JUNE 12 TO SEPT 4, 2019
VOLUME 27 ISSUE 15
Relentlessly gay since 1993
aboriginal arts 10 and culture day
3 CAFETERIA CLOSURE 13
Q&A WITH ANIDA TYTHOLE
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INTERVIEW WITH SEAMUS HEFFERNAN WWW.UFVCASCADE.CA
VOL. 27 // ISSUE 15
News Editor Jessica Barclay jessica@ufvcascade.ca
Opinion Editor Carissa Wiens carissa@ufvcascade.ca
Culture & Events Editor Cassie de Jong cassie@ufvcascade.ca
Arts in Review Editor Martin Castro martin@ufvcascade.ca
Feature Editor Darien Johnsen darien@ufvcascade.ca
Jr. News Editor Nadia Tudhope nadia@ufvcascade.ca
Multimedia Editor Anoop Dhaliwal anoop@ufvcascade.ca
Digital Media Manager Jeff Mijo-Burch jeff@ufvcascade.ca
Illustrator Kayt Hine
Staff Writer Andrea Sadowski
Social Media Writer Laurel Logan
Staff Writer Caleb Silveira
Social Media Writer Uyen Nguyen
Staff Writer Chandy Dancey Staff Writer Karen White
CONTRIBUTORS Aleister Gwynne
Cover Design: Avery Dow-Kenny Back Cover: Renée Campbell
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@UFVCASCADE FACEBOOK.COM/UFVCASCADE INSTAGRAM.COM/UFVCASCADE Volume 27 · Issue 15 Room S2111 33844 King Road Abbotsford, BC V2S 7M8 604.854.4529
The Cascade is UFV’s autonomous student newspaper. It originated under its current name in 1993, and achieved autonomy from the university and the Student Union Society in 2002. This means that The Cascade is a forum for UFV students to have their journalism published in an entirely student-run setting. It also acts as an alternative press for the Fraser Valley. The Cascade is funded with UFV student funds, and is overseen by the Cascade Journalism Society Board, a body run by a student majority. The Cascade is published every Wednesday with a print circulation of 1,000 and is distributed at Abbotsford, Chilliwack (CEP), Clearbrook, and Mission UFV campuses and throughout the surrounding communities. The Cascade is open to written, photo, and design work from all students; these can come in the form of a pitch to an editor, or an assignment from an editor. Pitch meetings are held every Monday in The Cascade’s office on the Abbotsford campus. Time and date of the next meeting will be announced in August. In order to be published in the newspaper, all work must first be approved by The Cascade’s editor-in-chief, copy editor, and corresponding section editor. The Cascade reserves the right to edit submissions for clarity and length. The Cascade will not print any articles that contain racist, sexist, homophobic or libellous content. Letters to the editor, while held to the same standard, are unedited, and should be under 200 words. As The Cascade is an autonomous student publication, opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect that of UFV, The Cascade’s staff and collective, or associated members.
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Sports Writer Alex Jesus
Event Reporter Alexandra Johnson
Photographer David Myles
OPINION
Copy Editor Kat Marusiak kat@ufvcascade.ca
CHEQ
ARTS
Production Assistant Renée Campbell renee@ufvcascade.ca
Production Assistant Uyen Nguyen uyen@ufvcascade.ca
NEWS
Production Manager Elyssa English elyssa@ufvcascade.ca
Creative Director Mikaela Collins mikaela@ufvcascade.ca
CONTENTS
FEATURE
Business Manager Aneesha Narang aneesha@ufvcascade.ca
Managing Editor Cat Friesen cat@ufvcascade.ca
CULTURE
Executive Editor Jessica Barclay jessica@ufvcascade.ca
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Snapshots.......9 Study Break.......16
12......Events Calendar 18......CIVL Shuffle
NEWS Cafeteria closure.......3 Cell service improvement.......4
4......Ron Sweeny Q&A 5......Honorary doctorates
OPINION Giving to charities.......6 Editorial.......7
6.......Greenwashing 7.......Dear Robin
CULTURE Cascade Kitchen......13 Chilliwack Fraser Valley Biennale......14
13.......Anida Tythole Q&A 14.......Indigenous Awareness Exhibition
SPORTS Golf.......15 ARTS Seamus Heffernan interview.......17 Rammstein.......19
18......Aladdin 19......John Wick 3
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news@ufvcascade.ca Jessica Barclay — News Editor
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 12, 2019
NEWS
UFV //
Cafeteria closed for the summer
NEWS BRIEFS
Students left with limited options at the Abbotsford campus
Government announces plan to ban single use plastics On Monday, June 10, the Canadian government announced their plan to ban harmful single-use plastics as early as 2021. A list of banned products will not be immediately released as the government will be conducting research to determine which products should be outlawed. The proposed solution involves formulating a comprehensive plan to prohibit the production and sale of specific toxic plastic products within the next two years. The process of banning or placing limitations on an item takes between two and four years. “It’s going to take a little bit of time to make sure we get it absolutely right because this is a big step, but we know that we can do this by 2021,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said.
- The Canadian Press Final protest against Trans Mountain Pipeline expansion In a rally against the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion, protesters gathered in Vancouver on Sunday, June 10 in an effort to convince the federal government not to approve the pipeline a second time. The Federal Court of Appeal reversed approval of the project last August due to lack of environmental review and consultation with Indigenous groups. The final decision on the expansion has been pushed back to Tuesday, June 18 to allow for the wrap-up of consultations with Indigenous groups. “We know [Prime Minister Justin Trudeau] is going to be out here looking for our votes in the fall, and if he approves this pipeline he is going to run into a lot of angry British Columbians,” Sven Biggs, Stand.earth campaigner, said.
- Global News
UFV cafeteria. June 11, 2019. (The Cascade)
According to Roy, closing the cafeteria is not unusual in the summer, and has been done before due to the The cafeteria on UFV’s Abbotsford reduced student population. campus, including Triple O’s, has With the way production and serclosed for the rest of the summer due vice is structured for Triple O’s, sendto the lack of students on campus. ing employees home due to slow busiThe Abbotsford campus Tim Hortons will remain open, but with reduced summer hours. In Chilliwack, the Rivers Dining room will be closed until September and the Spirit Bay Cafe will have limited hours. According to Cameron Roy, director of ancillary services, there is hesitancy to cut the operating hours of Tim Hortons; the hours are expected to stay the same for June and July, meaning Tim Hortons will be open 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and 8 a.m. - 2 p.m. on Fridays. About half as many students attend UFV in the summer semester as they do in the winter and fall semesters. Roy said most students take only one or two classes in the summer semester, rather than a full course load, and ness is not an option — there must be do not stay on campus after class as at least three employees for it to run. they would in the fall and winter. This With what little sales is made through change in campus life was a motivat- the cafeteria in the summer, the labour ing factor in the decision to close the costs of keeping these employees on is cafeteria but keep Tim Hortons open. not affordable. The cafeteria — run by “Students aren’t typically asking for Dana Hospitality, UFV’s food service lunch to the extent that would allow provider — involves the use of sta[Dana Hospitality] to conduct busi- tions (such as the deli station, where ness,” Roy said. students can have custom sandwiches
NADIA TUDHOPE
“We want to be [open] and provide good service for students, but if there are no students around to service, that’s when it becomes problematic for a company like Dana [Hospitality].”
made) in its business approach, and requires a number of different people to run those stations, resulting in the same labour-cost issue as Triple O’s. “We want to be [open] and provide good service for students, but if there are no students around to service, that’s when it becomes problematic for a company like Dana [Hospitality],” Roy said. Dana Hospitality manages the Triple O’s contract on behalf of UFV. According to Roy, the partnership between the two worked well as Dana Hospitality is a pioneer in sustainability — evidenced in its compostable single-use utensils and plates, practices which larger companies do not share — and Triple O’s is similarly progressive. “Their brand and their approach to food is fresh, from scratch. They need storage, they need an area for actually preparing food rather than defrosting and microwaving, and that’s really the appeal of Dana [Hospitality],” Roy said. “One of the drawbacks of that is it’s very labour intensive. It’s a lot of prep work that needs to be done. So there is a cost attached to that, and if there’s traffic and revenue to cover that, then they’re all in.” Although the cafeteria is closed, UFV will still run catering throughout the summer as needed.
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NEWS
VOL. 27 // ISSUE 15
Q&A //
What new ideas professor Ron Sweeney has in store
UFV //
Cell service to improve on campus UFV is installing new cell antennas across Abbotsford campus NADIA TUDHOPE
Ron Sweeny. June 6, 2019. (Karen White)
KAREN WHITE Ron Sweeney is an English teacher at UFV with a passion for literature. He came to UFV from the State University of New York in Buffalo when he was finishing up his Ph.D and has been a sessional instructor since 2008. Sweeney brings a unique twist to many of the English courses he teaches at UFV, such as ENGL 170: Literature in Context, where he focused on understanding comics in the summer 2019 semester, and ENGL 270: Topics in Popular Fiction, where he focused on superheroes in graphic novels in the winter 2019 semester. Sweeny is currently working on a collection of edited essays relating to the Riverdale series with two other UFV professors: Heather McAlpine, associate professor of English, and Jessica Wind, sessional faculty in communications.
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Why did you decide to study English? I was always interested in literature. As a child, I read a lot — classic literature to fantasy to sci-fi, which I’ve just recently come back to for teaching. So, then I went to university and I [got to be in] a couple of great classes. I started off as a history major and then gradually thought, ‘You know, the English part is a little bit more my interest.’ I got really into a couple of different areas of literature from innovated poetry and fiction to some of the dystopian future work and such. Then I went to grad school in Buffalo, which was poetry-focused but also had this interesting history of experimental or innovative literature. Are there any projects you are currently working on? The strange project that has come out of the last couple of years from the two
A Rogers cell antenna is being installed on the roof of E building with the goal of improving cell service on the Abbotsford campus. Agreements are in place to install additional antennas using other telecommunications providers. The Rogers antenna is expected to go live before September, along with a Freedom Mobile antenna that is being installed on the roof of D building. Following the agreement with Rogers, an agreement with Telus was reached; the contract for the Telus antenna is currently in the permit stage, and installation will begin soon, on the roof of B building. “We expect that the service improvement should be very noticeable for users of all three providers for the entire campus, as well as the surrounding area,” Darin Lee, chief information officer at UFV, said over email. “I’m also very excited that both Rogers and Freedom Mobile have committed to installing in-building solutions to boost connectivity if the need is identified once the external system is functioning.” There is also a signed agreement with Freedom Mobile and Rogers to build a cell tower on
conferences here [at UFV] is the Riverdale project. So with Jess Wind, who teaches communications here, and Heather McAlpine, who teaches English, we had two years of conferences on Riverdale from a variety of perspectives across the university and we now have an edited book proposed. Our call for papers [on Riverdale] is out there right now. I’m working on the comics part; I'm interested in the hit Archie comics to some of the Archie series and even the Archie Horror series, which are important for developing Riverdale. We started to get proposals [for the book] coming in. We [even] have people talking about Sabrina or talking about the [Sabrina] television show. We are talking about cultural responses to [Riverdale], so it has been really fun. In longer terms, I am trying to write about comics. The Canadian writer/artist Jeff Lemire has done a lot of projects that I am interested in. So, I’m trying
the Chilliwack campus, although there is not yet a start date attached. “Around five years ago students started complaining that cellular coverage on the Abbotsford campus was quite poor and seemed to be getting worse,” Lee said. “This was compounded when the Student Union Building was constructed out of concrete and glass, and of course gets almost no service inside.” The IT services department hired a contractor to review cellular coverage on Abbotsford campus and make recommendations for locations of additional antennas to maximize cell service. The university used the report findings to discuss service improvements with Rogers and Telus. “It took us about two years of consistent effort before we started to gain some traction, finally signing an agreement with Rogers last summer,” Lee said. “This has been a challenging process, but we felt it was important to have high levels of service for students from a functional perspective, but also looking at the safety of those on campus at night and weekends, it’s critical to have connectivity everywhere.”
to look at his dystopian stories such as Sweet Tooth and Descender. I am looking into his works as a whole — what all he has been able to do. Any future ideas for classes? I was thinking about an eventual course specifically on Canadian comics. I’m teaching Mariko and Jillian Tamaki’s This One Summer; they’re both Canadian writers. There is a good history of Canadian artists and some of them end up going to work with Marvel or DC, and some of them stick with independent comic publishing. But it’s sort of like whether there’s something uniquely Canadian [in the comics] or what's going on in there, and some of these different comics’ history. I’m interested in seeing in a course what that would look like. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
NEWS
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 12, 2019
UFV //
UFV awards four honorary doctorates at convocation ceremony
Anthony von Mandl. Sept. 30, 2007. (UFV Flickr)
JESSICA BARCLAY In addition to celebrating the accomplishments of the 2,400 graduating students at the 2019 convocation ceremony, UFV awarded four honorary degrees in recognition of each individual’s distinguished achievements and outstanding service in their respective fields. Anthony von Mandl received the honorary Doctor of Technology for his entrepreneurial work in B.C.’s wine industry. Canadian author Esi Edugyan received the honorary Doctor of Letters degree for her literary achievements. Francis Horne Sr. was awarded an honorary Doctor of Letters degree for his achievements as a Coast Salish master carver and for his dedication to helping and healing others in his community. For his career accomplishments and lifetime service in many local and government roles, John Jansen was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws. Anthony von Mandl Anothony von Mandl was awarded an honorary Doctor of Technology degree in recognition of his achievements in winemaking, and for developing and growing the wine industry in B.C.’s Okanagan Valley. Mandl is the owner of Mission Hill Family Estate, CheckMate Artisanal Winery, and Mark Anthony Wine & Spirits, a wine import business he started at the age of 22. Throughout his career, Mandl has helped grow the wine industry in the Okanagan Valley from relatively unknown to the two billion dollar industry it is today. In 1994, Mission Hill Family Estate won “Top Chardonnay Worldwide” at the In-
Esi Edugyan. June 4, 2019. (UFV Flickr)
ternational Wine & Spirit Competition in London, England, propelling Mandl forward to achieving his dream of producing world-class wines in Okanagan Valley. The Okanagan Valley was recognized on the Pinot Noir world wine stage in 2013 when Mission Hill Family Estate won “Best Pinot Noir in the World” at the Decanter World Wine Awards. In 2015, CheckMate Artisanal Wineries Little Pawn Chardonnay was awarded a perfect 100-point score. “Have a dream, believe in it and in yourself, and then never let anyone take your dream from you,” Malt said during the convocation ceremony. “Always remember: what looks like a failure at the time is actually learning. There’s always a silver lining in something gone wrong.” Esi Edugyan At the convocation ceremony, Canadian novelist Esi Edugyan was awarded an honorary Doctor of Letters. Eric Davis, UFV provost and vice president academic, nominated Edugyan for the honorary degree. “Like an ideal university education, reading Esi Edugyan’s fiction is transformational,” Davis said at the convocation ceremony. “It extends the boundaries of our own experience, expands our powers of empathy, and connects us to those hugely unlike ourselves and ultimately, the whole of humanity.” Edugyan has twice been the recipient of the Giller Prize for Canadian literature, in 2018 for her novel Washington Black and 2011 for her novel Half-Blood Blues. She was nominated twice for the prestigious Man Booker Prize, and declared the Globe
Francis Horne Sr. May 10, 2019. (UFV Flickr)
and Mail’s 2018 artist of the year. “Your voice matters in the greater dialogue. In fact, it is downright necessary,” Edugyan said at the ceremony. “Speech, utterance, is the beginning of engagement and engagement is the only means we have to confirm and keep confirming our shared humanity, which can be too easily forgotten, especially in our current climate.” “This is the work that the arts can do, to emphasize and remind us of these human connections.” Francis Horne Sr. Coast Salish master carver Francis Horne Sr. received an honorary Doctor of Letters in recognition of his art and his dedication to helping and healing others. Horne started his career 50 years ago, and since then his work has been displayed in many Vancouver galleries and recognized in several publications on Northwest Coast Indigenous art. In addition to his carving, Horne has a passion for helping others and uses his own experience to help others heal and grow. Horne mentored clients at Vision Quest Recovery Society where he led groups on strenuous, therapeutic hikes, and currently advises Aboriginal patients at Fraser Health Authority. Horne has also taught the Indigenous carving certificate courses at UFV, where he led healing circles for the students in the carving course to help unburden themselves for the week ahead. Horne spoke at the convocation ceremony on his own healing journey of finding power in a waterfall at the advice he received in his youth from an elder. “Follow your dreams, listen to mother
John Jansen. June 4, 2019. (UFV Flickr)
earth, protect the water,” Horne said to the graduates. “We need, through the grads and through the people who are up-and-coming, to reinvent ourselves, to reinvent how this world works.” “Learn from mother earth; this is what I did. I learned how to heal. I learned how to love. I learned how to forgive.” John Jansen For his career accomplishments and lifetime service to the Fraser Valley community, John Jansen was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws. Jansen worked as a chartered professional accountant before being elected as a Chilliwack city councillor and then as mayor of Chilliwack in the ‘80s. After his time as mayor, Jansen was elected as an MLA, where he served as minister of international business and immigration, minister of finance, and minister of health. Today, Jansen is president of the Chilliwack Hospital Foundation, where he is working to complete a 35 million expansion of Chilliwack General Hospital. During his career Jansen has been involved in many significant community development projects, including the Chilliwack airport, the creation of Townsend Park and Exhibition Field Stadium, and recently the land purchase which allowed for the creation of Chilliwack’s Canada Education Park. “It’s been a privilege to service in so many different positions in our province,” Jansen said. “I feel so privileged and honored to be able to stand here and thank you so much for what you’re doing.”
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OPINION
opinion@ufvcascade.ca Carissa Wiens — Opinion Editor
VOL. 27 // ISSUE 15
Life //
Life //
Be a Giver
It’s not easy being greenwashed
A skeptic student’s guide to donating money
Pay attention to the label next time you’re shopping for something green; you may be getting duped CHANDY DANCEY Greenwashing is a term coined by environmentalist Jay Westerveld in his 1986 essay on the hotel industry. During a vacation he noticed a hotel placing signs to encourage their customers to reuse towels to save the environment, when in reality the hotel put little effort toward this goal; it was just a strategy to lower laundering costs.
“Companies also oversell the idea of recycling rather than reducing, which would hurt their number of sales.” Illustration by Kayt Hine
ANDREA SADOWSKI You’re a broke student; you’ve barely got enough money to put food in your own mouth, let alone try to feed other people — I get it. But hear me out. The habits you build now on how you spend your money are the same ones you’ll have once you’re making bank with that swanky job you’ll surely get once you’ve graduated. Building the habit of giving a small portion of your budget to worthy charitable causes makes you more invested in the cause and is potentially life changing to those in dire need. Are you skeptical of how charitable organizations really spend their donations? While it is necessary to conduct thorough research into how organizations spend their funds, do not let cynicism stop you from giving anything at all. In the ocean of charities screaming for your money, here are a handful of trustworthy organizations to get you thinking of where to start your giving journey. •
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Kiva: With a model that allows you to choose which women’s business you want to give a microloan to, this organization is a game changer. You can make a loan as small as $25 to Aidai to buy cattle for breeding in Kazakhstan, or to Akaneese who sells handmade jewelry in Samoa, or to Brenda who needs to buy inventory for her shoe store in Guatemala. There is a 96.9 per cent repayment rate among loans made through Kiva, so once your microloan has been repaid, you can choose who you want to give to next. Cyrus Centre: Located on Ware Street in Abbotsford, as well as Wellington Avenue in Chilliwack, The Cyrus Center provides medical attention, food, warm showers, and a place to sleep for homeless youth. There are a myriad of other services available at the centre as well, such as help with housing and employment, and mediation to reunite families. This incredible organi-
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zation is the reason why some vulnerable youth in Abbotsford are still alive today. Preemptive Love Coalition: Focusing on relief in the war-torn nations of Iraq and Syria, as well as job creation for refugees, this U.S.-based organization provides food, water, and medical care right on the frontlines. Committed to both crisis relief and long-term impact, every dollar spent is carefully tracked and reported. They are so transparent with their finances that you are able to view exactly where your money is going on their website, where they publish their financial statements. Run for Water: This locally founded organization holds yearly runs in both Abbotsford and Calgary to raise money to drill wells in the most rural communities of Ethiopia. 100 per cent of every dollar given goes directly to clean water projects which are managed entirely by Ethiopians. The communities receiving the wells raise 10 per cent of the total cost of the water project, and receive entrepreneurial training which helps them raise this money. These are just a few of the organizations I personally know to be honest and reputable. I would gladly sacrifice my Tim Hortons runs to be able to financially support their projects. In the end, you need to give to causes you are passionate about, whether it be an animal shelter, LBGTQ support centre, or sending underprivileged kids to summer camp.
Do your research before giving. If it’s a local organization, try visiting their centre to see what it does first hand. If it’s a larger organization, read or listen to interviews from its founders, staff, or the people they serve. If it’s a U.S. charity, look them up on Charity Navigator, a site that rates U.S. based non-profits. Don’t give up on giving to organizations just because you’re lazy and wary of trusting charitable organizations. There are so many worthy causes and amazing organizations you can give $10 a month to.
Today greenwashing has evolved and spread but at its core has remained the same. Greenwashing is the use of imagery and buzzwords to suggest a product or company is more environmentally friendly than they really are. A common example of this is the picturesque lakes and waterfalls on the packaging of water bottles next to claims of reducing waste with smaller plastic caps. They ease the conscious of well-intentioned consumers who don’t realize that, regardless, manufacturing of plastic water bottles releases greenhouse emissions and is all around bad for the planet. In the end, the strategies employed by companies who greenwash aim to drive profit and sales rather than save our planet and its resources. There are companies out there that genuinely want to make a difference or at least want to attract consumers by employing ethical and sustainable business practices. In order to identify these companies, it helps to become more aware of the industries you’re supporting. One way to recognize blatant greenwashing is to look out for unregulated, fluffy buzzwords. Clean, pure, and natural are descriptors that have no defined, inforced standards industries use to measure them, but they sure do sound ideal. Even the word organic can be used to deceive buyers since only agriculture products require the Canada Organic logo to show they’re regulated by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. This allows textiles, skin care, and cleaning products to fall through the cracks when it comes to organic regulation. Another telltale sign of greenwash-
ing is the lack of evidence available to back up the company’s claim, or if there is evidence, it’s vague. Nestlé will boast that their water comes from protected springs, but there’s nothing to elaborate on what that means. Amazon advertised that the implementation of “frustration-free” packaging in 2017 reduced their packaging waste by 16 per cent, but they didn’t state the actual volume of waste still produced. Companies also oversell the idea of recycling rather than reducing, which would hurt their number of sales. H&M is a fast fashion clothing brand with a garment recycling program; for every bag of textiles donated you’ll receive a discount to use in store. They use impressively high numbers to show how many tonnes of textiles they’ve collected for recycling in a given year but don’t detail what happens to the clothing once it leaves their warehouse. In fact, they might not know themselves. More often than not, recycling clothing is costly and difficult because they’re made of blended fibres that reduce the quality of recycled material and don’t break down easily. A major-
“The strategies employed by companies who greenwash aim to drive profit and sales rather than save our planet and its resources.” ity of the clothing collected from this program could end up in third world countries that buy them in bulk, where they’ll sit in landfills out of view from North American consumers. Ironically, H&M’s 2018 sustainability report also shows that in 2018 they themselves used only 1.4 per cent recycled material in the manufacturing of their garments. While there are laws in place to ensure companies make accurate claims about their products, greenwashing is a common and insidious practice. To stay on top, be on the lookout for empty buzzwords, vague claims lacking evidence, and the boasting of recycling rather than reducing. We all want to do our part to save the environment, but don’t let yourself be fooled by clever packaging and wistful imagery; be a friend to the planet by becoming more aware of who and what you support.
OPINION
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 12, 2019
Advice //
Editorial //
Hungry, hungry Dear Robin students EDITORIAL BOARD UFV is not known for its abundant food options at the best of times, but this summer, things will be especially dire for students spending a lot of time on campus, as it has been announced that the cafeteria will be closing for the summer. But even without the cafeteria, which is too highly priced for many to miss, the shortened hours and limited options at Timmies and Fairgrounds are nobody’s friend. The rationale behind eliminating cafeteria hours in summer is that there are fewer people on campus, and they’re spending less time here — nevermind students who work on campus, are studying for midterms or doing group projects, have evening classes, or live in Baker House. In reality, there are fewer students on campus in summer: in UFV’s 2017/18 year, there were 5,000 summer students versus the fall/ winter semester’s 11,000; so, about half. But does their presence — along with staff and faculty — not come into consideration? Director of Ancillary services Cameron Roy says there isn’t enough demand for Dana Services to make money, and when looking at other universities with better summer dining options, one wonders if it’s UFV’s model — specific stations that require an employee to be situated in each — that’s the problem. UVic’s food service employees work for the university itself, and while we can’t make a direct comparison because they have a higher summer population, especially in residences, their food services are extremely accessible; the main cafeteria, Mystic Market, is open until 7:00 p.m., and it doesn’t appear they’re los-
ing money from this arrangement. UBC has also reduced their own food services, but allows outside franchises such as Subway and Booster Juice, many of which are open for the summer. The UBC Okanagan campus has a similar student number to UFV, with around 10,000 students in 2017/18. They also reduce their hours, but still have a market open until 10 p.m. and multiple food options on campus, including six franchises and a cafe. Having said this, UFV obviously has a substantially lower amount of students per year when compared with UVic and UBC’s Vancouver campus, and the cost of remaining open for longer hours during the summer is undeniable. But when the campus is so far from other options (Sprouted Oven is 1.4 km, the nearest Subway is 3.6 km, and the nearest grocery store is 3.5 km) especially for students who don’t drive, something has to be worked out. It’s clear there are financial problems that come along with keeping a service available when there’s not enough demand; look at what happened with the Canoe, which closed in 2018 with a nearly $300,000 deficit. With nothing to replace it, the options on the Abbotsford campus have been reduced to the cafeteria, the newly opened Triple O’s, and a handful of cafes and coffee shops. The food options on the UFV campus are not in alignment with UFV’s hope to reduce the current on-campus commuter culture. If there are limited options on campus for students, then why would students remain on campus after their classes are done? The university is growing, and the food services are being left behind.
ROBIN HALPER Life is tough and confusing and weird. We all need help sometimes, and when you need an expert opinion, you turn to an expert opinion-giver like Robin Halper. Whatever problem you’re facing in life, Robin will have a solution. The Cascade cannot guarantee the effectiveness of Robin’s unique approach to life, but if you’re in a jam, get some advice by writing to halp@ ufvcascade.ca
there and saying something like, “Oh damn, what’s that smell? Do you smell that?” Then do your best to lead him to realize the stench of his ‘buch. Once he realizes that he’s been torturing you, he’ll hopefully offer many apologies and vow to scrape the shit off of his SCOBY or whatever is producing the smell. Robin Banana ‘nanas
Unsavory smells
Dear Robin,
Dear Robin,
Any tips for keeping bananas firm longer? Mine always get crazy mushy after just a couple of hours in my backpack and that’s just nasty. I gotta have my fruit, ya know, and I don’t want to eat it with a spoon out of the peel.
Lately my roommate’s kombucha smells so bad it’s hard to be in the kitchen, and I love being in the kitchen and taking time to cook my dinners. Now I quickly toss two pizza pops in the microwave and wait in my room while they heat up, then take my food back to my room to eat it there. Since I spend all my time in my bedroom my roommate thinks I’m avoiding him or mad at him, which is totally not true. Ugh, I don’t know what to do because he loves his ‘buch. Sincerely, Bummed in the basement Hey Bummed, Thanks for trusting me with this difficult topic. I find that those who are obsessed with their ‘buch are very sensitive about their ‘buch, so telling your roommate straight up that it smells bad would probably cause him to fall into a deep pit of depression. Let’s do our best to avoid that. I suggest you casually walk into the kitchen when he’s
TIA Mushed in the middle Hey hey, Firstly, I would like to thank you for not being a weirdo on keto who refuses to eat some goddamned fruit. Congrats on recognizing that bananas are yum. But yes, you’ve gotta keep them ripe as hell. Two suggestions here for you: eat it at the beginning of the day so it doesn’t bang around at the bottom of your bag all day, or get one of those baby straps you see all the young white moms in Abbotsford wearing and sling that banana against your chest so you can see it at all times. Both options are completely doable. Happy snacking. Robin
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OPINION
VOL. 27 // ISSUE 15
B.C. //
Return of the interurban New proposal for Surrey to Chilliwack light rail service
BURNABY VANCOUVER
SURREY CHILLIWACK
RICHMOND LANGLEY
ABBOTSFORD
Illustration by Kayt Hine
ALEISTER GWYNNE What if instead of braving traffic on Highway 1 or putting up with the discomforts of travelling by bus, you could take a train to get around the Fraser Valley. It sounds nice, but that is simply not the reality we live in. However, that may change in the near future. An advocacy group called South Fraser Community RAIL (SFCRAIL), which is championed by Bill Vander Zalm, former B.C. premier; James Taylor, UBC urban design program founder; and Rick Green, former Langley mayor, is petitioning to (re)create a passenger light rail network connecting the various communities of
“While Trinity Western University might be lucky enough to get their own station, none of the proposed or likely stops are anywhere near UFV campuses.” the Fraser Valley from Surrey to Chilliwack and linking them up with metro Vancouver’s Skytrain network. A similar passenger light rail system once operated in the Lower Mainland between 1910 and 1950. Their website claims the new interurban line would be environmentally friendly, cheap to construct, and would be of great benefit to commuters in the region. I have to admit, their message sounds appealing. Commuting by bus between Chilliwack and Vancouver takes about three hours one way and requires at least three exchanges, although there is talk of extending the 66 bus route to Lougheed Town Centre, which would reduce this. When I can, I much prefer going by the Skytrain than by bus. It is much faster
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and I never have to worry that my trip will be delayed because one person up the road had an accident. SFCRAIL proposes the use of hydrogen-powered multiple unit trains imported from Germany, so the proposed interurban would look and function much like the Skytrain, but run on the surface. The kicker of this plan is that it would make use of existing rail infrastructure, thus avoiding the expense and waiting with constructing new tracks as with Translink’s planned Skytrain extension to Langley. A 99 km span of track from the Pattullo Bridge to Chilliwack is already designated for use by passenger traffic at no cost from a 1988 agreement made by the provincial government, according to the SFCRAIL website. Despite SFCRAIL’s exuberant boosterism and often persuasive arguments, there are a few details they are unclear on, and certain wrinkles they gloss over. Many of the stops along the proposed route currently lack stations, or the existing ones are not equipped to handle passengers, so these at least would have to be built. One map on their website shows proposed stations for Huntingdon/Sumas, Yarrow, and Sardis, but another map omits them. Not only that, but the increased twoway train traffic may necessitate double tracking since much of the route is currently single track, and opportunities for trains to pass each other are few and far between, which could create delays. Canadian Pacific Rail, which owns the track, is obligated to pay for that expense according to the aforementioned 1988 agreement, but it would still take time. SFCRAIL claims their proposal will service several communities, businesses, and institutions, but many of those claims come with caveats. While Trinity Western University might be lucky enough to get their own station, none of the proposed or likely stops are anywhere near UFV campuses. While individual students and staff at UFV might benefit from this, UFV on the whole will not be affected by the rail system much
since lengthy travel by road will still be necessary. Despite these shaky foundations, I still think that it is an initiative worth supporting, and I want it to succeed. Even if it turns out to be no less expensive and time-consuming to construct than the Skytrain extension, we would still get more bang for the same buck because the new interurban railway would service more communities.
If you would like to hear SFCRAIL’s supporters and judge for yourself, you can do so right here at UFV. They will be holding a public petition in room B101 on Abbotsford campus on Tuesday, June 25 from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Other presentations will also be held at the Elements Casino in Cloverdale on Thursday, June 13 from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. and at Kinsmen Community Centre in Aldergrove on Tuesday, June 18 from 7:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
HOPS & HERITAGE
BRIEF BITS OF BITE-SIZED BREVITY
SN S AP HO TS
CURTAILED COMMENTARY ON CURRENT CONDITIONS
Illustrations by Simer Haer
Life lessons from a deceased chicken
A love letter to The Cascade For years I have sacrificed my free time, my sleeping hours, and sometimes my overall sanity for this paper. I have stressed and panicked, but I have also networked, learned relevant workplace skills, and built valuable working relationships that I wouldn’t have through any other means. Working with this organization has certainly helped shape my career goals, and has also given me the tools necessary to reach those goals. The creative and adaptive supplementary education that The Cascade offers to students exists on an
unprecedented level of worth. I encourage any aspiring professional at UFV, whatever your field is, to take advantage of this worthwhile resource. I will be forever grateful to the team that has been by my side and helped build up my confidence for the past two years. Alas, all good things must come to an end. Or rather, we all gotta graduate at some point. So, here at the end, I have one last quip to write: thank you writers, poets, and friends. You will all be dearly missed.
Cassie de Jong
While mowing the lawn recently, I came across a dead chicken that had been misplaced by one of our numerous resident eagles. The eagles sat in a tree over me with obvious disappointment as I extracted the now-confirmed deceased chicken from the jaws of the lawn mower. The entire event felt like one of those odd occurrences that should have a deeper meaning or life lesson attached to it. However, eagles and I have surprisingly little in common aside from our general shared disappointment for how the afternoon had turned out. I
don’t have claws, feathers, a taste for chicken, or the ability of flight. Eagles can’t operate a lawn mower, lack the thumbs to extract carcasses from underneath machinery, and lack the ability to reflect on the life lessons associated with carcass extraction after extracting said carcass from underneath the aforementioned machinery. After minutes of extensive thought, the only thing I could come up with was don’t leave your dinner in long grass, which I think is generally good advice for anyone.
Jessica Barclay
Pickled perfection Recently, I found myself in the Granville Island marketplace, swept up in the sea of patrons. There were some motivated, disciplined few determined in their search, bravely navigating the labyrinth with a single goal in mind; they knew what they wanted and they were going to get it, and I admire them for that. (They are what I could never be; I have no such focus.) The moment I set foot in the market I merely rode the tide, drifting among the crashing, roiling waves of people filling the narrow pathways, trying desperately not to be swept away while taking in as much of the experience as humanly possible. I
loved every minute of it. There is something deeply fantastical about the bustling market, and every time I venture there I find something new. Something exciting. This time, I found perfection. Pure, pickled perfection. Paradise preserved in brine: the most delicious pickled jalapenos I have ever had. Salt, spice, and a crunch so divine angels wept tears of briny joy. If I could subsist on one food alone, I would choose these. These perfectly pickled, pleasantly pizzazzy, petite piquante peppers.
Elyssa English
Mysterious peeing man Last week I was at home alone, chilling and doing work on my laptop, when suddenly I heard the doorbell ring. But instead of answering it, I decided I’d go and check the security cameras on the computer to see who was there. It was some man I didn't recognize, so I kept watching to see when he’d leave. He began to walk away from the door, but instead of heading back to his car, I watched in confusion as he walked around the side of our house and, uh, began to pee into our neighbour’s garden. I was, to say the least, shook.
Flabbergasted, you might say. Bewildered, even. He then left some mail at our door and left. Isn’t it strange how we live in an age where everything you think people can’t see might be being monitored? I wonder if anyone’s ever watched me on a camera and laughed at something embarrassing I’ve done. But in all honesty, I got a really good laugh out of the mysterious peeing man and I truly do wish him all the best.
Laurel Logan
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Photos by David Myles Article by Alexandra Johnson
Reconciliation and education in the community For the past four years, Abbotsford has been home to the unique Aboriginal Arts and Culture Day, which offers an opportunity for people in the community to get engaged and learn about important local history. This year’s event was hosted at Trethewey House Heritage Site in Abbotsford on Sunday, June 9. Event coordinator Tery Kozma envisioned this event four years ago, and with the help of her daughter and fellow event coordinator Tara-Lynn Kozma-Perrin has been able to make this event a success.
been slowly planting seeds each year, leading up to something where we can have these deep conversations with our community in a respectful and inclusive way,” said Kozma-Perrin. “This is the first year that we are actually able to provide people funding as to what [the artisans] would actually get paid if they went to an event. It’s all because of the grant we got from the missing and murdered Indigenous women and girl’s inquiry. Without them we wouldn’t be able to do what we are doing this year.”
“Realistically, there wasn’t a lot of opportunity for people to engage with the Indigenous community in a way that was comfortable for both parties,” said Kozma-Perrin.
This year’s Aboriginal Arts and Culture day welcomed families of survivors and those who have been affected, offering resources and hosting closed workshops, one of which, organized by Sacred Teachings, was called Living your Passions and focused on self-healing. Many other resources were available not only for these honoured guests, but also for others attending the event.
Aboriginal Arts and Culture Day offers a great educational opportunity for people in the community to get together and learn about one another. “It’s uncomfortable for anybody to walk into somebody else’s community or culture and ask questions; you don’t know what the proper protocol is either way, so that’s what we wanted to be able to provide,” said KozmaPerrin. Each year the coordinators pick an important topic for the event. This year’s topic was missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls, and survivors of the Sixties Scoop, where many Indigenous children were “scooped” from their homes and placed them in foster care. These important topics were chosen with great care and were based off the Canadian government’s recently published Reclaiming Power and Place: The Final Report on the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. The report illustrates Indigenous rights violations and the resulting violence against Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA people that continues to occur throughout Canada. “The Final Report [has] testimony from family members and survivors of violence [and speaks] about a surrounding context marked by multigenerational and intergenerational trauma and marginalization in the form of poverty, insecure housing or homelessness, and barriers to education, employment, health care, and cultural support,” the report states.
Kozma partnered with Heritage Abbotsford Society in 2018 and the event has been held at Trethewey
House ever since. Christina Reid, executive director of the Heritage Abbotsford Society, has been going to the event since its inception in 2015. In previous years Kozma held the event with the Abbotsford Arts Council at the Kariton Gallery, but as the event grew, there was a need for more space. When Kozma reached out to Reid in search of a new location, Reid knew this would be a good partnership. “Our mission statement is to be the memory of the community, and that’s supposed to be all of the community,” said Reid.
Kozma and Kozma-Perrin felt it was an important opportunity to engage in conversations with the community.
The first time they ran the event four years ago, with the spirit of reconciliation and education in mind, Kozma and Kozma-Perrin went door to door canvassing for artisans.
“Our topic is definitely heavier, but we have
“In the first year we were knocking on people’s
doors and going to all the reserves, the band office, and the friendship centres trying to find artisans and performers who basically wanted to come here for free,” said Kozma-Perrin. They didn’t have any funding in the first year and Kozma remembers spending $998 out of pocket to host the event. Since then they have gained many partners in the community who have come together to help put on the event. Kozma recognized Vancity for their support from day one, as well as many other local businesses who have pledged their support over the years, including Fraser Valley Regional Library, Abbotsford Community Foundation, The Windmill Deli, and Panago Pizza. Kozma-Perrin expressed her excitement in having the Aboriginal Genealogy Association and the First Nations Health Authority participate in this year’s event. The pre-event kickoff, Indigenous Performers Night, was hosted by the Abbotsford Arts Council on Saturday, June 8 and marked the start of a concert series they will be hosting throughout the summer in Mill Lake Park. Dakk’One, an Indigenous hip-hop artist from Saskatoon, performed along with Chris Silver, dance group Butterflies in Spirit, and Rudegang Entertainment. The Kariton Gallery is also currently presenting the Indigenous Awareness Art Exhibition which their website states is an opportunity for the Fraser Valley community to learn more about Indigenous culture and history. “We had a lot of wonderful artisans and performers that actually came and did it for free and have been with us since the beginning. It’s been wonderful to slowly get more grants so that we can actually pay artisans and performers what they deserve to be paid, so that we are actually giving back to the community,” said Kozma-Perrin. On Sunday, councillor Chris Silver of Sumas Nation, along with Pixie Wells, emceed the Aboriginal Arts and Culture Day. Performances included singing by Elder Kelly White of the Musqueam Nation, who has been gifted the women's warrior song. White sang in honour of the missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls. Other performances included Peter White, a traditional dancer from the Ktunaxa Nation. Many attendees wore the mark of a hand covering their mouth representing the topic of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls. “[The issue of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls] really bothered me … and how it’s
“It’s so cool to be able to have this information for people to access, and for Indigeneous and nonIndigenous to be able to come together and learn at the same time.”
been ignored and [now] there’s the inquiry … I really want to bring this to face in Abbotsford, because a lot of people don’t even know what it is. The hand over the mouth is an image for the people who didn’t get to speak,” said Kozma. Many important information booths were available, including one for the Aboriginal Genealogy Network. The network works with those who wish to find more information on their family history. Volunteers Agnes Giesbrecht and Lola Hawk have been working with the organization for years helping families learn more about their family tree. Their booth allowed visitors to look through the archives with the volunteers and see if they could connect some family ties together on site at the event. “A lot of folks who are dropping in are looking to either start their family search or enhance it [to] connect some more dots,” said Hawk. The First Nations Health Authority, who were also present, assist members of First Nations communities in accessing health care and aim to create accessible information and resources. Their community relations representative, James Delorme, had an abundance of information and fliers about the upcoming changes within health services for First Nations peoples. “Our goal is improved services, less wait times, less predeterminations, and a greater increase of services for First Nations clients,” said Delorme. Other booths were raising awareness for related social issues, one of which was Protect our People. The grassroots movement was co-founded by Dakota Bear and Casey Desjarlais. Bear said that the organization focuses on raising awareness and taking action against human trafficking within Canada. “A lot of people believe this happens internationally, but that’s human smuggling. [With] human trafficking, 95 per cent of the cases are actually within our own borders of our country,” said Bear.
Their research showed that there were 140 long lasting missing persons cases in Saskatchewan alone. They’re currently pushing toward a petition to implement mandatory health services training for human trafficking; the petition has around 16,000 signatures. Many other booths focused on educational components, centred around history and the arts. The artisan’s booths had everything from blankets, to tshirts, to other traditional artwork. Cowichan Coast Salish artist Darrel A. Thorne presented a series of contemporary Salish artworks. Other booths had everything from silver carving to natural traditional remedies. For many different vendors and people, the focus was on opening conversations and celebrating their arts and culture. “That’s really what it’s all about: how do we create these partnerships with everyone so we are all working toward the same goal, which is education and reconciliation,” said Kozma-Perrin. University of the Fraser Valley’s (UFV) resident Elder, Eddie Gardner, was at the event speaking for and supporting the Wild Salmons Defender’s Alliance, an organization that “strongly advocates for the removal of industrial open-net pen salmon farms from the migration routes of wild salmon in British Columbia.” Gardner’s role at UFV is primarily providing support for the Indigenous students who attend the university and providing spiritual guidance and information about the local Stó:lō culture. Gardner provides support for students inquiring about the Indian Residential School legacy, Indigenous rights and title, the United Nations Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous People, and other important issues. “I help orientate the Indigenous students to the sweat lodge or to find out more about the longhouse, or about the medicine wheel … sometimes the profes-
sors ask us to come in and talk as well about Indigenous history,” said Gardner. Throughout the day attendees also had the opportunity to participate in workshops, such as drummaking. The workshop held by Darren Charlie, a drum maker from the Sts’ailes Indian Band, allowed each person to learn about the process and ask questions about the drum’s purpose. Attendees were also able to get food and drinks and settle in to watch the performers. The Stó:lō Bannock truck was also a huge hit, along with Spirit Bear coffee. The main stage was home to many performers throughout the day, honouring guests and Elders in attendance. As the day came to a close, traditional dancer Peter White performed multiple dances, one known as “The Duck and Dive.” “This song, when I dance it out of respect for the Nez Perce people, I will ask you to rise and honour the soldiers that have fallen,” said White, in recognition of the 75th anniversary of D-Day. White travels and competes throughout the summer at various Pow Wows, and as he danced the audience was silent and respectful. White’s performance marked the end of the event as he moved into a “Round Dance,” which is a friendship dance that is performed during the winter in the Prairies where participants form a circle meant to represent friendship. Volunteers, attendees, and honorary guests joined hands and danced, and it seemed that the purpose of the event — community, education, and reconciliation — was embodied in the joining of hands. Honouring the coordinator and visionary behind this event, Silver presented Kozma with a ribbon skirt from the council. This wrapped up the event and thanks were given to everyone who attended. Events like this open communication pathways in the community by facilitating connections and providing an environment for people to ask questions in a safe and respectful way. “It’s so cool to be able to have this information for people to access, and for Indigeneous and non-Indigenous to be able to come together and learn at the same time,” said Kozma-Perrin.
Note:
Some of these events require tickets, most are on Facebook. If something catches your eye, take to the internet for more details.
Events Calendar
Community Event UFV Event Music Event
june
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National Indigenous Peoples Day @ Everywhere, All Day
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PNT Acrylics w/ Nan @ House of Fine Art (Abbotsford), 11:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
National Indigenous Peoples Day @ Evered Hall (Abbotsford Campus), 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Growth: Children & Youth Community Market @ Rail District Collective Inc. (Abbotsford) 4:00 - 8:00 p.m. SPCA Garden Purr-ty Social and Auction @ The Secret Garden at Woodbridge Ponds (Abbotsford), 5:00 - 9:00 p.m.
Art Event Cultural Event
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All Ages Punk Show @ Chilliwack Senior’s Recreation Centre, 6:00 - 11:00 p.m. Cousin Harley @ Tractorgrease Cafe (Chilliwack), 7:00 - 10:00 p.m.
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Army of Sass Chilliwack presents 90s Throwback @ Victory Church (Chilliwack), 7:30 - 9:00 p.m.
Brain Injury Awareness Walkathon 2019 @ Mill Lake Park Picnic Shelter (Abbotsford), 3:00 - 4:30 p.m.
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SippChai Cafe 2.0 Grand Opening @ SippChai Cafe, 33775 Essendene Ave (Abbotsford), 8:30 a.m. - 10:30 p.m. SippChai Grand Re-Opening @ SippChai Cafe, 11-31205 Maclure Rd (Abbotsford), 10:00 a.m. - 11:55 p.m. 28th Annual Old Car Sunday in the Park @ Fraser River Heritage Park, 10:00 a.m. Fraser Valley Comic & Collectable Show @ Matsqui Community Hall (Abbotsford), 11:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Calum Graham @ Tractorgrease Cafe (Chilliwack), 7:00 - 10:00 p.m. Stasis/Gutter King/Knocking At the Gates @ Carport Manor (Abbotsford), 7:00 - 11:00 p.m.
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Summer Fest at the Abbotsford Farm and Country Market @ Montrose Avenue (Abbotsford), 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Officer Trip Music Video Shoot w/ Myriad Of Whispers & Etheria @ Carport Manor (Abbotsford), 7:00 - 10:00 p.m.
Cecelia Reekie: My Journey of Truth & Reconciliation @ FVRL Clearbrook Library (Abbotsford), 1:00 - 2:00 p.m.
Stuttr|Alex Rake & The Leave|Media Slaves|Generation Why @ SippChai Cafe (Abbotsford), 8:00 p.m.
Cultus Lake Day @ Cultus Lake Park (Chilliwack), 8:30 a.m. - 10:30 p.m.
The Half A Dozen Dinner Series Vol. 3 @ Field House Farm (Abbotsford), 5:00 - 10:00 p.m.
Imagine the Possibilities: Outside! Geocaching! @ FVRL Chilliwack Library, 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
CR Avery & Naxx @ Tractorgrease Cafe (Chilliwack), 7:00 - 10:00 p.m.
Kellen Saip & Old Abbey Ales Beer Collab Release Party @ Old Abbey Ales (Abbotsford), 5:00 - 11:00 p.m.
Parking Lot Party 2.0 @ Old Yale Brewing (Chilliwack), 11:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Workshop: Succulent Picture Frame @ Devan Greenhouses Ltd. (Abbotsford), 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Hops & Heritage @ Chilliwack Museum and Archives, 7:00 - 10:00 p.m.
Gallery Night @ Ravens Brewing Company (Abbotsford), 6:00 - 9:00 p.m.
Other Side of the Trax - Summer School @ The Railyard (Mission), 8:00 p.m. - 1:00 a.m.
Father’s Day at Abbotsford Farm and Country Market @ Montrose Avenue (Abbotsford), 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Cambree Lovesy Band @ Kariton Art Gallery (Abbotsford), 7:00 - 9:00 p.m.
Iyengar Documentary Screening @ Cineplex Cinemas Abbotsford and VIP, 7:00 - 8:45 p.m.
Glow-ga @ Haven Yoga & Wellness (Abbotsford), 7:30 - 9:00 p.m.
Betty and the Kid @ Tractorgrease Cafe (Chilliwack), 7:00 - 10:00 p.m.
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PNT Watercolours w/Nan Newman @ House of Fine Art (Abbotsford), 12:30 - 2:30 p.m.
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Stories and Songs with Bruce Coughlan @ The Railyard (Mission), 8:00 - 11:00 p.m. Outdoor Vintage Market @ Royal Hotel Chilliwack, 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. Fortin’s Village Classic Car Show @ Downtown Chilliwack, 10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. Hard Charger, Chaos Disorder and Panic, Jonny Bones @ Carport Manor (Abbotsford), 7:00 - 10:30 p.m. Abbotsford Rally for RAIL with Bill Vander Zalm @ Room B101 (Abbotsford Campus) 7:00 - 8:30 p.m. Free Open Level Army of Sass Class @ Victory Church (Chilliwack), 7:00 - 8:30 p.m. Seamus Heffernan Ten Grand Launch Party & Reading @ Kariton Art Gallery (Abbotsford), 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. The Moonliters @ Kariton Art Gallery (Abbotsford), 7:00 - 9:00 p.m. Who Let The Dogs In? Read Aloud to Therapy Dogs @ FVRL Abbotsford Community Library (Abbotsford), 3:00 - 4:00 p.m.
CULTURE
culture@ufvcascade.ca CULTURE Cassie de Jong — Culture Editor
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 12, 2019
Community Spotlight //
Column //
Anida more drag in the Valley Cascade Kitchen: CHANDY DANCEY
Shane Stark, otherwise known as Anida Tythole, is a seasoned, local drag queen who hosts his own show, Tucked & Loaded, at The Stage in Mission. Stark works closely with local LGBT organizations, and has a wicked sense of humour. Stark was able to chat with The Cascade about life in the Valley as a local, entertainer, and student. How would you describe your style of drag and the local drag scene? I’m definitely more of a campier, comedy queen. I don’t like to do glamour, it’s not really my thing. I like to be more fun and out there. There are two different shows out here: there’s more classic glamour, old school drag ‒ usually music from the ‘80s, that type of stuff ‒ then there’s my show, where it’s more of a younger crowd. I try to do more current, trendy music and be a little more in-your-face, a little more shocking. What do you have going on right now for your charity work? The one organization that I work with mostly is the Fraser Valley Youth Society. It’s an organization that supports LGBT youth here in the Valley, and they run drop-in programs in Mission, Abbotsford, and Chilliwack. There are drop in programs that are LGBT [and ally] friendly. It’s just a safe, open place for young people to be themselves. There’s also staff who are there to support them … especially if they’re looking at their identity and they’re questioning who they are. They can link them to different programs, maybe in regard to transitioning or counselling programs. Do you think as a drag performer there’s an obligation to do more than just entertain? For me, wow, I love the entertainment value, but it also gives me the platform and the ability to re-
ally ... build a community out here. With the Fraser Valley Youth Society, I was able to really work with them, and now that program is growing. And I’m able to link different programs together, find other volunteers, help expand that organization. It’s kind of just a snowball effect. That’s what I love ‒ to see the community continue to grow. What do you think SUS or UFV can do to increase visibility of the queer community?
Easy breakfast potatoes Way more filling than soggy cereal
I do know they have one of the largest running clubs: the LGBT or Pride club. But it was actually one of the longest running programs at UFV. I was a part of that for a while, but it’s kind of fallen silent and no one’s stepped up to create events on campus. I did a drag show on campus. It was hugely successful, and it was really busy, but they only did it a few years and then it kind of fizzled, and no one stepped up to coordinate LGBT events recently. Which is a shame because, like I said, they used to. It definitely is a lot of work to put all these events together, but I do know that SUS is hiring a [Pride Commissioner]. That’s definitely a step in the right direction ‒ hiring someone to create these cool events on campus. And I think that’s the important thing: creating it on campus. What kind of advice do you have for queer, young adults in the Valley who haven’t found their tribe yet? Just start getting involved with a bunch of different organizations. There are all sorts of dropin programs. If you’re youth you can go to those Fraser Valley Youth programs. If you’re more of a young adult you can go to the drag shows. You can volunteer with the Fraser Valley Youth Society. From there you might be able to link with other people and really find your tribe. It’s all about getting involved. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Breakfast potatoes. June 10, 2019. (Andrea Sadowski)
ANDREA SADOWSKI The Cascade Kitchen is a student-run food column that brings you budgetfriendly recipes and cooking tips. Check back bi-weekly for something new to try in the kitchen, or if you want to see your own recipe featured next, get started by reaching out to culture@ufvcascade.ca. A healthy, filling, and super easy breakfast recipe to make if you have a slow morning at home and want to eat more than your usual toast or cereal. The best part is that the only dishes you will need to wash are your cutting board, knife, and baking pan. This recipe includes tempeh, and if you’re not on the tempeh train yet, let me tell you, you’re missing out! Tofu’s yummy cousin is made out of fermented soybeans, has a slightly nutty flavour, and is packed full of protein. You can usually find it in your local grocery store with the fake meats. This recipe was adapted from Thug Kitchen Party Grub. Ingredients: 2 russet potatoes 1 fist-sized sweet potato 8 oz. tempeh 1 large bell pepper ½ yellow onion ¼ cup vegetable broth or water 30 ml (2 tbsp) olive oil Juice of 1 lime 2 cloves garlic, minced 15 ml (1 tbsp) chilli powder 5 ml (1 tsp) paprika 2.5 ml (½ tsp) cumin 2.5 ml (½ tsp) salt Optional: shredded cheese, ketchup
Anida Tythole. 2018. (Josef Faber)
1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. 2. Chop the potatoes (with the skin still on) into chunks about the size of your thumbnail. Do the same for the bell pepper, onion, and tempeh. 3. Throw all the ingredients into a baking pan, making sure all the veggies are evenly coated with oil and spices. 4. Cover the pan with tinfoil and bake for 20 minutes, then take off the tinfoil and cook for another 25 minutes. 5. If you want to add cheese, grate it over top while it’s still hot from the oven. Serve with ketchup if you so desire.
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CULTURE
VOL. 27 // ISSUE 15
Community Event //
Local art, local stories 2019 Biennale showcases work of local artists in Chilliwack ALEISTER GWYNNE Chilliwack is currently hosting the fifth Fraser Valley Biennale. Established in 2011, the Biennale is an exhibition which displays the work of artists who live and work in the Fraser Valley. The exhibition moves to different cities periodically; the Chilliwack Cultural Centre is currently displaying small selection of the total works that have been curated by Adrienne Fast, curator of art and visual culture at The Reach Gallery Museum in Abbotsford. The exhibition tour will culminate in a showing of the collection in its totality at The Reach from October 2019 to January 2020. An opening reception was held on Saturday, June 8 at the Chilliwack Cultural Centre, during which some of the featured artists shared insights into their work. One of the artists was UFV’s own Chris Friesen. Friesen is a visual arts professor at UFV, as well as former president of the Abbotsford Arts Council. His work has been shown throughout western Canada, and he has helped establish the Fraser Valley arts scene. Friesen’s pair of acrylic landscape paintings on display are entitled Shepherd Resting and Paysanne Gardant une Vache au Bord de L’eau. The paintings are a technical exercise that emulate nineteenth century French landscape painter Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot, whose works often had fakes made of them, according to Friesen. However, Friesen incorporates his own style with distinct brushstrokes that show his technique, as well as adding specks of bright colour that make the image pop and sparkle, and a harmonious mixture of hard and blended lines. Paula Funk is a UFV alumni and academic advisor at the university, whose oil, acrylic, and gold leaf painting Novgorod is on display. The painting’s upper half shows semi-abstract architectural forms (mostly columns and other rounded shapes) against a gold background, while the lower half resembles a sheet of marble. Funk was not in attendance at the reception, but her pre-written comments shed light on this work. “A prolonged housing search recently motivated my artistic consideration of architecture,
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access, and visual form,” Funk wrote. “In this invented place, functionality doesn’t have to be a primary concern, and curvilinear, organic forms replace the monotonous boxes and angles in which we typically live and work.” Another notable, local painter whose work is shown is Sharon Huget. Her painting Pillars of Sand was inspired by human structures, especially ancient ones that have stood the test of time. Pillars of Sand shows structures, all in sepia tones, against a murky background. The buildings both appear to be rising up and out from the surrounding gloom and dissolving into it, reflecting the themes of change and transformation which inspired the piece. Perhaps the most poignant work in the exhibit is Voyage 2, a painting by Qahraman Yousif. Yousif is a Kurdish Syrian who was imprisoned for six months in 1992 for speaking out in favour of democratic reform in Syria. What at first glance appears to be a simple display of colour and shape tells “a visual language” which, in Yousif’s words, reveal details that are “sharp and painful” upon closer inspection. Looking closer, one notices the razor blades with trickles of paint flowing upward, each of which is in the colours red, green, and yellow, colours Yousif was forbidden to use next to each other during his imprisonment due to their use in the Kurdish flag. Another subtle symbol is the painting’s dimensions, 160 cm x 160 cm, which represent the confined space he was forced to live in during his incarceration. Non-painting works exhibited include Believing is Believing by David Evans, a three paneled photograph display and accompanying text examining the nature of belief. Box Patterns by Karlie Norrish McChesney includes both origami box models and their templates presented on textile squares. A pair of digital tapestries by Krista Kilvert are a marriage between digital photography and textile arts. The exhibit also includes other examples of painting, photography, and sculpture. The Biennale artworks will be on display in the O’Connor Group Gallery within the Chilliwack Cultural Centre until Saturday, June 29.
Community Event //
Making waves with Indigenous art at the Kariton Art Gallery CHANDY DANCEY
Saturday, June 1 marked the opening of the Indigenous Awareness Exhibition presented by the Abbotsford Arts Council at the Kariton Art Gallery. The Kariton’s small quarters offered an intimate experience with the collection of Indigenous art on display that ranged from wooden masks to painted canvas to handmade regalia. The exhibition provided an opportunity for Indigenous artists to showcase their work and enrich the local community with their culture and history.
“The Indigenous Awareness Exhibition served as an intimate space to welcome the community to an ongoing conversation concerning Indigenous history and traditions.” The event began with a short ceremony featuring drumming and singing to welcome the crowd. The energy of the evening was laid back and gallery goers were able to mingle with the artists. Pieces which stood out included Peter Gong’s Sasquatch Mask, featuring articulate, outstretched hands and horsehair, and Moon Mask, representing the four directions and seasons as faces with abalone inlays. Both masks were carved from red cedar wood. Steven Sasiadek’s framed prints also offered brightly coloured representations of Thunderbird and Sisiutl, legendary creatures in Pacific Northwest Indigenous storytelling. Representing his art physically, Sta’ya’akin (pronounced [sch-aya-kin], meaning a person who doesn’t leave tracks) displayed a breathtaking, handmade ensemble of moccasins, head piece, robe, and staff. His outfit symbolized his entire family history complete with deaths, adoptions, and divorces; the unapologetic openness displayed by Sta’ya’akin was both touching and refreshing. He welcomed anyone to look through a personal photo album showing traditional clothing made by him and his sons and which featured memories of his late father. During his introduction he spoke on how he felt called to do community work and connect people with Indigenous culture; a personal mantra of his is to “show up.”
“I’ve been in quite a few places where people were passing from cancer. I was brought in to sing songs to them in hospitals; I’ve been brought into hospices. For such a young man I was told I have a really old spirit [and] that’s why I’m called into these places… I don’t powwow; I don’t dance openly in ceremonies like that. I’ve been taught to go to these places where I’m really called to share our culture and bring it back to our people,” Sta’ya’akin said. Another artist present was Jo-Ann Lindahl, representing her acrylic paintings from a series she calls Through the Trees: Reflections and Reconciliation. Two of them followed a theme where they balanced the duality of monochrome, Indigenous women set against colourful backgrounds. While discussing her work, she shared her artistic process and what inspired her. “I was really into old photographs of Indigenous females. I was searching the internet for the last couple years looking at pictures ... and this one particular image spoke to me. She’s also a Blackfoot woman, and that’s where my ancestry comes from. It was the oldest photo I could find. To think that that’s maybe a distant relative of mine was really powerful to me,” Lindahl said. All of Lindahl’s pieces featured vivid backgrounds of flat, thickly outlined blocks of colour which contrasted with the realistic human centerpieces. Lindahl spoke about the symbolism behind this and how she wields colour to represent Indigenous history. “The bright colours in the background are meant to symbolize stained glass windows from the [Catholic] church because of the involvement of the church in residential schools. This series is a play on realistic, black and white images from history juxtaposed on the really bright, cheery, happy colours of stained glass windows because we know that the legacy of residential schools was not bright, happy, and cheery,” Lindahl said. While some museums are expansive and encourage viewers to experience the art alone, the Indigenous Awareness Exhibition at the Kariton served as an intimate space that welcomed the community to an ongoing conversation concerning Indigenous history and traditions. The Indigenous artists showcased the beauty and significance of their work to the local art dialogue. The Kariton Art Gallery’s visiting hours are 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, with Saturday hours subject to change. This exhibition will be on display until June 25, 2019.
Kariton Art Gallery. June 6, 2019. (Chandy Dancey)
sports@ufvcascade.ca CULTURE The Cascade — Sports Editor
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 12, 2019
SPORTS
Golf //
UFV loses to UBC at national golf championship
UFV men’s golf team rally to place fourth at the Canadian University/College Championship ALEX JESUS If winning a championship is difficult, winning multiple championships is even more difficult. Fans certainly learned this when the UFV men’s golf team finished fourth in their 2019 Canadian University/College Championship run. Simply put, it’s tough to stay the champ in the world of sports. The Cascades men’s golf team won last year’s tournament championship by 17 strokes, so they knew what it would take to win another one. This year it was the UBC Thunderbirds who finished the tournament as champs, after tying the Western Mustangs at -11 and having to rally for a playoff victory. UBC also won the women’s team category, going +51, just beating La-
Zach Olson. Sept. 30, 2018. (UFV Athletics)
val who finished at +52. The roster was highlighted by Wyatt Brook, who finished in the top ten individually at -2. UFV also had a women’s individual competitor who put forth a valiant effort: Emery Bardock finished sixteenth for UFV in the women’s individual category of the tournament. The men’s individual crown was fought for by two teammates, Charles Fitzsimmons and Jackson Bowery, who were tied at -8 before Fitzsimmons won in a playoff. The women’s individual winner was Sarah Dunning from the Guelph Gryphons, who finished +10. For the Cascades, though victory eluded them in 2019, the lessons learned will be valuable. Head coach Chris Bertram spoke to UFV athletics regarding the team’s performance. “We’re disappointed we didn’t close it out today, but sometimes that’s just the way golf goes,” Bertram said. “On the bright side, we’ve got a very talented group of players returning next year who will learn from this and be better next time.” For most sports, not making the podium is a devastating reflection of missed opportunities, but for golf, it happens more often. A rough stretch or a missed shot can set a player back a long way, especially if another golfer happens to have a fantastic round. In a game of peaks and valleys, the UFV Cascades have very little to feel bad about. Though they could not repeat as champions, next year begins all over again the quest for the crown they so badly want returned to them, as well as the individual titles the Cascades are capable of winning.
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STUDY BREAK Crossword //
VOL. 27 // ISSUE 15 Made by Cassie de Jong
ACROSS
DOWN
1: A fall festival in Germany, usually featuring copious amounts of beer drinking.
1: English rock band known for hit song Wonderwall.
3: An electronic musical instrument, producing a wide variety of sounds, typically operated by a keyboard.
2: A candy made with pecans and caramel dipped in chocolate, with a shape resembling a certain reptile.
6: A natural substance typically obtained by distillation and having the characteristic fragrance of a plant or other source. 8: A disorder of movement, muscle tone, or posture is caused by damage to an immature, developing brain. 11: A civilian who searches for criminals in exchange for a reward. 14: A complex of ganglia and radiating nerves of the sympathetic system, located at the pit of the stomach.
Horoscopes //
Taurus — Apr 20 to May 20 Make sure any ideas you’re trying to communicate come across crystal clear by practicing self restraint. People will be more open to your plans if you avoid hypocrisy. Unfortunately, this means you might have to cut back on your indulgent behaviour. In this case, practicality needs to take precedence over frivolity. Gemini — May 21 to Jun 20 With Venus having entered your sign this past Sunday, you may feel more inclined to a more lavish lifestyle. Try to stay true to your own wants, rather than the wants of those around you. While you should be wary of appearing self-centred, there’s nothing wrong with thinking about yourself first.
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Cancer —Jun 21 to Jul 22 You may not be one for trail blazing, but this doesn’t mean you can’t take the lead once in a while. With the sun still in Gemini but approaching Cancer, having meaningful conversations may be easier than ever. You’ll have more luck if you’re the one jumpstarting them; don’t be afraid to be the catalyst.
7: A country in Western Europe known for its “boot-like” shape. 9: The official residence or offices of an ambassador.
LAST ISSUE’S
10: To append or add as an extra or subordinate part, especially in regard to a document.
Across: 1: Periodic Table 5: Emergency Exit 7: Chess 9: Zebra 10: Rhyme 12: Incommunicado 13: Neighbourhood
12: The address of a World Wide Web page.
Down: 1: Paediatrician 2: Rheology 3: Organize 4: Extension Cord 6: Etch 7: Cavalier 8: Eldorado 11: Memo
Astrological mysteries interpreted weekly by Morgana the Mystic
Aries — Mar 21 to Apr 19 Oftentimes you have no issue with making a snap decision, but be wary of seeing things in strictly black-and-white terms this week. Chances are you will need to consider multiple options before settling on a solution. This might take some getting used to, but whether you like it or not, Gemini season is about seeing both sides.
5: An establishment which houses a collection of wild animals for study, conservation, or display for the public.
15: Capital city of the Northwest Territories.
ANSWERS:
Cascade Calamities
4: The daughter of one’s brother or sister.
13: To happen or occur afterward or as a result.
Illustration by Elyssa English
Leo — Jul 23 to Aug 22 Technically, June is only the year’s halfway point, but that doesn’t mean you can’t seek reinvention. This week will provide you with the opportunity to confront any restlessness you may be experiencing. You don’t have to wait until January to make resolutions; any time is a good time to bring about change.
Sagittarius — Nov 22 to Dec 21 Picking up where you left off can be hard when you leave most situations with a lot of loose ends. Try not to get things too tangled up if you decide to pursue what was once long-lost. Be sure to keep a clear understanding of what qualifies as the “past” and what qualifies as the “present” — and prioritize the latter
Virgo —Aug 23 to Sep 22 Your default setting is “stressed” and unfortunately that’s not going to change any time soon. You often use your anxiety as a backup generator, providing motivation via fear of failure. This nervous energy might be abundant, but it’s no good in the long run. Consider alternative methods for tapping into your potential.
Capricorn — Dec 22 to Jan 19 You might be feeling as if you’re being pulled in one too many directions. Your habit of dedicating yourself to every cause that crosses your path is admirable but inefficient. Your talents could be better utilized if you stick to one thing at a time. Or, at the least, consider only tackling half of the countless things you want to accomplish this week.
Libra — Sep 23 to Oct 22 Your indecisiveness has finally caught up with you, Libra. It leaves you in an awkward state as you try to figure out where to go from here. Tread carefully and be cautious when trying to move forward. Consider the fact that there can be more than one way to reach the same destination.
Aquarius — Jan 20 to Feb 18 You draw attention but you don’t seek it, Aquarius. At least not usually. June will provide you with a unique opportunity to follow the spotlight, rather than have it follow you. Don’t mistake this for insecurity; you’re simply realizing that you deserve to have your talents recognized.
Scorpio — Oct 23 to Nov 21 Not everyone understands that you can be the life of the party, and that’s their loss. Don’t let others convince you that you’re not fun to be around. Just because they refuse to acknowledge your unique charm, doesn’t mean that the people close to you can’t. Revel in the fact that you bring something new to the table.
Pisces — Feb 19 to Mar 20 Your personal life may have been thrown into disarray lately, but this is no reason to shut yourself off from others. Introversion won’t inspire introspection. You’ll need others’ input on how best to proceed and delaying their involvement will only create more problems. Building a wall around yourself will not foster security.
arts@ufvcascade.ca Martin Castro — Arts Editor
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 12, 2018
ARTS
Local //
Seamus Heffernan on inspiration, killing your darlings, and his second novel, Ten Grand
CAT FRIESEN Seamus Heffernan has been a lot of things: journalist, student, teacher, politician, and, as of last year, professional writer when his first novel, Napalm Hearts, was published under Crooked Cat Books. Now, just over a year later, Heffernan continues his writing career with Ten Grand, picking up where Napalm Hearts left off, following Thaddeus Grayle, a London-based private eye, as he navigates his newest case. As one would hope for with crime fiction — and much like Heffernan himself — Ten Grand is brisk and lively, not leaving room for lingering descriptions or subsidiary side plots. “The book’s prose style is very fast pace. There's a lot of dialogue, it’s very clipped and there’s a lot of talking back
and forth to move things along … I'm not really great at meandering passages, these huge drawn out descriptions. I like books that are really tight and where passages keep moving very quickly.” His fast-paced tempo is what lends the novel its energy, but Heffernan’s precise writing style helps too; if a scene meanders or strays from the end goal, it gets cut. There’s no mercy in editing, especially when the objective for the final product is a tight, meticulously crafted narrative intended to barrel along. “You can't allow yourself to get married to even the stuff that you really like in your book if it's not telling you something about the characters or moving the story along.” Despite this, Heffernan wants to give Thaddeus Grayle, as well as other characters, the space to unfold into dynamic individuals.
“I want to see them grow a little bit and you can't do that unless you give them the time and the pace to express themselves, to give themselves direction.” Regardless of the fact that Heffernan has now written two novels, he’s not immune to the hurdles writers face. Like anything else, there are challenges that need navigating; motivation, time constraints, and indecision cluttering the mind. But he also knows these challenges won’t impede him for long. “As long as I knew what the scene was trying to accomplish, how it was going to progress the story, I could get through it.” Like any other writer, Heffernan is not immune to self-doubt either, but he doesn’t let it stop him. “There'll always be things you want to change. If you had an unlimited amount of time, an unlimited amount of resourc-
es, you'd be noodling away until the end of days.” After completing Ten Grand, Heffernan has a wealth of knowledge to share with other writers: kill your darlings, treat writing like your job, learn to accept praise from yourself and others, and learn when to put the pen down and let the editors do their job. However, his most notable piece of advice is this: “Lots of people say ‘I love to write, but I'm waiting to be inspired,’ which is the single worst thing that you can ever do. If you’re sitting around waiting for lightning to strike, you're going to be very, very, very disappointed.” Ten Grand will be released on Tuesday, June 18 on Amazon, Barnes and Noble online, and at local bookstores. The launch party will be held at 6 p.m. on Friday, June 27 at the Kariton Art Gallery.
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VOL. 27 // ISSUE 15
Movie //
Camp: Notes on Aladdin CHARTS 1 Blessed Salt
2 Kristin Witko
Zone Of Exclusion
3 Dumb
Club Nites
4
Mac DeMarco Here Comes The Cowboy
5
Fet.Nat Le Mal
6 7 8
Fear of commitment holds back Disney’s latest live-action remake
SHUFFLE AARON LEVY
JORTS ENTHUSIAST
CIVL Station Manager resisted the urge to submit a shuffle from Toronto prior to the Raptors’ game five close-out opportunity at home, and he’s lucky that he waited to get home to Shabby to do so, because if he’d gone with his predictions before the game, he’d’ve been...
“Dead Wrong” - Cancer Bats
Great Canadian band from the great Canadian Shield, perhaps most well known for Lydia Ainsworth their inclusion in one of the Phantom Forest NHL 2K games, or something, and then of course their brilSigh liant trash cover of the BeasImages tie Boys’ “Sabotage.” I won’t be mistaken about the series, Nice Apple though. Kings of the North, fiThis Time Nice Apple is nally. Auto-Cathecting
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Black Mountain Destroyer
“Long December” Counting Crows
-
It may not be Hollywood, but the velociraptors will be bedCrowd Control / Low Tide ding down in SoCal one more time for the final game. Oakland is to host Oracle, and I’m WUT pretty sure it’s B.C. representDemo ing with the now legendary “Let’s go, Raptors” chants by Bill Callahan the Bay. My brother lived in Shepherd in a Sheepskin San Francisco for a few years Vest and also bought this record.
10 Brutal Poodle 11 12
13 Thrash la Reine
La foi, la loi, la croix
14 mbbaker
“Too Much” - Carly Rae Jepsen
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future star Kiss the Mirror (Single)
16
Primp Mother Loose
I almost extended my trip so I could stay to watch the team finally bring home the bacon, but ultimately, I think that might have been “too much” for my little North Toronto ticker to take at this point.
17 Cate Le Bon
“Jurassic Park” - Weird Al Yankovic
Moon River
Reward
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House Wind Locusts Make Honey: Melodies For Prepared Guitar
19 Olympic Girls Tiny Ruins
20 Injury Reserve Injury Reserve
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You know, I was there, in the dark, mere moments before saviour Masai Ujiri took his now famous walk through notorious Jurassic Park, named, like this song, after the film that so captivated our imagination on the year we dared to dream of NBA supremacy by the Lake of Onterrible.
MIKAELA COLLINS In this remake of the 1992 animated Aladdin, Disney has largely eschewed the Arabian pretense of the original; to say that the aesthetic of the film is Bollywood-inspired is an understatement, and it’s a natural choice. Aladdin’s plot — the noble thief masquerading as a prince with the use of a genie’s magic in order to marry the princess — is not only in line with conventions of Bollywood films, like the influence of higher powers and neatly tied-up happy endings, but it also relies on an opulence that, to Western viewers, seems to come standard with Bollywood films. Resplendent costumes, throngs of extras, and displays of wealth are all staples of the type of spectacle that dominated Western cinema before stunt films and science fiction took over. Those earlier hallmarks are now seen as gauche, but the remake’s “Prince Ali” number, for example, bears some similarity to the seduction of Mark Antony scene in DeMille’s 1934 masterpiece, Cleopatra. In this scene, women dressed as mermaids and leopards offer Antony diamonds, and when Cleopatra and Antony finally lay down together on her chaise, a few dozen extras pull billowing curtains, flower garlands, and palm fronds coyly in front of them. It is the epitome of camp: an assault on the ideas of taste and restraint, presented palatably in
the form of cinematic spectacle. Camp has recently come somewhat into the mainstream, to the extent of being this year’s Met Gala theme. And, in as much as it would be possible for a multi-billion dollar conglomerate to do anything and have it be camp, timing and content made Aladdin the perfect opportunity for Disney to commit to a huge, melodramatic spectacular, making a live-action remake into something new, motivated, and worthwhile. Disney could have done that. They didn’t. The parts where director Guy Ritchie flexes his stylistic muscles on a few fun shots, and where the Bollywood influence is strongest (and where Will Smith is able to perform unencumbered by sluggish CG) are the best. They have energy, vitality, and a sense of fun that was present in the original but which the remake largely lacks. In this version, the acting and staging, and even the cinematography always feel restrained, and that stands in sharp opposition to the bright, almost too intricate visual matter of the film. The campiest elements of the original are also downplayed. Camp has been primarily brought into the mainstream by queer people, but campiness has also been used insidiously by the mainstream itself; Disney has a long history of queer-coded villains, and Jafar was among the most slithery and effeminate. As problematic as this was, it — including Iago, the sniping, put-
upon animal sidekick — was ultimately what made Jafar so delightful to watch. Disney has tried to replace the queer-coding with a generic not-very-tragic backstory, and Iago is just a regular parrot. It’s possible that Disney saw live-action as a more appropriate medium to make a “straighter” villain without the comedic relief, but it’s just left Jafar without any personality to back up his evilness. The rest of the movie is unsurprisingly unmotivated, with a few insignificant plot changes made to modernize some problematic tropes. This is fine, but if anyone thought of a way to make those changes better suit the movie at the same time, it didn’t stick. In Aladdin, Disney has adopted the aesthetics of camp and the Bollywood film, but failed to engage with the conventions necessary to make the aesthetic work, which all boil down to sincerity, unselfconsciousness, and willingness to be whimsical. This fear of commitment to the unrealistic is maybe exemplified by how, instead of remaining a powerful genie after being freed, Will Smith’s genie turns into a human. Where the framework was laid for something fanciful to be left open, it was instead closed off and made mundane. The new Aladdin is the Prince Ali to the original Aladdin’s Aladdin; showy and schlocky, but ultimately, not good enough to warrant being its own thing.
ARTS
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 12, 2019
Album //
Rammstein offers up Germany, warts and all Rammstein releases self-titled album DARIEN JOHNSEN Rammstein released their seventh studio album on May 17. Their first release in ten years, the self-titled Rammstein gives listeners something to chew on and has managed to stir up a bit of controversy in the process. The German band has been making waves since the release of their 1997 debut Herzeleid, sparking the creation of an entirely new genre for themselves: Neue Deutsche Härte, which translates as New German Hard and combines elements of electro-industrial and groove metal, or in layman's terms, dance metal. “Deutschland” starts the album off, opening with lyrics “du hast,” a nod to their 1997 hit of the same title. The music video for this track really blew me away; it’s packed with German history, from AD 16 during battles with Rome, to the holocaust (the inclusion of which is apperantly causing lot of controversy), to the Berlin Wall, and interestingly features black German actress Ruby Commey as Germania, birthing Germany’s future. It was so packed with German history, in fact, that a doctor of literature and language from Oxford University dissected each event in the video in a recent article from music magazine Metal Hammer. The lyrics suggest a battle within German citizens to love their
country despite its troublesome past. “Puppe” is quite literally jaw-dropping. Leader singer Till Lindemann spits distress, with vocals so gritty and raw it left me with goosebumps and is definitely my favourite track. “Ausländer” translates as “f o r e i g n e r s ” and is a super catchy and electro-heavy track, but the music video has stirred up backlash. It features Africans in traditional garb welcoming and partying with members of Rammstein, who are dressed up as European colonizers. It sneaks in images referring to the impact colonizers left in Africa, such as a Catholic priest sternly lecturing some African children, teaching them his language. Eventually the band get back onto their boat,
leaving behind a bunch of blonde-haired children. The chorus is sung in several different (Western) languages: Mi amor / mon chéri / Ausländer (Ausländer) / ciao, ragazza, take a chance on me.” The song seems to be about having one night stands in different parts of the world, a critique on colon ialism, taking what’s wanted from a land, and then leaving: “I am not a man for one night / I will not stay more than one, two hours / before the sun laughs again / I have already disappeared / and continue my rounds.” This music video has stirred up some controversy, but interestingly enough not as much as the “Deutschland” video. This is a well-structured and obviously well-funded production that balances so-
cial and personal commentary. The first five tracks are really fast and catchy. “Was Ich Liebe” marks the turn into the sad, disillusioned love ballads “Diament” and “Weit Weg.” But the album only briefly slows down here; “Tattoo” and “Halloman” pick up the pace again with haunting melodies over heavy riffs. The album doesn’t take itself too seriously though. A lot of it is really danceable and fun, featuring a four/four rhythm, heavy synth bass, and chantable lyrics. That being said, it’s still packed full of depth, history, and valuable social commentary on organized religion, feminism, colonialism, and Germany’s troubled history. It paints a picture of disenchantment within the self and within the context of being a citizen of a country with a colonial and unsavory past. Rammstein really aren’t straightforward. They push buttons, but also provide a suggested commentary on something problematic in society, leaving the listener with questions and giving people something meaningful to talk about. (Although, interestingly, Rammstein has disabled comments on all their YouTube videos.) Clearly, after ten years, the passion has been reignited for this band and I’m looking forward to seeing what comes next. For now, this album is definitely going to be on repeat for a while.
Movie //
John Wick Chapter 3 - Parabellum: Wick continues to kick ass KAREN WHITE The John Wick series are the hit action films to see. The first one came out in 2014 and, since then, moviegoers eagerly look forward to the next one. Each film is filled with violent fight scenes choreographed with incredible, highly skilled martial arts. The third installment, Parabellum, is no different. The title itself means to prepare for war. Parabellum takes over where the second film left off. John Wick, portrayed by Keanu Reeves, is wounded and wandering the streets of New York. The clock is ticking with only a few minutes to spare until Wick is excommunicated by his former employers, the High Table, a council of 12 crime lords running an underground organization, and a 14 million dollar bounty is placed on his head. Wick seeks medical attention from his friend The Doctor, but time runs out while the Doctor is halfway through stitching up Wick, so Wick has to finish as The Doctor uses body language to help Wick find the right tools. The Doctor then has Wick shoot him twice so it appears he had no choice but to help.
After leaving The Doctor, Wick seeks help from The Director, portrayed by Anjelica Huston. Wick uses his birthright to convince her to help transport him to Casablanca, where we are introduced to Sofia, portrayed by Halle Berry. This is the weakest scene in the movie but it does
play on what the first film introduced (the hatred and vengeance that began the whole series). Sofia takes Wick to her old boss Berrada, portrayed by Jerome Flynn (who we all know as Bronn from Game of Thrones). A fight breaks out after Berrada shoots one of Sofia’s highly trained attack
dogs. This fight sequence has Wick scurrying around avoiding being shot, which seems rather basic for a man who can kill a person with just a pencil. In John Wick Chapter 3 — Parabellum we are shown a whole new level of fight sequences. The first jaw-dropping fight scene is when Wick defeats a seven-foot assassin with just a library book. He is then chased by motorcycles while on horseback which eventually leads him to a bloody showdown in a room filled with antique weapons. In one of the last fight scenes of the film, Wick challenges one of the High Table’s top assassins in a room completely filled with glass. The director, Chad Stahelski, and his stunt team did an amazing job at creating rhythmic movement and matching it with raw, gory combat. The series excels at depicting high-stake onscreen combat but Parabellum lacks in storytelling in certain areas. Despite this, the John Wick films are fun films that don’t carry a lot outside of the realm of action, but are always entertaining to watch. The series is slated to continue with John Wick: Chapter 4 in May 2021.
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