The Cascade Vol. 22 No. 24

Vol. 22 Issue 24

October 1, 2014 to October 6, 2014

Burning the midnight oil since 1993

Trading creativity for carpentry

p. 2, 10-11

2

NEWS News

4

Opinion

8

Culture

12

Arts in Review

17

Sports & Health

19

News

Briefs

Can’t log on to Facebook?

Internet service provider PLNet experienced province-wide connectivity issues this week, and UFV felt the effects.

Although reports Tuesday morning claimed the issues have been resolved, the signal strength was still not reliable on campus. IT services, however, did promise to post updates on its help page: http://ehelpdesk.ufv.ca/

UFV student runs for Chilliwack city council Business owner and UFV student Mike Kha is running for Chilliwack city council. Kha is currently finishing his bachelor of arts degree, majoring in history and political science. Municipal elections are scheduled for November 2014.

Ethics proposal brown bag lunch

HREB chair Andrea Hughes and HREB vice-chair Michelle Riedlinger are hosting a workshop helping students and faculty with ethics proposals. The lunch is Thursday, Oct 2 between 12 and 1:30 p.m. at the Abbotsford campus in room B164. Light refreshments will be provided.

Have a news tip?

Let us know!

Email news@ufvcascade.ca or tweet @CascadeNews

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2014 www.ufvcascade.ca

Would you adopt a wolf-cat?

If you love werewolves you’ll adore the Lykoi cat, a half-hairless new breed of cat that has more than a passing resemblance to the Wolf Man. Read on for the lowdown on these adorable mutants.

What do students think about SUS’s new scholarship?

After you read all about the scholarship in the news section, check out what your fellow students have to say in UFV Speaks.

Spankings 101 Want to try 50 shades of kinkiness, but don’t know where to start? Check out Roxy Carleton’s beginner’s guide to all things BDSM.

Balls and flippers and tokens, oh my!

A major pinball competition came to Castle Fun Park, and Jeremy Hannaford has all the details.

Sugar might just be the new cocaine

What happens when you cut sugar out of your diet completely? Is it worth it? Sasha Moedt weighs in on The 21 Day Sugar Detox.

A university in name only

The re-engineering of BC education poses a significant threat to scholarship KATIE STOBBART

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

University, n.

1. a. An institution of higher education offering tuition in mainly non-vocational subjects and typically having the power to confer degrees. Also: the members, colleges, buildings, etc., of such an institution collectively.

— Oxford English Dictionary The premier of BC has attended three universities in Canada (SFU), Scotland, and France, yet still doesn’t seem to know what a university is.

Then again, perhaps many of us don’t.

For one thing, it’s not a vocational school. The function of a university is not to pump the trades sector with worker bees. To differentiate between it and a trades school requires an understanding of the difference between training and learning — there is one.

To paraphrase the OED definitions, learning is a process whose goal is the acquisition of knowledge and abilities.

Training is a process whose goal is the acquisition of proficiency in occupational skills.

Volume 22 · Issue 24 Room C1027 33844 King Road Abbotsford, BC V2S 7M8 604.854.4529 Editor-in-Chief katie@ufvcascade.ca Katie Stobbart Managing Editor valerie@ufvcascade.ca Valerie Franklin Director of Business Development joe@ufvcascade.ca Joe Johnson Webmaster ashley@ufvcascade.ca Ashley Mussbacher Copy Editor kodie@ufvcascade.ca Kodie Cherrille

The grey area between the two has been growing for some time in BC’s postsecondary institutions, and the forecast is even cloudier.

The function of universities — especially fledgling ones like UFV — is being forcibly moulded by way of fund allocation from learning to fuelling the economic machinations of the provincial government.

According to an article published last month in BC Business, “the government projects it will have earmarked 25 per cent of the $1.9 billion it contributes annually to postsecondary institution operating budgets for programs that lead to high-demand occupations.”

The bulk of those highdemand occupations are related to BC’s blueprint for pipelines, and they’ve created a new blueprint for the education system to manipulate students at both public school and post-secondary levels into trades.

I have nothing against people who want to learn a trade.

What I do have a problem with is funding training at the expense of learning. The

effect this has on the university, and on our perception of education in general, is that it devalues its focus on learning in favour of a transaction: the government has put in and paid for an order of one million employees, and postsecondary institutions shall provide.

In the same article by BC Business, UFV’s vice-provost Eric Davis is quoted outlining this impact of the government’s push for a focus on trades training.

“The bottom line of the government’s plan is that funding for post-secondary institutions will be based on labour market information and workforce targets, and that institutions will be held accountable to achieving results,” Davis said.

Given what seems to be a governmental disdain for non-vocational study, this is a disturbing trend. By reallocating funding from learning to training, we risk undermining an essential mechanism in our society: the critical voice.

It’s not that a welder or a pipefitter is incapable of criticism, but academic institu-

News Editor megan@ufvcascade.ca Megan Lambert

Production Assistant shyanne@ufvcascade.ca Shyanne Schedel

Opinion Editor brittney@ufvcascade.ca Brittney Hensman

Varsity Writer nathan@ufvcascade.ca Nathan Hutton

Culture Editor nadine@ufvcascade.ca Nadine Moedt

Staff Writers breckles@ufvcascade.ca Taylor Breckles

Arts Editor sasha@ufvcascade.ca Sasha Moedt

vanessa@ufvcascade.ca Vanessa Broadbent

Sports Editor catherine@ufvcascade.ca Catherine Stewart Production and Design Editor stewart@ufvcascade.ca Stewart Seymour Art Director anthony@ufvcascade.ca Anthony Biondi

martin@ufvcascade.ca Martin Castro Contributors Simon Grant, Jeremy Hannaford, Ashley Hayes, Alex Rake, Michael Scoular, Jasmin Sprangers, Jeffrey Trainor, Damian van Woerden, Jess Wind Cover image: Anthony Biondi Photo: uphey/ flickr

tions provide — or should provide — a different sort of space in which scholars can ask important questions of the powers that be, and ultimately keep them accountable.

There is absolutely a need for students with an interest in and talent for trades, but the “learners to earners” slogan going around invokes a dystopian vision for education. It implicitly rejects the value of art, advanced literacy, exploratory or theoretical science, sociology, and a number of other worthy pursuits of scholarship.

On the surface, it seems kind of our provincial government to bestow funding on UFV to support expansion of the trades programs it offers. But as we earnestly shake Christy Clark’s hand, thanking the province for its generosity, I recall UFV’s earnestness only a few years ago to achieve its coveted university status.

However, we are apparently less interested in what that designation really means.

Printed By International Web exPress The Cascade is UFV’s autonomous student newspaper. It provides a forum for UFV students to have their journalism published. It also acts as an alternative press for the Fraser Valley. The Cascade is funded with UFV student funds. The Cascade is published every Wednesday with a circulation of 1500 and is distributed at UFV campuses and throughout Abbotsford, Chilliwack, and Mission. The Cascade is a member of the Canadian University Press, a national cooperative of over 50 university and college newspapers from Victoria to St. John’s. The Cascade follows the CUP ethical policy concerning material of a prejudicial or oppressive nature.

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

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

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

3

NEWS

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2014 www.ufvcascade.ca

SUS offers all-expenses-paid scholarship MARTIN CASTRO

THE CASCADE

MEGAN LAMBERT

THE CASCADE

The Student Union Society (SUS) is giving away $10,000 to a student entering their first year at UFV — and will continue to fund them the same amount annually until they graduate.

The UFV SUS Premiere Entrance Scholarship awards one student $40,000 over a period of four years based on their academic standing, contributions to the community, and future involvement with SUS. SUS is attempting to mimic prestigious entrance scholarships from other universities. “[We wanted to offer] a scholarship that … covers everything,” said SUS president Ryan Petersen. “It’s always great having smaller amounts [of money] going to more people, but really, it’s incredibly beneficial to have a [scholarship that] takes care of someone’s education.”

Petersen noted that students receiving this scholarship will be able to focus solely on their volunteer work and academic achievements instead of balancing both work and school.

This scholarship aims to take care of students finan-

Image: Terrance Lam/ flickr

SUS is providing the money for the scholarship, but does not choose which student to reward it to. cially in not only taking care of tuition and textbooks, but in covering the costs of food, rent, and other living expenses.

“Residence fees are expensive,” Petersen said. “If [stu-

dents] choose to have a meal plan that is also expensive, [the] money tends to get used up fairly quickly.”

There is no regulatory protocol when it comes to whether or not a student is using

scholarship money for school, but Petersen stated that if the scholarship money is being spent irresponsibly, students may lose the scholarship the next year. However, the funds could cover a variety of re-

sources. “[Students] could use the money for things like laptops, if they need them,” he noted.

To remain eligible to continue receiving the scholarship for all four years, recipients need to be largely engaged within SUS and the UFV campus environment. They also must maintain a high academic standing.

SUS is fronting the money for the scholarship, but the decision of how to award it rests solely on the University Scholarship Review Board.

Petersen stated that SUS will only provide guidelines as to what qualifications the scholarship recipient should have.

A combination of student fees and SUS’s prior investments fund the scholarship.

“In part, [it’s funded] through our fees that we collect from the students, but also through a number of investments,” Petersen said.

Other than the yearly budget posted online, SUS did not advertise the scholarship to the student body.

As this scholarship is awarded yearly, SUS will eventually support four students on campus with the scholarship — equalling an expenditure of $40,000 per year.

Criminology practicum hopes to aid child soldiers TAYLOR BRECKLES

THE CASCADE

Criminology students Marie Verbenkov and Jeff Schneider are focused on putting an end to the recruitment of child soldiers.

As part of their criminology practicum, Verbenkov and Schneider are working with the Roméo Dallaire Child Soldiers Initiative (RDCSI), an organization which seeks to end the use and recruitment of child soldiers, and CKR Global, a risk mitigation firm.

This will be the fourth year of the partnership between CKR Global and UFV criminology practicum students.

The students are researching the nature of child soldier activities as well as the human rights implications of the practice, focusing on Chad and South Sudan. As a written component of the practicum, Verbenkov and Schneider will develop detailed country reports providing specific information about children’s rights and safety in these countries, including how to prevent them

from being conscripted as soldiers or otherwise exploited.

These country reports will be added to a training handbook for the RDCSI’s security sector actors — personnel who are often the first point of contact for child soldiers.

Criminology practicum coordinator Kim Williams, who is leading the project at UFV, hopes to apply the knowledge students learn in the classroom to larger issues.

“I think that the students are excelling,” she said. “I think that they enjoy the opportunity to not only learn about open-source intelligence and investigation work in terms of the country report piece, but I think also putting them in touch with social justice issues as they apply to an international audience [is important].”

According to Williams, she has not received any information regarding the specifics of this practicum, as the project began in September and the students have not yet handed in their first report.

“Whatever phase the proj-

Image: Wikimedia

Child soldiers are often forced into slavery, combat, and sexual exploitation. ect is at, [the students] will be a part of it in real time and they’ll get a lot of operational, real-time experience,” she said.

Williams is unsure as to whether or not the students

will be able to travel for this particular practicum; however, she stresses that should the opportunity arise, the students would be encouraged to take it.

According to the RDCSI’s

website, it’s estimated that 300,000 children are currently involved in armed forces around the world.

With files from Valerie Franklin.

4

NEWS

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2014 www.ufvcascade.ca

Science on Purpose

Werewolf kittens lack fur but not charm VALERIE FRANKLIN

THE CASCADE

Would you buy a designer werewolf cat?

No, they don’t howl at the moon, they don’t transform, and you won’t turn into one if you get bitten — but the new breed of scruffy, bald-faced felines known as Lykoi cats bear an uncanny resemblance to Lon Chaney, Jr. in 1941’s The Wolf Man. Although the Lykois’ hairlessness comes from a rare mutation that occurs naturally, they were deliberately bred for the first time by Johnny and Brittney Gobble, a veterinarian and a pet photographer from Tennessee, in 2010. The couple acquired these peculiar-looking kittens from two different litters and, after testing them to make sure that their hairlessness was not caused by disease, began to breed them. Because of the cats’ wolfy appearance, the Gobbles dubbed the breed “Lykoi cats” after the ancient Greek word for wolf, lykos.

A genetic abnormality in their hair follicles is what gives the Lykois their unusual appearance. Normally cats have an undercoat of short, silky hairs that lie under a layer of longer, coarser guard hairs. However, Lykoi cats can’t grow an undercoat.

As a result their fur appears patchy and thin, and their noses, muzzles, and ears are almost bald. They also have a roan pattern that consists of mixed black and white hairs,

FREE FOOD

Image: Brittney Gobble / Facebook

Werewolf kittens are partially hairless because of a natural mutation in the short-haired domestic cat. giving them a grizzled look and making them seem even more wolf-like.

Genetic tests have proven that the cats are unrelated to the Sphinx or Devon breeds, which are also unable to grow normal coats, and instead are the product of a natural mutation in the domestic shorthair.

The Lykois were presented to the International Cat Association (TICA) in 2012 and became an officially recognized breed.

“These are the result of a natural mutation that appeared in the wild cat population,” Gobble explained to Inquisitr. “They’ve been reported for years, but no one has tried to breed them because there

were concerns about their health”.

Their appearance isn’t the only unusual thing about Lykoi cats — they’re reported to act more dog-like, too. The official Lykoi website, which is run by the Gobbles, compares them to hunting dogs, stating that they’re extremely loyal to their humans, very intelligent, and hyper-alert to prey, going “almost ‘on point’ when they get a whiff of something”.

Thanks to a recent upswing in social media exposure on Facebook and YouTube, the Lykoi’s popularity is taking off quickly. Gobble told the Daily Mail that he’s asked about Lykoi kittens “10 times a day.”

However, some critics have voiced concern about the trend of breeding pets for aesthetics alone, sometimes at the expense of the animals’ health.

“Even when breeding is handled … responsibly, the very traits that breeders select for are often detrimental to the health of the animals that carry them; heavily bred animals tend to suffer for fashion”, notes journalist Ian Chant in Nautilus.

Chant offered the example of the Scottish Fold cat’s foldedover ears, which are the result of “a mutation that hinders cartilage and bone development, which leads to serious, sometimes crippling, arthritis and bone deformities.”

But despite their mangy appearance, so far all medical examinations indicate that Lykoi cats are no less healthy than regular domestic shorthairs. However, it’s too early to know for certain if the breed will experience problems later in life.

“A lot of health problems won’t show up until a cat is six or seven years old, and we don’t have any Lykois that old yet,” Gobble told Nautilus.

Because the breed is still so new, it’ll be a while before the average person can take one of these werewolf-cats home. The breeding pool is still small; to date there are only 19 standard Lykoi cats in the breeding pool, and they are currently being out-crossed with black domestic shorthairs to prevent inbreeding.

However, this slows the breeding process because the Lykoi gene is recessive, meaning that not all kittens from each litter will be born with the gene unless a Lykoi is bred to a Lykoi.

The Gobbles’ original operation in Tennessee has provided Lykoi cats to six other breeders in the US, Canada, and France, with the goal of making the kittens commercially available to the public by 2016.

SEMPER VERITAS

5

NEWS

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2014 www.ufvcascade.ca

Facing the future at Pipelines, Rights, and Boundaries panel UFV-hosted discussion weighed the effects of pipelines on the environment and aboriginal culture ASHLEY HAYES

CONTRIBUTOR

A UFV-hosted discussion panel examined the global and local effects of pipeline development in BC, especially concerns regarding aboriginal rights and the environment.

The Monday night panel, which was organized by the geography and the environment department, consisted of community members and UFV faculty. Members of the pipeline industry were invited to speak, but they declined.

The UFV Urbanists group greeted guests at the door and encouraged them to fill out cue cards with questions for the panelists during the question and answer period.

PhD candidate Charis Bersaglio spoke about her work on human rights and the corporate sector. Bersaglio explained that international human rights are often talked about, but aren’t necessarily put into practice with Canadian mining, oil, and gas companies. David Schaepe, director and senior archaeologist of the SRRMC/ Stó:lo Nation, connected this to aboriginal rights — and the infringements that the pipeline is making upon their traditional territory.

Ken Brealey, associate dean of faculty at UFV, called Canada a “resource-capitalist country,” comparing the demand for fossil fuels and growing pipeline industry to the expansion of railroads in the fur trade. Barclay Pitkethly, Director of Regional Programs for the Fraser Valley Regional District (FVRD), noted that Kinder Morgan has been trying to contain their expansion within their right of way, but

Image: Ashley Hayes

From left to right: Charis Bersaglio, Ken Brealey, Hugh Brody, Patricia Ross, Barclay Pitkethly, and David Schaepe. that they are also targeting agricultural land reserves because they’re “cheap.”

Schaepe similarly noted that Canadians are becoming more dependent on pipelines, and that revenue drives expansion and new development.

However, City of Abbotsford Councillor Patricia Ross gave an environmental perspective, advising that “feeding this addiction” of relying on the oil and natural gas in-

dustries for economic growth means ignoring environmental guidelines and regulations — which could change biodiversity and agricultural land.”

The overall consensus was that anyone who could possibly be impacted by the pipeline should be consulted. Ross also pointed out that there was a significant difference between “consultation and significant consultation.”

An audience member asked

UFV professor and filmmaker Hugh Brody how society can address the exploitation of the most vulnerable people in society, referring to the aborginal community’s human rights.

“The rights of the vulnerable [should] be defined and respected,” he said.

Brody also noted the environmental impact of projects like pipelines on future generations.

“In 100 years’ time, our de-

scendants, our children and grandchildren, will look back with disbelief with what we are doing. Will look back and think ‘How on earth could they have allowed these developments to take place?

How on earth could they have allowed the earth to destroy itself so rapidly and so inescapably?’” he said, ending the discussion.

SUS EGM draws big crowd for bylaw and budget info VANESSA BROADBENT

THE CASCADE

The Student Union Society (SUS) meetings usually tend to be low in attendance, but its extraordinary general meeting (EGM) on September 23 was the exception. There were 102 students in attendance, exceeding the quorum of 92.

VP internal Thomas Davies kicked off the meeting with a review of SUS’s finance reports. SUS received more funds than expected due to an

increase in attendance at UFV. However, there were still cutbacks on their student government expenses — almost $16,000. Thomas explained that some funding, such as cell phone and transportation costs, were unnecessary and therefore reduced.

Davies also said AfterMath is costing SUS less money than it ever has, and those numbers are still decreasing.

“A couple years ago we lost about $160,000 [to AfterMath expenses], then it went

to $140,000, $115,000, and last year it went down to $94,000,” he said. “That is fantastic, because it frees up a lot more money to put into other student services, and we are on track once again to continue that downward trend.”

But the EGM did not yield any major issues — just minor editorial edits to the recent bylaw changes.

“We did recently do a very large change of our bylaws.

This is just catching the errors and typos, some mundane re-

visions in our definitions and meanings,” Davies explained.

SUS also changed CIVL Radio’s title to UFV Campus and Community Radio Society, but shortly amended that to add CIVL in brackets for clarification.

Before closing the meeting, there was an opportunity for students to ask questions. One student asked why SUS fees still have to be paid even if the student isn’t on campus for the semester, and is instead taking online courses or co-op

education.

Davies explained that students can opt out of some of the fees, such as the U-Pass, but students are not exempt from all fees.

“You’re part of the UFV community and you’re contributing to the community as a whole,” he explained.

“It’s not necessarily the issue of being on campus or not, but [of] being part of the UFV community and contributing to the greater body that is this school and our students.”

6

OPINION

WEDNESDAY,OCTOBER 1, 2014 www.ufvcascade.ca

SNAPSHOTS

A toast to the Jesus dude

Curtailed commentary on current conditions

Electronic parenting

Kodie Cherrille I can be quite the critical person. I try not to take things for granted. So when someone postulates or implies the existence of a metaphysical being in their opening lines of greeting, I might be a little thrown off.

There’s a man I’ve seen in D Building a few times who likes to let me know Jesus loves me. I’m an agnostic. I say “thank you,” and hurry on my way. Usually I think about what I’d say if our conversation moved beyond that, how I’d convey I don’t believe in God. But should a person be criticized for expressing themselves? When I think past the initial awkwardness of the exchange, I’m charmed. In a place where weird looks might ensue if you put yourself out like that in the Tim’s line-up, it’s cool to know there’s a person who does it anyway — no matter how many metaphysical claims are implied.

Bottom line: he’s being polite and consistent with his lifestyle.

Here’s to you, dude in D Building. There should be more people like you.

New network no-no

Fandom hate or honesty?

Ashley Hayes

Jeffrey Trainor

Taylor Breckles

I’m old enough to remember the good old days before smartphones, MP3 players, and the internet. This is why seeing a child with a plethora of personal electronics still shocks me.

It’s not the fact that they are using them — I understand we live in an electronic world. It’s the fact these kids are getting iPads, iPods, and tablets for their birthdays or Christmas as a means to distract kids and make parenting easier.

My best friend’s daughter is three and has an iPod Touch. This way she won’t ask to use mommy or daddy’s iPhone and the whole family can be on their iWhatevers at the same time. Her point was that kids see their parents attached to their devices, so they follow by example. But have electronics become a new form of family bonding?

New for the 2014 / 2015 NHL season: Sportsnet has national broadcast rights in Canada.

In the past, TSN owned the rights and always did a phenomenal job. Their personalities and commentators were a joy to listen to. I was willing to give Sportsnet a chance, but this last week was not a good start.

Pre-season games are kicking off across the NHL, yet I saw zero games on any channel besides Sportsnet 360, their speciality channel. Sportsnet has six separate channels, one of which is 360; how was there no space to show a little hockey? Especially when you paid $5.2 billion to exclusively broadcast it!?

Seriously, Sportsnet, what are you doing?

I know you’re trying to get people to buy into your specialty channel, but it feels dirty and cheap to me. Just give me my hockey.

All over the internet, at various conventions, and in everyday lives, there is fandom hatred to be found. Why? Because some fans have given the rest of us a bad reputation.

These fans act in immature ways. They mock voice actors, cosplayers, and even fellow fans for not acting in the right ways.

You know what? As a fan I hate them too!

What people don’t consider is not all fans are like that. I don’t act in this way and sully the names of my favorite programs, so don’t lump us all together! Not every brony is a “fedora,” not every anime fan is a “weeaboo,” and not every vampire fan likes Twilight.

Every fandom is different, just like each fan is different. Don’t base your opinions on the fanatics alone.

Could Mars be the next frontier for human habitation?

DAMIAN VAN WOERDEN

CONTRIBUTOR

NASA is at it again. Since it wasn’t headline news, I wouldn’t be too surprised if you didn’t know about their latest escapade. It seems America is willing to spend crazy amounts of money in order to plant the stars-and-stripes flag on the Red Planet. A new mission, costing $671 million in taxes, has put another piece of technology around Mars.

Following a 10-month, 711 million km journey, spacecraft Maven silently slipped into orbit around Mars on September 21, 2014 — only this time NASA’s new toy won’t be landing on the surface.

Instead, it will orbit Mars and analyze the outer atmosphere. Maven will be recording solar wind data and looking for a source of water to figure out if Mars could be habitable for any form of life.

The question remains: Is NASA looking for water to find life, or are they looking to send life? To some, the idea of living in space seems out of reach. However, we already have the International

Image: NASA HQ PHOTO/ Flickr

NASA says each trip to Mars is another step towards humans eventually inhabiting the planet.

Space Station, which houses scientists in space during their studies. Of course, it doesn’t take a 10-month trek across the outer reaches of space to get there, either.

The search for life-sustaining elements on other planets remains a controversial pursuit.

NASA’s true objectives may remain hidden beneath an excuse for scientific exploration. In their

terminology, NASA hopes to “colonize” Mars shortly after sending astronauts to explore the new landscape in the 2030s. They are also planning a permanent fixture on the planet for scientists to call

their new home.

Sure, Mars is going to be colonized and analyzed for scientific reasons, but it is fair to assume there is a level of prestige that comes with being the first country to place boots on Martian soil.

America is once again trying to establish a foothold in space. This is not just science; this is the dawn of a new era.

It’s only a matter of time before we have people living on another planet. In a sense, our world is expanding. Projects such as Maven are paving the way for future opportunity for life on Mars. Space is no longer a place where people dream to go; planets have become destinations.

As our world expands, space shrinks. Right now, Maven is simply analyzing if it’s even possible to live on Mars. It will be years before NASA actually attempts to land astronauts on the desert-like planet. Having said that, it is possible that one day we might actually see Martians — but they will look, act, and talk just like us.

7

OPINION

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2014 www.ufvcascade.ca

Reducing climate change requires more than protesting VANESSA BROADBENT

THE CASCADE

The topic of climate change was the cause of the People’s Climate March on Sunday, September 21.

The protest took place in New York to advocate for international action against climate change. It was the largest protest of its kind, attracting over 310,000 people: more than triple the expected turnout. It was one of 2,700 events held that day all around the world, and over 100 New York City leaders were in attendance, including several UN leaders.

It’s amazing to see so many people come together to stand up for an extremely important issue, but I can’t help but wonder how many of those people are actually doing their part in reducing climate change. Protests can be a great way to raise awareness and bring people together, but that’s it. When the protests ended, most people went home and continued to live their lives just as before.

We expect everyone else to change. Large companies continue to use non-renewable resources and we can’t believe the government allows them to get away

Image: Mingjia Zhou/ flickr

“Change starts with the individual, not just corporate world.” with it. But what are we doing? I may not own a large company that pumps pollution into our atmosphere at an insane rate, but that doesn’t mean I can’t make a difference and reduce my carbon footprint. Change starts with the

individual, not just the corporate world.

So what can we do to make a difference in our day-to-day lives?

It’s easy to make environmentally conscious decisions. It’s as simple as unplugging electronics

when we’re not using them. Does a laptop really need to be on and plugged-in all day? Switch regular light bulbs to LED or compactfluorescent lights. These small acts can make a difference.

Eating organic and locally

grown food can reduce the amount of pesticides and chemical fertilizers that are used. Cutting back on processed food can help, as well as buying products with recyclable packaging. According to David Suzuki, 18 per cent of Canada’s greenhouse emissions come from meat and dairy production; something as simple as eating one meal a day without meat or dairy can help reduce our carbon footprint.

Big companies aren’t the only ones contributing to global warming. David Suzuki also states that pollution from transportation composes 25 per cent of Canada’s greenhouse emissions. Going carfree is easier than it sounds, especially for UFV students. There are plenty of options for students such as the campus connector shuttle bus and the use of city transit — you pay for it as a part of your U-Pass. If both of those are out of the question, the least we could do is carpool.

I think it’s time for people to practice what they preach and start doing their part. Preventing climate change doesn’t start with the government or large companies — it starts with us.

You have no privacy anymore, get used to it MARTIN CASTRO

THE CASCADE

Let’s boil the internet down to the concept upon which it is built: the sharing of information. The internet is a bridge that connects one big pile of stuff (the information on my phone, for example), to another, much bigger pile of stuff (everything else on the internet). It does this for every user, so a particular person’s information can be thought of as “Pile of Stuff #1,” and the internet can be thought of as “Communal Pile of Stuff.”

Now, I’m generalizing to an almost ridiculous level, but the key concept is this: the internet is a tool which allows people to share information — whether they want to or not.

For the most part, service providers and anti-virus software do a good job of putting up a net which filters the information you reveal to the internet and prevents it from going out to just any old Joe with a keyboard. Think of your online bank statements; those are usually pretty secure.

However, the possibility of someone accessing your information is always there.

I’m not condoning the theft of personal information such as private pictures, bank information, and so on, but what I’m saying is this: don’t be surprised when it

Image: Yuri Samoilov/ flickr

What happens on the internet stays on the internet. Permanently. happens. Sure, this might sound a bit cynical, but I’d rather be a cynic with my personal information intact than an optimist who’s just had his emails, texts, and pictures combed through. Once you’ve accepted the fact that nothing is private on the internet, you can be more cautious about what you do when you’re using it.

You should always consider how you conduct yourself on the internet, and what you do while

you’re there. Whatever you post becomes public property. So think twice about sending that special picture to that special someone via email or text message because that parcel meant for that special someone could find its way to the screen of everyone everywhere.

Including your grandma. Yeah, doesn’t sound like such a good idea now, does it?

Once you’ve published something on the internet, it is no lon-

ger your property; it belongs to its collective users, and they can do just about anything they want with it. A copy of it will be swimming around the internet forever, and I’m not being hyperbolic here.

Let that sink in: forever. It’s not just pictures, it could be anything. An angry letter or blog post written by your angst-ridden, 17-year-old self could pop up during a future job interview, closing doors to many opportunities.

We should have learned this a long time ago, but maybe we haven’t. The internet is equivalent to the seediest, most morally reprehensible bar you have ever laid your eyes on. You cannot, I repeat, cannot be too cautious while using the internet.

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OPINION

WEDNESDAY,OCTOBER 1, 2014 www.ufvcascade.ca

Satire

Letter to the editor

The perks of being pagan

by Witchie Witch

ing at all. Our policy is to accept everything as true. Who doesn’t love a back-up, in case one system doesn’t work out? If you’re not pagan, you’re not prepared.

Don’t believe us? Get ready for a heinous spell, because again, we love cursing people for no apparent reason using a plethora of weird ingredients and incantations. It’s the bomb.

Every religion has its perks.

Catholics get crackers and juice or wine, Sikhs sport the best headwear, and Buddhists are impervious to stress. Pagans, however, get the best perks of all.

Dabbling in the dark arts Pagans are Satan-worshippers — ask anyone. Well, anyone except a pagan, that is. But one of the biggest perks of paganism is that shocked, horrified expression on someone’s face after you’ve told them your religion.

Yes, back away, for I will use my terrifying evil powers to drag you into the depths of hell.

After all, pagans gave us Christmas, so the next course of action would be for us to drag you beneath the earth to burn for all eternity. You see, all pagans are the minions of evil, and as soon as you discover our secrets, we have to destroy you. Sorry — just like Christmas, it’s tradition.

Life is like Woodstock After damning you to your worst nightmares, we dance naked around an open flame in the middle of the woods until our satanist leader sacrifices a lamb in the name of evil, then we

Image: Wilhelmine / deviantART

drink its blood. Of course, there are drugs involved in this ritual, which ends as we fornicate on the blood-soaked ground. It’s the pagan way of life, our way of really appreciating nature.

All religions for the price of one Pagans believe in every supernatural phenomenon that comes our way. It’s not conflicting to believe in witch-doctors, potions, spells, voodoo, spirits, possession, the occult, every deity from every pantheon all at once, the elements, and Satan … not conflict-

Career prospects: talking to the dead Obviously, pagans are also not original or diverse. We all believe the same things: casting evil spells, wearing all black, and proclaiming our witchiness for all the world to hear.

Know what else we all love?

Attention. There’s nothing better than walking down the street and having people stare at our pentacles (the exact same thing as a pentagram).

So, we’re all off to become psychics and talk to the dead someday. Oh, yeah. That’s living the pagan dream.

UFV SPEAKS

Richelle Willick

“I think it’s a bad idea because I can’t afford to pay my own tuition. I don’t want a portion of my student fees to go towards someone else’s.”

Jeremy Hyde “I’m kind of indifferent either way because in the end it will probably only be like an additional dollar cost per semester.”

Tyler Lameranet “We are not going to see any noticeable difference towards our fees. As long a it’s going towards a good cause to a student who puts it to use, I don’t see a problem with it.”

Tanveer Jandu “I think this scholarship should not be allowed to take place because I’ve paid a lot of money and now I’m not applicable for the scholarship.”

Re: “Did Jesus exist, or was he a mythical character?”

Vol. 22 Issue 23, September 24, 2014 The debate, “Did Jesus Exist?” was a non-starter.

To call it a “debate” suggests that Richard Carrier and Michael Horner were evenly matched, but that was painfully not so.

Carrier has superior debating skills and more education.

But those inequalities were minor compared to the fundamental flaw in advertising this as a “debate,” between a historian brought in by the local atheists, versus a man who purports to defend the Biblical account of the Saviour of the world, Jesus Christ.

Richard Carrier used his time to make up his own version of history, and to dismiss 2,000 years of scholarship. He blithely declared anything he didn’t like as, “forgeries, altered works, hallucinations,” etc., citing names to support his claims. All the while liberally directing the audience to chapters in his new book.

Michael Horner, along with many Christian academics com-

promises the clear revelation of God in Genesis to accommodate the theory of evolution.

Evolution and Creation are diametrically opposite accounts of our beginning, so Michael who does not believe the historicity of Genesis, cannot defend the historicity of the Redeemer spoken of throughout Scripture. And he didn’t.

Carrier asserts that Jesus Christ, whose life, death, and resurrection transformed millions of lives, over two millennia, cannot be authentic. Carefully picking and choosing the data to feed his atheism he attempts to deny the Lord.

Logically then, if there no record of Richard Carrier’s life, 2,000 years from now, he never existed.

— Gerda Peachey, Abbotsford

What do you think about the SUS scholarship?

Jyoti Buttar “I’m totally for this scholarship because I feel like it gives those that can’t afford it a chance, and I think it’s a great opportunity to help out the less fortunate.

I definitely want to help out in this.”

Josh Ancheta “I feel there are better ways to get scholarship money. I know lots of universities that used to put tonnes of money toward their advertising to get money for scholarships.”

Andrew Stahl “If we are going to pay into it, it’s only a few bucks, and if we give it toward a target class or someone who has strong academics but can’t afford it, I would support it gladly.”

Ben Frizzo

“I believe [it] would be a good idea as long as it would be an equal opportunity scholarship ... Overall I think it would be a great idea, especially as this is a commuter school, to see more students participating in expanding this community.”

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CULTURE

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2014 www.ufvcascade.ca

Farm photo projects and Finnish foreign politics GreenSPEAK lecturer discusses the overlap of art and agriculture SIMON GRANT CONTRIBUTOR

“Farming and art do not run in tandem [and] we tend to have an absence of knowledge of how we get our food,” said artist Sylvia Borda in her UFV greenSPEAK lecture on September 25.

Borda envisioned something unique: the amalgamation of art and agriculture.

“As an artist I realized the past of art had a pastoral view,” Borda said. “As a result, [farming in art] became static. It became suicide to touch.”

To reiterate the latter, Borda presented van Gogh’s painting “Arles: View from the Wheatfields,” depicting a large wheat field and far in the distance an industrialized town. This was outrageously “insulting to the art community.”

Despite the sensitivity surrounding the subject in art, farming had a significant impact on Canada. Lower Canada’s Banque du Peuple minted coins depicting farm produce, and engraved each coin with the words “Agriculture and Commerce.” The Canadian Massey-Harris Company produced art-laden farming catalogues in the 1870s, distributed as far as Russia and France.

Canadian farming even funded

Image: Sylvia Borda

A farmer is framed pruning rhododendron in This One’s for the Farmer. art. Lauren Harris, both a benefactor of Massey-Harris and a member of Canada’s Group of Seven, used inherited money to fund the Group’s projects.

When Borda began creating her exhibition This One’s for the Farmer, she did not want to be political. She wished to give the public access to private industry abstract and show how farming sustains the food chain

and farmers. She negotiated a two-year period to use Google, because “with Google you get a sense of space and time.” Using Google spawned a new medium for Borda: “dimensional photography.” This differs from traditional photography because the viewer is immersed in the subject, rather the subject being portrayed through a “static, framed window.”

Her work quickly captured public attention, and she was invited to Glasgow, Scotland for an exhibition. Afterward, Borda received an invitation to Finland to document farms there. Because of her art, she managed to coerce two polaropposite groups, Animalia (the Greenpeace of Finland) and the Central Union of Agricultural Producers and Forest Owners (known in Finnish as MTK), into conferences illuminating very similar ambitions. Both groups wished for production, sustainability, and secure jobs for Finland’s next generation.

The newfound cohesion led MTK to take members of Animalia on a tour of any farm in Finland they wanted for an entire week. It led to parliamentary action, and now Borda, a Canadian artist, is helping Finland create a food charter so that Finnish farming is always protected.

Borda believes that “artists could become pillars allowing for progress” in the same manner that Absolut Vodka of Sweden uses artists to brand each of its bottles.

“Art is about exhibition, and exhibition brings people, and people bring possibilities,” she said.

Patterned pants and modern pantaloons: not just for the ladies BRITTNEY HENSMAN THE CASCADE

UFV’s men have set a trend sporting patterned pants and joggers — or what I like to call modern pantaloons (not to be confused with sweatpants).

Some people call them “clown pants” or “balloon butt pants.”

Whatever the term you use, they are the pants with an elastic waist which are loosely fitted around the hips and thighs, and have tapered legs. Some styles also have elastic around the ankles, and they are usually made from cotton or rayon. The style is very trendy in women’s fashion and has started to shift over to the male side.

However, when it comes to flamboyant pants and patterns, both men and women must be careful when wearing them. Often they look great on the rack, but can take a turn for the worst if certain factors are not taken into consideration.

Most of the women’s styles

Image: Be wakeful /Flickr

Patterned pants have been making a statement on the UFV campus this fall, and not only on the ladies.

I’ve seen come in various contemporary patterns with eccentric shapes or designs. Choosing the right pattern for this style of pant is important for both men and women. If the colour of the pant and pattern doesn’t provide a significant contrast to

your top, they can end up looking like pajamas.

A black-and-white pattern is a safe way to experiment with this trend. I like to choose a smaller pattern, but if you are going to go colourful and bold, choose a dark-coloured pant with a brighter pattern.

Floral patterns are tricky because they can lend themselves to a dated or elderly look. Opt for an intricate floral pattern if you want a subtle look. Large floral patterns tend to look more youthful, but the pattern can look middle-aged if the flowers have pointed petals.

Men can rock floral print, too. A floral shirt or floral accessories like a tie or suspenders work best, especially with a cardigan, blazer, or denim shirt over top to let the pattern subtly peek out from underneath.

For men looking to garb their legs in some sort of pattern, a trouser pant in a solid colour with small patterns like triangles, animals, or anchors can

be quite aesthetically appealing, and lends itself to a preppy look. This pattern is better contrasted if the trousers are darker and the pattern lighter; the opposite tends to look dated.

Guys, if you’re going to hit the campus with a patterned flair, stick to patterns like camo, acid wash, and iconic symbols.

These are all trendy and are currently in style. But avoid choosing crazy patterns when buying jogger pants — they are a statement in and of themselves.

Remember to choose the right top with patterned bottoms.

Don’t settle for a t-shirt when putting on your patterned pants — it will look too casual and can make you look sloppy.

Go with a structured top like a button-down, and stick with a neutral tone like black, denim, navy, or cream. You don’t want your top to outshine the statement you are making with your pants!

Upcoming

Events October 1

GreenSPEAK series: “Life in Agriburbia” As we know all too well here in city-in-the-country Abbotsford, there is a fine line between rural and urban. “Life in Agriburbia” will offer an exhibit and panel discussing the challenges of this meshing of worlds, featuring UFV instructor Lenore Newman, Canada research chair in food security and the environment.

Issues of demographic changes and ALR concerns will be addressed. The panel runs from 1 to 4 p.m. in B101 and is free to the public and UFV students.

October 3

UFV commemorates Great War UFV is offering a chance to learn about the various local groups who were involved in WWI. For one day, the Envision Centre will display memorabilia, commemorative projects, historical artifacts and representations.

UFV’s mission is to encourage a better understanding of the war’s legacy on local peoples and to critically engage with its tragic events.

October 3-5

Fraser Valley Food Show The annual Fraser Valley Food Show bids you to eat, drink, and drink some more! The show offers cheap samples of wine, beer, and fine cuisine, cooking demonstrations by almost-celebrity chefs such as Adam Hart, and a sausage-making competition. This year focuses on the organic and gluten-free, including a “glutenfree living event.” The three-day event is seven dollars for adults if you purchase your tickets online, and nine at the door.

October 6 Poetry night at the library Fancy reading your poetry in a non-judgemental atmosphere?

The Fraser Valley Poets Society is putting on a poetry night featuring readings and an open mic.

The night starts at 6:30 p.m. at Clearbrook library and is free to the public.

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FEATURE

ile h w s ow ing gr

www.ufvcascade.ca

s e i t i r io

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WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2014

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c tr fi i c e p Job-s

by Alex Rake

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hilosphy and poetry have never been big priorities for government spending. So when funding cuts or gifts come to the university’s door, there is a significant impact on an institution’s priorities.

UFV, for example, has recently accepted $872,000 from a provincial program called the BC Skills for Jobs Blueprint — part of the government’s $6.8 million investment in trades training. $807,000 of this funding goes toward opening 194 new training spaces for potential welders, carpenters, and electricians, while $65,000 goes towards equipment costs.

According to UFV’s 2014-15 final budget plan, the Ministry of Education identifies “aligning post-secondary education training and programs with labour market demand to achieve a highly skilled workforce” as one of its strategic objectives.

Proponents also cite unemployment as an issue that an emphasis on job-specific education will seek to solve. The phrase “turning learners to earners” is the mantra of this movement for those selling the idea of job-specific education to the public, while other reports put a stronger emphasis on the point that positions will need filling.

The plan also aims to reform public K-12 education to highlight trades as a career path for students.

“We want students to find their fit earlier,” Peter Fassbender, minister of education, noted upon introducing the blueprint in April 2014. “Our goal, ultimately, is to give every student ... a better, early head start on their future education.”

The blueprint says that “by

2022, there are expected to be a and therefore cost UFV. million job openings in British CoOn top of this, mandatory lumbia.” Meanwhile, UFV’s insti- courses with high enrolment such tutional accountability report and as English 105 have increased plan for 2014-2015 estimates a less their maximum enrolment — in drastic number of 61,500 workers English 105’s case, from 23 to 26. needed for 2020. It emphasizes Although this allows more stusuch areas of expansion as the dents the opportunity to sign up, liquefied national gas (LNG) de- it creates more labour for profesvelopment in Northern BC, and sors, whose salaries have not seen increased trade with Asia. a corresponding increase.

BC’s LNG industry is young, UFV hasn’t cut entire programs but the skills training a univer- in the arts so far, but the funding sity offers for jobs related to it are cuts across the board place priora major factor in the blueprint’s ity on the areas of study offered funding allocations — likely due to students. This also limits the to the profitamount of new inable interna- By 2017, the govern- structors-for-hire, tional trade means that ment expects to real- and deals in the sessional instrucworks.

The locate 25 per cent of its tors cannot be cerg o v e r n m e n t post-secondary oper- tain that they will has also prohired again for ating budgets on pro- be posed to levy the next year. a seven per grams that lead to ...

Without the opcent tax on high-demand jobs. portunity to hire LNG exports, new people and but this number will not be final- expand programs that may not ized until later in the fall when the align with the provincial governgovernment has announced its ment’s economic priorities, spefiscal plan for the industry. cialized areas of a given subject By 2017, the government ex- (say, medievalism or the avantpects to reallocate 25 per cent garde in English) will no longer of its post-secondary operating be available to students as instrucbudgets to programs that lead to tors leave or retire. Turner reports employment in what it deems as that this has created a real climate high-demand jobs. Besides this, of anxiety for UFV’s employees.

UFV’s funding cuts will total $46 Turner says industry sectors are million between 2013 and 2016 — as changeable as any other secand has already had to shut down tor in the economy, and focusing faculty reception in Abbotsford on specialized job training might and the library at the Mission prove short-sighted when the decampus. mand for jobs in those specialized Hilary Turner, head of English, areas dwindles in the long term. music, and linguistics at UFV, A discussion concerning jobnotes that there is now a greater specific training in K-12 and postwillingness to cancel courses that secondary institutions is scheddo not approach a 100 per cent uled for October 15 in the north fill-rate — that is, courses which gym of the UFV Envision Centre. have too few students registered

UFV 2014 – 201

Science: 7.7%

A budget increase of (0.9%) from 2013

Professional Studies: 7.6%

A budget increase of (4.0%) from 2013

Access & Open Studies: 3.5%

A budget decrease of (-14.4%) from 2013

*Note: Unlabelled graph sections include administ

FEATURE

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2014 www.ufvcascade.ca

Trades seats added

15 projected budget

+ 40 welder foundation seats +16 welder apprenticeship seats

+18 carpenter foundation seats +16 carpenter apprenticeship seats

+54 electrician foundation seats +32 electrician apprenticeship seats

+18 heavy-duty equipment mechanic foundation seats

Land, renovations, and buildings

Health Sciences: 6.8% A budget decrease of (-0.3%) from 2013

College of Arts: 17%

A budget increase of (0.7%) from 2013

trative budget lines and costs unrelated to specific areas of study.

+ $10 million for expansion projects at the Canada Education Park (CEP) in 2011 + $7.5 million for the acquisition of the former Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Chilliwack lands and buildings + $4.14 million for the renovation of a building at CEP + $22 million for building renovations to create the Trades and Technology Centre at CEP + $19.6 million for renovations to buildings B and C at the Abbotsford campus.

Examples of academic cuts - $46 million in UFV budget cuts between 2013 – 2016 - Faculty Reception elimination in 2013 - UFV Mission campus library closing in 2013 - 2014 funding cuts result in ESL department layoffs

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CULTURE

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2014 www.ufvcascade.ca

Below the Belt

BDSM for beginners: 50 shades of your sex life ROXY CARLETON CONTRIBUTOR

So you’ve heard about BDSM and you’re curious. It can be an intimidating practice to get into; the quest for kinkiness can be a sea of misinformation, and BDSM (bondage, discipline, sadism, and masochism) can be genuinely dangerous.

To start, research will be your best friend. Before you bring anything into the bedroom, you must research it first. You need to know the risks, but you also want to be able to get the most fun out of it.

BDSM also requires a tonne of communication. For your first time, make sure your partner is someone you know and trust.

You have to feel completely free to say whatever you feel in before-and-after discussions.

The before discussion is where you introduce any new ideas you’d like to try, and where you or your partner can express any desires or concerns you

Image: Adescalco Marangoni/ Flickr

Safety in BDSM is always top priority — but don’t forget to have fun! may have. The after discussion is where you check in to make sure everything went well for

both parties.

Having a “safe word” is the most important thing you’ll

need to establish, especially as you learn what you like and what you’re just not comfortable with. Some ideas sound great in books or films, but in real life turn out to be less thrilling than expected. In this sense, the sub has to have the most control.

As soon as the stop command is given, the scenario must stop. Despite what E.L. James has anything, ignoring the safe word is never okay. Also keep in mind that you might not be able to speak in situations involving gags, so you’ll need to establish some kind of non-verbal signal.

This is where planning ahead is important.

Surprises are never a good idea. A lot of pornography depicts people being happily surprised with an unplanned sex act. In real life, it’s a good way to get seriously injured, or to violate someone’s trust.

While it may be tempting to try the hardcore stuff right away, it is better to start small and work your way up. Don’t start out with knife-play or

piercing. Start with some light bondage and build from there.

Even if you are really eager to try inverted suspension, it’s better to take it slow. You may even find you like the milder scenarios more, but if you skip right over them you’ll never know.

Generally, it is not a good idea to mix your real life with your fantasy life. If you’ve had a disagreement in your real life, you need to sort it out in real life.

You cannot punish your partner in the fantasy world. Bringing reality into the fantasy will only limit and frustrate you.

BDSM can be a great way to elevate your sex life. So if you think it’s for you, do your research, talk with your partner, start slow, and give it a try. Be safe, and have fun with it!

Style on Campus

by Martin Castro On Thursday, September 25, The Cascade received a tip detailing unusual activity: students dressed in onesies were seen walking around and congregating in C building. Armed with a camera and voice recorder, we tracked the cuddly cabal to their headquarters, where we chatted with spokesperson and fashion design student Wren Barber, among others.

Situated a in room full of needles, tape measures, and various sizes and colours of cloth needles, the advanced garment construction class was busy at work.

“We’re making a half-jacket,” explained Barber, “so we can prep up for [the construction] of a full-size jacket.” Other students went on to explain that half-jackets are a useful practice exercise as they don’t require as much fabric as a full jacket. “[The reasoning behind using a half-jacket] is that we can get used to sewing full-size [garments], but not waste a ton of fabric.”

The onesies, it turned out, were the result of a previous project the class had been working on. “We had all made onesies before, so we [decided to wear them today],” said Barber.

She went on to inform us that the Fashion Design Student Association, of which she is one of the vice-presidents, has deemed “every third Thursday of the month … [as] a fashion department theme day.” As if being able to create their own clothes wasn’t incentive enough, UFV students now have the monthly opportunity to dress up in accordance to what will no doubt prove to be increasingly interesting themes and motifs.

A fairly low-key program, the fashion design courses offered at UFV might prove to be as entertaining, informative, challenging, and rewarding for students interested in fashion as it has evidently been for the students currently enrolled in the program.

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CULTURE

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2014 www.ufvcascade.ca

Abbyfest: celebrating diversity NADINE MOEDT THE CASCADE / PHOTOS

Booths offering cultural enlightenment filled Tradex’s AgRec building as Abbyfest kicked off its seventh year Saturday. The festival, which celebrates cultural diversity, has been wildly successful since its debut in 2008, drawing crowds from around the Fraser Valley to enjoy the live entertainment and colourful information booths.

The day began with a parade of nations, a welcome by the Stó:lō Nation, and a rendition of the Canadian national anthem

by Abbotsford mayor Bruce Banman. Festival-goers then began to make the rounds of the tables and enjoy the opening performances, which included African dancing, a demonstration of the Kurdish tambour, and the charming Abbotsford Male Chorus.

Volunteers manning the booths were enthusiastic and patriotic; a short pause at the Scandinavian table found me jestingly pressured into trying on a blonde, braided wig and horned helmet. (“There! Now you’re one of us!”)

UFV International set up presentation boards that provided onlookers with commentary

and information on a wide variety of cultures. Interactive quizzes were offered and, while the international information was useful, the Canadian quiz asked questions like, “How many points did Wayne Gretzky score in his career?” Absent was any mention of First Nations cul-

ture. The opening welcome was promising, but I would like to have seen a booth offering information on First Nations people in Canada.

Other displays offered information on community support groups, local events, and safety awareness. Representatives from the Reach Gallery, Abbotsford Community Services, and UFV English Language Studies were present.

Abbotsford’s firefighters presented fire safety tips to passersby, most of whom seemed happy for a chance to gaze further at the strapping men.

Meanwhile, a booth supporting gender equality sat in view of the all-male fire crew. You could almost hear them thinking: case in point.

Other highlights included a table selling Kurdish-Canadian art, a by-donation photo booth with humourous props, and a table selling authentic handmade Ugandan jewellery.

Booths displaying information on various religions — Islam, Buddhism, Baha’i, and Christianity, to name a few — passed out treats and information pamphlets. One presentation offered henna application with information on the status of women in Islam.

The festival opened this year with two stages, and performances continued throughout the duration of the festival.

UFV had a noticeable presence among the performers, including a short fashion show and an interactive cultural dance les-

son.

Abbyfest allows participants to learn about other cultures and religions in a non-threatening and respectful environment. The day provided an atmosphere that went beyond simple tolerance of our diversity. It encouraged the sharing, interests, and understanding of other ways of being.

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ARTS IN REVIEW

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2014 www.ufvcascade.ca

Shakespeare, the end of an era at Studio Ghibli, and the Ukrainian Revolution: this week at VIFF Reviews from the first week of the festival, which featured Cannes-awarded teen film The Wonders MICHAEL SCOULAR CONTRIBUTOR

The Princess of France (La princesa de Francia) An adaptation of Love’s Labour Lost by Argentinian director Matias Piñeiro (his third Shakespeare re-working in a row), The Princess of France has a grand, exciting opening that involves a radio song request, an evening game of football, and a merging of the two into elevated normalcy — a mode Piñeiro uses rather than a proscenium arch. His style of adaptation is to evoke the feeling of Shakespeare’s work — the endless wordplay, using screen entrances and exits to mix up already complicated relationships, and the mistakenly exchanged objects and letters that reveal or destroy hidden desires — rather than having his characters speak the playwright’s language (though a radio performance of the play does figure into the plot). Piñeiro’s narrative tricks (dreams, perspective shifts, jump cuts) and the cast’s youthful exuberance sometimes give off the sense of early Godard (minus the politics), where a complete understanding of the movie’s humour, freedom, and excitement seems impossible without knowing the speakers’ language and how it is being stretched to the point of breaking.

The Tale of Princess Kaguya (かぐや姫の物語) In its middle portion, The Tale of Princess Kaguya approximates the last-act trickery of the same play Piñeiro draws on (gifts, masks, and the significance of saying “no”). But it’s more notable for representing the end of a remarkable era, as was The Wind Rises, which was released in Canada earlier this year.

With these two final films from the primary directors at Studio Ghibli, the animation studio will be suspending the creation of any new productions. What it will look like on the other side is unknown — a summary of a news conference incorrectly translated as saying the studio was done for was so believable it took a Variety story to counter the claim. But not only is hand-drawn animation an endangered form (Pixar ’s attempt to approximate the style two years ago was simply hideous), so too is the studio’s expressive

(From left to right): Bougerou’s Nymphs and Satyr features in Piñeiro’s Princess of France; snapshots from Takahata’s Princess Kaguya, Rohrwacher’s The Wonders, and Loznitsa’s Maidan. qualities. The idea that there is a personal perspective on the world behind a Miyazaki (or in this case, Takahata) film seems, at least in American animation, to be virtually non-existent.

With Princess Kaguya, the sense that this is a late work, fixated on mortality as much as bold expressivity, is unavoidable; it complicates what is, for much of the first half of the film, a fairly standard fairy-tale adaptation. Like Takahata’s My Neighbors the Yamadas, the animation style is distinct from most of Studio Ghibli’s productions. Watercolours trail off into the horizon, and charcoal strokes provide basic outlines, or, in one moment of complete abandon, pure abstraction.

Princess Kaguya engages with traditional forms of animation and custom only to upset them.

It is both familiar to those who have seen other Ghibli protagonists admirably stare down societal rules, and surprising to see them come out of animation — similar to the melancholy poetry of Miyazaki’s The Wind Rises, but in a way that completely diverges from that example by the end. Together, the works are complementary, but apart, Princess Kaguya seems more profoundly disquieting, a complete-arc epic to Miyazaki’s art-and-war historical essay.

The Wonders (Le meraviglie) This year ’s winner of the Grand Prix at Cannes might look modest. Its plot is centred on the threat of industry regulations on a rural bee-farming family as well as a reality TV competition, and is light on dramatic incident. What is there has little purpose beyond emphasizing the separation in perspective between the family patriarch, Wolfgang (Sam Louvyck), and the oldest of four daughters, Gelsomina (Alexandra Lungu).

Director Alice Rohrwacher has made not so much a comingof-age tale, but a film, shot in 16mm, that inhabits the experience of wanting to be over with coming of age while being “too inside things,” as one character puts it, to know where the process would begin or end. In other words, it’s a great teen movie, with pop songs, the attraction slash repulsion of adulthood, and the relationships between sisters (and mother figures) all filling in detail in ways a more impressive plot would not.

The prize at Cannes came from a jury headed by Jane Campion. While it would be reductive to say the two filmmakers are on the same wavelength in The Wonders as in The Piano or Top of the Lake, so much of each performance of the cast comes out of the actors reacting

to and moving through their physical environment — in this case, doing the actual work of coralling bees and extracting honey — but in a way that does not reduce them to figures in a landscape or diminish their emotional and social character.

Maidan Sergei Loznitsa’s documentary of this year ’s Ukrainian revolution opens with a landscape of human faces filling the frame, many turned upward to sing their national anthem.

While images from the protests were spread across Twitter and in international news reports, Loznitsa’s documentary gives form to the experience of protest. Maidan is not full of context, nor does it pose itself as an exhaustive account of the revolution: one of the work’s few title cards calls this “the story of...” what happened in Maidan.

Social media makes us more aware of worldwide movements in a way traditional news channels never could. This week we see tens of thousands occupying Hong Kong’s city centre, following violent student-police confrontations months ago in Taiwan, calling for democracy.

Meanwhile Ferguson, Missouri remains a confrontation of racist police brutality, and countless developments from earlier this year will not get a fraction

of the time or timeline space with everything constantly updated and scrolled through. In contrast, the act of photography becomes a way to slow things down.

Loznitsa’s approach is formally controlled: a static mounted camera, holding shots for minutes at a time, allowing protesters to drift past toward a centre stage. There, church representatives, speeches, and updates are sent over loudspeaker before violence visits Maidan, and the stage becomes a background voice for injury updates and calls for support.

Many protesters were taking photos of their own, joining in song, or listening to poetry. The camera, set just above eye level, captures deep compositions of nationalist protest (the anthem as rallying point takes on new meaning for people looking to reclaim Ukraine) so full they transcend a comparison with Brueghel, in whose work the eye is unable to take in everything but finds scenes in the margins of the frame as much as at the centre.

Maidan is the type of work that will outlive its festival setting and awards, living as historical document and war photography. Where mass media generalizes, artists find specificity.

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ARTS IN REVIEW

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2014 www.ufvcascade.ca

Album

Leonard Cohen keeps both feet on the ground in Popular Problems ALEX RAKE CONTRIBUTOR

Leonard Cohen’s latest album, Popular Problems, never reaches the same dark, transcendental depths of his earlier records; there is no “So Long, Marianne,” “Dress Rehearsal Rag,” or “Hallelujah” here. But who says a Leonard Cohen album needs to bring you to your knees in order to rejuvenate your spirit, anyway? Popular Problems is a lovely example of how transcendence can point right back down to Earth.

As with 2012’s Old Ideas, the lyrics here are simple, and many of them are taken from Cohen’s sketch, meditation, and poetry collection The Book of Longing.

Those who admire Cohen for

the conceptually dense and often shocking lyrics of his earlier work may be turned off by the lack of outrageous imagery and the prevalence of basic couplets.

In other words, instead of visual, provocative lines like “Jesus was a sailor / When he walked upon the water / And spent a long time watching / From his lonely wooden tower” (“Suzanne” from Songs of Leonard Cohen), we are given abstract statements like “I could not kill the way you kill / I could not hate; I tried, I failed / You turned me in; at least, you tried / You side with them whom you despised” (“Nevermind”).

This trend towards the abstract is not a decline of poetic talent but a shifting of gears; Cohen’s lyrics used to attempt an understanding of the tran-

scendent, taking the listener along for a bittersweet ride, while now they seem to meditate on whatever that achieved understanding, so far, is. Cohen has become more secure with his place in existence, and so is (paradoxically) freer to do things with a calmness and simplicity that were previously impossible.

As an extension of this freedom, the compositions are especially playful. A look at the cover should give a preview of what the album sounds like: simple, flat, and incongruous.

None of these are insults because Cohen’s producer, Patrick Leonard, did it right: choices like allowing the heavily-produced arrangements to have dynamics, having the cheesy belting-out of Cohen followed

by the country-western beat and female chorus on “Did I Ever Love You,” and inserting the unexpected (but not unwelcome) Arabic back-up vocals on “Nevermind” contribute to the album’s refreshingly playful feel.

Even serious moments like

“Born in Chains” don’t dominate the fun that threads through the record. The delightful “You Got Me Singing” follows the deeply spiritual “Born in Chains” and ends the album; instead of leaving us with a prayer, Cohen gives us a sweet little love song: “You got me singing even though the world is gone / You got me thinking I’d like to carry on.”

The simplicity and playfulness of the album do not suggest that Leonard Cohen is a spent old sack of songs; rather, these aspects reflect the spirit of a poet who has trudged through the gutters of experience to discover he is alive, on Earth, after all.

Mini Album Review

SoundBite

The Cascade needs an ad sales rep!

Alea Rae Flies / Lancaster Inspired by the dreary haze of a Vancouver winter, Alea Rae produces a style of folk music that is dripping with elements of allure. Alea Rae’s newest release, a split-single called Flies / Lancaster, is a step forward from their 2013 EP, Offerings. The song-writing is more complex and interesting than in Offerings, and the overall sound feels more put together.

The standout track of the two is “Lancaster,” which starts with a simple guitar and slowly builds, adding guitars, bass, drums, and keys. This steady build eventually explodes into the last chorus, where Rae sings “Our love is a darkness” while eerie and whispering vocals reverberate in the background.

These two tracks could be defining what’s to come from Alea Rae and quite frankly, I’m excited to hear what that will be.

JEFFREY TRAINOR

Pay is $50 per issue plus 30 per cent commission. The application deadline is October 10.

Send your resume and cover letter to joe@ufvcascade.ca.

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ARTS IN REVIEW

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2014 www.ufvcascade.ca

TV

Gotham will need to carve out its own niche if it’s going to survive

CHARTS 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Cheap High Ego Wholesale Oh Village To Rely Caribou Our Love Death From Above 1979 The Physical World

Kevin Drew Darlings

The Raveonettes Pe’ahi

The Drums Encyclopedia Dead Soft Dead Soft

The Rural Alberta Advantage Mended With Gold

10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18

Chromeo White Women

Lana Del Rey Ultraviolence Corb Lund Counterfeit Blues Trentemoller Lost Reworks Monomyth Saturnalia Regalia Pretty Taken There’s An Echo Now Lydia Ainsworth Right from Real Part I Gardens & Villa Dunes Foxes in Fiction Ontario Gothic

Shuffle AARON LEVY

CIVL RADIO STATION MANAGER CIVL Station Manager Aaron Levy presents you with a selection of artists from this week’s CIVL Top 30, found at Earshot-online.com.

Chromeo “Hot Mess” I’ve seen these guys once. It was the summer of 2003. I hadn’t been to university yet. They were opening for lo-fi cutesy cardboard cover art indie darlings the Unicorns, and I was not in any way ready for Vocoders and glammed-up hipsters talking about their Middle Eastern connection. Stupid me.

Corb Lund “I Wanna Be in the Cavalry” I happen to have had an instrumental hand in making Corb Lund aware, in 2006, that he had reached platinum status in Canada. He was playing at the Hillside Music Festival in Guelph, Ontario, and I reported live. I’ve also never liked his music. Calgary Dinos’ Kelsey could be related.

Lana Del Rey “Born to Die” Another artist who — you guessed it — I’m not, or was not, a big fan of! This one stands, like the Hurtin’ Albertan. I’m still not into her prepackaged Katy-Perry-for-apatheticurbanists thing, but this song is one that I’ll take. I dunno why, I just will.

Phoenix ”1901” Saw them, also in 2006, at Toronto’s VFest while I was covering the Eagles of Death Metal. I was not and hadn’t ever been interested in their soft-pop brand of indie shlock, but hearing “1901” in iPod commercials in 2009 really rocked my world. Great album, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix.

Death From Above “Dead Womb” No, I will not ever recognize the 1979 in their name. Back in 2004 I was offered by Chris Taylor, now Canadian entertainment mogul and superstar corporate lawyer, to become their first webmaster. I said no. Idiot. Listening to him on Strombo last year talking Last Gang successes was painful.

Shoulda … coulda …

Cheesy lines and wooden acting, yes — but Gotham has more to offer than critics are giving it credit for.

JESS WIND CASCADE ALUM

Bringing comic book characters to life on the small screen is anything but a new concept. And with the novelty of television long worn-off, these days Marvel and DC are duking it out for blockbuster ratings rather than TV ratings. Consequently, TV comic dramas seemed to be on the back burner — that was, until Marvel unleashed Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D last year.

But DC isn’t far behind. This new season of television brings us Gotham, the story of young Jim Gordon’s rise through the crooked ranks of Gotham City’s police force. The trailer summed it up — this story comes before the rise of the villains we recognize, and most importantly, it’s before Batman. (Though adolescent Bruce Wayne is shown, arms outstretched, atop his mansion attempting to conquer fear.)

If there is one thing Gotham is not, it’s ground-breaking scriptwriting. Critics (meaning those people dragging the show through the mud on IMDB) complain about cheesy one-liners and stiff delivery.

Sure, Gordon stares intensely

at a recently orphaned Wayne and assures him there will be light. No one can forget the Ben McKenzie stare from his O.C. days, but if Christian Bale can growl, “I am Batman” without detriment to the film, why can’t Gotham be granted the same leniency? At least let the show stumble through its pilot before writing it off.

And let’s all remember — this is a Fox production. It’s not HBO or AMC; it will never be Game of Thrones or The Walking Dead.

But that’s the point: Gotham never claims to be anything other than what it is. It’s meant to be a prequel, a back-story, a spinoff from the big star ’s storyline. And though spinoffs on television don’t always find success (who remembers Joey?), they tend to do well in the comic industry.

Gotham may not be the Emmy-winning script fans were hoping for, but it does look cool. The work has a distinctly comic feel, taking the dark imagery from Nolan’s work and layering it with moments of crisp colour and brightness that Tim Burton would approve of.

The groundwork for origin stories is layered into the introduction of characters. Will we

see Ivy’s character develop?

When will the Riddler snap?

Unlike the way we are led to reimagine Uncle Ben’s killer in Raimi’s Spider-Man 3, Gotham tells the story of its future star villains’ mental degeneration.

And even if you can’t get past McKenzie’s acting, the real gems are the show’s secondary characters. Fish Mooney, played by Jada Pinkett Smith, is poised and slithery at the same time, which is a wonderful juxtaposition to the cowardly, manipulative Oswald (Robin Lord Taylor), whose number-one goal is self-preservation. And Donal Logue as Harvey Bullock reminds us that the lines between villainy and heroism in Gotham are consistently fuzzy.

In its infancy, Gotham never attempts to be anything more than the origin story of the universe’s more loved characters, but it could turn into much more. Considering the increasingly shrinking market of appointment programming, it’s going to have to carve out its own identity if it wants to succeed — but for now we’ll let it stand, cheesy lines and all.

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ARTS IN REVIEW

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2014 www.ufvcascade.ca

Cascade Arcade

Pinball wizards abound at Flipper Freaks Tournament JEREMY HANNAFORD CONTRIBUTOR

Despite heavy rainfall Friday morning, competitors were warm and in high spirits at Castle Fun Park as the third annual Flipper Freaks Pinball Tournament began. Over three days, over 175 pinball players brought their skills to the flippers as they attempted to qualify for the final bout on Sunday.

Flipper Freaks president and event-holder Tommy Floyd commented on the wide variety of players attending the event.

“We had players not just from the regional area,” Floyd explained. “We had them from as far back in Canada as New Brunswick and as far in the US as Chicago, California, and Pennsylvania!”

This tournament was the first of several major circuit events, and the first ever to be held in Canada. The top 16 overall players will face off in the finals held in Pennsylvania in August.

From Tomcat-14 to Black Knight, there were many classic pinball machines sitting amongst the 25 total inside the playing area. Of those 25, 10 machines were set up for free play, allowing everyone to

Image: Jeremy Hannaford

The Flipper Freaks Tournament drew pinball players from as far away as New Brunswick and Chicago. play to their hearts’ desire. All of them were provided by the event hosting company Nitro Amusements from Mission. The other 15 were provided by local pinball enthusiasts, including Canada’s number three pinball player John Kremmer, who The Cascade interviewed last year.

Along with the main tournament, an additional tournament was conducted on classic

machines dating all the way back to 1976. Despite their age, these machines looked as mint as their younger brethren. Their uniqueness was undeniable.

Royal Flush, the oldest machine, only had a physical, not electronic scoreboard that only went up to 99,999!

The rules of the tournament were more liberal than in standard tournaments.

Tommy

Floyd imparted a series of ticket book point entries. Players were given three ticket books that included 10 entries each. Top scores were allocated and put up on the board to sort out the best of the best.

But despite this scoring system, the machines themselves were far more challenging than usual. Increasing goal activation requirements, removing

saved balls, and widening drop areas were only a few of the modifications made to the machines.

Jim Belsito from California explained the reasons behind the modifications.

“If we left machines as they were, these guys could play all day,” he said. “They would all be able to easily roll the machines.”

Rolling the machines is when the player pushes the scoreboard past the maximum counter and starts from zero once again.

The top four finalists faced off in a four-game finale, with Dave Stewart, a computer engineer from Seattle, taking first prize in both the main and classic tournament. Dave received the $5,000 cash prize as well as a commemorative trophy. Canada’s number-one pinball player, Robert Gagno from Burnaby, took third place in the main tournament and second in the classic.

After the tournament ended, Tommy Floyd commented on the overall success of the event.

“We had a huge audience as far as watching the event,” he said. “It was really exciting …

Next year is going to be even bigger!”

Dine & Dash

Little Beetle Bistro boasts cozy atmosphere, hearty meals JASMIN SPRANGERS CONTRIBUTOR

44489 South Sumas, Chilliwack Monday 8:00 - 4:00 p.m.

Tuesday to Friday 8:00 - 9:00 p.m.

Saturday 9:00 - 6:00 p.m.

Sunday 11:00 - 3:00 p.m.

Little Beetle Bistro is one of those quaint little restaurants in the middle of nowhere. What once was an old blue farmhouse has recently been converted into a cute place to dine and chat.

Surrounded by farmland, and with a business complex across the street, Little Beetle is thriving despite not being in the city centre; the parking lot is always busy, and there are always people dining in or walking out with takeout in hand.

A large dining room with a patio off to the side makes for a cozy and personal atmosphere.

It’s quiet too, full of businesspeople and older couples enjoying a cup of coffee or a delectable dessert. The service is good, and the staff are friendly.

Image: Jasmin Sprangers

The Little Beetle is a great place to dine and chat over a cozy bowl of soup or a sweet treat.

The menu includes coffee (plain or fancy), tea, and sodas accompanying a wide selec-

tion of soups, burgers, paninis, wraps and desserts — simple yet hearty foods. Even bet-

ter, breakfast is served all day long! Breakfast for dinner? Yes, please!

Price-wise, they aren’t too bad; one person can dine for around $15 (including a drink, a menu item, and dessert).

I went with my mom and we enjoyed the chicken coconut curry soup and a beef teriyaki wrap. It was amazing! The soup had a little bit of spice to it, but it wasn’t an overwhelming curry flavour — very creamy with a nice balance of veggies, chicken, and coconut. The wrap was good too, although it needed a bit more teriyaki flavour.

As for desserts, Little Beetle has a wide selection of popular items; we tried their delicious carrot cake and a piece of tiramisu.

All in all, this converted farmhouse is a cozy, laid-back little place that’s perfect for conversation — a great place to take your mother for a lunch date, to grab coffee with a friend, or or to share dessert with someone special. If you’re looking for a quick, homemade meal on a university student’s budget, give Little Beetle a try.

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ARTS IN REVIEW

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2014 www.ufvcascade.ca

Film

A Walk Among the Tombstones doesn’t tread new ground, but still offers thrills

JEREMY HANNAFORD CONTRIBUTOR

Contrary to popular belief, Liam Neeson can do films that don’t involve him karate-chopping people who have taken his daughter. He has proven in several films, most recently The Grey, that his range is wider than just being an invincible force of vengeance.

At first glance, A Walk Among the Tombstones seems like a generic mystery thriller. But within a few minutes after the opening credits, the film deters from the standard Taken procedure by

killing off the captured woman.

The film is an investigative thriller as Matt Scudder (Neeson) converses with prosperous drug dealers who all have one thing in common: a loved one has been taken by a team of sadistic serial killers. Based on the book written by Lawrence Block, Neeson plays a private investigator trying to match the clues about who the killers are, and why they are targeting these women.

A third of the way through the film, A Walk Among the Tombstones makes an extremely risky decision: you learn who the killers are. But despite the knowl-

TV

The Strain compels, when it doesn’t strain your patience

JEREMY HANNAFORD CONTRIBUTOR

While the novel series wasn’t praised for fantastic writing, The Strain was a compelling, if predictable, tale of plague-induced vampires. With the show being produced by FX, it is reassuring to know that the necessary maturity and gore are vital parts of the show.

But with the first season coming to a close, it is becoming increasingly tiresome.

The Strain trilogy was created by renowned filmmaker Guillermo Del Toro and novelist Chuck Hogan. It follows a group of CDC scientists as they race to stop a vampire epidemic, which is threatening to be unleashed by an ancient being of untold darkness. While the first season is following the first book to a point, it takes a few creative freedoms just like The Walking Dead did. The main narrative is intact, but in order to fill up 13 episodes for the first season, extra content is added on to fill the episode count.

The vampires are inspirations from Del Toro’s reaper vampires in Blade 2, as well as the Romanian strigoi legends. The vampire curse brought upon New York is that of a virus which transforms people into mindless creatures with six-foot stingers emerging from their mouths, and adapting rodentlike qualities. While the show doesn’t hold as much of a scientific flavour as the book, it does delve into the biology of the creatures and their fantastical qualities.

The opening episode was well-directed by Guillermo Del

Toro himself as he introduces the terror and mystery that was the Master and his connection with a Holocaust-survivorturned-vampire-hunter, Abraham Setrakian (expertly played

by David Bradley). And while it takes some time to get used to Corey Stoll’s ridiculous wig, he gives a solid performance as the driven yet constricted Dr. Ephraim Goodweather.

But as the season progresses, the episodes begin to lose their hold over the viewer and become unnecessary plot points.

As the show reaches its season finale, the amount of filler from past episodes have become increasingly “straining” to watch.

Also being that The Strain is a horror-thriller, it has its fair share of clichés, one of which being stupid characters. The Strain is far too liberal with its multitude of moronic character choices.

Another issue that was abundant in the novel is that, aside from Abraham, none of the characters are memorable. The show is mainly about the epidemic and the fallout surrounding the characters. But in terms of a character study, there aren’t enough moments to make them unique.

The Strain has the potential to be a good show, and for the most part it has done a decent job. But Del Toro and Hogan’s lack of experience in the television market shows as characters continually drop out of the narrative, only to reappear whenever it seems convenient. It has some great moments and it will certainly scare you, just so as long as you don’t mind facepalming every now and then.

edge of their identity, the film still retains a firm investigative edge. This is because the killers are by far the most intriguing part of this film. The two psychopaths are inspired by the real-life murderers known as the Hillside Stranglers. They are decisive and brutally methodical with their prey. Their means of toying with the victims are hauntingly disturbing, yet deeply enthralling.

Director Scott Frank does a commendable job at implying bloody violence without actually showing it. Somewhat similar to Silence of the Lambs, Frank leaves the gory imagery up for

the audience to understand. Doing this creates a deeper interactivity with the audience, who can interpret the actions and motivations of the killers.

Liam Neeson’s character is essentially a modern-day Dick Tracy. While he burdens himself with past guilt, his character ’s demeanour and attire (minus the hat and abundance of yellow) are all inspired by the character. Those legendary penny-book crime-fighters are what TJ — an orphan boy who Neeson befriends — envisions Scudder as. TJ’s role is a modern adaptation of Tracy’s sidekick Kid from the Warren Beatty

film. And while his purpose in the film may be hammy if not predictable, his character serves an important purpose. And while the drug dealer criminals are unusually nice, their part helps develop the murky moral barrier that Neeson treks throughout the film right up until the final climax.

A Walk Among the Tombstones is more than your standard, predictable mystery film. It offers a solid, exciting narrative and two terrifying and completely enthralling villains, whose origins and motives will haunt the filmgoer long after the film has ended.

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2014 www.ufvcascade.ca

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SPORTS & HEALTH

UFV Wrestling tackles untapped Indo-Canadian community NATHAN HUTTON THE CASCADE

Thanks to the efforts of coaches Raj Virdi and Arjan Bhullar, UFV’s wrestling team is finally entering its first season of competition.

Both coaches have an incredible amount of experience with the sport. Coach Bhullar, a former wrestler in the 2012 summer Olympics, comes from an Indo-Canadian background like many members of the team. Shortly after his appearance at the Olympics, he was given the opportunity to represent Canada in an international trades mission to India, where wrestling is one of two national sports.

Bhullar then got into contact with P.R. Sondhi, former India national team head coach. This past week, coach Sondhi attended the Cascades’ Tuesday night practice prior to speaking at the Centre of Indo-Canadian Studies in Baker House.

“It was really good because in India he is a very highly

Image: ufvcascade.ca

The men’s wrestling team is UFV’s newest top-tier team, and includes members from varying weight classes. respected coach,” coach Virdi commented. “He coached the national team for over 10 years, and to have someone like that on campus is good for our university and for himself. We

kind of want to build a connection with India using wrestling, and bringing him onto campus was the first step.”

The men’s wrestling team consists of 10 members at vary-

ing weight classes and skill levels. However, almost all of them share something in common: an Indo-Canadian background. It seems this community is one that both coaches

wish to tap into because of the popularity of wrestling back in India. Wrestling, along with cricket, draws incredible numbers of fans in India.

The Indo-Canadian community in the Fraser Valley also has many wrestling fans.

“It’s huge. I’d say about 80 per cent of wrestlers in the lower mainland are Indian,” Coach Virdi said.

Virdi and Bhullar appear to be looking to build on the ties that the Indo-Canadian community has with wrestling, both at UFV and in the greater Fraser Valley. Considering UFV’s established relationship with India and its campus in Chandigarh, coach Virdi said that he’s excited to continue building that international bond and to “see where we can go with it.”

The season ahead looks promising for the wrestling program as they finally get the opportunity to represent their school while building cultural ties at the same time.

Kicking the sugar habit with a 21-day detox diet SASHA MOEDT THE CASCADE

The 21-day sugar detox diet ain’t for the weak of heart.

Day 13, I was almost brought to tears when I realized the full-fat sour cream I’d been eating had xanthan gum in it. It’s the small things — like the one gram of sugar per tablespoon of sour cream — that really get you when you’re on the 21-day sugar detox.

I purchased Diane Sanfilippo’s The 21 Day Sugar Detox because of the emerging research on the impact of sugar on the human body — diabetes, cancer, insomnia, and depression.

I was sick of the headaches, the cravings, and the hunger.

I was especially sick of feeling like I no longer controlled what I ate.

Soon after reading The 21 Day Sugar Detox, I realized the villainous role sugar has in my everyday life. It’s hidden in any food labelled “low-fat,” in nutrient-poor carbs, and in processed food. It’s also hidden in my sour cream.

Sanfilippo writes that “the answer to your cravings isn’t a magic pill, potion, shake or simply a handful of supplements.”

It’s changing the way you think

Image: Wikipedia

Detoxing from sugar can cause withdrawal symptoms like headaches and fatigue, but the results are worth it. about and prepare food.

The sugar detox is just that: no sugar. That includes refined carbohydrates, starches, sweet fruits, and anything with the label “diet” or “sugar free,” including gum and artificial sweeteners.

Here are three essential things to know about completing the sugar detox.

You have to be prepared.

I pre-made soups, sausages, and muffins galore. If you’re caught hungry, it’s very difficult to find a restaurant that serves food you can eat, and the chances of you falling off the health bandwagon skyrocket.

This might be a rocky road, but it is worth it.

The addictiveness of sugar

has been compared to cocaine, so you have to expect withdrawal symptoms. I went from brutal headaches, flu-like muscle fatigue, bloating and itchy hands. (Weird, right?) Don’t expect to immediately feel healthy. I felt awful. But by day 12, things changed: my mind felt sharp as a knife. It’s not easy, but keep reminding your-

self why you’re doing it — it’s worth it.

But if you’re going to try it, have a bro.

You need a support system.

For one, you probably can’t do the detox without the book — it includes all of the resources you need to be successful. But you need a bro. This is the person you text updates on how you’re feeling, the person you cook with, the person you go veggie-shopping with — the person who’s facing the same struggles. I’m doing it with my Mum, and it’s a bonding experience.

I’m on day 15. And yes, I feel a little bit smug. It’s amazing how full I feel long after meals; I rarely snack anymore. My head feels clear, and I rarely feel guilty about what I’m eating, barring the sour cream incident. I’m being nice to my body.

This isn’t a ride to embark on during finals. You have to be able to take the time to make this a priority. But making it a priority is definitely well worth it. Your body and mind will thank you.

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SPORTS & HEALTH

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2014 www.ufvcascade.ca

Women’s soccer team scores big with winning weekend Back-to-back victories have launched the Cascades to the top of the Canada West Pacific Division NATHAN HUTTON THE CASCADE

The UFV women’s soccer team is in the middle of a historic season. This weekend’s contests against the TRU WolfPack and the UBC-O Heat showed once more that the team seems to be unable to do wrong this season. The back-to-back wins extended their winning streak to seven games and furthered their record to 7-1-0. They now sit atop the Canada West Pacific Division with 21 points, five more than second-place Trinity Western, who their only loss this year has been to.

The Friday night game against the visiting WolfPack from Kamloops started the winning weekend. The Cascades grabbed an early lead nine minutes in, when thirdyear Sunayna Sumra connected a pass right to first-year Monika Levarsky, who buried it for her fourth goal and eighth point of the season. The first-year sensation that Levarsky has become has propelled the women’s team to the top of the standings. Levarsky is not only part of the reason the Cascades have

Image: University of the Fraser Valley/flickr

Despite a season of slow starts, the women’s soccer team scored an early lead nine minutes into Friday’s game. had so much success this season, but her name is also plastered across the soccer boards country-wide. Her fifth overall ranking in game-winning goals is only topped by her ranking in assists, which sits at fourth.

“We had a great start to the game ... and the girls came out

flying,” said coach Rob Giesbrecht to Cascades Media following the game, adding that the team has been plagued by slow starts this season.

“I think we still played well after the goal, but in the final third we were still lacking that bit of quality to finish off games.

TRU is a good side. They’re an athletic team, they’re a veteran team, and they’re not easy to beat.”

The second game of the weekend played right into the Cascades’ hands as they were able to do some quick damage and get the win without exerting

too much energy. The Cascades upended the Heat 3-0, scoring all their goals in the space of 10 minutes from the 49th minute to the 59th. The goals came from Kara Delwo, Alexis Cattermole — and of course, Monika Levarsky — who tallied her fifth of the season and took sole possession of the team lead that she previously shared with Shelby Beck.

The men’s soccer team was treated to a sight for sore eyes when they took the pitch on Friday night against the TRU WolfPack. It felt right when the Cascades could look behind and see fifth-year keeper Mark Village in his first game of the year after dealing with a concussion for most of the year. The Cascades were able to reward Village with a win in his first game back, taking the contest 3-0. But they weren’t as lucky when they faced the UBC-O Heat the next day, losing 1-0.

The Cascades have next weekend off before they travel to Point Grey to take on the UBC Thunderbirds.

Crush cravings to conquer your health CATHERINE STEWART THE CASCADE

The world would be a much healthier place if we all craved broccoli and carrots. However, life likes to screw around and bless you with cravings for pizza and triple chocolate cake.

Contrary to popular belief, you don’t crave junk food because you’re hungry. The problem lies in your brain. According to BootsWebMD, when you have a craving, you either need a mood-lifter or a shot of energy. It’s easy to get fast energy when you choose foods high in calories, carbohydrates, fat, or sugar. However, this instant gratification only lasts for about an hour.

I was once told that a craving only lasts for about 20 minutes. If you still want it after that time is up, I’d say go for it; it’s better to eat what you’re craving than to eat something in its place. Let’s be honest, if you have something sweet but

unsatisfying instead of the ice cream you want, you’ll end up eating the substitute, and then eventually caving and eating the ice cream anyway. It’s better to just eat the ice cream instead of delaying the inevitable.

Most of the time, you’re craving a specific ingredient. While you may think that it’s actually the toxic sludge of a milkshake that you want, it could be something else entirely.

For example, if you’re craving sweets, your diet is lacking chromium, carbon phosphorus, sulphur, and tryptophan.

These can be found in healthier alternatives such as broccoli, grapes, cheese, and cranberries. If you’re like me and you crave bread, you lack nitrogen.

To cure this, stock up on fish, meat, nuts, and beans.

When it comes to fighting off these cravings, I’ve heard numerous opinions. You can drink a tonne of water and eat fruit instead, or you can brush your teeth and then you won’t feel like eating be-

cause of the minty fresh taste in your mouth.

Distract your thoughts, too.

Don’t keep thinking about how good that ooey-gooey chocolate bar would taste.

Instead, think of why you wouldn’t want to give in. Are you trying to lose weight?

Think of all the compliments you’ll get once you reach your goal weight. Are you trying to get healthier? Think of how good you’re going to feel after you’ve finished your sugar detox.

After you’ve satisfied that craving, you’re either going to be c o m -

pletely miserable, or you’ll be one happy camper. Are you truly dedicated to your fitness goals, or are you going to crash and burn and end up back at square one? Remember that it’s all mind over matter, and that deep down, you do have the willpower to say “no.”