The Cascade Issue 26 Vol. 07

FEBRUARY 28 TO MARCH 7, 2018

VOLUME 26 ISSUE 7

Bangin’ on the keys synth 1993

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g n i t a r t s

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12 14 WWW.UFVCASCADE.CA

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2018

Editorial // STAFF Editor-in-Chief Joel Robertson-Taylor joel@ufvcascade.ca Business Manager Quintin Stamler quintin@ufvcascade.ca

Managing Editor Kat Marusiak kat@ufvcascade.ca News Editor Jessica Barclay jessica@ufvcascade.ca

Production Manager Caleb Campbell caleb@ufvcascade.ca

Opinion Editor Jeff Mijo jeff@ufvcascade.ca

Production Assistant Renée Campbell renee@ufvcascade.ca

Features Editor Joel Robertson-Taylor joel@ufvcascade.ca

Copy Editor Cat Friesen cat@ufvcascade.ca

Culture & Events Editor Cassie de Jong cassie@ufvcascade.ca

Illustrator Amara Gelaude amara@ufvcascade.ca

Arts in Review Editor Martin Castro martin@ufvcascade.ca

Illustrator Simer Haer simer@ufvcascade.ca

Staff Writer Aleister Gwynne aleister@ufvcascade.ca

Columnist Mike Friesen mike@ufvcascade.ca Online Editor Jeff Mijo jeff@ufvcascade.ca

Give it up for blood

Staff Writer Jennifer Klassen jen@ufvcascade.ca Distributor Alena Zheng distributor@ufvcascade.ca

THIS WEEK’S CONTRIBUTORS Rachel Tait Katy Bergen Tsandlia Van Ry Jennifer Trithardt-Tufts Cover: Renée Campbell Back Cover: Advertisement

WWW.UFVCASCADE.CA

@UFVCASCADE FACEBOOK.COM/UFVCASCADE INSTAGRAM.COM/THE.CASCADE Volume 26 · Issue 7 Room S2111 33844 King Road Abbotsford, BC V2S 7M8 604.854.4529 The Cascade is UFV’s autonomous student newspaper. It originated under its current name in 1993, and achieved autonomy from the university and the Student Union Society in 2002. This means that The Cascade is a forum for UFV students to have their journalism published in an entirely student-run setting. It also acts as an alternative press for the Fraser Valley.

The Cascade is funded with UFV student funds, and is overseen by the Cascade Journalism Society Board, a body run by a student majority. The Cascade is published every Wednesday with a print circulation of 1,250 and is distributed at Abbotsford, Chilliwack (CEP), Clearbrook, and Mission UFV campuses and throughout the surrounding communities.

The Cascade is open to written, photo, and design work from all students; these can come in the form of a pitch to an editor, or an assignment from an editor. Writers meetings are held every second Monday at 12:00 p.m. in The Cascade’s office on the Abbotsford campus.

In order to be published in the newspaper, all work must first be approved

by The Cascade’s editor-in-chief, copy editor, and corresponding section editor. The Cascade reserves the right to edit submissions for clarity and length. The Cascade will not print any articles that contain racist, sexist, homophobic or libellous content. Letters to the editor, while held to the same standard, are unedited, and should be under 400 words. As The Cascade is an autonomous student publication, opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect that of UFV, The Cascade’s staff and collective, or associated members.

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JOEL ROBERTSON-TAYLOR EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

There’s a growing need for blood products made from plasma — Canadian Blood Services fights a chronic lack of donors. Right now, Canadian donors only reduce a small fraction of the demand for the life-saving product, for both whole blood and plasma.

The shortfall, close to 70 per cent, is made up from paid donors from the United States, according to the Toronto Star. Canadian Blood Services doesn’t pay donors for blood or plasma. A private company, Canadian Plasma Resources, has set up collection clinics across Canada, which has sparked debate about paying for blood products.

The Sunday Edition on CBC Radio One featured a roundtable debate centring on the possibility of a compensatory model for donations, and the ethics and implications of it.

"The demand for immune globulins is rising, and we don't have enough plasma to meet that demand," Graham Sher, CEO of Canadian Blood Services, said on the show.

This issue, regardless of stance on ethics, is that too few Canadians donate blood. Only four per cent do.

Would remuneration encourage donation? Maybe, but is paying for body parts (in this case, tissue) unethical?

On one hand, as Michael Enright, host of The Sunday Edition, noted, not paying Canadians is hypocritical when the shortfall is made up by purchasing U.S. harvested plasma. On the other, paying for blood and plasma could become exploitative.

Alberta, Ontario, and Quebec have banned the sale of plasma. Nova Sco-

tia and B.C. are considering similar legislation.

According to Canadian Blood Services, “Blood is made up of four separate components: red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets, and plasma. Each serve different, but equally important purposes.”

Canadian Blood Services outlines the parts of blood and their uses in medical procedures: Red blood cells are used in emergencies, during surgery, and to help people undergoing cancer treatment. Plasma is used to treat people undergoing extensive surgery, trauma patients, and patients with liver failure. Platelets are used to treat cancer patients, and people with bleeding disorders.

In general, males may donate whole blood every 56 days, females every 84 days; anyone may donate platelets every two weeks, and plasma every week.

I’ve only given whole blood seven times, but my goal is to have given my age by the time I’m 28. By 40, I hope to have donated twice my age — a feat not even possible until I’m 36.

There’s a slew of ethical and financial issues: competing for donors, selling product internationally if the bid is higher, encouraging true donation if there’s a competing compensatory model, etc. The ethical question doesn’t matter to me, neither does any financial concern for paying for blood and plasma. I know it does to some, but I don’t think that needs to be part of the greater conversation. Donating blood takes an hour of my time, and it forces me to talk to a stranger or read a few short stories. I could spend more effort and just as much time deciding what to do with a Sunday evening.

Sher mentioned that the CBS doesn’t

intend to pay for blood/plasma.

They’re planning a new recruitment strategy, improving availability of access, and new incentive and retention plans to increase numbers.

“People are willing to be both plasma and blood donors, and they certainly need the mechanism and the access,” Sher said. “At the moment, what they don't have in Canada is access.”

I can remember seeing the pop-up donation clinic on campus twice in three years here. I’d like to see it once a month. I believe that would combat recruitment and retention issues. Where else do hundreds of people who have an hour to spare spend their time?

There’s certainly enough foot traffic for the alternation of two groups each donating every two months. Everyone’s busy; duly noted. So read a book or study while you wait for your blood pouch to fill up.

According to the Government of Canada, one in 60 Canadians gave blood last year, when almost one in two Canadians is eligible to donate.

According to CBS, half of Canadians will need blood, or know someone who will need blood, at some point in their lives.

It’s probably worth donating.

As a last thought, Vida Panitch, associate professor of philosophy and ethicist at Carleton University, also part of the Sunday Edition debate, suggested a compensatory model offering a $50 credit at the campus bookstore in exchange for making a blood donation. No one “profits” off of the donation, and starving students are compensated for their generosity.

NEWS

Jessica Barclay — News Editor news@ufvcascade.ca

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2018

UFV Tech //

NEWS BRIEFS

UFV launches updated website UFV website optimized and streamlined

Songhees Nation officially bids to host 2020 North American Indigenous Games The Songhees Nation of Vancouver Island announced that they will place an official bid to host the 2020 North American Indigenous Games in Victoria.

Ottawa, Halifax, and Winnipeg are also looking to host the Games, which are estimated to bring in more than $14 million in revenue. At the games, athletes ages 14 to 19 compete in a variety of activities, including swimming, golf, soccer, canoeing, and kayaking.

Songhees Chief Ron Sam said bringing the Games to the home of the Lekwungen-speaking peoples is a chance to showcase athleticism and culture, but also provides an economic boom to the area, Abbotsford News reported.

-Abbotsford News

UFV named one of B.C.’s top employers for fourth year UFV has been recognized as one of B.C.’s top employers in the 2018 B.C.’s Top Employers competition for the fourth year in a row. The competition featured 81 other winners, including UBC, SFU, Douglas College, University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC), and BCIT. Among other reasons, UFV was selected due to its encouragement of lifelong learning, workshops, tuition subsidies, and subsidies for professional accreditation. UFV also offers long-term retirement planning assistance, generous contributions to pension plans, and support for new parents through maternity and parental leave top-ups.

UFV's new website. (Screenshot)

JEN KLASSEN STAFF WRITER

-UFV Today

The University of the Fraser Valley has an updated website. The implemented updates, launched Feb. 13, focused on improving user experience by streamlining the site, decluttering, and adding improvements for mobile users.

According to the “New Page” breakdown on the myWeb section of the UFV site, some new features included in the update are the search engine optimization, improved experience for visitors by decluttering main pages, and streamlined access to program information. The update also included mobile-responsive design, meaning the website will change to fit the device it is being viewed on.

“The entire look and feel of the home page has changed,” Dave Pinton, UFV director of communications, said. “But more than the visual changes, the page

has been simplified and cleaned up to offer a sleek and uncluttered flow that connects visitors in simplified and efficient pathways to the information they need.”

User feedback, gathered in 2014, helped kick the update process off. The main grievance reported was appearance, in that the site lacked “visual and aesthetic appeal,” the “green seemed overwhelming,” and the website needed to be mobile-friendly.

“The small UFV myWeb team has done a fantastic job seeing these priorities through to this page launch,” said Pinton.

The process for updating occurred in small doses over the past few years.

In 2015, the mobile responsiveness of the website began to be updated by the web team, as nearly 40 per cent of users visit the UFV homepage via a mobile phone. The redesign also featured accent colours, and a template that was easier to use on mobile devices. It also launched

four audience-based mobile responsive portals. Pinton believed this aided in updating the look of the page.

“This is a vastly improved experience for them,” Pinton said. “The number of users will only increase over time, so we really needed to make this happen, and we have.”

Anthony Lepki, web producer for the UFV web team, and his crew lead the redesign efforts for the website. Lepki said that Louise Rousseau, marketing strategist at UFV, played a lead role in many aspects of the redesign and was also instrumental in the success of the project.

A brief video summary made by Rousseau is featured on the myWeb section of the UFV site. Anyone interested in giving feedback on the newly updated site can also visit this page.

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NEWS

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2018

Post Secondary //

University Survey //

UFV and Vancouver Film School establish degree pathway program

Midyear student survey illuminates virtues and problems at UFV

Cross institutional program partnership JOEL ROBERTSON-TAYLOR EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

A new Vancouver Film School (VFS) and the University of the Fraser Valley (UFV) partnership will give students from both institutions more education options — degree programs for VFS grads, and scholarship opportunities for UFV theatre students.

Students graduated from the VFS one-year diploma program can now transfer with two years of UFV credits into any of four degree programs offered by UFV. Students could earn a VFS diploma and UFV degree in as little as three years.

The degree programs UFV offers to VFS graduates are the Bachelor of Media Arts, Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Visual Arts, and Bachelor of General Studies. Ten one-year diplomas from VFS satisfy the transfer requirements.

“Students graduate from VFS for their diploma, then when they get — let's say a Bachelor of Fine Arts from UFV — they will graduate as a UFV student with a Bachelor of Fine Arts,” said Eric Davis, provost and vice-president academic, UFV. An acting scholarship available to UFV theatre students will grant tuition for the one-year Acting for Film and Television program at VFS. Four scholarships are offered, each covering a different amount of tuition.

One UFV alumni has already received the schol-

arship, and is working on the diploma.

VFS approached UFV arts in spring 2016 regarding options for their students to transfer into UFV after completing a VFS diploma. It took close to a year and a half to complete the work needed to establish the agreements.

Alisa Webb, associate dean of students, college of arts, analyzed the VFS courses, and matched them against UFV course learning outcomes, to pair students with the appropriate degree program pathways.

"Based on current levels of interest and VFS predictions, we hope to see at least 25 [students] a year by fall 2019,” Webb said. “VFS expects the actual number to be much higher, but time will tell.”

Davis said the partnership benefits UFV by bringing more students to the institution. It also opens opportunities for UFV students to access the specialized facilities at VFS. “The benefits for their students … who want to get the diploma in whatever area at the Vancouver Film School but also want to come away with a degree … they can now do their one-year diploma there, transferred to us, and in three years total come away with a degree,” Davis said.

Ted Gervan, VP of education, Vancouver Film School, said by working together, UFV and VFS will accelerate positive social, cultural, and economic developments for Vancouver and the Fraser Valley.

is hiring a Feature Editor

Feature editor writes or edits The Cascade's centre spread feature each week: 2000-4000 words.

For more info, email kat@ufvcascade.ca

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How UFV Compares ALEISTER GWYNNE STAFF WRITER

Last year, the University of the Fraser Valley was one of several Canadian post-secondary institutions that participated in the Canadian University Survey Consortium.

The survey polled students in their middle years of bachelor programs about their experiences at university, and what they thought their university was doing well or poorly at.

The survey sorted universities into three groups based on relative student population, and extent of studies offered. UFV was categorized into Group 1, which consists of colleges and universities that have small student populations, and offer primarily undergraduate studies.

A higher percentage of UFV students report being employed than other students in Group 1 universities. Seventyseven per cent of UFV students work and go to school at the same time, compared to 65 per cent in Group 1. UFV students also work two more hours on average than Group 1 universities, and four more hours than the general average.

On one hand, fewer UFV students report being in debt, with 67 per cent of UFV students reporting having no debt, compared to 59 per cent generally, and 54 per cent in Group 1. What debt they do have is also lower, with the average debt for UFV students being $17,590, compared to the over $24,000 of debt both generally and in Group 1.

However, a higher percentage of students claim that working while taking classes negatively affects their academic performance, with 53 per cent of UFV students reporting negative effects, compared to 46 per cent both generally and in Group 1.

It was found that the highest portion of UFV students live with parents, guardians, or other relatives, with 64 per cent of students having this living arrangement, compared to 43 per cent for Group

1 schools, and 36 per cent for all universities. Thirty-three per cent of UFV students own or rent their own home, while only two per cent use on-campus housing.

Overall, ratings of professors by UFV students were mostly positive, with average scores being in the 80s and 90s, and with no average score lower than 70 in any specific area. One area where professors are lagging behind is in terms of giving feedback to their students, and making them feel valued and cared for as students, and as people. UFV students also complained that they had very few opportunities to evaluate their teachers.

Nearly three-quarters of UFV students drive to and from campus alone, with an additional 10 per cent driving in private vehicles with others. This is much higher than the rate for Group 1 (46 per cent alone, 11 per cent with others), and universities overall (28 per cent alone, seven per cent with others).

While students reported that they were for the most part satisfied with their educational experience at UFV and would recommend the university for others looking to attend, a little over onefifth of respondents stated that they “did not feel they belong” at UFV. Students criticized the lack of campus culture and community.

“There is no ‘campus life,’ and it is hard to make friends since it is a commuting university, where people drive out to attend class, and then leave immediately after class is over,” said one student.

“There aren't many activities that attract a lot of attention, and therefore there is no compelling reason to spend more time on campus than necessary.”

Other complaints included inconvenient scheduling, and shortage of seats in classes, resulting in students having to spend more time before completing their studies.

OPINION

Jeff Mijo — Opinion Editor opinion@ufvcascade.ca

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2018

Hard pill to swallow //

Free healthcare isn’t free Poor Canadians struggle to afford prescription drugs ALEISTER GWYNNE STAFF WRITER

Here in Canada, a core part of our national identity (some might say the only part) is being better than the United States, and our go-to example when comparing our two nations is “we have universal healthcare and you don’t, so there!” Sadly, this claim is not strictly true.

It is true that Canada has free healthcare, in that we are not made to pay for consultations, surgery, or hospital stays.

However, there is one glaring omission in Canada’s “universal” healthcare system: prescription drugs. In Canada, patients must pay for any prescription drugs that they require out of their own pocket, but some people’s pockets are deeper than others.

According to a Statistics Canada survey reported by the CBC, nearly one million Canadians were forced to sacrifice spending on food, heat, and other essentials in order to afford the medication they needed. An even larger number, some 1.6 million people, 8.2 per cent of all people prescribed medication in a year, were forced to go the other way, splitting pills, skipping doses, and refilling prescriptions less frequently, because they could not afford both medicine and essentials.

When our citizens are forced to make agonizing choices like these, it really defeats the purpose of having universal healthcare. It also puts unnecessary strain on the healthcare system due to medical conditions being allowed to worsen, eventually resulting in the need for hospitalization, and radical treatments. Any money we’d save might be offset by the additional funds spent on intensive care; to say nothing of the human cost, which can result in avoidable disfigurement, permanent dis-

ability, or even death.

This state of affairs is not normal. Canada is the only country in the world that has universal healthcare, but does not have universal drug coverage. Canadians pay more for prescription drugs than any other nation, except the United States. We pay up to 1,200 per cent more per year for the same drugs manufactured by the same companies than New Zealanders pay, according to the CBC. The sad truth is that we are a lot closer to the United States in terms of medical policy than we would care to admit.

The main reason for this appears to be that pharmaceutical companies often advertise directly to doctors. A hidden camera exposé by The Fifth Estate revealed that drug companies frequently downplay or neglect to mention flaws and side effects of their products, as well as touting bonus effects of dubious veracity. More to the point, these companies often recommend their expensive products, even when cheaper alternatives exist, and doctors will often prescribe them by default, even though official guidelines recommend that the cheapest options should be tried first, and more expensive drugs used if the first ones prove ineffective.

I can understand why doctors may not exercise due diligence, because they are very busy (if not downright overworked) people even without having to analyze and make informed decisions about the medicines they use. It is so much quicker and easier to take Big Pharma’s word for it, especially if they sweeten the pot somehow.

Some experts have recommended that a government panel be established for the purpose of testing and reviewing the products of pharmaceutical companies, and then passing on their findings and recommendations to the doctors. Personally, I

A pile of pills. (Pexels) think this would be the best way to go. Until, and even after, such a body is formed, I would ask that medical practitioners exercise more due diligence in selecting appropriate treatments for their patients, including (and I can’t stress this enough) more of a two-way dialogue that takes the patient’s needs, resources, and individual biological responses into account.

Our government, not content to merely be second worst, is already taking steps to rectify this situation. At the provincial level, B.C.’s Minister of Health, Adrian Dix, has announced a new regulation that will eliminate PharmaCare tax deductibles for those who make less than $30,000 per year, or are over the age of 79, and reduce them for those who make between $30,000 and $45,000 per year.

The new regulations go into effect Janu-

ary 1, 2019, so a hard year remains ahead for those struggling to pay for medicine, but still, better late than never. At the federal level, Health Minister Jane Philpott has promised to help Canadians save “billions” on healthcare costs by renegotiating price levels with drug companies to bring them more in line with similar developed nations like New Zealand.

For too long, we Canadians have sat on a high horse, and gloated over our superiority to our southern neighbours without really looking around to see if we stack up as well compared to anyone else. While there may or may not be a prize for second place, there is definitely no prize for second-tolast. Hopefully the government and the medical profession will continue their efforts to build a national healthcare system that we can be justifiably proud of.

Making cents of it all //

Nickel to follow the fate of the penny?

RACHEL TAIT CONTRIBUTOR

Back in 2012, the long-existing “lucky penny” disappeared from the public circulation because it cost more to produce than it held in representative value. Now, according to an article from the Globe and Mail, economists are predicting the same fate is lined up for the nickel. Retiring the nickel could result in drawbacks and benefits for society. In a follow up article, the Globe and Mail cites senior economist Hendrix Vachon speaking about the removal of the nickel, claiming it will benefit the economy, and will make money payments and transactions more reliable and efficient.

No one likes change at first, and sometimes, it may not always be a positive move. Pennies and nickels are arguably low in value, and sometimes meaningless. However, I do still like to use the nickel

in dollar store transactions, and exact change is always nice. The positive side of disbanding the nickel is the absence of a weighed down coin purse, where it is hard to locate bigger change and easy to confuse the nickel with the quarter while paying a transaction.

The rounding off of change would go from a five cent interval to a 10 cent one. This could be great for a sale, and bad for owing change. Vachon suggests getting rid of the nickel in a few years time, and introducing 20cent and 50-cent pieces to replace them, which in some ways could be better for businesses in the sense that it may be easier to count out change.

The idea of changing an old economic system like ours can be perplexing, to say the least, with so many adjustments made to accommodate the absence of the penny. Rounding up or down will be felt more by both sides of

a business, and it won’t be one or two cents difference anymore.

To illustrate this point, say, for example, the total change due at a grocery store is $11.14. In this case, instead of getting $11.15 back, one will only get $11.10 in return. If you are owed $11.16, you’d receive $11.20. Therefore, the repercussions of the jump from a nickel to a dime will be felt a lot more strongly than the penny.

Adapting to a new system takes time, and a lot of adjustments, with a little bit of grumbling along the way. Not only will the value of the quarter go down to accommodate the removal of the nickel, but the possible introduction of the 20- and 50-cent pieces will take getting used to. This is especially true for the older generations, who are so used to pennies and nickels being a part of the economy. A positive factor is that direct deposit, cheque, credit, and debit transactions should

A couple of nickels. (Awmcphee/Wikimedia) not be affected by this change.

As a citizen, I remain skeptical about the absence of the nickel.

As a human being, I am prone to grumble about the change, since I am not completely adaptable all the time, but new systems have a way of making change work in favour of our society, and all it takes is time and patience. So, this could be a good or bad move for our economy, and only time will tell if this new system could work. Since the fall of the pen-

ny, we can no longer say “lucky penny” anymore, and with the possible removal of the nickel, our busy beaver will slowly disappear from circulation. Eventually, the government will likely try to phase out as many coins and bills as they can, and one day we will be a cashless society (but that will probably take a very long time to achieve). Having said that, I remain curious to see what will happen next, and hope for the best.

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OPINION

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2018

There should be an app for that

Beards for all I think beards only on people who can grow beards sells our society short. It’s beardist(?). Everyone should be able to sport the old chin and cheek curtain regardless of the genes they’re born with.

Can’t grow a beard? Buy a strap-on. The beard-wig market is burgeoning, now is the time to buy in. There’s all kinds of muzzle lashings to choose from, though they’re usually secondhand: Vintage beards, sporty beards, muscle-man beards, non-man beards, “Jake, who lives in a tent” beard, the shag.

The benefits are many. Forgot to bring a scarf? You’ve got your beard. Like the soup but can’t finish the bowl? Flavour-saver.

So you think beards are practical but unsightly? Customize beards with beads and sequins! “Bedazzled beards.” Try fun colours.

It’s unfair that only those who were born with the right genes can grow face fuzz. Let’s democratize beards.

After all, all the best people have beards: Jesus, Mr. T, Walt Whitman, Jagmeet Singh.

Note: Don Trump, Justin Trudeau, and Christy Clark do not fancy beards.

And Rasputin doesn’t count.

Brief bits of bite sized brevity

When I got back from Europe several months ago, I had a hard time adjusting to Abby life. I felt disconnected from my friends and craved new experiences and to meet new people again. Recently, I was thinking: wouldn’t it be cool to have a Friend Finder app? You would make an account, and submit your hobbies and general things you like, then it would connect you with other people who have the same interests. Like, if none of your friends enjoy craft beer, you could go on this app, and find other people who enjoy craft beer, and you create a “craft beer” friend group. Maybe it’s silly, but how do you meet new people in Abbotsford? And not like the people you find on Tinder, who pretend to like what you like just for the opportunity to hook up.

Joel Robertson-Taylor

SNAPSHOTS

Snack attack I snack when I study or do homework. If it is bite-sized and edible, I am all over it. Not only am I a snack queen, I have a sweet tooth the size of Texas, and truly, that is reflected by the contents of my cupboard. I’ve managed to only allow the sweets to take over one of the shelves in my kitchen. But even still, it is full to overflowing. Oreos, jellybeans, gummy bears, chocolatecovered raisins, caramels, sour keys, brownie bites, and for good measure, Cap’n Crunch, because sugary cereal is a good alternative if I get tired of the chewy, and want something with a bit more bite. So, if you ever find me lacking snacks with a book open in front of me, maybe stay away, because chances are I will be ravenous and needing a little pick-me-up. And if you really want to get in my good books, offer me up something sweet to eat, and I will be yours forever.

Illustrations: Amara Gelaude

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Now that I’ve completed my classes and have a job, there are so many things I want to do and try — and I don’t mind doing them by myself — but at the same time, it could be super cool to meet and do these things with other people who also enjoy them. In the current hookup culture, can we just hang out once and a while?

Jennifer Trithardt-Tufts

Curtailed commentary on current conditions

Ditching film to go digital

Jen Klassen

I feel like we invented digital photography for a reason. Don’t get me wrong, there will of course always be something satisfying about seeing a snapshot turn out perfect after hours of labouring in a darkroom. But why labour in a darkroom at all? Many of the processes one uses to achieve various effects in film photography are available with the touch of a button in programs such as Photoshop, where you can instantly undo your mistakes.

Speaking of mistakes, when taking photos with an analog camera, there is no way to tell if you achieved your shot until days later when the photos are developed. Seeing my photos immediately after taking them removes that fear of failure.

Also, the cost of mistakes in this medium is higher than you think. Light-sensitive photo paper costs on average about a dollar per sheet. That makes the necessary testing process pretty pricey. Paper isn’t the only item that will break the bank, either. Cameras, film, proper chemicals, and the endless list of other materials necessary for film photography can be outrageously expensive.

Film photography, I respect what you have done for the world. But your newer, much more convenient cousin has won my heart.

Cassie de Jong

OPINION

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2018

No shade in the spotlight //

Problematic media, problematic creators: where’s your line?

How can we as consumers be mindful and progressive when our entertainment seems to be filled with so much that we object to?

JEFF MIJO OPINION EDITOR

There’s a complicated intersection between personal taste and personal values that often rears its head in the media we consume. For all that we may talk about the treatment of certain issues or subjects that we’re passionate about, many of us also turn around and enjoy spending our time on entertainment that doesn’t conform, or perhaps even runs directly counter to, that worldview. So, where do we draw the line?

Last week, a video game called Kingdom Come: Deliverance was released. The game, the first release from Czech developer Warhorse Studios, is a roleplaying game that sells itself on the idea of forgoing fantasy tropes, and presenting a realistic adventure in a historically accurate depiction of medieval Europe. That pitch excited a lot of gamers, and the game managed to generate quite a bit of hype for a game from a new studio, but certain decisions made in the name of historical accuracy marred its reputation well before release. Specifically, the decision to include absolutely no people of colour in the name of “historical accuracy,” when the game still includes healing potions. Add to this that studio founder Daniel Vávra is a vocal and outspoken member of the much-maligned Gamergate movement (a misogynistic group

responsible for a wave of harassment, most prominent in 2014).

All of this has led to some outlets, such as Vice’s Waypoint, opting not to cover the game, as well as gamers who may have been interested deciding not to purchase it.

The conversations we need to have with ourselves about which media we can and should enjoy are becoming ever more frequent, especially in the wake of the Weinstein scandal, and the #MeToo movement. And that conversation is vital, necessary, and wholly worth having, regardless of how it may alter our perceptions of our favourite media.

But alter our perceptions it does.

Will you opt out of watching your favourite Louis C.K. stand-up video next time you need a laugh?

Will you skip that Hedley song that shows up in your playlist?

Will every scene with Aziz Ansari taint your Parks and Recreation rewatch?

At the same time, there is a matter of finding balance, and everyone needs to decide where they’ll personally draw the line.

Problematic creators are nothing new to media, and neither is entertainment that is problematic in and of itself.

The fact of the matter is, all media is problematic.

It’s a consequence of the way our society functions: nothing exists in a vacuum, and nothing can be separated from the greater context in which it exists. Yes, Game of Thrones is set in a fan-

A person watching television. (Al Ibrahim/Flickr) tasy world, but as a show, it exists in our real world with all of our real world problems, so the fact that the show uses sexual assault freely as a plot device, and features almost no people of colour — and the few who are still in the show going into its final season are former slaves — is reflective of the choices made by the show’s creators in our very real world context. But that doesn’t mean that a person can’t be passionate about representation in media and still enjoy Game of Thrones.

There’s an idea in modern culture that you need to defend the media you love to the ends of the Earth, that you can admit no fault in it (unless the new season/ movie/book/etc. doesn’t meet your expectations, then you must

hate it completely). However, this does a disservice to that media.

Entertainment serves to entertain, yes, but it also should be a conversation starter, something to be examined and discussed.

Just like you can love a person, and still criticize their actions sometimes, you can love a show, and still criticize its decisions.

You should, in fact, because that’s a way to engage deeper with it, to consider why the creators made the choices they did. Even creators who make every attempt to do the right thing make mistakes.

So yes, you can set your own personal lines you won’t cross, and make a conscious effort not to support creators whose personal actions or beliefs you find despicable. Nobody is saying

that you have to start watching House of Cards, or pick up a copy of Ender’s Game. But you’ll also never find any piece of media that does everything right, and while you don’t need to abandon the ones you love, there is value in examining and acknowledging those flaws, and talking about how the media of the future can do better. Culture is a work in progress, so let’s keep at it.

That said, there are a thousands of games out there, so I think I’m going to pass on Kingdom Come: Deliverance, and give my money to developers who aren’t openly hateful. That’s my line, but you can pick yours.

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Illustrating A Hero Vancouver cartoon artist’s work goes viral

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s a child, I couldn’t wait for the newspapers that invariably showed up on my front door.

My parents would take the print, and I would race to the comic section. I was fascinated by the colourful pictures and the small anecdotes that adorned it. My kid self didn’t always understand what was being said in those comics, but I knew that they were my favourite part.

I didn’t appreciate the art of the editorial cartoon until later. Pictures coupled with carefully chosen words or images that make a rather vivid point. Just as a spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go down, it is easier to swallow a bitter truth when it is coupled with a comedic twist. Editorial cartoons do just that. They take a bitter truth, or a horrifying current event, and package it in a way that makes it just as impactful as prose, but much easier to take in as a whole.

Pia Guerra has been a cartoonist for many years, and after news of yet another school shooting in the U.S, she took to the Twitter-verse with an editorial cartoon that has been shared internationally.

Down south, apprehension reverberates, and emotions run high. Affected by the tragedy from her home in Canada, Guerra sought to comment on the terror.

Guerra resides in Vancouver, B.C. and works for The Nib, an editorial cartoon website that publishes political, non-fictional, and satirical cartoons, delivered to your inbox every morning. She’s also worked on Black Canary, Doctor Who, and Hellblazer, among other publications.

She is opinionated, bold, and ready to see change happen in the world; she’s also incredibly talented.

I asked Guerra how “Hero’s Welcome” came to be. She had intended to submit it to The Nib, and this actually wasn’t the first cartoon she had submitted about the school shooting in Florida. She had already turned one in, and as she was getting ready for bed, the news stations revealed more about the event. She heard about Feis’ story.

“An image came to my mind, and it was a strong one, it gave me a little lump in my throat.” She drew it up while the thought was fresh but, in the end, decided to post this one on Twitter, instead of on The Nib. The cartoon, entitled “Hero’s Welcome,” depicts the coach and security guard of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High

By: Jennifer Klassen School, Aaron Feis, being welcomed by a little girl, and led by his hand towards a crowd of people who want to meet him.

Feis was shot and killed in the Florida school shooting; he used his body as a shield to protect students. Feis had graduated from the school in 1999, and continued to be a part of the community. He leaves behind a wife and daughter in Coral Springs. His story of bravery has been spread throughout newspapers and the internet, his courage and self sacrifice a testament to his remarkable character.

Editorial cartoons have a long history around the world.

They depict current events coupled with language, in a specific way, allowing the reader to understand what is being said. Historically, we can trace the origins of caricatures to Leonardo Da Vinci, who commonly used this technique.

Next, William Hogarth employed an updated version of Da Vinci’s, to create and publish a picture entitled “A Harlot’s Progress.” This was published in 1732, criticizing the immorality of British politics at the time. In the 1750s, during the era that the British military held a campaign in Canada, George Townshend published the first blatant political cartoons. Since then, editorial cartoons have continued to be an effective way to communicate political sentiments.

Guerra knew that she had an interest in cartooning. Inspired by her favourite drawing, “I am *not* a Crook,” by Herblock, and his methodology of delivering editorial cartoons, she took to the drawing board. “After the election, out of a need to do something … I started sharing my cartoons on social media as a part of the resistance hashtags,” Guerra said.

She wasn’t willing to stand by and allow ineffective and insufficient policy to be created. She went to the Women’s March in D.C. with one of her comics, “Liar Liar,” blown up on a poster, which received positive feedback. This vote of confidence from fellow protesters caused her to continue on her quest to bring awareness to terrible situations. Her work was first popularized in the mainstream last year, with her rendering of a childlike Trump sitting on Steve Bannon’s lap, the former White House strategist, assuring Trump he’s a “big boy.” This comic garnered large amounts of attention and accolades from the public.

“Hero’s Welcome” - Pia Guerra

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ost of the feedback about “Hero’s Welcome” has been positive. If you scan Guerra’s Twitter feed, it’s evident that the majority of people found the rendering of the event to be heartbreaking, stirring, even inspirational. If you search her name right now on Google, the first eight pages of search content in some way mention her in relation to this cartoon.

Her comic has been shared all over the internet and news channels, and shows no sign of stopping any time soon. It only came out last week, and the attention it has garnered has been staggering. I asked Guerra what the main responses have been. “Crying, lots of crying,” she said.

However, Guerra has received flack for the drawing being “too white.” Many people on social media have pummelled her with insults over there not being enough representation of people of colour in her drawing. Guerra’s response was to apologize, both on her Twitter page, as well as in an interview with Breakfast Television. She recognizes that more people of colour should have been represented in her rendering, however, she states that she had only quickly drawn and submitted this, and didn’t provide time to self edit, which resulted in the depiction of the crowd being mostly light skinned. She has promised to do better in the future.

“I may have been trying to say more than one thing at a time, like a part of it was modelling them on past school shooting victims, and pointing out the white suburban locales where many of these shootings take place,” Guerra explained.

She noted that this particular disconnect, that events like these happen in suburban, predominantly white neighbourhoods more than the inner city, is an issue that the public

needs to be more aware of.

Criticized or not, this piece of artwork has contributed to the conversation around gun control. The endless circular debate has only managed to tie a noose around the neck of safety, suffocating the patience of those fighting for stricter laws, and more awareness on this topic.

This week, CNN reported that a few survivors of the shooting went to a town hall meeting in Washington, D.C. to face the lawmakers who helped make the mass shooting a reality in their lives. They asked questions of Senator Marco Rubio, Bill Nelson, and Representative Ted Deutch about what it would take to bring about better gun control laws.

NRA spokeswoman Dana Loesch was also present that evening, and she was certainly not left out from the rapid fire questions from the students. Parents were also present; Fred Guttenberg, whose daughter was a victim of the shootings, savagely addressed Rubio, “Senator Rubio, I want to like you. Here’s the problem. … Your comments this week, and those of our president, have been pathetically weak.”

While I watched clips of this, I was incredibly moved by the strength each teenager and parent had, to be able to speak emotionally, yet eloquently, to bring more awareness to a long-debated topic.

According to the BBC News, of all of the murders in the United States in 2012, 60 per cent were from firearms. That stat is in comparison to 31 per cent in Canada and just 10 per cent in the U.K. There have been 64 school shooting in the U.S. since 2015, which includes times when a gun was fired, and no one was hurt. These stats are staggering — they beg for change.

There have been far too many children who have suffered because of adults being unable to make the decision that has their best interest at heart. It is time for that to stop. It is time for us, those of us graduating this semester, those of us graduating soon, to take up the call, and be as courageous as the youth in our midst. Out of the mouths of children comes truth, and I think it is time we start listening.

STUDY BREAK Crossword //

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2018

Made by Cassie de Jong

ACROSS

DOWN

2: Capital city of Bavaria.

4: Someone using a computer or network service.

6: To brown your skin by laying out in the sun.

8: A printer uses black, yellow, magenta, and _ _ _ coloured ink.

9: A British nobleman.

10: A word which modifies a verb.

12: The dome-shaped, clear, outermost layer of the eye.

14: In plants, a short stem surrounded by leaf bases that lies dormant over winter.

16: Strip of material worn around the waist to hold up pants.

18: A small metal barrel usually used to transport beer.

19: A place where judo and other martial arts are practiced.

20: Also known as the ocean floor.

1: A short play on words for humorous effect.

2: A dock where yachts and small boats are kept.

3: A tank of hot water used for recreational or therapeutic purposes.

5: A red precious stone.

7: A succulent plant widely used in moisturizing lotions.

8: A popular dinner party murder mystery board game.

11: Money that is owed or due.

12: Popular film by director Kevin Smith about two men working a convenience store.

13: To live or study in a foreign country.

15: A soft cheese named after the French region where it originated.

17: The only substance Superman cannot see through.

18: Orange and white fish that are kept for decorative purposes in outdoor ponds.

LAST ISSUE’S ANSWERS: Across: 1: Hera 3: Corgi 5: Lego 6: Feta 7: Mariner 9: Pieces of eight 12: Ladybug 14: Lama 15: Swan 16: Trout 17: Dart

Horoscope //

Astrological mysteries rudely interpreted by Lady May

Aries — Mar 21 to Apr 19 You are always paranoid about something, and keep tabs on those you distrust. Just try to remember that not everyone is out to get you. They’re all too busy writing papers or memorizing cue cards. We are edging closer to the end of semester stretch after all.

Leo — Jul 23 to Aug 22 This week you will find yourself burdened with emotionally complex situations. Now is the time to take a sick day. Spend a day indoors, get some work done, and catch some shut eye. After a good recharge, face your problems again with renewed vigor.

Taurus — Apr 20 to May 20 We need to have a little heart-to-heart about your fashion choices this week. I am well aware that it’s cold outside. However, this does not give you the right to continue wearing that fleece vest. They never looked good, and are certainly not making a comeback. Burn it.

Now.

Virgo —Aug 23 to Sep 22 Stop trying to win arguments. You and everyone else in your zodiac have been born without a backbone (which you should really get checked out). In a debate, you usually resort to non-sequiturs and/ or crying. Especially this week, your time would be better spent avoiding confrontation altogether.

Gemini — May 21 to Jun 20 You are the most generous person on Earth, and that’s not necessarily a good thing. You would buy everyone in the world another round if you could. Just remember that credit cards do run out of room eventually, and you do actually have to pay it off.

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Down: 2: Almanac 3: Cosmetologist 4: Iron 8: Etch 10: Iowa 11: Iceland 13: Dust

Cancer —Jun 21 to Jul 22 You were born for the rock star life. This basically means that you have this nasty habit of partying hard, and never cleaning up after yourself. Party on my friend, but please learn how to use a vacuum, or even a garbage can.

Libra — Sep 23 to Oct 22 Did one too many engagement or baby announcements pop up on your Facebook feed this week? Don’t let it bother you. If these events haven’t yet come to pass in your life, your destiny still has much in store for you. Though, most of it revolves around the 20 cats you are fated to adopt.

Scorpio — Oct 23 to Nov 21 You tend to interpret trends the wrong way. Whatever it is, if something suddenly becomes fashionable, you own it in two seconds flat — even if it was something you couldn’t stand before. Take a moment this week to figure out your identity, and stop reading Cosmo like it’s the Bible.

Illustration by: Amara Gelaude Sagittarius — Nov 22 to Dec 21 All Sagittarians have an inner hippie that is just waiting to burst forth. You people tend to be nostalgic about the flower power movement, because then you could be naked in public and get away with it. I’m cool with whatever soothes your soul man, but please do it with a shirt on.

Capricorn — Dec 22 to Jan 19 Got too much on your mind? Were you the last drunk idiot kicked out of the bar at closing time last night? Maybe you should re-evaluate what you say yes or no to.

Heaping too much onto your plate makes for a stressed out brain, and apparently an even more stressed out liver.

Aquarius — Jan 20 to Feb 18 You have never had a way with words. As such, you often find yourself acting out some form of interpretive dance to convey meaning to others. Invest in a dictionary my friend, or at the very least take some dance classes.

Pisces — Feb 19 to Mar 20 Pisceans have a knack for pulling off the most gaudy, garish, and glittery outfits I have ever seen. Your wardrobe this week looks like it walked straight off the Olympic figure skating rink, yet somehow you’re working it.

You do you, I guess.

CULTURE

Cassie de Jong — Culture Editor culture@ufvcascade.ca

Column // Physics

and Folly

Crisis in Cape Town

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2018

Column // Kin

Korner

Have a headache?

Ditch the ibuprofen and say HALO-UJAH

Illustration by: Simer Haer

Illustration by: Simer Haer

MIKE FRIESEN STAFF WRITER

I don’t know if you’ve heard: Cape Town is running out of water. Following a threeyear drought and insufficient water restrictions, “Day Zero” — the day when the taps will be shut off across the greater city of nearly four million people — has been scheduled for July 9. A couple of months ago, it was scheduled for April 22, but thanks to renewed efforts on water conservation and a few stopgap measures, the imminent disaster has been momentarily delayed. And even after Day Zero, the people will still have access to fresh water, but only 25 litres per person per day at specified water distribution centres.

It seems odd to me that someone can even schedule a Day Zero. Of course, it’s eventually up to the government to turn off the taps; otherwise the water pressure would slowly decrease to zero as pumping stations fail due to low water conditions, so it does make sense for them to schedule such a day — but even so, it’s unsettling. It reminds me of how little control I have over so many aspects of my life.

But water is one thing we’ll never have to worry about in the Fraser Valley, right?

Well, as it turns out you are right, very right. Assuming that we can purify and distribute water from our largest source — the Fraser River — we have access to an incredible amount of water. Cape Town uses about 500 million litres of water per day.

Those same 500 million litres of water flow out of the Fraser every two minutes and 21 seconds.

If everyone was using as little water as Cape Town is currently, the Fraser could provide fresh water for an astounding 617 Cape Towns — about 2.5 billion people. Of course, if you use 500 litres per day like the average Fraser Valley citizen, we would only be able to provide 600 million people with water.

So then why don’t we do something like this? Well, as it turns out, most areas near the Fraser Valley are positively burgeoning with water. Also, I think environmental groups would be concerned if we left a muddy basin where the Fraser used to be.

Lastly, water is hard to ship around, and it’s really heavy.

There are cheaper options than to spend a bunch of money on energy pumping enormous amounts of water thousands of kilometres away. Most often those cheaper options are desalination plants. Surprisingly, potable water from desalination plants only costs about $1-3 per thousand litres.

That’s really not that much, considering how essential water is to not dying; and, to how much I value the ability to flush a toilet.

So, why hasn’t Cape Town invested in desalination? Well, it has; they’re currently constructing four plants, but it is too little, too late. An unresponsive political situation has turned what could have been a tough but solvable issue into an apocalyptic-sounding future, awaiting the inevitable Day Zero.

But there is at least one silver lining — if Day Zero turns out to be as dramatic as it sounds, and a movie is made about it, picking a title will be Zero problem.

KATY BERGEN & TSANDLIA VAN RY CONTRIBUTORS

We all get those pounding headaches during midterms week and final exams.

They make it hard to focus and study, which contributes to increases in stress.

Instead of reaching for another ibuprofen to relieve the tension, think about essential oils. Essential oils have been used in traditional cultures for centuries, and have remarkable therapeutic properties.

As a part of aromatherapy, a natural herbal medicine uses plant-based oils to improve physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being. Essential oils serve as headache treatments because they safely and effectively treat the headache trigger, getting to the root of the problem instead of minimizing the pain temporarily.

If you’re wondering where you could find an essential oil that would work for you, we suggest trying Peppermint Halo essential oil, which contains peppermint, lavender, and rosemary as an herbal oil blend. Peppermint Halo not only works to relieve you of your headache, the menthol within peppermint works to relieve tension and stress. Tension and stress are said to be the most commonly reported cause of episodic headaches, and even chronic headaches.

Roll it over your neck, shoulders, and behind your ears to start feeling the effects within minutes, or even put it in your humidifier at home.

Now, we’re not just suggesting essential oils for no reason. There’s increasing evidence against the effects of over-thecounter remedies including the all-popular ibuprofen. As said before, essential

oils provide a natural relief, unlike ibuprofen, and do not interrupt the body’s natural process of reducing pain. Overthe-counter remedies usually involve a synthetic process in order to relieve symptoms of headaches.

Over-the-counter and prescription drugs that control inflammation, like Advil, Aleve, and Motrin, are among the most popular drugs people take.

Without a prescription, they can relieve short-term pain from backaches and headaches, and at higher doses can reduce the inflammation behind chronic conditions like osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis. Recent studies have questioned their safety.

Finding excessive relief from NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) is also associated with increased chances of heart disease and strokes. Researchers have concluded that aromatherapy is a natural and noninvasive gift of nature for humans. It’s not only the disease symptoms which are eradicated, but the whole body is rejuvenated by the use of aromatherapy. Aromatherapy regulates the physiological, spiritual, and psychological upliftment for the new phase of life. This therapy is not only preventive, but can also be used in the acute and chronic stages of disease, and is completely natural and environmentally friendly, as it is extracted from plants, flowers, and bark.

When it comes to healthy living, it is important to make informed decisions, and choose the remedy that works best for you and your body. If faced with chronic headaches, or migraines, or you’re just unsure, please visit your family physician, or another medical professional to discuss your options.

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CULTURE

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2018

UFV Theatre //

Play Preview: Problem Child UFV theatre reimagines the stage as graphic novel in George F. Walker’s dark comedy

JOEL ROBERTSON-TAYLOR EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Denise, a former drug addict and sex worker, and R.J., a TV addict and ex-con, hope they’ll get their baby back from foster care.

Set in a dingy motel room, the two deal with Helen, a by-the-book government caseworker, and Phillie, the wino motel owner.

Written by George F. Walker, it’s distinctly a dark comedy, touching on serious and intense real-world problems of the underclass. It broaches the dubity of justice as seen by a struggling family, and in many ways, showcases the delicate intricacies of morality.

Raïna von Waldenburg, UFV theatre instructor, is the director of Problem Child.

“It’s a gritty one-scene play. You know, one location, only gritty characters, gritty life,” von Waldenburg said. “The sad part is that these people in the play, these characters, are in a social stratum that they most likely can never get out of — they can’t escape that stratum.”

Steven Bowman, UFV student, plays Phillie, the motel owner.

“It’s such a heavy satire that you’re going to be thinking that it wasn’t funny, it’s heartbreaking,” Bowman said. “It’s like that on purpose, to ask a very hard question in a very palatable way. And that’s definitely what is unique about this play.

Because it’s not a drama. It should play out as a drama. But it’s not a drama.”

UFV’s Problem Child exists in a graphic novel world. This governed set and prop design, costume and makeup, and actor choreography.

The play features exceptional makeup and costume design, envisioned and created by wardrobe manager Heather Robertson, who came up with the graphic novel idea. The makeup and costumes emphasize bold penciled outlines, and vibrant colour fills. The actors’ costume and makeup takes about one and a half to two hours to apply.

The set, designed by assistant professor Parjad Sharifi, aside from a few props, is in grayscale, which sharply contrasts the character’s bold colours. Lighting is also used to keep the illusion of flatness, along with saturated colours, characteristic of a graphic novel.

The play is specifically choreographed to portray a two-dimensional world. Actors are permitted to move around stage as if it were a grid of 90 degree angles and movements.

“The set is two dimensional, but of course we’re three dimensional, so we’re stuck doing lane work,” Bowman said. “It’s a practice and viewpoint where you can either go straight, backwards, left, or right.

There’s no diagonal.

“There’s something really wild about hearing such profound content of human struggle coming out of a Playmobil face, cartoon fingers, and a foam wig. That’s so weird,” von Waldenburg said.

Problem Child has been a challenging project, with a significant amount of tightly timed sound and light cues, and complex choreography. Compounding the tension of the last week of rehearsals, Problem Child’s lead actress, citing personal reasons, dropped out less than two weeks ago.

With no understudy, a replacement was

Steven Bowman as Phillie and Ian Wilson as R.J. in Problem Child (UFV Flickr) quickly found, and thrust into the Problem Child world with under three weeks to learn months of rehearsals.

“It’s been a difficult process, for a lot of reasons,” von Waldenburg said. “I think it was really hard to force people into such a tight container. I kept saying to my actors, ‘It’s going to suck for a long time, and you might feel claustrophobic and constricted, but there’s going to come a moment after we’ve carved the fuck out of this little tight structure, I think you’ll start to have fun in there.’”

But what was an intense learning curve, Bowman said, became freeing, just as von Waldenburg predicted.

“As things progress, and you get used to the blocking and lines, you’re allowed to

let your impulses kind of take you where the character wants you to, because you no longer have that block in front of your emotions,” Bowman said.

Problem Child has a runtime of about 80 minutes. Admission is “pay what you can” at the door, cash only. Suggested prices are $15.00 for adults, $10.00 for students and seniors.

Seats can be reserved by emailing theatre@ufv.ca with your name and number of seat reservations required, or by phone, (604) 795-2814. Seats are reserved until five minutes before show start time.

UFV Clubs //

Club spotlight: CreWri CASSIE DE JONG CULTURE & EVENTS EDITOR

On Friday, February 23, UFV’s Creative Writing Club (CreWri) hosted their event “The ABCs of Literary Devices.” The event was the first of their five-part event series hosted by the board of CreWri; Marlena Leighann, Rhiannon Griffiths, and Nicole Tukker.

There is a mile-long list of literary devices that writers can use to improve their writing. We have all been taught the basics of literary devices before, and you probably have a general understanding of what a metaphor or a mood is, but have you ever specifically employed the use of metonymy, spoonerism, or periphrasis in your work?

The CreWri board progressed through a list of devices in alphabetical order, prompting discussion along the way about what each one was, and how to employ it in writing. For the devices which attendees needed more information on, literary

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examples were provided to clarify proper usage and purpose.

The board also went so far as to state their three favourite literary devices, and why each one was intriguing to them. At the end of the presentation, attendees were then invited to choose their three favourite literary devices, and entered a “free write” period to use them in a short piece of writing.

So what is CreWri? According to CreWri president Marlena Leighann, CreWri is a student-led and created club for creative writers at UFV. It is meant for any student that enjoys creative writing in any aspect, whether they are in the English department, or even science or business. They aim to be a resource for every writer at UFV, regardless of program.

As an organization, they work to create a positive and safe working space for writers, as a kind of support network. Writers tend to be introverted, so they work to present opportunities for people to come forward

with openness, friendship, and honesty.

CreWri secretary Rhiannon Griffiths stated in an interview: “I know tons of people who hate having their work critiqued in class. A lot of them have been really interested in coming to our group, because there’s no pressure here. It’s open, and there’s no teacher breathing down your neck about due dates and limitations. [Our events] are an open space for people to come be yourself, and be creative.”

CreWri has recently added to their list of projects by partnering with The Cascade to bring our readers their monthly “Creative Compositions of the Month” column. In this initiative, creative writers can submit short stories, poems, and other creative pieces through the club to be voted on, and published.

Leighann states that “It was one of my main concerns when I became president that CreWri previously didn’t have any opportunities for members to really put their work out there, to promote themselves,

and be published.”

She also mentioned that the club is very excited about the possible impact of this collaboration on the writing community at UFV. “It goes along with our goal of encouraging creativity and productivity, and the opportunities that we’re hoping to provide,” she said.

CreWri as a whole would love to see more students writing for their own benefit, rather than just for grades. A line within their constitution states: “Keeping the light alive in writers to show them that writing doesn’t have to be daunting.” If the board of members continues on their current path, they are well on their way to becoming UFV’s home away from home for writers.

For more information about CreWri, and their five-part event series, visit their Facebook page @crewriclub.

CULTURE

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2018

Cascade Events Calendar February - March

Note: Some of these events require tickets, most are on Facebook. If something catches your eye, take to the internet for more details.

28 1

Trades Open House @ UFV Trades and Technology Centre (Chilliwack), 4:00 - 7:00 p.m.

Opening Night: The Gondoliers @ Abbotsford Arts Centre, 7:00 - 10:00 p.m.

CR Avery @ Tractorgrease Cafe (Chilliwack), 7:00 - 9:30 p.m.

Opening Night: Annie, Jr. The Musical! @ Clarke Theatre (Mission), 7:00 - 8:45 p.m.

A.L.P. Kamal Dhillon. Why I Stayed: A Conversation on Domestic Violence @ Evered Hall (Abbotsford Campus), 5:00 - 7:00 p.m.

2

Panic Squad and Friends @ Matsqui Centennial Auditorium (Abbotsford), 7:30 - 9:30 p.m.

CreWri UFV: Getting to Know Your Characters @ Room A315 (Abbotsford Campus), 11:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.

3

The Kwerks @ Tractorgrease Cafe (Chilliwack), 7:00 - 9:30 p.m.

Sore Points, REDS, Like Bears & Nioi Neko @ The Vineyard (Chilliwack), 6:00 - 9:00 p.m.

Country Dance Party with Steve Hillis @ The Stage in Mission, 8:00 p.m. - 1:00 a.m.

Woody James Band @ Captain’s Cabin Pub (Mission), 8:00 p.m. - 1:00 a.m.

SwitchCraft @ Historic Dewdney Pub (Mission), 8:00 - 11:59 p.m.

Johnny Reid Revival Live @ Abbotsford Centre, 7:00 p.m.

Casinos w/ Chica, and Nice @ Vicinity Lounge (Abbotsford), 7:00 - 9:00 p.m.

4 5

Play: Onegin @ Chilliwack Cultural Centre, 7:30 - 10:00 p.m.

Film Screening: The Big Picture - Rethinking Dyslexia @ Abbotsford Arts Centre, 7:00 - 9:00 p.m.

Rethinking Food: Local and Global Stories @ Field House Brewing Co. (Abbotsford), 6:00 - 9:00 p.m.

6 7 8

Getting it Into Print: The Nuts and Bolts of Submitting to Magazines @ Room B121 (Abbotsford Campus), Noon - 1:00 p.m.

Long Night Against Procrastination @ Chilliwack (CEP) Building A, 3:00 - 10:00 p.m. & Abbotsford Building G, 5:00 p.m. - Midnight.

Sumas Mountain Film Festival @ Matsqui Centennial Auditorium (Abbotsford), 7:00 - 10:00 p.m.

Shakespeare Names / Sto:lo Memoryscapes @ UFV U House F125 (Abbotsford Campus), 4:00 - 6:00 p.m.

Suds & Spuds: UFV Graphic + Digital Design Pub Night @ Townhall Public House (Abbotsford), 5:30 - 10:00 p.m.

International Women’s Day: Encourage.Inspire.Connect @ Chilliwack Golf Club, 7:00 - 10:00 p.m.

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Shakespeare Names / Sto:lo Memoryscapes @ UFV U House F125 (Abbotsford Campus), 4:00 - 6:00 p.m.

Professor Profile //

The fine art of fish

Dr. Lucy Lee speaks on cell lines, fish noses, and sushi

JESSICA BARCLAY NEWS EDITOR

Dr. Lucy Lee is a recognized leader in the field of fish invitroomics. If that term does not sound familiar, worry not. It was coined only last year by Dr. Niels Bols from the University of Waterloo to describe his and Lucy’s unique area of work: the art of growing cells in a culture.

Lucy spoke at the Faculty of Science Dean’s seminar series Tuesday, Feb. 20, on her 35 years of research in growing fish cell lines. Cell lines are cell cultures made from an organism’s cells that continue to grow seemingly indefinitely. A familiar example is the famous HeLa cancer cell line, without which many advancements in modern medicine would not have been possible.

Fish cell lines are a bit different from human cell lines. For one thing, they seem to “immortalize” spontaneously. Only cancerous human cells do this.

“I’m calling it, ‘It’s really fishy,’” Lucy laughed.

Many fish species have two unique qualities: the ability to regenerate some organs and even limbs, and indeterminate growth, the ability to grow continuously even in adulthood. This is the reason why local salmon can get so large, if given time to grow. Fish cells also seem to lack inducible p53, a protein that causes cell death.

With a good sample, sterile conditions, and the correct nutritional factors, Lucy said it is relatively easy to work with fish cells.

“They’re actually quite forgiving,” said Lucy, as she showed the audience an old picture of her son changing the media of the cells lines. “You can forget about them for over a year at 4°C.” Fish cells were originally cultured as a way to grow viruses, as viruses require living cells to survive. The biotechnological applications for these cells lines are now numerous, and can range from toxicology applications, nutrition studies, or even the study of microbial diseases.

A lab in San Francisco is working on growing sushi in a petri dish. Scientists at Finless Foods, with Lucy’s advice, are working on growing bluefin tuna cells, in hopes of helping with the overfishing crisis. Theoretically, one tiny cell could become one ton of tuna meat.

Cultured cells can also be used to test for toxicity in the oil sands wastewater. Testing the toxicity in the holding ponds themselves would involve the use of many fish, and could become quite expensive. Instead of using whole organisms, Lucy’s lab would test the water toxicity in vitro. Samples of the water were sent to Lucy’s lab, and cell lines are exposed to the water samples to determine toxicity.

Lucy’s work began in 1983, where she created her first cell line, the rainbow trout liver cell line. Since then, she has created nearly 100 unique cell lines. Her current Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council grant is for initiating a line of fish olfactory cells, a cell line that does not exist for fish.

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13

ARTS

Martin Castro — Arts Editor

arts@ufvcascade.ca

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2018

Poetry Review //

CHARTS

SHUFFLE

1

Freak Heat Waves Beyond XXXL

AARON LEVY

2

Palm Rock Island

3

U.S. Girls In A Poem Unlimited

4

Laurie Jane & the 45s Midnight Jubileey

CIVL Station Manager Aaron Levy recognizes this is the time to talk about gun violence (as if it wasn’t before). Here are four songs from artists in America who likely have a lot more exposure to said societal ill than he has. He lets them speak for themselves here — for the most part.

5

Nice Apple/Cruel Sport Cruel Apple Nice Sport

6

Hovvdy Cranberry

7

Crystal Shawanda Voodoo Woman

8

Kellarissa Ocean Electro

9

Oscar Wilson One Room Blues

10

Devours Late Bloomer (reissue)

11

Janiva Magness Blue Again

12

Haley Blais Zero Charisma

13

Kuniuiki Takahashi Early Tape Works: 1986-1993

14

Cecil Frena The Gridlock

15

Brigid Mae Power Brigid Mae Power

16

Loma Loma

17

Pizza Bath You Are What You Eat

18

Khari Wendell McClelland Freedom Singer

19

Car Seat Headrest Twin Fantasy

20

The Olympic Symphonium Beauty In the Tension

14

CIVL STATION MANAGER

Run the Jewels — Pew Pew Pew “You’re looking at the guy who the guy that you think that / I got my style from got his own style from, sup?” What a curious line!

Of course, El-P, or Jamie, as he’s known to probably no one, is certainly that guy, who gave your heroes style.

Dead Prez — W4 “I been workin’ all my life but ain’t got nothin’ to show / I ain’t tellin’ you nothin’ you don’t already know / I been working all my life but ain’t got nothin’ to show / like this world just don’t want us to grow / … Click clack, gimme my s**t back.”

Kendrick Lamar — Money Trees “Pick your poison, tell me what you do / everybody gonna respect the shooter / but the one in front of the gun lives forever / I’ve been hustling all day, this’a way, that’a way / through canals and alleyways just to say / money trees is the perfect place for shade, that’s just how I feel.”

Immortal Technique ft. Brother Ali, Killer Mike and Chuck D — Civil Wars “Civil war for the soul of a nation / this is a struggle to save civilization / demonstrations overthrowing the occupation / the annihilation of mental colonization / Civil war for the soul of a nation / we fight for the future of our civilization / destroy the corrupt government organizations / trying to survive cultural assassination.”

The Whetting Stone offers a sharp portrayal of grief MARTIN CASTRO ARTS EDITOR

Grief is a very hard thing to write about, mostly because it is so all-encompassing, and the kinds of grief that merit writing about usually don’t give themselves to good writing. Mostly because, I imagine, that when grieving over the preventable death of a loved one, there are no footholds on which to scaffold any kind of narrative. Taylor Mali’s The Whetting Stone is afflicted by this same problem, but it would be inaccurate to say that it suffers from it, mostly because the one thing it doesn’t do is sensationalize death.

Mali’s verse, first of all, is clean and patient throughout. This appears explicitly to readers to be a product of Mali’s grief, which always permeates the memories he’s chosen to explore throughout the collection. And while there’s not really a clear narrative that’s followed throughout the poems (either Mali’s forward movement after his wife’s death, or a chronology of the emotional trauma that befell him thereafter), there is a snapshot of contemplation on Mali’s part, which is meditative at worst, and therapeutic at best. This is of course as it relates to Mali’s own emotional conversation with his wife, which he attempts to carry out through poetry after-the-fact. If he is successful, it is not so much because of the vibrancy of his verse, but rather because for the most part, it is so pared back, and focuses so distinctly on concrete touchstone moments in his life, that it revels in honestly even when it fails to awake any fire in the readers themselves.

That said, throughout the collection, poems like “Making Ravioli,” “Twelfth Anniversary,” “Meeting at Monet’s Water Lilies,” and “News of My Divorce Reminds Me of Your Death,” which all address Mali’s late wife directly, give the collection a kind of spine around which to ebb and flow out of concreteness.

So that when less-successful pieces like “Do Not Think of Suicide as the Ultimate Fuck You” fall flat, or fail to explore a sentiment in ways that have not already been exhausted previously in the collection, their

failure is blunted by the otherwise vivid portrayal of Mali’s relationship with grief available throughout the collection.

Poetry, nowadays, has a tendency to be either written with only form in mind (which is to say, words are thrown together so that they look and sound like poems, with no real intention behind them), or with function and economy as their main focus (in cases of which a song is stripped of its verses). Mali’s The Whetting Stone is commendable above all for its patience in distilling an honest portrait of grief, which if at times suffers from simplicity, is made stronger by the very real impression that Mali is using language to document and explore his own vulnerability, and not exploit it.

In a mine-field of contem-

porary poetics that has drawn a stark demarcation line between the accessible, marketable branch of poetry, and a branch of poetry that thrives in independent publishing houses and book-sellers but no further, Mali’s The Whetting Stone (although being a chapbook published by a small company itself) blends the patience and linguistic consideration of your English prof’s contemporary poetry examples with remarkable accessibility.

If nothing else, The Whetting Stone is a lucid tribute to a loved one lost, and a step of Mali’s towards healing.

ARTS

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2018

Soundbites //

Milk & Bone Deception Bay I first happened upon Milk & Bone last year when searching for songs about elephants. I found “Elephant,” off their 2015 Little Mourning album.

Camille Poliquin and Laurence Lafond-Beaulne as Milk & Bone, a Canadian electro-pop duo from Montreal, released their sophomore album, Deception Bay, last month.

It’s a statement of maturing, taking similar themes and style but vivifying them in a tighter package, yet with nearly twice as many tracks as 2015’s Little

Mourning.

Their work features vocal harmonies, punchy synth lines, and reflective piano melodies. It’s well-composed electropop, and most songs carry their own personality.

This title track, the album’s best shot at commercial radio airtime, is an upbeat, alternative-pop refinement. All together, Deception Bay displays an expertise with the soundscape that artists like Purity Ring and Neon Indian have carved out as a genre.

Post Malone “Psycho” Post Malone dropped “Psycho” on Feb. 23, and yet again, knocked it out of the park. I have been a fan of the guy since “White Iverson,” which came out in the summer of 2015. Since then, Austin Post has been pumping out beat after magical beat. What I find appealing about this

guy’s music is the chill vibes his songs put out. “Psycho” is a prime example, a wavy-ass song you can bob your head to as you putter away at a menial task. Also, this guy makes me want a face tattoo.

Nothing hardcore, maybe like “Mom <3” on my cheek.

-Joel Robertson-Taylor

-Quintin Stamler

Album Review //

Car Seat Headrest’s Twin Fantasy (Face to Face) a labour of love MARTIN CASTRO ARTS EDITOR

Last week I wrote about Nicole Jasper’s april, and in that article I mentioned the emergence of an anti-revolution within the music landscape. A stepping sideways instead of a fighting back. Among others, I used Car Seat Headrest’s early work to exemplify this niche within the music world; a niche which is saturated by lofi production, and champions a soundscape that, intentionally or not, revels in opposition to the smoother, more high-end aesthetics of modern pop.

Will Toledo’s rise to internet fame as Car Seat Headrest (first a solo project, later a band) epito-

mizes the DIY approach to music in the age of streaming. (Are we calling it that — the age of streaming?)

Originally self-released in 2011, Twin Fantasy saw Toledo cement his status as an indie darling despite the fact that he had not yet been signed to a label. And, in comparison to 2016’s Teens of Denial, which focused lyrically on Toledo’s self-perceived inadequacies and substance abuse problems, the revamped version of Twin Fantasy comes as a less straightforward rock record, but focuses instead more clearly on Toledo’s depression, and social/ sexual tensions. Both records, however, play out as a kind of existential screaming into a chasm,

highlighted by some of the punchiest, most cleverly written indie rock of the last decade.

The proverbial keystone in Toledo’s writing on Twin Fantasy is that, as opposed to the early2000s variant of rock which attempted to connect with listeners by presenting to them a series of generic “relatable” topics and scenarios, Twin Fantasy preoccupies itself with exploring Toledo’s own experiences in-depth.

“Beach Life-in-Death,” among some of the more confessional pieces on the record, works to air grievances that Toledo has with his own psyche, ranging from his awkward teenage love life. (“I woke up and I was trying to kill you,” he sings. “It’s been a year

since we first met / I don’t know if we’re boyfriends yet.”) If there’s a strength that Toledo leaned on when he recorded the first iteration of this record, it was his frank, visual writing style.

This time around, it’s evident that a record contract with Matador records and a budget manifests itself not just in the far superior recording quality, but also in the mixing and re-ordering of some tracks on the record.

That said, there are some tracks which sound too clean, such as “Stop Smoking (We Love You).”

Although the newer version of the song has grown on me, its original lo-fi scratchiness added to the desperate pleas falling on Toledo’s ears.

While, overall, Twin Fantasy’s re-release is a welcome addition to Car Seat Headrest’s catalogue, it feels vaguely like a step backwards, or a suspension of Toledo’s forward-momentum since, compared to Teens of Denial, the record reveals itself to be more unsure of itself. That’s, of course, a result of Twin Fantasy’s content, which is more depressive in its narrative than Teens of Denial’s, as well as less patient. However, if this re-work is any indication, Toledo seems to be getting ready to strike out in a new direction, and Twin Fantasy (Face to Face) is as apt a farewell as any I could think of.

15

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