Capilano Courier | Vol. 53, Issue 2

VOLUME 53, ISSUE NO.2

OCTOBER 2020 FOURTH-YEAR CAPU MOPA STUDENT WINS MUSIC VIDEO CONTEST - ALLIANCE OF BC STUDENTS SUBMITS 2021 BUDGET RECOMMENDATIONS TO BC GOVERNMENT - CSU BOARD OF DIRECTORS BY-ELECTION - EPIDEMIC CITY - UNMASKED - TAROT READING - THE RISE OF ROLLER SKATING GHOST STORIES - NOTHING TO PROVE - WHY TRUE CRIME NEEDS TO STOP TREATING TRAUMA AS ENTERTAINMENT - BETWEEN TWO GODS - WHAT A MISTAKE - EAT THE RICH

letter from the editor

Nourish Your Spirit ANA MARIA CAICEDO

Editor-In-Chief

October is always a month I look forward to. For me, Halloween presents opportunities to explore and do things that normally get overlooked and deprioritized far too often during the work-school grind—things like play, dress-up, creativity, and spirituality. Practicing these things, is integral to my survival and wellbeing.

It seems like the structures and ideologies of this world make it nearly impossible to practice these things as much and as often as we need to. I truly believe that we share an innate human need to create, to exercise our spirituality, connect to our planet and to play with one another. Being deprived of these things withers our souls, I think.

This issue, we’ve tried to feature stories and pieces that invigorate the parts of ourselves we tend to neglect.

Whether you’re reading up on Black cosplay (page 30), tarot card reading (page 18) or psychedelics and spirituality (page 42), I hope this issue’s content inspires you to reach into your inner toy box and find the stored-away things that nourish your spirit—things you’ve maybe neglected or forgotten, as I have time and time again.

Ana Mar i a Cai ced o

@anamariacaicedo_

editor-in-chief Ana Maria Caicedo capcourier@gmail.com

features editor Sarah Rose specialfeatures.capcourier@gmail.com

Managing Editor Alisha Samnani manager.capcourier@gmail.com

Arts & Culture Editor Claire Brnjac arts.capcourier@gmail.com

news editor Alisha Samnani news.capcourier@gmail.com

Opinions Editor

associate news editor Bridget Stringer-Holden associatenews.capcourier@gmail.com

Staff Writers Joss Arnott Lena Orlova

art directors Emma Sato Sara Nguyen artdirector.capcourier@gmail.com

Staff Illustrator Valeriya Kim

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Alden Wallace Mackay, Alexis Zygan, David Eusebio, Gianmarco Iuele, Hassan Merali, Janmie Marie, Jason Arkell-Boles, Lena Orlova, Mayumi Izumi, Megan Amato, Saba Mohseni, Tamia Thompson, Teanna Jagdatt, Valeria Velazquez, Wen Zhai

FEATURED ARTISTS Aleksandar Jones, Ana Maria Caicedo, Anais Bayle, Anna Tsybulnyk, Ata Ojani, Emma Sato, Ethan Woronko, Michelle Lussier, Sandrine Dionne

CONTRIBUTING ILLUSTRATORS Annika McFarlane, Christine Wei, Coralie Mayer, Danielle Adams, Geraldine Yaris, John Pachkowsky, Logan David, Mark Zimmer, Rachel Wong, Sandrine Dionne, Sara Nguyen, Talia Rouk, Thea Pham, Valeriya Kim

Cover Art Valeriya Kim

opinions.capcourier@gmail.com

COLUMNIST PORTRAITS Emma Sato

VOLUME 53 ISSUE NO.2

NEWS

FEATURES

Cap-U U-Pass Fund

6

Epidemic City

27

Project VOICE

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Unmasked

30

Cap-U Sechelt Hospital

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Partnership Yellowknife Music Video

10

Alliance of BC Students Budget

12

CSU By-Election

14

CSU Annual General Meeting

15

ARTS & CULTURE Tarot Reading

18

The Rise of Roller Skating

20

Shame and Prejudice: A

OPINIONS Nothing to Prove

35

A Tale of Two Justice Systems

36

A Look in the Mirror

38

The Politics of Phone Plans

39

True Crime

40

Between Two Gods

42

COLUMNS

Story of Resilience

22

Back Home

47

Ghost Stories

23

Coast to Coast

48

Horror VS Horror

24

Perspectives on the Post-

WE'RE HIRING AN OPINIONS EDITOR AND A LITERATURE & HUMOUR EDITOR! Send your resume, a brief statement on why you want to work with us, and 3-8 relevant writing samples to capcourier@gmail.com.

INTERESTED IN CONTRIBUTING? Email capcourier@gmail.com INTERESTED IN ILLUSTRATING? Submit your portfolio or samples of work to artdirector.capcourier@gmail.com

Postmodern

50

Maple Syrup Art

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LITERATURE What A Mistake

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Eat the Rich

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CSU Board of Directors Approves U-Pass BC Hardship Fund Fund provides relief for students experiencing f inancial diff iculties TEANNA JAGDATT Contributer

With the majority of students taking remote classes, U-Pass fees can seem like an unnecessary expense for some students. However, other students rely on the U-Pass to attend in-person classes and get to work. In response, the Capilano Students’ Union (CSU) has created a bursary that reimburses approved applicants 50 percent of the fall semester's U-Pass BC fees. “We knew we had to look at the options for September,” explained CSU President Emily Bridge.

Over the summer, the CSU worked with the U-Pass Advisory Committee and TransLink to explore U-Pass program options. Eventually, the committee decided to reinstate the U-Pass for students who needed affordable access to transit during the fall semester. The U-Pass Hardship Fund was created to respond to the needs of students facing financial hardship.

Although all full-time students are automatically enrolled in the U-Pass program, not all students are eligible for the CSU U-Pass BC Hardship Fund. Only students enrolled in at least one in-person class and who live in Metro Vancouver can apply—the rest need to request a fee exemption from the Capilano University Financial Aid office.

Students can apply online and fill out a 10-minute application with their student information, eligibility and financial hardship due to COVID-19.

After the application is completed, the CSU will go through a review process. “We really want to support students going into this fall term, but also at the same time, we want to go through the applications as thoroughly as possible,” said Bridge.

The CSU provides other forms of aid for students who don’t meet the requirements of the program. “If you end up not eligible, but still are in financial need, there are many other options for you to receive funding,” said Bridge, citing the CSU’s discounted TELUS internet, affordable electronics repair services, and food bank services.

Students in need of emergency financial assistance are encouraged to reach out to the CapU Financial Aid and Awards office to discuss their options. ­6

A Voice for Small Businesses Digital marketing agency YUSHiiN LABO features struggling local business owners in Project VOICE MAYUMI IZUMI Contributor

YUSHiiN LABO, a local digital marketing company founded by husband and wife team Mina and Yushiin Sato, is using their website and Instagram profile to feature struggling local businesses in their community.

“When the pandemic hit, our business was hit hard— and at the same time, we saw our clients struggling,” said Sato. “We asked ourselves how we can help our clients and fellow small businesses by using our expertise. That’s how VOICE was born.”

One of YUSHiiN LABO’s first features was Bowen Island Pizza Company, located in the Lonsdale Quay Market. Owner Melanie McCreedy grew up on Bowen Island but spent a lot of time in North Vancouver with her grandparents.

us saying they enjoy our photos and texts, and getting to know more new food places in the neighborhood.”

In addition to her feature on YUSHiiN LABO, McCreedy credits her ties to Bowen Island for getting her through the early stages of the pandemic.

When Rogers Hometown Hockey was cancelled— an event that guaranteed McCreedy over 20,000 diners to feed—her customers rallied around her and ordered enough pizzas so that none of her inventory of ingredients was wasted.

Project VOICE started out as a free service that the Satos provided but once businesses reopened, they decided to charge by donation—50 per cent of which they donate to other businesses in their community.

During McCreedy’s elementary and high school years, her mom made pizza for her friends, neighbours, and family on Friday nights. It was while she was at graduate school that she started doing pizza nights herself. In 2015, she decided to start her own pizza company with some help from a friend, who is the property manager of the Lonsdale Quay.

One of the businesses they donated to is Ocean Ambassadors Canada, a non-profit organization that has been in business for three years. Their mission is to clean up the littered plastic and to teach children sustainability at ocean camps. The Satos chose Ocean Ambassadors because their values match with theirs—supporting the community, the environment, and children.

“As we moved along with this project, we realized this is something that goes beyond the pandemic,” said Sato. “More and more people are realizing that it is so important to support locals and know what and who we spend our money on.“

YUSHiiN LABO continues to feature new voices online, and have now featured over 80 small businesses.

“We hope to provide an opportunity to raise awareness of amazing local small businesses and then bring some positive changes to how we live, how we shop, and how we eat, for a better future and a better community,” said Sato.

When her shop was suffering from electrical failures last year, McCreedy decided to renovate her pizzeria and deli instead of opening more locations. This decision proved to be a wise one as thousands of Vancouver restaurants have had to close thanks to COVID-19.

“Some businesses got fresh orders from new clients who saw our posts,” said Sato. “There are people who email

If you would like to help support local businesses and make a donation to YUSHiiN LABO, you can send them an email at hello@yushiin.com and follow them on their Instagram (@yushiin_labo_).

NEWS

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Sechelt Hospital Foundation to Reimburse Tuition for CapU’s Health Care Assistant Graduates Sponsorship guarantees jobs for students and addresses home support service needs on Sunshine Coast BRIDGET STRINGER-HOLDEN Associate News Editor DANIELLE ADAMS Illustrator

Last year, Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) and Capilano University (CapU) partnered to provide a sponsorship in the form of a tuition reimbursement for students in the Health Care Assistant (HCA) program that wished to work in home or community care. Courses in the HCA program combine theory and lab skill lessons with clinical practicums to allow students to learn to provide care to clients or residents. There was a lack of workers in the field, so this VCH-CapU partnership was created to respond to that need.

Due to last year’s success, the Sechelt Hospital Foundation offered to fund the program. They will be reimbursing the cost of tuition and other fees, such as textbooks, for students in the HCA class of 2020-21 who are willing to commit to a year of home care on the Sunshine Coast. Sponsorship recipients are required to work for at least 12 months to qualify for their tuition reimbursement, but are guaranteed at least 18 months of work. According to a Coast Reporter article, the Hospital Foundation’s decision to offer financial support was a response to an identified need for home support workers for the 469 clients on the Sunshine Coast.

Despite the fact that the Sechelt Hospital Foundation provided the funding for the partnership, VCH continued to conduct the applicant interviews and decided that this sponsorship would only be provided for home and community care, as opposed to long-term care or other caring environments. Home care services provide support to people who have been released from the hospital and need care or who have acute, chronic, palliative or rehabilitative health care needs that aren’t able to live at home or with family safely without further care.

Home care can be beneficial to both the government and patients. “The government is trying to keep people at home longer because it’s often [the patient’s] preference,” said Joshua Boyd, instructor and co-coordinator of the Health Care Assistant (HCA) program. “Now that’s not true for everybody, but it’s [a much] more cost-effective way for the province to provide care,” he said.

In the Spring, Boyd reached out to the Sechelt Hospital Foundation asking to promote the HCA program at their MedTalks, an educational series about health and wellness that they produce in partnership with VCH. The series discusses various topics relating to the Sunshine Coast. Shortly after, the Sechelt Hospital Foundation reached out to Boyd about continuing the sponsorship with VCH. The Health Care Assistant (HCA) certificate is an eight month program that can be completed in seven through the accelerated program. According to the CapU website, the tuition and fees come to $5,393. In the HCA class of 2020-21, there are 17 students. So far, all ten students who wished to work on the Sunshine Coast in home care have successfully applied and received the sponsorship.

Boyd remains optimistic that the program will help with the shortage of home and community care workers. “We’re hoping that this can be used as an example to other communities in Canada who are trying to solve this problem of the HCA shortage.”

NEWS

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Fourth-Year CapU MOPA Student Wins Music Video Contest Benjamin McGregor highlights hometown in Craig Cardiff ’s song “Yellowknife” DAVID EUSEBIO Contributor

While many absorbed content during lockdown, fourth-year Motion Picture Arts Program (MOPA) student Benjamin McGregor found an opportunity to create content while living in Yellowknife.

Canadian folk singer Craig Cardiff wanted to create a music video for his latest single “Yellowknife,” but couldn’t travel to the Northwest Territories due to the pandemic. As an alternative, Cardiff collaborated with Western Arctic Moving Pictures and NWT Film Commission to launch a 48-hour music video contest for local filmmakers. Three winners received cash prizes, with McGregor taking home first prize.

“It was nice to be recognized because not that many people from up there are going into this field,” said McGregor. “It’s pretty cool to have the support from my friends and my family and my friend’s families and my friends of friends’ families.”

This isn’t the first 48-hour contest he’s entered. He’s participated in the Vancouver Blood N Guts festival, a 48-hour indie horror film contest, where he won best student film. He’s also participated in an unrelated annual 48-hour music video contest in Yellowknife.

“It’s a lot of fun,” said McGregor, as he shuffled around his living room to find a spot with the best lighting, as any film student would. “There’s a lot of pressure to make it, but it’s nice to have something complete by the end of two days. You can spend a ton of time on prep for projects, but nothing will get you a product as fast as something like this, and it’s usually better than you think it will be given the time that you have.”

McGregor discovered the contest through his internship at Western Arctic Moving Pictures. “It kind of felt like a no-brainer to do it because I’m always looking for film-related stuff up there,” said ­10 10

McGregor. “There usually isn’t a lot, especially larger productions or things aside from my day-to-day intern stuff. So, I definitely felt like I had to do that and take advantage of it.”

“I wanted to film a bit of a glorified weekend and of a summer in Yellowknife with my friends.”

McGregor ran around the city to capture as many unique characteristics of Yellowknife as he could for the music video.

“If you’re from Yellowknife, you know exactly what [everything] is and where you are,” said McGregor, pointing out a scene featuring a woman dancing on a rocky viewpoint. “It’s called Pilot’s Monument.”

“When I’m at school and I mention that I’m from Yellowknife, people will have no clue what’s up there or what it’s like,” added McGregor. “They’re assuming it’s cold and that there isn’t much of anything. I wanted to show the unique qualities of it and—for people who have no idea what’s up there—that there’s actually a lot of people with a lot of culture.” “[This dock is] right beside Great Slave Lake,” explained McGregor as a shot of a woman dancing appeared on screen. “The water levels in Yellowknife were quite high this year. I wanted her to dance in the water because that would also be [a] very Yellowknife [thing to do].”

For McGregor, MOPA has helped strengthen his problemsolving skills in the film industry, especially under tight deadlines.

Practicing cinematography in the program has been an asset, and the countless pitch documents written for producing and directing classes prepared him for applying for grants.

After graduation, McGregor plans to work in Vancouver and work his way into making films in Yellowknife. “There’s a lot of interesting scenery; [it’s] a completely different climate and terrain that isn’t seen in mainstream media. I really want to have that in the movies I make.”

Along with the Yellowknife setting, McGregor wants to tell stories about topical issues such as the climate crisis, the Black Lives Matter movement and addiction.

McGregor has a few projects lined up, including a short film entitled “The Day the Rocket Left” premiering online at the Brooklyn Sci-Fi Film Festival. “Greenwood,” his entry for the Blood in the Snow Film Festival, will be broadcasted on the Super Channel in late October.

Follow McGregor on Instagram (@benmcgreg_r) and watch Cardiff’s “Yellowknife” music video on YouTube at https://youtu.be/Jdq0tA3bAXg.

McGregor had conflicting thoughts about his new-found media attention. “It’s weird,” he admitted as he leaned into the webcam.

“I wasn’t really expecting this much attention, which is nice, but you know…I feel like if there’s any more, people would start to get a little sick of it. Like ‘okay, Ben, I get it. You won.’ I can see that [happening].”

NEWS

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Alliance of BC Students submits 2021 budget recommendations to BC Government Cautiously optimistic, Dupasquier reveals that more remains to be done to ensure implementation LENA ORLOVA Contributor VALERIYA KIM Staff Illustrator

Fall marks the beginning of the budget drafting season for students and the province alike. In preparation for the 2021 budget, the Alliance of BC Students (ABCS) submitted a number of recommendations to the provincial government.

These recommendations include funding open education resources, expanding BC Access Grants to graduate students, capping international student tuition rates equal to the domestic equivalent, and allowing universities to budget a deficit.

Every year, the ABCS—made up of five BC student associations—advocates on behalf of BC post-secondary students to improve student services, as well as affordability and accessibility of education. This year, they played a key role in instituting the Here2Talk app (a 24/7 online mental health support), an eviction moratorium and the BC Access Grant.

On reviewing the ABCS’s Pre-Budget Submission 2020, the Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services—responsible for acquiring public feedback—released the completed list of recommendations for the provincial government. Grace Dupasquier, Chairperson of the ABCS, is particularly excited about the recommendation supporting the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the Calls to Action from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

“All of these issues are things that the ABCS has been highlighting for years, and we look forward to working with the government to ensure these recommendations are actually implemented and used to help students in the most meaningful way possible,” she said, explaining that the fight for accessible education is inseparable from the fight for equality. The present financial crisis exacerbated some of the already existing gaps in accessibility of education for underrepresented communities.

Financial anxiety presses most heavily on women, students who

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are part of a visible minority, and those without parental support or personal income. According to Statistics Canada, 48 per cent of surveyed students lost their jobs this summer, and they worry about using up their savings to make ends meet. Dupasquier explained that prioritizing post-secondary education means reversing the tide of stagnating government interest.

Since the 1980’s, the BC government has consistently decreased funding to post-secondary institutions. Dupasquier explained that approximately 47 per cent of university funding comes from the government, and that universities balance budgets largely with income coming from international student fees— which have drastically fallen now that many international students can’t return to Canada. If universities lack sufficient funding, many student services are at stake, faculties could be downsized, and course offerings slashed.

But, according to Dupasquier, not all hope is lost. Funding post-secondary education is a long-term investment in the economy. Increasing accessibility to education will equip the future generation of workers to compete, even in a volatile labor market. As the present situation shows, most students remain vulnerable to job instability and worry that their future prospects are diminished. “Our next steps are to continue to push these topics, and make sure that they remain top of mind for [the] government as the next budget is drafted,” said Dupasquier.

“It's important to understand that just because the Select Standing Committee has included these things in their recommendations, it is not guaranteed that they will actually end up making it into the next provincial budget,” warns Dupasquier. “These aren't 'wins' until there's been concrete action… Our work won't be done until anyone who wants an education can pursue one successfully in a welcoming, supportive, and inclusive environment.”

NEWS

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CSU Board of Directors By-Election Students will be able to vote f rom Oct. 6 to Oct. 8 JOSS ARNOTT Staff Writer RACHEL WONG Illustrator

This October, the Capilano Students’ Union (CSU) is holding a by-election to fill seats on its Board of Directors. The polls open at 9 am on Oct. 6 and close at 5 pm on Oct. 8. Students will receive an email that will direct them to vote online through their student account.

If you have no idea what the Capilano Students’ Union does, you're not alone. “I knew of the CSU,” said Emily Bridge, “I knew they helped with U-Pass and they helped with the Dental Plan and that kinda stuff, but I didn't know a lot about what they did.” Curious about the CSU, Bridge looked further into the organization. The more she learned, the more she discovered that her interests aligned with what the organization was working to achieve.

“I realized that a lot of what the CSU did was actually about increasing access to post-secondary education for everybody,” said Bridge. “It was about breaking down barriers and making sure students had what they needed to succeed and to have a really great experience at a university.” Bridge has been a member of the CSU ever since, starting out as a member of their Board of Directors. Two years later, she found herself in the role of CSU president.

You might not notice every little thing that the CSU does, but the organization is always there, working in the shadows. They’re a group of students, elected by you, who are working hard to help students have a good university experience. The CSU also provides a number of paid positions within the organization, such as seats on committees and positions on its Board of Directors (the governing body in charge of the CSU). The diversity of roles the CSU offers allows students the opportunity to work in various leadership roles and make a real difference in their community.

By participating in the by-election and voting for candidates that accurately represent them, students can meaningfully influence the work that the CSU does in shaping the university. Since a portion of student fees go towards compensating board members ­14

and funding the services that they implement, voting can be a good way for students to ensure that said fees are being well spent.

The CSU’s purpose, as stated in their 2020-25 Strategic Plan, is “to elevate the post-secondary experience through advocacy, service delivery, and leadership opportunities.” Bridge explained that basically, “the CSU wants to make your university experience the best it can be.” A lot of what the CSU does isn’t glamorous, but they do a lot of hard work for students behind the scenes.

One of the many services that the CSU currently offers is the Community Cupboard, a program that provides students in need with non-perishable items donated by the community. In addition to that, the CSU also provides an affordable health and dental plan that’s valued at over $900 and included in students’ term fees at a low cost.

Last year, the Board of Directors introduced the Device Doctor, a repair service that saved over 450 phones and an estimated $42,000 in labour costs. The CSU also helped CapU students save roughly $163,000 in textbook costs by working with the CapU administration to increase access to Open Education Resources, which are online articles and textbooks. By working with the Alliance of BC Students to lobby the provincial government, the CSU helped increase the number of student loans that students are able to access.

For students who wish to become more involved with the CSU, one way to start is by voting. Students will be able to vote digitally for candidates running for positions within the CSU, such as faculty, campus and at-large representatives, collective liaisons, the accessibility justice coordinator, as well as positions within the Capilano Business & Professional Society.

“If you don’t vote, you don’t have a say in who is representing you, who is bringing these concerns forward to the administration and what kind of services are getting developed,” said Bridge.

“It’s a way to have a direct say on who it is that's doing this work on your behalf.”

CSU Annual General Meeting to be held on Oct. 22

A quorum of 75 students needed in order to convene the meeting JOSS ARNOTT Staff Writer SARA NGUYEN Illustrator

The Capilano Students’ Union (CSU) holds a general meeting twice a year, the Annual General Meeting (AGM) in October and the Semi-Annual General Meeting in February. “It’s just an opportunity to check in and see what's up with your student union,” said CSU president Emily Bridge. The general meeting is the CSU’s highest decision-making body. It’s the place where the Board of Directors, the CSU President, and at least seventy-five students gather to hold a quorum, which is the minimum number of people required to ratify and make decisions or changes to policy. The CSU will be holding its AGM on Oct. 22 at 11:30 am via video conference.

During the AGM, the CSU will be bringing forward both special and ordinary resolutions. A special resolution requires a 75 per cent majority vote, whereas an ordinary resolution only needs a 50 per cent majority. The CSU will also present their financial statements to members (students) in attendance. Students also have the opportunity to bring up their own concerns during the question and answer period.

“All CapU students are invited to the Annual General Meeting,” said Bridge. “It’s an opportunity for students to see how exactly we’re spending their money.” The Annual General Meeting is a great way for students to not only see how the CSU is run, but who runs it. Students can learn about what’s going on at the CSU as well as make their voices heard. Students will be voting on items that the CSU has been working towards all year, but that need student approval to continue moving forward.

The CSU is governed by its Board of Directors and President. Both the board and the president are elected by the students of Capilano University (CapU) and are in charge of the CSU as an organization,

and do so on behalf of students. “The goal of those general meetings is just really to update all of our members on what’s going on,” said Bridge. “We present a report each time, highlights of what we’ve been working on, any big successes, changes in the organization.”

If you're unfamiliar with how the CSU is run, the AGM is a great place to get a crash course in exactly what the CSU does for its members. During the meeting, students will also be able to vote on any motions brought forward to the chair, and look over a copy of the CSU’s annual budget. It’s a great opportunity for students to see their student government in action, as well to see if the CSU is something they might be interested in personally.

The CSU offers many positions on its various committees. Positions include the Student Engagement Committee and the Campaigns and Advocacy Committee. During the general elections held in the spring or the by-elections held in the fall, students can also run for positions on the Board of Directors if they are interested in gaining experience in leadership positions.

Students wanting to discuss a topic at the AGM must submit a petition. Each petition requires a minimum of 100 student signatures and must be submitted online at least 21 days before the meeting. Students who are interested should note that the next opportunity to submit a petition before the board will be the SemiAnnual General Meeting, which won’t be held until Feb. 25, 2021.

For students interested in attending the AGM on Oct. 22, invitations will be emailed to all CSU members. There will also be social media promotion of the event. “Reach out if you have questions or if you have things that you think we should be doing,” said Bridge. “We’re always looking to hear from our members.”

NEWS

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Sa n d r i n e D i o n n e

@sandrineleilou ­16

ARTIST FEATURE

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Tarot Reading When the future is unpredictable, how do you find solace in the present?

JOSS ARNOTT Staff Writer CORALIE MAYER Illustrator

“I’m just going to take a minute to tune into your energy,” says Tegan Forbes, a local tarot card reader who runs Tegan Tarot. She deals out three decks and asks me to choose; left, centre, or right.

I choose left, and Tegan begins laying seven cards out on the table.

This general spread is what Tegan calls an ‘energetic snapshot,’ which touches a little bit on things like relationships, career and personal developments. “All sorts of things are showing up because everything in our life is connected,” says Forbes.

I expected some sort of mysterious ritual, filled with half-answers and vague allusions. Instead, I receive a torrent of startlingly accurate information as Forbes lays down each successive card. I feel my spine stiffen and am held rapt by her deluge of divination.

Before my reading, I interviewed Forbes about the finer points of the art of tarot reading in honour of our Halloween issue.

JA: How did tarot card reading begin?

It came together around the Renaissance, in the 1300s and 1400s.

Trade routes were opening up through the Middle East—Egypt and India—and it was this really interesting time of cultural development and diversity. Tarot’s been used for different purposes over the years.

What I'm doing now, and how tarot is more widely known, has really solidified in the early 20th century. It became quite popular in the 1900s. Tarot cards can represent a kind of archetypal language of experience. When you’re doing a reading, there are symbols we’re looking at and the reader interprets them.

JA: How long have you been reading tarot cards?

And what drew you to them?

I have been reading professionally as a full-time practice for seven years. But, I’ve been reading cards for fifteen years. I was drawn to them because I had a really good reading. I didn't even know people did this professionally. I just kept going back to her, and at one point I was like, “You really have to show me how to do this, I want to learn properly.” And then I was hooked.

JA: What do tarot cards do?

Tarot cards act as a bridge between the conscious and the unconscious.

So you might ask the question; why do I feel this way? And you pull a couple of tarot cards and you have to ask yourself, “How do these symbols interpret how I feel?” So it’s working with creative development, the way a writer might be given a prompt. Tarot cards prompt our creative brain, helping us get out of the analytical brain to go deeper into the emotional, maybe even into those subconscious layers.

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JA: How would you interpret a card?

It’s a deck of seventy-eight cards, each card has a specific meaning.

Let’s say we’re looking at the Emperor card. This is a card of authority, power and determination. How the Emperor shows up in a reading could be encouraging somebody to step into their power with more authority, it could be a warning saying, “Hey, you’re way too willpowered, strong and domineering, this needs to be pulled back a little bit.” Sometimes it could be an outside influence. Like, “Hey, you’re coming up against a wall of authority.” The context is really important. A single card is like one word of a sentence.

JA: What should someone’s mindset be when they’re coming to have a tarot reading?

Just open and relaxed. Tarot is like storytelling. It’s not black and white. It doesn't answer yes or no, it gives you more of a narrative. I would also say trusting yourself [is important]. No matter how good the reader is, we as individual humans know our lives better than anybody. So, you have to kind of feel and ask “Does this resonate for me? Is there a truth that’s being told?” Even if you don’t totally understand it at the time, how do you feel?

JA: What makes tarot reading important to you?

It allows me to meaningfully connect with people, with strangers, right away on a deep level. We don't have any other context for knowing each other, other than the tarot reading, and it feels like a heart to heart communication. I feel like I can really shine at what I'm good at and pour my heart into that. [I] feel not only connected to the person I’m reading for, but feel them [to be] more empowered, stronger, and illuminated within their own sense of self. It’s just wonderful to experience. I love this toolset and I definitely love the work that I do.

ARTS & CULTURE

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The Rise of Roller Skating How roller-skating became the sport du jour of the pandemic CL AIRE BRNJAC Arts & Culture Editor ANNIKA MCFARLANE Illustrator

Two months into quarantine, I made a roller rink in my dad’s garage.

The rink itself wasn’t a lot; it was just a clear space that was devoid of broken glass and dirt. When my skates arrived a month later, I tentatively strapped them on and made my dad move his car to the road while I wobbled my way around the small space in tight circles. Amateur as it felt, there was the thrill of freedom in the way I zoomed around.

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I got the idea to try roller-skating from a social media trend on the app TikTok, where beautiful, graceful people zoomed down streets and did tricks in cute skates without breaking a sweat. During the pandemic, other people did the same, causing stores like Roller Girl, a roller skate shop in Mount Pleasant, to have their highest sales in fifteen years.

To understand the fervour and to better understand how to learn a sport in quarantine, I talked to Carla Smith, the co-founder of Rolla Skate Club, a Vancouver-based rollerskating facility, who had noticed this jump in popularity as well.

“In our first month back, we had almost a hundred people come through our introductory class pass,” Smith said, noting Rolla Skate Club’s introductory online, and now in-person, lesson packages. “So, there is definitely a backlog of people who are interested to come in, and people were eager.”

“Not [just] roller derby,” she said, “There’s roller dance, and roller workout.” Smith got her start making roller-skating workout videos before the pandemic, so she sees the current pivot to video-making as a Groundhog Day-like scenario, but a much scarier circumstance.

in the Shipyards. Their rental skate service has a collection of over a hundred and fifty pairs of skates, in every size.

I asked if she had any advice for new rollerskaters like myself, wobbling our way through our own improvised set-up. She stood up and demonstrated a position that she calls the “Oh Shit Position,” where skaters in fear of falling crouch down and hug their knees to avoid hitting the ground.

When asked why roller-skating in particular “In March, we started literally in our living seemed to have gained popularity, Smith rooms like, okay, how can I get my camera shrugged. “It's a very good socially distant set up? We were lucky enough to be able to thing to do nowadays. get some space for that in the Roller Girl basement, so we have kind of like a little If you can’t avoid falling? “Ideally, you have Like, if you can put on a pair of rollerskates recording studio down there.” She sees them time to pick a cheek,” she laughs. “It’s the and go onto the bike path or down your continuing their dual Zoom call classes and worst fall ever, but it happens a lot.” street or onto a tennis court, it’s great. It's a pre-recorded videos in the future. They are great way to get outside and be active.” She also in the process of starting up new learn-tomentions that it’s a community-driven sport skate packages and classes in their Kerrisdale as well—the roller derby scene in Vancouver location, and expanding into a new location is one she cherishes, as she got her start in it when she first came to Vancouver in 2007.

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Shame and Prejudice: A Story of Resilience Traveling through time with curator Miss Chief Eagle Testickle to explore Trudeau, downtown Winnipeg and modern Cree life LENA ORLOVA Contributor

Kent Monkman’s work unsettles. This is expected of the Cree artist, who masters disillusionment. UBC’s Museum of Anthropology stages his latest exhibition Shame and Prejudice: A Story of Resilience, curating Canadian history through the lens of Indigenous experience using multimedia art, installations and complementary pieces from other galleries.

Hailing from Winnipeg, he’s no stranger to publicity. The artist has gained a worldwide audience for his work, breaking down mainstream narratives of colonial history. He is also known for controversy and criticism for a painting featuring the likeness of Justin Trudeau in a pending sexual act surrounded by a group of Cree women laughing.

Monkman’s use of oil paintings create an evocative atmosphere. “It envelops you,” commented Monkman on what originally inspired him about the medium. In The Massacre of Innocents, the work gravitates viewers toward itself; it’s difficult not to be enchanted by beauty and bounty of the raw ­2 2

Canadian wilderness. A closer look breaks the supposed serenity: it is focused on the slaughter of Indigenous people by settlers.

“I wanted to work within the conventions to shock or surprise people,” said Monkman in an interview with Globe and Mail. "I wanted to deal with themes in my own life and my community, like colonization, the impact of Christianity and homophobia…

I started looking at landscape painting and the art history of North America, as it was painted by Europeans, and at how they saw Indigenous people. The subjectivity of that narrative needed to be challenged.”

Monkman revisits key moments in Canadian history in his work. He inserts the Indigenous perspective by way of his sultry alter ego: Miss Chief Eagle Testickle. Miss Chief is a genderfluid, mystical, time-travelling curator of the exhibition appearing in pieces such as The Daddies where she boldly rules the attention of a well-clad group of confederates. In such a grim setting, Monkman surprises with humour and a touch of absurdity.

As the exhibition unfolds, the artist continues to strip layers of illusion down to an uncomfortable consciousness of the modern-day Indigenous life, wildly unlike the pre-colonial depictions. “For Monkman, who grew up in Winnipeg, it was strange to see Indigenous people featured in museum dioramas as relics from a pre-contact age while also seeing First Nations people in the city’s downtown core,” writes culture editor Dorothy Woodend in Tyee.

While speaking of inherited trauma, Monkman places Native resilience at the forefront of his stories. Using traditional spaces—museums and galleries—he creates art that transcends its frames, staying long in the hearts of its audience. “I loved museums as a kid, they are such a value. Sure, there are problematic things, but it’s an opportunity to share histories, to reach out to the world.

I’ve been criticized for speaking to the settler audience, and it baffles me: don’t you want to speak to the world?”

Gastown Ghosts Take a stroll through the streets of Gastown, the dark heart of Vancouver and the home of many restless ghosts JOSS ARNOTT Staff Writer SANDRINE DIONNE Illustrator

“It was in my kitchen,” said Lydia Williams, speaking about one of the many encounters she’s had with ghosts over the years. “You know how when you’re waiting for the toast to finish you just stand there, you have nothing else to do.” She gestured around her as we talked beside Waterfront Station, a few minutes before the tour started.

“I caught this movement from the corner of my eye and I look to see a dish towel just flapping like crazy. All the doors and windows were closed—no draft. As I turned to look at the towel, I felt a ghost move right through me.

I can’t say it feels good,” she said. “It doesn't feel painful. It just feels kind of gross, I can't describe it beyond that.” Williams paused and shrugged. “But then my toast went up and I was immediately distracted. Instead of being totally freaked out, I thought, well ok, toast is up.” She smiled. “It’s funny how you react in the situation, sometimes you’re just not that scared.”

Williams is no stranger to the paranormal.

As the owner of Ghostly Vancouver Tours, she’s been telling stories, researching and investigating ghosts as part of a team for years.

Williams’ company offers walking tours through Gastown that uncovers the hidden

stories of the neighbourhood and sheds light on its paranormal elements. The looping tour treads through the old heart of the city and lasts ninety minutes, hitting all the notable stops in Gastown. Among the tour’s haunted stops are Blood Alley, the Lookout Building and the Lamplighter Public House.

“I’ve always loved the paranormal...I really love the idea of being a storyteller.” Williams has a passion for the paranormal that she infuses into her tours. Whether it be the story of Blood Alley’s Lady in Black or the Headless Brakeman that wanders the tracks below Waterfront, Williams brings unexpected care and levity to her craft. There are no tricks or ploys used on the tour— Williams presents the story of each ghost based on eyewitnesses reports and whatever historical evidence she can find. From there, Williams makes her own observations but makes no claims that what she’s saying is the definitive truth. “What makes a good story is having a place where you have regularly seen ghosts,” said Williams, referring to places with multiple sightings over years like Old Spaghetti Factory in Gastown. “They’re seen, they do the same things. It builds a mystery to it.”

Williams begins every tour by asking her audience how much they believe in ghosts on a scale from zero to ten. “I don't think you have to be a believer to love ghost stories,” said Williams, “I think people want to believe.

The unknown is something everyone is really attracted to.” This approach to the tour lets even the most skeptical find something they can enjoy on the tour, which delves into a lot of Gastown's forgotten history. “My favourite part of this job is connecting with people, talking to people about their experiences,” said Williams.

There will probably never be a satisfying conclusion on ghosts. Williams mentioned multiple times that the only way to truly believe is to have the first-hand experience.

I’m not really sure if I believe in ghosts. I was a five out of ten when Williams began our tour.

But when Williams told our group the story of the White Lady, a spirit that has haunted the Lookout building in Gastown for over a hundred years, I felt a shiver slide down my back. Maybe the White Lady still waits in the Lookout Building to this day, wailing into the black night.

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VERSUS: HORROR MOVIE You never forget your first horror movie. Mine was breathlessly watching Alien at seven years old, and not sleeping the night after. The real question: can there be a best horror movie?

Two contributors debate the merits of scaring.

TEAM SUSPIRIA JAYMIE MARIE Contributor

The 1977 film Suspiria, directed by Italian horror director Dario Argento, is a cult classic that gives you the kind of 70s horror aesthetics you can’t find anywhere else. It’s a particularly standout film for its cinematography and nuanced themes, and in my opinion, one of the best horror movies ever made. Suspiria follows Suzy, played by Jessica Harper, as she joins a prestigious German dance academy getting caught up in a powerful and dangerous coven that (literally) hides within the studio walls. After a strange encounter with a distressed student trying to escape the dance academy, Suzy and her friend Sarah, played by Stefania Casini, begin to unravel the secrets of the academy.

When we usually think of horror, we think of a dark palette filled with dark lighting and costumes—Suspiria goes in the exact opposite direction. Filled with bright 70’s fashion like flowing sleeves, colour block patterns and of course, the swooping curtain bangs and loose curls that Farah Fawcett popularized in the late 70’. Suspiria also makes good use of technicolour lights,interior design and a beautiful classical score to tie it all together. Suspiria could easily be the most visually stunning horror movie of its time. Alongside the colourful

TEAM THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS SABA MOHSENI Contributor

“Fly, fly, fly. Fly, fly, fly,” whispers Dr. Hannibal Lecter, portrayed

by Anthony Hopkins, as agent Clarice Starling, portrayed by Jodie Foster, rushes away feeling more than unsettled. In The Silence of the Lambs, it is all about the stillness and the quiet moments. There are no flashy jump scares or a gory blood bath. Instead, you are haunted by the eyes of Dr. Lecter as he is speaking directly to you in an intimate close up. The audience are haunted by the depth of his knowledge on human psychology and his self awareness. How can someone make so much sense and yet be a monster? Even more unsettling is the fact that the audience will start to root for a monstrous cannibal.

The lines of morality are blurred when Dr. Lecter becomes fond of Agent Starling midway through the film. You will find the horror is not in the screams or murders but rather in the silence, in the whispers of help that no one ever heard and in all the lambs Agent Starling could never save as a child. The horror genre shines at its finest in The Silence of the Lambs because of its ability to haunt you long after the ending credits. ­2 4

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design, I’ve always enjoyed the campy nature of classic horror films, and this is no exception. From excessive amounts of firetruck red blood, over the top chase scenes, and the over dramatization of horror, 70s-80s horror films have a clear style that modern directors imitate to this day in shows and movies such as Stranger Things, Super 8, and the most recent season of American Horror Story. From the SFX to the bone-chilling screams and the not-quite-fast-enough running away from an off-screen killer, Suspiria delivers everything I want from a late 70’s-80’s horror film. In the season of horror and everything spooky, I recommend viewers take some time out of their day to enjoy the timeless thrill of Dario Argento’s Suspiria. Argento’s film was remade in 2018 with a new cast and modern SFX and, although it is an incredible rendition of a beloved film, the original holds a lasting place in my heart.

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EPIDEMIC CIT Y A look at the communities that are banding together in the fight to keep doors open and spirits alive for local music venues in a post-pandemic city ALEXIS ZYGAN Contributor

Music venues across Vancouver, namely The Wise Hall, Rickshaw, Vogue Theatre, Biltmore Cabaret and The Imperial, are entering their eighth month coping with the eerie void of desolate stages and empty seats collecting dust. Since doors shuttered in March, the regular scene of sidewalks filled with crowds of laughter and rambles on a Saturday night between sets has faded like the smoke from a half-finished cigarette. The typical Vancouver audiophile now sits at home, scrolling through the memory lane of social media and live streams. Many audience members, musicians and industry veterans like sound technician Kennan Zeigler-Sungur had no idea their last concert was also a farewell to the stage for the foreseeable future. Now, Zeigler-Sungur is imagining a new way to connect the Vancouver music scene—all from his backyard.

A weekend show is an opportunity to blow off steam, connect with friends and support musicians. According to study in the Annals of the New York Academy of Science, live music reduces symptoms of depression and lowers levels of stress hormones like cortisol. The turn of the century schoolhouse walls and beer-soaked floors of venues like The Wise Hall are ground zero for connection and community.

Venues are fundamental to the Vancouver cultural landscape by bringing together people from diverse communities. Entertainment is the heart of cultural prosperity, and musicians depend on their local scene to discover and kick-start their career. Without the arts and the space artists inhabit, cities forfeit unique cultural capital in

exchange for more of the same corporate monopolized nightlife now populating much of Granville Street. CLMA predicts that in the face of the pandemic, unless something changes, 96 percent of live music companies will go bankrupt without an audience.

It’s not just musicians that take center stage. The Canadian Live Music Associated (CLMA) estimates that 72,000 employees depend on venues for their livelihood. Booking agents, sound engineers, and bartenders all weave together a pastiche of the live music experience.

When the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) ended this past September, those like industry veteran Zeigler-Sungur were forced to find a different path.

In a home studio out of his backyard in East Vancouver, ZeiglerSungur muses on 13 years of work as a sound technician. “Something you don't realize in the moment is the personal and emotional connection beyond just making a living.” His wife books bands to play shows at The Wise Hall.

In a turquoise heritage building a few blocks from Commercial Drive is The Wise Hall, a grassroots joint that’s served the East Vancouver community for over two decades. Once the host of a murder mystery in The X-Files, these days it’s a hub for East Vancouver locals, live music, flea markets, comedians, wrestling and burlesque—ocassionally at the same time. Like hundreds of small venues across the province on March 15, The Wise Hall closed their doors to the public. They may FEATURES ­2 7

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be the last to reopen when restrictions are lifted, and some venues like Federicos and Stormcrow Tavern will never open their doors again.

The annual Saint Patrick's Day event with Shane's Teeth and Staggers and Jaggs was the first to go, according to owner Norm Elmore. “We were hoping for a couple of months, [but] this has certainly been a larger impact than we saw at that time,” Elmore shared. Even after receiving an interest-free loan from the Canada Emergency Business Account (CEBA), The Wise Hall struggles to pay bills without a reliable way to make revenue. Back in June when there was a stronger public imperative to slow the spread of COVID, lower case numbers provided a glimmer of hope that venues could reopen with half capacity. “We were developing our plan to do smaller shows, reopen our hall and do some solo artist stuff with social-distancing precautions,” said Elmore.

Yet, with cases skyrocketing, provincial health officials announced new restrictions including immediate closure of all nightclubs, banquet halls and prohibiting live music. Now, The Wise Hall hopes to connect with their community through live-streaming.

Weekends spent drinking beers and listening to live music at familiar community hubs have vanished in life post-pandemic; replaced with Netflix and sourdough starters. COVID-19 deepens a preexisting precariousness of Vancouver venues, namely the dependence on a hazy mix of filled seats and pints to turn a profit. The integration of alcohol into the sales model hinders accessibility for listeners of all ages.

“That is not a sustainable business model. The musician becomes a

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glorified Duff Man,” Zeigler-Sungur shared, drawing on over a decade For venue operators, musicians, and music fans alike, there’s not of experience working in the field. “[Venues] didn’t have the resources quite a happy ending on the horizon, particularly after the Canadian to keep going beforehand, let alone doing it at half capacity.” Financial Medical Association published a study that social-distancing may last support in the form of comprehensive compensation from Creative until 2022. As a community, all we can do is implement mutual aid BC could cover expenses to ensure all residents of Vancouver, not just to support struggling musicians and gig workers. The Wise Hall plans the ones over 19, could attend. However, the first and perhaps most to use part of their grant money to organize a fundraising campaign. existential challenge is recognizing the cultural importance of stable “This has certainly been a larger impact than we saw at that time," notes music spaces.

Elmore. Through united community support, Elmore is hopeful The Wise Hall will make it out alive.

Rising rent that prices out valuable spaces is an ongoing challenge for the local scene, only made worse under the weight of the pandemic— While we as a country tackle COVD-19, Vancouver’s local music many venues collapse under the financial pressure. Impermanence scene is undergoing a crisis that underpins many of the same defines performance spaces in Vancouver, with a large swath of shows unaddressed problems; among others, the unsustainable business that are hosted in abandoned warehouses for a few months before model of music venues and lack of all-ages spaces. “It’s a really development begins. In 2019 alone, Vancouver lost 333, Index and hard time to know how to do things, most of the things these folks Stylus Records. Each of which hosted a variety of artists from hardcore, are good at organizing involve events and people,” said Zeiglereletronic, folk, indie and funk. Also, restaurants that feature live music Sungur. Purchasing merchandise from local musicians, donating require everyone to remain seated. "One person gets excited and to mutual-aid campaigns, and sharing on social media to promote starts dancing and the place can get a fine—I have seen that happen. comprehensive local art organizations all help keep the scene, and the You need a cabaret license," he said. Dance is an expressive way to people embedded in it, afloat. connect with the music and should ideally be tolerated in all spaces Kennen Zeigler-Sungur’s radio show No Apologies Necessary shares where musicians perform. interviews with Canadian musicians, airing on CRFO 100.5 FM To stay connected with the community during quarantine, Zeigler- Wednesdays between 2:30 pm-3:30 pm. There’s still unexpected Sungur, with the help of his friend and videographer, hosted semi- obstacles that may make hosting online shows near to impossible, acoustic, short length shows from his intimate home studio. Be Wells like Facebook’s update which blocks musicians from sharing and live Sessions is in collaboration with 100.5 FM CO-OP Radio, as part streaming their music. Right now, however, that’s not something he’s of the 2020 Virtual ArtsWells Festival—connecting people in film, worried about. “Creative people are good at figuring out different musicians and other performers. Musicians gather in the studio with ways of doing things, and in those problems where there is a challenge their gear, after forsaking practicing over the past few months, to take sometimes, it creates new opportunities to do different things.” He a moment to bounce back into rhythm. Jen Davidson boldly plays leans back and pauses for a moment; it’s an interlude of quiet much the saxophone, while Mary Matheson softly strums the guitar while like the halls of venues around the city.“Sometimes, that only benefits singing brassy folk melodies about whiskey next to her. Bigger bands the establishment, which isn’t always great.” play in the backyard to adhere to social distancing guidelines. Missy D performs a sultry acoustic rendition against mandala tapestry and prayer flags draped against the house.

“Going to shows [makes] you feel normal,” said Zeigler-Sungur, reminiscing. COVID pushed creatives to focus more on documenting their local music scene through audio and visual recording.“Through cataloging, there is a lot of value for the growth of our unique culture on the West Coast,” he said. Readers interested in watching performances videotaped from the Virtual ArtsWells Festival can access them through CO-OP Concerts, a catalogue of fifteen artists from a variety of genres.

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Meet Stardust Mega, ChibiTifa and Nyx Wolff, where the art of wearing costumes is a way of life. This #Blacktober, we’re exploring the creativity and power of Black cosplay SARAH ROSE Features Editor VALERIYA KIM Staff Illustrator

It’s 2005 and a young girl in New York City is flitting from the TV to the family Gateway computer to watch episodes of Sailor Moon and Dragonball Z. Afterwards, she’ll spend hours searching for photos of her favourite characters to print out and paste into a vmosaic in her notebook. The thumbnails of various animated heroes and magical girls filling the screen begin to transform into something different: real people. Fifteen years ago, in the family computer room behind an old notebook and CRT monitor, Stardust Megu discovered cosplay, and the power clothing has to transform us.

A portmanteau of ‘costume play’, cosplay is a type of performance art that began in 1939 in the same city Stardust Megu stumbled upon it. Although the practice has exploded, with international popularity since its inception, the ethos of the medium has always been the same: who do you want to be?

Today, Stardust Megu could be anyone. One of her favourite personas is Yoko Littner, the tough, redheaded gunslinger from Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann. Other days, she’s in the iconic green bodysuit and fire engine red bracers of assassin clone-turned-secret service operative Cammy White aka ‘Killer Bee’ from Street Fighter. Stardust Megu is an award-winning cosplayer who regularly becomes Sailor Mercury, Joseph Joestar, Junko Enoshima and hundreds of others. For the middle-school-aged girl in her family computer room that she used to be, it was a different story: “I wanted to do [cosplay] so badly, but was scared to because of the extreme bullying I went through prior. I thought that because I’m both Black (darker skinned) and plus-sized that I wouldn’t look good as the characters.”

like The Searches in front of a TV. First, with the unsettling feeling of rooting for the cowboys, and later wanting to play a cowboy in games of cowboys and Indians. Although these films depicted people who looked like him, they weren’t anything like him at all, because what they embody is a white myth. In his documentary Reel Injun, Diamond explores a century of Indigenous portrayals in cinema to unravel the Injun as it was created by white filmmakers for white audiences. Through thousands of hours of footage of people like John Wayne battling Indians, white Hollywood defined for the world what representations of Indigenous people are supposed to be in the dominant hegemony, not what they are.

What Diamond and Black cosplayers alike urge us to recognize is that representation comes with responsibility. Black heroes and characters need to be written with intent; their race is a central aspect to their character. It’s not as straightforward as choosing a different skin tone, which either intentionally or otherwise, results in white creators painting a new shade of white over ideas of what a superhero is—and what a Black superhero should be. “You are looking at representations crafted by white supremacy… It’s not actually Black people you are looking at.” That’s Rachel Dolezal, a white woman who pretended to be a Black, African American history professor.

The curious kids of today are still sitting in front of their computers, seeing their beloved characters brought to life. Yet, one of the most frequently asked questions related to cosplay on Google is: “Can I cosplay if I’m Black?” Cosplayers like Stardust Megu, Nyx Wolff and ChibiTifa believe something so intrinsic shouldn’t be questioned at all. One thing each of them shares is not only a love for the artform, but a fastidious belief that cosplay is for everyone.

Eyes cast towards the horizon, framed by graceful curls of chin length dusty lavender hair grazing the collar of a turquoise rococo gown is ChibiTifa—she’s Anthy Himemiya from Revolutionary Girl Utena. “It means so much to me,” she shares, “Anthy Himemiya was my very first cosplay.” For a girl who never felt like she belonged to a fan community, discovering cosplay fifteen years ago was the lifeline where ChibiTifa made not just costumes but life-long friends.

Despite struggling with anxiety and depression, becoming Anthy for an afternoon feels like a beacon of joy and self-expression in the way that costumes help conquer traumatizing parts of adolescence. “Every time I finish a costume and try it on for the first time, I feel a sense of euphoria knowing that I can become my favorite characters despite my race and skin tone … We are here and have always been.”

In another country and another time, Neil Diamond also has something in common with the childhood of Stardust Megu. Rather than a Gateway computer, the Cree filmmaker grew up watching films

The first Black superhero featured as a protagonist and titular character of a comic book in 1972 was Luke Cage. Imagining him as white comes with a pervasive unease, a sense of loss—Because Luke FEATURES

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Cage could never be white. His story is a direct reference to the way the government imprisons and abuses Black bodies. Painting over him with a white brush erases the meaning behind his identity. Black Panther and Storm could never be white because their Blackness is who they are—the king of an African nation that’s never been conquered by colonialism and the descendant of an ancient line of African priestesses.

Behind #Blacktober and many of the cosplays worn by Stardust Megu, ChibiTifa and Nyx Wolf is the principle of racebending; changing the ethnicity of a character from one medium to another. It’s more than skin deep—there’s power in urging audiences to look beneath the surfaces of canon. “I have been told that “’x’ character isn’t Black” or even worse, the “n-word” version of a character,” said ChibiTifa. Nyx Wolff shares how she’s received comments ranging from fat shaming to racism. For Stardust Megu, racist harassment has happened so many times she’s lost track: “People always tell me that I'm “too dark” or “too fat” whenever I post my cosplays.” When ChibiTifa cosplayed Soul Caliber IV’s Ivy Valentine in 2019, she anticipated accusations of “ruining” the classic video game protagonist, not the phenomenal amount of praise she received instead. “I was surprised when many people told me that they actually wished Ivy was a Black woman because I portrayed her so well.”

“When just about every superhero or characters in TV shows and cartoons are white, it definitely affects the way Black people view ourselves. Since we aren’t shown mostly in a positive light, or rarely at all, we tend to think that we aren’t as important as our white counterparts,” shared ChibiTifa. Stardust Megu loves the joy and creativity from seeing fellow Black cosplayers doing their own versions of lighter skinned characters. “Little kids are like, ‘wow, you’re my favourite character!’” Recounts Nyx Wolff, “they just gush and tell you how much that character means, and [that] they didn’t know the character can look like them.”

It's a scene that could be lifted straight from anyone’s childhood fairytale: The eponymous hood and cape of Nyx Wolff as Red Riding Hood blankets her body in a cascade of deep crimson, framed beneath the waif-like limbs of a weeping willow. For Nyx Wolf, cosplay is about comfort. “It’s stepping into a character that lets me leave my muggle worries behind and just enjoy the moment more.” Red Riding Hood is one of her favourite cosplays, along with Maleficent, which she chooses specifically for the comfort of accommodating the unpredictable nature of her disability. She also incorporates her cane into many of her costumes.

Conventions, however, are not a fairytale space, despite what those who engage in the culture might want to believe. There is still a notion of otherness, still clinging to the same hierarchies of oppression perpetuated by mainstream culture writ large. Cosplay is a reflection on some level of pop culture rooted in eurocentrism and anti-Blackness, and it’s been normalized and capitalized on for years.

New York Comic Con routinely brings in more than 100 million dollars to the city’s local economy. The massive capital generated by conventions is used as justification for upholding the structures built to support hierarchies of systemic oppression therein.

ChibiTifa explains how Black cosplayers are rarely invited to conventions on the presumption that there’s no audience for them, ­3 2

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or worse yet, they won’t sell tickets. “It’s disheartening to hear that, especially since we work just as hard on our cosplays as the ones who are constantly invited.” Although Nyx Wolff hasn’t been invited as a guest, she’s thankful for the opportunities she’s had to speak at several sold-out panels. Stardust Megu is hopeful that one day she’ll be invited to a convention like New York Comic Con as a guest, but she acknowledges how difficult it is for Black cosplayers to get guest spots. It’s a struggle that only grows exponentially for those who are darker skinned, plus-sized, LGBTQ or disabled folx. “We have to push even harder than everyone else, and even more than fellow Black cosplayers for opportunities,” she shared.

“The unbearable whiteness of fandom won’t change without tangible effort by white people committed to changing it.” Writes Talynn Kel in The Establishment. “Racism is a conscious choice that’s become the white noise of American culture, and addressing it takes conscious effort to disrupt how white people see the world.”

In the same way Diamond grapples with the bifurcation of Injun and Indigenous, Black cosplayers are constantly in a bilingual dialogue with their other. They’re alive, in a collective society of material perspective speaking through the memories associated with them.

The costume each artist creates is not a blank canvas ready to be worn by anyone, it’s made for them. There is an intentional precision in material, in their social, economic and historic reason for being.

The appeal of superheroes is woven into the ambiguity of identity in the shape of a cape and a mask. When we watch Spiderman soaring through the skyscrapers of inner-city New York, there’s a lingering thought and a held breath, could that be someone like me? Yet, when the mask comes off, it’s always Peter Parker, another white nerd­. 2019’s Into The Spiderverse introduced Miles Morales—An Afro-Latinx teenager from East Harlem—and for the first time, Spiderman’s story is different from Peter’s. It’s Miles’ day-to-day life, like navigating being a new student in a predominantly white charter school, that speaks to the shared experience of many kids in NYC. Kids who’ve never seen their story told before, or a name like Morales associated with heroism. Miles’ Blackness redefines what it means to be Spiderman.

“I think that’s why Black Panther meant so much, [as well as] Into The Spiderverse. We deserve to see ourselves in stories, and heroes [who have] tech, powers and excellence,” said Nyx Wolff.

Whether doing cosplay or getting dressed in the morning, we embody a plural of identities, each constructed and labeled like layers of fabric on a dress. There’s an almost ritualistic, religious-like reverence in the act of weaving together a costume, but the truth is costumes themselves have no secret powers. The hard work and intent behind the many personas of Stardust Megu, ChibiTifa and Nyx Wolff is in boldly embodying a different reality where people of colour own the centerfolds. In rematerializing restrictive narratives of what power and heroes can be, cosplay is more than wearing a costume—it’s permission to occupy space.

In the words of Ororo Munroe, “I am a woman, a mutant, a thief, an X-Men, a lover, a wife, a Queen. I am all these things. I am Storm, and for me, there are no such things as limits.”

To see more of their work, follow the artists on social media: @ChibiTifa, @Stardust_Megu and @badwolfreigns

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Nothing To Prove Policing access to nerd culture through gatekeeping and harassment creates real harm for women, and nerd culture as a whole SARAH ROSE Features Editor LOGAN DAVID Illustrator

I’ll never forget the first time someone called me a man. I was four, and had just gotten my long hair chopped into a pixie cut for summer. My dad took one look at me after leaving the salon and with utter disappointment, asked, “why do you look like a boy?” Fast forward to Christmas 2008. I’m fifteen, and I can barely wait to use my first gaming computer that I spent months begging for. I plug in my headset and log in to my favourite online game, only to meet a chorus of: “fat bitch,” “slut,” “ugly man whore.”

I unplug my headphones. What I learned all those years ago is that the worst thing I could possibly be to men was someone who looked like them.

Nerd culture, at least the one that’s packaged and sold by pop culture, has always had an emphasis on male whiteness.

Which should come as no surprise since pop culture—like all mainstream things—reflects dominant hegemonies. From STEM to filmmaking, and everything in between, whether explicitly or implicitly, those who exist outside the accepted hegemony are told they are not wanted here. Yet, there’s a strange and pervasive cultural mythos woven into the fabric of geekdom that geek girls are like unicorns—rare, mythical creatures that couldn’t possibly be real when that is the opposite of the truth.

One would think people who believe they are the world’s leading experts in nerd culture would know the names of the giant’s shoulders they stand on. Like Rebecca Heineman, the winner of the first ever video game tournament in 1980 or Stevie “KillCreek” Case, the first esports player ever signed to the Cyberathlete Professional League in 1997. How about Terri Brosius, the voice

and occasional writer behind many award-winning games like every System Shock and Thief title from the nineties up to now.

Mayim Bialik is probably the closest we’ve ever gotten to a real Dana Scully.

That’s precisely the rub—gatekeepers idolize, sometimes simultaneously fetishize, the fictional embodiments of not just female empowerment but also Black joy, disabled and LGBT representation. While at the same time, there’s little to no emphasis on the same real-life ‘outsiders’ that built the foundations of the very kingdom of nerd culture that gatekeepers feel so compelled to protect.

Nerds are supposed to root for the outsider, for heroes who are celebrated precisely because they don’t fit into conventional notions of heroism. Not just when they’re fictional like Buffy Summers, Miles Morales or Kate Kane, but real people, too.

It’s been over a decade since I got my first gaming computer. I don’t have it anymore, although I’ve built a few others since then. These days when I hit the lobby in a game like Battlegrounds, turning on the chat feature is still always a potential invitation for harassment— but I don’t stay quiet. The first time I unplugged my headphones was also the last. That’s not to say I tolerate abuse - rather I call out and mute the insecure people pretending they hold the keys to my happiness and acceptance. They’re the ones who need to be muted, not me. I’m not a professional, or even particularly great, but I don’t have to be. It doesn’t matter. It never did, because I already know I belong here, and I have nothing to prove.

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A Tale of Two Justice Systems?

Facts vs. Fiction: Both women lied to obtain education for their children— but their circumstances differ HASSAN MERALI Contributor CHRISTINE WEI Illustrator

A meme circulating the internet attempts to compare two American prison sentences for seemingly similar offences. On one side is Felicity Huffman, a rich white actress, who received a 14-day sentence for paying $15,000 to boost her daughter’s SAT scores as part of the college admissions scandal. On the other side is Tanya McDowell, a Black woman sentenced to a minimum five-year jail term for multiple charges—including lying about her address so her son could attend a better school in a neighbouring district.

On the face of it, the viral meme seems to provide a perfect example of racial and economic disparities in the American criminal justice system. But the details of the two cases paint a more complex picture of issues at the heart of ongoing public debates about race, wealth, education, and justice.

It’s worth examining the difference in charges between the two women. Felicity Huffman pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud. She was sentenced to 14 days in jail, 250 hours of community service, and a $30,000 fine.

Tanya McDowell reached a plea bargain with prosecutors for seven charges against her, including selling drugs to undercover officers and larceny for lying about her address—which police said was stealing over $15,000 in funds from Norwalk School District. The plea bargain resulted in a 12-year suspended sentence, serving five years in jail, plus five on probation.

When examining the charges, it’s notable that past convictions are taken into account during sentencing. Huffman has no prior criminal record, and her charges were for nonviolent crimes.

McDowell had previous convictions for bank robbery and possession of a pistol. Finally, Huffman was convicted by a federal court in California, while McDowell was tried in Connecticut Superior Court. While the cases appear dissimilar, diving deeper into the systemic issues surrounding race and justice in America reveals that the issues the meme raised are real.

There are well-documented racial disparities in the American criminal justice system stemming from the legalized discrimination

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against Black people from the Jim Crow era. This discrimination is rooted in America’s participation in the Transatlantic slave trade and chattel slavery.

Sixty-six years after Brown v. Board of Education, the American public school system has not completely desegregated because of how it’s structured. Public schools are funded by municipal taxes.

Cities and suburbs are still largely segregated from decades of discriminatory housing policies, redlining—the denial of services from public and private sector institutions to residents based on their neighbourhood—and underfunding of public programs that affect minority populations more than whites.

While Black people can no longer be owned or legally discriminated against, services are too often denied to individuals and communities based on their wealth or the political power, which are still tied to zip code and race. A rich, white celebrity like Huffman, whose net worth is in the tens of millions of dollars, is able to hire top lawyers and pay a $30,000 fine easily. Her layers of privilege have allowed her to find high paying work and live in communities that are not overpoliced, as many Black neighbourhoods are. Kelly Williams-Bolar, a Black single mother in Ohio, was convicted solely of lying to send her kids to a neighbouring school district and received the same $30,000 fine. Unlike Huffman, she couldn’t pay it, and was handed a five-year sentence that was suspended after serving 10 days in jail. Williams-Bolar fled her abusive ex and was splitting her time between her own place—which had been broken into—and her father’s house, whose address she used to enroll her two daughters in a neighbouring school district.

People of colour face higher rates of poverty than white people.

We’ve seen how racially motivated law enforcement in the United States tends to be—POC already know this, but others are finally starting to see it. The way that the justice system treats marginalized communities is evidenced by cases like McDowell and WilliamsBolar. This demonstrates that the legacy of racial discrimination is inherently linked to wealth, access to education, and justice in modern America.

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A Look in the Mirror: Oppressed or just distressed?

MEGAN AMATO Contributor TALIA ROUK Illustrator

I was lying in bed the other night scrolling through my Instagram stories when I came across a story by non-binary Black political creative @Sassy_Latte that made me pause. Sassy found that their posts are “tone policed” by white women, meaning that these women often use their own emotions to invalidate Sassy’s sentiments and lived experiences. Repeatedly, white women will use spiritual bypassing—using spirituality or religion to gaslight or to suppress—or “we are all in this together” narratives to dismiss their voice. Sassy concluded that white women often have this driving need to centre themselves by pulling the victim card in their own supposed oppression. Sassy challenges this: Who exactly is oppressing white women other than white women themselves?

There are many “whataboutisms” often weaponized by white women whenever Black folk speak out about racism and oppression—and even when they are not talking about it at all—that bring up the history of how white men have oppressed women and how we all “need to stick together.” However, these kinds of conversations centre white feminism and white experiences, when BIPOC, and predominantly Black and Indigenous women, have faced the same violence from white men— and white women—while simultaneously facing other systems of oppression. This holds the opposite for us white women, who benefit from the same systems of white supremacy that oppress women of colour (WOC).

Sexism affects white women differently than it affects WOC. Not only does white-centric feminism drive the discussion around women’s liberation, it also co-opts movements created to highlight issues surrounding ­3 8

BIPOC. In doing so, we talk over WOC voices in the socalled effort to uplift women. There is a reason that the name Karen has become synonymous with an entitled white woman—Time and time again, white women have often developed a victim mentality when excluded.

Refusal is not oppression.

On their Instagram post, @Sassy_Latte wrote that white women “don’t even understand oppression. They understand discomfort.” This is not to say that the patriarchy isn’t a problem; cis-male violence is indeed an issue in our society. Yes, white men discredit white women by using their emotions against them—but Black women aren’t often allowed to be emotional without being labelled as angry and/or dangerous. The way the patriarchy treats WOC is inherently more violent than the way it treats white women—Indigenous women are still being sterilized against their will in Canada.

White women who continue to uphold these oppressive systems are upholding white supremacy. The reality is that we have benefited from this oppression for hundreds of years, and we don’t want to let go of it—we don’t want to be treated the way BIPOC are treated. The longer we can keep the blindfold of oppression on, the longer we can use it as an excuse when we are called out. If we admit to creating our own oppression, we would have to admit our own role in allowing white supremacy to oppress BIPOC and other marginalized identities.

To be free of the patriarchy we have to dismantle the systems that uphold white supremacy. We need to place WOC and other marginalized folks at the forefront of feminist movements, and stop being the victims of our own creation.

The Politics of Phone Plans Canada is in the dark ages when it comes to data plan prices WEN ZHAI Contributer

One of the biggest culture shocks I’ve had when moving to Canada was during my search for a mobile service provider. When researching data plans, I noticed frustration surrounding the high cost of phone and internet packages.

Each company representative assured me they provided the most reasonable options, but I felt like I was in a time machine. Why are phone plans so expensive? I thought Canada was a developed country.

In July, the Canadian government announced that ‘the big 3’—Bell, TELUS and Rogers— will be expected to lower their prices by 25 per cent in the next two years, but only for plans ranging from 2 to 6 GB of data. I may not be an expert on the Canadian telecom industry, but this is an interesting decision. Who is the audience for these price cuts, and why were they chosen over other groups?

In China, I wasn’t worried about using data because I had never exceeded the limit each month. Now, I can barely afford smaller service plans anyways. I can no longer stream videos, lectures or shop online when waiting for the bus or on the go.

That was before the pandemic. When we started online classes, changing my phone plan was among the first few things that I did to adjust to the foreseeable financial hardship—

but the cheapest plan wasn’t cheap at all. Why has nothing changed?

According to a 2016 FCC study that looked at the costs and speed of mobile data across 28 countries, streaming an hour of video in Canada cost $16.48 CAD—the most expensive on the list—but only $0.56 CAD to stream the same amount in Italy. Maintaining expensive data packages is a sure way to see instant revenue. Government policies account for up to 16 percent of the cost.

With the public’s increasing reliance on mobile data, it’s only fair to demand that Ottawa provides the rationale behind reducing the cost of medium-sized plans. The Canadian government needs to understand that the financial pressure Canadians have been under due to the pandemic is only increased by high phone plan prices.

While the announcement seemed helpful at first glance, a 25 per cent decrease for mediumsized plans does nothing for consumer concerns—especially when affected plans will likely be discontinued by the time this policy is in effect. This form of ‘aid’ is lost on consumers that heavily rely on large data packages. At a time when online activities are at a high, Canadians need support reflective of the times—not misleading information.

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Why True Crime Needs to Stop Treating Trauma as Entertainment There is money to be made talking about murder.

But what’s the real cost?

CLAIRE BRNJAC Arts and Culture Editor JOHN PACHKOWSKY Illustrator

In August, beauty blogger Bailey Sarian passed two million subscribers on her YouTube channel. Her main series is a weekly installment called “Murder Mystery & Makeup,” where Sarian does her makeup and tells her viewers about a real life murder case. Her following of millions is profitable—Social Blade, a social media statistics website, puts her monthly earnings between $10,000 and $162,000.

True crime has been a popular genre since the Victorian era, but its popularity today has magnified due to easy and free access to podcasts and YouTube videos. The way we consume true crime cases should be repeatedly called into question due to the inherent exploitative nature of reporting gruesome events and profiting off them.

The true crime industry is largely made up of people who like to hear about and solve crimes, and this can easily turn into disrespecting the wishes of the victim’s family or interrupting their privacy. In the famous Black Dahlia case, a picture of the victim’s dead body is the most popular enduring image. Additionally, the last video of Elisa Lam alive has millions of views—it is often used to scare people with Lam’s ‘odd behaviors,’ which were largely due to her bipolar disorder.

The continual profiting off of true crime is another question of morality; a true crime podcast like Last Podcast on the Left has a Patreon that earns them over $66,000 a month, and My Favourite Murder, one of the most popular true crime podcasts at the moment,

reportedly made over $15 million dollars in 2020 according to Forbes. These podcasts have not made public whether they regularly donate to domestic violence organizations or any sort of victim legal fund.

Additionally, CrimeCon, a convention focused solely on true crime, amassed a crowd of over 3,600 people in their 2019 season at 200 USD a head. As it stands, these people and events profit entirely off of telling their audiences about someone else’s gruesome murder.

Some fans cite the stories as warnings and examples of what not to do during a confrontation. The overwhelming majority of true crime fans are educated white women, according to this 2018 survey by Kelli Boling. While true crime can be a fun way to solve a mystery that has a real-life element of unpredictability, what gets the most attention in true crime circles are the disappearances or murders of young white women.

Other more vulnerable populations, like Indigenous and black trans women, rarely get airtime or exposure.

I enjoy true crime. But I think that the true crime genre should evolve more into advocacy-based productions, and away from exploiting dead bodies for curiosity.

The continual exploitation through overexposure of victims must stop in order for true crime to be a morally defensible genre. There must be accountability for the people earning the most to donate regularly to organizations that will help prevent further true crime cases like the ones they discuss, and there needs to be a shift away from pretending each true crime case is reported in totality with little bias.

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Between Two Gods Despite convincing ourselves they're opposites, science and religion both draw f rom the same proverbial f ires of sacrif icial madness SARAH ROSE Features Editor THEA PHAM Illustrator

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“Two prisoners whose cells adjoin communicate with each other by knocking on the wall. The wall is the thing which separates them but is also their means of communication. It is the same with us and God. Every separation is a link.”

– Simone Weil, Gravity and Grace.

My eyes rested against the orange light of the campfire in an otherwise oppressive darkness, watching it seep like water into my heart, creating soft lines on my face, warming my body with gentle heat. We sipped beer and gazed at the immensity of a moon too huge to be real, reflected in the glittering lake and our own dinner-platesized pupils. It’s as overwhelming as falling in love, all the lightness and warmth in the cosmos pouring into me like the center of the world. Eventually, we laid down in our sleeping bags under the velvet blue bowl of the sky, but I’m still gazing at the impossible diamond glitter of the Milky Way—inside the four walls of a tent.

that psilocybin —the psychoactive component of magic mushrooms—alters consciousness and triggers physical changes in the brain. Casting off the modern moralistic codes surrounding drugs reveals his greatest insight: the story of humankind is inseparably intertwined with our fascination for the psychoactive.

Science has—despite many of its pronouncements— tended to be implicitly agnostic, even theist, rather than strictly atheistic. There’s unreliable evidence for the effectiveness of religious-based treatments for substance use disorders, yet the opposite is true for (the limited studies of) psilocybin.

I leaned outside the door and vomited a slurry of magic mushrooms and beer—afterall, I’d just glimpsed the Simone Weil’s entire body of work is connective tissue very origin of human religion. latticed between the interstices of supposed opposites like science, art, God and humans. Often described as “Impossibility is the door of the supernatural. We can ‘the patron saint of outsiders,” she, and other kindred but knock at it. It is someone else who opens.” That’s spirits such as Nietzsche and McKenna, understood nineteenth century French philosopher and mystic that dialects like ‘science’ and ‘religion’ are two languages Simone Weil, who preferred to have her moments of used to converse with the same invisible being. impossibility inside of a church rather than a tent while high on magic mushrooms. Those experiences aren’t as Nietzsche unabashedly attacked Enlightenment ideals far from each other as we’re led to believe. placing science as the champion of truth and belief. The passion and absolute conviction that depict the approach There’s mounting research from those such as to science is, to Nietzsche, just evidence of the fact anthropologist Wade Davis that mind-altering drug we’ve created a religion from science itself: “It’s always a experiences are, in fact, the origins of human religion metaphysical belief on which our belief in science rests. itself. In The Psychedelic Gospels, authors Jerry and [We] still take our fire from the conflagration kindled Julie Brown claim that a not insignificant amount of by a belief a millennium old, the Christian belief, which medieval Christian art and manuscripts feature imagery was also the belief of Plato, that God is truth and that the of psychoactive mushrooms. Inside the Neolithic truth is divine.”

Mind by archaeologist David Lewis-Williams argues that hallucinogenic drugs formed the entire basis of From the Bill Nye-Ken Ham debate, to a 2003 Shroomery Neolithic religion. Terrance McKenna’s ‘stoned ape’ forum post about ‘the LSD thumbprint,’ this principle theory in Food of the Gods was the first proposition that plays out today in almost precisely the way Nietzsche psilocybin brought even earlier hominids “out of the described. The origins of divine human truth are just animal mind and into the world of articulated speech various ways to converse with the unknowable, whether and imagination.” inside a church, a microscope, or a cap of amanita muscaria. “You’re never the same again. A thumbprint Although McKenna was roughly two decades early from doesn’t open the door of perception, it blows it off the having the resources to prove it, it’s now a scientific fact hinges. LSD is a direct message from God. Period.”

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A n a Ï s Bay l e ­4 4

@anaisbayle_art

M i c h e l l e Lu s s i e r

@lussends.illustrations FEATURED ART 45

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Back Home: Here We Go Again

VALERIA VEL AZQUEZ Columnist

Twenty-four hours have passed since I got home. Twenty-four hours of being back in the place my heart was longing for so long. Saying goodbye to my friends back in Vancouver was bittersweet; they have become my new home, but I knew I needed to revisit my old one.

In my last few hours in Vancouver, I began questioning if maybe I should just come for two months instead of four, if staying at my parents’ house was a good idea and if returning was something I actually wanted.

I was unsure, but I still took the plane to Mexico anyway. I mean, I’m already here, aren’t I? Following your heart’s desires can be scary.

Not because you don’t want them, but because of the uncertainty surrounding them. In my case, the uncertainty doesn’t come from the place I’m at or the people I’m here to see. I already know them; my city, my family, my friends. The insecurity I’m feeling comes from the new dynamic that will take place between us. I believe I’ve grown and changed as a person. Therefore, I don’t know how things are going to unfold, and that scares me.

When I was in Vancouver I felt ready. I’d been taking the past few months to get centered and grounded. I was preparing myself mentally and emotionally to come back to Mexico and deal with situations of injustice in a more mature way, in a way where I’d be understood. I thought I’d be able to talk about feminism, homophobia, racism and social inequity among other prevalent issues in my society, and that I’d be heard. Shortly after I arrived, I realized that we can prepare ourselves all we want, but we never know what an experience is going to be like until we live it.

These past 24 hours have been a rollercoaster of emotions. From the moment I arrived at the airport, I could tell being here was going to be more complicated than I thought.

Not even five minutes had passed when I noticed the beastly looks several men were shamelessly giving two women walking by. The young women were just wearing shorts, yet the men were looking at them like hungry lions staring at a piece of meat. I felt disgusted.

so.” “ You’ll never find a boyfriend with that attitude and those looks.”

I couldn’t help but think of the many times this has happened to me. Not only walking on the streets, but also at restaurants, bars, malls, parks—even in my own home, when strange men are there. These looks make me feel uncomfortable, unsafe, and in the past, they made me feel guilty.

The moment I saw those men looking at the women in the airport, I remembered the reason why I went to Canada in the first place. I was tired of not being understood, seen or valued as a human being. I was tired of feeling diminished, controlled and abused.

I was angry and exhausted, and I didn’t want to be anymore.

I felt guilty because I thought that I was provoking them because of the way I was dressed. I thought maybe if I didn’t wear shorts or skirts or show cleavage, they wouldn’t look at me anymore. I thought, that way, I’d stop feeling threatened. The thing is, no matter what you wear or where you are in Mexico, you’re not safe as a woman.

According to the National System of Public Safety of Mexico, from January to July of 2019, there were 2,171 femicides. This year, even with the confinement measures due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the murders increased. Within the same timeframe of January to July, the number of women killed increased to 2,240.

I think that the reason why the situation in Mexico is like this is because of the deeplyrooted patriarchy in the culture. The phrases I used to hear growing up come to mind.

“You have to cook for us because you are the woman.” “You can’t do this because I’m your father, the head of this house, and I say

It seemed like as a woman, no matter what I did, my only purpose was to please and serve men. My dad, as much as I love him, is the main person that made me feel this way.

Nevertheless, my mom and the rest of the people in my family also contributed to the perpetuation of these patterns, attitudes, and ways of thinking.

Living in Vancouver I learned a lot. I realized that I wasn’t crazy and that there were actual reasons that made me feel this way. But I’ve been proved (as I do time and time again when I come home) that the feeling of being centered, grounded and happy within myself can be taken away from me in the snap of a finger. Not because I don’t want to be, but because my circumstances and my environment don’t allow me to be.

After the initial moment of happiness from seeing my family again for the first time in over a year, it struck me again. The first comment I heard coming out of my grandma’s mouth was, “You should put on a bra, I cannot believe you traveled like that.”

It was 27 degrees and I was wearing a white crop top and jeans. All I could think was, damn, here we go again.

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Coast to Coast: An Ontarian Introduction to Prayer ALDEN WALL ACE MACK AY Columnist

The land between the Rockies and Ontario flashlight at the ground just past the ends of is like one vast yellow sea, so flat on the my boots. How long would I be walking for? horizon you can see the sky falling with the Four hours? Six? I didn’t have any cell service curve of earth. You can see weather systems either, just a cliff bar. It was a cold night in on the horizon, grain silos and fallen barns, Northern Ontario, but I was sweating hard. and you can drive for hours along gravel highways without seeing another car. It’s After about another hour, a truck came up the harsh land, this country, and a lot of it. But road and I waved it down. The driver slowed in my mind this only meant that there was to a halt and rolled her window down only hardly anywhere to camp. I spent nights about a quarter of the way. Her daughter was sleeping in parking lots in towns that still in the passenger seat and they both studied had snow on the ground in June, or else I me as if I were some alien creature. slept in my car parked alongside wheatfields. “Yes?” she said.

Finally, I decided that I’d had enough of the Prairies and in one day I drove clear through “I’m having something of an emergency here,” Manitoba into Ontario.

I said, and quickly explained to them what had happened.

When night fell, I arrived at Kenora, Ontario.

I found Wi-Fi at a Tim Horton’s, googled “Aw hell,” she said. “Get in.” ‘free campsites near me’ and found one about an hour north at Silver Lake. I took Highway They were residents of Grassy Narrows, the 671, and as I drove I dreamt of spending a terminus of Highway 671. They drove me to few days at this lake, reading and swimming where they thought I could get cell service, and relaxing. I wasn’t even bothered by the and I was able to make a phone call to a fact that my gas tank was on reserve and my towing company based in Kenora, but the operator told me that they wouldn’t do any phone only had ten percent battery. towing this late at night. They said, “Call Well, I cut off the main road and down along us back in the morning.” I felt defeated an old settler’s trail which would lead to Silver and I didn’t want to bother the women any Lake. The trail was very old—probably pre- longer, so I decided that I’d just go back to confederation—and the car I was driving my vehicle and figure something out in the was a sedan. The whole way down I felt like I morning. It had been a long day. was on a boat in stormy weather. I could hear “Do you have a gun?” said the driver’s daughter. rocks scraping up against the underbelly and ferns and weeds brushing against the “I do not.” side doors. The Milky Way overhead was “Well you know this is bear country, right?” prominent now. My windows were down and the car was filling with bugs. After about “Seriously?” forty minutes of driving the trail suddenly “Wolves, too. We just saw one on our way up.” turned into sand. My boot was on the gas and the engine was revving hard, but I wasn’t My throat got tight. My eyes were sweating.

I had no idea there were bears in Ontario, going anywhere. I was stuck. let alone wolves. I thanked the women, said I packed a bag with whatever I thought I’d goodbye, then began my commute back need for my very long walk back to Kenora down that old settler’s trail. and I left a note on the dash, should any curious soul pass by, explaining that this And I was very scared, more so now that vehicle had not been abandoned. It took my fears were rational. As I walked I heard me over an hour just to walk back up to the snapping in the woods and shone my main road, and the whole way up I shone my flashlight into the trees, throwing shadows ­4 8

at figments of my mania. I tried to keep my mind on nothing but the steps I was taking, but insanity was raging in my skull. There were times when I heard a second set of footsteps, but when I stopped to listen, so did they.

My flashlight flickered, then it died. And then I knew true darkness. All that remained was noise. The enormous din of insects, the calls of animals in the distance, the snapping of twigs in the trees. I walked on, thinking about each step I took.

That night, for the first time in my life, I prayed. I prayed to a god unknown, a god I didn’t believe in. I prayed for deliverance, and I made pledges. There’s humility in prayer, and even talking about prayer, but humility requires the amusement of somebody else, and that night I longed for company. I would’ve loved to be laughed at. I walked thoughtfully, careful not to trip on any roots, and when I made it to my vehicle I curled up on the back seat and instantly fell asleep.

In the morning I climbed a ridge and held my phone high over my head until I found a single bar of service. While swatting mosquitoes and scraping ticks from my ankles, I told the towing company operator all I knew. My phone died mid-conversation, and I waited three hours for somebody to arrive, wondering the whole time if the directions I gave were accurate.

In the end, of course, everything was fine. I got towed back up to the main highway and found someplace else to camp. Who knows what good my prayer did. Probably nothing, but maybe everything. The odds of birth, survival and wellbeing are incalculable, and in response to this uncertainty all one can do is be grateful. I never knew that I was a praying man, and it makes me wonder what else I don’t know about myself. I have tendencies to seek truth through experience, but after that night in Ontario, my desire for adventure would be satisfied for a long time.

“I never knew that I was a praying man, and it makes me wonder what else I don’t know about myself.”

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Perspectives on the Post-Postmodern: What the F*** is a Sustainable Brand Supposed to be Anyway?

TAMIA THOMPSON Columnist

Sustainability. You've probably seen or heard this term used somewhere recently before.

It's the buzzword that took every clothing label by storm the last couple years. It's the suggested direction many Instagram influencers will emptily tell you we should be headed toward. And it's probably the most convoluted topic in fashion at the moment as we struggle to make a foreseeable reality out of what really has yet to be achieved.

The realm that we see this phrase used most often is in our consumption, from our food intake to the clothing we choose to wear.

I think it's pretty commonplace to hold out hope that your favourite brands are responsible enough to have at least some transparency, but it’s 2020 and somehow that isn't so simple. With mass-produced clothing companies opening up about their garment manufacturing practices and distancing themselves from labels like "fast fashion," it can be hard to know who's being genuinely upfront with the public.

I spent years digging through thrift stores and raiding consignment shops before becoming tempted once again to buy a fast fashion piece from Uniqlo two winters ago. I scoured the entire store for bargains, and afterwards, the issues with my own purchasing habits would not stop looming over my mind. It took one unshakable Google search for me to become re-enthralled by ideals of real sustainability.

I learned that Uniqlo, everyone's go-to for essential basics and designer collabs, has not paid their garment workers in over five years, owing them around $5.5 million in wages.

Disturbingly enough, their website has a sustainability page where they talk about their commitments made to better the lives of their factory employees. I couldn't stomach that after years of conscious dedication to buying secondhand, I had been hoodwinked

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by good marketing—and all it took was a $5 t-shirt.

The word 'sustainable' has been so widely commodified that it's easy to forget it was never meant to be at all. Sustainability in fashion is so much more than a trend for brands to follow or an idea to ascribe to in your Depop bio; it stretches far past consumerism specifically to oust it. Ecological and sociopolitical change are at the root of this movement happening in real-time as climate change conversations dominate much of our daily news. Social media will not have you believe that though, as we continue to watch how green-consciousness is made synonymous with how we spend money, rather than how we conserve and give back.

The Hydro Flask, a water bottle that became a motif for the Gen-Z VSCO and TikTok environmentalist communities, is a prime example of how greenwashing occurs in waves on the apps we use daily. Through influencers, $30-65+ water bottles became just another successful example of a product being peddled to youth as desirable and important to those who publicly care about our planet. There are loads of companies that do this and they do it successfully. But what we fail to recognize by being consumers of eco-friendly trends is that centering buying and branding is the exact opposite of the point.

With the understanding that our material possessions do not make us environmentalists comes the knowledge that sustainability can only work in a radical sense. To create something that sustains is to create something that is self-sufficient and functional while causing no harm to the ecosystem, which includes people. Labels like “cruelty free” or “vegan” only go so far

if there are human beings being exploited or deprived of wages. Creating campaigns about diversity and inclusion mean nothing without employee equity and affirmed workers’ rights.

One of the biggest issues in the sustainability movement is how both conservative capitalist and liberal ecological leaders alike commonly ignore all impacts of environmental racism under late capitalism. In fact, lots of the ones we know about are grand advocates for biofuel (gas made from broken-down plant matter and cut-down trees, which is then funneled through pipelines), which is another product being sold to us as the oil industry ‘doing good.’ Personally, finding this connection was alarming for me. People gas up Tesla and Elon Musk for being innovative, when in reality, the production of electric cars batteries might actually be worse for the environment, and especially at such a high price point, Tesla isn’t a progressive company ‘for the people’ the way it’s hyped up to be.

Fighting climate change feels so pessimistic, but these are capitalist inventions being fed to us so we can “save the world,” made by powerful billionaire conglomerates who are doing the most damage, yet ultimately won’t need saving. If we gave half as much attention to environmental activists (like Vandana Shiva, one of the world’s leading advocates for eco-feminism) as we do to certain venture capitalists’ tweets, we would come to collectively see that the only way to go from here is back to our roots.

The solution to our problems with consumption lies precisely in how we consume rather than what we consume.

Being particular about the resources that we take from often has more of an impact than simply changing whatever it is that

we’re taking. Just because you wear organic cotton, doesn’t mean it’s actually good for the Earth. Just because you burn Palo Santo and white sage instead of candles, doesn’t mean it’s actually a good idea at all. Home-grown herbs and vegetables taste infinitely better than store-bought organic produce. Just like

learning how to make your own clothes and accessories feels cooler and more unique than any piece you could find at a mall or even a thrift store. If you can’t sew, see a local seamstress or tailor around you. Buy from or trade hand-me-downs with your friends.

Investing in yourself and your community

as parts of this planet we are all contributing to is ecologically forward-thinking. As we petition our governments to do more about climate change, our best bet for individual action in creating a sustainable future is to buy less and share more. Share knowledge, share goods, and share power.

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Maple Syrup Art: Nature as Inspiration

JASON ARKELL-BOLES Columnist

In the age of climate change, feeling terrified for the future is the new norm. Forests burning down, cities flooding, even the sudden mothpocalypse in Vancouver— hopelessness seems to be the trend of the year. However, unreported by social media and the news, new technologies are being produced faster than ever, technologies that can totally redesign the world. Instead of cities living beside nature, cities could become a part of nature. A few weeks ago I watched an episode of the docuseries Abstract: The Art of Design that featured Neri Oxman, a bio-architect and professor at the MIT Media Lab. This lab is a glimpse into the most exciting future none of us thought would exist. A future that’s one with nature.

A future that’s plastic-less, pollution-less and maybe even harmless.

The MIT Media Lab represents the perfect intersection of science, engineering, design, art, and nature. With a diverse team of artists and scientists, the lab is venturing into the unexplored field of bio-design: the design of objects inspired by nature. One example, Mushtari, is a 3D-Printed article of clothing filled with synthetic microorganisms that transforms sunlight into consumable sucrose.

Another is Aguahoja, an art project that proposes a new, growable, biodegradable material that could someday be a replacement for plastic.

It blew my mind that neuroscience and biology are at the point where humans can grow structures. As Neri Oxman explains in the docuseries, humans are moving from nature-inspired design to design-inspired nature. I couldn’t believe people weren’t talking about this more. Immediately after watching the episode, I began research into bio-design firms within Canada. To both my surprise and disappointment, there isn’t a lot of bio-design present outside of the MIT Media Lab.

Throughout Canadian art history, nature has been the muse of several great artists such as Emily Carr and the Group of Seven.

While nature has always played a vital role in inspiring the works of Canadian painters, the desire to save and preserve the environment has become a new inspiration for artists. Take musician Grimes’ latest album Anthropocene, Margaret Atwood’s novel MaddAddam, or Brett Story’s documentary The Hottest August.

Each project with its own perspective delves into issues of climate change, either based in reality, fiction, or avant-garde fantasy.

In my own films, themes of climate change make it into every script. Even so, an issue for myself and many up-and coming-artists is feeling like we’re unable to incite real, physical change with the art we make. With clouds of wildfire smoke filling the skies, it’s hard for anyone to feel optimistic. In a world so uncontrollable and volatile, artists attempt protests, political works, films—but a true and radical change in society never occurs, leaving many hopeless.

If nature has historically been so important to the artists of Canada, why hasn’t biodesign—a beautiful collaboration of nature and art—been explored here? If humans, in theory, have the means to build inexpensive, organic—essentially utopian—structures and buildings, why haven’t we? I think the answer is a lack of communication between scientists, artists, designers, engineers, and in fact, all academic fields within Canada.

So if artists aren’t able to journey into bioarchitecture, then what has the science department been doing in this regard? The answer: actually a lot. With programs like the Bachelors of Environmental Design and the BioProducts institute popping up at UBC, innovations are happening left and right. This past summer, using locally sourced wood fibers as the core material, the BioProducts Institute recently developed potentially the

world’s first biodegradable N95 mask in the heat of a pandemic. But this is an art column, so, where can artists fit into this equation?

The answer, I believe, is that artists should be a part of the equation, from start to finish.

My roommate Naomi is one of many design thinkers in the graphics-based IDEA program at Capilano University. In their final year, IDEA has all of its students submit a ‘capstone project,’ which is an opportunity for each student to find a social, political, or environmental issue and solve it through design. This can come in the form of books, apps, ad campaigns, and websites. Naomi is trying to solve the issue of nursing shortages, by inspiring more men to pursue nursing careers.

What these students do is impressive, but it’s hard not to think about what all these artists and designers could do if they were to collaborate with scientists, engineers, architects, and even neuro-surgeons.

What if artists in all disciplines didn’t limit themselves to traditional art forms, what if they could begin to create art inspired by nature, by growing art pieces? And on the other end of the spectrum, what if scientists and engineers didn’t have to limit themselves to strictly practical applications of their studies?

The freedom to explore artistic modes of thought can create beautiful objects that communicate artistically with the human body, similar to Mushtari. Through a collaboration of science, engineering, designers, and artists, the potential for projects using just local wood fibers is huge. If artists embrace the nature around them and start hanging out with scientists, engineers and architects, maybe they could truly change the world now, when we need it most.

COLUMNS

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Ata O jan i

@___atatata___ 54

FEATURED ART

GIANMARCO IUELE Contributer MARK ZIMMER Illustrator

What A Mistake it would be To step on the neck of a slug To live with the thought of watery leather, skin of my shoe poor terrestrial thing! a shell of former selves asleep where flies eat a wake where flies eat I meant you no harm I harmed you, I meant

LITERATURE

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Eat the Rich MEGAN AMATO Contributor GERALDINE YARIS Illustrator

Kaia’s eyes followed the shifting shadows of the tree branches silhouetted against the ceiling as they swayed in the moonlight.

The silken sheets under her shifted with her every movement, rubbing against her sensitive skin. With every breath, she inhaled in the nauseating scent of Gucci perfume, stale sex and something...else that lingered in the air.

She could feel the fading heat of the bodies sandwiching her; the soft pressure of the woman’s arm draped across her chest, and the coarse hairs from the man’s legs tangled in her own.

Glancing at the couple, she was unsurprised to see the peaceful looks on their faces. Even in death, these kinds of people went unworried. Only the pallor of their faces, the discolouration under their eyes and on half of their faces, and stiff postures of her victims gave away their state of being.

Turning onto her side, she glanced out the large bay windows that opened onto a manicured backyard with the geometric pool that looked onto the hazy ocean. Through the rain, Kaia could faintly make out the coastal mountains and the Two Sisters peaks that loomed in the distance.

She moved her gaze over the male, his large body towering over her even in stillness. He was an average looking white man with a Greek nose, thin firm looking lips, clean-shaven face, and ash-blond hair slicked cut into a neat quiff that must have been regularly maintained. Faint lines framed closed eyes with long eyelashes undoubtedly adored by all genders alike.

He looked young for a man claiming to be nearing sixty.

Closing her eyes to the onslaught of images that flashed from the night before, Kaia savoured each memory that led to this moment.

Kaia sipped the wine Edward had ordered for her, savouring the weight of it in her mouth. She watched as the couple moved together, as if one entity rather than two individuals.

“I told you,” he said before looking around for their waiter and snapping his fingers to get his attention. “It’s like nothing you have ever tried before.”

“Eddie,” Claire said, smiling into her own wine. “I’m sure she’s tried a Sassicaia before.”

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Kaia smiled to herself.

The waiter appeared beside their table, an apparition with dead eyes and a wide smile. “How can I help?”

“Are you a vegetarian?” Edward asked her, barely waiting for the shake of her head before turning to the waiter. “I’ll have the Fiorentina—the chefs know how I like it—and the ladies will both have the Veal Ossobuco.” He turned back to Kaia, his eyes intent. “And another bottle of the 2015 Sassicaia. Keep their glasses full.”

After dinner, as they waited for Edward to bring the car around, she leaned against Claire, taking in her warmth. “You don’t mind being ordered for?”

Claire gave her a confused smile, her eyes unfocused as she leaned closer to Kaia. “Why would I? Eddie always knows best.”

She turned over to examine Claire now, her eyes tracing a face that was at least twenty years younger than her husband but just as clinically maintained: the golden beach waves, bee sting pout, high cheekbones, Nubian nose and milky blemish-free skin. But Kaia could see the things that couldn’t be hidden: the sun damage beneath the layers of skin, the frown lines that couldn’t be erased.

Kaia shouldn’t judge. Her youth may not come from the deft hand of a cosmetic surgeon—well, there was that one plastic surgeon from Los Angeles a few years ago, but that’s another story. She stole her youth from folk’s bodies rather than through injections and incisions into her own. It wasn’t her place to judge others’ choices when it came to their bodies, even if she did play judge, jury and executioner.

She turned on her side to study Edward again, laying her head on her hands as she studied his profile.

Kaia had browsed the dating website until she matched with someone who had been searching for a “naughty” young woman in her twenties interested in a threesome with an older married couple—and they’d offered her an obscene amount of cash if she would be willing to sub. ‘Unicorn’ hunting is a popular pastime for bored couples searching for a mythical,

fetishized creature to use and discard like an old toy the second they become too human. Kaia almost laughed. This ‘unicorn’ certainly wasn’t human.

She had agreed—they were exactly who she had been looking for, of course she was. She would have said yes even without the cash incentive, but a demon had to eat.

Sighing, she leaned over to place a soft kiss on Claire’s lips before lifting the woman’s arm from her chest—or trying to.

It was a lot stiffer than she expected. After nearly breaking the woman’s arm, she freed herself to shimmy down the bed, hopping onto plush cream carpets that enveloped her feet.

Usually, when the demon in Kaia needed to be fed, she only needed a sip here and there from an unsuspecting fellow who had the misfortune to cast their avaricious eyes her way. Only from the rich and wealthy—there was no point in stealing from the poor.

Other times the ravenous thing within, inflamed by the insatiability in others, would take control, and just a few sips would no longer be enough. Wealthy unicorn hunters fit that parameter well. She enjoyed watching the slow loss of their colour as they pleasured her, the resulting lack of fluidity in their movements as she returned the favour.

Kaia sighed again, a deep one that filled her poor lungs with the foulness of the room before she released it. She glanced around the spacious room decorated tastefully with modern monochrome furnishings pretending to be minimalist.

Finding her purse and dress folded neatly on a stiff-looking white chair, she pulled her phone from a pocket.

Opening her dating app, she scrolled until she found the message she was waiting for: “Will tomorrow work? Greg and I are thrilled to meet you!”

K a i a smiled.

“Perfect.”

LITERATURE

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Virgo Aug. 24 - Sept. 23

Libra Sept. 24 - Oct. 23

scorpio Oct. 24 - Nov. 22

Sagittarius Nov. 23 - Dec. 21

Capricorn Dec. 22 - Jan. 20

Aquarius Jan. 21 - Feb. 19

Pisces Feb. 20 - Mar. 20

Aries Mar. 21 - Apr. 20

Taurus Apr. 21 - May 21

Gemini May 21 - Jun. 21

Cancer Jun. 22 -Jul. 23

leo Jul. 24 - Aug 23

Reorganize your wardrobe with winter in mind.

You're too good for last minute shopping. I know you're not keen on spending, but you put in good work last month and deserve a treat.

Window shop for cheap vintage stuff online and do your best not to get scammed.

Congratulations on making that decision to never back down from a staring contest to assert your dominance with strangers.

Genuinely hope that's going well for you. One of your ruling planets, Mars, is retrograde until early November so you'll be retracing your steps and doing a lot of review.

Your to-do list is full, but you should take time for yourself and relax. Those chores will get done. That essay will get written. Your brain needs some down time; listen to that one song

by Q-Tip, Joni Mitchell, and Janet Jackson. A triple threat, just like you *winks*.

Cherish the little things this month, Pisces.

There's lots of time ahead of you. Go outside and enjoy nature. If you can’t go outside due to our current climate crisis, maybe enjoy an "herbal refreshment" if you're into that sort of thing.

Dig deep and start giving more sentimentally.

You're going through a moment of healing and part of that is stepping away from your compulsive spending habits and needless lounging. Oh, and the attitude? Cut it out.

Come out of that shell. I promise, no one is going to hurt you. There's so much out there that you're scared of and I get it, but quit being a crybaby.

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Feel free to embrace your sense of indulgence for your birthday. This pandemic has hit you so hard, I bet you're in tears daily from the lack of social gathering. Crack open a cold one and say cheers to being pretty and petty.

Put on some Brian Eno and be quiet. No one needs to hear that thing you think needs to be said. What the hell has gotten into you?

Remember that there are better ways to relate to people than by bullying them.

You're experiencing a renewal of sorts right now. Be prepared to think thoroughly about your past and where you draw influence. In other words, keep it cute and not corny. Be the cult classic you want to see in the world.

You have to be watchful of your actions and body for the next month. Go running or hiking or self-isolated online raving to exert some of that extra energy. You have lots on your plate at the moment, but I'm sure your inability to sit still will be useful.

Make those improvements you've been meaning to make and this season should treat you well. Be sure to avoid getting into any work slumps by balancing that energy with some self care. I know it's asking a lot of you to do one thing at a time, but consider it.

Shine bright like a diamond! That's all I got.

Hmm… I guess there's a lot that you’ve grown from and mountains you've moved and yada yada yada. Keep your wits about yourself, but other than that this could be a beautiful month for you. Keep doing you!

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The Voice of Students on the North Shore

CAPILANO STUDENTS’ UNION BY-ELECTION

October 6 to (9:00am)

October 8 (5:00pm)

Vote online • Check your CapU email for your ballot

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capi lan o cou ri er VOLUME 53, ISSUE NO.2