The Cascade, Volume 31, Issue 3

Editor-in-Chief Brad Duncan brad@ufvcascade.ca

Production Manager Niusha Naderi niusha@ufvcascade.ca

Business Manager Stephan St. Amour stephan@ufvcascade.ca

Digital Media Manager Wilson Agyapong wilson@ufvcascade.ca

Culture & Events Editor Anisa Quintyne anisa@ufvcascade.ca

Arts in Review Editor Eva Davey eva@ufvcascade.ca

Features & Cover Rashneet Illustrator Iryna Presley

Illustrator Washington Reimer

Illustrator Carolina Talcan Photographer Aryan Kathuria

Managing Editor Kait Thompson kaitlyn@ufvcascade.ca

Creative Director Lindsey Roberts lindsey@ufvcascade.ca

News Editor Rachel Tait rachel @ufvcascade.ca

Copy Editor Aasha Khoyratty aasha@ufvcascade.ca

Features Editor Brad Duncan brad@ufvcascade.ca

Opinion Editor Emmaline Spencer emmaline @ufvcascade.ca

Sports Editor Teryn Midzain teryn @ufvcascade.ca

Production Assistant Brielle Quon Distributor Gurtaj Dhami The Shuffler Aaron Levy

Columnists Nelson Frota

CONTRIBUTORS

Kian Johnson

Marie-Ange Routier

Gianna Dinwoodie

Ty Pranger

Caleb Campbell

Chandy Dancey

Jayden Talvio

Matthew Iddon

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@UFVCASCADE

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Volume 31 · Issue 3 Room S2111 33844 King Road Abbotsford, BC V2S 7M8 604.854.4529

The Cascade is UFV’s autonomous student newspaper. It originated under its current name in 1993, and achieved autonomy from the university and the Student Union Society in 2002. This means that The Cascade is a forum for UFV students to have their journalism published in an entirely student-run setting. It also acts as an alternative press for the Fraser Valley. The Cascade is funded with UFV student funds, and is overseen by the Cascade Journalism Society Board, a body run by a student majority. The Cascade is published every other Wednesday with a print circulation of 800 and is distributed at Abbotsford, Chilliwack (CEP), Clearbrook, and Mission UFV campuses and throughout the surrounding communities.

The Cascade is open to written, photo, and design work from all students; these can come in the form of a pitch to an editor, or an assignment from an editor. Pitch meetings will be digital for the remainder of the semester. Please email managing@ufvcascade.ca to be put on the assignment email list.

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

The Cascade is published on the traditional, unceded territory of the Stó:lō peoples. We are grateful to be able to work and learn on this beautiful land.

Paying for our sins

BRADLEY DUNCAN

While the agreement has yet to be finalized, Canada’s federal government has reached a settlement in a decade-long classaction lawsuit over the legacy of cultural genocide by means of institutionalized residential schooling. The Crown will ponyup $2.8 billion in reparations to be managed and distributed by an Indigenous board of directors, independent of the Feds.

It’s hard to argue that Canada’s First Nations, Inuit, and Métis shouldn’t decide how these funds will be distributed (and I’ll not make that argument here), but history demonstrates that true reconciliation cannot be bought outright with a government cheque.

This isn’t the first time that we’ve had to answer for our collective sins. The legacy of Japanese Canadian and Japanese American (Nikkei) internment in WWII was a long-festering wound for the two countries and their Nikkei populations. While both Canada and the U.S. would eventually offer apologies and reparations, redress was carried out differently and resulted in very different outcomes.

Both countries set up institutions in the late 1980s to oversee the diffusion of aid and support. The Japanese Canadian

Redress Foundation (JCRF) and Civil Liberties Public Education Fund (CLPEF) each made individual payments to those who were directly affected by the policy of internment, but Canada was much more hands-off when it came to allocating funding for larger community efforts. The JCRF focused on the immediate needs of the community: housing for seniors, cultural centers, educational training, museums, and memorials to name a few. Conversely, America’s CLPEF only had a fraction of their budget assigned to financing wider efforts, and had to get creative in its application. There, reconciliation took on a grassroots feel as the CLPEF funded numerous public grant requests from across America — 103 in all. Because they couldn’t spend their way out of the doghouse, America’s government took a more active role in reshaping public memory, educating the public, and ensuring that the history of WWII wasn’t lost. America had failed to live up to its own principles, and admitted so publicly. In contrast, Canada’s approach gave more agency to the wronged parties, but arguably had a lower overall impact.

Alexandra Wood writes in American Review of Canadian Studies (2014) that by not dictating how redress funds would be used, Canada may have been

acting within its multicultural principles, but it also served to divest itself from wider efforts at reconciliation. Wood writes, “Canada’s rights framework thus created conditions whereby WWII internment remained a Japanese Canadian issue, rather than a Canadian one, offering little opportunity for rebuilding civic trust between the wronged group and the wider society.” Many Nikkei in Canada remain wary of celebrating their Japanese heritage; Nikkei in America however, have a renewed sense of civic pride as a result of the federal government’s commitment to educating the public to its past wrongs.

Providing redress for the cultural genocide of residential schooling is an important step in atoning for our past. It will provide much needed capital to rebuild and strengthen communities, spread awareness, and preserve collective memory. But it also shifts the responsibility for carrying out those actions to the wronged parties, who might have more pressing matters in need of funding. $2.8 billion is a lot of money, but a government’s ownership of its mistakes, and commitment to education and reconciliation is harder to put a price on. Before the Crown passes-the-buck, it’s important to consider that.

CHASI and UFV Theatre student digital art contest

Student winner will be awarded with $3,500 prize money

RACHEL TAIT

The UFV Theatre department and the Community Health and Social Innovation (CHASI) Hub are partnering to support the Winter 2023 production of Moisés Kaufman’s, The Laramie Project with a digital art contest. Professor Shelley Liebembuk is directing and producing the show, which will be performed at the Abbotsford campus. The digital art contest responds to the themes of The Laramie Project and what it means to be LGBTQ+ today.

The contest accepts digital art submissions accompanied by a brief artist’s statement of about 300 words. Any current UFV student is eligible to partake in the digital art contest and the first place winner will be given $3,500 in prize money and an interview with The Cascade. All runner-up entries will be included in the art exhibit at the S’eliyemetaxwtexw Gallery in Building B starting on March 23. The digital art contest began Jan. 13 and will end on Feb. 3, 2023. Full contest details can be found at blogs.ufv.ca/chasi/2023/01/13/

laramie-art/

The Laramie Project is a word-for-word play (also known as verbatim), which chronicles the aftermath of the brutal murder of a gay university student

named Matthew Shepard in the small town of Laramie, Wyoming. To create the play, more than 200 interviews were conducted by Kaufman and members of his Tectonic Theatre Project company in Laramie. The dialogue in the script is the exact wording from the results of the 200+ interviews with the local residents.

“It showcases how theatre is a brave space for us to engage in difficult conversations together,” said Liebembuk. “My hope is that producing this show can generate a space to support the LGBTQIA2S+ community, call-in implicit and explicit homophobia, and engage in meaningful conversation together.”

“I spoke to Professor Martha Dow, who runs CHASI here at UFV, and she had a great idea with her students that we could have a digital art call that invites UFV students to respond to the Laramie project, but also broadly to the issues around being a member of the LGBTQIA2S+ community today.”

Liebembuk also explained that Professor Amy Brown and her ARTS 380 class are helping to run the contest and curate the art pieces in the gallery.

“There isn't a right way or a wrong way, and it doesn't have to require reading and dissecting The Laramie Project play” said Liebembuk

concerning what the digital art submissions should look like.

Some of the students involved in the production also shared their thoughts and experiences in regard to The Laramie Project and how it has shaped and impacted them:

“It felt very important to be part of this impact of representation,” said Sterling Kai Pollock, the assistant director. “That's an important project to bring to a community which isn't very accepting, especially when you come from an even smaller community with the same kind of issues. It's very nice to feel like you're part of some positive change.”

Taya Viger, an actor in the ensemble told The Cascade, “as the interviews go on there are multiple times that the Tectonic Theatre Company goes to interview the town, and seeing how people change and grow over time through this tragedy happening… I think just that theme is really powerful to inspire other people.”

“There’s a lot of deep themes that I was unaware of when I first joined,” said Madalyn Clempson, an actor in The Laramie Project. “It's something that I hadn't thought about a lot before… this has been a huge eye opener [for] me.”

“I didn't know much about the

Laramie project before getting into it, besides the fact that it had to do with the murder of a young gay man,” said Raven Turchinetz, an actor in the play. “The more that I have come to know about it, it has motivated me to be really committed to the show because there is an important story that's being told.”

Another cast member, Alia Von Riesen reflected that, “we are being really intentional with talking about it as a group as well and really diving into… the significance of what we're saying and how we are representing these different perspectives in a way that it's true.”

Performances will run March 24 to April 1, and tickets will be five dollars for students. Students who cannot afford the fee can email the box office at theatre@ufv.ca to receive complimentary tickets. The performances will take place during Thursday and Friday evenings as well as Saturday afternoon matinees.

Disclosure: The Cascade’s former Editorin-Chief, Jeff Mijo-Burch is involved in the Laramie Project art contest as an employee of CHASI. To avoid any conflict of interest, he had no editorial input on this topic or the writing of this article.

Photo Provided by CHASI

Canada// Canada agrees to $2.8 billion settlement in Indigenous class action case

The conclusion of a decade-long legal battle has the Crown pulling out its cheque book

BRADLEY DUNCAN

On Saturday, Jan 21, Canada’s federal government announced that it had reached a $2.8 billion settlement in a class-action lawsuit filed over the institution and legacy of residential schools. The lawsuit was brought against the Federal Government in 2012 by 325 First Nations for its role in the destruction of Indigenous language and culture brought about through the residential schooling system. The Federal Court still needs to rule on the agreement before it can be finalized, and discussions have been scheduled for Feb. 27.

The funds, which would go into a trust to be managed by a nine-person board of Indigenous directors over a twenty-year period, will operate free from government oversight. This means that Indigenous nations can allocate and distribute funds as they see fit. The agreement also comes with the stipulation that this settlement “fully, finally and forever” releases the

federal government from future claims against the Crown for its deliberate enforcement of over one-hundred years of cultural genocide. It does not, however, shield the government from potential claims that may arise over children who died or disappeared in residential schools.

Marc Miller, the minister of CrownIndigenous relations, hopes that the reparations package can “address the collective harm caused by Canada's past,” though he admitted that settlements such as these can in no way make up for it. “Reconciliation isn't free,” said Miller in a statement to the press. “This is a lot of money. Is it enough? I think only time will tell, but we know there's a heck of a lot more to do."

Under the terms of the agreement, all 325 First Nations will receive an initial $200,000 payment to begin the process of developing a plan for how the funds will be allocated. Beyond that, use and dispersal of the reparations will be overseen independent of the government and based on four

pillars: “the revival and protection of Indigenous language; the revival and protection of Indigenous culture; the protection and promotion of heritage; and the wellness of Indigenous communities and their members.”

Lawyer and class counsel for the plaintiffs, Peter Grant, told the CBC that factors like population size and remoteness of the nations will factor

into how money will be distributed, but that those decisions will be made by the board. While more details surrounding the settlement are expected in the coming months, the board’s autonomy will give the 325 First Nations the ability to choose for themselves how best to address their unique needs and challenges going forward.

UFV // Professor Profile: Ceilidh Hart’s journey from a student to a professor

The UFV professor discusses her passion for Canadian literature from her undergraduate degree to her current career.

also lived in Canada. This helped her realise that literature was not just “out there,” but also “here” too.

Ceilidh Hart, an Associate Professor in UFV’s English department, achieved an Honours Bachelor of Arts in English at the University of Western Ontario, a Master of Arts in English at the University of Ottawa, and a PhD in English at the University of Toronto.

“I had really great professors and I think that I felt inspired by them,” said Hart. “I felt inspired to carry on with my studying of literature.”

Professor Hart originally thought she would study British Romantics in graduate school, but she veered in a different direction. She said that it was one of the seminar courses she took in her undergraduate degree called “The Canadian Gothic” that encouraged her to specialise in Canadian literature instead. In this course, she read both “old” and “contemporary” literature that was written by authors who had

Hart was “compelled” by her undergraduate professors’ teaching styles. She at first thought she would join a teacher’s college, but her experience in these seminar courses encouraged her to apply to a master’s degree program instead.

Currently, Hart is working on a book project described as “a study of the figure of the City Poet in Canada” from the 19th to the 21st centuries. This project “seeks to challenge the assumption that Canadian literature in general ... is primarily rural.”

Hart said that poets in the 19th century were also interested in urban/ city-focused issues. She explained how some poets used newspapers as a way to write about city-focused topics. These poets were shaping and being “shaped” by the city. Hart is interested in the way that “poetry enlivens city

issues, [specifically] from the 19th century into the 21st.”

“[It’s] really productive to think about literature through the lens of the city rather than the nation,” said Hart. “A lot gets lost when we only apply a national framework.”

Hart is studying about “radio,” “spoken word organisations,” and “contemporary projects that cities are engaged in to get poetry into the street.” One poet Hart continues to reference for her current project goes by the pen name, “The Khan.” He had a regular column called, “Ballads of the City,” focused on what was happening in Toronto.

Hart’s doctoral research focused “on nineteenth century women’s writing and print culture.” She said that throughout this project, she encountered “incredible wealth” in 19th century newspaper archives. Her findings pointed to how women made a living in writing.

were a primary resource for reading in

Hart’s project was a study on poetry that women were publishing in newspapers. She said that newspapers

JAYDEN TALVIO

Photo by Jason Hafso via Unsplash

Photo Provided by UFV English Dept.

continued from page 4 the 19th century, and that they were an avenue for women to make money.

Hart mentioned that literacy rates in people, including women, were climbing during the 19th century, so there was a huge market for publishing in newspapers. She chose this topic in particular because she realised there was still a lot of work to do in studying this topic and she wanted to contribute to it.

Although Hart doesn’t have a favourite author from the 19th century,

Satire

she is fascinated by Isabella Valancy Crawford. “We have evidence (in the form of correspondence) that Crawford advocated for herself when it came to fair compensation,” said Hart. As Crawford got lots of her newspaper articles published, she made a “name” for herself. Despite her reputation, Crawford describes in a letter how she was not able to break through as successfully as a writer in the way that her male counterparts could.

Hart said that we do not always

Ask Alfred and Charles

Alfred and Charles are retired professors of life. They have done it all and seen it all. Though they may be decrepit in age, they are all too eager to give advice, be it for better or worse, to you. They may not agree on everything, but they do always have something to say. If you have an inquiry for our distinguished wise men, please send an email to opinion@ufvcascade.ca or drop by The Cascade office when it is open to leave a handwritten note for them.

by Washington Reimer

Dear Alfred and Charles, I’m looking to move out of my family’s home. I’ve never lived on my own and don’t know if I should find roommates or not. If I look for roommates, where do I even find them? Please help! I need advice to help me move out.

Sincerely,

Anywhere But Home

Dear Anywhere But Home, First of all, thanks for writing to these two old coots! My first roommate was actually Charles. I remember moving out of my childhood home and into a tiny apartment with Charles. I hear it’s quite expensive to be living on your own these days, so perhaps you should start by finding a good mate of yours to live with.

~Alfred

Learn from my mistakes kid. If you're going to get a flatmate, be sure to really question them first. Also short term lease is key! That way if you have the tragic misfortune to get a mate that never does the dishes, leaves their laundry about, or decides they want to learn to yodel at two in the morning, then you're not stuck with them for a year, or in my case life. Just be smart, and consider what could go wrong. Lastly, reevaluate if your parents are so bad that you're willing to risk the aforementioned.

~Charles

I’m not sure why you are confessing to never doing the dishes, laundry, or your peculiar yodeling hobby, but go right ahead, Charles. However, Charles is right, do be careful about who you choose to room with as it can always be an adventure if you weren’t previously pals. I got lucky since despite Charles’ flaws, he is quite entertaining and the yodeling got better over the years.

~Alfred

know the identity of writers; some wrote under pseudonyms.

In regards to teaching poetry and prose, Hart does not have a preference. She said that she loves surprising students and introducing them to literary things they may have not seen or thought about before. She loves the challenge embedded in poetry teaching, as lots of students lack confidence in writing about poetry.

Hart too remembers moments when she was a student and she read

something that blew her away. She feels lucky to be in a job where she can see that happening to the students, when they get blown away themselves, whether it is in response to poetry or prose.

When asked what advice she would give to students who are hoping to get a master’s or PhD in English, Hart says that these students should find something to study that they are genuinely interested in learning about.

opinion@ufvcascade.ca

Emmaline Spencer — Opinion Editor

The world’s best flatmates, Alfred and Charles

Dear Alfred and Charles,

It’s been about a month since classes started and I already find myself losing motivation. I feel like seasonal depression is still lingering on my brain and can’t quite seem to break free of it. Do you have any tips to help me keep focused on studying?

Sincerely, Look A Squirrel

Dear Look A Squirrel, You know what? That really salts my cucumber when I hear young folks such as yourself complain about these things. Back in my day we didn’t have seasonal-whad-ya-call-its. But I’ll tell you how to break free from most bad headspaces. The trick is to distract my friend. Anything fun that’ll make you forget your woes. As the young folks say “Netflix and chips.” Nothing better for cheering up I hear. As for studying, maybe try to watch academic themed stuff when you're eating those chips and doing the Netflix.

~Charles

Distraction isn’t always the best policy. If you find yourself getting overly distracted, try setting a timer on your phone and setting it aside, don’t look or use the phone until the timer goes off.

Working in small intervals without your phone will make it easier to stay focused on the task at hand. Try to aim to study for 15-30 minutes at a time rather than do long haul study periods. Remember to take breaks for food and water!

~Alfred

You sound sensible, my dear Alfred. If I remember correctly you always were a good study. You used to put chocolate squares or cookies on your desk, only allowing yourself the reward after reading a page or two. Never understood treating yourself like a dog this way but it must have worked since you always did better than me. And what was that pavlovian method you tried with that horrid egg timer? You know. The one where you would study for 40 minutes then it would ring, and then you’d pace around the flat, or turn on the telly, or whatever else for 20 minutes until it would ring again. It used to drive me nuts!

~Charles

Was it really that obnoxious, Charles? It worked well though. Also, I think you meant the pomodoro method. Maybe I should have made you do it with me back then… I also did the pavlovian technique of giving myself a little reward when I did well in my studies. The combined effort worked swell!

~Alfred

Happy exams, Alfred and Charles

Illustration

Emmaline Spencer — Opinion Editor

How I learned to stop worrying and love AI art

The rise of AI artwork has artists worried. Should they be?

Artists know inspiration when it strikes. We live for that rush of dopamine that comes at 3 in the morning, when an idea hits like a train and we are overcome with glowing confidence to create something out of nothing. This is the highlight of the creative process, soon followed by the taxing and occasionally miserable process of creating something. For lazy artists like me, our reach often exceeds our grasp.

This is where AI comes in handy. Over the past couple of years, algorithms that emulate human artistry have borne fruit in virtually every online space. From Midjourney to DALL-E to Stable Diffusion, AI-generated artwork has become unavoidable on the internet. This oversaturation has bred hostility towards the notion that anything not created by human hands dare call itself “art.” In an attempt to gauge public opinion, I posted some of my own Midjourney creations to Reddit. While reactions were mostly positive, I also received comments such as “art is dying,” and, “Is this AI? I wish people stopped f$&ing around with that, it’s obscene: no offense.”

Far from being offended, I was extremely intrigued. My own personal definition of art has always encompassed anything that can inspire a reaction in people: the stronger the reaction, the better. The strongly opinionated response to AI generated content suggests that robot artists can piss people off just as well as any human artist can. VICE has deemed AI artwork “cringe” and “completely soulless.” In response to a ChatGPT-generated song “in the style of Nick Cave,” the actual singer-songwriter Nick Cave called the

result a “grotesque mockery of what it is to be human.” People are offended by AI-artwork on principle; it’s bad because a thinking, feeling human had no hand in its creation and therefore it has no soul. But surely bad art is still considered art? Algorithms can create shockingly beautiful results as well.

If a critic were to look at AI artwork without knowing how it was created, he might accidentally appreciate it. But perhaps that’s part of the problem. Are we concerned about the ambiguous nature of AI art; worried that one day we’ll accidentally appreciate something that wasn’t

created by human hands? Are we anxious that our robot contemporaries might be better artists than us?

Well, don’t worry artists. You haven’t been replaced. At least, not completely. For starters, it’s wrong to assume AI art is created completely without a human’s touch. Anyone who has attempted to use AI to create something to their exact specifications knows that it takes a whole lot of trial and error. AI also routinely mangles the finer details of portraiture, such as fingers and facial features. If you want something made to your exact preferences, or in a unique art style, it’s still far easier to just commission an artist.

It’s important to remember that AI art will likely constitute a new medium of art, not a replacement for art altogether. The invention of the camera and the ability to take a snapshot of reality did not discourage people from drawing and painting in a realist style. So why should AI art discourage you from pursuing your own artistic talents?

Of course, there are other reasons one might dislike the rise of AI artwork. To train a machine to paint it must first trawl through a digital ocean of images, most of which are protected by copyright. However, if you visit ChatGPT and ask for “an epic rap battle between Mickey Mouse and Bugs Bunny” it will politely decline. DALL-E is similarly stubborn about generating an accurate picture of Walter White. As long as copyright holders apply pressure, AI software will accordingly be kept in check. Of course, there are ways around this, but people will always find new ways to break the rules.

So don’t fret artists — AI is not replacing you (at least for now).

MATTHEW IDDON

Illustration by Washington

Reimer

While reactions were mostly positive, I also received comments such as ‘art is dying’ and ‘Is this AI? I wish people stopped f$&ing around with that, it’s obscene: no offence. ’

SNAP SHOTS

Illustrations by Iryna Presley

The little characters we make of things

I love when I see little figurines hanging from bags or lanyards. Someone cared enough about a thing to carry it with them. As it's infused with qualities and characteristics, that object might come to have a name or even a little personality. Even things not generally character-shaped get this treatment; a stick we jokingly call Steve might exist only as a gag, but Steve the stick certainly exists, if only for a moment. And now there’s a stick named Steve sitting on the ground or in a bin

somewhere.

I like to think that naming things gives them a permanence of sorts. Sure, Steve could become Susan, and Susan could become Sticky depending on who picks it up next, but each name is a memory for some time. While Steve the stick might never have the honour of becoming a wizard staff for some kid, the potential he carries to inspire someone’s imagination will always be worth something.

Kian Johnson

And now, Jimi

Last issue I wrote about how I think my dog, Hendrix, understands me. It’s only fair that I now write about Hendrix’s brother — a cat, named Jimi.

While I’m convinced that Hendrix understands everything I say through his years of intent listening, I can’t say the same for Jimi. It’s not that Jimi lacks the capacity to comprehend me; I’m sure that just like Hendrix, he could understand me if he just… wanted to.

Jimi seems to think he exists on a level above humans and our languages. In his mind we are mere peasants, blabbering nonsensically. I believe Jimi thinks I exist solely to sustain his lavish life -

style (I’m looking at you, prescription cat food), and that the annoying sounds I make are not words he’d like to learn, but instead are hideous noises he purposefully tunes out.

As I write this, Jimi is sprawled out on his (my) bed, sleeping peacefully, probably dreaming up new and interesting ways he would like humans to practice their worship of him. Later, when I try to fall asleep, I guarantee he will gracefully (but not gently) drag his claws across my face to indicate that petting him would be a better use of my time. If you ever see me looking exhausted, you can be sure that Jimi is to blame.

Aasha Khoyratty

Canadian colleges and universities should prohibit admissions until students have spent a minimum of 18 months out of highschool. If you’re 18, and came up through the Canadian school system, you should not be in university yet. I know. It’s a lot. Hear me out.

I make this wild and inflammatory claim based on three important criteria: First, secondary schools no longer adequately prepare students for the stress, pressure, and requirements of post-secondary education. Secondly, studies show that today’s youth are socially maturing at a slower rate than previous generations, and that eighteenyear-olds today are of comparative maturity to fifteen-year-olds in the

ʼ90s. And thirdly, real-world experience is invaluable for prospective students before embarking on their collegiate journeys. Students who take “gap years” consistently perform better in postsecondary than those who do not. This is something that is obvious to those who have charted that path themselves. Life experience is important to growth, which is something you understand better once you’ve acquired some. School is invaluable, but it’s not the only thing that matters to our development as human beings. We require kids to get an education in this country. We should also require them to stop for a while.

Bradley Duncan

Noodles, a long time coming

Noodles: warm, buttery, a little bit spicy, and sometimes with a fried egg on top — my new favourite food. As a child I was never allowed to eat them unless they were from a fancy restaurant, but what I really wanted was the block of dried noodles — the cup noodles I saw in all my favourite TV shows and movies. When I got to university it was finally my chance to live out my childhood dreams, and boy was it worth it.

The process was easier than I thought: boil the water for the noodles and then dress it up with as much fried garlic, shallots, sesame oil, and spices as my heart could desire. After that was

done, I made a French pan-fried egg with a crispy bottom and a deliciously gooey runny yolk. The flavours mingled perfectly with the noodles. Lastly, as I’ve learned, my favourite way to end the dish is to top it off with fresh green onions. Enjoyable and fresh flavours just bring it all together. The experience was nothing like how my mom described it to me.

It was perfection — I had gotten my happy ending. The best part besides the taste is that it is cost-effective for my university student wallet. I’m going to eat noodles till I get sick of them.

Gianna Dinwoodie

Extra! Extra! Read all about us!

A closer look at the students behind the paper

By: Rachel Tait

Irememberbeing a contributor with The Cascade during my first year of university, and the feeling I got when my very first story was featured on the cover page. There’s something magical about working at the paper that stuck with me even when I took a break to focus on my studies.

In 2021, I officially applied to The Cascade as a Staff Writer, quickly moving up to Jr. News Editor. By then, the University of the Fraser Valley’s student-run newspaper, established in 1993, had been in operation for 28 years. In that time, hundreds of students, from writers to production managers, have cycled through the office’s metaphorical revolving doors, collectively subsisting on stale coffee and power naps under the looming shadow of a print deadline. The operation is an ongoing relay race, as the batons of office quickly pass from one runner to the next, semester after semester, year upon year. Why do we do it? (It certainly isn’t the money). I

Kaitlyn Thompson: Managing Editor

wanted to know, and I’m betting a few of you do as well. Personally, I love getting to meet people and share the stories of so many amazing students and faculty who are making a difference in the university and community. I am blown away at how generous people can be, and sharing their stories helps to make the world a little more hopeful and brighter.

Having a student-run newspaper gives us students the opportunity to hone our skills, whether that’s writing, illustrating, business management, or leading a team of creative people to successfully produce a biweekly newspaper.

But everyone has their own goals and motivations — as well as insecurities. Maybe you’ve thought about applying, or contributing, but aren’t sure what you’re getting yourself into. I wanted to ask some of my colleagues about what inspired them to work here — and why.

Kait, what’s your role at The Cascade and what responsibilities does your job entail?

As managing editor, I function as the “HR” of The Cascade and oversee the hiring and training of all 20+ of our student staff and contributors. I edit every article that goes into each issue, and alongside the Editor-inChief, help to make final decisions on what gets published. I also organize events and workshops for the benefit of The Cascade staff and student body, plan and organize the activities of the Executive Team and The Cascade Journalism Society, send out our pitchlists and manage our mailing list of contributors, write articles for every issue, and fill in to cover sectional editor duties where needed. It’s essentially a full time job!

Why do you think it’s important to have a student-run newspaper?

I think having any kind of campus media that is accessible to students — such as The Cascade or CIVL — is so valuable and important to having any kind of campus culture. I am always surprised at how few students are aware of the opportunities these institutions provide; It’s really amazing that anyone who is interested can get involved and write, create, or produce their own content and have it published in print or broadcast.

In what ways has working with The Cascade added value to your academic experience? Working for The Cascade has taught me so much about the amount of work that goes into producing something like a paper, and I have gained invaluable professional experiences that, as an aspiring writer, will probably help me out in my future career. I would say I’ve learned more from this job than I have from some of my classes due to the volume of writing and editing that I’ve had to do on a regular basis. It’s also made me feel more connected to the student culture, as I’ve been able to find a “community” on our commuter campus that sometimes feels a little isolating.

Photo credit: Michael Bornman

Lindsey Roberts: Creative Director

Hi Lindsey, what do you want to tell people about your position with The Cascade?

I am the Creative Director. I ensure that the paper looks aesthetically pleasing and follows a good layout. I also manage our illustrators, photographer, designers, and production team. Each issue I determine what articles would benefit from illustrations and photographs and come up with concepts for each that will best represent the article’s main points and give advice throughout the process. I also do this for our cover and corresponding feature which are an important part of our paper and entices the lovely readers to pick up a copy.

I am also responsible for The Zine that is published once per semester. This involves coming up with the theme, collecting and voting on submissions, directing illustrators, and putting the layout together. It’s a process but it is so rewarding to have a place to display students’ creative work. The creative team has an important role in making sure that the paper looks good and is readable. Afterall, looking through the pictures in the paper is always the best part in my opinion!

What for you is the most rewarding thing about your job?

I love thinking of concepts and working with other creatives to bring written words into visual life. I started as an illustrator at the paper so working on the other side, giving creative direction, is different but very rewarding. I also love seeing the paper in print and having something tangible to hold in your hands that displays everyone’s hard work. It’s a great feeling to see people reading it!

What aspect of your job is the most challenging?

Sometimes trying to think of new and creative concepts every issue can be a challenge. I try not to get creatively burnt out. Sometimes, it is hard to find a balance between a full course load and working at the paper, but I love it so much, and I wouldn’t change it!

What would you like to see done at The Cascade that hasn’t been done?

I’m not sure if this has been done in the past but it would be cool to have a column that features a student at UFV each issue where they could talk about their university experience, their program, their goals, and plans, etc. Also, having a place where students could submit their artwork/photography or creative writing would be nice.

Carolina Talcan: Illustrator

What motivated you to apply to work at The Cascade?

Since I came to Canada and got into UFV, The Cascade newspaper was the first thing that caught my attention. As I have been interested in graphic design since my teens, I never was so close to a place that has some relation with what I want to work in. I decided to apply this winter as a way to try working in the area and make my creative skills better.

What sort of things would you like to see The Cascade in the future?

Maybe it will be challenging but, The Cascade has a lot to share. It is a good team. Giving the chance to have more events to get to know them; make tiny Zines; have some contests. That might be fun to have from time to time.

What do you think is the value in having a student-run newspaper in the University?

It is important to know a little more about what each generation might have to say or share in one platform around the university. There are different interests around the students and it is nice to gather different opinions and ideas in one handy text that everyone can have access to around the campus.

Photo credit: Carolina Talcan

Photo credit: Lindsey Roberts

Niusha Naderi: Production Manager

Niusha, what motivated you to apply to work at The Cascade?

Back in fall 2021, I started my first semester at UFV and was very new to Canada. [Besides] my classes, I also wanted to challenge myself and work. A friend mentioned that The Cascade [was] hiring, so I didn’t hesitate and applied for the position of Production Assistant. This led to me being responsible for the feature and cover design for 2 semesters before I moved up as Production Manager.

What makes your job rewarding?

The most rewarding thing about my job is my interactions with the team — editors, artists etc. and the sense of community that comes with it. It’s very familiar! Not to mention, after staring at the digital form for hours, seeing the paper printed and getting to hold it is truly rewarding as well. Passing by people who are admiring and reading the paper is one of those moments where I cry from the inside and suppress my tears of joy!

What advice would you give to the person who comes into the role after you?

Don’t be afraid to take this responsibility on! If I, as an alien from another country with a language barrier can work myself up to production, so can you! Don’t be afraid to communicate; everyone is very understanding. It doesn’t seem so scary once you’re in. And it’s hands down one of the best things I’ve ever done during my time at UFV. Sometimes you might lose it, but always keep your cool — it always works out at the end.

Do you have a message for the readers?

You are the real OG’s, the ones who keep this beautiful paper alive and motivate us to work. I hope that the things you see and read in the paper are things that are relevant to you and [that] you keep grabbing the paper every time it comes out. We do this for you amazing people! Much Love!

Emmaline Spencer: Opinion Editor

So, Emmaline, what drew you to work at The Cascade?

Admittedly, a big chunk of me choosing to work here was due to the mirror ball located in the office. I still remember being new on campus and hiding away in the SUB. I’d barely noticed it, but there was a little sparkle on the second floor so I went upstairs to investigate. I discovered The Cascade and opted to apply as a staff writer due to my desire to make a rather public complaint about the shuttle bus system at the time.

[The] second time around, I read a certain article by Andrea Sadowski. I was inspired to apply again, this time as the Junior News Editor, a position I held for a couple of semesters.

What’s your job with the paper?

Currently, I am the Opinion Editor. My role is to write at least one article for the paper per issue and to be the first layer of editing to the opinion section. In addition… I come up with pitches for the opinion section and moderate its content.

What for you is the most rewarding aspect of your job?

The opinion section is one of the most approachable sections of the paper to write for. I enjoy supporting contributors through the writing process and helping them grow as writers. There is something really special about working as a team to put something together and then getting to see it published in ink.

Do you have a message for the readers?

Thank you for reading! It makes a lot of what we do feel worthwhile when I hear that people actually enjoy it. I hope that those of you who have been holding back from writing an article find the courage to shoot us an email or say hi when we table at campus activities. You can always say hi to me if you ever see me on campus; I love having any opportunity to talk about on goings of UFV and The Cascade.

Photo credit: Niusha Naderi

Photo credit: Aryan Kathuira

Chandy Dancey: Former Managing Editor

You’ve held many positions at The Cascade . What was good and challenging about each job?

I’d say [as] a staff writer, your challenge at that time was keeping up your obligations every week because we were weekly, not biweekly. So you really had to dig for a lot of interviews and try to work ahead and make sure that you got your articles in on time. But [in] that position, you had a lot of freedom to write about whatever you wanted to.

Arts in Review Editor… might have been my favorite position, and that’s because I came into it with a vision for how I wanted to change the section and I was able to enact it. I felt like I was making my mark [and] executing my vision that I wanted to see happen. The person before me had one or two interests with multimedia that they wanted to do reviews on, and for me — I wanted to do everything. I want[ed] to do podcasts… YouTube channels… magazines, books; I wanted to do more of everything.

What inspired you to apply for The Cascade in the first place?

When I first started at UFV I felt isolated. It was hard to make friends and meet people in my classes. So then I started reading the paper when I was waiting for the bus and over time, I started to recognize the same people, the same writing styles, recognizing names that I saw, and I felt really understood when people would write in The Cascade from the student perspective about being a commuter campus and lacking a social life.

I really appreciated hearing that explanation for what I was feeling at the time, and I really love that kind of student perspective that we can give of chronicling what students are going through when they’re in this crazy part of their life. I really wanted to take the plunge and start writing myself, especially because I saw so many ads for positions at the time. Writing for the paper just happened to turn out to be this great outlet for me creatively and there was a lot more freedom than I had in my science program [where] I was writing essays and scientific papers.

Why do you think it’s important to have a student-run newspaper?

I think that the newspaper provides a service for students, even if not everyone takes full advantage of it or fully appreciates it. We chronicle the student experience… even if it criticizes the university or SUS. We offer student opportunities and we put on free events. I’ve heard from past editors and distributors that business owners would look forward to getting our paper. And when you publish a really good article that you’re proud of, classmates will bring it up in class or you’ll get a compliment from a professor in the hallway. I think that, for the little that the newspaper asks of students monetarily, I think it gives a lot back in return. We’re part of a larger community, and we’re actually very involved with the community.

Now that you’ve graduated and you’ve moved on from university, how has your experience at The Cascade benefited you?

Through the newspaper, that’s where I learned that my love of writing extends past just creative fiction, and I’m really passionate about journalism. I made friends that I still know to this day through the paper, and I gained so much experience like managing a team, working with others, organizing events. I learned to write better, and it made me feel like I was part of something that mattered at UFV that gave me a creative outlet, but also a purpose.

Well, there you have it from the Staff of The Cascade! There is a role for everyone, even if that role is reading the paper — after all, you’re who we make it for! Every student is capable of so much, and being part of The Cascade gives us opportunities to go above and beyond our expectations and allows us the freedom to be creative.

Don’t be afraid to try new things — and do consider working for The Cascade, because you never know where it will take you. Thanks for reading!

Rachel Tait

Photo credit: Aryan Kathuira

Photo credit: Chandy Dancey

Teryn Midzain — Sports Editor

Scores// Varsity//

Men's Basketball

Jan. 27, 2023

UFV vs. Winnipeg Wesmen

Score: UFV 66 - WW 101

Jan. 28, 2023

UFV vs. Winnipeg Wesmen

Score: UFV 65 - WW 71

Next Home games: Feb 10 and 11 vs. University of Saskatchewan in Abbotsford

Women's Basketball

Jan. 27, 2023

UFV vs. Winnipeg Wesmen

Score: UFV 82 - WW 85

Jan. 28, 2023

UFV vs. Winnipeg Wesmen

Score: UFV 50 - WW 63

Next home games: Feb. 10 and 11 vs. University of Saskatchewan in Abbotsford

Men’s Volleyball

Jan. 27, 2023

UFV vs. Brandon Bobcats

Score: UFV 2 - Brandon 3

Jan. 28, 2023

UFV vs. Brandon Bobcats

Score: UFV 1 - Brandon 3

Next home games: Feb 3 and 4 at UBC Okanagan in Abbotsford

Women’s Volleyball

Games cancelled/delayed

Next home games: Feb. 3 and 4 at UBC Okanagan in Abbotsford.

Cascades Check–February 1:

CASCADES ATHLETICS

Welcome to the Cascades Check — an update on University of the Fraser Valley Cascades Athletics

With only a few weeks left in their Canada West seasons, Cascades' volleyball and basketball teams are fighting for playoff positioning.

A pair of victories over the Thompson Rivers University (TRU) Wolfpack propelled the UFV women’s volleyball team to new heights, as the program sees itself ranked No. 4 in the national top 10. Their nine-game win streak has them in a tie for third in the conference with just six regular season matches remaining. Records have been breaking for women’s basketball over the last two weeks. Julia Tuchscherer picked up the program’s firstever triple-double with a 10 point, 10 rebound, 10 assist performance in the Jan. 20 win over TRU. A week later, Maddy Gobeil notched 38 points to set a new program record for points in a game in a matchup with the Winnipeg Wesmen. A pair of wins over TRU and a pair of losses to Winnipeg leave the Cascades with four regular season games remaining as they sit at 11-5 on the year.

Two wins and two losses over the last two weeks for men’s basketball leave them with a 7-9 record, which is good for 11th in the conference. With the top 12 teams qualifying for playoffs, the Cascades hold their destiny in their hands as we head into the season's final two weeks.

A pair of losses to both TRU and Brandon over the last two weeks saw UFV’s record drop to 4-16 on the season. That leaves them in 12th position in Canada West with four matches remaining.

Cascades volleyball is back at home on this Friday, Feb. 3, and Saturday, Feb. 4 to take on the University of British Columbia Okanagan (UBCO) Heat, while the following weekend sees our men’s and women’s basketball teams return home for the home finales of the regular season, to face the Saskatchewan Huskies. Both weekend’s game times are set for 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. on Friday, and 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Saturday at the UFV Athletic Centre (Building E on the Abbotsford campus). UFV students can attend for free by showing their student ID at the door.

To catch your Cascades on the road, head to canadawest.tv where all games are streamed live, all season long.

Make sure to visit gocascades.ca to keep up with all the news, stats, and scores from the UFV Cascades.

Williams gets a new team principal for 2023

MIDZAIN

Williams Racing has been the team in the dumps for the better part of the last five years, only scoring eight points in last year’s 2022 season. The old name in British racing’s new owners made a major move in their restructuring with the announcement on Jan. 13 that James Vowles, strategist at Mercedes, is now the new team principal (TP) at Williams.

Vowles has had a successful 21year career in Formula One, working at Mercedes since 2010, and as the Motorsport Strategy Director the last four years. Before that, Vowles worked with Brawn GP, Honda, and British American Racing (BAR). Team strategy and design has played a massive role in Mercedes’ rise to dominance in the sport since 2014.

“I cannot wait to start with Williams Racing. It’s an honour to join a team with such an incredibly rich heritage. The team is an icon of our sport, one I greatly respect, and I am very much looking forward to the challenge,” Vowles told F1 reporters. “Williams Racing have placed their faith and trust in me, and I will do the same in return. The team has tremendous potential, and our journey together starts in a matter of weeks.”

Formula One// Hockey//

Most recently, Vowles has been off the pit wall during race weekends and working directly alongside Toto Wolff, Mercedes’ team principal, as Wolff’s “right-hand” man. Wolff has been supportive of losing a key member of the Mercedes team and a “sparring partner,” but notes that it’s a smart move for both Vowles and Williams, and the sport overall.

“He’s been having a massive contribution, not only to what’s happening during the races, but also in terms of the global strategy of the team, and Mercedes Motorsport in general,” Wolff told F1 press when the news broke.

“James has been around for a long time, he’s seen it all — the intelligent things and the less intelligent things. I have no doubt that Williams choosing James is a fantastic move for them.”

One could say Vowles was in a perfect position to grow as the Silver Arrows’ new TP if or when Wolff decides his time in the chair is at an end, but Williams has had a manufacturing and engine supply deal with Mercedes since the start of the V6 turbo-hybrid era. It only makes sense that Williams would look to Mercedes for new leadership.

The team’s former principal and CEO Jost Capito departed near the end of 2022 as part of the team principal change-up at the end of the season.

In addition to losing Capito, Williams also parted ways with their technical director Francois-Xavier Demaison.

Captio was acting as the racing team’s CEO on top of the responsibilities of the team principal whereas Vowles is solely responsible for being the TP, letting him focus on rebuilding the team, and the car, with a realistic, longterm goal. With Logan Sargent coming in as the new second driver and Jessica Chadwick continuing in their Driver Academy, Williams is taking the smart

steps in the long-run strategy. Vowles has worked with some of the most talented drivers in the last era of the sport and is a great person to help Alex Albon and Logan Sargaent’s careers.

Vowles is scheduled to take the reins of the British racing team in late February, the perfect time for Barcelona training after the team’s 2023 car launches in February. Williams is scheduled as one of the earlier reveals, giving Vowles more time to set his leadership style in place.

Powerless plays for the Abbotsford Canucks

The Abbotsford Canucks finished up a five-game homestand on Wednesday, Jan. 25 with a loss against the Toronto Marlies. Facing off against the Calgary Wranglers and the Toronto Marlies, the Abbotsford Canucks saw stiff competition against two teams that are currently at the top of their respective divisions. Starting on Jan. 18 with a disappointing series of three games in four days against the Wranglers, the Abbotsford Canucks doubled their home losses for the season.

Beginning with game one at Abbotsford Centre on Wednesday night, things got off to a rough start when Artur Silovs let in two goals early in the first period that should’ve been easy saves. The shaky start turned into what was overall a weak run for the Abby Canucks, with Calgary taking the W in all three games despite a

whopping 18 total power plays for Abbotsford. Surrey-born Arshdeep Bains tied things up in the second period of the first game on Jan. 18, leading to an overtime that lasted all of seven seconds before it ended in a 3-2 loss for Abbotsford. The 2nd and 3rd games didn’t get much better for the Canucks; losing 5-4 in a shootout on Jan. 20, and again losing on Jan. 21, 5-3.

Not all was bad; in a moment of redemption, Abbotsford ended their four-game losing streak with a resounding 4-0 shoutout against a tired-looking Toronto on Jan. 24. This high point was quickly dashed in game-two the next day, when Toronto seemed to find their footing and upped the intensity, delivering a 3-2 loss for Abbotsford to end their time on home ice. Silovs redeemed himself from the shaky start by keeping Abby in the final game against the Marlies, stopping 29/32 shots, and earning third star of the night.

Despite the losses, the Canucks did play well. Tristen Nielsen skated well and was a key playmaker, scoring one goal and an assist on the 20th against Calgary. Linus Karlsson scored two goals in the five games, and remains in the top five rookies in the year. Where Abby lost it was scoring and making the best of the power plays. Over the course of Abbotsford’s five-game homestand, they racked up a total of 29 power plays — and only scored four goals with the man advantage.

Truthfully, Abbotsford seemed to spend a lot of time passing the puck on their power plays, trying to set up the perfect tip or shot, but ended up allowing the Calgary and Toronto defences to set up for quick penalty kills. The teams the Canucks would be potentially facing for the Calder Cup — Colorado Eagles, the Ontario Reign, and Tucson Roadrunners — are good matchups for Abbotsford, and have taken games off Abby because of the slip

ups that they still had facing Calgary. With playoffs fast approaching, this inability to capitalize on opportunities and strengthen up their offense could spell trouble for the team.

This week, our Abby Canucks started a long road trip, continuing the streak and taking two losses against the Tucson Roadrunners at the end of the month. Losing 6-2 on Jan. 28, and then fell 5-2 on Jan 29. Tough losses to start the road trip. Luckily, Abbotsford faces the San Diego Gulls next, who are last in their division — it could be a free win. Then comes a double header against the San Jose Barracuda, who sit seventh in the division. While not really in a playoff position, the Barracuda could steal some points from the Canucks and send them to a lower playoff seed, stripping them of home ice advantage. Abbotsford’s next home games are next week on Feb. 10 and 11 against the Tucson Roadrunners.

The British racing team’s restructure takes a strong step forward as James Vowles takes over

Abbotsford takes a beating from the Calgary Wranglers during their five-game homestand

Antonin Vincent | Photo credit: DPPI

Anisa Quintyne — Culture Editor

Potatoes and Pink: Julia Dovey’s upcoming book explores online harassment, narcissistic parenting, and sibling rivalry

Local author gives the details on her latest book, and some advice for aspiring authors

and I immediately rushed home and begged my parents to buy me a computer, any computer, that ran Word.”

query sucks, it’s going in the scrap pile. Look up successful queries, model yours after them.”

UFV Alum Julia Dovey is publishing her second book, Potatoes and Pink on March 1. A literary fiction and romance novel represented by BWL Publishing, Potatoes and Pink follows Mindy Adams, a novelist and janitor, who is contacted the day after her mother’s funeral by her old university nemesis, Diane Dew, with a strange request. Dovey stated in an interview via email that the novel explores “concepts of online harassment, sibling rivalry, and growing up with a narcissistic parent. I was inspired, oddly, by a random YouTube drama involving an obsessive online stalker.”

Potatoes and Pink is Dovey’s second novel, following Lipstick Tattoo which was published May 2022. Dovey is a copywriter, video editor, book editor, and novelist who hails from a “very artsy fartsy household” in Aldergrove. Now living in Abbotsford, Dovey is also presenting writing workshops at the Chilliwack Cultural Center this winter and spring.

But a writer is not without the guiding hand of an English teacher and words of inspiration. “My first key experience was reading a positive comment from a high school substitute teacher (whose name I’ve since forgotten, and to whom I dedicated my first book) on my short story assignment,” said Dovey. “Something clicked,

Dovey also credits UFV’s creative writing program as a game changer in her writing, as she explained; “Another key experience: reading a comment on my play in first year playwriting, telling me to submit to the Louden Singletree. Then, later on, having an impromptu stage reading of the play at the Louden Launch, and hearing people laugh at the jokes I’d written (...) teachers, you have immense power in that pen of yours.”

Then there’s the age old question: is there advice you have for young writers aspiring to publish? To which Dovey provided a helpful list of advice, browsing the many stops an author might come across when mapping out their publishing journey.

1. Don’t worry about being rejected

The first thing to keep in mind is that rejection is part of the deal, according to Dovey. “Having a well-written book is only half the battle (...) a friend of mine sent over a hundred queries before finding a publisher.” Be willing to take it in stride and keep moving forward.

2. Have a fantastic query

Dovey cites a strong query letter as the key to getting the attention of publishing agents. “It’s your foot in the door. Your book could be literally perfect, but if your

3. Schmooze like your life depends on it

Just like many other career paths, connections and networking are vital. “Success comes from knowing the right people, and having those connections. I got in contact with my publishing house because my friend put in a good word for me,” said Dovey. “Agents keep an eye out for queries that say “I met you at…” or “I was referred to you by…” so get out there and network!

4. Work that social media, and know your market

Dovey believes that social media fluency is a critical skill for authors hoping to get published. “It’s part of the author’s life these days. If you become an author, you’ll need to build up a following.” Dovey, who herself started with about 20 Instagram followers and now has over 700 across her Instagram and TikTok accounts, says including a social media marketing strategy can be a great way to make your query stand out.

5. Plot out your book

Beloved fantasy author George R.R. Martin once said that “There are two types of writers, the architects and gardeners. The architects plan everything ahead of time. The gardeners dig a hole, drop in a seed and water it. They kind of know what seed

it is (...) but they discover as it grows.” Dovey referred to this concept, stating “so many new writers insist they’re gardeners, but I would bet most are actually architects.” Dovey highlights the importance of mapping out your plot on a beat sheet, and making sure you see it through to the end. “You need to finish, otherwise, you’ll only practice writing beginnings.”

When Dovey isn’t writing, she says her “favourite thing to do these days is make silly videos to post on my writer’s Instagram and Tiktok.” You can find Dovey on both social media sites at @Julia_Writes_Things

ANISA QUINTYNE

Photo Provided by Julia Dovey

STUDY BREAK

Crossword: Lunar New Year //

3. This festival marks the end of the Chinese New Year celebration.

6. The Chinese first invented this dazzling display in the second century BC to celebrate important moments in life.

8. This is a traditional food eaten in celebration of Chinese New Year — it is a delicious, steamed stuffed parcel.

Sudoku //

DOWN

1. This tradition precedes Chinese New Year’s Day and involves scrubbing, washing, and mopping.

2. Chinese New Year is also known by this term.

4. These envelopes of money are gifted to children and often the colour _____.

5. On New Year’s Eve, a reunion dinner is often celebrated with _____.

7. This year is the lucky year of the

ANSWERS:

Horoscopes //

Your weekly life predictions as told by Ageless Azalea

Aries — Mar 21 to Apr 19

You catch yourself laughing at your own jokes. That’s great, Aries. You’re hilarious. Don’t repeat them out loud, though.

Taurus — Apr 20 to May 20

There’s a time and place for everything. Read the room and you’ll find yourself suddenly better at making conversation.

Gemini — May 21 to Jun 20

Some say they discover something new about you everyday. Others say you’re easy to read, and they’re not surprised by what you bring to the table. Which one is true?

Cancer —Jun 21 to Jul 22

Make yourself less predictable.

Leo — Jul 23 to Aug 22

You may strut grocery stores and sidewalks thinking of how mysterious you are, how people are dying to be seen by you, act like you, and think like you — but no, they’re staring because you’re staring.

Virgo —Aug 23 to Sep 22

Life is humbling you for once! Take it as a lesson.

Libra — Sep 23 to Oct 22

The world and its complexities aren’t held down by your personal law; but, likewise, make what you can of the world and acknowledge the grey that exists.

Scorpio — Oct 23 to Nov 21

You interfere with the business of others so often the other signs are beginning to suspect you’re unemployed.

Sagittarius — Nov 22 to Dec 21

Twist around mundane tasks so they become more interesting! An abysmal 9-5? An adventure that has yet to be finished!

Capricorn — Dec 22 to Jan 19

Take up some yoga.

Aquarius — Jan 20 to Feb 18

Acknowledge what you have, not what you lack.

Pisces — Feb 19 to Mar 20

Protect your peace.

Made by Brielle Quon

Column // Column //

Cascade Kitchen: Blueberry Banana Muffins

Holidays & Observances: Groundhog Day — hide your shadows or we’ll freeze to death!

marmots — or the weather, for that matter.

Over the last few centuries, we have outgrown superstition. Science. Physics. Mathematics. Meteorology. Humanity has developed scientifically proven methods of understanding and accurately predicting the world around us… but nothing that can beat a groundhog and its shadow.

Yearly, on Feb. 2, cities all over North America come together to watch the local groundhog come out of its burrow. If its own shadow then spooks the little beast, we are bound to another six weeks of winter weather.

However, it still popularized the tradition, bringing even more terror to the poor groundhogs, while also associating these cute little fellas with the dreaded idea of a torturously vicious cycle — thanks a lot, Bill Murray.

Surprisingly, though, there are no scientific “grounds” on groundhogs and their predictions. One of the best meteorologists of them, Staten Island Chuck, for example, has only been correct about 80 per cent of the time.

ROBERTS

The Cascade Kitchen is a student-run food column that brings you budget-friendly recipes and cooking tips. If you want to see your own recipe featured next, get started by reaching out to culture@ufvcascade.ca.

In an effort to pretend I live a relaxing cottage-core lifestyle, sometimes I like to take a study break and bake some delicious goods on a rainy Sunday afternoon. This recipe is adapted from Eating Well by Jim Romnoff. It uses those brown ol’ bananas sitting in the bottom of your freezer and the rest of those blueberries you swore you were going to eat this time but are going soft in your fridge. Turn them into a yummy treat or a breakfast on-the-go!

Prep time:20 minutes,

Cook Time: 20-25 minutes

Ingredients:

¾ cup buttermilk

¾ cup packed brown sugar

¼ cup melted coconut oil

3 ripe bananas mashed

2 large eggs

2 ¼ cups whole wheat flour

1 ½ tsp baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

½ tsp nutmeg

1 tsp salt

1 - 1 ½ cups of fresh or frozen blueberries

Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Coat muffin tin with non-stick spray or muffin liners.

2. Whisk buttermilk, brown sugar, oil, and eggs in a large bowl. Stir in mashed bananas.

3. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a medium bowl.

4. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet mixture and stir until just combined.

5. Fold in the blueberries, careful to not over mix.

6. Divide evenly into 12 muffin cups, fill to the top.

7. Bake for about 20-25 minutes until the tops are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan and transfer to a wire rack for at least 5 more minutes before serving.

8. Enjoy!

It’s perfectly logical; I don’t know why you look so confused.

The origins of the tradition are hazy — or dare I say, muddy. Some say it can be traced back to the Celt celebration of Imbolc: a pagan festival taking place in the midpoint between winter and spring. Others say it has ties to the Roman holiday Februalia, which took place – you guessed it — at the beginning of February.

Where it started, we’ll never know — but just like most holidays and observances we discuss on this column, it started somewhere, at some point, and every couple hundred years the colonizer of the time gets to give it their own spin.

One thing we know is that before meteorologist groundhogs, we actually looked up at the sky. On this same Feb. 2, probably going off those ancient celebrations, pre-Victorian Christians would celebrate Candlemas, which sounds like Christmas, but instead of gifts the clergy would bless and give the people candles. A sunny Candlemas meant another forty days of cold and snow (reverse psychology at its finest!).

Later, the Germans came up with their own version of the legend. Because a blue sky with plenty of sunlight didn’t quite do it for them, they decided the day would only be considered sunny if groundhogs and other small animals noticed their own shadows. Then, when German immigrants arrived in North America in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, they brought the custom with them to Pennsylvania — and groundhogs haven’t had a peaceful Feb. 2 ever since.

Hollywood didn’t help much either. Ever since the release of the 1993 film Groundhog Day, the term has also become a synonym for something that repeats endlessly. Aside from that, the movie has little to do with

In Canada, the tradition is growing in popularity. B.C. has its own weather marmot — Van Isle Violet, of Vancouver Island, who last year predicted another six weeks of winter. Hopefully, she’s in a better mood this time around.

Perhaps there is some deeper meaning to the trust we put into such a little creature. The same nature that gives us the cold of winter might as well be the same nature that can promise us an early spring. Humans since the beginning of time have known to listen closely for these signals from mother nature, and, though the logic behind most of those rites might not be quite logical, perhaps it is not meant to be rational. Perhaps our primitive instincts know exactly what to listen for, whether that’s the rumble of thunder or the cry of a groundhog. Perhaps, deep inside, we know something our science doesn’t.

Or maybe we just like harassing animals for no reason. Yeah, that sounds about right.

LINDSEY

NELSON FROTA COLARES

As we cross our fingers for an early Spring, we’ll discuss groundhogs, candles, and Bill Murray!

Illustration by Washington Reimer

Eva Davey — Arts Editor

Kaleidoscope: A cool but underwhelming attempt

Eric Garcia’s newest series does well at giving Giancarlo Esposito a backdrop to show his acting talents, but much is left to be desired.

With the new year comes new attempts to make a defining project that sets the tone for the year. The start of the new year has brought fresh ideas to the table, one of which was the ambitious new (hopefully) limited series from Eric Garcia, the writer behind cult classics such as Matchstick Men and Repo Men. Kaleidoscope stars Giancarlo Esposito, Paz Vega, and Rufus Sewell as part of its main cast. It features an interesting watch order concept that could have audiences coming back to the series for a different viewing experience each time — if it wasn’t for the series’ underwhelming story and characters.

Kaleidoscope is an interesting series, a story of a heist and revenge with pretty much every cliche when it comes to these movies. The cast is filled with character archetypes seen in every heist movie. The leader/planner, the tech wizard, the driver, the one who loves weapons, and the heel. Garica’s story benefits from Esposito’s acting range, which the latter shows off every chance he gets. While normally it’s a special treat to see an experienced and talented actor show their chops, in Kaleidoscope it's easy to see that Esposito’s acting is saving a rather dull script. It then becomes more of a curse as you have to watch everyone else in the cast

not be able to keep up with (or act as well as) Esposito. The only two exceptions in my eyes are Paz Vega in the role of Ava Mercer, and Tati Gabrielle, playing the character Hannah.

The intriguing aspect of this project was that the episodes are written to be a semianthology style of viewing. There is no “correct” order of watching the episodes, with the exception of “White,” which is written to be the last in the series.

My watch order was Green, Yellow, Violet, Orange, Blue, Red, Pink, and White. I believe this list felt like the standardized watch order, as the plot and storylines played out more or less how typical films of the genre do. In my order, the series started before the heist where I was introduced to the characters and how they were all connected. Episodes Yellow through Blue dove into the characters' backgrounds, and their roles in the heist, and established the awkwardly written romantic interest and the love triangle. The latter half of the episodes took place after the heist and built up the suspense to find out what actually happened to set up the ending, but the lackluster finale, and some hastily dropped storylines made all the build-up and reveal underwhelming.

You can see the influence that Steven Sodenburgh’s Ocean’s 11 has had on the heist genre throughout the series. This is seen with a large ensemble cast, twists and

Jinkies! Velma is bad Television //

fake outs, catchy music, schemes to trick the security systems, and relying on a good actor that can narrate the heist and its stakes. Esposito’s iconic tenor is felt throughout the series, but sadly that smooth molasses of a voice tells a rather lackluster story.

Another downside was that the rest of the ensemble fell short, and their characters' storylines were left hanging or lacked substance. The most noticeable was Rosaline Elbay’s character Judy Goodwin. She played the tech expert who was also the wounded bird and tortured soul, and at times was in over her head. The series was seemingly setting up the character to have the most significant growth and be the catalyst for the twist. However, the character reassured herself (and the audience) that her borderline abusive husband isn’t a toxic idiot, and her character arc was dropped to be just the center and object of a love triangle. Which made her seem incapable of making the obvious smart and moral choices. Turning what could have been an intriguing character into just a disappointing mess.

Kaleidoscope has some great moments and takes on the heist genre. It featured a nuanced storyline with morally grey characters and an interesting twist that made me say “huh — neat.” I felt I was being told why I should care instead of feeling an interest naturally. Having no official order for the episodes is an interesting idea, and I wonder if viewing the episodes in a dif-

HBO’s new adult animated show takes a good thing and makes it trash

At the time of writing, Velma has 6 of 10 episodes left to air.

DAVEY

I am not sure who pitched a Velma Dinkley prequel set before the formation of Mystery Incorporated, but I am sure they had the best intentions. Sadly the end result is best described as a dumpster fire (and I don’t use this term excessively). The show has opened to some horrible ratings and received a similar backlash via social media. I thought I would give it the benefit of the doubt, and seeing as I love many of the Scooby-Doo interpretations, what could possibly go wrong? HBO heard me ask that question and created a television show that deserves to be canceled (unlike other shows they have axed).

Velma (2023) is the story of high schoolaged Velma Dinkley (voiced by Mindy Kaling) who is trying to clear her name/ solve the murders of teenage girls from her high school. She is also given another mystery in the form of her missing mother, and viewers learn that the trauma of having a missing mother has prevented Velma from solving any current mysteries. Along for the ride are Daphne, Fred, and Norville

(formerly Shaggy). The titular character has complicated relationships with each of them, and so far it is hard to see how the gang will one day form. The show takes what many fans of the franchise love only to throw dirt on it in hopes of coming across as edgy and funny. While there are moments that make me curious as to where the show will lead viewers, the majority of the time I spent cringing and pressing pause.

To start with the positives (and there aren’t many) some of the writing is funny. A line that stuck with me is Velma claiming “all my money is tied up in streaming services.” Which is the only time that the show pokes fun at the viewer and laughs with them instead of at them. This highlights a problem — that this show simply hates its audience — but to be completely honest, I don’t think it even knows who their target audience is. Too grimy for kids, and too “let's make fun of adults who love animation” for adults that love animation! Most of the good writing doesn’t go to Velma, but instead is given to supporting characters which would be okay if Velma didn’t ruin the effect by shooting back with a bad quip.

The other two positives in the show are

supporting characters Daphne (voiced by Constance Wu) and Norville (voiced by Sam Richardson). This version of Daphne is a drug-dealing, self-defence master who challenges Velma’s outlook on the society around her. Norville is a character that lends actual comedic relief. Another bright side to Velma is that the animation is so well done; it makes me sad to see it being used by an undeserving project.

My biggest bone to pick with the series has to be the titular character Velma. While I do not believe Mindy Kaling should be the one who takes all the blame for this show,

ferent watch order would bring out more mystery and make me more drawn into figuring out what has happened. Ultimately I wasn’t left wanting to rewatch the series, but instead, I rewatched a classic (and better) heist film: Ocean’s 11

It’s not terrible — Kaleidoscope had its moments, but it lacked a lot of what would make it a good series. It fits perfectly in the mid-to-okay tier, with some great monologues and voice-over from Esposito.

Score 6.5/10

I believe as a producer she deserves some of it. Kaling has become a parody of herself as of late, with many of the characters she writes or portrays becoming extensions of herself in some way. Once again I have no clue who the target audience is for this show or character. She is a woke detective…who also makes fun of the #MeToo movement. Yes, this really happened in a scene, and yes I yelled at my TV.

Perhaps these glaring character flaws shine brighter than normal due to horrendous pacing and writing that can’t decide what it wants to say. Before you begin to even guess who the culprit is, the mystery has been solved and unsolved multiple times within the episode in an effort to keep viewers guessing. With good writing and crafted pacing the mystery has potential to keep me around, but with the lack of these things I cannot stomach another episode again.

Velma cannot be saved by good animation and fun secondary characters. It leans too heavily on the titular character who is an unlikeable protagonist (not the fun kind either) and makes fun of its audience too much. Save yourself a bad twenty-five minute episode and give this show a miss.

Photo credit: Neflix

TERYN MIDZAIN

Photo credit: HBO Max

ARTS

CHARTS SHUFFLE

MAUVEY Before The Album: a love letter to the moons of mars

LOKRE ELIZABETH Planet Giza You Don't Understand

SUDAN ARCHIVES Natural Brown Prom Queen DOPE.GNG NRNTB_Rouge

ALVVAYS Blue Rev Boslen GONZO NADUH HOMIESEXUAL

Alex G God Save The Animals

KURI

I love You, You're Welcome

BLESSED Circuitous

DUMB

Pray 4 Tomorrow

SLOAN

Steady

JORDAN KLASSEN

Glossolalia

THE SYLVIA PLATTERS

Youth Without Virtue

DILL THE GIANT Weed Man Son

BLACK PONTIAC

From Bad To Worse (and back again)

SKYE WALLACE

Terribly Good

RUBY WATERS

Heather

FRANKIE COSMOS

Inner World Peace

AARON LEVY STATION MANAGER

CIVL Station Manager Aaron Levy comes up with four hyper to relatively very local songs for you to add to your playlists and send fan mail to their creators.

Lights - Banner

This song has a post-apocalypticrecalling music video and is catchy and anthemic as anything, but it isn’t listed as a single on sophomore full-length Siberia’s Wikipedia page. The album features some top grade collabs with Canadian alt-pop heavy hitters, and this one is pretty lit if y’ask me.

Mauvey - The King

Not only is this song the product of a fiercely local, budding superstar, but the music video also features a local starlet in the making, and the message the lyrics evoke is a mainstay of Mauvey’s regular stage show. Reminding the audience that they’re important, each and every one.

KNOWN. - Candyland

The only thing sweeter than the hook and chorus to this certified jam is probably the fact that if you live or came up here in the Abbotsford-Mission area over the better part of the past decade, you probably had the chance to cross paths with its singer, a tall, lanky Adonis.

Ben Cottrill - Reno

More than a couple times last semester, this CTV’s The Launch alum popped into the CIVL Radio studios up the stairs of the UFV Student Union Building to tickle those keys and sing us some songs, including this one, which fantasizes about life on the road, leaving the small towns.

Music //

Tujiko Noriko’s Crépuscule I & II is a shimmering

soundtrack for sunsets

The Japanese experimental pop musician returns with a dynamic and dreamy set of ambient and electroacoustic compositions.

weave together near-untraceable patterns, and as each piece of ephemera passes by it’s clear that the ambient nature of the album belies a complex interior.

Anyone familiar with the work of Japanese experimental pop musician Tujiko Noriko will be able to tell you that her music refuses to stand still for even a moment. Right from the get-go, with records like her 2001 international debut Shojo Toshi, or the follow-up Make Me Hard, Tujiko has been infusing the pop song with an ever-advancing and churning sea of electronics, acoustic instruments, and ethereal vocals. So, entering into Crépuscule I & II, her first stand-alone studio record in eight years, one might be taken aback by the distinctly abstracted angle this album seems to take. It can be more closely identified with her recent ambient works for film such as Kuro (2019) than the more structured work of albums prior.

As it unfolds across its hour and 46 minutes Crépuscule I & II (“crépuscule” meaning “twilight” in French) reveals itself to possess that same restless spirit which beckons listeners to engage with the ambiance, and induces a film in the mind that’s in no doubt aided by those evocative track titles like “Bronze Shore” and “The Promenade Vanishes.” In other words, this record lays out a soundtrack for your evening hours, and whether you choose to meet it with some nighttime reading or your own homespun fantasies, it expertly traverses the line between a captivating liveliness, and that hypnotic haziness.

As the album’s Bandcamp page points out, Crépuscule I (tracks 1-9) is composed of broadly shorter pieces with more singular ambitions, whereas Crépuscule II (tracks 10, 11, and 12) allows Tujiko’s work to stretch out into three extended sonic scenes. The former’s style is first exemplified by the opener “Prayer,” which sees a tranquil set of melodies enter, shine, and then fade into the night just as they begin to latch on. Following this, “The Promenade Vanishes” is led by Tujiko’s gorgeous vocals, which first appear so close and intimate, though at times meld seamlessly into the instrumentation. It’s tracks like these which may be inspired by the work of other ambient vocal artists like Grouper and Julianna Barwick although the Crépuscules set themselves apart by remaining constantly mercurial — eluding boundaries through abstraction and detailed changes.

The fourth track, “Fossil Words,” is perhaps the most unabashedly pretty track in the collection, manifesting initially as an oceanic lullaby with elements that mimic the sounds of wind, water, and whales. Before long, the track opens up into vistas of heartbreaking high notes delivered by Tujiko herself. The quasi centrepiece of Disc 1, “A Meeting at the Space Station,” takes you on an equally enthralling journey, as the initially ominous facade of the track enters that familiar breathtaking beauty (without sacrificing any of its alien qualities) as Tujiko’s human presence is almost totally absent. I’d also love to mention the nearly subterranean “Bronze Shore,” which features lovely sections of mellotron, as well as this reverberant metallic sound that threatens fading to silence. Each of these pieces (including ones which I have not mentioned)

Crépuscule II greets listeners with a distinctly human environment, as “Golden Dusk” features constant interjections from the voices of children running, babbling, etc. Amidst some off-kilter soundtracking, the listener is immediately aware that they are no longer in the same environment as Disc 1. This is most clearly illustrated by the album’s longest track “Roaming Over Land, Sea and Air,'' which wanders the aural landscape for 23 minutes, coloured with a remarkably diverse palette of electroacoustic instrumentation, including euphonium and saxophone. At its most tranquil, it features Tujiko phrasing mystical words over an array of programmed synths, but the final moments of the piece offer up a bewildering and swirling arrangement which remains among Tujiko’s best. I particularly love this almost fan-like fluttering noise which peeks in and out of audibility at the most intense swells of sound.

While its length and style may seem daunting, Crepuscule I & II yields a wealth of sound treasures that deserve serious inspection, and equally so some relaxed meditation. If you’re curious about what truly active ambient music might sound like, this is a glowing example. Living up to her strong catalogue, Tujiko Noriko guides listeners across an eclectic system of transformations, but here her approach is on such a sweeping scale, it’s hard not to get lost in her world.

TY PRANGER

Photo credit: Pitchfork

Rewind //

The Dark Side of the Moon turns 50

Pink Floyd’s 1973 masterpiece still has a cultural presence.

Movies //

A satiating thriller

If you’ve ever dug through a pile of moth-eaten band T-shirts at your local Value Village, you’re most likely familiar with Pink Floyd. Since 1965, the progrock band has gifted the world some of the most incredible psychedelic music ever recorded. Listen to your dad’s favorite radio station for about an hour and you’re likely to hear at least one of their compositions (likely Money or Another Brick in the Wall Pt. 2). Die hard fans will assert that their favorite Floyd album is one you’ve never heard of, like Animals, Atom Heart Mother, or possibly Ummagumma. But for the rest of us normies, the band’s most iconic album is The Dark Side of the Moon. This year it’s turning 50.

Whether or not you’ve listened to the album is irrelevant to its legacy. Since 1973, the iconic cover art has been endlessly printed on dorm room posters, T-shirts, and other random bits of memorabilia. It’s likely that at some point in your life, the image of a beam of light penetrating a triangular prism and splitting into a rainbow has occupied some amount of real estate in your mind. While gearing up for the album’s 50th anniversary, the “rainbow” cover was reworked into a suitable logo. Hilariously, a handful of conservative boomers and trolls angrily took to Facebook, accusing the band of going “woke.” Obviously, the band’s long history of pairing socially conscious lyrics with searing guitar solos has been lost on this crowd.

Another reason for the album’s enduring legacy may be the conspiracy theory which has grown up alongside it. The "Dark Side of the Rainbow” theory claims that listening to the album while watching the classic 1939 film The Wizard of Oz produces a strangely synchronous experience.

All this supplementary trivia is fascinating, but what about the music itself? The album begins with a frightening cacophony of sounds and screams before melting into the beautiful opening number “Breathe (In The Air).” Then, a harrowing assortment of synthesized bleeps and bloops hurry us along to the next song, “Time.” The lyrics are haunting and existential: “And then one day you find / ten years have got behind you / no one told you when to run / you missed the starting gun.” Next, we arrive at “The Great Gig in the Sky” featuring stunning vocals by Clare Torry (this song is at the center of a recent TikTok trend in which users attempt to recreate her incredible performance). “Money,” the most radiofriendly cut on the album kickstarts side two, which is chock-full of songs that explore the inescapable realities of human existence. “Us and Them,” “Any Colour You Like,” and “Brain Damage” delve into greed, war, lunacy, and death, before culminating in a breathtaking finale.

Dark Side of the Moon remains a timeless classic to this day. If you have forty-two minutes and fifty seconds to spare, I suggest you put on some headphones, tune in, and take a journey to the outer limits of space.

It’s not often I find myself pleasantly surprised when watching a film. I often go in with expectations, and as I watch these expectations shift as I amend them with predictions. In fact I can’t remember the last film I watched where I didn’t try to guess what would happen next or how it would end. The Menu, however, was unlike any film viewing experience I have had in recent memory. I went in thinking, this is going to be one of those comedic dinner mysteries in the line of Glass Onion, or a comedic thriller/horror like Red State. I was off by a bit, but more importantly, I had (for once) simply enjoyed the film without predicting the ending. I want to be clear that this was not by choice. The film kept me on the edge of my seat and ensnared my focus with such fortitude that I hadn’t been able to take a moment to predict anything. It is hard for me to analyze or describe exactly what it was about this film I enjoyed so much. The premise of guests on a remote island being tormented and killed is not unfamiliar. “Eat the rich” and “servants’ revolt” tropes are not new concepts. Even the deaths were not anything innovative. But, somehow, it was an amazing film. If anything The Menu proves that we don’t need to shake the originality faery until her wings give out to come out with a masterful piece of art. I would not describe this movie as original, but I will advocate for it being well done. This movie has impressed me so much that I felt compelled to look up the director as I did not recognize his name. His name is Mark Mylod, and he seems to have directed a few TV favourites of mine (Game of Thrones, Shameless, and Entourage), but this is his first film I’ve watched, and my only wish is that he makes more.

One example of how this was a well-made thriller was the comedic aspects. Typically in thriller comedies there are build-ups of tension, and then something funny will happen to shift the mood. Surprisingly, this film had a few moments of dark humour

that tickled me, but not once did these chuckles threaten the integrity of the suspense felt throughout the film. The balance between tension and comedy equated to a harmonic thriller/satire. Ultimately, the acting was the sauce that really brought the dish together.

Anya Taylor-Joy and Nicholas Hoult were the perfect choice to play the mysterious young couple, and John Leguizamo was clearly having fun playing the role of the diva movie star. In fact all the characters felt natural in their role; my personal favourite was Ralph Fiennes as the oh-so-serious culinary genius.

On all fronts I would have to say that this movie delivers. The script was clever and engaging, the cinematography was breathtakingly beautiful, the casting was on point, the acting felt natural and believable, the soundtrack was essential to the experience, and once more for good measure, the directing was masterful. From start to finish this was truly, for me, a movie well done, and perfectly seasoned.

MATTHEW IDDON

MARIE-ANGE ROUTIER

The Menu is beautifully seasoned with a hint of homicide

Photo credit: IMDB

Photo credit: Capitol Records

Note:

Some of these events require tickets, and most are online. If something catches your eye, take to the internet for more details, including those about social distancing measures for in-person events.

February

Organized Drop-In Cricket @ North Gym, 5:30 - 7:30 p.m

Organized Drop-In Badminton @ North Gym, 7:30 - 10:00 p.m.

Health and Dental Blackout Period @ UFV Online, All day

Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion 101 - A 3-Part Series

@ CEP Chilliwack Campus, Room A2428, 12:00 - 1:00 p.m

Webinar: Get to Know UFV @ Online, 3:30 - 4:00 p.m.

Drop-In Faculty Fridays @ Online & UFV Abbotsford, Room G104, 1:00 - 3:00 p.m.

Organized Drop-in Inclusive Movement @ 4:00 - 5:30 p.m.

Organized Drop-in Inclusive Basketball @ 5:30 - 7:00 p.m.

Organized Drop-in Futsal @ 7:00 - 9:00 p.m.

WBB at UBC @ Vancouver, 5:00 p.m.

WVB vs UBC Okanagan @ Abbotsford, 6:00 p.m.

MBB at UBC @ Vancouver, 7:00 p.m.

MVB vs UBC Okanagan @ Abbotsford, 8:00 p.m.

WBB at UBC @ Vancouver, 4:00 p.m.

WVB vs UBC Okanagan @ Abbotsford, 5:00 p.m.

MBB at UBC @ Vancouver, 6:00 p.m.

MVB vs UBC Okanagan @ Abbotsford, 7:00 p.m.

Organized Drop-in Basketball @ 5:30 - 7:00 p.m.

CEP U-Pass Distribution @ CEP Chilliwack Campus, 9:00 a.m - 4:00 p.m.

Workshop: Turning Conflict into Opportunity

@ UFV Abbotsford, Room B121, 9:00 a.m - 12:00 p.m.

Professional Learning Community: Culturally Responsive Pedagogy (2 of 8 session series) @ Online, 11:30 a.m - 12:30 p.m.

Graphic & Digital Design Portfolio and Info Night @ UFV Abbotsford, Room TBD, 6:30 - 8:30 p.m.

Organized Drop-in Volleyball @ 6:00 p.m - 7:30 p.m.

UFV Events Sports Community Event Campus Rec Culture

Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion 101 - A 3-Part Series

@ CEP Chilliwack Campus, Room A2428, 12:00 - 1:00 p.m.

Webinar: How to Apply to UFV @ Online, 3:30 - 4:00 p.m.

Organized Drop-In Cricket @ North Gym, 5:30 - 7:30 p.m.

Organized Drop-In Badminton @ North Gym, 7:30 - 10:00 p.m.

Immigration Workshop @ 10:00 a.m - 12:00 p.m.

CEP U-Pass Distribution @ CEP Chilliwack Campus, 9:00 am - 4:00 p.m.

Organized Drop-in Inclusive Movement @ 4:00 - 5:30 p.m.

Organized Drop-in Inclusive Basketball @ 5:30 - 7:00 p.m.

Organized Drop-in Futsal @ 7:00 - 9:00 p.m.

Drop-In Faculty Fridays @ Online & UFV Abbotsford, Room G104, 1:00 - 3:00 p.m.

MVB at Manitoba @ Winnipeg, 4:00 p.m.

WVB at Manitoba @ Winnipeg, 5:45 p.m.

WBB vs Saskatchewan @ Abbotsford, 6:00 p.m.

MBB vs Saskatchewan @ Abbotsford, 8:00 p.m.

MVB at Manitoba @ Winnipeg, 3:00 p.m.

WVB at Manitoba @ Winnipeg, 4:45 p.m.

WBB vs Saskatchewan @ Abbotsford, 5:00 p.m.

MBB vs Saskatchewan @ Abbotsford, 7:00 p.m.

Organized Drop-in Basketball @ 5:30 - 7:00 p.m.

Workshop: Advanced Word @ Online, 12:00 - 1:30 p.m.

Organized Drop-in Volleyball @ 6:00 p.m - 7:30 p.m.

View our website for more details on current, local events.