The Cascade Vol. 22 No. 15

Vol. 22 Issue 15

www.ufvcascade.ca

May 21, 2014 to June 3, 2014

Raiding farms for bodies since 1993

THE LAST DAYS OF THE ABBOTSFORD HEAT

P. 10-12

New water fountains coming to kill plastic p. 3

Pop militarism in Call of Duty & VICE marriage p. 6

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NEWS

News

Briefs Downtown Chilliwack turned movie set Apparently it’s about an alien monster truck that keeps on growing, and it’s happening right in downtown Chilliwack.

The film crew was filming May 15 to 17, blocking off streets in the Wellington area for highspeed car chases and a big jump. The filming schedule indicates more shots will be taken between May 26 and 28.

Businesses remain open and pedestrians are allowed, but are corralled into stores during shots. However, traffic has been redirected around the closed set.

Shelter-in-place drill Not your average fire drill.

On May 28 beginning at 8 a.m.

Abbotsford Police Department will be on campus for a lockdown-like emergency drill in G building (library). Pamphlets will be handed out to students assuring them the procedure is a simulation and there will be no real danger. Further details to come.

BCTF contract negotiations heat up Many of us have been students during the British Columbia Teachers’ Federation (BCTF) contract negotiations, at times resulting in strikes that gave us extra time off school. Again the negotiations are affecting students with the cancellation of recess in Abbotsford (page 3) in response to the teachers’ job action. Then on May 16 the Globe and Mail reported on a B.C. Liberal threat to cut wages by five per cent if the contract negotiations are not concluded by the end of the school year. On May 20 the BCTF announced rotating strikes once again throughout their 60 districts. The debate rages on as both sides seek to ensure their requests are sufficiently met.

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News

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Opinion

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Culture

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Arts

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Sports & Health

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WEDNESDAY, MAY 21, 2014 www.ufvcascade.ca

Green Jobs B.C. brings environmentalists and labour together

At a recent meeting in Chilliwack, the Green Jobs B.C. organization sought to open a dialogue between non-profit organization Sierra Club and the B.C. Government and Service Employees Union aimed at working toward greener jobs in the community.

Nap as the Romans do Do you feel tired in the afternoon? Maybe you should stop work or class and go home to sleep. That’s how they do it in Italy, and Brittney Hensman argues naps are a necessity in North America, too.

One man’s trash is another man’s trumpet A violin made from baking pans, forks, and tin scraps? That’s just one of the instruments the Recycled Orchestra played at an Abbotsford concert to raise funds for a community centre in Paraguay. Katherine Gibson has the story.

Warm Amps, Kin, and Oh Village fill up AfterMath

Three talented local bands attracted a crowd to UFV’s pub for a night of warm, earnest indie rock.

While walking in the woods one day...

If Zabumafu inadvertently leads you into bear and cougar territory, Katie Stobbart has some tips on how to defend yourself.

Spelunking with The Cascade KATIE STOBBART

THE CASCADE

A month before this first issue as Editor in Chief, I found myself in a cave that was more like a tunnel. I had to scale a slippery stone wall above a deep pool encircled by rocks alongside the Chilliwack River to get in. I also had to trust a friend not to let go of the rope, which was old and had frayed a little near the top. I’m not sure how I was so easily persuaded to leave my comfort zone to go spelunking, but it was certainly an adventure.

The passage was narrow, and at times I had a hard time finding purchase with my foot to push myself forward through the space. It was a bit strenuous, more than a little humbling, and totally unlike what I had expected (in the Image: Ferran Jordà / Flickr movies, aren’t caves always spacious and mouth-like, with “It involves trust and teamwork, some manoevring to find the way, and I hope I’ll emerge with a fresh stalactites and stalagmites perspective, a little different from when I went in.” protruding like stone teeth?).

I also laughed a lot that day, and leadership. It’s also a no headlamp, with no one this team of people who have often at myself. community: far from the cave holding the rope. It’s a feel- encouraged and had faith in Taking on this job feels a lit- analogy, the office is a bright ing sometimes I’d like to forme. Now, I get the opportunity tle like that. It involves trust and open space where there is get. But I keep it in the back of to pass it on. And, a little like and teamwork, some mano- dialogue, teamwork, laughter, my mind, because it’s a trailemerging from the narrow evring to find the way, and I and yes, we have occasionally marker. cave bruised and more than a hope I’ll emerge with a fresh broken into song. I remember When the thought first oc- little muddy, that is humbling. perspective, a little different a moment shortly after being curred to me that I could apBut I’m also not finished from when I went in. Also, if hired as copy editor last year, ply for this job, I was afraid. learning: I imagine the next you told me I would be here I was working quietly in the Many of the people I have gotyear will have its own bumps writing this a year ago, I office when a few fellow staff ten to know and who guided and bruises to contend with. would have been incredulous. suddenly began to sing “In the me toward where I am now There will also be laughter Editor in Chief? No way.

Jungle.” are leaving, moving on to new and light, and a wonderful But the student newspaper Looking back, I can clearly places and experiences. I still team of people to work and at any campus is a training see two major stages in my peek into the office window grow with. ground. Even if you don’t plan university experience. One before I come in, fully expectIt is possible to get through to pursue a career in journal- was before The Cascade, and ing Dessa Bayrock to be situniversity without a headism, there are many skills to one is after. Both stages in- ting at her — now my — desk. lamp — but having one makes be picked up here, includ- volved their own struggles, I think one of the biggest a world of difference. ing writing, editing, design, but in the former I felt like I catalysts for my growth over working with other people, was in the cave by myself with the past year or so has been

Volume 22 · Issue 15 Room C1027 33844 King Road Abbotsford, BC V2S 7M8 604.854.4529 Editor-in-chief katie@ufvcascade.ca Katie Stobbart Managing editor michael@ufvcascade.ca Michael Scoular Business manager joe@ufvcascade.ca Joe Johnson

News editor jess@ufvcascade.ca Jess Wind Opinion editor brittney@ufvcascade.ca Brittney Hensman Culture editor valerie@ufvcascade.ca Valerie Franklin Arts editor sasha@ufvcascade.ca Sasha Moedt Staff writer nadine@ufvcascade.ca Nadine Moedt

Online editor ashley@ufvcascade.ca Ashley Mussbacher

Staff writer breckles@ufvcascade.ca Taylor Breckles

Interim copy editor katie@ufvcascade.ca Katie Stobbart

News writer katherine@ufvcascade.ca Katherine Gibson

Production manager stewart@ufvcascade.ca Stewart Seymour Art director anthony@ufvcascade.ca Anthony Biondi Production assistant production@ufvcascade.ca Kaitlyn Gendemann Contributors Kodie Cherrille, Christopher DeMarcus, Jeremy Hannaford, Jeff Hughes, Megan Lambert, Melissa Ly, Emily Rybak, and Rachelle Strelezki Cover image Anthony Biondi

Printed By International Web exPress The Cascade is UFV’s autonomous student newspaper. It provides a forum for UFV students to have their journalism published. It also acts as an alternative press for the Fraser Valley. The Cascade is funded with UFV student funds. The Cascade is published every Wednesday with a circulation of 1500 and is distributed at UFV campuses and throughout Abbotsford, Chilliwack, and Mission. The Cascade is a member of the Canadian University Press, a national cooperative of 75 university and college newspapers from Victoria to St. John’s. The Cascade follows the CUP ethical policy concerning material of a prejudicial or oppressive nature.

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

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

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

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NEWS

WEDNESDAY, MAY 21, 2014 www.ufvcascade.ca

New refill stations to encourage more sustainable water use on campus KATHERINE GIBSON

THE CASCADE

Tired of buying bottled water to quench your thirst during class? Well, come the end of summer semester, there will be enough free water options that you will no longer have to.

By replacing all the existing fountains and water stations with new and improved bottle refills in each building, UFV hopes to encourage more sustainable water use on campus.

As facilities and campus development executive director Craig Toews explains, this project will be implemented in two different phases: adding this new technology to the main floors of each campus building, then further expanding in following years.

Two different models will be implemented depending on the location and services already provided. For instance, a combined bottle refill station and water fountain will replace existing fountains, whereas other locations will only have a refill station added.

By adding more of these stations, UFV hopes to make buying bottled water less desirable — helping students save money and adding to campus sustainability as a whole.

“We aren’t at the point of abolishing [bottled water],” Toews notes, “but we are at

Image: EZH2O

New bottle refill stations will allow students to skip the vending machines for bottled water. the point of offering so many alternatives to bottled water that we can eventually drive [bottled water] out.

“We want to make as much good-tasting water available to students for free,” he says,

“and we want it to be convenient.”

Rather than keep the current bottle refill stations where they currently reside in the cafeteria and library, these stations will also be removed as newer

models are added to the school — a decision based both on running cost and overall effectiveness. “[The current refill stations] are very bulky and they use a lot of electricity,” Toews

says. “So, again, from a sustainability point of view this wall-mounted refill station is a much better way to go in terms of overall service to students and cost of running it.”

The funding for this project will come from the university’s own budget, as well as funding allotted to the university for upgrading and improving the building. However, this outside funding hinges on official approval.

“There are about twelve units that we’d like to do [but] we haven’t received our ministry funding announcement yet,” Toews explains. “So, it’s a little bit funding-dependent, and how much physically we can get done in the summer.”

While the cost and sustainability of these water stations is a convincing selling point, Toews believes the impact of adding these stations will be far-reaching.

“This really plays into life on campus in a very simple way — but it’s very organic. I think it speaks to the university trying to be more sustainable but also it creates an environment on campus where students have more options and more services,” Toews concludes. “Having water is a fundamental need — it helps make life on campus more enjoyable.”

More than buzzwords: SUS executives explain goals for upcoming year TAYLOR BRECKLES

THE CASCADE

The end of the Winter 2014 semester provided more than a seasonal change with the introduction of a new Student Union Society (SUS) president, vice president external, and vice president internal. A new board structure has also been introduced, which means that among the new SUS team there will be changes: new ideas, and new goals.

VP internal Thomas Davies is looking to streamline the relationship with clubs and associations.

“This year is the time that we can ... improve the efficiency and improve the ability of clubs and associations to operate,” Davies says. “We have the bare bones, we have a very good structure, and now we just need to really push out the structure.”

A handbook is one of the new instruments designed to help students understand how to start a club, how to hold events, what paperwork needs to be filled, as well as several other tips to help clubs get going more easily.

In addition to a more refined guide for clubs, there are some ideas being considered regarding another reading break.

“University of Alberta students recently got a fall reading break,” VP external Dylan Thiessen says, “[which is] something the advocacy committee was looking into.”

As well, Thiessen hopes to continue with the political speaker series that was started last semester that brought in Stéphane Dion. He notes David Suzuki, among other local political figures, is in the realm of possibility.

President Ryan Petersen opens up regarding his plans for SUS and his motivation to run for the role.

“I had no desires to be president,” he explains. “[However] one of the things I see happen … is you get these amazing boards, amazing groups of people who come in and just do wonderful things, but then they all graduate or they all leave and then this organization just crumbles … and I didn’t want that to happen.”

Petersen also says he lacked any “grand ideas” when he decided to run for president, instead finding his inspiration and drive in the ideas of others.

“I want to see the society flourish and I want to make sure the changes we make actually make sense for the organization, [allowing us to]

Image: UFV/ flickr

Bakerhouse residents are high on Petersen’s list of campus groups he wants to focus on. improve on any little hiccups and anything that was overlooked,” he says. “I’m just trying to make sure that all of these amazing ideas [from past SUS members] don’t suddenly get lost or forgotten.”

Baker House, however, is one area Petersen would like to focus on.

“I really want to bring Baker House more into [the universi-

ty]. They’re our only residents, the only members that are on campus 24/7, so I definitely want to make sure that we’re reaching out to them in some way,” he says.

One idea he suggests involves AfterMath. Peterson suggests the possiblity of opening it up for World Cup soccer games this summer, noting there are still a few people living at Bak-

er House.

“I want to foster and create an environment where people are happy, people are safe, and people are able to chase after their dreams and their goals,” Petersen concludes.

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NEWS

WEDNESDAY, MAY 21, 2014 www.ufvcascade.ca

Science on Purpose

Climate change makes turtles all-girl JESS WIND

THE CASCADE

With the rising temperatures on our planet, sea turtles could be facing a male deficiency.

Turtle sex is determined by the temperature of the sand in which the female lays her eggs, unlike in humans where chromosomes make the sex distinction. The balanced temperature for a 50:50 sex ratio in turtles is 29°C — anything over that tips the scale in the female direction.

“The logic is that warming temperatures will lead to more female hatchlings being produced,” Graeme Hays told the Guardian.

Hays is the lead author of a paper published on May 18 in Nature Climate Change that looks at the rising temperatures of turtle rookeries in the Cape Verde Islands.

“We combined in situ sand temperature measurements with air temperature records since 1850 and predicted warming scenarios from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change to derive 250year time series of incubation temperatures, hatchling sex ratios, and operational sex ratios for one of the largest sea turtles rookeries globally,” Hays explained in the paper.

Researchers discovered that 70.1 per cent of turtles born in

Image: Anthony Biondi

A warming planet leads to an influx of female sea turtles in the Cape Verde Islands. lighter-sand beaches were female, and darker beaches had risen to 93.5 per cent.

“Over the next 20 to 30 years, it’s not going to create problems,” Hays told the Guardian.

“In fact there’s going to be a benefit to the turtles, because there’s going to be more females produced, which means more females laying eggs. More females will lead to a popula-

tion expansion.”

This is good news for turtle reproduction in the short term — more lady turtles to make more baby turtles. However, Hays and his team project that

future generations of turtles may have trouble reproducing.

“Ultimately, if you extrapolate long enough into the future … once you get 100 years or more into the future, then things start to look serious.

You have so few males left that it’s likely to be a problem.

There will be heaps of female but not enough males to fertilise all those eggs,” he said.

Beyond 33°C embryos do not survive; as temperatures continue to rise, the fate of turtles and other temperaturedependant animals, like many species of lizard, could be in danger.

“It will be end of story without human intervention,” Hays told the Sydney Morning Herald before going on to add that since these turtles have survived for millions of years, perhaps they will learn to adjust yet again.

Possible natural solutions could include the turtles laying eggs at cooler times of the year, or moving to cooler regions, but for now Hays’ study could help steer conservation efforts to protect lighter coloured beaches from further development.

“If you have to build a hotel, build it behind the darkcoloured beach,” he said.

SD34 cancels recess in response to BCTF job action TAILOR BRECKLES

THE CASCADE

As kids, the six hours spent in school every day probably felt like an eternity. That is, until we were given a reprieve every few hours to get up, move around, and have a snack, but such is no longer the case for kids in Abbotsford schools.

Recess has been eliminated from the School District 34 timetable as part of the current contract debates with the B.C. Teachers’ Federation (BCTF).

“The Abbotsford School District has announced that recess at elementary and middle schools is cancelled as of Monday, May 12th and until the B.C. Teachers’ Federation job action is over,” the Abbotsford School District states on its website.

The job action movement has been ongoing for nearly a year after teachers’ contracts expired, yet negotiations are still underway. Teachers are requesting wage increases, a return to 2001 class sizes and composition rules, and more specialty teachers such as counsellors and librarians. The B.C. Public School Employers’ Association, however, is unwilling to meet all the requests.

Students have had a couple weeks to adjust to the timetable change, and Abbotsford School of Integrated Arts (ASIA) teacher Kristina Schmidt says she has certainly noticed a difference.

“I think that it’s affected the students the most because they’re used to that break, they’re used to running outside and grabbing some fresh

Image: WSilver/ flickr

Abbotsford school district has removed recess from its daily routine until the B.C. teachers’ contract negotiations are settled. air or going to the bathroom ...

They’re the ones that are really stressing about [the cancellation],” she says. “I just kind of plough through with my lesson, do my thing, and listen to them complain.”

Even though there is no longer a scheduled break, teachers may allow students to eat, drink, or move around, explains ASIA principal Marlene Funk. “[Class breaks] up to the teacher’s discretion … it’s up to the teacher’s professional judgement,” she says.

In Schmidt’s class, students are allowed to have a drink, eat, or use the bathroom during the former recess — or nutrition break — to re-energize themselves.

Although the lack of a break is a change for students, both Schmidt and Funk agree the

students are adjusting.

“It’s somewhat business as usual in terms of care for kids,” Funk says, explaining the school day starts 15 minutes later and lunch is not affected.

“It’s a decision that the district made in service of the kids to provide supervision for the

kids in a safe environment.”

While this decision has been integrating smoothly with the middle school system, Schmidt says elementary schools may have a more difficult time adapting.

“I think that the littler guys are going to have a harder time

with [the change]; they need more movement,” Schmidt says. “I’m really glad to be a middle school teacher right now.”

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WEDNESDAY, MAY 21, 2014 www.ufvcascade.ca

Green Jobs B.C. looks to stimulate local economies and protect the environment KATHERINE GIBSON

THE CASCADE

For new UFV graduates, landing a coveted job position is an uncertain prospect in B.C.’s current economy — a fact Green Jobs B.C. hopes to change.

On May 13 a group of 30 people came together in Chilliwack’s Stó:lō Resource Centre to discuss the prospect of creating local jobs that are beneficial for both the economy and the environment.

The night was aimed at building a constructive dialogue between those working for Green Jobs B.C. and local individuals who understand the community in which they live. Representatives from the Sierra Club, a non-profit environmental organization, and the B.C. Government and Service Employees’ Union (BCGEU) were present during the event, adding their insight and expertise to the conversation.

Both the Sierra Club and BCGEU sit on the steering committee for Green Jobs B.C., giving this organization a unique perspective in approaching the creation of eco-friendly jobs.

“There can be no long-term environmental sustainability unless we also support workers, communities, and livelihoods — and vice versa,” explains Sierra Club campaign director Caitlyn Vernon. “There can be

no long-term economy or jobs if we don’t have a healthy ecosystem to operate within.”

BCGEU president and cochair of Green Jobs B.C. Darryl Walker also sees value in combining these two perspectives,

“There are green jobs all around us, but we have to recognize them for what they are and then we have to start selling them as important.” noting that in the past the relationship between the environmental and labour communities has been less amicable.

“There was a time when environmentalists and labour fought each other,” says Walker. “We’ve always had a bit of a relationship, although a somewhat negative one. It’s like two fighting neighbours or brothers; if you can bring it together, you already have the relationship, you know each other — you can do more.”

Vernon also notes that building a sustainable economy is an important discussion for local communities to have in the face of issues like global warming.

“Climate change is not abstract: climate change is game on. The science is very clear that we need to transition to a green, low-carbon economy,”

says Vernon. “[We need to come] together to talk about how are we going to transition to a green economy: what sorts of jobs can we support that help us shift away from our dependency on fossil fuels, and how [can] we support workers through that process.”

While the coalition between environmental and labour concerns strengthens the effectiveness of Green Jobs B.C., the choice to engage local individuals in the process also gives this initiative power.

“Creating the space to talk to each other is important and doing it in communities, not just doing it in conference centres in Vancouver, is important [too],” Vernon continues. “Trying to facilitate dialogue at the community level … is important and exciting.”

Walker also shares this sentiment, further asserting the importance of meeting people in the places that define who they are and the way they live.

“The best way to get in touch with people and get their involvement is to go to their communities. That’s where most people get their sense of who they are,” Walker concludes.

“People want to be engaged …

We don’t have to reinvent everything. There are green jobs all around us, but we have to recognize them for what they are and then we have to start selling them as important.”

Image: Province of British Columbia / Flickr

Green Jobs are everywhere, we just need to know where to look.

RCMP Senior Research Chair promotes undergraduate involvement in advanced research JEFF HUGHES

CONTRIBUTOR

Criminology students need not look far for some of the most current and relevant research in the field. Right at home at UFV, Irwin Cohen is holder of the RCMP research chair, a position and grant developed to link universities with police forces.

“The RCMP research chairs, of which one is here, is designed to link universities and police,” Cohen says. “[To] help police with whatever their research needs, initiatives, or evaluations are … It’s also for municipal police forces, so the APD in Abbotsford or Vancouver Police.”

The findings from research conducted by the chair and those associated with the program can be applied by police forces and communities to help police departments become more efficient at their jobs. In the nine years since the program began there have been close to 100 widely ranging projects for the RCMP or municipal forces.

“Everything from public safety surveys, where we’re just trying to get information for cities or for the police … which leads to changes in terms of outreach or priorities,” Cohen says, “all the way to full evaluations and assessments

Image: UFV.ca

Irwin Cohen is one of only three RCMP Research Chair holders in Canada. of police departments, which has led to significant change in terms of staffing … practices, procedures, everything.”

Because the research chair is directly involved with and conducts projects at the direct request of the police, he has access to information that is not usually made available.

“Projects have really run the

gambit ... things you would traditionally not think that academics would get access to,” Cohen notes. “Things like police use of force or complaints against the police, all the way to on a typical shift how much or what are police eating and how to be more healthy on the job.”

Having this chair at UFV has

benefitted the university and students.

“All of the work we do involves students,” Cohen says.

“Our first, second, third, and fourth-year students are getting exposed to the kind of work and experience that usually only MA and PhD students at other institutions would get … they get to work on these re-

ally interesting, dynamic projects.”

Cohen has been in the position since September, and is only the second researcher to hold the title. It was previously held by Darryl Plecas, who was a key developer in the uniquely B.C. positions, two of which also exist at SFU. “He worked very closely with SFU, the province, and the RCMP to establish the framework and the principles of the chair,” Cohen says.

Cohen was no stranger to the program when he took the position, having already worked closely with Plecas and others involved with the program at UFV’s Centre for Public Safety and Criminal Justice Research where he was lead research associate. Plecas retired from his position at UFV upon being elected as MLA for Abbotsford South, which allowed Cohen the opportunity to step in to finish the term as chair holder.

“Much of the work that we do ends up in the media, or results in presentations or publications that bring attention to the school or to the university,” he concludes. “It’s done a really good job of bringing the name of UFV and the school of criminology much more in the public eye.”

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OPINION

OPINION

WEDNESDAY, MAY 21, 2014 www.ufvcascade.ca

Claps for naps BRITTNEY HENSMAN

THE CASCADE

Ever wonder why you experience a wave of exhaustion as you enter into the early afternoon? Some call it the afternoon lull. Others may say, “it’s siesta time, baby!”

According the National Sleep Foundation, humans are part of a small minority who have adapted into a category they call monophasic sleepers. This means we allot one segment of our day to being awake, and the other segment of our day — or rather night — to sleep. However, researchers are uncertain if this is indeed the natural sleep cycle of humans. Are we going against the grain of our natural sleep inclinations by forcing ourselves to stay awake during the afternoon? This is, in fact, quite possible. If so, our North American lifestyles do not conform well to the rhythms of the human sleep cycle.

We typically work in eight- to 12hour shifts: some from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., others from 7:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. (God bless those nurses!), but neither of those time frames welcomes a siesta. I can guarantee your employers would have a hard time paying you to sleep for an hour or two. But are businesses really getting the best bang for their buck when their employees’ work quality decreases due to mental and physical fatigue?

Perhaps we could learn some-

Image: Alessandro Prada/ flickr

“Don’t know what the country’s comin’ to, but in Rome do as the Romans do...” Dean Martin thing from Mediterranean and Latin American countries. In Italy, museums, shops, churches, and most businesses close down anywhere between the hours of 1:30 and 4:00 p.m. for what they call riposo, which is essentially a siesta.

While tourists find this challenging to plan their day around, locals have been trained to take that time for an extended lunch or even to go home and rest before putting their hand “back to the plough.” They have picked up on the fact that their bodies are telling them they need a break, and I mean a good break, one that facilitates a decent nap — not a 15-minute Starbucks run.

Napping, unfortunately, has a bad reputation. It is associated with laziness, infancy, being an “old fart,” or is not considered

essential because our weather is cooler that those other countries.

We are just a “busier” culture. But busy-ness cripples our work ethic in the long run. We fail to realize humans need rest in order to function properly and healthy.

Napping studies have shown that a 20- to 30-minute power nap can improve short-term alertness, elevate mood, and enhance concentration. During these short naps, your circadian cycle only reaches stage two, which produces light brain waves called sleep spindle waves: you are lightly relaxed and your body is entering the beginning stages of rest. Waking after this short time offers adequate rest for your body but avoids that groggy feeling many people experience after reaching and then waking from a deeper and longer slumber

(stage four sleep). However, if time is on your side and sleep the night before was not, a 90- to 120-minute nap can help you catch up on your missed sleep. Additionally, napping within this longer time frame actually takes your body fully through the entire circadian cycle in which all four sleep stages plus REM are reached. Napping can be effective providing you time it properly.

Some are morning people and others night owls — this is not something that comes with age or youthfulness, it is merely part of our diversity as humans. Some people find themselves needing to hit the hay at 9 or 10 p.m., but wake early. If you fall into this category, you will most likely notice your nap radar kick in around 1:00 p.m. For those of you who get your

surge of creative ingenuity at 12:00 a.m., and consider 9:00 a.m. an ungodly hour, you will notice your nap radar kick in later — toward 2:30 or 3:00 p.m.

Naps are necessary, and really should be factored into our day the same way we do our lunch break, or naptime at pre-school — did we not learn there was a reason we were forced to sleep on blue plastic-covered mats for an hour after lunch at age five? We need that nap whether we are five or 40. I wonder how many accidents would be prevented, or how productivity would increase in our job markets, if we learned from the Romans and implemented an afternoon riposo?

I think I’ll take the afternoon and sleep on that notion.

Call of Duty: it’s not the voice of the town crier CHRISTOPHER DEMARCUS

CONTRIBUTOR

When we think about the role of our banks, the speed of our internet connections, the government’s data mining, or how our food is grown, we can’t help but wonder: do corporations rule the world?

Corporations might own the market. But governments still have the monopoly on violence, the power to wage war. Maybe it’s time to lease that job out to businesses, too.

That’s what’s happening with the rise of private military companies (PMCs). The third largest corporation in the world is British military security company G4s, loyal to the highest bidder.

Now is the time to invest in war.

Yet in our nightly news or daily social media feeds, almost no one is talking about how the business of war is being contracted out to corporations. Vice Media — the same group that brought us the MTV series The Vice Guide to Everything and the HBO series Vice — is set to release Superpower for Hire, a documentary about the impact of PMCs. Using Vice’s typical DIY-cowboy-safari style, their film crew jumps into the trenches with private military contractors and corporate soldiers of fortune.

This time Vice has teamed up with an unusual sponsor for the film: the video game franchise Call of Duty. Both are working to promote each other for the release of Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare.

The documentary and game are focused on telling the story of a world where flags are replaced by

Image: Campus Party Mexico/ flickr

“The third largest corporation in the world is British military security company G4s, loyal to the highest bidder.” corporate logos. This rare match of real-world journalism and video game fantasy has left reporters, gamers, and citizens wondering if the documentary is actual journalism, or just bombastic advertising.

After a quick viewing of the documentary’s trailer it becomes evident the film is about the real world of PMCs — despite the video streaming from the game publisher’s official YouTube channel with the Call of Duty logo watermarked in the top right-hand corner.

The decline of readership in news media and the rise of mul-

timedia engagement may spawn a future where journalists rely on piggybacking themselves to the video game spectacle.

It doesn’t seem like much of the Call of Duty fan base is concerned about the moral impact of PMCs on the world stage. Most fans of the games are more interested in simulation of the problem rather than the reality. Why should they care? Video games don’t motivate their players to question methods of military and economic power.

The job of a good video game is to dazzle more people into playing it. Video games are, first and fore-

most, commodities.

Of course, after the sales are in, games are more than products.

Players can learn more about globalization and international politics by playing simulations based on social realities. You can use gamification to make almost anything fun to learn.

The problem is getting gamers to care about what’s happening outside the simulation — sexism in the geek community is another issue that struggles with getting gamers to consider real-world politics.

The error here is not journal-

ism’s transition from print to interactive media. The problem is the shift from analysis to enjoyment.

The partnership between Vice and Call of Duty marks a new space in what we do with information gathering.

News is supposed to give us the knowledge we need to make decisions in our democracy, to make good choices about what our government does for us and others.

In this new generation of product brand over substance, news has become more of a product than ever before.

That is not to say news wasn’t always a type of product. Journalists and editors have always worked to create an information source for customers — but that’s not the whole story. Journalism has a priority over the demands of the market. Its mandate must remain: question all sources of power. It must continue to provide information over simulation.

Sure, some Call of Duty fans will pick up on Vice’s documentary. And let’s hope the film, like some of Vice’s previous work, is more than a bull ride through basic training at Walmart. But most of my fellow geeks will ignore the real world impact of PMCs. For them, the game is what matters.

We don’t need to blur the lines between entertainment and news to sell journalism. But we do need to start giving a crap about the news, or infotainment is all we will have left. Perhaps not such a bad future for those who want to live in a dictatorship instead of a democracy.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 21, 2014 www.ufvcascade.ca

OPINION

What would you think if WWIII broke out during your lifetime?

Feel like sharing your short-andsweet opinion? Keep an eye out for our whiteboard-toting pollsters roaming the halls.

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CROSSWORD

*Hits play + shuffle in iTunes*

WEDNESDAY, MAY 21, 2014

SUDOKU PUZZLE 4 2

by MICHAEL SCOULAR

3 5 2 1

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6 5 9 1 4 3 9 8 6

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www.ufvcascade.ca

2 4 1

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ACROSS Tindersticks — My ________ (8) Clint Mansell — ______ It (6) ________ — Blue Skied An’ Clear (8) Orange Juice — ________ Melody (8) ____ Stott — Leaving (4) Elite __________ — Intro (10) Stephen Malkmus — ______ the Saints (6)

Answer keys Last week’s crossword ACROSS

DOWN 2 ROOIBOS 3 MATCHA 5 ORANGEPEKOE 6 PUERH 10 CHAI

The Weekly Horoscope

4 8 3 7 6 5 2 9 1 2 9 5 1 8 4 3 6 7 1 6 7 3 2 9 8 4 5

Françoise Hardy — ____ ____ ____ (4) __________ — The Page (10) Metric — I Don’t Want to ____ Up (4) Carly Rae ______ — Sweetie (6) Phoenix — Love Like A _______ Part 1 (6)

9 2 4 6 5 7 1 8 3 3 1 8 9 4 2 5 7 6 7 5 6 8 3 1 9 2 4

1 EARLGREY 4 OOLONG 7 CEYLON 8 GENMAICHA 9 PEPPERMINT 10 CHAMOMILE

DOWN 2.

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Sudoku solution 6 4 1 5 9 8 7 3 2 5 3 9 2 7 6 4 1 8 8 7 2 4 1 3 6 5 9

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Star Signs from Sybil la Clair

Libra: Sept 23 - Oct 22: Skating rinks are lucky for you this week. (Actually, I take it back. Skating rinks are never lucky for anyone.)

Aquarius: Jan 20 - Feb 18: Your spirit animal is an IKEA dining room chair.

Gemini: May 21 - June 21: Walk without rhythm and you will not attract the worm.

Pisces: Feb 19 - March 20: For spiritual answers, look to your alphabet soup.

Cancer: June 22 - July 22: Your partner’s hay fever will come between you in the grossest possible way.

Aries: March 21 - April 19: Walls, roofs, and doors are unlucky for you this week.

Camping is probably your best bet.

Leo: July 23 - Aug 22: Secret messages are hidden in your junk mail. Don’t throw it away or you’ll never get all the pieces of the puzzle!

Sagittarius: Nov 22 - Dec 21: A misspelling of your name on an official document has caused a bureaucratic disaster in the government. Hire a good lwyer.

Virgo: Aug 23 -Sept22: Gremlins are stealing your cutlery. It’s not your imagination.

Capricorn: Dec 22 - Jan 19: Things are looking up! That job interview? In the bag!

That car? No more trouble!

CNN? Wiped off the face of the Earth!

Taurus: April 20 - May 20: The alignment of your stars this week means ... absolutely nothing. Go about business as usual.

Scorpio: Oct 23 - Nov 21: This week, you will lose your sense of direction completely.

Probably better to stay home in bed, if you can find it.

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CULTURE

WEDNESDAY, MAY 21, 2014 www.ufvcascade.ca

Recycled Orchestra hits all the right notes KATHERINE GIBSON THE CASCADE

It’s Mother ’s Day, and while most of you are enjoying the warm sun and brunching with family, 800 people have packed themselves like sardines into Abbotsford’s Central Heights Church.

Everyone is waiting eagerly for 17 young people who have come from Cateura, a slum in Paraguay, to play instruments handmade from garbage. Abbotsford is the last stop for the Recycled Orchestra’s 50-city Canadian tour, and people are excited.

The Abbotsford Youth Orchestra takes the stage, opening the concert. After two short pieces, Global Family Foundation representative Mike Duerksen briefly explains that the funds raised from this tour will go to build a community centre in Cateura, allowing children the opportunity to get a “Christ-centred” education while also aiding the local community.

Finally, the Recycled Orchestra is formally introduced. The young band enters the sanctuary to a standing ovation and cheers.

The orchestra is all smiles and dressed in simple blue tops and black pants, but it is the bright and misshapen instruments in their hands that catch my eye.

Violins made from pieces of tin, baking pans, and forks. A cello built from an oil barrel and a wooden spoon. A guitar imagined from sweets containers. As each instrument is described, I squint to catch a closer glimpse.

I am fascinated to see these precious instruments built from the pieces of life people throw away.

The orchestra’s depth of musical knowledge is revealed as the audience is treated to songs ranging from John Lennon’s “Imagine” and The Pink Panther theme song to classical ballads. One of the highlights

Image: Katherine Gibson

The Recycled Orchestra not only sounded good, but did good too — their concert tour has raised funds for children’s education in Paraguay. of the evening comes when an orchestra member plays a duet on her saxophone — made from a construction pipe, knives, and

coins — with a pianist from the Abbotsford Youth Orchestra.

Though the two could not speak each other ’s language, they were

able to find common ground in their music. In fact, the power of music is the driving force behind the orchestra’s conception,

allowing children the opportunity to overcome the poverty, abuse, and lack of opportunity that comes with a life lived in a landfill.

Each note of the Recycled Orchestra stands in direct contrast to the Abbotsford Youth Orchestra who took the stage before, but the two do not have to compete.

The tinny resonance of the high notes and the at times off-tune melodies do not detract from the overall experience; every song is unique and full of colour.

People begin to slip out of the crowded sanctuary as the novelty fades away and young children grow more restless — but I stay entranced until the very end. The concert closes with an infusion of warm Paraguayan culture as the orchestra plays several South American pieces.

Their liveliness permeates the audience, enticing several people from their seats to dance in the aisles and at the front of the sanctuary.

After the event, Duerksen notes that “talent is evenly distributed, but opportunity isn’t,” and the truth of these words hits me hard after my afternoon spent listening to the Recycled Orchestra.

These teens are talented, and their trip to Canada represents a chance for them to share their gifts in order to help their families and community back home.

“For the orchestra it’s been a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

They have travelled before, but this is the first time they’ve travelled where they’re bringing something back for their community,” Duerksen concludes.

“They’re fundraising to build a community education centre.

So, they’re not only benefitting the orchestra but [they’re] benefitting all of the families in that community.”

Below the Belt

Sex with a side of intimacy ADVICE MALLARD SEXPERT

Media, culture, personality, and biology all play a role in our sexual experiences, but none more so than intimacy: a gratifying emotional bond between two people. It is the ultimate goal of any sexual or non-sexual relationship to achieve an intense connection between you and another person. A nexus, if you will.

The quest for intimacy is highly overlooked. It may be seen as too much hassle because it is something a person must work toward if they want to receive or reciprocate it. Having no-strings-attached sex is a lot easier. However, the media does not represent our fundamental need for interpersonal intimacy as much it does so bluntly with purely physical encounters. We connect in private and personal connections, not simply in physical pleasure.

I understand why the intensity of a one-night stand may be appealing, or even preferred.

Image: VitorAntunes/Flickr

A relationship with real intimacy isn’t something you get overnight.

There are zero obligations, putting the fear-of-commitmentbut-not-hormones folks at ease, if only temporarily. Once sweat and self-esteem have both dried up, a one-night stand turns into nothing more than two people eager to find out who will be which spoon.

Only during the infamous “walk of shame” the next morning will you realize that you have left without what you were

actually looking for. Rather than being at ease and content, a person is more distraught than before. One too many drinks, poor judgement, or quick decisions have now left them with the emotional stability of a blimp.

This behaviour is not healthy in the long run, nor is it for the faint of heart. An extensive list of one-timers is only going to cut your self-esteem short, causing frustrations to fly, never fully

understanding why you never go away completely satisfied — not to mention the days of selfinterrogation questioning your morals.

Perhaps it is obvious that people want intimacy in a romantic relationship. Wanting to be heated by a lover ’s body and not just blankets is common. A onenight stand is a quick fix, not an equivalent alternative. Those with experience should know it only leaves you wanting more.

Hazardous hip-thrusting will not cater to the hunger of your psyche the same way the calm serenity of another person’s chest raising and lowering itself with each breath will.

Sex in a relationship is the most intimate thing couples can do. Hitting a home run with a significant other is the physical representation of the bond that is shared. However, we all know truly healthy relationships do not revolve around sex. They come with perks: the feeling of getting to wake up next to that certain someone, being in the same room and not having to say

anything, or making dinner for two. Not for sex on command, a sandwich-maker, or a new emergency contact. The acts of sheer intimacy highlight any relationship, rather than simple physical contact.

Sex with intimacy is as good as it gets. It is trusting somebody with your deepest physical secrets (no pun intended). It is letting someone who was once a stranger see you in your most vulnerable state.

If we are to save ourselves from living lives without intimacy, honesty with ourselves holds the utmost importance.

Recognize what it is you desire the most for yourself and understand that someone else wants the exact same thing.

Be sure not to cut yourself short; having things in common with a person is not to be confused with achieving intimacy.

It is a two-way causal link. This near-phenomenon cannot be rushed — after all, it is best not to rush something you want to last forever.

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WEDNESDAY, MAY 21, 2014 www.ufvcascade.ca

Never ever getting back together As the Heat fade out, Abbotsford’s tangle of spectacle and political ambition waits for a future

by Michael Scoular “They will be here on a Wednesday or Saturday and it’s going to be loud and it’s going to be fun and we are going to be wondering what we were doing this time last year. This place is going to be accepted by the community and welcomed by the community and they are going to love it.”

— Trey Bell, AESC general manager, to the Abbotsford News, 2007 By the time the Abbotsford Heat played their last-ever home game, two days short of their fifth anniversary, most in attendance were clothed in red. Year one had seen skeptics, dedicated boosters, and indifferent timewasters alike arrive in a mix of colours that betrayed no attitude toward the team pledging to be taken seriously — save the Canucks sweaters that led many sports journalists to write of Abbotsford as long-purchased territory.

Five years later, the green stadium seats ringing the ice surface were dotted with home red, though some of it belonged to the visiting Grand Rapids Griffins: relatives to the Red Wings, defending league champions, and victors of an exhausting double-overtime game the night before. That loss put a strain on things: with the home and away count of the playoffs’ best-of-five first round weighted 2-3, spectators knew this could be the end of the Heat. More dispiritingly, they also knew they were the few who cared in the way only fans do: with an insatiable desire for second chances.

Low attendance, often the subject of controversy and analysis, was part of the reason the Heat came to an end after five years of record-skipping financial reports. Though the Abbotsford Entertainment and Sports Centre (AESC) could hold over 7,000, the statistics always came back closer to 2,000, unless some combination of NHL prospects (Vancouver, Edmonton, and Toronto fared best) and a free weekend pushed that number near, but rarely exactly, to capacity.

But the reality of attendance in the sporting world is that only the tickets no longer in the box office’s possession are counted — one only had to glimpse the scattered audience toward the end of the Canucks’ disappointing season to find at-capacity numbers needing an asterisk. A headcount on an average night — and this was an average night, not a grand, barn-storming, “save our team!” kind of end — is easy from any vantage point in the AESC, and an accurate count of those enjoying clear sightlines on April 26 was in the 750 range,

a fraction that might give pause to the otherwise uncontested position of ice hockey as Canada’s game, not the domain of sensational esoterica.

the work of being present, able to react to what unfolds in every moment.

The Heat contended with that cycle all year: their unique place

“A headcount on an average night — and this was an average night, not a grand, barn-storming, “save our team!” kind of end — is easy from any vantage point in the AESC, and an accurate count of those enjoying clear sightlines on April 26 was in the 750 range.”

Sylvester Stallone boomed out to end the pre-game wait.

His speech from Rocky Balboa, superimposed over images of Heat players gritting it out, lifting weights, and colliding with each other in fierce hugs, rallied fans to believe that “It ain’t about how hard you hit, it’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. That’s. How. Winning. Is. Done!”

The inspirational effect the video had on the crowd had more to do with the footage at the beginning: solemn language from the Heat termination press conference met with isolated boos.

But the brief Hollywood intrusion was out of place for another reason as well: the news of a limited lifespan was the first sure thing to build an identity around since news broke that the Heat was a hockey team, located in Abbotsford, and belonged to the Calgary Flames.

Everything since has pointed to a lack: of fans; of naming rights for the arena and demand for logos and signs above its scoreboard, sideboards, and concession items; of public involvement in the contractual beginnings of the team; and of conceivable ways that hockey in Abbotsford could have gone worse.

To the players waiting in the locker room and concrete hallways below, none of this had any bearing. Listen to any sampling of playoff-time player interviews, and you’ll get an echo of Brett Olsen, minutes after his team’s marathon loss: “shortterm memory — it’s just gone.”

Municipal politics, who’s watching from the stands, and the unforgiveable mistakes or uncommon highs of the previous game stand little chance of reaching their full, haunting powers when players commit to the cycles of routine — like actors, throwing themselves into

in the AHL universe, a northwest corner far from the bus-friendly East Coast, meant a schedule of quick home doubleheaders and long roadtrips to minimize the travel subsidies the Heat committed to when they entered the league. Between the overtime heartbreaker the Griffins scored just past 11 p.m. and the next night’s puck drop at 7 p.m., there was the panicky realization familiar to a student watching a deadline’s merciless approach: not enough time. Every minute Olsen spent talking to journalists was one he could be spending sleeping, forgetting.

Not everybody crossed over from Friday to Saturday in decent shape. Corban night, a topsix forward with seven shots in the series opener, was not deemed ready to play: the first omen of many.

On the first play of the game, Heat goaltender Joni Ortio lost his stick as an attacker approached and stretched far beyond his crease, awkwardly trapping the puck under his body in a shape like a question mark.

Every player was fatigued, but the Griffins, at least, had been here before. Goaltender Petr Mrazek backstopped each of the team’s 16 playoff wins in 2013 (only five of them by one goal); rather than raid the farm team to shore up an injured forward group, Detroit had decided to leave the Grand Rapids core together, ready to go on another run through multiple rounds.

Though third- and fourth-line excellence figures into any conversation on how a team survives the lengthy, bruised circuit of hockey playoffs, for most on hand the persistent vision was of the Griffins’ group of five running the powerplay: overtime hero Ryan Sproul and Nathan Paetsch at the points, and slick nightmares Teemu Pulkkinen, Andrej Nestrasil, and Andreas

“The unpainted, pill-shaped building, still clean and showing few signs Athanasiou steadily advancing on the Heat net.

Special teams or penalty trouble are ready explanations for how things go sideways in a hockey game, but even before the infractions that gave the Griffins 10 two-minute advantages, the game’s flow presented an imbalance of power. Grand Rapids moved the puck with short passes and excellent zone entry, attempting any number of drives to the net, passing plays, or endurance runs of offensive pressure as they pleased, while the Heat waited for the odd puck to dump in, battle for, and hopefully shoot or skip toward the net.

For a while, the percentages didn’t matter. A missed check let Emile Poirier score first, to the home crowd’s delight, and a deflection past Mrazek by Max Reinhart erased the minor depression when the Griffins quickly tied the score. Both celebration and edgy waiting were normal, not urgent.

The Heat’s fanbase could be categorized into Calgary transplants; those with the fervent belief good hockey transcends poor politics or local loyalty; and, perhaps most importantly, children for whom trips to the game were formative experiences.

In the first days after the news of the Heat’s imminent departure, letters from parents describing what they’d be losing were convincing evidence there was something noble in the imprint left by the team, buried under the folly and financial waste.

For this last group, who held up the few signs in the rink (hand-printed slogans pledging goodwill to players and undying allegiance to the team), clearly feeling with greater intensity the weight of a loss and a team taken away, the normalcy of the game must have been unsettling.

From the loud, echo-prone speakers in the arena, the same novelty tunes rolled out during

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FEATURE CULTURE

WEDNESDAY, MAY 21, 2014 www.ufvcascade.ca

Illustration by Anthony Biondi

of wear, has yet to prove persuasive to highway commuters passing under the glow of a Pattison sign or to those living within city limits.” play stoppages as the first night the gates opened to spectators: a bad “Ring of Fire” cover, “TNT,” and almost any song within spitting distance of the words “fever” or “flame,” though stopping short of “The Theme from Cat People.”

Heat president Ryan Walter had routinely said all that was needed to make the Heat a success was to show people the inside of the rink once. In the summer of 2013 he was still saying it was possible, though an NHL lockout and a Canucks-affiliateonly ticket pack hadn’t done it yet. Increasingly desperate events were organized: Legends of Hockey visits brought in exNHLers, some with only tenuous connection to Abbotsford, Calgary, or the Heat, while with every goal siren on “Pucks ‘n’ Paws” night came disaster.

On this last night, Walter walked past the arena’s suites, shaking hands and telling stories; the end of the Heat meant more trouble for City Hall than

his mind. Meanwhile, with the score again tied at 2-2, the puck eluded an Abbotsford powerplay and was chased down by the Griffins’ Cory Emmerton.

With breakaway speed he shifted past a challenging Ortio and deposited the puck to give his team their first lead of the game, and

wise frozen in a downcast butterfly stance. The goal came in the final minute of the period and erased what little hope was left in the building.

Ortio left the net after the fifth goal against halfway through the second period, leaving mop-up duty to Doug Carr, just joining

“How did things get so bad that the team was often referred to as a situation, problem, experiment (failed), or object for contempt instead of a sports team? The truth is, Abbotsford is not special.”

the only one they would need.

A second later, Sven Baertschi, in pursuit, slid into net after an unsuccessful diving leap. After a long, five-goal first period, Baertschi did not spring back to his feet, but lay stomach to ice, head in net, for five seconds that felt like 30, Ortio next to him like-

the team after his senior year at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. This did little to break the monotony of Griffin dominance (the Heat didn’t reach 10 shots in the game until several minutes after Ortio took his rest on the bench), but by the time the sixth or seventh puck went

past, no one in the audience was scrutinizing on-ice events.

If they stayed (and most did), it was to be able to say they stuck with their team to the end, to say goodbye in a way that split from the city’s abandonment.

Waiting for the end, it’s no great leap to guess some thoughts arrived at the question that drove so much of the Heat’s time in Abbotsford: how did things get so bad that the team was often referred to as a situation, problem, experiment (failed), or object for contempt instead of a sports team? The truth is, Abbotsford is not special. Without leaving the province, mirroring stories leap from the map: Dawson Creek, Chilliwack, Penticton, and Langley all have arenas built in the last 10 years, all searching for a sports team worthy of a national story, concerts headlined by acts who have a song playing right now on the radio somewhere, and the

worthwhile return on public investment that has so far eluded each community.

Abbotsford’s deal to secure an AHL team was uniquely lopsided, but sports seem to be the most reliable lure in the eyes of city planners everywhere, and people in Edmonton, Detroit, Kansas City, Seattle, and Quebec City are paying for it either as a guard against or a bid for the taking away of other cities’ teams in a post-expansion era.

In short, things are bad all over, and the only way Abbotsfordians could have had decisive input was a barely-attended vote in naïve November 2006 — a time when then-mayor George Peary could say, “it seems to be a very modest risk … even at 1,000 fans per game you would see significant revenues,” and PR documents stated, “we’ve studied many similar situations from other regions, and we’ve learned from their mistakes.”

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CULTURE FEATURE

What everyone is studying now is not the past, but the shuttered future of the Abbotsford Centre (renamed to drop the “Entertainment and Sports” portion of its name). Even if the Heat had been successful, eventually people would have noticed that the large, concertready stadium showed a remarkable lack of interest in music. A flip through the calendar shows only two acts booked for the rest of the year — the Doobie Brothers and John Fogerty — which is normal for the venue.

Far from the pitch of big names plunking down in the valley while swinging west to promote a new album, the lights inside are most often dimmed for acts whose concert DVDs are being re-released in 30th anniversary editions, sparking once or twice a year for Christian rock, or making headlines for hosting the tail-end of the third leg of a Carrie Underwood tour.

Infrequent bookings and unpopular choices (try lingerie football in the Bible belt) by Global Spectrum, which operates this arena as well as Dawson Creek’s and Penticton’s, have received criticism that will only grow with hockey gone — but any hypothetical solution has to work against reality.

At 8,500 seats for concerts, the Abbotsford Centre cannot contend or share with Vancouver, nor can it be a place for local artists to work up to, unless you count hit-chasers like Hedley as local. So Carly Rae Jepsen visits Vancouver and Mission but not Abbotsford, and most country acts prefer to play the Rockin’ River Music Festival over trying to conquer the world of arena rock.

One of the standby clinchers used to sell the wisdom of building big was the projected population growth (commonly cited at 195,000 by 2021) which will in this scenario come straight to the front door of the stadium. The unpainted, pill-shaped building, still clean and showing few signs of wear, has yet to prove persuasive to highway commuters passing under the glow of a Pattison sign or to those living within city limits.

If there have been any playoffs to disprove the “forget yesterday” plan of attack, it’s this year ’s edition. The NHL’s two

www.ufvcascade.ca

Image: Abbotsford Heat / Facebook

The scene, 15 minutes before puck drop, for the Heat’s playoff matchup against Grand Rapids. demoted from precarious roster spots to the minor pro ranks. Following in the tradition of Wade Redden, Jeff Finger, and Mike Commodore, Shane O’Brien was sent to Abbotsford in the middle of a disappointing year for the Flames, and showed up in the playoffs with all the little errors and undisciplined tendencies Vancouver fans noticed and magnified during his two years

“Despite it being next door, UFV students have little use for or interest in the building beyond regarding activity at the arena as an inconvenience.”

Eastern Conference finalists, led

by Martin St. Louis and P.K. Subban, have made it there hanging onto specific memories and writing their endings on the ice.

It’s only an aphorism to hear it from some commentators, but the actual outcome of ignoring the past is real, and easily visible on the larger stage.

One of the pleasures often denied to watchers of AHL hockey is the comfort of familiar names.

Learn a handful stitched to the backs of the brightest prospects, and it’s a guarantee they’ll be the first to leave to other leagues.

So it’s with a mixture of curiosity and excitement that declining NHLers are sometimes

WEDNESDAY, MAY 21, 2014

in the province.

O’Brien played like a minor attraction: here was a defenseman who hadn’t changed a day since you last saw him, repeatedly taking himself out of position to attempt the rush of an open-ice bodycheck, moving in from the point with little puck control or offensive awareness, taking the instinctive penalties that extend an already-lost game into agony.

As the final minutes ticked off the clock, the crowd remained silent.

They might have readied boos, but at the buzzer a confrontation between the two tired and spiteful sides broke out, and the fans, happy to see something to react

to, began to applaud — here and there standing to make a point.

Referees assigned two meaningless misconducts to each team, and the benches emptied for the locker rooms. Many in the seats behind the glass did not follow their lead — if this was an end, shouldn’t there be a sign?

The Heat never made a practice of saluting the fans at centre ice as some teams do, so to attempt one now would be as conspicuous as giving their sweaters away. No one wished to admit the likelihood of defeat; the mantra of forgetting this result, remembering a collective game plan, and waiting for the official word once they lost in Grand Rapids, would begin again.

Exiting the Abbotsford Centre, one can’t help but acknowledge the location of the building, which abuts a number of arguments. A concern when the first inkling arose that 7,000 spectators might need a place to put their cars, the fact that the Abbotsford Centre has no parking lot to speak of is only a minor issue, owing to how it was built, island-like, with UFV’s parking lots on every side.

Despite it being next door, UFV students have little use for or interest in the building beyond regarding activity at the

arena as an inconvenience. Aside from the two or three sell-out dates that fall within the school year, such as the recent Florida Georgia Line concert (a pop-incountry-clothes outfit), which back up traffic with stretch limos and streams of attendees with can’t-be-hurried strides, the arena might as well not exist.

Attempts to connect the two were unsuccessful: UFV’s hockey team folded after the 2010-11 season, and a basketball series played in the stadium received similar attendance to varsity games played in the campus gym. Some might point to UFV’s reputation as an apathetic campus for why there was never a student section at Heat home games, but here — as everywhere the “public,” “masses,” and the non-descript “citizens” are invoked with puzzlement over why the city at large never realized that if they only went to games every once in a while, the situation would have paid for itself — is the largest of all blind spots.

No one, especially those going to UFV, was unaware the Heat or the arena existed. They — excluding city councillors, the business community, and a minority of hockey fans — chose not to go, to let the team stay obscure and leave.

A popular conclusion is the public was not persuaded by branding that linked the team

too strongly with the Flames, and that any name besides the one they used and the corresponding promotional decisions made along the way would have done the trick. But that is only one of the outcomes of a central decision, which was not to involve the people the facility was supposedly built for.

It’s what happens when a referendum campaign is run seeking a yes outcome, knowing that not voter turnout, but guaranteed favourable votes is the goal. The president of the Chamber of Commerce and the chief of the Abbotsford police gave their endorsement in a full-page newspaper spread; promotional materials criticized by some as propaganda were distributed at schools that would later serve as voting locations for parents; and the city admitted to $40,000 spent on a Vote Yes campaign.

Seven out of 18 polling stations came back weighted toward no, but the project passed, and the idea was the public would one day thank the minds that looked into the future and saw an expensive sports centre.

If the search for a new tenant doesn’t swallow every minute of attention from now on, people might actually get to use the arena. The Abbotsford News did their part to find the human interest in a yes vote through a series that ran before the referendum, culminating in a family profile: mother and father were having trouble getting their necessary hours due to 6 a.m. being the only available icetime.

After construction, though the Heat was noticed for its community service, minor hockey didn’t enjoy a new sheet of ice when the team was out of town.

Likewise, figure and speed-skating, flourishing campaign promises, saw little in the way of new beginnings with the new facility.

It took five years, but the city’s contract termination press conference indicated that the small consolation of giving the community access to the building might finally be explored.

More plans will be made to spin this failure as a temporary one, but the Abbotsford Centre continues to dent projections.

Of particular interest to UFV students will be how the AESC was the first tangible sign of UDistrict concepts that pointed vaguely to “sensitive residential densification” and “new public spaces” between now and 2041.

Rather than its intended position as an urban anchor, there’s a possible version of events where the arena sits in the middle of an artist’s rendering of green beauty, eco-friendly apartments, and fantastic new university architecture as a lightly-used financial drain — an inadequacy politicians will have to answer to, and one that no one will want to hear much about.

That tactic is always available: forgetting about the embarassment is an option for Abbotsford, and with a municipal election coming up in November, it’s a scenario that would serve some local figures well.

The other option — remembering every piece of this unwanted history, attempting to do something with it — will in any case be presented to every new student that drives or takes the bus to UFV’s Abbotsford campus.

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Three classic summer cocktails

By Valerie Franklin

Are you graduating? Going on vacation? Just glad summer is here? Whatever your reason, there’s something to celebrate, so here are some of our favourite mixed drinks for the hot months. Readers under 19, don’t worry — we’ve got you covered with virgin alternatives. As always, drink responsibly.

Strawberry daiquiri The ultimate “I’m on vacation, dammit” drink.

Sweet, summery, and smooth, this one is worth having to clean the blender afterwards. Makes four to six servings.

Ingredients: 6 oz. rum 3 cups strawberries, cored (fresh or frozen) 1 cup 7 Up or Sprite ¼ cup lime juice ½ cup lemon juice 4 cups ice Directions: Blend all ingredients into a slushy. Pour into tall glasses, decorate with a twist of lime, and try to remember to share.

Make it virgin: Replace the rum with more soda.

Mint julep The mint julep is an icon of the sweltering southern states for a reason — it’s refreshing and gets you drunk! This International Bartenders Associationapproved recipe is best served on the front porch on a sweaty summer afternoon. Makes one serving.

Ingredients: 1.5 oz. bourbon 4 mint leaves 1 tsp sugar 2 tsp water

Bellini This simple recipe is from the Italian bar that originally created the famous Bellini — not the artificially-flavoured slushy Milestones serves, but a bubbly cocktail with the juicy sweetness of real peaches. Adds a touch of boozy elegance to any brunch.

Ingredients: 1 part fresh peach purée 3 parts Prosecco or other dry sparkling wine, chilled

Directions: Muddle the mint, sugar, and water in the bot tom of a highball glass. Fill the glass about two thirds of the way with crushed ice. Pour in the bourbon and stir. Top it off with more ice and garnish with — what else? — a sprig of mint.

Directions: Spoon the peach purée into a champagne flute. Pour the Prosecco over top and stir, but gently — you want to preserve the bubbles.

If you feel like playing Martha Stewart, gar nish by dropping a couple of fresh blueber ries into the drink. Cheers!

Make it virgin: Replace the bourbon, sugar, and water with ginger ale or iced tea.

Make it virgin: Replace the Prosecco with a not-too-sweet citrus soda like San Pellegrino’s Limonata.

Image: TheCulinaryGeek/Wikimedia Commons

Image: Danielle Scott/Flickr

Image: Angela Rutherford/Flickr

The mullet dress: ‘80s hair reincarnated in modern fashion NADINE MOEDT THE CASCADE

The term “mullet” was popularized, if not coined, by the Beastie Boys in 1994. Since then it has moved from cool to a good signifier of the likelihood that you’ll appear on Jerry Springer.

So who would have thought that an ‘80s hairstyle would mirror a current red-carpet trend? As summer approaches, the mullet dress reigns, giving a welcome alternative to the now-outdated miniskirt. The mullet dress, less derisively known as a high-low or asymmetrical skirt, goes as far back as the Victorian era, where ankles were scandalously displayed by formal gowns with fishtail hems.

The mullet dress has its critics, sometimes for good reason. Like its namesake, it can easily come across as less-than-classy if worn improperly.

Image: Jamie/Flickr

This Flickr user models a tamed-down, campus-friendly version of the high-low dress.

Unless you are on the runway or red carpet, or wish to sweep bat-like down the halls of UFV,

avoid wearing overly significant heels with a floor-grazing mullet dress. The cut highlights your

legs and shoes, so choose wisely.

The dress is flowy and feminine, so pair it with strappy gladiators or bright kitten heels; chunky wedges or boots will interrupt your stride, and unless you want to channel Avril Lavigne or your average 13-year-old, avoid Converse sneakers at all costs.

By choosing a cropped dress that is less dramatically mulletlike — not as long in the back — you can domesticate the look while keeping the style. A shorter dress with floral prints and simple shoes won’t be out of place on campus. Stick to the full-circle hem and avoid the awkward, boxy cut of some H&M designs.

While the dress is meant to flow — an airy design is perfect for summer heat — add a belt to avoid shapelessness. A belt, worn just beneath the ribs, grounds the hippie flavour of the dress without taking away

from its whimsical nature.

The mullet dress is incredibly versatile; depending on its specific cut and your own touch, the dress is wearable everywhere, from the classroom to a formal event.

If you decide you want the floor-length Diane Von Furstenberg high-low style in all its glory, and you have occasion to wear it, avoid looking like you’re off to high school prom by choosing more discreet colours. Solid colours like deep green and navy allow for strappy heels without complicating the look.

No matter what the situation, the cut of the dress should be the focal point, so take care to accessorize lightly.

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B.C. film student premieres feature at Rio

Upcoming

Events May 29 George Bowering reading

Join prolific British Columbian writer George Bowering at the Reach to hear him read selections of his poetry and prose. A lifelong poet with an irrepressible and unique literary voice, Bowering was Canada’s first Parliamentary poet laureate and has authored over 100 books. Event begins at 6:30. Admission is free.

May 22-25 Snow White Theatre Junkies Anonymous presents their adaptation of the classic Brothers Grimm tale on the UFV stage in Chilliwack. A variety of showtimes are available, so check out www.theatrejunkiesanonymous.com for details. Tickets available from the Chilliwack Cultural Centre, or by phone at 604-391SHOW.

May 30 An evening of comedy

Image: Spaces and Reservations/Facebook

Brendan Prost’s Spaces and Reservations tells the realistic, human story of heartbreak with the messy bits left in.

MEGAN LAMBERT CONTRIBUTOR

Spaces and Reservations is a short film written and directed by Brendan Prost about two characters in a long-term relationship who naturally grow apart.

As the plot unfolds, the audience sees Jamie and Kacie fall out of love through subtle nuances and empty dialogue. Spaces and Reservations has tense, awkward silences to represent the hollowness and isolation the characters feel. Prost commented on his experience in film school, saying he was “taught to not write the way people talk — I don’t subscribe to that at all; I prefer to include the messiness.” This is shown in the film; the characters correct themselves, stumble on their word choices, and speak

hurriedly, just as one might do in real life. Prost says “dialogue [is just a] carrier for what’s really going on. The words are irrelevant; it doesn’t matter what you say.”

The script is written with the intent to give both characters equal voices. As they grow apart, the symmetry in their experiences is not something one usually finds in a Hollywood archetype. Instead of being written to serve a “purpose,” the characters are fluid and dynamic. Instead of looking for an end result, Prost says the film is “more about the experience of watching it happen.”

Taylor Hastings, the actor who plays Kacie, says that Prost was “so interactive,” spending months exploring the script with her and Zach White, who plays

Jamie. As Prost comes from an acting background, their performances are the main focus of the movie. In addition to many different acting exercises, Hastings and White also made arts and crafts to display on set.

When asked about the premiere at the Rio Theatre on Tuesday, May 20, both Hastings and Prost begin to tear up.

Hastings says that the film is “such a huge accomplishment,” coming from over 80 hours of footage recorded over a few weeks, as well as a year and a half of editing the film.

The film techniques are beautifully crafted; the lighting, original score, and shooting style all complement what the film is portraying. In fact, the mechanics of the film are so well done that they go virtually unnotice-

able to the viewer. However, the techniques are essential to the viewing experience, and allows the audience is able to focus on the story.

This film represents all relationships, particularly the way anxieties from previous experiences unfold, and seeing how these different anxieties colour people’s behaviour. Spaces and Reservations is a candid look at the way we live through these anxieties.

Spaces and Reservations plays for one more night at the Rio Theatre, May 27 at 6:30 and 9:30 p.m.

Join some of Vancouver’s best stand-up comedians at the Ramada Plaza & Conference Centre in Abbotsford.

Doors and bar open at 8 p.m., show begins at 9. Due to adult content and liquor laws, audience members must be 19+, so bring your ID. Tickets $20 in advance or $25 at the door, but seating is limited, so get your tickets early!

May 30 MOVE fashion show Chantel Funk Designs Inc. presents a lively and eclectic fashion show featuring diverse designs worn by male and female models, live and silent auctions, live dance performances, and more. Best of all, all proceeds from this event go to the Women’s Resources Society of the Fraser Valley, a local charity that supports women and children in need. Event runs 6:30 to 10:00 p.m. and will be held at Triple Swan Nursery in Abbotsford.

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Film Reviews

Godzilla falls flat, destroys city JEREMY HANNAFORD CONTRIBUTOR

In terms of monster suspense, Godzilla is the biggest tease. Instead of blasting the viewer with violence and pretty lights like Pacific Rim, Godzilla is full of exposition and build-up — but there is only so much a person can take before feeling ripped off.

Director Gareth Edwards has experience with suspenseful monster flicks. His 2010 film Monsters was unique: he made the creatures emotionally powerful characters who left an impact on the audience. But he failed to carry this over to his human characters, who were weak and forgettable.

In the opening 30 minutes of Godzilla, there is hope Edwards has improved in this aspect: Bryan Cranston gives a great portrayal of a mad scientist searching for the truth. His performance is a great draw for the film.

Yet as other characters are introduced the film loses that emotional connection. The lack of multifaceted characters comes into full swing when Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Elizabeth Olsen are introduced. Johnson is a military figure who moves from incident to incident, all while maintaining the same facial expression, while Olsen is simply the archetypal mother in the film. Their performances and lack of narrative importance show Edwards still hasn’t learned anything about emotional characters.

Cranston’s talent makes him stand out, but his lack of screen

time hurts the film. His storyline is the only thing worth caring about, but the attention is shifted to Godzilla, who is so rarely shown that emotional attachment drops off.

Turning Godzilla into a thriller is an interesting move, and pays off, at least initially. Films like these thrive on exposition to grab your attention, but lose their appeal over a second viewing. Godzilla is, in essence, Edwards’ version of Super 8. The build-up of revealing the creature while shrouding the nar-

rative in mystery is straight out of Abrams’ film. The marketing campaign was also similar to that of Abrams’ other project, Cloverfield. But when you build up a reputation, you need to execute a payoff.

One movie gimmick of monster thrillers is to surprise the audience with the sudden appearance of the monster. That does work when used well, which Godzilla does. But then it’s done again and again in this film, to the point of thinking everyone in the world is deaf, or Godzilla can

move very quietly for a 100-foot monster. The gimmick becomes a broken record: scared humans, monster appears out of thin air, destruction ensues.

Edwards provides some great fan service with many nods to Godzilla films of old, but these are wasted as the film doesn’t pay service to the biggest feature of any Godzilla movie: the battles. The structural damage is colossal and never stops; the visual effects are stunning from beginning to end; and the utter destruction that befalls San

Francisco in the finale is amazing. But despite all this visual eye candy, the battles are extremely dull.

With such a big build-up, one would expect the film to exceed every single fight scene from Pacific Rim and then some. However, just like in Monsters, Edwards constantly returns to the human characters no one cares about — he is so fixated on telling the stories of these dreary characters, he forgets what the movie is all about. Super 8 followed a similar narrative path, and some people disliked it for these same reasons, but it had characters actually developed with care.

Godzilla does a great job of building suspense for the king of monsters and his rivals, but it does this too well: suspense engulfs the film and slides over a proper payoff. Monster mashers and thriller mysteries can work if done well. For everything Edwards does right with this film, he makes all the same mistakes he did with Monsters.

Going from a low-budget personal project to a $100 million blockbuster is obviously a daunting task. But repeating mistakes from a film you just made about the same concept just makes me scratch my head. Had Bryan Cranston been a more prominent character, or had Edwards taken some nods from other monster films, this may have been a worthy entry into the Godzilla franchise. While it certainly beats the 1998 disaster, it doesn’t stand up to its original inspiration.

Too many villains in Spider-Man’s web JEFF HUGHES CONTRIBUTOR

Spider-Man has been consistently ranked among the most popular superhero franchises since the character ’s conception in 1962. Since that time he has gone through several changes as new comic, cartoon, and movie producers worked within the Marvel Comics universe, shaping it to their own design.

The latest superhero blockbuster, The Amazing Spider-Man 2, is another rendition of SpiderMan and his fictionalized New York City with its own unique influence from the filmmakers.

Director Marc Webb does an excellent job of bringing the world of Spider-Man back to the big screen for another heroic adventure while remaining somewhat faithful to the most popular comic book renditions, even receiving praise from some of the nerdiest Spider-Man fans for his efforts.

For this outing, Spider-Man must face off against three villains, focusing the majority of his efforts and screen time on the iconic supervillain Electro, played by Jamie Foxx. This latest version of Electro departs from

the traditional, campy yellowand-green spandex and takes on a glowing, veiny blue look that is more like an Avatar alien, or Dr. Manhattan from Watchmen.

Electro is a suitable, albeit initially unwitting villain. Webb brings several events from the comic books to the big screen as

Electro is forced into confrontations with Spider-Man. The Green Goblin and the Rhino also find their way into the movie, though their roles are less extensive than Electro’s.

Dane DeHaan is introduced as Harry Osborn, an old friend of Peter Parker ’s, though the back-

story explaining this friendship is somewhat lacking and cries out for a more comprehensive buildup. Harry is subsequently thrust into the Green Goblin costume, which was originally worn by his father in the comics, something Spider-Man 3 managed to present more faithfully.

The Rhino, played by Paul Giamatti, doesn’t find as much screen time as the other two villains of the movie and is far from integral to the storyline.

With an emphasis on the further exploration of Peter Parker ’s family history, his romantic life with Gwen Stacy, and the inclusion of two other comic book villains, there was little time left for the character development of Electro, a villain worthy of much more attention than he received.

This movie would have been better to focus on featuring a single villain rather than spending so much time jumping between subplots.

Overall The Amazing SpiderMan 2 movie was a typical superhero movie with all the trappings that come with that.

Despite this, it was still worth seeing if only for the stunning visuals and sense of nostalgia that comes from watching such iconic comic book characters come to life on screen.

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Dine & Dash

Poor presentation but flavourful fare at Tokyo Garden SASHA MOEDT THE CASCADE

23343 Mavis Ave, Langley, BC Hours: 12 p.m. — 8:30 p.m. Saturday, 11:00 a.m. — 9:00 p.m. weekdays Prices: $9.50 — $12.50 for dinner box Fort Langley is my go-to place when I’m feeling depressed or stressed out. The cozy gift shops, the art galleries, the endless antique barn, the riverbanks, and the pretty streets really cheer me up.

Of course, everything in Fort Langley is fairly expensive, including the many restaurants.

And after a day of wandering, looking at all the handcrafted pottery, vintage garden tools, and local art, it’s nice to sit down somewhere to eat.

Tokyo Garden isn’t the only sushi place in Fort Langley, but it is the cheapest. Cheap sushi is a risk, but I’ve had very bad expensive sushi too, so I feel like it’s a gamble every time.

Seeing their $9.50 dinner box advertised outside drew me in.

It was fairly busy, but our server greeted us straight away. The place was clearly a family-run business. Random Japanese pictures were crooked on the walls, the booths were a bit grungy, the atmosphere was very bringyour-grubby-children. It was very casual, a little run-down, but comfortable. Various kitchen things that should have been neatly out of a customer ’s sight spilled out into the dining area: a fridge, jugs of soy or tempura sauce, stacked cups and dishes, a crock pot. But the grubby children were quiet, so no harm done.

We ordered a dinner box to share with the usual — miso, tempura, sunomono salad, teri-

Image: jwalsh/Wikimedia Commons

Tokyo Garden offers the cheapest sushi in town. yaki, a few rolls, and sashimi.

Our server promptly went to the little crock pot to ladle out some miso. Having been under the impression that miso just came from a package mixed with boiling water, I was actually impressed.

And the miso was very, very good. I know it’s an extremely basic dish, but it was rich, with just the right proportions of seaweed and tofu. Was it because it had simmered in a crockpot?

Maybe.

I hadn’t finished eating the miso before our food came out. It was so quick that I wondered if it was a bad sign. My immediate impression was that the dinner box was put together in a frenzy.

The sushi was helter-skelter, the rolls poorly wrapped, the teriyaki kind of slopped on. I’ve never seen such terrible presentation.

I had been looking forward to the sunomono salad, which usually comes out first, with the miso. Instead of digging in, I spent a few minutes trying to

catch the eye of my server, who, though had been very friendly, did not look our way for quite a while. I complained about my sunomono craving to my partner for a while before realizing it was right in front of me in the dinner box. It was literally so small that I didn’t see it.

It didn’t do much for my craving. Not only were the portions miniscule, but it was also skimpy on the vinegar.

The rest of my messy dinner box was surprisingly decent. The

tempura had broccoli and a good crunch, which made me very happy. The teriyaki was flavourful with lots of bean sprouts. The portions weren’t huge, but two people were full at the end of eating it.

I felt like I was eating homemade sushi. It had all the good flavours and love, even if the presentation was that of a novice. And for the cheapest sushi in town, I felt like I had a pretty good fare.

But when Oberyn Martell visits Tyrion in the night it was obvious why he was there. We didn’t even need the heartwarming story of when Oberyn first met Tyrion to know Martin was setting us up for Oberyn to offer to be his champion. It’s all too perfect now: Oberyn gets a chance to avenge his sister with the death of Gregor, and Tyrion might go free after being falsely accused.

But we all know what Martin does with much-loved characters.

Or even much-hated characters for that matter.

Following another plotline, the Hound is bitten on the ear and lets it fester, aggressively refusing when Arya tries to cauterize his injury. We knew he was fearful of fire. It’s one of the reasons he violently abandoned King Joffrey at the Battle of the Black Water. This sparks a moment in which he shares some of his past with Arya, and the parallels between their characters become clearer: they both value their familial ties regardless of their past treatment, they both seem to enjoy killing despite the fact that they’re likeable characters with morals, however

skewed, and they have both found themselves in a situation where they have no safe place to go. I’m counting the episodes it takes for Arya to realize she’s meant to join the Faceless Men of Braavos, where I hope she will reunite with both her sword teacher and Jaqen H’ghar.

The last bit of episode seven reveals the tender spot Peter Baelish has for Sansa Stark, which wasn’t much of a secret.

Even the inevitable kiss was, well, inevitable. However, the death of Sansa’s Aunt Lysa of the Eyrie was a little shocking for me. When I remember the foreshadowing of Petyr ’s gift of a mockingbird falling through the Skydoor I believed that would be Petyr ’s downfall, but when Lysa married Petyr she would technically inherit his House symbol. That was tricky to foresee. I can only hope after following Sansa’s incredibly terrifying plotline, she’ll eventually become a character who can make some decisions for herself.

So far, everyone’s been making them for her.

Television Review

Game of Thrones: Season 4 ASHLEY MUSSBACHER THE CASCADE

From its inception, the second half of George R. Martin’s fantasy drama novel A Storm of Swords, the popular HBO series Game of Thrones: Season 4 features more plot and character progression than in the last season.

Season 3 seemed to linger on gruesome scenes like the torture of Theon Greyjoy, and the infamous Red Wedding, in which Walder Frey betrays House Stark. In Season 4 the pace of the storyline picks up with the death of King Joffrey Baratheon right in the beginning, which was, in my opinion, anticipated and expected. What better way to end a character who’s been the object of everyone’s hatred for so long?

Of course, have him die publicly at his own wedding.

This acts as a catalyst for almost every plot point onward, since you don’t have to look hard to find motive in every character present in the wedding scene. With a single event Martin simultaneously destroys and builds alliances between characters, kills off a long-time annoy-

ance, and thrusts King’s Landing into chaos while everyone comes to their own conclusions on who actually murdered the King. It’s brilliant.

Cersei Lannister has her brother Tyrion Lannister thrown in prison to await trial for the death of her son. House Tyrell pursues their motto of “growing strong” by setting up a midnight meeting with Tommen Lannister, the new king-to-be. And Peter Baelish spirits away the eldest Stark daughter and so-called “Key to the North” to the Eyrie.

Now into episode seven we learn that Cersei has appointed the infamous Gregor Clegane, or

commonly known as “the Mountain,” to fight as her champion in the trial by combat. Clearly the odds are not in Tyrion’s favour, and he desperately searches for someone to fight for his side.

It’s not much of a shock to learn Jamie is no longer a gold-star fighter, but when Tyrion’s former ally Bronn refuses to fight it starts to look as though the dwarf will be fighting the Mountain himself. I remember back in season 2 Tyrion killed a man with his own shield to protect Catlyn Stark, but I don’t think that was foreshadowing Tyrion’s victory over Gregor. If it was, it was horribly done.

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Concert Review

Local indie rockers Warm Amps, Kin, and Oh Village strike a balance between folk and rock VALERIE FRANKLIN THE CASCADE

Mini Album Reviews

SoundBites

I’ve grown up mocking Abbotsford for its nonexistent arts scene, but every time I listen to one of our local indie bands, I taste crow. The Fraser Valley has a surprising abundance of talented Gen Y musicians who all seem to be suddenly coming into their own, and if you weren’t at AfterMath for its rock concert on Friday night, you missed out on some of the best talent the local music scene has to offer.

Warm Amps warmed up the room with mellow indie rock. This was their debut performance, although all the members have stage experience from previous band affiliations including You Say Party! and Precious Fathers. Their inaugural performance was deliciously smooth and nostalgic, like a soundtrack for your wistful childhood memories of summer bike rides. Unfortunately, I have no idea what they were actually singing about; the softly sung lyrics were completely unintelligible. The singer was drowned out by the other instruments, and it wasn’t until I listened to their Bandcamp samples later that I realized how much delicate, folky complexity had been lost to AfterMath’s echoey walls. But it didn’t matter — they got the crowd swaying and set the tone for the rest of the evening, which is exact-

ly what a good warm-up act should do.

By the time Kin took the stage at 8:30 p.m., the room was packed and cheerful, the crowd was getting drunker, and everything smelled faintly of weed. Their first song was called “The City.”

“It’s about the city,” the singer deadpanned.

The set began with a distant, prophetic clattering of drums, joined by a rolling bass line and crunchy, pleasantly discordant guitar. But it was singer Trevor Blaak’s voice that stole the stage: a haunting tremolo that floated above the dark, dreamy chords. They alternated heavy, crashing power with breathless acoustic moments, and their sound is especially impressive considering that Kin consists of just three guys.

“We have a lot of fun doing this,” Blaak chirped between songs. And it shows. Kin didn’t feel like a warm-up act at all.

Chatty and confident, they’re clearly at ease on the stage. Their instrumental work is strong and unpretentious, and Blaak’s quavering, bittersweet voice makes them truly stand out in a sea of indie rock soundalikes.

The second half of Kin’s set was even better than the first. Their final two songs flowed into each other — 10 minutes of progressive rock that plunged into dark, rich chords, finally fading into a tickle

of arpeggio-like guitar notes and a deep, slow drum tattoo like a heartbeat. The crowd exploded.

Night was settling outside the windows of AfterMath when the headliners, Oh Village, finally started their set. Oh Village has been around since 2009 in various incarnations, and over the years the foursome’s sound has matured into something tender, folky, and soulful without losing its rock edge. The band consists of

Wussy Attica!

Beck Morning Phase

Not a protest lyric like Lennon’s or Scott-Heron’s, Wussy’s “Attica!” understatedly makes a fatalistic romance out of Sidney Lumet’s Dog Day Afternoon, evoking not only the crowd-rousing theatrics of Pacino’s memorable performance, but the slow realization between police sergeant and Sonny’s partner: “Don’t you think he sort of did it for you?”

Wussy is a band that sings about the moments in songs when “the beat of the drum lines up with the beat of your heart,” but they envelope what could be mere spoken worship for The Who with the work of crafting a five-piece melody, shared harmony that also ably pulls off album-starting fireworks (“Teenage Wasteland”), late summer piano-driven pieces (“North Sea Girls,” “Halloween”) and doomreverb sincerity (“Rainbows and Butterflies”).

Lisa Walker and Chuck Cleaver share vocals and song-writing — she carries the album standouts, including the title track, giving each rhyme a hardwon clarity, while Cleaver’s bass-baritone drawl shifts moods unpredictably, not as comfortably full of gravitas as someone like Cash, and just as distinctive because of that, skillfully timing each storytelling duet. “It’s all been done to death,” opens one song, and Walker and Cleaver look back at the shadow of 20 years in the album’s closer, but rather than stop short, they find something effusive and specific in each self-contained song.

Beck Hansen is a man who spoons his own voice with harmonies and achieves a fat acoustic sound.

It’s simply delicious. Morning Phase resembles his earlier work Sea Change, but his musical growth from then to now is certainly present. Utilizing his own voice for unique three-part harmonies, with his rich caramelized timbre sounding much like Simon and Garfunkel, and sitting in a rhythmic pocket of glorious syncopation by hammering his acoustic’s strings, Beck in Morning Phase emanates rich sounds and reflective content as he sings about love, loneliness, and the new day. This neo-folk artist draws the listener into a familiar but fresh sound, as his melodies wrap their comforting arms around your ears and carry you away into the dawn.

michael scoular

BRITTNEY HENSMAN

Scott Currie providing lead vocals and pouncing on the keyboard; Jake Janzen on guitar, violin, and cello; a barefoot David Dueckman on bass guitar and trumpet; and Stephen Dahl on drums and percussion.

And they sing — all of them. Soft, keening harmonies infuse their music with a lush and mysterious quality, reminiscent of orchestral folk-rockers Fleet Foxes.

Perfectly in sync and on key, there’s no doubt that these guys know what they’re doing. The violin and trumpet flesh out their sound with an authentic folky feel, and Dahl drums lightly with an admirable self-restraint that many drummers lack, complementing the other musicians without dominating them. The crowd was hanging on every shining note.

If you dig indie rock or folk rock, keep your ears out for these three bands. If we’re lucky, maybe they’ll even make appearances at some of the upcoming summer music festivals; listening to them while lying under a shady tree with a cold beer sounds like heaven.

Open Letters This Song was Supposed to be Called ‘Existence is Futile’ but Revocation Stole it from Us The first 40 seconds of “This Song was Supposed to be Called ‘Existence is Futile’ but Revocation Stole it from Us” are so downright exhilarating and catchy that the aforementioned death metal band — who, as implied by the name of this Open Letters jam, were so impressed with the song title that they went back in time to use it first — have some pretty big past-tense shoes to fill if they wish to cop more than just the name. Vocalist / guitarist Reuben Houweling belts out breakneck (in more than one sense) ruminations on the inability of emotion to bring back the dead, followed up the cheery band-sing-along “these feelings are so worthless.”

It would have been a complete hardcore jam if it ended at the 40 second mark; but the band opts to power through, slowing down the song’s melodyjumping but not the tempo. Recorded at the same time as 1-6, the tune embodies the style expounded on in that EP: it sounds cheerful with its major key pop-punk melodies, until attention is given to the morbid lyrics on death and self-uselessness. This doesn’t make the band’s music necessarily, absolutely melancholic; rather, the effect is rather immensely cathartic. It feels bloody amazing to belt along to this song. And when that “these feelings are so worthless” coda comes around again, you will understand the appeal of primal scream therapy.

KODIE CHERRILLE

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Cascade Arcade

Add The Sims 4 to history of video game censorship

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CHARTS

Shuffle

Cult Babies Cult Babies

AARON LEVY

Shearing Pinx/Lunch Lady Take That, The Devil!

CIVL Station Manager Aaron Levy has this song in his head.

It’s from a Canadian some of you may be aware of.

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Teledrome Teledrome Mac DeMarco Salad Days

Shonen Knife Overdrive

Weed Deserve

St. Vincent St. Vincent Cool Paint Role Mach Holy Shades of Night Various PIXXX4

Chromeo White Women

Acid Mothers Temple & Melting Paraiso UFO Astrorgasm From The Inner Space

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Fountain Fountain The War On Drugs Lost In The Dream The Ketamines 11:11 The Utilities Sulky Jr. Todd Terje It’s Album Time OOIOO Gamel Girls’ Generation Mr. Mr Sax Ruins Blimmguass

CIVL STATION MANAGER

Organized Rhyme — “Check the O.R.” The letters “O” and “R” could stand, in this case, for Ottawa Region, because that is where Canadian superstar comedian Tom Green is from! With classic lines such as “Pass the OJ/cuz I’ve got juice,” it’s impossible to recognize Green and co. as the original Northern Beastie Boys.

Tom Green — “The Bum Bum Song” Famously referenced in “The Real Slim Shady” by a little known Detroit rapper under the moniker Eminem, “My bum is on your lips” is used to catapult one of the more homophobic verses in modern rap music, prior to the introduction of the “No homo” fad. Green is just silly.

Tom Green — “Feel Your Balls” This is not simply a grotesque and inappropriate discussion about self-pleasure or potty humour, as some (read: all) of Green’s work happens to be. It is a legitimate attempt at making young men aware of the necessity inherent in self monitoring the potential presence of detectable testicular cancer cells.

Freddy Got Fingered — “Daddy Would You Like Some Sausage” The film from which this song culled is undeniably one of my least favourite films of all time. In fact, it’s possible, that in my own estimation of quality and substance necessary to categorize a series of still shots strung together quickly via tape reel, this is not a film.

Tom Green — “Moving in Stillness” Not to be confused with “Stillness is the Move,” the sublime 2009 underground explosion from Brooklyn’s The Dirty Projectors, “Moving in Stillness” is actually by a completely different Tom Green.

Also, Canadian comedian Green actually had testicular cancer, and is serious about self-checking for this particular ailment.

JEREMY HANNAFORD contributor

Censorship rules have been part of the gaming industry since its infancy. Ever since Mortal Kombat II was banned for its excessive use of blood, there have been many advancements in censorship. While some have been understandable, others have been strange and at times offensive to gamers themselves.

Now Ars Technica reports that Russia has ordered a new rating of 18+ for The Sims 4. The upcoming game has a rating of Teen in North America. Samesex relationships are cited as the reason the rating was announced by a Kremlin-appointed body that called the game harmful to Russian youth. This act of censorship is just one of many in accordance with Russia’s anti-gay laws.

Another similar incident came when China banned Sega’s Football Manager 2005 because it had Tibet as a playable team. Accord-

ing to Chinese government, the addition of Tibet would “pose harm to China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.”

Video games are a growing form of media, and often receive as much media attention and scrutiny as major news events.

Rockstar ’s Grand Theft Auto series has thrived off its controversy for its abundant violence and sexual content, but has received censored releases in Australia, among other countries.

Australia’s classification board is notorious in the videogames world. Notably, Left 4 Dead 2 was banned, which caused outcry.

The Australian government’s insistence on restricting the sale of violent games has been censorship debate material for years.

Australia finally changed their ratings in late 2013 to allow for an 18+ rating, but there remains an X rating that is equivalent to a ban.

EA spokesperson Deborah Coster responded to the Russian government’s decision, saying, “one of the key tenets of The

Sims is that it is up to the player to decide how to play the game.

We provide the simulation sandbox and the player choice and creativity does the rest.”

Like the Sochi Olympics controversy, the decision reflects poorly on Russia, while also having the effect of marking the country as homophobic when, among the Russian populace, that is not the case.

It is the hope of many that people will progress as a society both through cultural difference and social acceptance. Books, films, and video games are just one part of this pursuit. When they are thrown away or blocked for reasons as close-minded as sexual orientation, that hope dwindles. Russia is trying to hide a side of the world that is becoming globally recognized.

And as Ars Technica also notes, not only is Russia on the wrong side of history, but with piracy, a popular and easy way to acquire games in the country, what official bodies say won’t be able to stifle people’s choices.

Book Review

Ellipses by Andrea MacPherson MEGAN LAMBERT CONTRIBUTOR

Andrea MacPherson, a professor in the UFV English department, recently published a new collection of poetry entitled Ellipses. An ellipsis in writing is represented by three dots at the end of a sentence, to indicate an unfinished thought trailing off.

This is fitting for this collection of poetry, as MacPherson seems to feel a timeless connection with other women and their stories.

After the death of her two grandmothers and the birth of her daughter, MacPherson felt “inspired by [her] new motherhood and a profound interest in the way we pass down female histories.”

The collection is not only influenced by her family, however.

The poems also make reference to prominent female figures and literary characters, such as Sylvia Plath and Ophelia from Shakespeare’s Hamlet.

The poems are divided into sections dedicated to both grandmothers, literary and artistic influences, and her own experiences as a mother.

MacPherson brings her maternal grandmother, May, to life in “the other mothers” with an ability to recall knowledge of the imagery surrounding her past. Using photographic memories, MacPherson creates an intimate world for readers to discover May’s life as she chooses to reveal it.

The section “routine” is dedicated to her fraternal grandmother, Gertrude, and explores the process of long-term grieving. MacPherson picks up on small reminders throughout everyday life that remind of a loss,

making this poetry raw, candid, and relatable.

“Shadowlands” is inspired by other writers, literary characters, and artwork. By drawing upon other sources, MacPherson pieces together a mosaic of different experiences which results in a universal bond connecting women regardless of time, social class, or age.

“Directions for Sleep” reflects MacPherson’s challenges and joys she faces in her own motherhood. The blend of strength, nurturing, and compassion inherited from her grandmothers before her, as well as the historical women who have inspired her, live in this last chapter.

MacPherson developed relationships with her creative and genetic ancestors beyond a physical restraint such as age or time. This gives her writing a deep intimacy, almost seeming as if she has lived as them. This is an immutable cycle of life and death, and perhaps the spirit of rebirth to the stories that nurture and shape us is the essence of motherhood.

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SPORTS & HEALTH

WEDNESDAY, MAY 21, 2014 www.ufvcascade.ca

Don’t die this summer

How to fend off bears and cougars KATIE STOBBART THE CASCADE

You never think it will happen to you. You’re hiking through a lush West Coast forest, admiring the wide trunk of a Douglas fir or the tiny oval leaves surrounding clusters of red huckleberries.

The air is saturated with sunlight and warmth.

Maybe you feel a prickle at the back of your neck, or have the feeling of being watched.

A branch snaps, or all the birds take off at once in the canopy.

However it happens, you find yourself in the company of a creature that could inflict some serious damage.

What do you do?

First, no matter what kind of animal it is, do not relinquish your control over the situation.

Your main advantage over an animal is your brain, not brawn, speed, or agility. Do not run.

Bears There are two kinds of bears you may encounter in B.C.: the black bear and the grizzly. Black bears are smaller than their bulkier cousins and tend to stick to the forest, whereas the aptly named grizzly bears can be twice the weight (anywhere from 150 to 450 kg) and prefer more open spaces, though they can be found in the forest as well.

Some say you can outrun a bear if you run downhill. This is false. Bears can also run downhill, and a grizzly can match the average urban driver at about 55 km/h.

Your next thought might be to avoid the bear by climbing a tree. It may seem like a logical

Image: Dr.DeNo/Flickr

“Protect your vital organs” course of action, but black bears can climb trees (again, probably faster than you can) and young grizzlies are also capable of scaling the rugged bark of your sanctuary.

B.C. Parks has more comprehensive information on bears and encounters with them, and their advice is to be preventative rather than reactive: do your best to avoid running into a bear in the first place. Hike with friends and make loud noise, store food and garbage properly, and be alert.

In the event you are faced with a bear, always try to stay calm and speak in soothing tones, not aggressively. The goal is to establish you are not a threat — remember it is you intruding on the bear ’s territory, not the other

way around. Back away slowly.

If a bear does try to attack you, your ability to identify it as a black bear or grizzly will be helpful.

When fending off a black bear, you’ll want to change your tack entirely. Go from soothing and non-threatening to imposing and powerful — stand up straight, stay on the ground, and always fight back.

B.C. Parks’ pamphlet advises to “protect your vital organs” by assuming the fetal position if a grizzly bear decides to charge.

An initial attempt to intimidate a bear that can stand two metres high on its hind legs is not the most effective strategy, but you should do anything you can to fight back if the bear wants you for a snack: a cast-iron pot or

other camping supplies could help you in this situation, but rocks, sticks, fists, and adrenaline-fuelled bursts of ingenuity shouldn’t be ruled out — do anything you can to best the bear.

Cougars Also known as mountain lions.

You’re less likely to come across a cougar than a bear. It’s also less likely you will come face-to-face with one, as cougars usually attack from behind.

As with bears, try not to avoid or startle a cougar — common sense rules. Be alert and do your best to avoid coming into contact with one of these large cats, which can be found in a variety of habitats all through southern B.C. Hike as a group, leash pets, and keep children close.

If a cougar does approach or attack, be very aggressive. In this case, you want it to be clear you are a threatening presence: make eye contact, bare your teeth menacingly, and shout.

When it is necessary to yell at animals, I always find myself cursing. On the last occasion I was shouting profanities at a racoon posing a threat to my poor, docile housecat. I don’t make a habit of swearing on a regular basis, but for me the intensity of the words made the warning more effective. Once or twice I have foregone words entirely and made a series of bizarre screeching sounds to deter intrusive wildlife from the enclosed screen of my tent.

Though I hope the adrenaline rush that accompanies having your life threatened covers this, the moral of the story is to leave any thoughts of foolishness behind. If shouting curse words, screeching, or ululating makes you louder and more intimidating, do what you have to do.

Obviously in this situation you will want to fight off the cougar with anything and everything you have at your disposal: rocks, sticks, equipment, and so on. Go for the face.

Overall, make sure you are informed before going on your hike. Go into the woods prepared no matter what your skill level, even if you’re only going for a short hike in a familiar area, and find someone to go with you. If you do run into an aggressive animal, keep calm and use your head. After the encounter, make sure you report it to a parks official so no one else is taken unaware.

Jasper Moedt stays for final year of eligibility RACHELLE STRELEZKI contributor

Jasper Moedt, a spokesperson for UFV’s athletic excellence, has, after some deliberation, decided to stay at UFV for his last year of eligibility in his basketball career. It is his passion for basketball that brings him back for his final season as a varsity athlete.

As he enters this upcoming season the team will experience some changes in the form of a new schedule and at least one new starter, but with Moedt on the roster, the team will make a strong challenge for playoff contention. The Cascade talked to Moedt about what went into this decision, which comes after a season that ended in a difficult playoff exit.

Why did you choose to focus on basketball instead of other areas of your life this upcoming season?

I realized it would be the last time I would be a basketball player in my life. I was definitely looking forward to other things in my life like applying for a master ’s program, working, and focusing on family and other relationships. But I know that you only get one shot to be a young athlete, so that was a motivating factor for me.

What led you to the decision to come back for another season?

I think it was a good situation basketball-wise. I think the biggest factor was that I didn’t get injured last season. It has been my first season since my rookie year that I didn’t get some sort of injury. Obviously, I also liked my teammates and my coach.

Lastly, the realization that this would be the last chance to play basketball in my life was also a big factor.

How has summer training been going?

It has been good. I would say this year has been a lot better than last year. I know Adam and my teammates a lot better this year. I also know what exactly I need to be doing for training this summer. It allows me to be more relaxed.

How do you see your role on the team?

I think that there will be a certain amount of leadership because I will definitely have the longest tenure on the team.

I think that there are going to be a lot of guys that are going to be our star players. I think my job is going to keep us moving in the right direction and give us a little perspective on the ins and

Image: Tree Frog Imaging

Jasper Moedt will do battle under the basket for one last year as a member of UFV’s varsity team. outs of the league.

This upcoming year is the first year where UFV is under a new division alignment. How is your outlook on this upcoming season in the new division?

It is definitely not positive, that’s for sure. I am not a fan of it at all. I think it is just discrimi-

nation and pretty much institutional bullying. Our competition won’t be as good, but that’s not to say that the teams we are playing are bad teams. We just won’t get to play those powerhouse teams that are high quality competition every year. It does not help us progress throughout the season or improve our chances

at nationals. But at the same time we will still have to play the same teams at playoffs. We need to keep our focus and understand that we have to get better as a group — this is the most important thing [we can do].

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

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SPORTS & HEALTH

WEDNESDAY, MAY 21, 2014 www.ufvcascade.ca