Vol. 21 Issue. 7
www.ufvcascade.ca
February 27 to March 5, 2013
TRIUMPH!
Taking a ride on the magic school bus since 1993
UFV women’s varsity basketball team makes it to the CIS semifinals with a series win under their belt.
p. 10-11
Airsoft gun finds its way into UFV classroom p. 3
SUS candidate statements for your perusal p. 6-8
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WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2013
INSIDE THIS WEEK’S ISSUE Opinion
News
Arts & Life
Sports & Health
Good quinoa, bad quinoa
The blunders of My Safe Ride Home
Oh, the places you’ll go!
Post-season paradise!
“Keen-wa” – the responsible grain with upsetting repercussions. Popular in North America, the grain has become too expensive for the native peoples of the Andes where it’s grown. Could the prairies hold the solution? Griffy Vigneron talks to Canada Research Chair Lenore Newman to find out.
Bad business, bad math: learn the facts and fiction of SUS’s My Safe Ride Home program, and why it should really be getting your goat. If Paul Esau’s cat can understand SUS’s many blunders, so can you.
As Dr. Seuss said, “the more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go!” Amy Van Veen writes about what Dr. Seuss meant to you then, and what he means to us now.
Forget the Oscars – four Cascades teams were in the playoffs last weekend! Emad Agahi has your volleyball coverage and Jasper Moedt talks shop about both basketball teams as three out of four squads advance to the next round.
pg. 5
pg. 13
EDITORIAL
pg. 16
pg. 10-11
Why I’m voting yes on the SUS transit referendum Nick Ubels THE CASCADE
Public transit in the Fraser Valley is pretty lacklustre. We’re put to shame by other cities’ vast and frequently-running networks of buses, trams and subways. One of the biggest reasons for this is something the average person who isn’t a city planner can’t help: urban and suburban sprawl. We take up a lot of space for not a lot of people or things. I live in Surrey so I drive to school. There’s no realistic public transportation option that will reliably get me on campus and back in less than two or three hours, especially if I’m taking any night classes or it’s another late production night at The Cascade. It’s an expensive and time-consuming practice, but short of a private shuttle or inexpensive light rail system, it’s the only option that will get me here when I need to be. UFV’s largest campuses are situated in two cities separated by 25 minutes of highway and no regular transit between the two. Despite years of advocacy and campaigning, there’s no solid evidence of a public bus route filling this need anytime soon. That’s where UFV SUS has stepped up. The board of directors has put forward a plan for a regular private shuttle between the Chilliwack and Abbotsford campus. Between March 1 and March 8, UFV students will have the chance to decide by online vote whether they would like to implement such a service starting in
the fall semester. The details have been discussed in these pages before, but here’s a quick recap: The shuttle will run between Chilliwack and Abbotsford 1012 times per day from 6:30 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., meaning that late night classes will be covered. It will be open to UFV students, staff and faculty. Finally, a “yes” vote will trigger a year-long trial; students will be asked to vote on whether they would like to see the program continue on a more permanent basis around the same time next year. While 40 per cent of the program costs will be contributed by the university, students would be required to pay a meagre $6.75 per semester. For the cost of a single Sodexo meal, regular, easyto-access transportation between UFV’s major campuses is possible. Even though I live in Surrey, I could still benefit from such a measure. I could use the bus service to get to classes in Chilliwack without having to spend an extra 45 minutes’ worth of gas each time I do so. It opens up a much wider range of possible course selections for students across many disciplines. An intra-UFV shuttle is a surefire way to increase the sense of community between the two campuses by opening just these sort of opportunities to students based out of any of the municipalities UFV serves. Aside from classes, social events and varsity games that are largely held on the Abbotsford campus will be accessible for students living in Chilli-
Volume 21 · Issue 7 Room C1027 33844 King Road Abbotsford, BC V2S 7M8 604.854.4529 Editor-in-chief nick@ufvcascade.ca Nick Ubels Managing editor amy@ufvcascade.ca Amy Van Veen Business manager joe@ufvcascade.ca Joe Johnson Online editor michael@ufvcascade.ca Michael Scoular Production manager stewart@ufvcascade.ca Stewart Seymour Art director anthony@ufvcascade.ca Anthony Biondi Copy editor joel@ufvcascade.ca Joel Smart News editor news@ufvcascade.ca Dessa Bayrock Opinion editor opinion@ufvcascade.ca Nadine Moedt
Image: Blake McGuire/The Cascade
SUS president Shane Potter hopes for a bus-filled future. wack. There’s also the added benefit of a lightened load on UFV’s parking lots. The more students taking transit, the less cars clogging up those coveted spots. Ultimately, the hope is that this measure will be temporary, that it will demonstrate to Abbotsford and Chilliwack that there is a demand for a regular route between UFV campuses. If the two cities can see that the service is viable without having to stick their necks out to try it, they just might do it. After all, it’s taking credit for a good idea without having to take any of the risk. Because this is a short-term contract, it will be fairly convenient for the SUS to cancel the service and earmarked fee if a public option were to become available. It’s easy to dismiss any fee in-
crease pitched by the SUS as another attempt to drain students’ already cash-strapped pockets. And sometimes, when the terms are vague, when the fee is arbitrary or unnecessary, that can certainly be the case. But the private shuttle is an ambitious and soundly-planned initiative that deserves the support of the students. The SUS directors saw a river. And instead of drowning in the current, they thought of building a bridge. With the help of the students, they can do just that. It’s an opportunity for us to take charge of solutions to our own problems. Why not carry on in spite of municipal reluctance? And even if it collapses, the students have the life preserver of a trial period to save them from years of lost fees.
UPCOMING EVENTS Feb 27
Mar 1-8
Mar 1-8
Mar 6-24
Put some chili on that baked potato
Vote on Chilliwack/ Abbotsford bus
Vote on Health and Dental fee increase
Shakespeare! Shakespeare! Shakespeare!
TESLSA (Teaching English as a Second Language Student Association) is hosting a community dinner this week – show up to U-House with a toonie and you’ll be presented with a loaded baked potato. Sour cream? Check. Cheese? Check. Chili? Why the hell not. Slap some on there. Vegetarian option available and all proceeds will go to the food bank.
Well, it’s that time of year again – the season of the referendum. The latest decision facing students has to do with starting up bus service between Abbotsford and Chilliwack. Do you support a $6.75 per semester fee to do so? Read the full information at ufvsus.ca or vote at my.ufv.ca.
There are also not one but two referendums coming your way regarding the Health and Dental fee. Do you support raising it to allow for inflation? And do you support building in an inflation clause so we won’t have to raise it like this again? More information at ufvsus.ca and voting at my.ufv.ca.
The Merchant of Venice opens next week and runs a couple nights a week with a spattering of matinees for most of March. It’s that time of year where everyone needs a good comedy, and Shakespeare knows how to deliver. For show times and ticket information, call 604-795-2814 or email theatre@ufv.ca.
Arts & life editor arts@ufvcascade.ca Sasha Moedt Sports editor sports@ufvcascade.ca Paul Esau News writer jess@ufvcascade.ca Jess Wind Photojournalist blake@ufvcascade.ca Blake McGuire Staff writer Taylor Johnson Varsity reporter Jasper Moedt Contributors Emad Agahi, Trevor Braun, Matt Giesbrecht, Emily Gorner, Jeremy Hannaford, Aaron Levy, Maurice Mautot, Ashley O’Neill, Ryan Peterson, Jasmine Proctor, Melissa Spady, Katie Stobbart, Tim Ubels, Griffy Vigneron Printed By International Web exPress
The Cascade is UFV’s autonomous student newspaper. It provides a forum for UFV students to have their journalism published. It also acts as an alternative press for the Fraser Valley. The Cascade is funded with UFV student funds. The Cascade is published every Wednesday with a circulation of 1500 and is distributed at UFV campuses and throughout Abbotsford, Chilliwack, and Mission. The Cascade is a member of the Canadian University Press, a national cooperative of 75 university and college newspapers from Victoria to St. John’s. The Cascade follows the CUP ethical policy concerning material of a prejudicial or oppressive nature. Submissions are preferred in electronic format through e-mail. Please send submissions in “.txt” or “.doc” format only. Articles and letters to the editor must be typed. The Cascade reserves the right to edit submissions for clarity and length. The Cascade will not print any articles that contain racist, sexist, homophobic or libellous content. The writer’s name and student number must be submitted with each submission. Letters to the editor must be under 250 words if intended for print. Only one letter to the editor per writer in any given edition. Opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect that of UFV, Cascade staff and collective, or associated members.
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2013
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NEWS
Student shocks class by bringing air soft gun for show and tell UFV investigation in progress Nick Ubels THE CASCADE
JESS WIND
THE CASCADE
Students in a lower-level arts course last Tuesday were shocked when a student allegedly withdrew an air soft pistol in the middle of class. One of the students present, who wished to remain anonymous, described how the scene unfolded. “Just the way that he did it was nuts,” he said. For their assignment on gender bias in society, students were asked to think of a boy’s toy, a girl’s toy and a toy they would consider gender-neutral. The student in question raised his hand and asked the instructor when students would be presenting on the toys they had selected. The instructor said that students were not required to present, but when pressed by the student, agreed to allow him to offer a
Image: http://www.ultimate100.net/airsoft/airsoft-co2-gas-guns
An airsoft pistol similar to the one described by our witness. brief presentation. “He’s like, ‘This is my girl toy,’ and it’s like a doll or something,” said the eyewitness. “And then he said, ‘This is my neutral toy,’ and
it’s a puzzle.” According to the witness, that’s when the student announced that he had also brought a boy’s toy along to class.
“He stands up, pulls up the back of his shirt and there’s an airsoft gun, like he was sitting down all class with this thing in the back of his pants,” he said. The student praised the instructor’s handling of the situation. “It was really professional; she didn’t lose it on him,” he said. “I think everyone was more surprised at that more than the fact that they were scared.” The professor called for a break and spoke to the student before he returned to class. “The class went on normally and at the end she gave us a couple minutes and said ‘If you guys want to talk, you can talk to me’,” he explained. The instructor sent out follow-up emails later in the week to check on her students’ well-being. There were no threats uttered, but the sight of a weapon on campus, even a fake one, can be cause for alarm. Whether the threat is real or implied, it’s not something
UFV security takes lightly. They responded at the end of class and spoke to the student and instructor in private in a nearby classroom. Security coordinator Justin Cole would not comment on Tuesday’s incident because the university’s investigation is still underway. However, he explained the standard procedure for incidents involves a preliminary investigation from security before the situation is passed on to the university. According to the UFV student non-academic conduct policy, this gesture falls under prohibited conduct. Policy states that the situation moves to vice-president students Jody Gordon, and a resolution meeting will be scheduled. The instructor of Tuesday’s class said she was not comfortable with commenting on the incident at this time.
Chlorination discussion invades Chilliwack DESSA BAYROCK THE CASCADE
Last week, residents of Chilliwack found themselves embroiled in a battle for their water. Chilliwack has a reputation for pure, fresh water: in 1999, the city was voted the best drinking water in Canada by the Canadian Water Resource Association. This was the last year the contest ran, making Chilliwack the reigning champion of Canadian water. However, in a visit to Chilliwack earlier this month, Dr. Marcus Lem of Fraser Health Authority told the city it would have to start chlorinating its water. After what Chilliwack residents are calling an unprofessional approach to the issue, Dr. Lem was taken off the issue, and Dr. Paul Van Buynder (also of Fraser Health Authority) stepped in. Dr. Van Buynder was not available for comment, but released a statement to media last week. “While the residents of Chilliwack are rightly proud of their water supply and no-one should be concerned about drinking the water, Fraser Health is working with the Chilliwack Council to address the risk associated with isolated incursions of bacteria into the system,” he wrote. “Chlorination as an added safety support is part of these discussions.” Chilliwack’s Director of Public Works Glen MacPherson says there were three separate occasions in which E. coli was detected in the water between 2009 and 2012. These three events were the source of Lem’s concern. “E. coli on a laboratory test result is stated as count per 100 millilitres,” MacPherson explains. “The lowest count you can get, that can be detected, is a count of one … in all three cases, the test results came back with a count of one.” MacPherson went on to explain that, although overall risk is low, it’s only a matter of time until Chilliwack becomes chlorinated. “Since the first incident in 2009,
The online anti-chlorination petition had 4075 signatures as of Tuesday night. Fraser Health have been inferring to staff here that some day [they] are probably going to be looking at making the city chlorinate the water,” he continues. “But we’ve never known when that would be – whether that would be in the next year or in 10 years. And it just so happens that they decided 2013 was the year.” The news that Chilliwack may be facing chlorination struck a chord with many Chilliwack residents, including Jake and Kim Reimer. When they heard the news, the young parents and web designers decided to put their skills to work, quickly building chilliwackwater.com. The website has become both a source of information about the water system in Chilliwack and a place for residents to lend their name to a petition against implimenting chlorination in the system. Kim Reimer says she takes issue with chlorination on several levels – because of the taste, but also due to health concerns. When chlorine comes into contact with biological material, she explains, it reacts to kill and disinfect it, creating disinfection byproducts. “Fraser Health is saying that because our water is so pure, there is nothing for [the chlorine] to react with,” Reimer says. “But then the issue still stands – what happens when you shower in it?
What happens when you drink it? Our mouths are full of bacteria and our skin is covered in it. There’s stuff for it to react with.” The petition currently has a little under 4000 signatures, a number that grows every day. Part of the problem, the Reimers say, was how Lem handled the situation. “The line that really infuriated a lot of people was, ‘As a responsible parent, I wouldn’t let my child drink this water.’ Which, by exclusion, is saying every parent in Chilliwack is irresponsible,” Kim Reimer says. “We didn’t have to create a response to this petition,” Jake Reimer adds. “We simply had to provide a forum for people to react on. That’s all we did. We just facilitated what people already wanted to talk about.” When E. coli is detected in the
Image: Chilliwackwater.com
system, MacPherson says, the city acts immediately to flush the system and institute temporary chlorination where necessary. Despite the public outcry, he continues, if Fraser Health decides system-wide chlorination is necessary, the Drinking Water Protection Act gives them the authority to see it through in their role as Water Protection Officer in the lower mainland. “They can make any change to the drinking water that they deem necessary,” MacPherson explains. “The only stipulation that kind of ties their hands a little bit is that the act requires that full consultation with the water supplier is carried out.” Fraser Health is currently in the consultation phase, which includes talking to Chilliwack Council, and will also involve a
public forum this week. Even if they decide to go ahead with chlorination, MacPherson says, it could be a while before the changes are actually instituted. “I think they’re going to be reasonable and they’ll ask the city to decide itself how much time it needs for this,” he explains. “It’s a lot of money – we’ve estimated [it will cost] $1.5 million to put it in place, and we can’t pull that out of thin air.” Meanwhile, the Reimers have encouraged residents to do their own research, look at the information compiled by the city and come to the public forum prepared with the facts. “I think a lot of people at this point have gotten fairly wellinformed and I think for a lot of people this meeting is more about making a show of it,” Rob Reimer says, “making sure a lot of people get out there and show their opposition to this, make it clear that the city is not happy with the way Fraser Health has dealt with this particular issue.” The public forum, facilitated by Fraser Health, was scheduled for 7 p.m. on Tuesday, February 26, which could not be attended by The Cascade in time to meet print deadline.
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WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2013
SCIENCE ON PURPOSE Good thing space rocks have bad aim
ASHLEY O’NIELL CONTRIBUTOR
In the last two months, there has been a noticeable amount of space activity around our planet. One of two major and unrelated occurrences on February 15 was the 143,000 tonne asteroid that glided by our planet just 27,600 kilometres away from our atmosphere. Scientists say this asteroid, named Asteroid 2012 DA14 by NASA, came closer to us than any other cosmic rock of this size, and even closer than some satellites that orbit the Earth. Unfortunately, we could not see DA14 at all from North America, and even in Asia, Australia and Eastern Europe the asteroid was difficult to see with the naked eye. Astronomers had to use telescopes or binoculars to view the space rock pass over the Indian Ocean in the afternoon. Fortunately for us, NASA predicts that an object of this size approaches close to earth every 40 years. Even though we missed the DA14, there are other chances for North America to view an asteroid passing by. DA14 doesn’t seem like a very big asteroid, measuring in at approximately 50 meters wide, but
compared with the smaller meteor that hit Russia that same day, the mass of DA14 could do some serious damage if it ever hit earth. The meteor that hit Russia was the second space event on February 15. The rogue meteor sneaked past the notice of our satellites, flashed across the Russian sky and burst into flames before hitting the Russian landscape. It penetrated the Earth’s atmosphere at over 53,000 kilometres per hour and hit a frozen lake just next to the town of Chelyabinsk, Russia. Even at a size of just 15 metres when it entered the atmosphere, the dangerous sonic boom it caused when it burst into flames shattered windows, damaged roughly 3000 buildings, wiped out the mobile network and injured 1000 people. Thanks to the amount of active dash cams in Russia, people captured the fireball raining down from the sky from multiple angles. Jim Green, NASA’s director of planetary science is quoted by CTV News saying that a meteor explosion and an asteroid passing this close by Earth is “very rare and historic.” He goes on to explain how even though smaller
UFV celebrates the Centre for Safe Schools and Communities re-launch TAYLOR JOHNSON THE CASCADE
Last Monday saw the addition of a new centre to the UFV community. Previously two completely separate centres, the new UFV Centre for Safe Schools and Communities is the combination of the old BC Centre for Safe Schools and Communities and the BC Centre for Social Responsibility. These two organizations specialize in school and communal safety, addictions, and mental health of British Columbians. It seemed logical that the two centres, which were working towards the same goal, would pool together into one larger centre. This is the event that UFV celebrated last week: the reopening of the two centres, joined together in a new form. The site itself will remain on the King road campus in Abbotsford permanently, but the celebratory re-launch took place at UFV’s Clearbrook location. About 50 participants were given the opportunity to join in workshops and learn about the new centre. The reopening included lectures by mental health professionals, and workshops revolving around suicide prevention and youth mental health. The UFV Centre for Safe Schools and Communities’ goal is to unite British Columbians and students of various disciplines in living, learning and working in safer, healthier schools and communities.
Image: UFV Archives/flickr.com
The new CSSC is in A building at Abbotsford campus.
Although the name indicates exclusivity to UFV and its students, the centre itself does not work only through the university. The centre will also offer a variety of educational opportunities for both students and nonstudents, paid and unpaid. The centre has recently experienced a variety of student interest, from the area of Criminology and Social Work to students in other departments. Coordinator Annette Vogt sees this diversification as an exciting direction for the centre. She is pleased that students from different disciplines have taken interest and become passionate about safer schools and communities. After all, she says, the centre is dealing with issues that affecte everyone. She sees the centre as a hub for learning, where networking amongst individuals can promote success, and encourages any student or faculty member to get involved in the process.
Image: tonynetone/flickr.com
February’s meteor was caught by dozens of cameras. meteors enter our atmosphere about once a day, we do not see them because most fall into the ocean or in remote areas. NASA says that most of the “space junk” that hits our atmosphere is too tiny to notice and burn up well before it reaches the ground.
Now, if a meteor of this size can cause such destruction, imagine the destruction that would be caused by a meteor the size of DA14 ... or bigger. On January 10, an asteroid 275 meters wide made its latest pass in a cycle of close approaches to
the Earth. The asteroid, named Apophis after an Egyptian mythological demon, came within nine million miles of the Earth, but in the year 2029 there is a rising chance of the asteroid brushing close to Earth just 30,000 km away. This would put Apophis in about the same distance to Earth as the DA14; Apophis would also be traveling through the orbit of our communication satellites. Scientists doubt that Apophis will actually hit the Earth in the near future, but current models predict a chance of Apophis colliding with Earth in 2036. NASA calculated that if Apophis ever does hit the Earth, it would generate a blast equivalent to more than 500 megatons of TNT. (In comparison, the most powerful hydrogen bomb ever detonated, the Soviet Tsar Bomb, released 57 megatons.) Our planet is at the mercy of huge cosmic entities like roaming asteroids and incoming meteors. NASA would have to know 30 years in advance of an asteroid’s approach to successfully deflect it. Food for thought: there are only 23 years until the potential collision in 2036.
Old Abbotsford library may see new evolution Katie stobbart CONTRIBUTOR
There is something about the presence of an older building that links a community together. As modern buildings spring up like new shoots from the ground, older landmarks that have been around for decades seem to grow deeper roots; the city has built itself around them. When the new Abbotsford Community Library opened in November, the old MSA Centennial Library closed its doors. Since then, the future of the 45-year-old building has been up in the air – but there seems to be no question that the structure should be preserved in some way. The downtown core of Abbotsford is home to a number of shops and restaurants, from the Farmer’s Market on Saturday mornings to Jubilee Park, which neighbours the green-tiled library building. It has been suggested by a coalition of grassroots community groups (including the Friends of the MSA Centennial Library) that the structure would be an ideal home for a Downtown Arts Centre. At over 6000 square feet, the two-storey library would have ample gallery space upstairs and rooms for meetings downstairs. Abbotsford’s Kariton Gallery, which currently showcases local work and has limited meeting space for community groups, is 870 square feet. A larger building would mean the ability to meet the growing artistic needs of the community. “It would be a space that smaller performing and visual artists can explore and showcase their
Image: http://img.groundspeak.com/
Abbotsford’s library at five corners may reopen as art gallery. work. We have thought of this being a venue for poetry slams, small single act plays, summer arts camps for children,” writes Ken Wuschke, the spokesperson for the Friends of the MSA Centennial Library, in his blog, Urban Choices. Increased square footage also introduces opportunities for financial sustainability: the Downtown Arts Centre Visioning plan includes ideas such as renting out basement rooms for events, hosting workshops and summer camps, and having a coffee or dessert bar on the main floor. The Downtown Arts Centre would be a destination for visitors to Abbotsford as well as for residents. “The Reach [Gallery and Museum] is excellent at bringing the world’s artists to Abbotsford. Meanwhile, an arts centre at the MSA Centennial Library would
show Abbotsford’s artists to the world,” Wuschke envisions. Such a centre would certainly fit with the profile of the area. The old library building backs onto Jubilee Park, which serves as the outdoor venue for Jam in Jubilee every summer. It is also within walking distance of the Berry Festival on Montrose. The gallery would be an additional stop for boutique shoppers interested in buying local art pieces during events such as these. The old library was first built to celebrate the Centennial of Confederation in 1967; its history and central location may well ensure its presence at the next centennial celebration should the building be repurposed. The proposal from the Friends of the MSA Centennial Library is still under consideration.
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2013
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NEWS
A quinoa solution Idle No More returns to campus may rest in Canada In memory of George Manuel GRIFFY J. VIGNERON CONTRIBUTOR
A buzz on the web lately places the blame on vegans for hunger in the Andes. The source of the controversy? The globally-caused, high-rising prices of Quinoa (pronounced keen-wa). Quinoa, a tasty, nutrient-rich, protein-rich, and gluten-free alternative to rice and grain, is skyrocketing in popularity. Even NASA has recognized its potential, listing it as a potential food for their Controlled Ecological Life Support System for longduration human-occupied spaceflights But as popularity rises, demand also increases. The Andeans, with limited space to grow the grain, are having trouble meeting that demand – and their staple cultural food is quickly becoming unaffordable to them as farmers try to keep up. Lenore Newman, Canada Research Chair in food security and environment at UFV, believes there is a solution. She suggests Canada’s own prairie regions as the perfect, spacious region for growing quinoa. “We don’t have to take all the Andeans’ quinoa,” she stated. Quinoa is a tough and hardy plant, right at home in cold dry environments. And unlike grain, which hogs water resources, quinoa requires much less hydration. Newman thinks that if the prairies were to begin growing quinoa, world demand could eas-
ily be met and prices would become reasonable again. Newman explains that this would make it so Andeans wouldn’t end up exporting all their native crops. The problem with mass exportation of quinoa is that it causes imported foods to become cheaper than Andeangrown grain; what we’re starting to see now is a few Quinoan farmers becoming rich, while Andean workers become poor. Newman recently wrote an article on the subject for The Globe and Mail, in which she was sure to point out that rescuing the Andean economy with Canadiangrown quinoa will be unlikely to happen without government support and further research; while Quinoa is a resilient plant, it needs to be more productive in order to be a feasible option for large-scale farming. Unfortunately, Newman says, this doesn’t seem to be the way the government is heading. “The government has been cutting funding to agriculture,” she says. “It’s not sexy.” More money is being focused in more urban areas, Newman explains. Small universities, which often carry on important agricultural research, are facing funding cuts. Newman encourages students to contact their MLAs with positive messages about the work their school is doing to raise awareness. Awareness of a good job is more likely to lead to funding, in her opinion, than protests.
MATT GIESBRECHT CONTRIBUTOR
Idle No More visited campus again this week, exploring questions of legitimacy and citizenship. Who can truly call Canada home? George Manuel was the founder of the World Council of Indigenous Peoples, long-time president of both the National Indian Brotherhood and the Union of BC Indian Chiefs. He also authored Fourth World: An Indian Reality before passing away in 1989. This past Thursday, he was honoured at an Idle No More event held at UFV. On the day of George Manuel’s birthday, a teach-in event supported Idle No More’s National Indigenous Rights Educational Day. The day was split into two events. The first was in the afternoon at UFV’s Abbotsford campus, and the second event took place later in the evening at the gathering place on the Chilliwack campus. The first speaker was Doreen Manuel, daughter of George Manuel. In honour of her father, she had come prepared with a film composed of his daily journals, photographs, slides, CBC footage and interviews. Through this footage, the audience was told how, in 1981, he led a movement from the West to form a lobby against the non-inclusion of aboriginal rights. Touching on the recurrent theme of the Idle No More movement decades be-
fore it was founded, the film ended with George Manuel stating that he would like “to see Indian people get the opportunity that justly belongs to them.” The second speaker was Sakej Ward who guided discussion by examining the Canadian state’s claims to sovereignty. “How legitimate is Canada’s claim to sovereignty over indigenous people or nations?” he asked those gathered. He explored the history of what he referred to as the “invasion” of Canada, which began in 1452 with Christopher Columbus. Hundreds of years later, Ward said, we are faced with a Canada that is 99.75 per cent for Canadians and 0.25 per cent for aboriginal reserves. “Five pieces of legislation were passed over a short time to ensure the government had power and authority usurped and replaced,” Ward said, describing five acts passed between 1868 and 1884, including the Indian Act. He compared these acts to what would be equivalent to “removing the election system of Western democracy.” “I urge you to think that Canada does not have the right to make or enforce any colonial law on Indigenous territory,” he said in conclusion. “The entire system is not legitimate.” The next speaker was Nicole Shabus, who represents many Native bands as a lawyer in the interior and coastal area. She touched on five issues she says
need to be dealt with: BC’s Indian land, the importance of fish, government recognition of Indian rights, Indian governance and government regulation resolving in restriction of Indian fishing rights. She continues to describe that food fishery and commercial fishery is one of the main wedges of colonial rule. “The distinction of food fishery is tantamount in terms of fisheries to what the reserve system did in terms of land,” Shabus said, calling for change. “Racism has no place in fisheries management.” She ended her speech by declaring that Canada is in continual violation of Human Rights standards. The last speaker was Art Manuel, the son of George Manuel. He told tales of his father’s achievements, giving the audience a personal viewpoint of the struggles he faced. He stated that in the days of his father’s time, such a meeting could not have occurred, because at that time it was against the law. He shared the viewpoints of Sakej, saying that we need to change the fundamental problems of settlers and First Nations. “What reasons do non-natives have to be here in North America?” Manuel concluded. “They have the human right to be here. They’ve been here. We have to recognize that, just like they have to recognize our human rights as indigenous people.”
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Skier killed in British Columbia avalanche
WINNIPEG, Manitoba (Reuters) – The Canadian government plans to end its subsidy for production of biofuels when its current program ends in 2017, a newspaper reported on Saturday. The Globe and Mail quoted a letter from Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver to the biofuels industry on Thursday explaining that Ottawa needed to cut spending. Oliver said that the ethanol industry now produces the necessary volume of renewable fuel for Canada to meet its target of five per cent ethanol in the country’s gasoline supply, the newspaper reported. He also noted that the Canadian biodiesel industry had been unable to produce enough of that fuel, forcing some refiners to import to meet a two per cent biodiesel target.
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Dire warnings from Washington about a “cyber Pearl Harbor” envision a single surprise strike from a formidable enemy that could destroy power plants nationwide, disable the financial system or cripple the U.S. government. Security officers and their consultants say they are overwhelmed. The attacks are not only from China, which Washington has long accused of spying on U.S. companies, many emanate from Russia, Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Western countries. Perpetrators range from elite military units to organized criminal rings to activist teenagers. “They outspend us and they outman us in almost every way,” said Dell Inc’s chief security officer, John McClurg. “I don’t recall, in my adult life, a more challenging time.”
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Syria is ready for talks with its armed opponents, Foreign Minister Walid al-Moualem said on Monday, in the clearest offer yet of negotiations with rebels fighting to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad. But Moualem said at the same time Syria would pursue its fight “against terrorism”, alluding to the conflict with rebels in which the United Nations says 70,000 people have been killed. Assad and his foes are locked in a bloody stalemate after nearly two years of combat, destruction and civilian suffering. “We are ready for dialogue with everyone who wants it... Even with those who have weapons in their hands,” Russia’s Itar-Tass news agency quoted Moualem as saying.
VANCOUVER (CUP) – Los Angeles police have found the body of missing UBC student Elisa Lam. A worker found her body in a water tank on the roof of L.A.’s Cecil Hotel while looking into a complaint about low water pressure last Tuesday, according to the L.A. Times. Lam, a 21-year-old UBC student, was last seen January 31 in the Cecil Hotel. She was reported missing on February 1. Her autopsy has been completed, but investigators have yet to determine how she died. The L.A. coroner’s office hasn’t revealed if there were signs of trauma on Lam’s body. Police are waiting for the results of a drug test to help determine the cause of Lam’s death. The results won’t be available for six to eight weeks.
REVELSTOKE (Reuters) – A skier was killed in British Columbia on Friday after being caught in an avalanche in an out-of-bounds area near a mountain ski resort. The avalanche buried three skiers well outside of the controlled area boundaries of the Revelstoke Mountain Resort, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police said in a statement. Two of the skiers were rescued uninjured by others in the group, but the third was found dead. Police did not immediately identify the victim. The statement said that police and search and rescue officials expected to recover the body of the deceased skier on Saturday. The Canadian Avalanche Centre had upgraded the risk of slides to “high” in alpine and tree line mountain regions throughout most of British Columbia on Friday.
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WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2013
NEWS
Candidate statements
The season of the SUS election begins! Learn more about the candidates heading your way as your student government hopefuls describe themselves in their own words. The following questions were posed to each candidate as part of the nomination process, and remain unedited.
Christian Doyle
President
in to their lives outside of academia. This will allow you be acknowledged for your work in a club, position of RA or all of your time as a volunteer. Outside of these c commitments I also work at Baker House for a few hours each week. During my term I plan to maintain most of these commitments. The reason I plan to remain involved with these clubs and committees is because they allow me to both stay connected with the university executives and staff but to also work to better help the student body in various ways, such as the CCR. I will also stay involved with the clubs in particular because it allows me to see how the SUS treats clubs first hand from the viewpoint of a non-director. Through doing so I will gain a perspective that will allow me to help develop new and improved ways to streamline and simplify our clubs and association processes.
If elected, what would you like to achieve or improve in your position? In the position of president I would concentrate on four key goals. The first of which is relations between UFV and SUS. While in general UFV and SUS get together and work together well there are still frequent cases of conflict and stress between the two groups. This a working relationship that needs to be improved, both parties are here for students and I believe that it is imperative that we find ways to work together for the benefit of the student body. The continued development of the Student Union Building (SUB) is my second goal. In the past two years we have made fantastic progress in the development of the SUB and I want to ensure that this continues. Building has yet to begin and once it does we will be developing all of the final plans for within the build along with all of the plans for how the building will
operate. This is a period that will require a lot of work and hours and I am excited to be able to aide this process. This is a building that should already be built; I simply want to make sure that no more pauses or halts in development occur. We need our student building. SUS has always struggled with one large issue, student awareness. In my current term as VP Social I am working hard to combat this with various initiatives, the most effective being consistent information booths on the Abbotsford and CEP campus. I have found that these booths have had a lot of high traffic and been able to answer many questions that students had about SUS, AfterMath or UFV in general. As president I would continue these initiatives and work alongside my community reps and VP Social to continue increasing student awareness. My final key goal is the support, awareness and preservation of AfterMath. Dur-
ing our last EGM we witnessed a large outcry from students defending AfterMath and demanding that more attention, effort and budget go toward the operations of AfterMath. The student want Aftermath and personally as one of AfterMath’s supporters I will do ensure that AfterMath is treated fairly at a board level with appropriate and realist goals set out for the restaurant.
If elected, what would you like to achieve or improve in your position? I’d like to continue to work on the Board Reform process focusing on a more representative cross section of the student body overseeing the Student Union mandate and Executive. This will allow for a broader student voice and changes from the UFV student community ensuring the inclusion of clubs, associations, general members, and student leaders in the decision making process of the Student Union Society. I believe that the Student Union Society can only accomplish its goal of serving
students with a high level of input and participation from the student community itself and not through a closed door mentality. I have already started board reform and budget reform by working with key student leaders and I plan to use the rest of my term to finish what we have started. I plan to continue lobbying for improved long-term public transit solutions overall for UFV students especially for Chilliwack and Abbotsford as well as Abbotsford to Surrey and Langley and Abbotsford to Mission. I already sit on the Chilliwack Transit Advisory Committee for the city of Chilliwack and am work-
ing actively with other student leaders involved in the municipal transit process. In my term I created and chaired the SUS transit committee which created the Chilliwack to Abbotsford Shuttle bus project. I also plan on streamlining the administrative processes of SUS to ease the burden of securing support and resources for clubs, associations, and students overall. As well, I feel elected officials can be made more accountable and accessible to SUS members showing more value to our community.
Are you currently involved in or planning to be in any organization, clubs, or teams outside of the Student Union Society? The President’s job requires focus and dedication well beyond the 30 hours a week. Being SUS President and taking one course will be my focus. Other than sitting on the City of Chilliwack’s Transit Advisory Committee, sitting on committees within the president’s portfolio, and working with clubs and associations as President, I do not plan to be involved in any other organizations, clubs, or teams outside of the Student Union Society.
If elected, what would you like to achieve or improve in your position? When elected it is guaranteed that any candidate will carry out the duties outlined within the SUS governing manual. However, I would ensure that we lobby our provincial government in order to
eliminate the interest that student’s incur on their BC student loans and to increase the core funding of our institution. Are you currently involved in or planning to be in any organization, clubs, or teams outside of the Student Union So-
ciety? Yes, I have been involved with associations including the SUS and other Societies on campus. During my time at UFV I have worked with the following organizations in varying capacities: - the Baker House Residents Association as their
Public Relations Officer - the SUS as a Representative at Large and as an Interim Vice-president Social - the Cascade Newspaper as their President. For any questions please free to contact me using this email address. [mehtab.for.sus.president@gmail. com]
eryone involved. With a new Board structure we can get more paid staff and volunteers with clear criteria helping with the labour. We can allow the VPs to actually have time to manage and be leaders, have student leaders from our student organizations on our Board, and have enough volunteers positions for every student who wants to get involved. Oh, and it’ll save money too!
Also, I have been looking at our student organization registration process. I’ve improved it a bit during my term, but now to need to overhaul the policy. What I’m hoping to do is make registration annual instead of every semester. I’ve also been the first VPI to see Option 2 funding in action. It needs a lot of improving, particularly regarding giving each association fair funding.
Are you currently involved in or planning to be in any organizations, clubs or teams outside of the Student union Society? I am currently an executive member of the Pride club and the TESL Student Associations. I have been a part of both of these organizations and will probably continue to do so in the new term.
Shane Potter
Mehtab Rai
Vice-president internal
Greg Stickland If elected, what would you like to achieve or improve in your position? Now that I have already been VP Internal for a year, I know exactly what I want to improve and how to do it. I’m in favor of Board reform. Our Board is too top heavy, we have too many executives who are expected to manage and be the labour. We also expect our reps to be the labour as well which is extremely awkward for ev-
Ryan Petersen If elected, what would you like to achieve or improve in your position? If elected I would like to focus on creating more accurate budget lines. In the past spending has been allotted to random budget lines in our accounting software. This creates problems for predicting spending trends for future boards and their budgets.
Are you currently involved in or planning to be in any organizations, clubs or teams outside of the Student union Society? Outside of my position on SUS I am fairly active on campus. I hold two executive positions of clubs, one president and the other vice president. I am also currently on two committees for UFV, one of which is developing the Co-Curricular Records (CCR). This program that will recognize students for the work and effort they put
Vice-president financial Are you currently involved in or planning to be in any organizations, clubs or teams outside of the Student union Society? With my current involvement in the Student Union Society , my part time job at Baker House, classes and theoretically
sleep I am unable to attend many club or association events.
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NEWS
Vice-president academic
Kristianne Hendricks If elected, what would you like to achieve or improve in your position? If elected, I would like to build on the past successes of our student unions, working towards a stronger connection between the students and SUS. We have great student meeting areas in Abbotsford at Aftermath and U-house, and in Chilliwack at our new campus (CEP), and I see these used as venues to facilitate discussion and debates in such a way that students are both aware of, and comfortable in sharing their opinions, allowing SUS to represent our diverse student body. If the student body votes in favour of
Zera Gregoire
the transit referendum and a shuttle is introduced between Abbotsford and the CEP campus, I will support this program to ensure that it provides maximum benefit to students and can be used to lobby regional decision makers to provide transit connections between not only Chilliwack and Abbotsford, but also to western cities, such as Maple Ridge and Surrey. As the UFV SUS delegate to the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations (CASA), I will work both with CASA and with local government officials and MLAs to promote education as a priority in government policy making. I will also work
Nicholas Willms If elected, what would you like to achieve or improve in your position? I would like to see more evens that involve both Chilliwack and Abbotsford campuses. Furthermore I hope for there to be a greater involvement in events from Student Life and Clubs and Associations. I would look to improve the execution
and minimize the expenditures of events. I would also like to bring a higher level of awareness of SUS to our membership. Finally I would strive to make sure that everyone feels like SUS is a worthwhile endeavor.
Zack Soderstrom No statement submitted.
If elected, what would you like to achieve or improve in your position? If elected as the Vice President East of the Student Union Society I would achieve and improve the position of VPE and would hold more successful events that work around the schedules of the students at the CEP and the TTC which I am well aware of . I would also like to promote to the students that we are here and offer many services and would hold regular scheduled hours on the Chilliwack campus. Another duty and responsibility as the VPE is to co-chair the Events committee, I personally have sat on this committee
Are you currently involved in or planning to be in any organizations, clubs, or teams outside of the Student Union Society? Since my first semester at UFV, I’ve found that clubs and organizations have been a great way to develop friendships
and feel at home on campus. I am involved in Oxfam, Students for Sustainability (SFS), the Sociology/Anthropology Undergraduate Society (SAUS) and have held executive positions in each of these groups. I have participated in events hosted by Student Outdoor Life And Recreation (SOLAR) and the UFV Danceclub. As a Student Life Ambassador I have repeatedly had the privilege to welcome new students to UFV during Orientation, and will be joining in welcoming our international students as a mentor this summer.
Vice-president social
No statement submitted.
Debbie Ellis
to bring information about our connections with CASA to the student body so that an informed decision can be made by students on the decision to become permanent members of CASA, or to reallocate the funds currently directed towards membership fees.
Are you currently involved in or planning to be in any organizations, clubs, or teams outside of the Student Union Society? I am currently in charge of the Video Games club and the Tabletop Games club which are both clubs within the Student Union Society.
Vice-president east
in the past and ran successful budgeted events and look forward to running them fiscally responsible. I also have attended COCA conferences (these conferences show you how to run successful events and book acts) as a participant and volunteer and have made many contacts across Canada that I can get suggestions from or block book with. I was very involved with the student breakfast that was held at the former Chilliwack campus by picking the breakfast up, serving it, and clean up. I also was in charge of the budget for the events when I sat on the committee at that time. In the past I ran an Easter dinner at cost for the students and it was well
attended. I would like to see these events happen again and I can use my community contacts to save money. I would also like to see the Events committee hold at least one meeting a month in Chilliwack so students can participate on the committee since it is open to students and will encourage students to participate. I would also like to get more clubs and associations started in Chilliwack. Are you currently involved in or planning to be in any organizations, clubs, or teams outside of the Student Union Society? Currently I volunteer at Club and Asso-
ciation events and I am planning on starting a new club on the Chilliwack campus that I have discussed with several students. I have been active on various clubs while attending UFV. Outside of UFV I am currently involved in canine rescue clubs focusing on Jack Russell and Pit Bull terrier breeds. I am still a member of NEADS and have been active in the past with the Mount Cheam Canine Club, Community Services, Community Services Christmas Tree Bureau, Big Brothers, Variety Club, Ann Davis Transition Services and BCPA. I am still a member of NEADS.
Clubs & associations representative
Natalia Deros
If elected, what would you like to achieve or improve in your position? If I am elected as Clubs and Associations rep, I would like to see a more visible presence of clubs and associations on campus and including more of the general student population. I would also like to connect current clubs and associations together in more joint endeavours, such as the multidisciplinary conference on social sciences, which involves associations like SPA, SAUS, GUS, and SCMS.
Are you currently involved in or planning to be in any organizations, clubs, or teams outside of the Student Union Society? I currently serve on the executive team for the Oxfam UFV campus club and have been involved with the group these past two years. I also am part of SAUS, and am involved in the planning of the first annual Social Sciences Conference.
Aboriginal representative
Harrison Depner
If elected, what would you like to achieve or improve in your position? If elected I would like to continue the improvements I have begun since taking this position last year. Are you currently involved in or planning to
Ashley Camille
be in any organizations, clubs, or teams outside of the Student Union Society? Unofficially I’m involved in a number of clubs, officially I’m a supporter of Pride and the video games club.
No statement submitted.
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NEWS
Representative-at-large
Stephanie Martin If elected, what would you like to achieve or improve in your position? Awareness is key. In my experience as a student at UFV, I found that the Student Union Society is a hidden gem of resources and information that many students aren’t aware they can utilize. Plus they have super awesome tshirts and other swag. My main mission is to offer my professional experience to the society, and to the student body. I would like to teach, and learn the theories and practicalities of being a voice for the students like myself. The measure of my success is focused on quality instead of quantity. This includes programs and events run at any campus, resources and tools gifted to the students, promotions and marketing to streamline the SUS image and give awareness to the students.
Daniel van der Kroon
Are you currently involved in or planning to be in any organizations, clubs, or teams outside of the Student Union Society? Although there are many clubs that I would love to look into or participate in, I believe the majority of my time will be spent focusing on assisting the Student Union Society to my fullest. Each club and association will still get my full support and interest! However, you will still be able to find me at many of the events and programs hosted at our beloved UFV; including the inevitable zombie apocalypse.
If elected, what would you like to achieve or improve in your position? The things I’ll work on as a Rep at Large with the SUS are: continuing to improve the U-PASS program by assisting the SUS U-PASS coordinator to find and add more business discounts to add value to the program for those students who don’t use transit or public recreation centres, including making efforts to find more sponsors in cities west of Abbotsford and Mission; I’ll work on democratic engagement to make sure that the allocation of the budget actually reflects the way that the members want the budget to be spent; and I will continue to assist with coordination of the Cinema Politica film series that I developed as VP Academic during the 2012/2013 term.
Sarah Gabor-Martinez If elected, what would you like to achieve or improve in your position? Hi, my name is Sarah Gabor-Martinez. If I am elected to be Representative at Large, I would like to see if I can start the transition of making UFV a Fair Trade campus. I believe this is important because then as a collective, students would be supporting fair pay, safe working conditions and sustainable agriculture.
Are you currently involved in or planning to be in any organizations, clubs, or teams outside of the Student Union Society? I am also a member of UFV Oxfam group. Oxfam is a Non-Government Organization that supports women’s rights in order to end global poverty. As an activist, I believe that everyone has a right to voice their opinions and ideas. I am optimistic, easy to approach and I love a good chat about any of your concerns.
Jarret Bainbridge If elected, what would you like to achieve or improve in your position? If elected, I will work to improve the Student Union Society’s activities and events. I will also take advantage of my knowledge in business administration and find ways to apply it to the Student Union Society (SUS).
Are you currently involved in or planning to be in any organizations, clubs, or teams outside of the Student Union Society? I am not currently involved in any other clubs, organizations or teams outside the Student Union Society. I created and managed the ‘Movember – UFV (Official)’ Facebook page in partnership with Shane Potter (President) and Chad Hilton (former director) from the Student Union Society. The Movember Facebook page was created to help raise awareness about prostate cancer and other male health initiatives.
Jay Mitchell
Are you currently involved in or planning to be in any organizations, clubs, or teams outside of the Student Union Society? Yes, I am a member of Students for Sustainability, and have been for several of my years at UFV; and spend a fair bit of time at the AfterMath helping students groups with events; primarily Cinema Politica film nights at the moment, but I would like to help create more public ‘democratic dialogue’ to ensure the members’ voices are heard, even if all that is accomplishes is to help students better understand SUS and the power that they can exert through it and to think more critically about the fundamental issues of societal structure such as universal versus user pay health care or public transit.
Jun Feng If elected, what would you like to achieve or improve in your position? I am running for Rep. at large position. As a part of Student Union Society, I would like to improve more services and benefit to our members. If I get this position, I will delegate for students and try my best to get biggest right for all students. Meanwhile, I will help general SUS office work and join different committees, such as event, finance committees. My job responsibility is monitoring SUS is on the right track to delegate for students.
Are you currently involved in or planning to be in any organizations, clubs, or teams outside of the Student Union Society? Now, I am also international student mentor and a front desk assistant of Resident on Campus. These two communities are big parts of UFV. I will be bridge to contact SUS with different parts of UFV.
Renee Czarnecki
If elected, what would you like to achieve or improve in your position? My goal is to ensure that every student feels they are a valued member of the UFV family. If elected I would like to improve life on campus. Being a fellow student I would listen to concerns and problems and help implement solutions to improve the quality of student life on campus. I can help students get more involved in school events by informing them about various resources available to them. There are many events that happen that do not have much involvement and I want to help change that!
Are you currently involved in or planning to be in any organizations, clubs, or teams outside of the Student Union Society? I am a member of Humans verses Zombies and the Photography Club. I have worked cooperatively with my friends to create a new club this year called WESC which stands for The Western Study of Eastern Visual Media, Audio Entertainment, Self-betterment, and Spreading Joy All Over the World Club. A college club for eclectic Otaku to make friends, learn, and have fun! We would love to have you stop in Thursdays to come show your support and see what were about!
No statement submitted.
Pink Shirt Day rallies students against bullying JESS WIND
THE CASCADE
Bullying has been a hot topic of conversation in the last few months, but before the influx of anti-bullying campaigns that have swept the country, there was Pink Shirt Day . Today, Wednesdsay February 27, UFV is participating in the awareness day as part of the sixth annual international anti-bullying campaign. Pink t-shirts and wristbands have been on sale in the weeks leading up to the event and will be for sale in Alumni Hall until 4:00 p.m. as well as information and resources about bullying in post secondary institutions. Following that, Sheldon Kennedy will be speaking in B101 about his experiences with bullying while in the NHL. There will also be a prize draw for anyone that has previously
purchased Pink Shirt Day merchandise. Third-year criminology students Brittany Leith and Amrita Jandu have coordinated the antibullying initiative on campus as part of their practicum with UFV’s Centre for Safe Schools and Communities. Leith explained how pink has become the colour to represent the fight against bullying. “It started with one male who wore a pink shirt to class one day and got bullied for wearing that colour,” she said. “It started off with one person and now involves thousands.” Jandu and Leith decided to coordinate the event on UFV campus as a way to raise awareness about bullying in post-secondary institutions and the resources available to students. Jandu explained that, while their motivation comes from a personal place,
Image: Ufv/flickr.com
Two UFV students organized this year’s Pink Shirt Day.
bullying is something everyone has experienced. “We both have been bullied in the past, so it was something that we were both really passionate about being a part of,” she said. “Everyone can relate to this idea. I think being bullied is a lot more common than not being bullied.”
A lot of the time, anti-bullying campaigns focus on the situations that occur among children and teenagers, but with the abundance of group work and different social situations at the post secondary level, indirect forms of bullying occur exceedingly often. “You see a lot of social exclusion as well,” Jandu explained. “We want to address all different forms of bullying whether its sexual minority students or international students.” They hope to extend their reach today with awareness on the kinds of bullying that happens at a post-secondary level, where people can go to seek help, and the positive stories that have come out of people standing up against bullying. The PRIDE network, in conjunction with the Pink Shirt Day campaign, has put together a Pledge of Pink wall. Students are
encouraged to share stories inspiration where they have overcome bullying or intervened and saved someone else from being bullied. “We want to enhance the positive messages that come with bullying instead of focusing on the negative aspect of it,” explained Jandu. After today, the wall will remain on display as well as the girls will be printing bullying stories and placing them on the floor so people can walk on them. “We’re asking people if you’ve been bullied to share your stories so people can stomp out bullying,” Leith concluded. If you want to support the Pink Shirt Day campaign, learn more about available resources to combat bullying or contribute a story to be posted on the wall or stomped out, stop by Alumni Hall (outside Admissions and Records) before 4 p.m. today.
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OPINION
Casper
DESSA BAYROCK
now slip on almost every surface,
My mother and I are driving to the vet. I hold the family cat on my lap, and when we get there a stranger is going to make her heart stop. Her name is Casper. She is 14-years-old and her kidneys are failing. For this last trip, she’s swaddled in a blanket like an infant. As long as she doesn’t squirm, this method lets her get a view of the world, unlike the box of the cat carrier we’ve used on other occasions. She cranes her next to watch the trees race by. “You’ve never seen anything move so fast before, have you?” I say. I wonder if she remembers other car rides, and what car rides mean. It’s a beautiful day. I’m having trouble keeping it together. She’s been in the pet hospital for three days while the vet tried to figure out why she wouldn’t really eat any more. She’s fine when hooked up to fluids, the vet says, but if they take her off the IV, her condition deteriorates. She can’t drink fast enough to keep herself hydrated, the vet says. Without the IV, she’d dehydrate and die in three, maybe four days. My parents texted me an update. All I saw was the phrase “kidney failure” and “hard choices ahead” before I started bawling. A kneejerk reaction. I hadn’t even really processed it yet, but some part of me had figured it out. Knew what I was losing. I couldn’t stop crying for the next four hours. “Dumb old cat,” I whisper to her, so my voice doesn’t crack. “Don’t you know you go to the hospital to get better?” We brought her home for one last morning, to give her one last sense of home. None of us wanted her to spend her last days among strangers. She grew infinitely more fragile while she was away. Her paws
floors have suddenly turned to ice. She drinks from her bowl like it’s her first time seeing water, dipping her nose in too far and sneezing it out, leaning over and getting her whole chest wet. I take her out to the deck. Her last time feeling what outside looks like. She’s wrapped in that same old blanket in my arms, and her whole body perks up as she catches a sniff of the grass, the trees, the birds, the whole world. The sun is shining. The wind is blowing. How do you tell a cat it’s for the last time? “Don’t forget us,” I whispered to her, even though she wasn’t paying attention. “We won’t forget you. Okay? That’s the deal.” We spend four hours with her, swapping her from lap to lap, showing her as much love as we can before it’s time to head back to the vet. And now, here we are: one last car ride. This is my second time losing a cat in six months. The first one we rescued over the summer, when she showed up on our doorstep with a chirp of a meow and her ribs showing. We fed her, , and finally let her inside. We put up posters and a Craigslist ad to tell the world where she was, in case someone was missing her, and heard nothing back. But four months later, her owner showed up and took her away again. It’s a different level of loss, but I had the same reaction: crying for hours, feeling like she might come home again at any second and curl up in the crook of my knee. Knowing she won’t. Feeling like the world stole something from me. Wrongfully. We get to the pet hospital. The receptionist asks us in a hushed tone if we want her ashes after ... she trails off. We numbly shake our heads, trying to think of anything but that.
The unheard voices of aboriginal women in Canada
THE CASCADE as though the coffee table and the
EMILY GORNER CONTRIBUTOR
Image: Dessa Bayrock/ The Cascade
I pass my bundle of cat and blanket to the vet, as gently as possible. I want to tell the vet to take care of her, but that’s not right. I pet the tip of my cat’s nose for the last time and have an urge to tell her to be good, and that’s not right either. What do you say? We might have one of the most complex languages on the planet but there are no phrases built for this. I cried, and I cried and my eyes are still red in the corners. I’ve come to the conclusion that it doesn’t matter if I believe they’re going to a better place ... neither of my cats are coming back. There’s a space where they used to be that maybe nothing can ever fill. Is the idea that they’ve gone somewhere better really supposed to be a comfort? Some stranger took you away from me, and I did nothing to prevent it. Maybe it’s better this way, but I’m sorry. I am so, so sorry.
Human Rights Watch recently published some heavy criticism of the RCMP’s relationship with aboriginal females in British Columbia. While the police force should be a source of safety and comfort, female citizens in northern British Columbia seem to experience only fear and distrust. A lack of attention given to cases of Canadian aboriginal women may give the impression of a situation that has become poisonous, but in reality, it is a product of a long history of abuse. Since settling in Canada, colonists have had a hopelessly abusive relationship with aboriginal peoples, so entrenched in subordination that it is hard to see possibility for improvement. How can our country fix a situation that has such a firm foundation of assimilation, rather than cooperation? Many residents of cities such as Abbotsford remain unaware of persistent problems because in areas with a wider scope of public awareness, it’s so easy for inaction to slip by. Sometimes it is easy to forget that although we live in a so-called “developed” country, there are still areas that are relatively behind in legal and conceptual development. However, in the isolated northern communities of our province, victims may feel alone, perhaps even blamed for their suffering. Improvement is far from finished when those in places of authority have the opportunity to pick and choose where their services are spent. Power is distributed in a way that allows this abuse to continue; it remains in the hands that have funding, and when we look at where the funding is held,
it becomes clear why the voices of victims are not being heard. The government stopped funding to the Native Women’s Association of Canada’s (NWAC) program, Sisters in Spirit, which looked specifically at gender and ethnicity in investigations of homicide and missing persons. Since that cut in 2009, funding has continued to the NWAC’s “Evidence to Action” program. So, where is the catch? It lies in the fact that cases in the latter program are monitored by the RCMP itself. In a system where funding for investigation into abuse is allotted to those accused of abuse, there is clearly a conflict of interest. We can see how the speed of justice is affected when we observe where money and awareness is given. For example, you would have a hard time finding a resident of the Fraser Valley who did not recognize the name Amanda Todd. When thousands dedicated their awareness, however briefly, to this girl, a trial was quick to follow. The voices of aboriginal women are going unheard because an environment of fear and neglect prevents them from even going so far as to file a police report. Even if a report is filed, it will be monitored by the RCMP, and under their jurisdiction there is no mandate for the collection of ethnicity data. The issue of social inequality can never be addressed when the system doesn’t acknowledge it. Canadians like to pride themselves on multiculturalism. The dilemma of today’s aboriginal women is a reminder that we are far from a state of true equality.
Letter to the editor
Re: Name dropping Dear Current Editorial Staff of the Cascade,
As former editors and writers from both the Cascade and Toque, we would like to throw our two cents into the discussions around a possible name change to The Cascade. I myself was a writer and editor on and off for the Casade for 6 years during my time at UCFV. I think I should emphasize here that the people who founded the Toque in 2001 were the same people who were previously the staff of the Cascade before we were fired by the SUS in the summer of 2001. Those of us who were working for the Cascade from 2000-2001 and in the years before went on to become the editors and founding members of both the Toque and the newly established Cascade that became independent of the SUS in Fall 2002. This happened for very important reasons, as you have outlined already, and the creation of the Toque from 2001-2002 was a vital element in this move to assert the independence of student journalism and free speech at our fair institution.
As Mr. Ubels has already pointed out, a name change should not be taken lightly. The Cascade has proudly represented the goings on and the views of students at our school for 20 years now. It has served us well. It is neither a very exciting or intriguing moniker for a student rag. It just happens to also be the nickname for the school’s sports teams and a prominent local geographical feature. Yes, as Ms. Romund points out, it is a nice reminder of our natural environmental bounty on the West Coast. Other than that not too significant or memorable a name. Thus, a name change for the paper, while somewhat regrettable, may seem like a positive development in the evolution of our student press. However, Ms. Romund also makes a good point about something getting old not necessarily being a bad thing. There is something to be said for the tradition---what little of it that we have at UFV---of the Cascade name. This “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it” argument certainly resonates with many people, including us, the founders of the Toque/independent Cascade. We
feel a name change, whether it be to the Toque or another name, may be simply unnecessary. Mr. Ubels also touched on this point as well in his previous editorial. Back to the history of the Toque/ Cascade paper/name wars. The justification behind the founding of the Toque and the adoption of that name give us a case in point. We created the Toque at the time as reaction to the unceremonious firing of almost the entire editorial board of the then Cascade by the SUS in the Fall of 2001. The name and the creation of the Toque was a very political act against the unjust actions of a political institution with no mandate for their actions and no right to do what they did. The Cascade at the time was a much more popular body at the time than the SUS and we were doing our job, the job that all media should do: telling truth to power and criticizing bad political policies. We thus founded the Toque and used it as a weapon in our bid to wrest back editorial control of the Cascade from the SUS and their puppets. The end goal was total independence for the Cas-
cade, with students like us, who had journalism and free expression as our mantra, in control of a free press. Yes we were quite rebellious and political at that time, and it had a lot to do with 9-11, “Gordo” Campbell, George Dubya and the Afghanistan and Iraq wars but also due to our anger at the actions of the SUS and the complacency of the UCFV administration in that whole debacle with the Cascade. It wasn’t simply for the sake of “hip and subversive badassery” that we did what we did, although there was obviously an element of that in it. We wrote about the important issues of the day and actually meant what we wrote and acted upon it, and The Toque and The Cascade of that time reflects these passions and motivations. I guess the point of this letter, to summarise, is that the Toque was symbolic of a particular time and place in the evolution of those who once ran the Cascade and we think it should remain that way. The Cascade is a fine name, but if the current editorial board finds it insufficient for their purposes then
by all means, change the name to something new and edgy that reflects your current raison d’etre. But please do it “in your own particular idiom” and do it for the right reasons. It should represent something significant and substantive in the evolution of the UFV press at this juncture. While we’re flattered by the respect given to the name of the Toque and what it represented, we feel using that name again would be inappropriate and misguided and not reflective of it’s original purpose or representative of it’s original editorial board. The Cascade staff and paper of 2013 are very different from those of 2003. On the other hand, don’t dismiss the Cascade name lightly; there are many others who came before you whose blood, sweat, tears and substance induced ramblings went into this paper over the years. Sincerely, Kyle Webb (News & Features Editor, Toquescade Collective, 2000-2003)
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www.ufvcascade.ca
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2013
FEATURE
Triumph on the court
UFV women’s and men’s basketball move on to CIS final f by Jasper Moedt
Aieisha Luyken drives to the hoop.
Image: Blake McGuire/The Cascade
Image: Blake McGuireThe Cascade
Jaslyen Singh went two for two from three point land in game one.
Nicole Wierks takes a contested field goal.
n to the next one. The Cascades women’s basketball team is on to the Canada West final four next weekend, after a hard fought series at the Envision Athletic Center (EAC) over the weekend. The University of the Fraser Valley squad took a 2-1 series victory over the visiting University of Saskatchewan Huskies. The weekend series was an entertaining and captivating affair that left spectators on their feet applauding long after the final buzzer sounded. On opening night the gym rattled with a nervous energy from a home crowd who had huge expectations from a UFV team that had performed so well all season long. This must have been the same thing the Cascades felt as well, as the team came out full of energy and playing at full speed, but seemingly without their shooting touch. After a rough first quarter where the team scored only seven points the women slowly regained their confidence and used their athleticism and speed to outrebound the visiting Huskies – allowing them to make up for initial poor shooting. Sarah Wierks was a monster on the glass, picking up an eye popping 17 rebounds with nine of them on the offensive end. On this night no Cascade shot particularly well, but a lone bright spot was
third and early in the fourth quarter it seemed as though UFV had a comfortable hold on victory. Midway through the fourth quarter a huge basket from Huskies centre Emmerson seemed to light a fire for the Saskatchewan squad and in an amazing turn of momentum the Huskies cut a double digit lead to a mere two points over a three minute span. Just as the Huskies seemed poised to take the lead, UFV forward Nicole Wierks came through in a huge way with a layup on one end followed by a steal on defence the next possession. Wierks ended up getting fouled on the resulting fast break and sank two free throws, essentially shutting the door on the Huskies’ comeback aspirations. As the final buzzer sounded it was the Cascades winning the allimportant game three of the series 73-58. The women were led by Kayli Sartori on the night with 19 points. Nicole Wierks also played a major role for the Cascades with 10 rebounds on the night and nine points. It was a weekend of ups and downs for the Cascades who seemed to struggle with shooting consistency. When reflecting on the weekend, fourth-year guard Alexa McCarthy commented, “each night it came down to which team wanted it more. Neither team shot especially well over the series
O
Jaslyen Singh who came off the bench to shoot a tidy two for two from three point land. In a messy affair the Cascades used their deep bench and hustle plays to come out on top 65-58. On Friday, night two of action, spectators at the EAC were treated to a reversal of roles from the teams. Time after time the Huskies came up with loose balls and rebounds that would have belonged to the UFV team a night earlier. The Cascades still had not found their shooting touch around the basketball on this night, and unlike game one of the series they did not win the rebounding battle. The Huskies six-foot-three centre Dalyce Emmerson took control of the game for long periods of time, towering over the smaller Cascades defenders and getting to the basket with ease. The visiting Huskies walked away with an 11-point 67-56 point victory, forcing the series to a third and deciding elimination game. On Saturday night the EAC was buzzing with that playoff atmosphere that every athlete and sports fan lives for. The game took off at a rapid pace, with every basket being celebrated by the fans in the building as though it was the game-winning point. By halftime UFV seemed to have the game under control, cruising to a 35-23 lead. As the teams traded baskets in the
so it just came down to the 50/50 balls and rebounding.” On the Huskies, McCarthy stated, “they were a pretty even matchup for us. In the end we just outlasted them and were hungrier when it mattered.” The Cascades now look ahead in their quest for a national title to the Canada West Final Four which is hosted at the University of Calgary on March first and second. Although their matchup is not yet decided for the semi-final game, the Cascades can go into this next stage of the playoffs knowing that they can play with any team in the country on any given night. The women need a victory in their semi-final series to ensure a berth to nationals, something that has been an ever-elusive goal for this team. Twice they have been to the Final Four and twice they have lost the semi-final. As a member of both those teams McCarthy put it very plainly: “we feel like we have been here before and are not happy with just showing up to the games. We have set our sights on nationals this year and anything less would be a disappointment for our team.” Is this the team that will finally get over the hump and reach that national stage? They have had a season that would point towards a resounding “yes” to that question. This is a team that is very talented
Image: Blake McGuireThe Cascade
and coordinated, and has years of playoff experience behind it. To top that off they are getting solid contributions from role players off the bench. As a unit this team may be the best in the country. They may lack that one overbearing superstar that takes the majority of shots or soaks up the spotlight, but as a unit they have bought into the idea that basketball is a sport that is based around defence and have found success in that identity. Buying into head coach Al Tuchsherer’s game plan has moulded a group of talented individuals into a well-functioning unit. “We have put our trust in our coaching staff day in and day out to put the right game plans in place to allow us to succeed,” said Sarah Wierks. “As a team we know that if we buy into the plan that our coaching staff has laid out on a given night we can beat any team in the country.” This year’s Cascades are the most talented assortment of athletes that UFV has ever been able to put on the court, and as the shot at a national title becomes a more and more likely possibilities, Cascades fans have to hope that this is the year for our women’s program to really put our school on the map in the CIS.
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2013
www.ufvcascade.ca
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FEATURE
2013 PACWEST volleyball provincials; men fall early four after tumultuous weekend play while women take home the title
Image: Blake McGuire/The Cascade
EMAD AGAHI CONTRIBUTOR
The Cascades rally around first year head coach Adam Friesen.
Image: Raisa Pezderic/The Sheaf
T
he UFV men’s basketball team continued to play the role of Cinderella over the weekend. In a season surrounded by setbacks and controversy, the men have managed to move on to the second round of the playoffs. After long-time head coach Barnaby Craddock and several other players left for the University of Alberta last summer, there was talk that the team would miss the playoffs altogether. After a strong preseason the men worked themselves into a national ranking and again the league started to take notice of the team, only to see injuries to fifth-year stars Sam Freeman and Kyle Grewal. The regular season saw a team plagued by injury fighting every night to compete. Just as the Cascades looked to have clinched a playoff spot an eligibility issue came forward and the team was stripped of two valuable wins that put their playoff hopes in jeopardy. Not to be deterred, the team battled forward, limping into the fourth and final playoff spot in the pacific division and earning the right to travel to Saskatoon to face the University of Saskatchewan Huskies. It was only fitting that the weekend had its fair share of drama in store for the Cascades squad. In the lead up to the weekend the Cascades learned that they had lost their starting forward, Nathan Kendall, to sanctions placed on the team by the league due to the eligibility issue. If this wasn’t enough, the team was going on the road for a playoff series, which in the Canada West often spells disaster. In the last four years the visiting team in a playoff series had never managed a series win. Home court and reffing advantages play a huge role in the game of basketball, so the Cascades knew they had to climb a mountain compete in the series. The UFV men managed to pull out a solid 83-64 victory in game one through the hot shooting of
Image: Raisa Pezderic/The Sheaf
Husky star Stephon Lamar scored 28 points in game three. fifth-years Sam Freeman and Kyle Grewal. On the second night, one final test was thrown at this beleaguered squad as Freeman was hit hard in the paint early in the night and suffered a broken rib, essentially ending his season. The news sent the team reeling as they dropped the game 78-58. Facing a do-or-die elimination game, the Cascades were a long shot to beat a Huskies squad that was playing some of its best basketball of the season. Without their leading scorer and with few players to turn to the Cascades desperately needed a hero, someone to shoulder the load for the team. That man was Klaus Figueredo. The reserve guard who spent much of the year out of play with a dislocated shoulder stepped up huge, shooting perfect from the field (six for six) and notching 22 points. Figueredo also took on the task of hounding Huskies star Stephon Lamar all night, doing an effective job in making the Huskies
star work especially hard for every point. In addition to Figueredo’s phenomenal outburst the Cascades received solid contributions from Manny Dulay and Andy Khaira who each netted 14 points. The Cascades have been thought to have a lack of depth, but on this night the Cascades put that notion to rest. In the coming weeks, the Cascades depth will continue to be tested as Freeman is unlikely to return and Kendal still has a one game suspension to serve. With this complete team effort the Cascades move onto the Canada west Final Four at UBC March 1 and 2. A first or second place finish in this bracket elimination format tournament would ensure the men a berth to nationals. The Cascades will take on provincial rival UBC in the first night of action as they continue their quest for a national title.
Cranbrook, a small eastern British Columbia town with a population of close to 20,000, got a little more crowded this weekend as host of the 2013 PACWEST BC men’s and women’s volleyball championships. The College of the Rockies invited 24 teams from colleges and universities all around the lower mainland and Vancouver Island to compete for the provincial title. The tournament also presented teams with a chance to qualify for the CCAA national championships. The first of the 12 matches set to be played over the three-day event got under way on Thursday, February 21, with the two final matchups proceeding Saturday evening. UFV was well-represented in this tournament, with both the men’s and women’s team qualifying. The men’s team narrowly got in with a crucial sweep of the CBC Bearcats two weeks ago. The win tied UFV and CBC for the sixth and last qualifying spot with identical 6-18 records; however, the Cascades sneaked ahead thanks to a better set win/ loss ratio. It was a short celebration afterwards for the men, as they had to open the championships four days later with a matchup versus third-ranked Camosun College. Going in, the Cascades were 1-3 this season against the Chargers, but also coming off four consecutive victories to end the regular season. The Cascades carried their recent form right into the first set, beating Camosun by a score of 25-21. After UFV dropped the second set 25-19, they couldn’t regain the momentum as Camosun won the third and fourth sets both with a score of 25-20. This is the third consecutive year in which the UFV men’s volleyball team has been eliminated in the first round of the PACWEST playoffs. The UFV women’s team went into this year’s tournament ranked not only first in the PACWEST, but first in the country as well. Their dominant regular season record of 22-2 presented the Cascades with a bye into the semi-finals versus the winner of Camosun and Capilano who
played a Thursday quarterfinal. Capilano took the match three sets to one, setting up a semi-final match up with UFV on Friday night. The Cascades went into the match undefeated in four matchups versus the North Vancouver-based Capilano Blues. As predicted, UFV had no trouble with Capilano in the first set, winning 25-16. The Blues managed to step up their play, as the two teams split the next two sets, both with a score of 25-20. But in the fourth set, the Cascades proved to be too much to handle for the Blues as UFV closed out the set 25-18 and won the match three sets to one. The participants in the 2013 PACWEST women’s volleyball provincial championship game were now set and the both teams competing were from right here in Abbotsford. On Friday, Columbia Bible College had pulled off a dramatic five-set upset victory over Vancouver Island University, the second-ranked team in the country coming into the tournament. UFV, who just seven days ago completed a season sweep of the CBC Bearcats, would yet again have to prove themselves superior. During the match, UFV displayed exactly why they had been tournament favourites by not allowing CBC to reach the 20 point mark in any of the three sets played. The Cascades strolled to an easy 3-0 match win to become the 2013 PACWEST provincial champions. UFV’s Kira Tome and Krista Hogewoning were named tournament first team all-stars, while senior Kayla Bruce was named tournament MVP. Coach Dennis Bokenfohr and the women now set their sights on the CCAA national championships which take place March 7-9 at Lakeland College in Lloydminster, Alberta. UFV is also the favourite for the national championship, ranked first going in; however, this tournament promises to present some stiffer competition. The Cascades will have to prove their ranking against powerhouses from the ACAC, RSEQ and OCAA divisions. For now the UFV women can enjoy another remarkable moment in what has proved to be a year for the ages.
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WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2013
www.ufvcascade.ca
Curtailed commentary on current conditions
SNAPSHOTS
OPINION
Image: photoscott/flickr.com
AMY VAN VEEN
DESSA BAYROCK
Ballad of a pink brick
Reviewing men: there’s an app for that
Roll up the Rim is the worst time of year.
Sick
Anytime you bust out those little Danish-made interlocking bricks among a couple builders, there’s always a bit of a mad struggle for the “best” bricks. I clearly remember not wanting to admit to such a brick-race, holding back any overt aggression, but making sure my search through the blue-tinged Rubbermaid container was as deft and speedy as possible. Lego is a brand synonymous with unparalleled childhood creativity and imaginative possibility. It’s every parent’s dream toy: one that not only stimulates thinking, planning, creativity and learning, but can capture a kid’s (or kid-atheart’s) focused attention for hour and hours at a stretch. In addition to third-party branding, Lego has made a renewed effort to market to girls with Lego Friends, which introduces more realistic looking Lego mini-figures and ample pink and purple pieces. It’s every marketer’s go-to plan to attempt to attract a new demographic and such efforts are allthe-more transparent in kids’ toys, where the store itself is divided according to gender. My question is why create this kind of a division when there are few signs that building with Lego is an exclusively-male activity? It reinforces the idea that girls should be only playing with pink bricks, building horse stables or salons in Lego Friends’ Heartlake City, rather than construction sites or spaceships. It might make a girl feel embarrassed to pick the city building sets from the boys’ aisle where such a distinction has only just been artificially-made.
Ever see a guy at a party and think there aren’t enough ways to stalk him and find out the truth without actually talking to him? Well, you’re in luck because there is, in fact, an app for that. No longer does Lulu just mean comfortable and expensive loungeturned-daywear. It’s also the name of a review site where women can rate the men they know and date just like their restaurants or hotels. And that’s not even the worst part. According to their website FAQ section, “Lulu is cheeky, but definitely not evil. Our quiz is sweet, not tacky or vulgar.” Sure. Women log in through Facebook which means only women who have identified themselves as female can log in. Reviews are done anonymously and can only be viewed by other women, which means men cannot log on to see if they are mentioned or what is mentioned about them. The creators of the site threw men a patronizing bone called Lulu Dude where men can select their own relationship status and profile picture while also offering them “selfimprovement tips.” And as the icing on top of the topsy-turvy cake, drop-down answers include such gems as “wears Ed Hardy” and “kinky in the right ways.” This app seems to be useful in all the wrong ways.
This time of the year is hardest for me. The weather is dreary, it always seems to be raining, midterms are approaching faster than anyone is really comfortable, and the lack of sleep is starting to really get to me. Worst of all, it’s the season of Roll up the Rim. A myriad of reasons contribute to my over-arching hate of Roll up the Rim. For starters, Tim Horton’s coffee tastes like salt. I heard a rumour a couple years ago that they put MSG in their hot beverages, and I even half-believe it. What other excuse could they have for coffee that tastes the way it does? I’ll tell you how it tastes. Unforgivably bad. Roll up the Rim is just the cherry on the cake of hating Tim Horton’s. Sure, it’s kind of a cool contest – but they clearly advertise better odds than 23 losses before a measly donut win, which is what happened to me last year. I heard someone say that the adrenaline rush of rolling up that rim is worth the spike in coffee-purchasing, but I disagree. Tim, I will no longer gamble at your counter. We have a bad relationship, and I’m calling you on it. I don’t even like donuts.
The most annoying thing about politics is the amount of people who don’t get a say – whose voice is left out of the decision-making process. It has to change! That’s why I supported the Single Transferable Vote (BC-STV) electoral reform in the 2009 provincial election, and was crushed when it failed. It would have enabled a system where each voter could choose the candidates that most appealed to them, instead of just voting to keep their leastfavoured party from winning. Our current system is broken. A vote for the Green Party is deemed a “waste” of a vote because it has less of a chance of winning than some of the other parties – but that starts a negative cycle that prevents less-established parties from ever competing. The BC-STV system would have let me rank whatever candidates I liked in my preferred order – if my favourite candidate was eliminated, my second choice would count instead, and so on. That way, after the final tally, more people would be happy with the winning candidate. I was excited to hear that current Liberal party leader candidate Joyce Murray—who recently made headlines when David Suzuki pledged his support—understands the importance of ensuring that more of us get our voice heard. One of her major goals is to bring about electoral reform, which would bring proportional representation and a fair vote for all Canadians. Maybe more of us would vote if we knew it would really count.
Clark’s Prosperity Fund shortsighted NADINE MOEDT
THE CASCADE
Premier Christy Clark is putting all of BC’s eggs into one environmentally and economically murderous basket. Her “Prosperity Fund,” proposed three months before the election, relies on the extraction and export of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from northern BC BC’s LNG-based economy would basically be another version of the Alberta oil sands, making money by extracting the resource and sending it via tankers to Asian markets. The forecasted economic advantages of tapping into this massive resource store is tempting; by 2020, we could be making anything from $4.3 to $8.7 billion in revenues each year. This is enough to eliminate BC’s massive $56 billion debt by 2026, according to Clark’s speech. Clark spoke of eliminating the provincial sales tax, investing in education and in “vital infrastructure.”
JOEL SMART
NICK UBELS
Clark’s projections, however, are under a fire of very legitimate criticism from opposition. According to Maclean’s, NDP leader Adrian Dix cites previous predictions by the Liberal Party gone wrong. “They were dramatically wrong over six months in terms of natural gas revenues,” he said. “A government that has over time ... been completely wrong and completely out of step on its estimates, one has to take its estimates with a grain of salt.” It’s difficult to put much stock in a prediction made over 30 years in the future when Clark hasn’t had much luck with forecasting a mere six months down the road. The plan itself seems poorly thought out, with little detail given to investment in the necessary infrastructure and how it can be expected that the province will be able to increase the tax on LNG while still maintaining investments. The government seems all too eager to gamble on a single resource with no backup plan in
Image: BC Gov Photos/Flickr.com
BC Premier Christy Clark. sight. In Clark’s Throne speech, she writes that such an emphasis “will be a transformational change for our province and we cannot afford to be shortsighted.” I had a good laugh at Clark’s version of shortsightedness. According to Clark we are being “shortsighted” by missing out on the opportunity to tie our “prosperity” and economic development to the destruction of the environment, and ensuring we have
an infrastructure based on a nonrenewable resource. A recent study put out by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives trumps Clarks plan all together. The report argues that Canada is falling in to a “staples trap,” due to the Canadian economy being so closely intertwined with carbon producing industry. Countries that spiral into this trap, relying too heavily on natural resources can fall into a “dangerous cycle.” “Our concern is that Canadian
of my vote counting
not
policy makers who were so quick to jump on the bandwagon of us becoming an energy superpower forgot those lessons of the potential downside of a staples-based strategy for our whole economy.” The link between our economy and carbon-producing industries make it difficult to address climate change issues without hurting the economy. In the future there may be a dying market for oil due to environmentally concerned countries. This study particularly addresses our strong emphasis on bitumen from the Alberta tar sands, but is relevant to all extraction of fossil fuel resources. Why follow Alberta down the path of certain environmental and economic destruction? Clark’s Prosperity Fund is as shortsighted as it gets; it’s a get rich quick scheme that needs a bit more thought put in to it before BC can be won over.
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2013
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www.ufvcascade.ca
OPINION
Why My Safe Ride Home should make you angry PAUL ESAU
THE CASCADE
Last week I published an article on UFV SUS’s soon-to-beabolished My Safe Ride Home (MSRH) program, an article that took me nearly a month to research and write, as well as forcing me to make numerous long distance calls at your (students’) expense. The day after it was published I walked into the SUS office and asked if any of the board members present were worried about my comprehensive analysis of one of the biggest SUS blunders in recent history. “No,” one member said, “your article’s too complicated for anyone to understand.” I took that as a challenge. Here are (in my opinion) the four most important things that you as student need to know about the MSRH program, explained so simply that my cat, who routinely forgets where his food-bowl is, understood them instantly: The My Safe Ride Home program is NOT a scam. There is a rumour circulating at the moment that SUS is being fleeced for hundreds of thousands by a shady group of entrepreneurs who stumbled onto the cash cow that is the UFV student body. This is not true. MSRH has been tested and tried in other circumstances (most recently by the Waterloo Regional School Board in Ontario) and it does work – it’s just not very efficient. And frankly, the people
involved in this program are important, respected figures in the Lower Mainland. They can no more afford to scam you than you can afford to be scammed. The problem with the MSRH model is that the pay-off, for the consumer, is simply not worth the investment. The backers of MSRH have poured hundreds of thousand into developing secure software with GPS synchronization that allows their cards to be swiped like a debit or credit card – all to save a student (best case scenario) 10 minutes waiting for a taxi. If the $25 taxi credit were part of a group of essential core services provided by the program (and MMC has been desperately trying to add services since MSRH was launched), I might find it more valuable, but as it stands MSRH is cost-prohibitive and reward-deficient. The program is really only valuable to a student in a crisis with no cash, no credit card, no debit card and no friends who could help with any of the above – but how often does that combination really occur? Is it worth a mandatory $25 per student? In 2009, your UFV SUS signed a contract to create MSRH, apparently without reading the contract. The real problem of the MSRH program has never really been the program itself, but instead the blunders SUS has made interpreting and amending the contract with MMC. It is very clearly stated
in the contract that a student’s enrolment in the MSRH lasts a single year, and therefore their $25 credit is active only for a single year. For some reason, your UFV SUS decided at the end of 2010 that they either had (a) misinterpreted the contract, or (b) no longer liked the contract, and instead desired the MSRH credit to last for the entirety of a student’s time at UFV. How the board could either play along for a year-and-a-half completely ignorant of how the contract worked, or abruptly decide they no longer agreed with the contract (not even two years into a five-year term), is beyond the understanding of this humble reporter. The fact that they did, and that the program spent the next year in contractual limbo, is a major reason for the imminent cancellation of the program in April Your UFV SUS finds math scary difficult. Some of you learned this last November during the EGM that “saved” AfterMath, but it’s disturbing to see this numerical nonsense as a general SUS trend rather than an isolated incident. In October 2010, SUS got a check from the MSRH program for $105,000, or half of the program’s profit from the first year of operation. If the program was meant to last the entirety of a student’s time at UFV, there was no possible way for 4200 students ($105,000 divided by $25 per student) to have “left” the program after a single year.
Meatless Mondays: not just for hipster cred anymore MELISSA SPADY
CONTRIBUTOR
I started working meatless meals into my diet about a yearand-a-half ago due to my naturally poor digestive health. For as long as I can remember I’ve struggled with tiredness and lethargy. I spent the latter half of my teens combating a slew of food allergies and chronic abdominal pain. In 2011 I gave myself an ultimatum: I could make an effort to change my bad habits, or let myself be victimized by my dietary restrictions forever. I chose the former and never looked back. I’m not going to say it was easy but it was definitely worth it, and in more ways than you think. Eating bread or cheese all day and saying “I ate vegetarian today!” is technically correct, but the whole idea behind eating “meatless” is that you’re putting more iron-rich and protein-rich fruits, vegetables, legumes (beans, lentils, peas) or nuts into your diet instead. Hard lesson learned, I admit. After plodding around on the internet, I found articles and recipes that aided me in getting a better idea of how to properly substitute meat. While my health improved dramatically and my energy levels were better than ever, something extra came along with it: my wallet was notably fatter. As students we are constantly looking for new ways to save money. From cheap textbooks to cutting personal expenses, every little bit helps ease our already tight budgets. This is why I feel inclined to talk about meatless eating, because I have only done myself as well as my budget favours by introducing it in to my meal plan. In dollars and cents: a can of beans goes for $2 or less,
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A meatless diet can be tasty. whereas any type of meat (meaning beef, chicken, pork, turkey) will cost you $6-9 for one meal. Side tip: try heading to a farmer’s market for your fruits and veggies to get more bang for your buck. Every time I’ve been to a farmer’s market instead of the grocery store I’ve walked away with an armful of fresh goodies and a bill around $20 for both fruit/veggies that last me up to two weeks. Learning to cook with your vegetables makes cutting corners easier as well. Making a pasta? Instead of getting ground beef, grab a can of kidney beans. Stir fry? Have a wide variety of vegetables in lieu of throwing some chicken in there. “Meaty” vegetables like zucchini, mushrooms, eggplant and cauliflower are good ways to substitute without feeling like you’re missing that heartiness in your meals. These suggestions are just what I’ve found tasty for me, and I don’t expect everyone to have the same
love affair with beans as I do. Start by working with foods you know you already like. The best part about taking on a new food challenge is getting to be creative with what you eat. If you don’t know where to start, go to your biggest resource: the internet. I’ve found that vegetariantimes.com has a lot of different recipes for meals without meat that aren’t just centred around tofu or soy products (which I personally have found difficulty adjusting to). I’m not advocating that you never eat meat again, or that becoming vegetarian is right for everyone. I am by no means a health professional, but I can share my own experience and hope that someone else sees the value in trying it for themselves. I still eat meat and I don’t think I’ll be giving it up entirely anytime soon; I just have found that eating a variety of different proteins has done wonders for my health, my conscience and my wallet. All it requires to start is some swapping on your grocery list, a little extra attention in the kitchen, and the desire to try something new. I now spend less time slaving away over the stove and I can make my meals go a lot further. I don’t expect anyone to turn their eating habits upside down overnight (in fact I don’t recommend that at all) but having an awareness of your food choices I believe can, and will, lead to more benefits than grievances. Why not try stepping out of your comfort zone one night a week with a new vegetarian-friendly recipe and a friend or significant other? You have nothing to lose, and so much delicious food to gain.
To add to the problem, SUS had not actually created a mechanism to determine when a student had indeed “left” the program short of (presumably) graduation. Simply put, any SUS board member active in 2010/2011 who claims they misunderstood the program to last for the entirety of a student’s UFV enrolment could never responsibly have cashed that check. And any board member who cashed the check could not have ethically claimed two months later that they misunderstood the program. Of course, even after the renegotiation of the contract, SUS still didn’t bother to institute a mechanism for tracking student enrolment (even though such a mechanism was assumed in the new agreement). Your UFV SUS negotiated MSRH with no regards for basic principles of business. Now some of this mess can be attributed to the fact that the MSRH program has been supervised by four different boards and three different SUS managers, but even so there are some scary blunders. In 2009, MMC approached the SUS board with the MSRH program and not a single signed contract with any other major institution. After SUS became the first major contract for the whole MSRH program, your SUS handed over roughly $225,000 of student money without supervision and without an escrow clause to ensure that the “profit” money would protect-
ed from possible bankruptcy. In short they locked themselves into a five-year deal with a business model that had yet to prove itself, gambling with your money. In the last contract amendment in 2012 that negotiated the eventual termination of the contract, SUS agreed to invoice MMC for SUS’s half of the profit at the end of the April 2013. This would be fine, except that SUS agreed to invoice MMC based on the numbers MMC provided which SUS has no way of verifying. In this scenario, MMC doesn’t only hold all the cards, but the entire pot as well (and possibly the table, the house, the children and the wedding photos). As any first-year business student (or, frankly, an above-average dolphin) could tell you, this is not good business. In short, if the MSRH program was not run by respectable people, SUS (bankrolled by you and me) could have been very screwed. Hopefully by the end of May or so SUS will receive back the appropriate portion of the profit moneys and the circus that has been the UFV’s MSRH program will simply be a bad dream. But the question remains, why do we persist with a student governance model that allows this kind of scenario to perpetuate itself? Who is going to change the system?
Turning on the right light: the hazards of CFLs KATIE STOBBART CONTRIBUTOR
In my basement, I have a hidden stash of incandescent light bulbs. Canadian Tire had them on sale about a year ago, and because there were already indications that compact fluorescent bulbs (CFLs) would make them obsolete, I stocked up. For the moment, I am able to choose which type of bulbs to use, but this will not always be the case. The Government of Canada plans to phase out the old incandescent bulbs in 2014. It is not dangerous to use the old bulbs, just less efficient, and the choice to use CFLs could result in a slight decrease on my energy bill. However, I have concerns about CFLs, and I think we should have the right to choose whether or not we want to continue to use incandescent bulbs. CFLs contain small amounts (about four milligrams in each bulb) of mercury, which is a neurotoxin. According to the World Health Organization, “mercury may have toxic effects on the nervous, digestive and immune systems, and on lungs, kidneys, skin and eyes.” It is also included in their list of the top 10 chemicals of major public health concern. CFLs do meet Canadian standards for electrical safety, so we shouldn’t have to worry about bulbs spontaneously bursting into flame or zapping us on contact, but the Environment Canada fact sheet on the bulbs does not address the potential hazards of light sources containing mercury in the event of a house fire. Not all fires are caused by electrical devices. When heated, mer-
cury emits toxic vapours into the air. Exposure to these vapours can cause serious health complications, especially in pregnant women. To call CFLs safe simply because they are unlikely to cause an electrical fire underplays the severity of this exposure. There may be only small quantities of mercury in each light bulb, but most homes have many light fixtures, and some of those use more than one bulb. It is much more likely to shatter a light bulb than it is to have a house fire. CFLs cannot be disposed of in the same way as incandescents; as hazardous waste, they are not to be thrown in the garbage, and direct contact with skin must be avoided when collecting the shards of the bulb. Is it really worth saving a few dollars on the energy bill to risk having mercury in our homes and workplaces? Surely there are ways to be energy efficient without compromising our personal and environmental health. My other concerns with compact fluorescent light bulbs include electrical pollution and ultraviolet radiation. It is recommended on the CFL fact sheet that people stay about a foot away from the lights while in use and “limit close exposure to three consecutive hours.” That kind of advice does not inspire my confidence in CFLs, so I will continue to use incandescent light bulbs, at least until the choice is taken away from me. After the old bulbs are phased out, at least I’ll have my stash.
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OPINION
In defense of the Blackberry DESSA BAYROCK THE CASCADE
Hi. My name is Dessa, and I own a Blackberry. There was a brief period when Blackberries were cool, but I bought my “smartphone” well after this era had ended. I’m not sure what drew me to the physical keys in an age of touch-screen, or why I invested in a hunk of plastic instead of a modern glass-and-aluminum iPhone, but I did. It might be because I like to root for the underdog, and RIM is definitely an underdog. Maybe I like supporting Canadian businesses, or maybe I was impressed that such a promising company was able to pour itself down the drain in such a small period of time. I often describe the Blackberry as the all-season tire of cell phones: it performs a variety of functions and none of them particularly well. I used to make relentless fun of anyone I knew who owned one. In fact, I still do. I guess you could say my Blackberry and I have a love-hate relationship. My version is the second-newest Curve. It’s not a great phone. It’s not even a particularly good phone. But we make it work, my Blackberry and I. We’re decent to each other for the most part, and the times it freezes or refuses to recognize it’s in a service area are about balanced by the times I spill things on it or hurl it across the room. One thing’s for sure: I could never be this cruel to an iPhone. I won’t lie – sometimes I’m tempted by early upgrade offers, the futuristic abilities of swiping and drawing on a touch screen, and apps that actually work. I couldn’t tell you how many times I’ve pulled up the specs on Sam-
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2013
The problem with peer review Editor subjectivity lowers credibility of process SHANE BELBIN
THE MUSE (MEMORIAL U)
Image: Amy Van Veen/ The Cascade
Not Dessa’s Blackberry, but another found hanging around The Cascade offices.
sung, Apple and even LG products. I study them intensely, but at the end of the day I close the tabs. I just can’t do it. Maybe my Blackberry and I are in an abusive relationship, but I think we truly love each other. So what if its cheap plastic keys render me incapable of texting without alerting everyone in a 15-foot radius? So what if I have to pull the battery out on a semi-weekly basis to make it unfreeze and behave itself? So what if it’ll lock me out of mobile Twitter for weeks on end?
When it counts, like when I need my battery to last three days without a fresh charge, my Blackberry is there for me. We might not like each other all the time, but we sure love each other. As Lilo and Stitch taught me in my childhood, family means nobody gets left behind or forgotten. And that includes even the most curmudgeonly Blackberry.
ST. JOHN’S (CUP) — At some point in your university career, you’re bound to hear about the importance of peer reviewed articles. You’ll know that they are what you’re supposed to be citing instead of Wikipedia because they have to go through such a rigorous review and selection process. And it’s true — something you find in a journal is a better source than someone’s rambling blog. However, the selection process is not as perfect as many think. Identifying the problems and proposing solutions has been the focus of research by Memorial sociology professor Anton Oleinik, which has been published in the journal Science and Engineering Ethics, and was the subject of a presentation organized by the Department of Sociology on Jan. 30. The article and presentation, entitled “Conflict(s) of Interest in Peer Review: Its Origins and Possible Solutions,” provided a look into the process, and identified a major shortcoming. Although the reviewing of articles for journals is generally conducted in a double-blind fashion — where the reviewer doesn’t know whose work they are reading, and the reviewed doesn’t know who has supplied the comments — it is the in-between step where Oleinik feels makes the process is highly subjective. Once submitted to a journal, the editor or co-editor of a publication submits the article to external reviewers, but these people are generally the editor’s personal choice. The editor has full knowledge
of the person submitting to the journal, and this has been seen to impact the submitter’s chances of publication. With personal biases relating to the author’s academic position and institutional affiliation at play, Oleinik feels there is a great deal of subjectivity to this stage, which manifests itself in the publication patterns of journals. Citing a study from 1987 on the journal American Sociological Review, it was found that new PhDs were more likely to be published than those with established backgrounds, and that assistant professors were more likely than full professors, associate professors and graduate students to publish, respectively. After recognizing the problem, Oleinik proposed that a more reasonable system would be one paralleling the jury process of the judicial system, where there is a well defined process for selection, not one person’s personal choice. Oleinik also drew issue with the appeal process of many journals, where the only option for appeal is to contact the person who originally rejected it. In a comparison that many students can relate to, Oleinik stated that it’s like taking a failed paper back to the professor who marked it, hoping that he or she changed her mind on their original opinion. While this is a problem found in many journals, Oleinik praised the work of The Lancet, on their appointment of a separate ombudsman to review appeals, the first journal to create a position like this in 1996, and still one of the only few to have one.
Where’s the critical thinking at? DARYN WRIGHT THE PEAK (SFU)
BURNABY (CUP)—When surveyed, most undergraduate students claim that the most important thing they’ve gained from university is the ability to think critically. To this I ask: where is this critical thinking in the classroom? As an English major, most of what my peers and I do is engage in discussions about this or that text. Can we read Othello as having a homosexual theme? What can we derive from the metrical variation in Paradise Lost? Success as a student of English literature depends wholly on one’s ability to pull meaning from text where it is not explicit — or to take what is explicit and explain why it is
meaningful. It is a tragic moment when you’re sitting in a fourthyear English course—one where you expect your fellow classmates to have some critical thinking abilities about them—and the only discussion threads are “these lines are cool,” or worse, “I thought this was interesting.” Well great, I’m glad you thought those lines were cool and interesting, because T.S. Eliot did some cool things and was an interesting guy, but can you tell me why you think so? This is where so many discussions stop: the dead-end alleyway of ignored metaphors and misinterpreted verses. Constructing meaning from text, or from anything for that matter, is not merely a matching game ei-
ther, as so many students seem to believe. Finding parallels in literature is not a hard thing to do—in fact, often the text nurtures this kind of engagement—but pairing two objects or concepts together is not enough to constitute an argument. This is one thing we could all learn from philosophy students, who, bless their hearts, are taught to tango in the form of logically sound arguments at an early stage in their education. They are taught that simply pairing A and B together does not equal C, and no matter how much fluffy rhetoric they pack around that argument, it is not going to arrive in Timbuktu in one piece. If there is anything that English students—and all students in gen-
eral—could benefit from, it’s a lesson in logic. Is this problem rooted in the way we’ve been taught, or is it a form of laziness? Perhaps it is a badlymade cocktail of both causes, taking the form of rhetorically inflated discussions and papers that aren’t really arguing anything. Maybe this is my own disappointment speaking, but I thought that by the time we got to upper level courses we were supposed to have left behind the practice of merely matching “interesting” things. Don’t get me wrong, sometimes classroom discussions result in the cracking open of texts in the most unexpected and exciting way, and collectively we are able to tease out revealing analogies and new inter-
pretations. What directly follows from this is that tingly feeling you get in the bottom of your toes, that indication that the discussion has been enlightening in some way. The opposite of this is the feeling of an exceedingly heavy skull as the class continues to hover around that one line that “sounds so cool.” Maybe I’m being too harsh, and by no means am I a model academic, but if there’s one thing I can hope for in a university education, it’s that critical thinking will make its way back into our discussions, and distracted, meaningless claims will make themselves scarce.
The Cascade Wants You
Weekly assignment meetings on Monday mornings at 10 a.m. in room B133 on the Abbotsford campus. Come one, come all!
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2013
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ARTS & LIFE
CROSSWORD 1
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Name that Best Picture winner! 6
by AMY VAN VEEN
ACROSS
7. The youngest son returns from war to find unexpected success in the family’s business. Also, remember to pack the cannoli. (3, 9 letters) 9. Two people fall in love, have sex in a car and drift away from one of the worst naval wreckages of all time. (7 letters) 10. A prince turned prisoner turned rower turned emperor’s adopted son turned charioteer turned leper-helper turned ... I’m bored. (3, 3 letters) 11. Two brothers drive to Vegas to count toothpicks and cards. (4, 3 letters)
DOWN
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EclipseCrossword.com
1. A lot of people running around in white outfits with not a chariot in sight. (8, 2, 4 letters) 2. Two hours spent on the story of one boxer and the only thing people remem ber is grey sweatpants running up Philly museum steps. (5 letters) 3. To get on a plane or not to get on a plane? That is the question for this love triangle. (10 letters) 4. A naval officer living in a country with no coastline falls in love with the nanny. (3, 5, 2, 5 letters) 5. Haggis is not the only disembowelment in this film starring an alliterative warrior of the 13th century. (10 letters) 6. Over three-and-a-half hours of people dying culminating in a weepy collapse on a staircase. (4, 4, 3, 4 letters) 8. A neurotic comedian breaks the fourth wall in a cathartic rant about his love life for two hours. (6, 4 letters) 9. A black and white film about a famous actor who is stalked, surpassed and saved by a fan with a fake beauty mark. (3, 6 letters)
LAST WEEK’S Answer Key Across 3. 6. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 14.
LUPUS GRAY THEVOICE LUCILLE ANDRE LONDON SPACEJAM BATMANFOREVER
Down 1. 2. 4. 5. 7. 13.
PHOQUE WHISTLER SEAAIRLAND HEIDIKLUM ROYAL JEFF
The Weekly Horoscope Star Signs from Swamp Bob Aquarius: Jan 20 - Feb 18
Gemini: May 21 - June 21
Libra: Sept 23 - Oct 22
Your February blues can be beaten back with the knowledge that spring is around the corner and that giving your dog peanut butter with result in hours of entertainment. Don’t have a dog? Now may be the best time to adopt.
You are feeling rather proud with your creation of a tuna can survival stove. Remember the best way to test these things is to knock out the local power grid to your community ... or just hit your home breaker.
You may need to rethink your ambition to beat the February blahs by making your cat wear a sweater. Borrow your neighbour’s cat if you do decide to go forward with this venture.
Pisces: Feb 19 - March 20
Cancer: June 22 - July 22
Scorpio: Oct 23 - Nov 21
You will discover your life calling as a Lego interior designer. Better book your plane ticket to Denmark ASAP.
Boredom is best remedied by getting all your friends together and reenacting your favourite Harlem Shake videos.
Take heart and try not to be depressed when you are upstaged by your co-star at the latest rendition of Wuthering Heights as performed by a Roomba at Japan’s Robot Theatre.
Aries: March 21 - April 19
Leo: July 23 - Aug 22
Sagittarius: Nov 22 - Dec 21
Everyone knows the health benefits of the green tea bath. be the new break out fashion guru by starting the new trend: black tea baths. Get a start on that summer tan.
The planets can tell that you are under duress as your struggle with your desire to super glue a chest toupee to your roommate’s chest and wish to offer you their professional opinion. Do it.
Your favourite sports team / politician / reality TV contestant / animal will, this week, much to your relief, win win gold / get re-elected / not be voted out / not be made into a fur coat.
Taurus: April 20 - May 20
Virgo: Aug 23 - Sept 22
Raise your involvement in local politics by petitioning the government to lower the drinking age to 18 ... unless you are older, in which case, petition them to raise it to get those hooligans out of your bar.
Take care to stretch properly at your next workout unless you throw your back out at your next class of “twerking like a champ.”
Capricorn: Dec 22 - Jan 19 New beginnings await when you discover the forgotten memoirs of Alis B. Tolkas “My time with Cesar Augustus and Pies.”
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WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2013
ARTS & LIFE Book Review
Film Reviews
Snitch
The Energy of Slaves, by Andrew Nikiforuk
JEREMY HANNAFORD
CONTRIBUTOR
Before the credits roll, a note appears on screen stating that penalties associated with drug related crimes are more severe than that of bank robbery, rape or child molestation. Such is Snitch’s blatant underlying message – the superfluous imagery and story really hammer down that drugs are indeed bad for you. In a role where his size and stature are hidden, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson takes on probably the most endearing role of his career. His stubborn demeanour and relenting want for his son’s release from incarceration are the driving factors of the film. He enters into the drug trade syndicate in order to name key figures and help make arrests in order to save his son. Making sure to wear long sleeved shirts the entire film to hide his body size, he tries to portray himself as a normal civilian and his believability is strong for the most part. The film shows many moments in which Johnson isn’t an action hero in this film. He is a scared father putting himself into a situation much bigger than anything he could have imagined. While the story follows Johnson’s actions, the additional stories focus on the importance of family. While hammering the message that drugs are not good once again, Snitch introduces The Walking Dead’s, Jon Bernthal, in a supporting role as the ex-con who tries to make it clean after his previous sentence but is pulled back in the hope to support his family.
STEWART SEYMOUR
the cascade
The counter argument that is displayed in Snitch is that while some may believe that money can help their families, it only tears them apart and puts them into a state of fear. Bernthal displays a good range of emotion and reminds the audience why he was one of the best characters on The Walking Dead. His devotion for his family is as equal as Johnson’s love for his son. While Snitch does do a decent job of displaying the importance of family and the severity of drug crime, it also is horribly stereotypical with its criminal characters. The film does take place in Missouri and areas around the Mexican Border but never in the entire film do you see one Caucasian
drug dealer. The African American and Latino population take an underhanded blow in this movie. While it was interesting to see The Wire’s, Michael Kenneth Williams, playing a similar character to that of Omar from the show, his performance doesn’t hide this rather insulting factor. Benjamin Bratt has a brief role as the leader of the Mexican drug cartel and his performance is laughable. Never does he display any real character traits that have not been seen hundreds of times before in which Latinos are associated with drug trafficking. Snitch was inspired by events from the documentary Frontline, a production that talked about the changes in the federal drug policy
system and how it was constructed to encourage criminals to snitch on their fellow accomplices. This aspect is exhibited at the beginning of the film but it later turns into a completely fictional story. While it does a decent job of displaying the tension and fear one goes through when extreme measures are presented to save one’s family, the film does dip into disbelief with an exaggerated action sequence and certain ludicrous actions the characters partake in. While Snitch means well, it presents itself too aggressively and keeps the film mildly entertaining rather than something truly remarkable.
Why Dr Seuss makes me cry AMY VAN VEEN
THE CASCADE
“After all, a person’s a person no matter how small.” And there it is – the lump in my throat that I try to cover up while reading to my nieces and nephews. I don’t want them to give me a wary look like when I started to get teary at that point in The Lorax when the Onceler realizes the importance of the word “unless.” “Now that you’re here, the word of the Lorax seems perfectly clear. UNLESS someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.” True that, Dr. Seuss! True that. Reading his books as an adult kills me. Not all of Seuss’s books are inspirational, it should be noted. I mean The Cat in the Hat may be fun for kids, but for adults it’s a nightmare – teaching kids that it’s okay to mess about as long as you clean everything up before mom gets home? Not exactly ideal. But learning that even the Grinch can find out what Christmas is really about? Priceless. As a kid I loved Dr. Seuss with his weird words and that oh-soSeussian rhythm of reading. But pre-adolescent me didn’t get why it was so important to understand the places I’d go. I liked reading “And will you succeed? Yes! You
Image: Wikimedia Commons
will, indeed! (98 and three-quarter per cent guaranteed.)” I didn’t like those lines because they gave me hope for my uncertain future past a BA. I liked those lines because they rhymed. It was simple. And easy. And just the level of random a child can appreciate. Certainly it’s easy to look back and scoff at the obvious messages that come out between the ridiculous rhymes. It’s easy to look at Horton Hears a Who and think, “Really, Dr. Seuss? Could you hammer home that message that every voice needs to be heard any more? Or was your only tool a nar-
rative sledgehammer?” It’s just as easy to look at The Lorax and roll our eyes at the glaringly obvious environmental message being taught. And with recent movie adaptations of his most beloved tales coming out, we roll our eyes all over again. But since when does subtlety work with children? For that matter, when does subtlety work with adults? There’s a reason some of his books, written over 50 years ago, still strike chords with children and adults today. The issues he raises in some of these books are things that are inherent to the
human experience. Granted, some of the language may be a little outdated (like when he calls Jo-Jo in Horton Hears a Who a “young twerp”) and some of his books are so outside of our realm of understanding that they’re just straightup offensive (has anyone heard of his book The Pocket Book of Boners published in 1931 when a “boner” was a blooper or a mistake). For those who think they can make it through the entirety of the likes of The Lorax, Horton Hears a Who and Oh! The Places You’ll Go, I challenge you. I challenge you to sit down and read the story at a child’s pace – not at a university student’s pace we’ve learned from skimming textbooks and scholarly articles. At the pace you used to want your parents and teachers to read at. A pace slow enough where you can follow each word and look at everything the illustrations depict. And if page-by-page you don’t get caught up in the mistakes of the Onceler or the intolerance of sour kangaroo and her black-bottomed eagle cohort to the point where all the feels push at your tear ducts then I suppose your heart may just be three sizes too small.
We are all slave owners. At least, that is the message Andrew Nikiforuk attempts to get across in his book, Energy Of Slaves. Nikiforuk begins his book discussing our society’s dependence on slaves up until a few hundred years ago. It was the energy of slaves that powered civilizations up to the arrival of oil. Slavery as a consequence of oil would be abolished. Fast forward to today. Every one of us enjoys a lifestyle once reserved for slave masters. The reason? Oil. We are as dependent on oil as slave masters were dependent on slaves. There is one problem – we are running out of oil, and fast. Yet, we continue to live and build in ways that suggest the exact opposite. The book goes beyond what we already know. We know oil is not here forever. The author is more concerned about our attempts to keep everything going. As a society, we are now going to extraordinary lengths to keep up oil production to meet our energy needs – with oil sands, offshore drilling, fracking and drilling in the arctic. If you think solar or wind energy might be the solution to our energy dependency, see what Nikiforuk has to say. Everything is presented in a comprehensive and thoughtprovoking way. The first part of the book is devoted to just how intertwined our lives are with oil. From politics to agriculture to economic growth and our mass consumption of goods – oil makes it possible. There are lots of statistics to keep you glued. For example, how much energy is in one barrel of oil? If you were to use one cyclist working a regular 40-hour workweek, it would take 7.37 years to match the energy of one barrel of oil. We all love our cars. The average North American devotes 1600 hours a year to their car to drive a distance of 7500 miles. That equates to 4.7 miles an hour. Think how often you are inside your vehicle and it is believable. The second half of the book devotes itself to discussing possible solutions to our oil dependency and what some of the possible outcomes may be. Although I don’t think the reader will find anything groundbreaking, they will begin to develop the sense that things are much more complicated than we would hope. The question is not what we are willing to sacrifice, but when.
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2013
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ARTS & LIFE Dine & Dash
SerendipiTea 2626 Montrose Ave, Abbotsford, 604-853-0909 Hours: Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Price range: Meals $8.95 to $13.95, High Tea $18.95
NICK UBELS
THE CASCADE
SerendipiTea is located on Montrose Avenue, in the former “Red” Gosling Residence. Constructed in 1938 as a private domicile, the floral-inflected, white-washed interior bears the overly intricate, almost gaudy charm of an elderly lady’s ideal world. I have to admit that I was worried I’d feel out-ofplace or uncomfortable, though this minor anxiety proved to be misplaced. SerendipiTea is perfectly-manicured, which gives it a certain eerie quality upon first entry, but one that is quickly dispelled by the friendly and welcoming service, so long as the volume is kept to that of library speak. My companion and I found ourselves whispering in conversation. Not because we were asked, but it felt implied upon our entry into the spa-like atmosphere. This feeling was amplified by the quietly cascading, harp-steeped musical accompaniment. We quickly slipped into this sort of delicate, well-mannered mode that felt almost beyond our control. If I were to pick one detail, one item to best illustrate what you should expect at SerendipiTea, it
Image: Nick Ubels/The Cascade
Pouring tea at SerendipiTea. would be this: tea cozies. SerendipiTea specializes in what their menu refers to as High Tea, a mid-afternoon assortment of scones, devonshire cream, jam and coffee or tea available by reservation only, at $18.95 per person. Instead, we selected a number of more reasonably-priced lunch items to settle our stomachs while we soaked in the ambiance of this quaint tea house on a Friday morning.
In what might be misconstrued as a blasphemous selection, I ordered a toffee-flavoured espresso drink instead of tea. In spite of any possible sideways glances from the other patrons, I have no regrets about my choice of beverage, which was served promptly. It was the the perfect choice for a morning pick-me-up: a well-balanced concoction of steamed milk, whipped cream, caramel syrup and that sweet, sweet nectar of
heaven, three shots of highly-caffeinated espresso. Thankfully, my partner was in the mood for tea. There’s a wide selection of teas and other hot drinks on the menu that would appease the die-hard tea aficionado and more casual imbiber alike. The English tea was served on floral china that bore a subdued autumnal theme with perhaps the largest tea bag the two of us had ever seen. Sugar cubes were made available
in a matching dish equipped with little tongs and our server made sure to return to refill the cozied tea pot with fresh hot water once it ran low. For food, I ordered a BLT, which is available on white, whole wheat or rye. The sandwich was a little small, but satisfying. My companion ordered the soup of the day, which was a cozy cream of cauliflower that came with a biscuit just dry enough to prevent any crumb crises. The portions were a little small for our youthful appetites, but it’s what might be expected considering the establishment’s typically more senior clientele. SerendipiTea reminded me of the German cake and tea shops known as Konditoreis in that they are both places chiefly concerned with offering a relaxing experience. It’s almost enforced. If you’re not in the right state of mind, I could see it becoming a little bit stressful. Nevertheless, SerendipiTea is a worthwhile experience. I can’t imagine a better place to bring your mom or grandmother for a quiet meal and conversation. It was a striking vision of the sort of quiet pleasures of retirement, albeit internally interrupted by constant refrains of the Firefly theme song (“There’s no place I can be/Since I found Serenity”) inspired by the name of the place. I’m not willing to trade in the sky just yet, but any students looking for a momentary escape from the hustle and bustle of university life should consider turning off their smartphone and letting themselves get carried away by the sweetly low key atmosphere and quaintly anachronistic offerings of SerendipiTea.
Cascade Arcade
Gaming mice: what the what DESSA BAYROCK
THE CASCADE
Maybe you made the leap when you were still in high school, or maybe you’re waiting for the “right one” to come along. No matter if and when you take the big step, I assure you that it is both an excellent and anti-climactic moment in any gamer’s life. Yes. I am talking about gaming mice. Especially if you’re a weekendand-evenings gamer, not so serious about being in the best league or particularly far up on the global high scores list, it’s hard to justify spending a chunk of change on a mouse when other (and much less expensive) options are available to you. I’ve gone through three mice in the last five years, and I recently spent $80 of my hard-earned cash on a Razer Taipan. It’s ambidextrous (even though I’m not), has more hot key options than I ever dreamt I would have at my fingertips, and has more DPI than my scanner. In some ways I regret it—think of all the things, after all, that $80 could go towards—but in other ways I’m choosing to think of it as an investment. Is it going to really change my gaming performance that much? No. But it’s going to last me a while, and I think that (plus the hot keys) is what’s helping me condone it. At the end of the day, a mouse is
Image:
a mouse. But there are some things that make some mice better than others. Ergonomics In the cheaper range, mice tend to have exactly the same curvature. It’s designed to fit most hands reasonably well, but think of it like the difference between brand new shoes and the broken-in ones that fit like a second skin. The first isn’t uncomfortable, per se, but the second is definitely more comfortable. Some gaming mice come with two or three different side panels, which means you can pick the shape (from slim to wide) that’s best for your hand. Try a couple
out and see what works best for you – you might be a claw, palm, or fingertip grip, and there are mouse styles that fit each. (Claw grip literally looks like a T-rex claw, with your two fingers curled and the hand raised above the mouse; palm is the basic palm-tomouse grip; fingertip grip has the pads of fingers on buttons and a pulled-back palm so there’s no actual palm and mouse contact.) This is one of the most important things to look for in a mouse – if it’s not comfortable, it’s going to suck. Hot keys Hot keys are another area where
gaming mice win over their lessexpensive counterparts. I shied away from the 17-button mouse with the thumb-accessed number pad in favour of a more reasonable nine-button mouse (which realistically I’ll probably only use six of, but is better than the four I had access to on my old mouse). These buttons aren’t really something you have to worry about when you’re writing an essay or surfing webpages, but handy if you want to replace keyboard shortcuts to control batches of troops, swap weapons more easily, or fire off all four attacks using a single hand. Cool factor Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and it’s inner beauty and ability that truly counts, but when push comes to shove, aesthetics definitely have a role in things. My mouse—and all Razer mice, to be honest—look very fucking cool. Logitech makes gaming mice that also receive stellar reviews and perform well in the same scenarios, but they lack the same sort of cult-cool-factor that Razer has. DPI and other technics Besides buttons, shape and cool, there are some hard numbers hiding inside every mouse – stats that make them faster or slower, more sensitive or less, more suited for first-person shooters or MMOs. DPI, or dots per inch, is the first number you should take a look at. It basically describes how sensi-
tive the mouse is to movement and how quickly it can respond. A nongaming mouse averages between 400-800 DPI; general consensus states this is enough for day-today mousing, and still manageable for non-serious gaming. My new mouse clocks in at 8200 DPI, which is honestly obscene. If you can swing something between 15002000 DPI, you should be golden in most cases. It’s also worth noting that sensitivity can be adjusted with any mouse – a higher DPI simply means you’ll have more accuracy with your movements, and not necessarily faster movements. The other big choice in mince is between sensors – laser versus optical. Optical sensors tend not to work on shiny or reflective surfaces, and laser optics tend to be more accurate. Some mice (including mine, the Taipan) have both, and I don’t see how you can go wrong with that – although if you have to choose, laser will serve you better in more locations with fewer problems. Like I said, buying a gaming mouse can be both and excellent and anti-climactic moment in your life. Unless you’re a hardcore gamer, are you going to really notice the difference between mice? Maybe, but probably not. Personally, I recommend the investment as worth it – if only for the hot keys alone.
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WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2013
Mini Album Reviews
SoundBites
ARTS & LIFE
Johnny Marr The Messenger
Silverstein This Is How the Wind Shifts
Radar Brothers Eight
Shout Out Louds
By his 24th birthday, guitarist and songwriter Johnny Marr had already carved out a legacy by way of four albums and a handful of indelible singles recorded with the most important alternative British band of the ’80s, The Smiths. His jangly, Rickenbacker-powered guitar playing paved the way for the ’90s wave of Britpop bands who followed, everyone from The Stone Roses to Oasis. Since The Smiths parted ways in 1987, Marr has lingered in the shadows, lending his talents as a guitarist and songwriter out to other bands. He has put in time as a member of The The, Modest Mouse and The Cribs and contributed to a variety of other artists as a session musician. Miraculously, The Messenger, as it turns out, is Marr’s first solo album proper. And it sounds like it picks up right where The Smiths left off, minus the Morrissey of it all. The guitar lines are clean and intricate, with sharp production values, but the song writing falls a little flat in places. “European Me” and “Upstarts” soar, but there is little other than the guitar playing to distinguish much of the rest of the album from that released by any other hackneyed post-2000s Britpop revivalist.
For a moment, imagine you have seven small stories in front of you; stories that would take you four to seven minutes to tell. Now imagine cutting your stories in two and putting them in two stacks. One stack consists of the first halves of your stories, the other stack contains the other sides of the tales. Now take your first stack, and place it on top of stack number two. Congratulations, you have just emulated the latest effort from the Ontario quintet known as Silverstein. This album charts new territory for the band in a couple ways: first off, it’s their first album with a line-up change (new guitarist); as well it’s a new take on concept albums. Technically speaking, this is their second concept album, but fitting the seven small unrelated stories into one album is a feat few, have ever dared to accomplish. Silverstein accomplishes this task. Employing their familiar style of harsh and clean verses and clean choruses with insanely catchy hooks—simple yet effective riffs—with songs full of energy and emotion, any person looking for new rock, punk, or even metal should find something enjoyable here. Whether you listen in order, or decide to merge the stories (such as tracks three, “Massachusetts” and 10, “California”) give this This Is How the Wind Shifts a listen.
Past albums by Jim Putnam and company have covered everything from dreamy, melodic and guitar-driven pop to a more college rock vibe, but lately, their albums have a tendency to just drift on by, leaving nothing for the listener to grab on to. However, Eight, the veteran indie rockers’ seventh album is a return to form. Containing 11 diverse tunes and nice jolts of energy along the way, the album keeps the listener engaged by providing layer upon layer of sonic landscapes. Opener “If We Were Banished” is a shoegaze throwback that washes over its listener with a dreamy crush of guitars. Simultaneously soothing and stirring up agitation, Putnam’s warm, choirboy vocals are instantly arresting. The middle of Eight is a little bit doughy, but songs like the very natural “Couch” has a call and response chorus reminiscent of Stone Temple Pilots “Ride the Cliché,” while “Ebony Bow” evokes Yoshimi-era Wayne Coyne songwriting structure. The closing track “Horse Down” perfect balances the Radar Brothers’ dichotomy between the personal and the grand, with Putnam sprawling vocals repeating, “It’s a gonna be a long night ahead” as the album fades.
It seems a personal yearning has temporarily been served after waiting some time for an ’80s album to drop. And here, with Optica, the Shout Out Louds have delivered with tracks that could just have easily been pulled from 30 years ago. Taking a lot from the new wave scene, this is typically my sound: synth-heavy, tender and affected. Unfortunately this comes at a price as they have abandoned their brand of indie pop that they’ve made famous through the kind of music that can soundtrack a life. So the question is if it’s worth it. And sadly it’s not, as many tracks ring hollow. But this also brings up the idea that maybe the band has exhausted itself since their breakout 10 years ago. Of course, that doesn’t mean this album is a write-off by any means – it’s just not the Shout Out Louds of old. And while certainly there are some tracks on here that do make me begin to question what was just written, such as “Blue Ice”, those songs are the first four on the album. By the end these standouts are forgotten and, at 14 tracks spanning nearly an hour, the album feels too long and drawn out. But it is a brief journey to a decade of music that does deserve greater revival.
nICK UBELS
TREVOR BRAUN
TIM UBELS
JOE JOHNSON
rejection of “looking back has lost its point/so stare forward” spurs a final movement striving for an end to always calling for, crawling back to, the end. Album opener “Acts of Man” sets a different kind of precendent, picking apart patriarchy from the inside out, cataloguing the process of power from parties to pressures to abuse to parenthood, before the bridge sees Hutchison admitting “I have never wanted more to give than/build a house around you/I am just like all the rest of them/ sorry selfish trying to improve.” What Frightened Rabbit grounds itself in is often the drift from a briefly considered centre, where self-criticism undoes wrong but never establishes a point to move toward, and on Pedestrian Verse, even with the shift that comes with the last set, most of the album comes across as a near to failing attempt at self-diagnosis. In terms of how this all sounds, another reason “Acts of Man” stands out is in its use of distortion, overwhelming all instruments as the song ends, which is a long way from how Frightened Rabbit played two albums ago. Following up, second song “Backyard Skulls” opens with an organ key and synth scales – the whole album is inclined more to forceful application, rather than the space between lines that defined some of the band’s prior work. Hutchison’s way with words has always been
literal-minded, with clear connections between meaning and saying, and this only furthers that. “The Oil Slick” is another, where self-doubt rises in words describing “the shit I write” and the fruitlessness of “[talking] like I’m warmth,” and is echoed in a pitch-shifted cacophonous first chorus. But since this comes in the final stretch of the album, that isn’t where it ends. Continuing from the unexpected use of added instrumentation at the album’s start, major choruses are added to Hutchison’s voice. Builds that come to resemble rock—maybe even pop—and anthemic finishes make quieter, less sure beginnings something in the distance, rather than the present. The loudest of these is the last track “Escape Route,” which after the attempts at empathy (or just self-pity) (“If You Were Me”) and restitution (“Snow Still Melting”) preceding, looks out, states generally, moves apart from the tendency of the genre to simply state “This is how I feel” and leave it there, and into the territory of how another does, is going to, through “the notes of a song,” “in cinematic space,” in the realm of feeling informing action (the song, like The Midnight Organ Fight’s closer, is about the saving of a suicide), and the way words fall into, contain, and anticipate redefinitions.
Optica
Album Review
Frightened Rabbit – Pedestrian Verse MICHAEL SCOULAR THE CASCADE
Most Frightened Rabbit songs give off a self-contradictory tone, internally but also as received, sounding needlessly morose to those with a positive outlook, but containing enough weary lyricism to allow for words like “hopeful” or “optimistic,” always bordered by numerous qualifiers, to be used in the same breath. Pedestrian Verse for most of its selection does not differ from the standard set down by Frightened Rabbit’s three previous albums; Scott Hutchison’s thin, accented cross between a cry and a perpetual question set comfortably in front of strums and cymbal smashes, while a little variation in chosen metaphor differentiates the dozen or so documents of comedowns and disappointments. This consistency could say that this is a rut, a fulfillment of expectations, a groove of complacency where calling out problems as the way things are and setting them to a relatively popular line is the end point (until the next repetition). The usual counter is that this approach is more realistic. But Hutchison’s songwriting more often than not already strays into fantastical explanations of this condition – if anything this isn’t reality but a picture informed by, as detailed in “Nitrous Gas,” the indulgence of “sweet self-loathing.”
“I’m dying to bring you down with me,” he continues, which comes as both an acknowledgment of the lack of forward movement that led many to call previous record The Winter of Mixed Drinks a step sideways, and a positive criticism, that while still not the forefront of what Frightened Rabbit does, something that does show itself in new ways on Pedestrian Verse. Revealing last year’s State Hospital EP to be nothing better than outtakes, lacking the connective
tissue to fit into this release or cohere as a mini album, sounding like more of the same where the best of this album comes close to breaking the widespread image of the group, Pedestrian Verse has a structure that most resembles, at least superficially, previous high The Midnight Organ Fight. Broken up by two renditions of single minute song “Housing,” relationships recalled slip into generous amounts of downcast reflection before “Housing (Out)” and its
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ARTS & LIFE THE FASHION DOCTOR
The importance of wardrobe basics JASMINE PROCTOR
CONTRIBUTOR
1 2 3 4
CHARTS
Pissed Jeans Honeys Homeshake The Homeshake Tape This Hisses Anhedonia
Tequila Mockingbird Orchestra Follow My Lead, Lead Me To Follow
5 6 7 8 9 10 11
Shuffle AARON LEVY
CIVL STATION MANAGER
CIVL station manager Aaron Levy loves the UFV Cascades and is stoked to see them head into the CanadaWest Regional Basketball Tournament this week against the UBC Thunderbirds Men’s, Regina Cougar’s Women’s and the CCAA National Championship Tournament for the PacWest champion Women’s Volleyball team.
Tame Impala Lonerism
Iceage You’re Nothing
Elephant Stone Elephant Stone Frightened Rabbit Pedestrian Verse The Human Orchestra Lip Service Pizza Sub Pizza Sub
Peace The World Is Too Much With Us
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HILOTRONS At Least There’s Commotion
13 14 15
Amelia Curran Spectators Buke and Gase General Dome
Blackberry Wood Strong Man vs. Russian Bears
16 17
The Zolas Ancient Mars
Divine Fits A Thing Called Divine Fits
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Justin Townes Earle Nothing’s Gonna Change The Way You Feel About Me Now
Cake – “The Distance” Both basketball teams have a reputation of going for speed, and I wouldn’t want to try to clock Kayla Bruce’s spike manually by assessing the pressure as it “cascades” off of my forehead, but they will be all alone if you don’t show up or tweet your support this weekend. Ma$e – “Mo’ Money Mo’ Problems” Substitute the word money for success, and that basically encapsulates UFV teams’ struggles this year, essentially all stemming from the fact that everyone else in their divisions were gunning for them all year long. Nothing makes things tougher to move ahead through than having more of what other people want. Kanye West – “Stronger” All three teams have been at the top of their respective games for a couple years now; finally, in 2012-2013, people and peers are starting to take real notice, but even ramping up their game hasn’t been enough to stop these Cascades yet – that’s how long they’ve been on ya. Deftones – “Be Quiet and Drive” Driving is an effective metaphor for nearly any sport, especially when you have BC Women’s Basketball’s Kobe Bryant in Kayli Sartori on your team, or UFV’s thunderous new Toronto recruit Kevon Parchment – we already know what I think of Kayla Bruce’s power. Cascades undress you in the post; now drive.
When it comes to fashion, I cannot stress how beneficial it is to have a collection of great basics. Basics, essentially, are items that you can practically wear on all occasions, dressing them up or down to suit your needs and your style. Think of them as foundations for outfits; you can add other pieces to create multiple looks, all with using the same base items. They are simple but workable pieces that, in my opinion, are essential in any wardrobe due to their versatility. The first thing you’ll need is a fitted white button-up. It can work absolute wonders for your wardrobe because it is so crisp and fresh, making it an amazing piece to start out an outfit. It is super easy to style, simply by layering it under a knit sweater or a comfy cardigan, which is both warm and stylish at the same time. The great thing about this classic shirt is that it is a solid base, giving you a canvas to make it your own, to suit your own personal style. Next, there is the structured blazer. I cannot even begin to explain how much this piece can do for your wardrobe because you can literally wear it for all occasions. It can instantly add sophistication to a casual outfit, or dressdown an evening look. It is one of my wardrobe staples because of this: I can use it time and time again, but for completely different looks. Now if comfort is more your thing, I always thing it is good to
Cardigans are a universal favourite have a simple cardigan in a neutral tone, one that is preferably comfy and oversized. These work great for layering in any situation, and I often turn to mine if I am in a pinch. Hell, you could even layer it with multiple, more colourful ones for a cute, hipster-y effect. Cardigans are pretty much a universal favourite, from what I have seen, so this is one essential that you more than likely already have a multitude of. For bottoms, dark wash skinny jeans are the holy grail of basic pants because they look amazing with pretty much everything. I live in my high-waisted ones because they are incredibly comfortable and I can pair them with almost any of my outfits. Now no basic collection is complete without the little black dress. Effortlessly chic and timeless, the “LBD” is a wardrobe staple because it is so workable. Throw one
Image: athena/Flicr
on for any occasion, whether it is date night, dinner party or even for school. They are so sleek and sophisticated, making them perfect to personalize with the help of accessories. My pick is the classic Audrey Hepburn, Breakfast at Tiffany’s style due to its figure-flattering shape and boat neck top. If that doesn’t scream classy, I don’t know what does. Last but not least, the shoes. I could be totally boring and suggest doing a simple black flat, but I think that’s already a given for most out there. No, instead I am going to suggest either a nude heel or a nude flat. They go with everything, whether it’s an eccentric outfit or a neutral one, and their minimalistic style adds a touch of chic to your look.
Discussions Below the Belt
Styling pubic hair for men and women LADY ORACLE
THE CASCADE
I know a girl who once told me that she shaved her pubic hair to form an upside-down cross, then dyed this blasphemous hair hot pink. I thought this was deliciously sinful, and I bet it looked pretty wicked. Shaving and styling pubic hair is like that – yours to experiment with and be daring with. And I’m not just talking about women. Men can do wonders with pubic hair style! There are numerous ways of removing hair. It’s a delicate area for both sexes, so you’ll want to be choosey with your method. There’s the good old fashioned trimming, and shaving with a razor. There’s waxing, tweezing or depilatories. Each have their own pro/con list. For myself, I prefer the razor. Though some people might find it leaves bumps or redness, I feel like it is the least painful, most private one (although no one likes having a razor so close to the delicates). Waxing can be pretty costly and painful, as well as a bit too public for the shy people out there, although you get a smooth finish if it’s done well. Tweezing of course isn’t for the whole, just a few stray hairs, but it’s still pretty painful. Using depilatories ... Well, I have to admit, I’m paranoid about anything chemical put near my privates. But you can test in advance on a small part of you beforehand to be safe.
For men, shaving the balls and shaft might be a tricky thing. For women, it’s the soft skin of the labia. The basic styles for women go as follows: First, the full bush. Easy, natural and womanly, I’ve always admired the wild shadow of pubic hair some women can pull off. Just shampoo it or soap it up in the shower and things are nice and clean. Hair reduces friction during sex. It keeps things nice and warm down below, too. I would always encourage women to embrace the bush. But some ladies like it bare. It feels smooth and clean, and your hot spots are bare and accessible – with a mouth or hand, for example. It’s a lot of work to keep things smooth, though. The effects of waxing lasts longer, but even so: when the hairs start coming in, it’s like sandpaper. Then there’s the classic landing strip, shaving everything away but a small strip above the clitoris. It gets to the point: “here’s where you should be paying attention.” Visually, women can get creative with the pubic mound area. Shave a heart, your partner’s initials, dye it vivd blue or electric pink (but remember: be very cautious with chemicals down there!) or trim a smiley face. Like women, men can go for a full bush, a clean shave or anything in between. Men should also try getting creative with their hair – create a
“manscape,” as it’s called. Men have the bonus of body hair to style, too. Be creative and have fun with it! The bush, like the woman’s, is natural, painless and easy. Otherwise, a clean landscape down there, like the women’s, might lead to more exploration with mouths and hands. A common sense reason is that is makes your equipment look bigger – rather than a good chunk of your penis hiding in the curly pubic hairs, it’s all out there to see. Something to think about, for men, is whether to leave the scrotum and penis hairs, those poor scraggly things. Plucking would be too painful – but there’s always the trimming option. So there’s the landing strip – essentially the same as the woman’s, except this one’s pointing to the penis (and you’re body hair can add to the effect). Less work is the wedge; shave everything away and leave a trimmed wedgeshaped chunk of hair above your penis shaft. Regardless of what you do with your hair down there, just remember not to take it too seriously. Hair is just hair; there’s no right or wrong. And if you’re like my sacrilegious friend, you might just crack a smile walking around with a unique design and no one the wiser. The more fun you have with it the better.
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SPORTS & HEALTH
An introduction to Bikram yoga: sweating in public since 1972 MELISSA SPADY CONTRIBUTOR
What is Bikram Yoga? Bikram yoga is a sequence of 26 postures (or “asanas”) bookended by two breathing exercises in a room of 40.6 degrees (105 F) and 40 per cent humidity. It lasts 90 minutes and is a 100 per cent body work out, inside and out. Although “hot yoga” implies any yoga class done in a heated room, Bikram is an intelligentlydesigned sequence created by Bikram Choudhury in the early 1970s. Bikram Choudhury is the founder of the worldwide Yoga College of India, and has been practicing yoga since the age of four. He has a hefty list of accolades, including championships and invitations from American presidents, but is known most for his own practice. So why try Bikram? An introduction like that can sound intimidating, but Bikram yoga is designed for beginners and advanced students alike. If you’ve never set foot on a mat before, don’t fret. This practice is accessible to all ages and fitness types. An amazing cardiovascular workout, Bikram yoga is low impact and doesn’t put stress on your joints. If you’re looking to
Bikram’s standing head to knee pose. lose weight or get in to shape, depending on your work rate you can burn 600 to 1000 calories per class. It can also aid people who are recovering from injuries. The heated room helps your muscles warm up, which allows the body to become more flexible. This increases your ability to get a
Image: Ron Sombilon
deeper stretch without the risk of injury. Sweating flushes the builtup toxins in your body, so the more you sweat during the class, the better. I first tried Bikram yoga a few years ago when I was still carrying cheeseburgers around in my purse (I’m not joking), and
while I managed to stay for the entire class, I wasn’t interested in pursuing the path of yoga just yet. Working out was a waste of time to me. Again, I was carrying burgers around in my purse. I tried again in January 2013. Although it was definitely challenging and throughout most of that first class I kept thinking “why am I doing this?”, once it was over I felt amazing. I was completely pulled out of my winter slump, and felt like I could take on the world again. I went back and was hooked. The thing with any new fitness challenge is giving yourself that adjustment time before throwing in the towel. Bikram is no different. If you can push yourself to go back after the first gruelling experience, you won’t be disappointed. I look forward to the days when I have enough free time to go to the studio for a class. I practice yoga on my own, but the feeling of community I get by being in a classroom with likeminded people is irreplaceable. There are Bikram yoga studios all over the Lower Mainland. The Abbotsford studio (bikramyogaabbotsford.com for rates and schedule) is located on 33772 Essendene Ave. Students who bring a valid student card can get reduced prices.
Here are some helpful tips for giving Bikram a go: 1. Leave your ego at the door. This is a no judgement zone. 2. Dress lightly! Sports bra, shorts, etc. Remember you are going to sweat like a champion. 3. Trust the process – be open to pushing yourself a little harder than normal, you will get more out of the postures that way. 4. Commit to staying in the room. If you need to lie down or sit, just rejoin when you can. 5. Hydrate as much as you can before your first class. 6. Bring a water bottle with ice in it. 7. Show up to your first class 20 minutes early. You will be given the proper run down as well as an introduction to your instructor. 8. Everyone struggles their first time. If you aren’t getting a posture down, that’s okay. If you can’t hold a posture for as long as everyone else, that’s okay, too. I still have to sit down during the standing postures. Everybody has their own limits, respect and have patience for yours. 9. Most importantly, have fun!
Taylor has strong showing in his first NHL start, despite the loss TIM UBELS
CONTRIBUTOR About three or four years ago, current Abbotsford Heat goaltender Danny Taylor, who at the time had just been assigned to an ECHL club called the Wheeling Nailers, was so disappointed with his demotion to a lower league team that he decided to sing about it. The song, which can be found on Justin Bourne’s blog at thescore.com, is entitled, “Death’s Better Than Wheeling” and includes hilarious lyrics about the heartbreak of a demoted hockey player. Although Taylor didn’t write the lyrics to the satiric tune, he convincingly laments how the trainer, “found me in my hiding place, in the laundry room,” and implores the coach not to send him “to the land of NASCAR and missing teeth.” Last Sunday in Dallas, Texas, Calgary Flames head coach Bob Hartley informed 26-year-old Danny Taylor that he would get his first National Hockey League start against the Phoenix Coyotes on February 18. Taylor, now in his second season in the Flames organization, had bounced around the American Hockey League and ECHL early in his career before finding a steady job in Abbotsford. Taylor has impressed the Flames brass this season by posting phenomenal numbers with their Heat affiliate. He boasts an AHL best 1.82 GAA, is ranked fourth in the league with a .929 save percentage playing with the Heat this season, and earned himself a two-way contract with the Flames on February 6. With workhorse goalie
Student pricing Taylor pulls out all the stops. Mikka Kiprusoff sidelined with a sprained knee, Leland Irving demoted to the Heat, and recentlyacquired veteran Joey MacDonald needing a rest, Danny Taylor became the forth goaltender to start in the Flames’ crease this season. The British-born tender started his career in Los Angeles, after being selected 221st overall by the Kings in the 2004 draft. His start against the Coyotes on February 18 was Taylor’s first NHL action since his big league debut with the Los Angeles Kings back on March 29, 2008, where he played the third period of an out of control game against the Dallas Stars. Almost five years removed from a 7-2 mop-up game, Taylor attempted to add an NHL win to his already impressive AHL resume. In the end, the outcome of the game wasn’t what Taylor or Flames fans were looking for. In a 4-0 game where Danny Taylor gave up a quick goal in the first
Image:Clint Trahan
period and the Flames couldn’t get anything going offensively, the young goalie managed to make 37 stops and impressed some of the Flames brass with his confidence and ability to recover after giving up an early goal. In an interview with TSN, Flames coach Bob Hartley praised Taylor’s solid play in net, saying, “He was very calm and poised for his first start in the NHL.” Taylor will likely stay with the Flames for the time being, serving as a backup to the more experienced Joey MacDonald until the return of the injured Mikka Kiprusoff. However, with his strong showing in a tough game against Phoenix, look for Taylor to get another shot with the Flames in the near future, as the 14th placed Calgary Flames try to claw their way out of the Western Conference basement and back into playoff contention.
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FILE NAME: 12-HRB-033-BW-SP-E-8
TRIM: 4" x 7.5"
DATE: Jan 22
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