos have the makings of an excellent career in the circus, or as a travelling vagrant. They are always on the move, headed to their next pipe dream or fantasy. Don’t set yourself on too many wild goose chases in your lifetime.

Sagittarius — Nov 22 to Dec 21 You, like the Gemini, have the compulsion to clean everything you can get your hands on.

Your idea of a fun day consists of scrubbing your floors with a magnifying glass in hand.

Perhaps you and your closest Gemini friends should have a weekend cleaning getaway together.

Capricorn — Dec 22 to Jan 19 Many of your peers have been trying to give you good advice all week, and you’ve been having none of it. Quit being a stubborn goat for just a moment, hang up your horns, and sit down with a large glass of wine. You need it.

Libra — Sep 23 to Oct 22 You have a knack for fixing things. Because of this, your problem-solving abilities will be tested this week. Much will go wrong and astray in your life, and it is your job to get everything back on track before crazy things start to happen.

Aquarius — Jan 20 to Feb 18 Aquarius is another term for psychologist in the making. You frequently psychoanalyze your friends, when often you have no idea what you’re doing. Spend a week minding your own business, and see if your powers of insight return to you.

Scorpio — Oct 23 to Nov 21 You are infuriating to speak to because you answer every question with a question. You also have a bad habit of constantly interrupting other people’s conversations. Take some time this week to learn how to communicate with other humans without pissing them off.

Pisces — Feb 19 to Mar 20 Pisceans are the type of people who have enough time on their hands to give advice to their friends on matters that are of absolutely no concern to them. People say the beginning of wisdom is to desire it, and currently no one desires yours.

CULTURE

Cassie de Jong — Culture Editor culture@ufvcascade.ca

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2018

Local Band //

Q&A with Dead Soft pretty new for [Kyle and I], Keely and Nathaniel have been playing together forever.

CASSIE DE JONG CULTURE & EVENTS EDITOR

Now here’s a band you don’t see hitting up the Fraser Valley all too often. On January 26, Vancouver-based indie-rock outfit Dead Soft played the Captain’s Cabin Pub in Mission with local favourites Kristin Witko, Loans, and newbie solo act Ian Fildes.

So, who really is Dead Soft? To name names, the band is composed of Nathaniel Epp, on guitar and vocals, Keeley Rochon on bass, and their most recent additions (whom you may recognize from MALK), Alex Smith on drums, and Kyle Schick on guitar.

Amid the commotion of the event, we snagged a moment of Dead Soft’s time to ask them a few questions about their sound, and general band life.

What genre of music do you consider your work to be? Who are your major influences?

Epp: That’s always a tough one. I guess rock, power-pop, and kind of punk influenced. Our influences are super broad. We have been compared to lots of ‘90s bands, and grunge bands, and rock stars.

Smith: Smash Mouth.

Epp: Yeah, mainly Smash Mouth.

How long have you all known each other? How did you start playing together?

Smith: That’s a weird question because it’s

Epp: Yeah, Keeley and I have been playing together since we were teenagers in Prince Rupert, where we’re from. We formed the band together in 2011, and this is our third show with these fellows.

Smith: We’ve only been playing with them for maybe three months. Kyle and I have played in MALK, and played shows with Dead Soft, and were always huge fanboys of Dead Soft. Then one day we got a message randomly on Facebook asking us to join Dead Soft, and we were like “Oh fuck yeah, let’s do it brother!” So here we are.

Who writes your songs?

Epp: I write a lot of the songs. Keeley also writes songs. Keeley and I write a lot of stuff together as well. I guess I am the main “riff maker” at this point.

What are the main themes or topics for most of your songs?

Epp: Our topics range from death, to blackness, to overcoming obstacles. It’s hard to put a finger on that exactly, some of the lyrics are kind of abstract, and a lot of it is a stream of consciousness about stuff.

Smith: From an outsider’s perspective, as someone who always listened to the band, it seems like there’s a certain earnestness.

It’s emotional, but almost like a wink and a nod toward certain subjects. Sarcastic isn’t the word I’m thinking of, but there’s definitely something earnest about it that’s

Dead Soft takes the stage at Captain’s Cabin Pub. Jan. 26 2018. (David Myles/Contributor)

really grabbing. There’s a frankness to the wording, it’s not flowery poetry, it’s very straight to the point, and straight to the heart. It’s a “bypass the mind” sort of thing.

What has been your biggest challenge as a band?

Epp: There’s so many. The biggest challenge of all of them is knowing what to do, and where to go next. You get the idea to start a band one day, and be like yeah, I’m gonna start a band. I love writing and playing music, but it’s hard to know what to do with your stuff. It’s a weird world to navigate, it’s a totally brutal industry, and we’re barely even involved in it truly. It’s about getting yourself out there, and doing it in a sustainable way if you want to keep doing it.

Smith: You get to this stage where you’re like “Woah, we got to this stage. That’s amazing!” So, what’s the next thing after that? You generally have to persevere through all the bad, since there’s always so many bad parts to being in a band. And then the good things happen, and you’re like “Oh yeah, that’s why I keep doing this.”

With some local additions to the band, we hope to see more of Dead Soft in and around local Fraser Valley venues. Dead Soft currently has no upcoming shows listed on their Facebook page, but fans-tobe can access their music on Bandcamp, iTunes, and Spotify.

Featured Club //

Meet the gamers: UFV’s Pen and Paper Tabletop Club UFV’s club for board games and RPGs JEFF MIJO OPINION EDITOR

University can be an intimidating place, and despite being surrounded by people much of the time, it can be difficult to find someone with common interests, and strike up a conversation. The role of clubs is help foster those connections, and one such club which has built a community of their own is the Pen and Paper Tabletop Club.

The Pen and Paper Tabletop Club, or PPT, was formed around four years ago. “As a game club, our main goal is definitely to find people to play games with, but I believe by doing that we achieve a second goal,” explained Alec Zinman, the secretary of PPT. That second goal is to create a space where people who otherwise might not fit in can feel at home.

“It creates a sense of community where you can meet [and be] social with other people who enjoy

the same geeky hobbies as you,” Zinman added.

The name Pen and Paper Tabletop Club is a combination of two terms for tabletop roleplaying games (to distinguish them from other types of role-playing games (RPG), like video games or liveaction role-playing). Such games form the core of PPT, with Zinman saying there are always people in the club looking to get in on a new campaign. Speaking on the RPG systems PPT prefers, Zinman said that “while Pathfinder is the most common game, we do occasionally åget other campaigns going. Dungeons & Dragons and Numenera are also likely candidates . . . though a Game Master (GM) can run whatever system they feel like.”

The club has unfortunately met some difficulty both with finding people to run campaigns, and with expanding to other areas of gaming. “Our main issue is we have lots of people who want to join campaigns, but not

enough GMs to run them,” explained Zinman. “We are always on the lookout for people willing to GM!” Widening the scope of the club to include board games, which might have wider appeal, has also proven difficult. “While board games have always fallen under the PPT spectrum, it is hard to make them an active focus unless current club members own board games. SUS funding does not allow for the purchase of those types of items for clubs, so the club itself does not own any games . . . it is much easier to own one copy of a core rulebook of an RPG (which [was bought] by the club before SUS changed the funding policy), and print out some character sheets.”

However, the club is planning to make just such an expansion.

Beginning on Jan.18, they’ll be meeting every Thursday from 4:00 – 7:00 p.m. in The Cascade Collegium (S2102A) on the UFV Abbotsford campus for drop-in board games with anybody who would like to join in. Because PPT isn’t able to buy the games

as a club, Zinman is supplying them from his own collection. “If someone drops by on Thursday, they can expect to find a couple dozen board games to choose from,” Zinman said, adding that there will often be people playing a game that anyone can jump into quickly.

The choice of locations was motivated by more than just convenience, according to Zinman. “I decided to host in the collegium because I wanted to work directly with UFV and myCampusLife, and really show both SUS and UFV how much people use and desire an active space for people to utilize and hang out in.” Zinman said that similar events held in boardrooms or Evered Hall see lower attendance, and fewer drop-in players. “People are already dropping by the collegium, so I wanted to let that work to our advantage, and let people who aren’t necessarily members of PPT get a chance to drop by and play.” While PPT has a club office, Zinman explained that it isn’t allowed to host club events. He

hopes that “people realize what PPT is capable of, and give both PPT and other clubs more space to work, and hold activities.”

PPT’s members are involved in more than just playing RPGs and board games, too. They co-host an annual fundraiser with the Computing Student Association and ESports Valley, known as Winter FUNderland in 2017 and as Child’s Play in previous years.

They also have worked together on group Halloween costumes in recent years — first X-men, then DC villains (which won the SUS costume contest’s group costume category last October), and are considering Disney Princesses for 2018. Zinman said the club is always looking for new members, who are welcome to join through either their Facebook pages, Facebook group, or myCampusLife. All students are also invited to drop in at the weekly board game day on Thursday afternoons, which will run through to April 12.

11

CULTURE

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2018

UFV Club Event //

Listen Write Now: kick-starting the Fraser Valley’s lit scene Local writers and friends gather at Chilliwack café for a night of reading

CAT FRIESEN COPY EDITOR

February 5, 2018, Chilliwack Lake Road is deserted; the wet road winds between trees and in the darkness beyond, everything is silent. No signs of life tonight — until we pull into the parking lot of Tractorgrease Café. Cars line the lot, music escapes the building, and bright lights pierce the dark night sky.

Inside, a diverse crowd gathers to support family and friends, and to celebrate literature with the first ever Listen Write Now, an event focusing on connecting

writers in the Fraser Valley so that they can share their work with one another, and be inspired by the talent the Fraser Valley holds.

The night begins with Heather Ramsay, the coordinator of Listen Write Now, giving thanks to everyone who attended, and to everyone who volunteered to read. Sylvia Taylor opens, followed by Sheryl Newton, John Auber Armstrong, Margret Bollerup, and Heather Ramsay.

The topics and genres of each person’s reading differs, but the theme of identity is woven through each — whether it’s Taylor’s experience on a salmon fishing boat, Newton’s search for and discovery of her

Indigenous roots, Armstrong’s powerful connection to the dogs in his life, Bollerup’s humorous and heart-wrenching poems toggling between an ex-husband and a mother with dementia, or Ramsay’s musings on the history of, and life in, Chilliwack.

Even if it wasn’t intentional, the theme of identity unites these readers, as well as the audience, in a community of support and understanding. We’ve shared and been shared with, and leaving the cafe two hours later, we feel a sense of oneness.

One of Heather’s goals for the event is that, in the future, a “diversity of voices [will be] involved, from published authors

to students or first-time writers, from all different backgrounds.” She also said she’s “fairly new to the area, so one of [her] motivations for starting this series is to meet other local writers, and create or rejuvenate a community of people who are passionate about words in the eastern Fraser Valley.”

Heather ends the night by again thanking everyone for attending, and stating that she hopes “we can do it all again.” Heather would like Listen Write Now to become a bi-monthly event, and hopes that audience members will want to participate in the future.

Cascade Events Calendar

February - March

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

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

08

Trevor McDonald: Piano & Vocals @ The Wellington Social House (Chilliwack), 6:30 - 9:30 p.m.

Bottom Shelf Bourbon Trio @ Tractorgrease Cafe (Chilliwack), 7:00 - 9:30 p.m.

Ben Cottrill Live @ Field House Brewing Co. (Abbotsford), 7:00 - 9:00 p.m.

09

PIGS: Canada’s Pink Floyd Tribute @ Chilliwack Cultural Centre, 7:30 10:15 p.m.

Chill Rose Place featuring Hubbo, Bhura, xCephasx, & DJ Darko @ The Stage in Mission, 7:00 - 11:59 p.m.

The 4th Annual Pencil Fingerz & Friends Art Show @ Chilliwack Cultural Centre, 5:00 - 9:00 p.m.

Pencil Fingerz & Friends After Party @ Major League 2 Taphouse and Sports Pub (Chilliwack), 10:00 p.m. - 1:00 a.m.

Backbite/Outside Influence/Myriad of Whispers/The Ship Of @ Carport Manor (Abbotsford), 7:00 - 10:30 p.m.

10

Whisky and the Wailin’ Witch @ Replay Boardshop (Abbotsford), 7:00 10:00 p.m.

Old Dominion @ Abbotsford Centre, 7:30 - 10:30 p.m.

The Nighthawks Live @ Characters Pub (Chilliwack), 8:00 p.m. - 1:00 a.m.

Opening Reception: Transparency and Deterioration @ Kariton Art Gallery (Abbotsford), 6:00 - 8:00 p.m.

11 12 13 12

The Church of Rock n’ Roll @ Corky’s Irish Pub (Chilliwack), 9:00 p.m. 12:30 a.m.

Rock, Paper & Scissor Tournament @ Townhall Public House (Abbotsford),10:00 - 11:00 p.m.

Play: Cinderella @ Chilliwack Cultural Centre, 2:00 - 3:00 p.m.

Ballet Jorgen Masterclass & Pointe Shoe Clinic @ Chilliwack Cultural Centre, 3:30 - 6:00 p.m.

Galentine’s Day: A Fundraiser for Matthew’s House @ The Reach Gallery Museum (Abbotsford), 7:00 - 9:00 p.m.

14

Play: Anastasia @ Chilliwack Cultural Centre, 7:30 - 10:00 p.m.

Just For You: A Never-ending Storybook of Love @ Tractorgrease Cafe (Chilliwack), 7:00 - 9:30 p.m.

People in Motion - Ballet Jorgen @ Chilliwack Cultural Centre, 12:30 - 4:30 p.m.

15

Brian O’Brien @ Tractorgrease Cafe (Chilliwack), 7:00 - 9:30 p.m.

16

At The Movies: The Bergmann Duo @ Chilliwack Cultural Centre, 10:30 a.m. - 12 p.m.

17

All About Kids & Family Expo @ Chilliwack Heritage Park, 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

18

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

3rd Annual Hero’s Gala 2018 @ The Stage in Mission, 6:00 p.m. - 1:00 a.m.

All About Kids & Family Expo @ Chilliwack Heritage Park, 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

23

Jana @ The Wellington Social House (Chilliwack), 7:00 - 9:00 p.m.

24

Vancouver Pet Lover Show @ Tradex (Abbotsford), 10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.

Old Time Country Night with Boots and the Hoots @ Tractorgrease Cafe (Chilliwack), 7:00 - 9:30 p.m.

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Vancouver Pet Lover Show @ Tradex (Abbotsford), 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Celtic Night with Knacker’s Yard @ Tractorgrease Cafe (Chilliwack), 7:00 9:30 p.m.

26

The Jim Cuddy Band with Devin Cuddy and Sam Polley @ Chilliwack Cultural Centre, 7:00 - 11:00 p.m.

01

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

Opening Night: Annie, Jr. The Musical! @ Clarke Theatre (Mission), 7:00 8:45 p.m.

CULTURE Column //

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2018

Kin Korner

Adjusting weight healthfully easily calculate your BMI online. Calories are units of energy, which don’t have to be confusing or intimidating. Simply, if you eat more calories than you burn CONTRIBUTORS in a day, you will gain weight, and if you eat less, then you will lose weight. However, the type of calories More people are thinking about their weight more consumed does matter. For example, empty calories frequently, whether they want to lose it or gain it. are something to be aware of. What is an empty caloTake a second and think: every summer, you hear rie, you might ask? An empty calorie is a calorie that your friends or classmates say how they’d love to is not nutritiously dense. In layman’s terms, a empty slim down, and show off their “summer body” at the calorie is a calorie that will be stored as fat by the beach. During the winter, you hear these same people body, in addition to providing insufficient nutrients. talk about how they are going on a “bulk diet” to put Examples are chips, pastries, or any junk food. Exeron weight. The seasons have an influence on people cise is the only way we can burn excess calories if the who want to change their weight. However, there ultimate goal is to lose weight. If the ultimate goal is are some things to consider when doing this, as unto put on healthy weight, then, in addition to eating in healthy and drastic weight changes can have adverse a caloric surplus, the calories must nourish the body effects on the body. While health is the primary moto synthesize muscle. With this knowledge, and a tivator for people to adjust their weight, self esteem is balanced workout regimen, your optimal weight can also a strong driver. be reached in no time, regardless of whether you’re Let’s be clear, there is nothing wrong with wantplanning to gain or lose. ing to adjust your weight. We all have an ideal imResearch studies conclude that younger females age in our minds of how we want to look. How does are more prone to and affected by self-esteem and that image come about? A study in the academic self-image issues. These issues can lead to eating disjournal Health found that people who have been uporders such as anorexia and bulimia. Interestingly, set with their body weight are more likely to act and some types of eating disorders are not always about make a change. We all should be (and most likely are) losing weight, but can be about gaining weight as well. aware of the health benefits of maintaining a healthy Whether you want to lose weight or gain weight, you weight: reduced risk of heart complications, lung should familiarize yourself with the methods, techproblems, and diabetes just to name a few. Maintainniques, and overall knowledge on how to reach your ing a healthy weight is a multifactorial concept. goal in a healthy manner. The key is to get healthy Two important terms to know are body mass index without causing harm.

(BMI), and calories. BMI is a scale which assigns you a number based on your weight and height. You can

JUSTIN DHALIWAL & DANIEL DHESA

is hiring a Feature Editor

Feature editor writes or edits The Cascade's centre spread feature each week: 2000-4000 words.

For more info, email kat@ufvcascade.ca

Column //

Physics and Folly

Vacuum vacuum MIKE FRIESEN STAFF WRITER

When I hear someone talking about a vacuum I get disproportionately excited and start asking them questions about the fundamental nature of the universe. When I realize my mistake, I’ll try and save myself by protesting that vacuum cleaners aren’t a vacuum at all, just a relatively small suction effect. But it’s too late; they’ve seen through my visage — I am not of their kind, I am a man of science. A physicist.

But it did get me thinking — if we really had a vacuum vacuum, how much would it suck?

“Now hold on Mike,” you might say, “can’t you always just suck more?” Well the answer to that, unless you’re from Transylvania, is no. Suction forces don’t actually exist. Now, before you drink some pop out of a straw to disprove me, hear me out.

Actually, scratch that, do drink through a straw — it’s a useful example. Your lungs decrease the pressure in your mouth just a little, so the air pressure outside pushes on your soda a little more than the air pressure remaining in your lungs, driving the sugary beverage up the straw, and into your mouth.

Now that you are properly informed, I’ll go back to using the word suction, and we can go on living our normal lives. Oh, and also, for simplicity purposes, we’ll assume the vacuum begins right at the suction-y end of the cleaner, so we don’t have to deal with any messy fluid dynamics problems as the air travels down the hose.

First things first, our vacuum sucks up a lot of air. If the nozzle on the end of our true vacuum cleaner is as small as the wimpy suction cleaner I have at home, it will still guzzle up over 200 litres of air every second, with the air travelling into the one true vacuum at the speed of sound. Due to the pressure decreasing as the air nears the void that is our vacuum, that speed of sound is actually slightly less than the regular speed of sound. But why limit ourselves to a tiny opening? We have the power of an unlimited void of nothingness available to us! If you increase the size of the opening so that

it’s as big as a basketball, I would start thinking about putting a caution sticker on the vacuum, although I’m not sure what I’d write on it. Papers left lying around in the room you are vacuuming in will probably begin to get sucked up. So will blankets, cats, and really anything small that gets within a couple feet of the opening. If you left a fairly regular-sized window open in the room you are vacuuming, and all other doors and windows are shut, the wind coming in through your window would reach what the Beaufort scale refers to as “near gale” at 60 km/h.

An easy way to test the strength of a vacuum cleaner is to turn it on, and place it against a wall to see if it can hold itself up just via suction.

Inside of my house, the vacuum actually wouldn’t, because the wall would be sucked into the vacuum. Not the entire wall, mind you (at least, not yet), but placing the vacuum against a solid object exerts about 5000 newtons of force on the wall, or about the weight of six or seven Isaac Newtons, all pressing down on the same spot. The drywall would cave inwards, crumbling into the abyss. Regular everyday objects like laptops, board games, and books would also fold themselves up and get sucked in, and unsurprisingly, it would begin to be dangerous to people, too.

In addition to probably giving the worst hickey of all time, it would take one of the strongest people in the world to remove the vacuum from someone’s body.

Now where is that off switch — whoops, I accidentally made it 10 times wider. The now two and a half metre in diameter gateway to oblivion is too big to fit in my hallway. The initial winds are now six times over a hurricane force — they slow for but a brief moment as walls and ceilings resist the mighty portal — for likely only a fraction of a second before the pressure of the outer world causes our house to implode, leaving a foundation, and a few pieces of wall that managed to resist the void. I think the caution sticker should say: “Caution: vacuum.”

We’ll get the memo.

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ARTS

Martin Castro — Arts Editor

arts@ufvcascade.ca

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2018

Play Review //

CHARTS

SHUFFLE

1

Hop Along How Simple

AARON LEVY

2

Faith Healer Try ;-)

3

tUnE-yArDs I Can Feel You Creep Into My Private Life

CIVL Station Manager Aaron Levy pays homage to the UFV Cascades basketball teams’ regular seasons, and recalls some songs he’s been going back to lately.

4

Shopping The Official Body

5

Porches The House

6

Loka Northern Oscillations

7

Colleen A Flame My Love, A Frequency

Also receiving solo secret song piano ballad treatment on the Phat Pharm showcase project Dynamite Hack’s debut Superfast record, this second single gets looked over behind the now classic nerd-rock rendition of Boyz in Da Hood. The seminal NWA rework of a slow jam itself was a radio staple at the century’s turn.

8

Leo Sins Soul Love

Kid Rock — Only God Knows Why

9

Car 87 No Hope

I don’t know if there’s any excuse in the world that justifies Kid Rock, the multi-million selling, recent NHL All-Star game performer whose most recognizable hit includes a title that does not use any words, claiming “I’ve been givin, I just ain’t been gettin, but I ain’t seen mine,” but...

10

Brandon Isaak Big City Back Country Blues

11

Shame Songs Of Praise

12

Ariel Pink Dedicated to Bobby Jameson

13

Technical Kidman Bend Everything

14

Termite TV Termite TV Demo

15

Chris-A-Riffic I Was at the Height of My Powers

16

Lindi Ortega Liberty

17

Miles Recommends Extended Play

18

Frankie Cosmos Jesse

19

John Maus Screen Memories

20

Daniel Romano NERVELESS

14

A doubtless success

Gallery 7’s production of Doubt, A Parable is captivating

JEDI MASTER LVL. 3

Dynamite Hack — Anyways

The Flaming Lips — Turn it On The title of this one is essentially an apt description of what UFV’s women’s basketball team can accomplish when the pressure’s on, when they flipped a switch Saturday night, and run roughshod over the Bison to clinch themselves a playoff berth after allowing Manitoba the same honour on Friday night.

Akron/Family — Last Year On the men’s side, this perennial favourite of mine explains how they feel, and rightly so, going into this next season, having graduated no senior players, and featuring a starting lineup that fixes to spend some serious time in the weight room over the summer. Plus, Nav.

(left to right) Marit Christenson and Abigail Kibarita performing in Gallery 7 Theatre’s production of Doubt, a Parable by John Patrick Shanley. Photo by Dianna Lewis Photography.

MARTIN CASTRO ARTS IN REVIEW EDITOR

On Friday, January 26, Gallery 7 Theatre welcomed guests to the opening night of its production of Doubt, A Parable. The Pulitzer prize-winning play enthralled guests with the plight of a nun as she investigates whether the new priest at St. Nicholas catholic school is committing child abuse.

Plays, as sitcom writers would have us believe, are lengthy, boring affairs, second only to opera insofar as they represent the unflinching self-indulgence of bourgeois patrons. This line of pop criticism would have us believe that plays are for the upper classes, or worse, for old people.

It might have struck the audience of Doubt as surprising, then, that a community theatre could manage to put together a riveting 90 minutes of drama using only four actors, and a Spartan set. Stereotypes aside, that’s just what the cast of Doubt pulled off. Mostly, this success is due to the fact that the direction and

performances (especially that of Marit Christensen as Sister Aloysius) rightly emphasized the tension inherent in a nun’s quest to uncover sexual assault in her school, while all the while trying not to let the endeavour rob her of her faith.

Nicola Prigge also ought to be highlighted as key to the play’s success. Most impressive of all was her dedicated portrayal of a young (and often infuriatingly naïve) nun who uses her religiosity as a blanket with which to cocoon herself from the horrible truth of the matter: if Father Flynn, a figure of religious authority intent on “modernizing the school” (portrayed by the unfailingly charismatic Jay Danziger) really abusing the children under his charge, then how could God’s moral judgement (or lack thereof) have rewarded such an evil person with a priesthood, and (more importantly) what can two nuns do to stop him?

Christensen’s performance as Sister Aloysius dwarfs the performances of all her stage-mates,

and theatre-goers would certainly be forgiven for experiencing a degree of shock upon exiting the theatre, only to find themselves in Abbotsford, and not on Broadway. It’s this aspect of Doubt that is most striking. It’s hard enough for small communities such as ours to introduce and cement theatre as a cultural mainstay, nurture it, fund it, engage local businesses, and entice patrons to show up. But to do all that, and at the same time produce a tightly-written, impeccably-acted adaptation that grapples with the sometimes-touchy subject of behavioural impropriety on the part of religious figures and stage it in a community as religious as Abbotsford, only to have most of the crowd on its feet by curtainfall, speaks to the incredible amount of talent and dedication Abbotsford’s burgeoning theatre scene has to offer.

ARTS

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2018

Board Game Review //

Dark Souls — The Board Game engages with jolly cooperation JEFF MIJO OPINION EDITOR

When you pick up a board game box that weighs more than most cats, you know you’re in for one of two things: an in-depth and exciting game with many intricacies, or a dull slog through a gargantuan rulebook, and hours of gameplay that nobody completely understands. Thankfully, Dark Souls — The Board Game is much more of the former, and despite its intimidating appearance, provides an exciting adventure where most (though not all) of the rules are reasonably easy to learn and follow.

Based on the fantasy RPG video game series of the same name (primarily Dark Souls and Dark Souls III, because nobody really cares about Dark Souls II), the board game takes one to four players through a replica of a Dark Souls adventure. It’s got everything you’d expect: cautiously venturing out from bonfires, trying to outmaneuver teams of undead in close-quarters fights, tons of items and equipment to use, and trying, often unsuccessfully, to dodge away from massive, overpowering boss monsters.

Dark Souls — The Board Game is not a quick game. It is also a liar. The box features a hilarious misprint: the top of the box indicates a 60–90 minute playtime; the sides of the box all list 90–120 instead.

The quibble doesn’t really matter, because

all told, for a group of four first-time players, completing a game clocked in closer to seven hours. That’s 420 minutes, for those keeping score. Even if experience shortens the time needed for set-up and rule checking, it’s hard to imagine a future game running anywhere under three hours, and that’s assuming there are no major setbacks or bad luck.

And there will be setbacks and bad luck.

The Dark Souls games are certainly best known for their difficulty, and the board game adaption carries on the tradition.

The game is wholly cooperative: players share all of their gear and “souls” (the currency of the Dark Souls world), and if even one of them falls in battle, the entire group is sent back to the start of the map to try again. Unlike the video games, though, retries are not unlimited: if you fail too often, it’s game over. While this is one of the few ways that the game differs from the key themes of the source material (where persistence and trial and error are entirely essential), it’s a necessary one to keep a sense of tension in the game, and that tension never lets up. Any fight could spell disaster, so every player must always be on their toes against the onslaught of foes.

The enemies are handled through game mechanics that indicate where they move and whom they target based on the players’ actions and locations. It takes a bit of getting used to, but within a short amount of time, most players should fully under-

stand it, and be able to make tactical decisions based on knowing their enemy’s patterns. Boss monsters follow a similar mechanic, though with more complex and varied abilities. Because their rules are less common (during one game, there will be a minimum of eight fights against basic enemies — likely more — but only two against bosses) it can lead to confusion, but in a game with no competitive element, confusion isn’t nearly as much of a source of tension as when it’s one player versus another.

The meat of the game is its tactical combat, and it excels there: players always feel like they have options, but never like they have too many options, and the turns move quickly enough that nobody gets bored waiting for theirs, especially because players will naturally advise each other throughout the fight. Aside from combat, the game gives players a chance to upgrade their character’s gear (and the skills required to equip stronger items), which provides a nice break, and a chance to customize each of the four unique characters further to suit a player’s preferred playstyle. The only issue with this part of the game is that, because players share souls and gear, which are scarce at the start of the game, some groups may end up in debates about how best to spend the souls, or who gets to make use of the most powerful items. However, players who bear in mind that the game is cooperative

and that they’re all defeated if even one falls, will do well by always strengthening the weakest link in the chain.

Finally, it would be a disservice to review Dark Souls — The Board Game and not acknowledge the components the game is made up of. Inside that incredibly heavy box is an intimidating assortment of dice, tokens, cards, boards, and miniatures. They’re all high-quality, heavy cardboard or solid plastic, showing that this was a game clearly built to last (although the plethora of tiny wooden cubes used to mark health and stamina are sure to go missing quickly). The miniatures in particular are impressive: while they’re not painted, they’re intricately detailed recreations of various characters from the Dark Souls games, with the larger bosses standing easily four or five inches tall. The sense of scale greatly adds to the epic, threatening nature of those encounters, and adds a lot to the game’s already carefully maintained atmosphere of constant tension.

Dark Souls — The Board Game might look scary and come from a series with a big reputation, but the game manages to maintain those elements while being fun, relatively accessible (as far as giant, complex games go), and constantly engaging… even as it stretches out for hours longer than advertised.

Movie Review //

Bashful Bull Bucks Banality JEN KLASSEN

provided by Robert Lawson. This, coupled with the timing of the Spanish Civil War, CONTRIBUTOR raised some eyebrows. Despite that, or The first time I heard of Ferdinand the maybe because of it, the story of FerdiBull, it was being used as a plot point in nand has remained a well-loved classic.

The movie starts with Ferdinand as a another feel-good movie starring Sandra Bullock. Now I can properly say, having calf, living alongside other youngsters, all watched the story of Ferdinand, I under- of whom are being raised to take part in stand the point the feel-good movie was bullfights. Ferdinand loves flowers more making, and have a respect for the story than fighting, and is made fun of by his peers because of this. After the death of itself.

Ferdinand the Bull was originally a book his father, he meets a nice farmer and his published in 1936, written by Munro Leaf. daughter Nina, and is raised there from Then, two years later it became an Oscar- a calf to a full-fledged bull, growing up award winning Disney short. It was a best on love, fresh air, and flowers. Through seller, right alongside Gone with the Wind, a series of unfortunate events, includand was loved by adults and children alike. ing being a bull in the china shop, a cute However, it had a controversial reputa- “punny” moment, Ferdinand is stung by a tion, due to the “third story” underneath bee, and his painful outburst is misinterthe narrative, depicted in the illustrations preted as a ferocious, dangerous rampage.

He is carted away, back to the farm he left as a child, where incidentally, his former bullying pen-mates still live. He meets a few colourful characters, including a wellintentioned goat, and manages to escape with all of his friends from certain death, back to the loving arms of Nina.

There is a bull chase with segways, some dancing hedgehogs, and a trio of oddly accented horses. I am not sure you could ask for more! As a whole, it is an entertaining movie that has layers of applicable messages you can relay to your children, or any children you may come across. Just make sure their parents are cool with you talking to them.

This movie has a marvellous cast, and if you are an avid sci-fi nerd like me, you may recognize a few names. David Tennant plays Angus, a Scottish bull who can’t

see. (Tennant also played the tenth doctor in Doctor Who.) Miguel Angel Silvestre plays the matador, El Primero, and you may recognize him as the Spanish movie star heartthrob from the Netflix show, Sense8. There’s also a solid set of household names: Gabriel Iglesias, Kate McKinnon, Peyton Manning, and John Cena.

While not filled with a lot of heavy hitters, the cast is well-picked for their characters, and the viewer is able to be immersed in the world they create.

Overall, this film is delightful and fun.

I wouldn’t say it’s anywhere near the calibre of Toy Story or even Monster’s Inc., but it’s likeable enough. It remains true to its original anecdote, and is well executed.

But, unlike the original short, I don’t think it will be winning any awards.

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WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2018

No oil spills, and we get to keep the wine?

sounds like a deal to me, ‘berta.