TYPERAG.CA | ISSUE 3 SPRING 2016
4 KAMLOOPS BURLESQUE 5 TABLETOP WARGAMING 7 THE ECONOMICS OF WEED
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TYPE • ISSUE 3 SPRING 2016 • 1
Hey, it’s pretty cool of you to pick up the third issue of Type. It started as a side project of ours and we’re really stoked it made its way into your hands. We hope to build our fledgling street rag into a community — a place where people can share ideas, art, speak their minds and put ink to paper for all of Kamloops to see — and we’d love for you to take part. If you’re interested in submitting to Type, give us a shout at info@typerag.ca and creep us on social media. We want to hear your thoughts. Type will publish every winter, spring, summer and fall. Nothing is off limits. fb.com/typerag
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To submit a letter, email us at info@typerag.ca
3
STARTUP KAMLOOPS LATEST BOOST FOR ENTREPRENEURS
4
KAMLOOPS BURLESQUE TEACHING THE ART OF STRIPTEASE
5
TABLETOP WARgAMING TOURNAMENT TALK
7
THE ECONOMICS OF WEED TRU may be poised to study
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2 • ISSUE 3 SPRING 2016 • TYPE GOT AN EVENT? GIVE US A TIP!
EVENTS@TYPERAG.CA
FRIDAY, MAY 13
animals should they fail.
Music: Angie Heinze, 9 p.m., Match Eatery & Public House, 1555 Versatile Dr.
Community: Kamloops Artisan Market. Every Thursday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the 400-block of Victoria St.
Theatre: The Velveteen Rabbit, Pavilion Theatre, 1025 Lorne St. Runs May 13 to May 20. Tickets: $15, available online at kamloopslive.ca.
FRIDAY, MAY 20
Art: Chromesthesia, 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., Barnacle Records, 290 Third Ave. Join the Portable Art Trailer to listen to records and make prints, drawings and zines. Materials provided. All ages. Free to attend.
SATURDAY, MAY 14 Music: Jesse Jones, 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., Dunes at Kamloops Golf Course, 652 Dunes Dr. No cover. Music: Chicken-Like Birds and No Mothers, 7 p.m., The Art We Are, 246 Victoria St. $10. Music: Dirtfight, P-ed on Mint, Deandra Day and Phosphene, 6 p.m., Barnacle Records, 290 Third Ave., $5 at the door. Community: Kamloops Farmers’ Market. Every Saturday 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on St. Paul Street between Second Avenue and Third Avenue. Community: Kamloops Wine Festival consumer tasting. Sample from over 250 wines from B.C. and the rest of the world with snacks and live music. Coast Kamloops Hotel & Conference Centre, 1250 Rogers Way. Tickets: $55 plus tax, available online at kamloopslive.ca
SUNDAY, MAY 15 Community: Fraternal Order of Eagles karaoke, 7 p.m., 755 Tranquille Rd., 250376-4633.
TUESDAY, MAY 17 Community: Meditation seminar, 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., Downtown Kamloops Library, 465 Victoria St. Evelyn VipondSchmidt from Shambhala Meditation will discuss the power of meditation and cover the basic techniques taught in the Shambhala community.
Music: Serious Dogs, 9 p.m., Match Eatery & Public House, 1555 Versatile Dr. Music: Devon Coyote with Me and Mae, 8 p.m., CJ’s Night Club, 130 Fifth Ave. 19-plus event. Tickets: $10, available online at kamtix.ca.
SATURDAY, MAY 21 Music: Singer-songwriter Katie Marti, 7 p.m., The Art We Are, 246 Victoria St., by donation. Community: World Wide Web class, 10:15 a.m. to 11:45 a.m., North Kamloops Library, 693 Tranquille Rd., 250-554-1126. Community: Guinness World Record attempt: Dave attempts to break record for longest lazer tag game ever played, 10 a.m., Fun & Games, 1200 Summit Dr. Tickets $25 for overnight play with prizes every hour and music from Hi Society DJs. Volunteer to be a judge. For more information, call 250-377-3088. Theatre: Chimera Theatre presents Freudian Slips: Hollywood Glamour, a series of improvised comedy performances, 7:30 p.m., The Stage House Theatre, 422 Tranquille Rd. Tickets: $15 at the door. Cash only.
SUNDAY, MAY 22 Community: Fraternal Order of Eagles karaoke, 7 p.m., 755 Tranquille Rd., 250376-4633. Community: Rayleigh community garage sale. Map of participating residents available at school concession on day of event.
THURSDAY, MAY 26 Music: Nick Gilder and Sweeney Todd, The Blue Grotto Nightclub, 319 Victoria St.
Community: Kamloops Farmers’ Market. Every Wednesday 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Victoria Street between Fourth Avenue and Fifth Avenue.
Art: Harsh Crit, 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., Kamloops Art Gallery, 465 Victoria St. Get honest and critical feedback about your artwork form your peers. 19-plus event. Tickets $10. Register by calling 250-377-2400.
THURSDAY, MAY 19
FRIDAY, MAY 27
WEDNESDAY, MAY 18
Film: Spring Film Series presents Lobster, 7 p.m. Paramount Theatre, 503 Victoria St. Tickets at the door or in advance at MovieMart, 444 St Paul St. $2 membership card required. Colin Farrell, Rachel Weisz and John C. Reilly star in the deliciously bizarre new film from Greek auteur Yorgos Lanthimos (Dogtooth, ALPS), about a curious hotel where the residents are charged with finding a new mate within 45 days — under penalty of being transformed into
Music: Buck Wild, 9 p.m., Match Eatery & Public House, 1555 Versatile Dr. Music: Van Damsel CD release show, 8 p.m., CJ’s Night Club, 130 Fifth Ave. 19plus event. Tickets: $10, available online at kamtix.ca. Music: Witchstone and guests, 9 p.m., The Dirty Jersey, 1200 Eighth St. Art: Chromesthesia, 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., Barnacle Records, 290 Third Ave. Join the Portable Art Trailer to listen to
records and make prints, drawings and zines. Materials provided. All ages. Free to attend.
SATURDAY, MAY 28 Music: Thomas P. Radcliffe, 7 p.m., The Art We Are, 246 Victoria St., $7. Comedy: The Boob Tour, standup comedy fighting cancer with laughter. 7 p.m., Coast Kamloops Hotel & Convention Centre, 1250 Rogers Way. Tickets: $30, available online at kamtix. ca Art: Artist talk with Vancouver-based artist Anselmo Swan about this figurative and still-life drawing and painting practice, 2 p.m., Kamloops Art Gallery, 465 Victoria St. All ages. Free to attend. Community: Raise the Woof with Pommy & Pals, 7:30 p.m., The Rex, 417 Seymour St. Live music by Frapp City, silent auction, door prizes, food, cash bar. Funds raised go to Pommy Country Rescue’s outstanding vet bill. Tickets: $25. For info, email pommyfundraiser@ gmail.com Community: Pineview Valley community garage sale, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
SUNDAY, MAY 29 Community: Fraternal Order of Eagles karaoke, 7 p.m., 755 Tranquille Rd., 250376-4633. Community: Western Canada Theatre’s 40th Anniversary Fundraiser Tapas Takeover, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Earls, 1210 Summit Drive. Live music, silent and live auctions, 50/50 draw. Tickets: $35 and include one drink. Available online at kamloopslive.ca
MONDAY, MAY 30 Art: Drink & Draw, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., Zack’s Coffee. All ages. Free to attend.
TUESDAY, MAY 31 Art: Drink & Draw, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., Denny’s, 570 Columbia St. All ages. Free to attend. Community: Books & Brews, nontraditional book club for adults, 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., Pogue Mahone Irish Alehouse, 843 Desmond St. To register, contact library at 250-372-5145.
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 1 Art: Artists’ talk with Vancouver-based Chris Woods, 2 p.m., Kamloops Art Gallery, 465 Victoria St. All ages. Free to attend.
THURSDAY, JUNE 2 Art: Arbour Aboriginal Artists Collective Youth Workshops with Chris Bose, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., Kamloops Art Gallery, 465 Victoria St. Ages 12 and up. Youth and adults of all nationalities invited to dropin and participate. Free to attend.
SATURDAY, JUNE 4 Music: God Said Kill, Drop Dead Fred and Conniver, 8 p.m., The Office Pub and Grill, 2020 Falcon Rd. $10 cover.
SUNDAY, JUNE 5 Community: Fraternal Order of Eagles karaoke, 7 p.m., 755 Tranquille Rd., 250376-4633.
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 8 Art: Drink & Draw, Red Collar Brewing, 355 Lansdowne St. All ages. Free to attend.
FRIDAY, JUNE 10 Art: Chromesthesia, 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., Barnacle Records, 290 Third Ave. Join the Portable Art Trailer to listen to records and make prints, drawings and zines. Materials provided. All ages. Free to attend.
SATURDAY, JUNE 11 Theatre: Chimera Theatre presents Freudian Slips: Game of Thrones, a series of improvised comedy performances, 7:30 p.m., Actors Workshop Theatre, 900 McGill Rd. Tickets: $15 at the door. Cash only.
SUNDAY, JUNE 12 Community: Fraternal Order of Eagles karaoke, 7 p.m., 755 Tranquille Rd., 250376-4633. Community: My Big Fat Greek Wedding, dinner with a twist presented by BC Living Arts, Brownstone, 118 Victoria St. More info: bclivingarts.ca
FRIDAY, JUNE 17 Community: Kamloops Food Truck Festival, 730 Crestline St, admission by donation to Kamloops Therapeutic Riding Association.
SUNDAY, JUNE 19 Community: Fraternal Order of Eagles karaoke, 7 p.m., 755 Tranquille Rd., 250376-4633.
TUESDAY, JUNE 21 Community: Books & Brews, nontraditional book club for adults, 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., The Painted Pony Cafe, 705 Victoria St. Register by calling 250-372-5145.
SUNDAY, JUNE 26 Community: Fraternal Order of Eagles karaoke, 7 p.m., 755 Tranquille Rd., 250376-4633.
SATURDAY, JULY 23 Theatre: Chimera Theatre presents Freudian Slips: Chimera vs. Project X Battle Royale, a series of improvised comedy performances, 9 p.m. Prince Charles Park, 1198 Columbia St. Tickets: $15 at the door. Cash only.
TYPE • ISSUE 3 SPRING 2016 • 3
STARTUP KAMLOOPS
THE LATEST BOOST FOR ENTREPRENEURS
W
ith our new designation as an official Startup JESSICA KLYMCHUK Canada community, Kamloops is being recTYPE WRITER jessica@typerag.ca ognized as an entrepreneurial hub. That’s good news for students looking to for opportunities to forge their own path outside their field of study. The ball got rolling last year when Kamloops Innovation won the Startup Canada Award for Entrepreneur Support in BC and Robert Attwood of Hummingbird Drones Inc. won for Young Entrepreneur of the Year. Since then, Kamloops Innovation has united community groups that promote entrepreneurship to form a partnership under Startup Canada’s flagship program, a national network giving voice and opportunity to startups. Kamloops Innovation, Venture Kamloops, Community Futures, the Kamloops Chamber of Commerce and TRU Generator have joined forces under Startup Kamloops to support new business in the city. “From my perspective, I think the designation is a bit of a recognition of what we’re already starting to do here,” said Lincoln Smith, executive director of Kamloops Innovation. “I see it as an opportunity to bring these organizations together under one umbrella and really support one another.” Essentially, the partnership promotes a referral-based system of entrepreneurs who find themselves at the door of, say, Venture Kamloops or Community Futures but could also benefit from the work other partners do, Smith said. Amanda Chan, community builder with Kamloops Innovation, said the city’s startup community is already considered quite mature. With this partnership, it will be easier to see where the needs of entrepreneurs are being met and where they aren’t. When considering applying for the startup community designation, they looked to Startup Nanaimo and how the program was beneficial there. They found it was connecting the city to a large network of potential business, helping promote Nanaimo as a viable place for entrepreneurs. When Kamloops was reviewed by the national network, the community was recognized as already having a thriving environment for startups, Chan said. The designation will not only allow us learn from other cities, it will allow them to learn from us. “I think we’re at the bottom end of a big expansion in the startups in Kamloops,” Smith said. “There’s a lot of things that are fuelling that. “You have the university turning out students of a generation who are looking for other opportunities besides following a career they’ve trained in and are looking seriously at entrepreneurship. “You have an economic situation where living in large cities is less affordable and there’s a push back towards communities where young people may have been raised or grew up.” Kamloops has the potential to be a very attractive place for startups or small businesses looking to relocate, Smith said. Kamloops Innovation, which primarily supports tech startups, sees increases every quarter for the number of people employed by new tech businesses, the number of investment dollars attracted to Kamloops and the revenue its companies generate, Smith said. “I think we’re starting to see a real change in the types of jobs and opportunities in Kamloops and it’s exciting,” he said. “I think not too far, in the future companies from Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary and maybe some further away are going to be considering moving their operations here for a whole host of reasons.”
4 • ISSUE 3 SPRING 2016 • TYPE
Kamloops’ OWN
Burlesque D TEACHING THE ART OF STRIPTEASE
DAHLIA DIVINE
MISS COCO CREME
ahlia Divine wasn’t shy the first time she got JESSICA KLYMCHUK naked on stage. TYPE WRITER Perhaps it was her slight exhibitionism or jessica@typerag.ca the many years of dance training, but baring it all — well, most of it — didn’t intimidate her. Dahlia was more concerned about nailing the choreography than she was about stripping in front of an audience the first time she took the stage at The Grotto for the Kamloops Burlesque monthly showcase. She danced for years, but tassel twirling and assels weren’t part of her repertoire when she decided to take Miss Coco Creme’s burlesque class a few weeks earlier. Soon she was spinning tassels from her nipples and ass cheeks. “Taking your clothes off isn’t hard,” Dahlia said. “To look cute taking your clothes off, that’s hard.” Coco has been teaching burlesque in Kamloops for about four years. The monthly showcase at The Grotto began six years ago when a group of women decided it would be a fun experience. It seems they were right. The troupe now includes a circle of loyal regulars who choreograph their own routines for each show. Coco wasn’t part of the inaugural debut, but performed a belly dance at the second show and, soon after, fell somewhat in love with the art of striptease. In that first year, a performer from Vancouver did a series of burlesque workshops in Kamloops. “I thought, you know what, I could probably do this,” Coco said. The rest was history, you could say. Coco has spent the past few years teaching women glove peels, how to twirl tasseled pasties, shimmy, shake, bump and grind, all leading up to a performance in the troupe’s show. A portion of the women who sign up are there for a good time, but a larger portion are looking for something more. “There’s this larger handful that comes because they have body issues, because they want to work through them, because they just got out of a bad relationship and they want to give the middle finger to their ex,” Coco said. “There’s usually some underlying issue as to why they choose to take a class like this. It’s not just taking Zumba. It’s something that’s significant on a personal level.” Coco starts the first class of every semester giving full disclosure: There will be nudity. However, it doesn’t happen until a few classes in, when the group has solidified. They also don’t get fully naked. Whether they’re in class or on stage, they wear pasties and underwear. Working through physical insecurities is a major first hurdle but, having done eight shows, Dahlia said it only gets easier. At first, she was shy about her legs, but she is now fairly annoyed if she has to wear more than a thong during a show. The audience helps, too. Dahlia and Coco agreed the events attract wonderfully encouraging and supportive showgoers. “Being naked on stage is some people’s actual worst nightmare,” Dahlia said. “So, to see people do that willingly and just rock it, I’ve never seen it go bad.” Of course, it’s hard to avoid associating burlesque with what happens at The Duchess. Coco doesn’t mind that correlation — she joked about referring to herself as a stripper regularly — but said it’s important to distinguish the two: strippers sell sex, burlesque dancers entertain. It’s a performing art, Coco said. She calls it theatre for adults. “The intention is different and the purpose is different,” she said. For example, Dahlia was dressed as a chicken for her debut performance. The theme was funny farm. Others have included time travel, under the sea, food and nerd-lesque. The April show was fan favourites and May’s is a fancy garden party. While the performances can be light, sexy and funny, sometimes they are the opposite. Coco once did a performance about abuse in residential schools. Another pair did a piece on gender violence dressed as Beauty and the Beast. Not all the women do striptease, either. Some don’t get naked at all and are only focused on being theatrical. It’s a fringe art form, Coco said, so it’s not for everybody and the troupe doesn’t try to cater to the general public. Their bar for offensive is pretty high. Still, they hope people have an open mind about attending the shows or the classes. “People should not close themselves off to this kind of opportunity and assume it’s not for them or they don’t have the right body, they don’t have the dance skills or the character because really anyone can do this,” Dahlia said. “It’s such an incredible experience and it’s so empowering that I wish everybody did do it.”
TYPE • ISSUE 3 SPRING 2016 • 5
Going toe-to-toe with the world’s most talented nerds
JESSICA KLYMCHUK TYPE WRITER jessica@typerag.ca
Cory Doyle is headed to the Most ELite tournament in tabletop wargaming.
S
itting down to talk tabletop wargaming with Cory Doyle and Nathan Bosa is like stepping into another world. If you’ve never heard of Warmachine and Hordes, you’re probably in the majority. But these two are in the minority elite when it comes to the games created by Privateer Press. Doyle is headed to Ireland in September to compete in the independently run World Team Championship alongside a team of hand-selected Canadian talent and Bosa is on our country’s council organizing the effort. “You’re so far removed, hey? That’s awesome,” Bosa said to me with a laugh as I listened to them attempt to explain the game to me. “Most people are so far removed,” Doyle added. To be fair, the pair has been involved in tabletop gaming — think advanced board games — since the early ‘80s, before Warmachine and Hordes were even invented. But the hobby is the same, they said. Bosa recalls mailing in his maneuvers and waiting weeks for a response that would tell him how the game ended. “As a kid with no Internet, you sort of did the best with what you can,” Bosa said. They started running tournaments in Kamloops for various games years ago and the popularity grew. A group would meet at High Octane Comics to play on Thursday nights for several years before they were introduced to Warmachine and Hordes in 2009. Now they play many Wednesday nights at the North Shore Community Centre, in addition to small basement tournaments every once in a while. “For me, the game has been helpful because it’s been something to do that wasn’t drinking,” Doyle said “As an adult, most of our club, we have a lot of younger guys, so I get to mentor.” Gaming, maybe especially this kind, can attract some pretty introverted kids and Bosa said they’ve seen many young guys come out of their shell once they join the club. “In certain social groups, they would never be accepted because of whatever reason,” he said. “In ours, when you walk down that basement door, if you’re a UFC fighter or you’re like Albert Einstein, you’re equal.” This style of tabletop wargaming incorporates miniature figures and a modelled terrain playing board with trees and hills that acts as a battlefield. According to Wikipedia, the game is generally about tactical combat and players simulate battle, trying to defeat their opponent. It’s different from classic board games such as Risk or Monopoly and different from roleplay games like Dungeons and Dragons — that one I had heard of, at least.
“It’s less of the role-playing aspect and more like chess,” Doyle said. “My goal is to beat your forces.” Every character is its own hero, but when the leader dies, you lose, like in chess when the king dies, he said. There’s special dice to roll, spells and points involved, but that’s where it gets a little more convoluted to explain. The rules are precise and advances are physically measured to a T. Doyle has lost games by 1/16 of an inch. The game also has artistic-hobbyist aspect as players typically paint their miniatures and construct different terrain. It’s explained online as a combination of train modelling and openstrategy gaming. I should also note Warmachine and Hordes are technically two different games, but they were designed to be 100 per cent compatible with one another. It turns out this hobby is popular across the globe. About 70 teams from at least 25 countries will arrive in Ireland in September for the annual world championship. Players whose country couldn’t form a full team will be placed on the United Nations squad. Last year, Finland, Australia and Poland topped the leaderboard. “To get put on the team, in the communities it’s really cool, kind of gives us a bit of notoriety,” Bosa said. Canada is sending two teams of five players. Doyle is familiar with his teammates and many of his opponents — the elite players meet often at various tournaments, such as an annual convention in Las Vegas. “The guys that played down there in the finals will be on Team Canada or Team US, so we’ll see them again in the fall,” Bosa said. “It’s kind of like a little circuit, kind of like hockey. You know who’s what.” Kamloops even has its own convention. Attack-X is a tabletop war gaming expo that draws upwards of 100 players. Though Doyle is no stranger to elite tournaments — he’s familiar with about one-third of the players headed to the world championship — it will be his first time competing on a world stage. To prepare, he’s just playing a lot of Warmachine and Hordes. I asked the pair what they would do without tabletop war gaming. “I’d probably work more,” Doyle said with a laugh. “I’d probably be a doctor or a lawyer,” Bosa quipped.
“It’s kind of like a little circuit, kind of like hockey. You know who’s what.”
6 • ISSUE 3 SPRING 2016 • TYPE
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“This is the worst pina colada I’ve had in my entire life,” she snarled, handing me a bone-dry glass. “Oh no. I’m sorry you didn’t like it, if you told me earlier, I could’ve replaced it with something else!” I replied with a Cheshire Cat smile. I slowly slid the bill across the bar. The funny thing is, the customer is always right, until they aren’t. Remember, manners go a long way, especially in a bar. If she was a touch nicer, I would have taken the drink off her bill. I started bartending in university. Flexible hours, great money, what wasn’t to like? Now here I am, a year after graduation, still behind the bar (often in front of it, but that’s a story for another time). I deal with people every day. I’ve seen every imaginable personality type. Teens who scoff when they are asked for ID (even when their 19th was last week), thrilled homebodies who broke free for the night, that guy who wanted his dry, extra dirty martini yesterday, the patron who should have gone home hours ago and is now doing “the nod,” the “water to start” lady, and, finally, the gems, the people who sit patiently with their money, waiting to order. They say please and thank you. Yes, it is that simple! Bartenders see every side of a person: celebration, misery, triumph, failure, love, heartbreak (sometimes all in the same night). No matter how many different versions of a person we run into, we must interact with them. We are the front lines on the battlefield. We have to explain to Dr. Jekyll why another three shots of tequila is not a good idea. We listen to Mrs. Hyde fly off the handle when we tell her there is
KIM ANDERSON CULTURE COLUMNIST kim@kimanderson.ca
no more margarita mix. We nod and smile when a gaggle of 20-year-old girls down tequila shots (why is the ringleader always wearing a tiara?). Bartenders should be granted honorary degrees in human resources. We are therapists, counsellors, friends, referees and matchmakers. The first time I picked up a serving tray, I was shy and timid. Those words do not apply today. I’ve grown comfortable dealing with strangers. I can listen to a person, comprehend their side of the story and diffuse the situation, if that’s what is required. I can’t imagine trying to learn these essential people skills in a passive-aggressive office filled with workers set in their ways, or in a union job where taking a breath is regulated by a collective agreement. I’m working toward getting a job in my field of study. In the meantime, I’ll happily pour beer and build cocktails because every day I learn something new about people and what makes us tick. Don’t be ashamed to be working in the industry with a degree on your wall. You stuck it out and earned that certification. Every day is a learning opportunity. Recognize those moments and embrace them. You’ll always have your degree. I started working in a bar to get myself through school. I continue to work in a bar because I’m not in the service industry, I’m in the people industry. Time spent getting people wasted is not wasted at all.
TYPE • ISSUE 3 SPRING 2016 • 7
the economics of
weed TRU’S FACULTY OF BUSINESS WOULD LIKE TO TAKE A HARDER LOOK AT THE BUDDING INDUSTRY
I
t might be a few years before you can celebrate 4-20 JESSICA KLYMCHUK on campus, but the conversation is already blazing. TYPE WRITER A group of faculty at Thompson Rivers University jessica@typerag.ca is in the early stages of organizing a cannabis industry conference. Paul Clark, a faculty member in the school of business, said he’s been knocking on doors to see who might have an interest in taking a harder look at the economics of weed. “It came from the realization that there’s so much uncertainty and greyness in this industry right now and the municipal, the provincial, the federal regulators, lawmakers, governments, I think they don’t want to make the wrong move,” he said. “They are going to slowly make decisions. “We’re trying to figure out how to develop a conference that would serve as a way to expose or discuss or make more public some of the con“... there’s cerns that need to be addressed.” The focus of the conference is still up for a definite debate, but Clark said the university can offer an interest at TRU academic perspective in addition to input from practitioners. It could work to inform public policy to do something or just offer a broader look at the industry as a that would whole, from branding and growing to medical use. The committee has met twice and discussions contribute are just beginning. So far, there is an interest from positively the school of nursing, the horticulture program, the faculty of arts, school of business and ecoto helping nomics and the school of social work and human the industry service. Clark would like to get the faculty of law and develop.” open learning on board. Local marijuana dispensary KDS Services is on the committee, but Clark is interested in having more compassion clubs and growers involved. They’re also considering applying for a research grant. “The big question is how we focus it, but there’s a definite interest at TRU to do something that would contribute positively to helping the industry develop,” he said. The marijuana business is proving profitable in the U.S., where it has been legalized in several states. The Denver Post reported monthly pot sales in Colorado exceed $100 million. Oregon sold an estimated $11 million worth of weed during its first week of legal recreational sales. “We were famous for our cannabis in B.C. when it was a life sentence in Colorado and look at them now. We’re next,” said Jenie Middleton, who runs KDS Services. “The oil issue in Alberta, it’s tanking. If they were smart they would plant cannabis everywhere.” For Middleton, the conference is a step to normalizing marijuana use. At KDS, she said the focus is more on medical benefits than recreational use. “Take it out of basements and put it in labs where it belongs,” she said. “There’s people who are making RSO oil in their basement with jug acetone and a pound of weed and blowing it off with a hair dryer and selling it to people. I think it’s bullshit. “We want to push to have things tested and labelled. People should know what they’re getting.” On 4-20 Health Minister Jane Philpott announced legislation to begin the process of legalizing and regulating marijuana will be introduced next spring. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau campaigned on a promise to legalize the drug. Clark and Middleton agreed the federal government’s stance on marijuana has enabled conversations like theirs to happen at all. “The approach taken by the previous federal government was more deny, more suppress, more say no, as opposed the much more progressive current government that is more receptive to what Canadians are actually engaged with,” Clark said. “The amount of money this industry contributes to the B.C. economy — everybody is doing it, but nobody is admitting it. It’s like prohibition.” With the conference, Middleton hopes people will start to see working in the cannabis industry as a legitimate career. Clark had tentatively planned to hold the conference in the fall, but dates have not been set.
DAVE EAGLES PHOTO, 4-20 CELEBRATION AT PARK
life.ink.tattoo
life.ink.tattoo 240 3RD AVE 778.471.1733 KAMLOOPS, BC • LIFEINKTATTOO.COM
8 • ISSUE 3 SPRING 2016 • TYPE
Keanu
TYPECAST
Key and Peele stretch out sketch for Keanu’s laughs By Brian Gibson, Vue Weekly
T
he Kamloops Makerspace, at 207 Victoria St. West, has come a long way in the last year — a new building, a growing membership, new tools and capabilities and a whole host of workshops, demos, open houses, Hack Nights and many, many, many meetings. As a new member of the collective myself, I have to hand it to the Makerspace founders who have provided a good home, a base membership and got it off the ground! That isn’t easy and I sincerely salute them for their vision and determination to see the Makerspace become the exciting and growing reality it is today. And what a reality it is! The Makerspace is currently developing the following areas: • LOUNGE where members eat, visit, watch movies and generally hang out. • HACKSPACE with 3D printing, CNC milling and tons of ‘hackables.’ • ELECRONICS LAB: Electronics assembly and soldering. • FABRICATION SHOP: 3’x4’ laser cutter, metalwork, ventilated spray booth. • WOODSHOP: CNC Router, table saw, drill press, chop saw and much more. • DESIGN LAB: Scanner, printer, 24” vinyl cutter, light table, drafting & layout tables. The community response has been great. There are donations, new tools, members, materials and skills appearing every week as word spreads about this amazing new community resource forming in Kamloops. As new memberships are acquired and partnerships are forged with other community groups, the concept is strengthening and evolving into a major new player on the scene. As a local artist who is often asked where the action is and what is new, I
VAUGHN WARREN MAKERSPACE MEMBER vaughn@vaughnwarren.com
can definitely answer with Kamloops Makerspace. As I spread the word in the arts community about the potential of this collective — the room to work on your project, access to tools and capabilities and, most importantly, the inspiration of being surrounded by like-minded, creative people — it has really sunk in how valuable this new resource is. Who knows where the connections and new abilities might lead you? The Kamloops Makerspace is all about sharing tools, skills, resources and experience to build and diversify the skillbase of its members in the Kamloops region, a ‘do-ocracy’ of coders, makers, artists, dreamers and builders who are bored of working alone in their basement or garage, or who need workspace and access to tools. At the weekly open house HACKNIGHT (Wednesdays from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.) we give tours, work on our projects, do demos and plan. So join us then for a peak at what is going on. Get involved and help the ‘Space evolve into whatever its members can imagine. Drop-in memberships are just $50 per month, keyholder memberships (available after three months of drop-in membership) are just $100 per month. Or just come as a guest and get to know the Kamloops Makerspace. For information about upcoming events and what is going on at the Kamloops Makerspace, join our forum at: community.kamloopsmakerspace.com or email us at info@kamloopsmakerspace.com
Beyond its near-wincingly sharp spoofery of US racial politics, Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele’s five-season sketch series (2012 – ’15) saw the pair joke around in cars, play-act being street-tough or indulge their inner nerds. Those three Key & Peele strands skein through their first feature, along with the pair’s penchant for genre-play (horror, the action-thriller and the animal-adventure movie). But Keanu can still feel like sketch-work stretched and splayed too far, though the sheer, dogged commitment of both men to this material (written by Peele and series-writer Alex Rubens) makes for enough laughs. After a druglord’s kitten flees a massacre by the ghoulish Allentown Boys, the whiskered, furry orphan mewls on the doorstep of Rell (Peele), down-and-out after a break-up. One weekend, though, Rell and his cousin Clarence (Key) find Keanu gone, apparently catnapped by the Blips (rejects of the Bloods and Crips), mistaking Rell’s apartment for his weed-dealer’s place next door. Rell and Clarence adopt their best gangsta attitudes to go undercover and get Keanu back. As uptight, minivan-driving, George Michaelloving Clarence, Key is brilliantly high-strung and high-energy. When the writing’s weirdly, wonkily
detailed—as in a hilarious dick-apitation boast or Clarence’s explanation of his music obsession to skeptical Blips—this comedy-vehicle purrs right along. Visually, though, the movie doesn’t go big-screen: a dream-sequence isn’t as wild and boldly imaginative as it could be, and director Peter Atencio overuses slo-mo, with the story indulging in shoot-out and stand-off clichés. As particular and peculiar as the middle-class cousins are, the gangsters remain stock types (Anna Faris, pretending to play herself as a risk-addicted, samurai-sword-wielding druggie, stands out more), as if black criminals can’t be made comically complex. The ending formulaically sees both guys get their gals, though the opposite sex remains underserved (tellingly, “bitch” is dropped unironically by a still-bitter Rell, whereas “bitch” was said timidly and ever-farther from their wives’ keen earshots by two husbands pretending to be all-assertive in a famous Key & Peele sketch). Beyond some good lines and funny moments, Keanu just isn’t radical or daring enough to be a deepdown damn fine film.have acted any differently?
Mother’s Day
Call your mom, but don’t take her to Mother’s DaY by Claire Hoffman, Vue Weekly
Garry Marshall is the master of administering shots of syrup straight to the heart. In the ’70s and ’80s, he made America fall in love with “The Fonz” as the creator of Happy Days. After that, his directing credits read like a list of sugar-rush-inducing hits: Pretty Woman, Runaway Bride and The Princess Diaries, to name a few. So it’s no surprise that his celebrity jam-packed “holiday” movies have had audiences lining up in droves for a taste of the good stuff. Only the coldest of hearts can sneer at a measured spoonful of highfructose corniness. Unfortunately, there’s little to be found in Mother’s Day, which stars Jennifer Aniston, Julia Roberts, Kate Hudson and Jason Sudeikis. Instead, the film hands you a stale, flavourless bran muffin and calls it a cupcake. Time and time again, you are expected to care about the characters without a reason. For instance, Bradley (Sudeikis) is a grieving widower who spends his days watching a karaoke video of his late wife (Jennifer Garner). By this blatant and clunky bit of
exposition, it follows that he loves and misses her. Despite being told these things, there is no evidence of them in Sudeikis’ acting. It’s like that editing technique where a shot of a face with a blank stare is cut together with a shot of a steaming bowl of soup. You imagine you see a trace of hunger in the person’s eyes because you’re meant to, but it’s really just an empty gaze. Marshall’s Valentine’s Day (2010) and New Year’s Eve (2011) are light-as-air entertainment, and this flick fails in its attempt to be similar. Billed as a comedy, its jokes are cheap and poorly written. Case in point: the owner of the bar where Britt Robertson’s character works is a little person named “Shorty.” When it’s not borderline offensive, the movie glosses over four messy and often weighty storylines in order to get to its big, shiny, happy ending: the perfectly positioned bow on top of a Mother’s Day present wrapped in-store, with none of the genuine rough edges of homemade.
A Hologram for the King
Film banks on the strength of its strangenesses By Brian Gibson, Vue Weekly
A Hologram for the King begins with salesman Alan Clay’s dream—a tour of his little Boston life going up in smoke, karaoke-sung to “Once in a Lifetime,” with car and house and wife vaporizing in purple puffs—then gets sneakily stranger. Alan (Tom Hanks) is off to Saudi Arabia, hoping to sell the king on a hologram-based IT program for business meetings, but he soon falls into exploits with a taxi driver, a Danish businesswoman, and a doctor (Sarita Choudhury) at the local hospital. He met her because there’s an alarming, golf-ball-sized lump on his back. This adaptation of Dave Eggers’ novel, from writer-director Tom Tykwer (Run Lola Run, Perfume: The Story of a Murderer), is best at addling us with that jet-lagged strangeness of the first few days in a baffling new land. Sleep disordered or illicitly hungover (alcohol’s forbidden), Alan keeps waking up late and calling cabbie Yousef (Alexander Black, impressive) for an hour-long ride out to where the country is building castles in the sand. The King’s Metropolis of Economy and Trade is a vast city-to-be where a guard stands sentry in an infant’s plastic wading pool to simply wave cars
on through, workers sweep sand off the dunessurrounded road, and Alan’s IT team is stuck in a huge black tent, awaiting decent Wi-Fi. Their hologram, for “virtual encountering,” is eerily appropriate in a country where a man and woman must meet discreetly. (Ironically, to go snorkelling out in the ocean with Alan, one woman strips topless to seem, from the shore, as if she’s just another man, thus only baring her womanliness to him all the more.) Amid such odd foreignness and Saudi-gaudy sand-sprawl, the blatantly surreal moments—that first dream; Alan’s daughter blowing smoke out of the computer screen—aren’t really necessary. Scenes feel more like travelogue vignettes—Tales from the Arabian Peninsula. The film flirts with but never gets into bed with political complexities or economic globalization. Alan’s never as interesting a middle-aged modernday Willy Loman as, say, George Clooney’s Ryan Bingham in Up in the Air. But its shimmering-mirages of strangeness and even its mature, second-chances romance are enough to make this hologram flicker to life.
TYPE • ISSUE 3 SPRING 2016 • 9
SAVAGE LOVE
VIRGIN TERRITORY
I
‘m a 31-year-old straight woman. I have a good job, great friends, and average attractiveness. I’ve dated close to 30 men at this point, and I can’t wrap my head around this: I’ve never had a boyfriend or dated anyone for more than a couple months. It’s really starting to wear on my self-esteem. I don’t believe anything is wrong with me, but the more time goes on, the more I think I have to be doing something wrong. The guys ghost me or things fizzle out or we’re not at the same point in our lives. This is particularly true for one guy I’ve remained friends with (common social circle) who is struggling with his career, though things are still awkward because it’s clear there’s still something there. Another area of concern: I’m still a virgin. Catholic guilt resulted in
I
get variations on the first half of your question—is something wrong with me?—all the time. But it’s not a question I’m in a position to answer, WWWM, as I would need to depose a random sampling of the guys you’ve dated, interrogate your friends, and grill you under a bare lightbulb for a few days to figure out what’s wrong with you. And you know what? Nothing could be wrong with you. You may have pulled the short straw 30 times in a row, and you just need to keep getting out there and eventually you’ll pull a guy who won’t ghost or fizzle on you. As for the second half of your question…
I’ve been with my boyfriend for more than a year. He’s the first person I’ve had sex with. Four times now while we were having passionate sex, he has slipped out of my vagina and accidentally penetrated me anally. That shit hurts, and I can’t help but cry. I know he feels super guilty each time. I love sex, but I’m kind of scared every time we have it now. We’ve engaged in a little anal play before, and I wasn’t really a fan. But I’m not adverse to the idea of using a butt plug. Do you think this would work? Surely other people have this problem too, right? — Wrong Hole, Anal Torment
mail@savagelove.net
me being a late bloomer, with my first kiss at 21. Once I got more into dating, my low self-esteem coupled with the fact that I’ve basically decided I want to be in a monogamous committed relationship with a guy before having sex, relationships just never happened. I don’t have unrealistic expectations that I’ll marry the first dick that sticks itself into me—but I’ve waited this long, so I’m not going to jump into the sack with just anyone without knowing that I can at least trust them. The only guy I really do trust is Somewhat Depressed Guy, but propositioning him could further complicate our already awkward friendship. Is something wrong with me, and what the hell should I do? — What’s Wrong With Me?
What the hell should you do? Well, gee. What you’ve been doing hasn’t worked, WWWM, so maybe it’s time to do something else. Like fuck some dude on the first date. Or if that’s too drastic, fuck some dude on the second date. Or better yet, go to Somewhat Depressed Guy and say: “I don’t think you want a relationship right now, and I’m not sure I do either. But I like you and trust you, and I could really use your help with something…” While the commitment-and-monogamyfirst approach has worked for some, WWWM, it hasn’t worked for you. And being a virgin at 31 isn’t boosting your self-esteem. There are lots of
My own personal sexperience with anal led me to doubt claims of accidental anal penetration, WHAT, as anal penetration always required focus, precision, and proper breathing techniques—in my own sexperience. But listeners of the Savage Lovecast schooled me in Episode 340, and I’m now convinced that accidental anal penetration is something too many women have sexperienced. (Do you see how annoying that is, VIRGN?) A strategically deployed butt plug sounds like a sexcellent solution to the problem, WHAT, but get yourself a plug with a wider-than-usual base to prevent your boyfriend’s misdirected cock from pushing the plug, base and all, all the way in you (ouch) or his misdirected cock from sliding in
DAN SAVAGE SEX COLUMNIST
JOE NEWTON ILLUSTRATION
people out there who jumped in the sack and did a little dick-sticking with people they barely knew but had a good feeling about. The jumping/ sticking/dicking approach doesn’t always lead to committed and/or monogamous relationships, but it can and it has and it does. Somewhat Depressed Guy might be somewhat less depressed if he was getting some, you might have higher self-esteem if you finally got some, and dispensing with your virginity might make dating after you part ways—if you part ways with him (you never know)—seem a lot less fraught.
alongside the plug. (If you hate single penetration, you’ll really hate double penetration.) If the problem persists even with a plug—if your boyfriend’s cock is constantly slamming into the plug in a way that you find uncomfortable—a thumbtack glued to the base of the plug will inspire your boyfriend to be more focused and precise. And speaking of the Savage Lovecast, we’re coming up on our 500th episode, which is a significant milestone for this relatively new genre/ platform/doohickey. If you’re not already listening, find it here: savagelovecast.com. And a big thanks to Nancy Hartunian, the Lovecast’s producer since Episode 1, and to the tech-savvy, at-risk youth who pushed me to start podcasting before it was cool.
I’m a virgin in my late 20s. I’m not waiting until marriage, just for the right person. I’ve dated enough and had enough fun to continue being a happy, normal, socially competent guy, much to the disbelief of my various knuckle-dragging, vagina-blinded pals. I’ve been dating this gal for a few months. She’s special—we have tons of chemistry and she cares about me. We had a brief conversation about my lack of sexperience when we first started dating, and she was very cool about it. I really like this girl, but I’m not sure yet if she’s the future Mrs. I am a worrier (thanks, mom!), and I find myself thinking that if I share this with her and somewhere down the road we end up breaking up, she’s going to be even more devastated because I shared my first time with her. Am I just having silly virgin worries? Not only am I concerned about her feelings if things don’t work out, but I’m also concerned that I might become vagina-blinded—that I might immediately tell this girl I want to spend my life with her just because she’s having sex with me only to find myself a few years down the road feeling trapped. What should I do? — Very Indecisive, Really Gettin’ Naughty You should fuck this girl already— provided, of course, that this girl wants to fuck you. You could wind up saying things you come to regret or have to walk back—her vagina might be that bedazzling—but that’s an unavoidable risk, and not one that’s unique to virgins. The right vagina, ass, face, skill set, or bank balance can blind a fucker with decades of experience. The only way to avoid vagina-blindness—or ass-blindness, etc.—is to never have sex with anyone. And I don’t think you’re interested in celibacy, so stop freaking out about the risk that you’ll imprint, duckling-like, on the first vagina your pee-pee sees the inside of. You must also eliminate “sexperience” from your vocabulary, VIRGN, as it’s equal parts cloying and annoying.
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