The Cascade Vol.26 Issue 29

NOVEMBER 7 TO NOVEMBER 14, 2018

VOLUME 26 ISSUE 28

Post-regressive hardcore since 1993

Master of Education

UFV pioneers new teacher program

pg.3

UFV gas shortage

cold buildings spur innovation

pg. 6

Nicole Dollanganger

an album review

pg. 14

WWW.UFVCASCADE.CA

VOL. 26 // ISSUE 29

Opinion Editor Jeff Mijo-Burch jeff@ufvcascade.ca

Production Assistant Renée Campbell renee@ufvcascade.ca

Features Editor Cat Friesen (Interim) jen@ufvcascade.ca

Production Assistant Elyssa English elyssa@ufvcascade.ca

Culture & Events Editor Cassie de Jong cassie@ufvcascade.ca Arts in Review Editor Martin Castro martin@ufvcascade.ca

Multimedia Editor Mikaela Collins mikaela@ufvcascade.ca

News Writer Edina Balint edina@ufvcascade.ca

Online Editor Jeff Mijo-Burch jeff@ufvcascade.ca

Social Media Writer Laurel Logan laurel@ufvcascade.ca

Social Media Coordinator Anjuman Grewal anjuman@ufvcascade.ca Illustrator Kayt Hine Illustrator Simer Haer Illustrator Cory Jensen

Sports Writer Alexander Jesus

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Staff Writer Emmaline Spencer Staff Writer Nadia Tudhope Staff Writer Carissa Wiens

THIS WEEK’S CONTRIBUTORS Aleister Gywnne Uyen Nguyen Remington Fiorasco Daniel Liebe Chandy Dancey Cover Artwork: Kayt Hine Back Cover: Mikaela Collins & Martin Castro

ARTS

Copy Editor Kat Marusiak kat@ufvcascade.ca

OPINION

Production Manager Caleb Campbell caleb@ufvcascade.ca

NEWS

News Editor Jessica Barclay jessica@ufvcascade.ca

CONTENTS

FEATURE

Business Manager Quintin Stamler quintin@ufvcascade.ca

Managing Editor Cat Friesen cat@ufvcascade.ca

CULTURE

Editor-in-Chief Joel Robertson-Taylor joel@ufvcascade.ca

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15

Snapshots.......7

13.......Study Break

Events Calendar.......10

14.......CIVL Shuffle

WWW.UFVCASCADE.CA

@UFVCASCADE FACEBOOK.COM/UFVCASCADE INSTAGRAM.COM/UFVCASCADE Volume 26 · Issue 29 Room S2111 33844 King Road Abbotsford, BC V2S 7M8 604.854.4529 The Cascade is UFV’s autonomous student newspaper. It originated under its current name in 1993, and achieved autonomy from the university and the Student Union Society in 2002. This means that The Cascade is a forum for UFV students to have their journalism published in an entirely student-run setting. It also acts as an alternative press for the Fraser Valley.

The Cascade is funded with UFV student funds, and is overseen by the Cascade Journalism Society Board, a body run by a student majority. The Cascade is published every Wednesday with a print circulation of 1,000 and is distributed at Abbotsford, Chilliwack (CEP), Clearbrook, and Mission UFV campuses and throughout the surrounding communities.

The Cascade is open to written, photo, and design work from all students; these can come in the form of a pitch to an editor, or an assignment from an editor. Writers meetings are held every Monday at 2:00 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 200 words. As The Cascade is an autonomous student publication, opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect that of UFV, The Cascade’s staff and collective, or associated members.

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NEWS New Master's program.......3 Editorial.......4

OPINION 4.......Next step: vegetarianism

Drinking our problems away.......5

5.......Why is the world shifting right?

Gas shortage spurs innovation.......6

6.......Let's get electric SPORTS

UFV women's basketball recap.......11

11.......UFV men's basketball recap

CULTURE UFV art gallery hosts design info sesh......12

12.......Dr. Zhivago revisited

A history of erasure.......12 ARTS Wrong side of the Heart Shaped Bed .......14 More than a song . ......15

15....... Kurt Vile, a dizzy musing on existence

news@ufvcascade.ca Jessica Barclay — News Editor

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2018

NEWS

UFV courses //

NEWS BRIEFS

UFV pioneers new teacher training program New Master of Education program aims to train future education leaders

California wildfires deadliest on record The Camp Fire that raged through Paradise, California is being deemed the most destructive wildfire in California's recorded history. The fire has taken the lives of at least 44 people and destroyed 6,453 homes, many of which were part of a low-income retirement community. More than 200 people are still missing, and death tolls are expected to increase.

The Camp Fire is only 30 per cent contained and has already burned 117,000 acres of land. In Southern California, the Hill Fire is 85 per cent contained. The Woosley Fire has destroyed 100,000 acres and 370 structures, with 57,000 more structures at risk.

-the New York Times

Draft plan for polar bear population control A draft plan on population control of polar bears proposed by the Nunavut government will go to hearing this Tuesday. The plan relies heavily on Inuit knowledge, and is based on information that contradicts Western scientific data. Inuit say there are nine populations of polar bears increasing, none are shrinking, and while climate change is affecting polar bears they are adapting. Scientists say that one population is growing and four are shrinking.

The plan states that polar bear populations are becoming a danger to communities. Two Inuit were killed by polar bears last summer, and two more injured.

-The Canadian Press

A class of children. (Unsplash)

ALEISTER GWYNNE CONTRIBUTOR

UFV will offer a new teaching program that is the first of its kind in Canada, beginning in July of next year. The Master of Education in Educational Leadership and Mentorship (MEd) program is an expansion to educational training programs aimed at training the next generation of K-12 teachers.

The new program is the first to combine instruction in both leadership and mentoring. Those who have already achieved the basic qualifications for K-12 education and are interested in pursuing leadership roles can enroll in this two-year program to train them in mentorship and leadership skills.

Creation of the program was spurred by the needs of UFV’s partner school

districts within the Fraser Valley, according to teacher education program head Vandy Britton. To gain comparable training, educators in the Fraser Valley have had to study at city universities, or even as far afield as Alberta and Washington state, according to Britton.

The program consists of six courses that cover both the theory and practice of mentorship, and methods of communication and interaction within a community, with both inclass study and hands-on experience in the field. The latter half of the program explores how the lessons learned in the first half apply in the contemporary local context.

The MEd program is tailored to current trends and the unique context of the community in which

the program is conducted.

The Fraser Valley is home to a variety of social groups, including Sikhs, Sto:lo people, evangelical Christians, and more, each of whom bring their own ideals and desires to the decision-making process in local schools.

The capstone of the program is a seven-credit course in which students conduct an inquiry and present on a specific issue within the local educational field. Students demonstrating a strong writing skill have the option to write a thesis instead.

Statistics attributed to WorkBC indicate that there will be over 2,000 new job positions with advanced educational degrees such as MA or MEd. Positions that can be obtained with a MEd program

include school or district administrators, teacher in a specialized position, as well as qualifying for a category upgrade that can lead to better pay. The program can also open the way to pursuing a doctorate.

Prerequisites for MEd include an undergraduate degree in BSc, BA, BEd, BGS, or equivalent, successful completion of a teaching program recognized by the B.C. Ministry of Education, a current teaching certificate issued by the B.C. Teacher Regulation Branch, and at least two year’s experience in the K-12 educational system. The entry to the program will be offered every other year, with the first run expected to begin in July 2019.

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OPINION

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2018 opinion@ufvcascade.ca OPINION

VOL. 26 // ISSUE 29

Jeff Mijo-Burch — Opinion Editor

Editorial //

Before you forget JOEL ROBERTSON-TAYLOR EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

What’s the purpose of Remembrance Day? From Veterans Affairs Canada: “By remembering their service and their sacrifice, we recognize the tradition of freedom these men and women fought to preserve … On Remembrance Day, we acknowledge the courage and sacrifice of those who served their country and acknowledge our responsibility to work for the peace they fought hard to achieve.” (Emphasis added.)

Honour should go where it’s due, but what do we consider honour?

This Remembrance Day, for the first time, the Royal Canadian Legion awarded the National Silver Cross Mother (chosen to lay a wreath during the Remembrance Day ceremony at the National War Memorial in Ottawa on behalf of all mothers who lost children to war) to Anita Cenerini, who fought for her son, who died of suicide at age 22, to receive full military honours. He was the first Canadian soldier to die of mental illness after returning from Afghanistan.

This is a sort of performance of honour; how it’s played out every other day of the year looks different.

You may have seen the video from an Edmonton town hall last February that went viral, in which Trudeau tells a veteran that the reason they were spending tax dollars fighting vets in court was because they were asking for too much.

“I was prepared to be injured in the line of duty when I joined the military. Nobody forced me … What I wasn’t prepared for, Mr. Prime Minister, was Canada turning its back on me.”

According to the CBC, the previous, lifetime pension, was a monthly payment up to $2,700 for pain and suffering. That was

scrapped for a lump sum payment in 2006.

The Liberals promised to restore the plan, and did, but only to a maximum of $1,150.

September 2018, Global News announced that the Liberals had left over $372 million meant for veterans and their families unspent, since taking office in 2015.

This is funny because this past summer, the Trudeau government announced a 70 per cent increase to military spending over the next decade.

Trudeau’s “Asking for more than we can give,” isn’t just rude, it’s untrue. Especially in light of Trudeau’s $215,000 Bahamas vacation and his highly criticized $855,000 trip to Davos in 2016, and almost $700,000 trip in 2018, according to figures reported by the CBC and the Globe and Mail. Oh, and the $157,000 spend on the 2017 budget cover.

For comparison, how much did the previous Conservative government spend? $600.

I think, perhaps, there’s money for vets.

Military spending of the kind announced last summer was not a part of the Liberal campaign plan. Do you know what was?

Maintaining national defence spending levels, covering post-secondary education costs for every veteran who wants it, investing $100 million a year to add supportive services for veterans’ families, reestablishing lifelong pensions for injured veterans, investing $80 million per year to create a new Veterans Education Benefit — All of which seems to have fallen through, according to I find it upsetting (not in a vague literary sense, literally upsetting) that Ottawa will throw a show in remembrance, supposedly to remember what was lost for freedom, one day a year, when every other day they contradict whatever they were trying to remember.

The Cascade Journalism Society

(our governing body)

will hold it’s Extraordinary General Meeting on November 21 @ 3:00pm in S2111, The Cascade office.

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Lifestyle //

Next step: vegetarianism

(Katie Smith/Unsplash)

CARISSA WIENS STAFF WRITER

When I swapped my omnivore diet to a vegetarian one several years ago, I didn’t realize how easy the change could be. I quickly found simple meat-free recipes and did my research on how to maintain my health to get me started. With some new convictions from UFV’s GEOG 111: Environmental Issues & Strategies class, and a push from a pal, I made the choice to switch.

At the time I was living with my parents who took the reins on cooking meals. This put a limit on my food freedoms, meaning I often ate what the other members in my family consumed. With some helpful tools I was able to keep those around me contented about my dietary choices as well as make sure I was being nourished.

My golden rule for going veg was to avoid being pompous and rude about it. Therefore, if someone had me over for dinner and didn’t know about my dietary choices, I politely ate whatever they placed in front of me. Of course, afterwards I would kindly mention to the hosts that I prefer to side step eating meat if the circumstance would arise again. On a similar note, I also remain respectful of others’ food choices as long as they’re respectful of mine, therefore I wouldn’t push vegetarianism on others if they weren’t interested.

Other than the reason listed above, I did not waver on my decision. Even when my friends were eating some tender chicken nugs, I knew I had to stick

to my choices, because if I didn’t at that point I wouldn’t as time went on. This was helpful when presented with a meal to know the clear boundaries I had put upon myself.

Getting my parents on board in helping accommodate a vegetarian diet wasn’t difficult. Since going veg had been trending for many years my mom was curious about it by that point and willing to help me out with meals. Secondly, I mentioned they would be saving money by my choices because veggies, tofu, beans, and lentils are much cheaper than meat. Sold.

Most restaurants now have veggie options. If there’s nothing on the menu, I’ve learned that those restaurants often have a separate veggie menu you just need to ask for. Even packing snacks for on the go was effortless. Raw veggies and hummus is a must, plus granola bars, yogurt, cheese and crackers, nuts, and hardboiled eggs. All of these items are easily accessible and affordable.

Now that I’ve moved out, cooking dinners is very doable. In recipes where ground beef is required, like chili, I simply switch it to veggie grounds that can be purchased at any grocery store and I just add black beans to anything that’s lacking protein. Two blogs that help me out greatly are The Minimalist Baker and Cookie & Kate. I’ve also enjoyed the seemingly endless creativity involved in cooking without meat. My pad Thai never needs shrimp again and my ceasar salad is anchovy free.

OPINION

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 14 2018

Lifestyle //

Drinking our problems away University and drinking don’t need to go hand in hand

EMMALINE SPENCER STAFF WRITER

I’ve reached that stage in my life where someone offers me a drink at least once week. I wouldn’t be bothered by this as much if it wasn’t for the fact that I am underage. I joined the post-secondary community this year and am appalled by the amount of drinking that occurs. I’m not saying you shouldn’t drink, but that you shouldn’t over-drink. Too much of anything is bad for you.

Dr. Theresa Tam, head of the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), released a report stating that there has been a 26 per cent increase in alcohol-attributed deaths for women from 2011 to 2017. Men had an increase of five per cent in comparison to the 26 per cent for women. According to Tam, men still have higher rates over all, but women are rapidly catching up. This isn’t the kind of race that I want to win.

When I look at the media that surrounds me, I find television shows promoting that “strong women” will drink Scotch, I find advertisements telling me that if I drink I will have fun and be happier, and I find my own friends trying to convince me that drinking is the only way for me to solve my problems in life. Our society has peer pressured itself into alcoholism. In university I see the harm that over-drinking has

done.

I talked to a few students from UFV and SFU so that I could see if it was just me being melodramatic or if the issue truly has gotten out of hand. Three out of five of the students drink regularly (two to three times a week). Four out of five of the students were underaged and all of them had at some point in their lives had at least one glass of an alcoholic beverage. When asked where the pressure came from the common response was not social media: the common response was family and/or friends.

In support of my own mini interview/survey, I found a 2017 report from the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction saying that 40 per cent of youth in grades seven to 12 have consumed alcohol at some point and that roughly half of those students still drink regularly.

The PHAC has openly provided the statistics on the harm of drinking, like using it as a coping mechanism, the short-term dehydration issues, and the long-term liver poisoning, and yet we as a society are not only encouraged to drink by companies, but also by those closest to us. The first time I was ever offered a drink, I was 16 and at a hockey game with family. My own aunt offered me a beer, which I kindly declined.

At the age of 18, which is the legal drinking age in certain provinces

(Wikimedia Commons)

and territories in Canada, I am frequently offered alcoholic beverages.

Trying to find the root of the problem is difficult. Is it that we aren’t enforcing the laws well enough within our home and personal lives? Perhaps there is too much pressure placed on drinking? Maybe it’s the increase of mental health and stress-related issues? It’s time to take a step

back and think before pulling out that bottle of wine, and find out why we consider pulling out the bottle in the first place. Every day we abuse our bodies, leading to health issues in the future.

The reason alcohol-related death rates continue to increase isn’t because of one specific reason, but a multitude that stem from a missing community of support and care for one another.

Alcohol, especially for post-secondary students, is sold as some kind of magical potion that will make all the problems of life disappear for a short while. Alcohol isn’t happiness and we should stop telling each other that it is.

You can and should share a cold one with your friends, but don’t confuse that drink for a friend.

Politics //

Why is the world shifting right?

UYEN NGUYEN

CONTRIBUTOR

On June 16, 2015, Donald Trump, one of the richest businessmen in the world, announced his presidential campaign. After all the controversial and offensive remarks he made regarding immigration and women, the majority of us thought he was a joke.

We thought this man was so full of hate that there was no way he could become the president of the United States. Yet the 2016 presidential result struck most of us. Two years later, after the midterm elections earlier this month, Republicans beat three Democratic senators — in North Dakota, Missouri, and Indiana — and at the time of writing had leads in Florida and Montana.

Republicans also won the governor’s mansions in Florida and Ohio, two massive victories in states with big roles to play in the 2020 presidential race and the 2021 nationwide redistricting process. Republicans managed to keep the Senate, while Democrats won the House. Despite los-

ing the House to the Democrats, Trump declared the midterm a “tremendous success” for Republicans.

Recently, Jair Bolsonaro, a farright congressman noted for multiple extreme remarks garnered 55.1 per cent of the vote, making him Brazil’s next president. This result marked a dramatic shift in the country’s politics, given that Brazil “enjoyed” two consecutive Democratic Movement presidencies. Despite Bolsonaro’s controversial and deeply offensive rhetoric, such as saying Afro-Brazilians get nothing done, he has managed to draw huge crowds to his rallies and skyrocket to the top of the poll.

If the Democratic party is called the left or progressive party and is portrayed the party of love, peace, unity, and equality by CNN, Facebook and other mainstream media platforms, while the Republican party, called the right or conservative and deemed the party of hate and division, then how did we arrive at this point?

According to the Department of Homeland Security, there were 12.1 million immigrants living in the country illegally as of January 2014. Undocumented immigrants don’t qualify for welfare, but they receive healthcare in clinics and hospitals in the U.S., and through their American-born children, they can expect to receive all manner of benefits — cash aid, food stamps, and housing vouchers.

Maybe people are gradually realizing the economic effect of illegal immigration. “Immigration reduces the wages of domestic workers who compete with immigrants,” explains economist Paul Krugman in the New York Times. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the unemployment rate dropped to 3.7 per cent in September — the lowest point since 1969, while the economy added 134,000 jobs. Hate Trump or like Trump, we have to admit that he is bringing the jobs back.

In the case of Brazil, its economy was in shambles during the past two consecutives democratic

presidencies. Lula da Silva and Dilma Rousseff increased government spending, deficits, and debt, which they called a stimulus. They increased the minimum wage and social benefits, leading to more employees getting laid off because their employers can’t afford to pay their employees more than they earn. The unemployment rate in Brazil was 13.1 per cent in March 2018, according to Trading Economics. The government of Brazil spent more than it collected, leading to a government deficit reaching an all-time high of -2 per cent of GDP in 2008.

Government debt to GDP in Brazil averaged 58.45 per cent from 2006 until 2017, peaking at 74.04 per cent in 2017.

Their socialist policies worked in the beginning, until government spending kept increasing uncontrollably. According to Trading Economics, from 2008 to 2015, government spending grew nearly four times as fast as tax revenue. Brazil remains among the world leaders in murder and robbery, and ranks near the bot-

tom of industrialized nations in terms of education and health care, according to Numbeo and the U.S News. Lula da Silva has been charged in several lawsuits for corruption, involvement in a criminal organization, influence peddling, money laundering, and obstruction of justice, while his successor Rousseff was charged for falsifying the government’s finances and illegally using money from state-owned banks to run the government in 2016.

The damage is so extensive that it may take decades for Brazil’s economy to heal. Although Bolsonaro has made several controversial and offensive statements, he also promised to end corruption and revive the economy, which was enough to win over the majority of Brazilians because they are so desperate for a miracle to bring them out of such a dark era. Perhaps the world is shifting right because more and more people are starting to ask “Does it do good?” instead of “does it feel good?”

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OPINION

VOL. 26 // ISSUE 29

Satire //

Gas shortage spurs innovation at UFV JEFF MIJO-BURCH OPINION EDITOR

With the news that UFV will continue to maintain lower temperatures in compliance with FortisBC orders to cut natural gas usage, the people who call UFV school, work, and home are taking temperature regulation into their own hands.

SustainableUFV reports that the school’s electricity bill has increased 73 per cent since the heat reduction began Oct. 10.

“It’s the microwaves,” declared department head Evelyn Greene through clenched teeth. “People are heating up their food. All of it.

We expected to see more people bringing soup, but they’re heating up muffins, they’re heating up ham sandwiches, they’re even heating up salads. Who wants to eat warm lettuce?”

One such student is third-year communications major Kathy Buchanan, who explained it was purely a matter of practicality.

“I’ve been in this line for 43 minutes,” she explained, gesturing with a Coffee Crisp at the queue of students ahead of her waiting for the cafeteria’s lone microwave. “I’ve already missed the start of my class, so you better bet I’ll be microwaving every damn piece of food I’ve got on me when I finally get my chance.”

But melting chocolate isn’t the

(Alex/Unsplash)

only way to keep warm. The gym has reported a steep increase in interest in its drop-in sports programs, as students and faculty alike try to insulate themselves with a slick coat of sweat. Those hoping to hit the showers afterwards may be disappointed, however: they have reportedly all been occupied since the first day of the heat cut-off, with their us-

UFV//

Let’s get electric

UFV’s first electric vehicle raises questions about how we tackle sustainability NADIA TUDHOPE STAFF WRITER

UFV recently replaced a van in the facilities fleet with a fully electric vehicle, marking significant progress in sustainability at UFV. With how precarious our environmental situation seems to be — the latest and most frightening update from the National Resources Defence Council on Earth’s resources has us passing the point of no return within 20 years — moving into sustainability has become more essential than sensible.

Personally, I’m all for doing our part to save the environment — in fact, I’m known for nagging my friends about putting their garbage in the right waste bin — but the introduction of this car raises some concerns. Namely: competition for charging ports. Those

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charging ports are some of the best parking spots on campus, and although parking there is restricted to only two hours, those spots seem to almost always be filled. The introduction of UFV’s electric vehicle — especially if the whole fleet eventually goes electric — could mean even more competition for charging ports in a climate where the number of electric vehicle drivers is increasing. I don’t have an electric car myself, but I can imagine the irritation of constantly having to check if a charging port is free, or having to leave a class midlecture because your two-hour slot in the charging station has ended. And while introducing more charging ports is certainly a possibility — they’re actually not as expensive as anticipated, but they’re not cheap either: according to an article by the Globe and Mail, a home charging station

ers saying it was “too cold” to step out from under the warm water.

Gym administrators assured The Cascade that after around a month without food, the problem will soon be sorting itself out.

The bookstore tried to get in on the action, hosting a special event at the start of November.

“We thought it would be popular, that people would come to-

costs between $800 and $2,000, and a public Level 2 charger can cost as much as $5,000, but BCHydro offers rebates of up to 50 per cent of costs for workplace charging stations— we don’t really have anywhere to put them without converting regular parking spots, and I don’t even want to think about the frenzy that would incite for the 10–11 a.m. parking crowd, where finding a spot is already near-impossible.

If we’re going to convert UFV vehicles to electric, the obvious next place to start is the shuttle buses. While it’s nice that facilities is going to get this car paid for within five years by saving on fuel costs, I can’t imagine this vehicle is transporting people and materials between campuses as often as the shuttles are. It’s important to remember that this vehicle is a facilities one, so while it’s a great start on sustainability, it’s fairly self-contained. Especially with the introduction of those big, ancient school buses in the Langley route — which, don’t get me wrong, was absolutely the best solution for the situation — our vehicle carbon emissions have to be at an all-time high. However,

gether and have a good night.”

However, students came out in strong opposition, criticizing the idea of burning used textbooks when new ones are such a significant expense. The bookstore justified it as necessary to make more space for additional UFVbranded clothing. The bonfire, and subsequent protest bonfire, both drew crowds in the hun-

dreds, though campus security quickly shut them down under suspicions that some of the smoke pouring out of the gathering may have been from people trying to stealthy circumvent the campus’s new anti-smoking laws.

In an effort to see how long such drastic measures would be continuing, we reached out to FortisBC to request information.

To our surprise, they informed us that the gas restrictions had been lifted after just one week. When asked about this revelation, UFV Facilities admitted that the order to continue the low temperatures had come from above. “We were told it was good for the school,” choked out the department’s overseer, Jason Holten. “They said student engagement is higher, people are actually coming to classes early and doing things. We were told we had to keep it cold all winter.”

In light of these startling revelations, The Cascade has reached out to UFV’s president, but has yet to receive any response. Until the matter is resolved and heat is returned to the campus, however, we are pleased to announce that The Cascade branded merchandise will soon be available from our office, including warm, comfy sweatshirts.

Illustration: Cory Jensen

with how specialized the shuttles are with campus card readers, elaborate UFV detailing on the outside, and accessibility seating, switching them to electric would be a huge monetary hassle. And as much as I want to be Team Sustainability, making these kinds of moves isn’t always easily affordable — we’re poor students, there’s a reason we don’t all have electric cars already.

Besides, there are other ways UFV can be more sustainable.

Our campus reducing heat in compliance with the forced shut down of natural gas — besides making me cold in class — has drawn my attention to the ways we aren’t progressive or sustainable. Switching our heating systems from natural gas to a renew-

able resource seems like it would be more effective in reducing our carbon footprint than transitioning one vehicle to electric. Installing solar panels seems just as possible as introducing an electric vehicle, and considering how much electricity the campus uses (in the 2106/17 fiscal year, UFV used 11,040,667 kilowatt hours of electricity), seems it would have a bigger impact in the long run.

An electric vehicle is a great first step, but it’s certainly not all we can be doing to make our campus more sustainable.

Or, maybe we should just forget cars altogether and learn how to teleport.

S S S N S N N S A h A A h P o P P o t t Simer Haer ss Illustrations by:

Wonderful, wonderful wool I’ve recently discovered wool socks. On a whim, I ordered a four-pack of winterthemed wool socks. When I wear them, I have little evergreen trees and Fair Isle patterns encircling my feet. I liked them so much that I took myself down to Walmart and bought another two-pack of wool socks, this time in eggplant and lavender. And then I thought, hey, I like these a lot, so I went back and got the same two-pack of wool socks in pale blue

and grey.

And then you know what I did? I went back to Walmart to get a three-pack of those trendy wool work socks, the grey ones with the red and off-white stripes along the top edge — you know the ones.

So now, with the bitter winds of winter fast approaching, my feet are ready — perhaps over-prepared, one might say — to brave the cold. Are yours?

Cat Friesen

No early birds, no night owls, no service Getting up early in the morning, often before dawn, to get to morning class is hard enough as it is, but insult is added to injury when all the on-campus food and drink vendors are closed, right when we most desperately need a jolt of caffeine and a bite to eat. Latenight commuters are not much better off. Those wanting dinner, or at least a snack, after a long evening class all too often find that the campus eateries are all closed or cleaned out.

Look, I get it, getting up early and staying late are hard on the employees too; and if they are dependent on public transport like many of us are, they cannot be at work before or after a certain time. Even so, I think most campus food and drink vendors open too late and/or close too early. They are excluding a customer base that would be very appreciative of their service, if they offered it.

Aleister Gwynne

Online instructor evaluations From my first semester at UFV, I’ve taken online courses due to their convenience. There have been some courses that I absolutely adored. On the other hand, I’ve had some horrible experiences. Unfortunately, I did not receive any instructor evaluation forms to talk about my experiences. I would’ve appreciated being able to provide feedback to professors/departments in an anonymous manner like the in-class instructor evaluations.

This semester, I received an online instructor evaluation for the first time in five years. I was excited as I could provide actual feedback about the class. My course (thankfully) is very appropriate for the online environment and is fun,

but not every class can be delivered effectively in an online environment, nor is every teaching style adaptable to Blackboard. If professors aren’t able to receive feedback, how can they think of ways to improve? Do they know what students think about their delivery methods, assignments, etc.? If students expect to get feedback from professors on their assignments, there should be the same expectation for us to give feedback — especially for online courses. I might just be unlucky in when I choose the courses that they aren’t going to be evaluated, but it should be easier to give instructor evaluations online.

Remington Fioraso

I miss summer clothing already It’s mid-November, and I’m still having a tough time saying goodbye to my summer wardrobe. I already miss my skirts, dresses, sandals, and jackets worn more for show than for protection from the elements, and I haven’t even put them away yet! I find that my Canadian natural resistance to cold has been suppressed by having grown up in the West Coast’s warmer climate. This poses quite the issue when I can’t even think about my winter jacket without shrivelling my nose in disdain.

Giving in to the fact that summer is gone means admitting that Mother Na-

ture has more power over what I wear than I do. Which seems eerily reminiscent of my own mother laying out my clothes for me as a child, which like most other children, I hated. So, we’ll see whether my natural stubbornness or Mother Nature’s near-parental resolve will win out in the end.

Also, it is likely that my peers will continue to see me wearing maxi skirts well into December, and by then I’m sure I’ll be so insufferable about the cold they’ll be wishing for summer too.

Cassie de Jong

7

Lessons From a Medieval Model What the SCA can teach us about the rest of our lives.

Mikaela Collins Multimedia Editor

y first taste of the Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA) was lovingly spooned into my baby bird beak by my friend Lizzi, whose Facebook is full of pictures that aren’t Lizzi, but Malys, a young Scottish lad born in the tender year of 1287, and whose apartment is full of skeins of hand-spun yarn, weaving looms, dress forms draped in wool, and a six-foot-tall homemade longbow named Guinevere.

I went with Lizzi to an SCA business meeting, as much out of just wanting to hang out as curiosity. I didn’t really understand what was going on, but everyone was nice, including Lizzi’s friend Rick, who turned out to be my neighbour and high school substitute English teacher. A week or so later, I got an invite on Facebook to the April A&S Night at Wolfwode Hall. I clicked through and learned that A&S is arts and sciences — basically the SCA name for anything that’s not sport or volunteering — and Wolfwode Hall is Rick’s house.

I knocked on the door at 7:05 p.m. with my current cross-stitch and a plate of brownies in hand, and was greeted by a chorus of people yelling “COME IN!” As I entered, I was politely informed that as long as you’re invited, you just knock and come in. I was welcomed by Rick and his wife, Melissa, as though they had known me for years, and Lizzi barely had to introduce me to anyone — everyone introduced themselves before Lizzi got the chance. Towards the end of the night, I joked, “So, Lizzi, when are you taking me to an event?”

“As soon as you get some garb.”

“I’ll work on it,” I said, thinking it would be a few months before that happened, between buying the material and sewing it all together.

Cut to three days later.

“Come over! I have garb for you,” was the text I received from Melissa.

I walked the few blocks to her house in the sunset of a late spring day and knocked, and again heard “Come in!”

“Sorry,” I called, shutting the door behind me. “I forgot about the knocking rule.”

Melissa laughed from upstairs.

“You won’t need the wool one for

Canterbury,” she said. Canterbury was the next event, a week or two away. “But you’ll want it in the winter. Try on the other ones for now.”

The wool one turned out to be a beautiful, hand-sewn wool dress, thicker than a winter coat in the prettiest shade of purple-grey I’d ever seen. It was then, and is now, probably the nicest article of clothing I’ve ever worn. It was also about four sizes too big, as was the spring dress, which consisted of a drawstring skirt and a lace-up vest.

“Do you know how to take the seams in?” Melissa asked, when I wondered if it was supposed to be that big.

“If I take it in, how will I give it back?”

“Oh, honey, this is all yours.”

I tried to protest that I could get my own, that I didn’t want to take these from whomever they belonged to — I really don’t like accepting gifts.

“Welcome to the SCA,” Melissa laughed, putting her hands on her hips. “You’d better get used to it. The only rule is that when you do get your own, you pass it on to the next new person.”

The SCA is a medieval recreation group.

According to the SCA’s website, the group was founded in 1966, it spans the globe in kingdoms and baronies, and has amassed over 60,000 participants. Some people have been in the SCA for 50 years and take part every day. For some, that means knitting a few rows on a pair of socks.

For others, it can mean travelling across the continent to attend events.

Duke Savaric Yeoman (also known as David Kelly) recalls one exciting instance from his 20 years in the SCA: “I was in Mississippi, and I met the king and queen of California, and they wanted me to come to their event … so I went home for a day, turned around, and flew to California.”

Others are brand new, and participate just a handful of times a year in makeshift or borrowed garb. So far, I fall into the latter category. The Canterbury Faire was my first and most recent SCA event until this last weekend when I attended the November Coronet, and even then my express purpose was doing interviews to write this article.

I thought I would write about how the SCA preserves knowledge from the medieval period — like how to dye fabric with plants or mend a suit of armour — and why members felt that was important. I could do some research about the psychological benefits of handicrafts,

or compare the SCA’s teaching structure to medieval education styles, or the SCA’s potential as a driving force behind furthering archeological knowledge.

It would be investigative. It would be journalistic. It would be awesome. So I wrote my interview questions and drafted a tentative outline, and texted Lizzi the night before, “Can I have a ride to Coronet tomorrow?”

“Obviously!” was their reply.

In the morning, I was introduced to Seneschal Alessandra Lucciana Giancomo (also known as Christina Grant). She volunteered to give me a tour and introduce me to anyone she thought I should speak with. Over two hours later, when she asked if I would be alright without her, since she had other duties to attend to, I told her I felt like I had more than enough to write a great article. And I did feel that way — I’m a rookie reporter and even I could tell the interviews had gone well. Everyone had spoken freely and enthusiastically, almost never needing to be prompted. They answered my questions tirelessly and thoroughly from a variety of perspectives. So I thanked Alessandra, spent the rest of the day enjoying the festivities, and then went home to write my article.

And I had nothing.

Nothing in my notes or transcriptions held a clear answer to the question I’d had in mind: what is the point of medieval recreation? I was frustrated because everything that I did have — all the anecdotes and heartfelt answers about the amazing people everyone knew and the experiences they had together — all amounted to an explanation of why the SCA is so much fun, but I already knew it was so much fun! I wanted to know why it was important.

I had made a mistake.

I hadn’t really devised questions about dying fabric or mending armour. I’d written questions about what the SCA does, what people do in it, and what they teach one another. I had assumed that material practices would naturally come to the fore. I was wrong. Instead of asking “What is the point of medieval recreation?” I had asked, “What is the point of the SCA?” The point of medieval recreation is, ultimately, fun, whether that stems from a desire to hit people with a big stick, to find a creative outlet, or to understand the past. And the point of the SCA, therefore, is also fun, but fun is only a framework

for what makes the SCA special.

Jumping into the SCA does, honestly, induce a little bit of culture shock, and not just because bowing to someone as they walk by feels a little awkward at first. But it’s a good kind of culture shock, where suddenly you feel like the most serious, fiercely independent person in the world — and then you feel a little bit stupid, because you don’t have to be that way.

My entry to the SCA has been couched in friendship and astounding generosity thanks to Lizzi and their, now our, friends. But speaking with other players has taught me that this is the rule, not the exception. As a hobby group in which some members have been members longer than others have been alive, the SCA could be completely walled in on itself. Especially in the adult world, group activities are sometimes choked by gatekeeping. In team sports, for example, entering as a rookie feels like holding everyone else back, and taking a class is a time commitment — sometimes a big one, and often non-refundable.

Even solo hobbies, which may be less intimidating in terms of risking public embarrassment, can have a daunting initial price tag when it comes to equipment. And involvement in the SCA can certainly get pricey — I’m a broke student and even I’ve spent a fair chunk of change on garb, including a bronze cloak pin I would be embarrassed to write the price of. But except for the cost of admission at events, the knowledge that you can get involved in the SCA as much or as little as you want also applies to your bank account. Each region has a Gold Key, whose responsibility is to welcome newcomers, lending them garb, for which the only requirement is that it reflects an attempt — I’ve fully seen people wearing long t-shirts belted over jeans. If you’re there in the spirit of the event, that’s more than good enough.

The SCA’s passion about inclusivity is also evident in how it’s embraced by the internet. It might be surprising that a medieval recreation group is actively expanding its presence on the world wide web, but it’s played an important role in expanding access to information, said Mistress Desiree. Known to the mundane world as Mary Kittel, Desiree joined the SCA in 1987.

“Before, it used to be whatever books were in our local library, which is great, but now I can reach out to any library or

any museum in the world,” she explained.

Sporting Laurel and medieval combat expert Guidobaldo D’Aquila (also known as Paul McCann) has been in the SCA since 1980, and when asked about how the SCA has changed in that time immediately responded, “Oh God, love the internet.

We've seen more and more accuracy and drive for accuracy. When I first joined information was extremely hard to find ... and now of course I can go home and research anything.”

However, the SCA also makes use of social media, especially Facebook, where people post pictures and announcements, have conversations, and share tips.

This makes it so people can directly participate in the SCA even if they can’t make it to an event.

Another important aspect of accessibility is variety.

Medieval recreation is not one hobby; it contains multitudes — if you want to fight with a broadsword or a rapier, if you want to make costumes or jewelry, if you want to illuminate charters, learn archery, cook and bake, or if you simply want to get dressed up and hang out, that is medieval recreation. Or, it's medieval recreation in the SCA, which is somewhat unique. Other common forms of medieval recreation include renaissance fairs, reenactment groups, and LARPing events, which may have a narrower range of activities.

LARPing, or live action roleplaying, as the name suggests, usually involves players fully adopting a character and acting in a role appropriate to them, as a warrior or a healer for example, or even a mage, as LARPing commonly involves fantasy and magic. It’s largely derived from tabletop RPGs like Dungeons and Dragons, and has a Game Master, or GM, who arranges the structure and narrative of an event. These elements of story are completely absent in the SCA, where events are likely to focus on real-life competitions or classes.

Reenactment groups lie at the opposite end of the spectrum from LARPing, being highly concerned with accuracy, sometimes down to the play-by-play of a particular battle. As such, players may take on characters as well, but these are usually historical figures like monarchs and generals. Reenactment groups might take a “living history” approach to recreation, looking to reproduce all aspects of historical daily life, but unlike in the SCA, will usually focus on only one place in one time period.

This difference stems from the SCA's geography, according to Duke Savaric, who explained, “We decided years ago to include a much broader range of history [than reenactment groups] ... In Europe, it’s tighter geographically, so if they decide to do sixth-century Norman, they can actually have an event, whereas if we do that, we’d have six people. So we include all sorts of interests and try to bring everybody together.”

The representation of a wide variety of interests, everything from heavy fighting to cooking and baking and bardic performance, means that there are parts of the SCA for everyone.

“It's very family oriented these days,” Savaric continued, grinning down at his baby daughter, Kara, who sat in the wagon at his feet. His mother-in-law, he said, is also a member. “We actually hang out with our families. Three generations at an event. I don’t know what other activities are like that. Let’s say you ski, and your mum and dad come to it. Well, they’re clearly there to watch you ski, or vice versa. Where this is something

where you roll in, you go to an event and you’re like ‘See you Sunday.’”

“It’s a hobby that my husband and I can fully engage in, sometimes together, sometimes separate,” said Mistress Desiree. She and Godfrey, also known as Jerry, joined 31 years ago. “He used to play D&D, and I always liked trashy romance novels,” she laughed. “It was an opportunity to dress up that wasn’t Halloween; we met some really cool people and learned some really cool skills, and it was an opportunity to sew that was a bit more creative.”

Before getting involved, though, they attended a Society business meeting. “My background history growing up is Girl Guides — there’s always that business side to make the fun side happen, so I wanted to see what the business side was.”

That was an understatement.

Mistress Desiree is a pelican, a rank awarded to SCA members who have been recognized by their king and queen for exemplary service.

“I’ve dabbled in a lot of different things,” she said, “but for the most part, it’s been event stewarding … We need our insurance in place, we need to have our Foodsafe in place … all of our regulations so that we can get together and play this game we all love.”

The SCA awards ranks to members who stand out in other areas as well — champions of combat are called masters of defence, and masters of arts and sciences are called laurels. The former take on squires, the latter take on apprentices, and pelicans like Desiree begin as protégés.

Desiree recalled from her time as a protege being introduced to seasoned members who she admired, only to have them say “I know who you are; I’ve been watching your service.”

As a non-profit organization, the SCA relies on volunteer work, and collectively strives to appreciate it. I said before that medieval reenactment is only the framework for what makes the SCA so special, but I also think that perhaps the SCA is only so special because of medieval reenactment. The fact that the organization is based on things almost no one would know coming in, combined with the Society’s engrained structure of recognition and tutelage creates a unique environment where it’s easy to humble oneself and ask to be taught. And I don’t mean that everyone normally walks around thinking they know everything, but aren’t we expected to? I know I’ve taken a lower mark on an assignment than I could have gotten because I was too embarrassed to tell the instructor that I didn’t know what I was doing more times than I want to admit.

In the SCA, however, asking to be taught is a matter of course, even when the need isn’t obvious. Mistress Desiree said of her former protégé, now a pelican in her own right, “To me, Porzia and I were always equals, but for her to come and say ‘I want to learn a couple of things from you?’ I’m like, ‘How could you learn things from me? I’m learning things from you!’”

This openness is complemented by a general and pervasive willingness to teach. “With my time in the SCA, I know the people. So I can make connections,” said Desiree. “There’s always something to do, whether it’s something you’re experienced at or something you’d like to try, I can find someone to teach you, or someone with a like geekery level.”

These lines of communication knit

the community together, even across boundaries of age that might exist in other pastimes, and certainly exist in everyday life. For Savaric, this is one of the most exciting social aspects.

“I have friends in their twenties, I have friends in their sixties, and I like that.

I like the breadth of experience. I get to see what it’s like now in the eyes of someone who is just getting out of college or something like that, and some of my other friends are retired, and their views are so different.”

And these lessons from SCA don’t get hung up in the closet with the cloaks and petticoats when people go about their daily lives.

“In the SCA, we have a social agreement that it’s okay that if I’m walking by someone unloading their car, I can offer to help them, and it’s not weird,” said Savaric. He said his knight taught him how to be a good person in the Society; I asked if he found that translated to society at large. “It allows me to be a better person,” he said, grinning. “I’m comfortable stepping out of my shell to do that. And that’s really cool.”

Porzia, also known as Leanne Witherly, is not only a pelican, but was once an officer of the principality, which is a journey she said she never would have embarked on without a push. The push came when the former deputy seneschal asked Porzia to take her place.

“I was flabbergasted,” she said. “It’s a pretty big job. And I’d never even considered that it would be something that I could do, nevermind would do.”

She went on to become the principality seneschal. “I felt so prepared. To go into it with that vote of confidence, with somebody saying, ‘I think you can do this’ — it was amazing.” She described the experience as “a gamechanger” and said about her time in the SCA, “There are so many people in this group that have taught me something.”

I am a serial hobby starter.

Hundreds of neatly wound bobbins of embroidery floss, abandoned for a year; a half-finished, home-made, screenaccurate Princes Leia costume; tap shoes that have never tapped a tune — all these and more haunt me from the back of my closet. When I moved out of my dad’s house into half of a cramped basement suite, I left them all behind without a second thought. I knew it wouldn’t be worth it to bring them. But when my mom picked up my sewing machine and a swathe of blue-grey wool to send them to closet purgatory, I said “Wait! I’ll bring those!” I needed the sewing machine to turn the wool into a cloak, and I wanted the cloak for my next SCA event.

At Canterbury Faire, and Melissa and Rick’s house, and even at the business meeting, I caught the bug, and unlike my many other previous bugs, this one was sticking around.

The things that keep people not just in the SCA but working and teaching and learning in it for 20, 30, 40, even 50 years, have touched and infected me after just a dip of my toes into the Society’s water. What has spoken to me as much as anything anyone has said to me have been certain little things I've seen since that first A&S night. Three days after I said I would like to go to an event, somebody I met once texted me "Come over! I have garb for you," and that garb came from yet another stranger. I was driven to my first event by acquaintances, other friends of Lizzi’s, because they had to get there early. After every event, a post goes up on Facebook of items left behind,

and the comments are filled with people tagging their friends, trying to reunite forgotten tablecloths and coats. People arrive schlepping mountains of stuff from their cars — chairs, picnic baskets, blankets, backpacks — and walk around carrying almost nothing, leaving it all unattended; at the November Coronet, I dropped my camera bag in a corner with my wallet and my glasses inside and knew nothing would happen to it, which is a pretty incredible thing to be able to say about a room full of hundreds of strangers. More than a few times in every interview, my subjects were interrupted by friends stopping for a hug and a hello. The Coronet itself was devoted to the selection of a new prince through armoured combat, which meant people — lots of them — were literally physically fighting to occupy a volunteer position.

Spending time with family and friends, doing things we enjoy, teaching and being taught by people who care about us, and un-weirding helpfulness — all of these are practices which thrive in the SCA because of its unique history, constitution, and purpose. And there are reasons we often find them difficult to do in the mundane world. It’s hard to make time for people who aren’t paying our bills and grading our papers, and even harder to find something that appeals to the entire family or more than a couple of friends; most hobbies don’t encompass almost every other hobby. It’s difficult to go to someone and ask them to teach you, whether it’s a boss, or a friend, or even a professor who you know has a hundred other students. It’s difficult to be that tutor for others. It’s hard to know if your work is being recognized, and it's hard to make sure that you’re recognizing others’ work. It can be difficult to do the good we know we are capable of simply because it isn’t common.

But doing these things fosters confidence, compassion, and cognizance, both for ourselves and the people in our lives.

You don’t have to start donning a cloak or wielding a sword to draw inspiration from the culture of the SCA, but if you think it would help, they’d be happy to have you.

LEGEND

The Cascade -ARY

Community Events are in UFV Events are in Music Events are in Art Events are in Cultural Events are in

Nov 14

C3: Fight for the Farm @ The Reach Gallery Museum (Abbotsford), 10:30 - 11:30 a.m.

SRRMC 9th Annual Soup Fundraiser @ Stó:lō Resource Centre (Chilliwack), 11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.

Nov 17

Modified: A Food Lover’s Journey Into GMOs @ Cottonwood 4 Cinemas (Chilliwack), 2:30 - 5:00 p.m.

Annual Fundraising Banquet @ Tzeachten Hall (Chilliwack), 6:00 - 9:00 p.m.

UFV’s Town & Gown Fundraising Dinner @ Evered Hall (Abbotsford Campus), 6:00 - 9:30 p.m.

Like Bears CD Release with Car 87, Nic Fit, Amadis - 11th Annual Vestival @ The Vineyard (Chilliwack), 6:30 - 10:30 p.m.

Acrylic Pouring @ Chilliwack Cultural Centre, 6:30 - 8:30 p.m.

Central Fraser Valley Search and Rescue Society 40th Anniversary @ The Reach Gallery Museum (Abbotsford), 6:30 - 10:30 p.m.

Intro to Silversmithing for Adults: Stacking Ring @ SPARK Art Collective (Mission), 7:00 - 9:00 p.m.

John Mellencamp @ Abbotsford Centre, 8:00 p.m.

Nov 15

The New Shackletons @ Tractorgrease Cafe (Chilliwack), 7:00 - 10:00 p.m.

Warren Miller Entertainment’s Face of Winter @ Chilliwack Cultural Centre, 7:30 - 9:30 p.m.

Nov 18

GreenSPEAK “Climate Change and Global Warming” with Professor Tim Cooper @ Room B121 (Abbotsford Campus), 1:00 2:00 p.m.

Roots and Blues with Angel Forrest @ Tractorgrease Cafe (Chilliwack), 7:00 - 10:00 p.m.

CreWri: Getting to Know Your Characters Workshop @ Room C1421 (Abbotsford Campus), 4:00 - 5:30 p.m.

Nov 19

Yoga Rave @ North Gym Room E105 (Abbotsford Campus), 6:00 - 8:00 p.m.

Downtown Chilliwack Health & Wellness Fair @ Vineyard Community Centre (Chilliwack), 1:00 - 4:00 p.m.

Roots ‘N’ Blues with Gordie Tentrees @ Tractorgrease Cafe (Chilliwack), 7:00 - 10:00 p.m.

Scholarly Sharing: Technology & Subjectivity

Blue Green Red Purple Yellow

Note:

Some of these events require tickets, most are on Facebook.

If something catches your eye, take to the internet for more details.

Nov 21 UFV History Department Film Series: Rulers and Rebels - Tecumseh’s Vision @ Room B121 (Abbotsford Campus), 1:00 - 3:00 p.m.

C3: Untold Stories of a Paramedic @ The Reach Gallery Museum (Abbotsford), 2:33 - 5:33 p.m.

Life Drawing Studio: Instructor Jesse Klassen @ House of Fine Art (Abbotsford), 7:00 - 9:00 p.m.

Nov 22 CreWri: Revise! Revise! Revise! Workshop @ Room C1421 (Abbotsford Campus), 4:00 - 5:30 p.m.

Nov 23

Reel Change: Songs My Brother Taught Me @ The Reach Gallery Museum (Abbotsford), 6:30 - 9:00 p.m.

Lonesome Town Painters @ Tractorgrease Cafe (Chilliwack), 7:00 - 10:00 p.m.

Nov 24

The Olde Farmhouse Vintage Market @ Tradex (Abbotsford), 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

@ U-House Room F125 (Abbotsford Campus), 1:15 - 2:45 p.m.

Mastering Urban Photography @ Chilliwack Cultural Centre, 9:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Nov 20

4th Annual Movember Dodgeball Tournament @ Heritage Park Middle School (Mission), 5:00 - 7:00 p.m.

Research Encounters: Dr. Jon Thomas & Dr. Arjun Kalyanpur @ U-House Room F124 (Abbotsford Campus), 4:00 - 6:00 p.m.

Thistledew at Mission Coffee House @ Clarke Theatre Cafetorium (Mission), 7:00 - 9:00 p.m.

Army of Sass Chilliwack presents Nightmare @ Army of Sass (Chilliwack), 7:30 p.m.

Dusty Boots Band @ Historic Dewdney Pub (Mission), 8:30 - 11:30 p.m.

SPORTS

VOL. 26 // ISSUE 29

UFV Basketball //

UFV women’s basketball weekend recap:

Cascades swept by Pandas in competitive games ALEXANDER JESUS SPORTS WRITER

Last weekend, the UFV women’s team opened up both days’ games with hardfought matches against the Alberta Pandas, and though they didn’t come away with a “W,” there was no shortage of effort, intangibles, and even a little drama.

The first game began rough and tough with fouls exchanged and shots launched. With Katelyn Mallette back from injury, her rebounding helped the Cascades regain possession of the ball both defensively and offensively, but almost right away we saw two players showcase their skills quite dominantly, those players being UFV #10 Taylor Claggett and Alberta #4 Jenna Harpe.

While the game would eventually become Claggett’s record-setting game from the free-throw line, Jenna Harpe’s shooting was on full display. Though she finished the game going 8-19 and 2-6 from deep, Harpe showed she can make tough shots; something fans always appreciate.

By the end of the first half, the Cascades’ offence had really struggled, with UFV making three total field goals. Taylor Claggett’s ability to step to the charity stripe carried the Cascades, and she finished the first half going 12-14 from the line. While the Cascades matched Alberta’s score in the second quarter, they seemed to have more success in the half court than out on the break. Alberta was faring better, but only to the tune of a five-point lead. Jenna Harpe led the team with five field goals, but they too had trouble taking off against a Cascades defence that unlike the offence was in gear most of the night.

The third quarter was a tough one for the Cascades, being outscored 23-14. The game also quickly turned from physical to very physical. This included Alberta’s Morgan Mudge catching an elbow in the face from a Cascade and having to be helped off the court with a bloody nose. Despite the rough and rowdy play, a combination of fouls and a good Alberta offence kept UFV from breaking through, who then found themselves facing a 14-point deficit heading into the fourth quarter.

From there things began to pick up for the Cascades. Efficient offence from Taylor Claggett and Abby Zawada among others helped the Cascades build momentum, but were only able to erase six of the 14 points they were down heading into the fourth. UFV had the ball down four with 20 seconds left, but a travelling call gave Alberta the ball back; that was enough for the Pandas to defeat the Cascades with a score of 69-61.

The night belonged to Alberta, but something has to be said for Taylor Claggett. If her 30 pts, eight boards, and four dimes weren’t enough, the Canada West record for free throws made and attempted sure was. (The records being 22 years old for FT and 36 years old for FTA.) Efforts from Abby Zawada and a pair of blocks from Katelyn Mallette also helped, but UFV’s 22 to seven turnovers in addition to Jenna Harpe’s 20 points meant that UFV would have to look for the weekend tie the following night.

The following night yielded the rematch between the two teams, with UFV looking to repair their offensive mistakes and Alberta looking to do the same, as both teams shot poorly from the field the night prior. Turnovers were crucial for

the Cascades — another key point was ball control, especially against a team like Alberta who seemingly thrives on the fast break.

The first quarter was quite close, with a score of 20-16 for the Pandas. The first half of the second quarter was a rough one for UFV. Alberta seemed to have them beat both offensively and defensively, and the foul calls were beginning to add up for the Cascades. But the tide shifted once the Cascades were able to get the ball up the floor and through what at times appeared to be a full-court press by the Pandas. They reeled the game into reach by half time, with only a six-point deficit heading into the third quarter.

The second half began and so did the fouls for UFV, who otherwise had begun to correct some of the mistakes from the previous game. Points from the free-throw line benefited Alberta, who’s defence helped keep the Cascades to only eight points in the third quarter.

Down 17 points and in foul trouble, UFV needed a big push to get the game close.

UFV’s #5 Victoria Jacobse had some big morale plays for the Cascades but fouled out of the game. Eventually so would Cascades #15 Katelyn Mallette; both players finished with 12 points each as well as six and seven rebounds respectively. Ultimately, the Cascades fell to the Pandas by a score of 69-56.

Despite a rough weekend for the squad, the UFV Cascades will take to the road to face the MacEwan Griffins next weekend and look to bring their record to .500 before their next set of home games; a doable task for a team that despite losing twice, showed a lot of heart and skill over the weekend.

UFV Cascades Sports Scores Nov. 5 – Nov. 10, 2018 Men’s Basketball Game/Date: UFV Versus ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS Nov. 9th, 2018 Result: Loss (69-99) Game/Date: UFV Versus ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS Nov. 10th, 2018 Result: Win (80-73) Women’s Basketball Game/Date: UFV Versus ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS Nov. 9th, 2018 Result: Loss ((61-69) Game/Date: UFV Versus ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS Nov. 10th, 2018 Result: Loss (56-69)

UFV Basketball //

UFV men’s basketball weekend recap:

Cascades recover from defeat, shock the fifth-ranked Alberta Golden Bears in wild series of games ALEXANDER JESUS SPORTS WRITER

This weekend, fans were given quite the matchup when the Alberta Golden Bears came to take on the UFV Cascades in back-toback games. The men’s team had quite a back-and-forth weekend, full of ups and downs but never lacking in action.

UFV’s #9 Andrew Morris made the first basket of the game by overpowering his defender, but The Golden Bears’ speed was something to behold as Golden Bears #2 Tyus Jefferson ran the point and their wing players used both the fast break and screens to get open and shoot. The Cascades slow start wasn’t so concerning, but the Golden Bears’ offence was.

Down 14 points, heading into the second quarter, Alberta refused to slow down. UFV called

a timeout when the score was 3212, a tough break for the Cascades who were down 20. By the time Alberta called their second timeout of the quarter, the lead was 25 points and the Golden Bears were switching and rotating so well, UFV wound up going 0-15 from the three-point line in the first half. The game really got out of control when Golden Bears #14 Brody Clarke completed a poster dunk.

The score at the half was 50-25 for Alberta.

Though the first half was rough it wasn’t all bad for the Cascades.

Andrew Morris went 4-6 from the field and Vick Toor was a noticeable force for the Cascades going 4-9 and providing some needed hustle for the team. However, the team would need to shoot much better if they had any plans of getting back in the game.

The third quarter was more of the same, and when the Cascades called timeout with a score of 63-32, it wasn’t looking good for UFV. As the game went on, the physicality increased between the teams, as did the score. It wouldn’t be enough however, as Alberta didn’t go a quarter without scoring at least 24 points, and beat the Cascades by a whopping 30-point margin. With the game score at 99-69 for the Golden Bears, it was evident UFV needed a new approach going into Saturday’s rematch.

That rematch signaled the turning point for UFV. With arguably the team’s most vicious offensive player Sukhjot Bains back in the lineup after sitting out Friday due to injury, the team was completely changed. When Alberta called the first timeout of the game, the score read 7-0 for

UFV. At that point it became apparent the Golden Bears weren’t perfect; the Cascades had a shot.

UFV head coach Adam Friesen coached with a combination of captivating rage and passion, demanding his players take the Golden Bears low and use their size to their advantage. Coach Friesen was right, and UFV rose to the call. The Cascades led after the first quarter 22-12 and just like that, the game was wide open.

The second quarter saw UFV’s offence slow slightly, and Alberta began to pick up their scoring.

Coach Friesen was having none of it, calling for less turnovers and more rebounding. The Cascades outscored the Golden Bears, but only by two points. Despite the surge from the Golden Bears, UFV shot a remarkable 57.1 per cent from the field and 53.8

per cent from distance in the first half. Going into the second half, one question remained: could the Cascades keep up their level of play, and upset the fifth-ranked Golden Bears?

The third quarter went well for the Cascades, who outscored the Golden Bears yet again, but turnovers by UFV kept Alberta in the game. The fourth quarter saw the lead reduced for UFV by a push from Alberta to make the score even. The Cascades stuck together through the Golden Bears’ surge, and upon a clutch offensive rebound from Andrew Morris, they went on to complete the upset as UFV beat Alberta by a score of 80-73.

The Cascades will look to ride the momentum of their big win when they go on the road to face the MacEwan Griffins this weekend.

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CULTURE

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2018

culture@ufvcascade.ca Cassie de Jong — Culture Editor

UFV Graphic Design //

UFV art gallery hosts design program info session gallery EDINA BALINT NEWS WRITER

The design department at UFV hosted its annual information session in the S’eliyemetaxwtexw Art Gallery on the evening of Tuesday, Nov. 6. The typography included letters construed from geometric shapes, sunflowers, and ruler lines. The urban design project focused on creating trails at Cultus Lake; in particular the assignment involved designing an effective wayfinding system for the Lakeside Trail. Also, students from the applied photography and video course GD281: Visual Themes and Narratives displayed on Instagram a series of videos about designing album covers and the process of editing photos.

A few exhibits showcased the knowledge students can obtain in areas such as fashion design, graphic and digital design, and design history. Descriptions and schematics were available on the walls for the most popular design courses, hung beside student projects. Posters revealed how Photoshop can be used to create projects that tackle social and environmental issues. Dy-

namic media, which refers to motion graphics and animation, was also advertised as an attractive career choice. At the end of the gallery on the left side wall there were portraits of famous people and characters made from numbers and letters, which could only be observed if one came very close to the artwork.

People such as Albert Einstein, and the Joker and Harley Quinn from Suicide Squad were featured among the many portraits.

Student volunteers from the design program who had organized the exhibit were present at the event. The volunteers were at the entrance of the art gallery, providing additional information about the program and handing out leaflets pertaining to the session.

This event was created to allow design students the opportunity to display their work to the public. For students that are not in the design program, this exhibit gives them the chance to find out what projects they can take part in. This yearly event has been quite successful in generating more interest in the UFV design program. However, a recent change has involved bring-

ing the design info session to the Abbotsford campus in order to make it more accessible to the majority of students who attend UFV. The graphic and digital design program provides opportunities for experiential learning and making connections outside the classroom. Pamphlets and flyers handed out at the event provided essential information for future design students regarding career outlook, program length, and entrance requirements.

There is a diploma, minor, and extended minor option available for students interested in graphic design at UFV. Since graphic design is a creative field of study, students are also expected to submit a portfolio in the application process which requires 10 to 15 pieces of creative work.

The guidelines for the portfolio submission state that the portfolio should showcase the use of at least three different mediums.

Creative work includes projects ranging from traditional art to digital media such as paint, pastel, photography, digital applications, publications and more.

UFV Event //

A history of erasure

Métis Awareness Day NADIA TUDHOPE STAFF WRITER

With the aim of celebrating Métis culture, UFV’s Métis Awareness Day took place in Evered Hall on Nov. 7. The event had a number of activities and entertainment, including a Métis fiddler, a jigging presentation, storytelling, a traditional Métis lunch, and cultural crafts such as beading Métis flowers and finger weaving. Tables displayed authentic Métis artifacts including a miniature Red River cart, slippers, washing boards, tools, toys, and snowshoes. Métis Elder Joe Smith, presiding over these artifacts, happily imparted their history and significance on event attendees. As well, elders Joe Smith and Jim Middleton presented on the Métis sash and its cultural significance, and the Capote — a long coat fashioned from a wool blanket.

“Unfortunately, many people grow up, especially Métis, not having a clear view of their own identity,” said Brodie Douglas, research historian and database records clerk. “Métis Awareness Day is a chance to share who we are as a people, not just with

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non-Indigenous people, non-Métis people, but also with our own people.”

Métis Awareness Day was designed to celebrate Métis culture and promote awareness of Louis Riel Day on Nov. 16, which was created to commemorate the anniversary of the death of Métis leader Louis Riel, who was executed for treason due to his involvement in the 1885 resistance to encroachment on Métis lands.

This year’s Métis Awareness Day featured a presentation on the history of Métis people with a focus on how their history of opposition with the Canadian government has been erased.

This includes the experiences of Métis children in residential schools — in the Residential School Agreement, First Nations and Inuit peoples were compensated, but not the Métis, who suffered alongside them. According to Douglas, Canada openly went to the war with the Métis twice, and the government of Canada authorized the American military to test their weapons on the Métis.

“No one learns about our history, no one learns about our struggles, and that serves Cana-

da’s interest,” said Douglas.

This history of erasure is what makes the sharing of this culture so important. The Métis people have endured through adversity to become, according to Douglas, one of the largest Indigenous populations in Canada, with over 500,000 self-identified Métis people according to the most recent census.

However, many Métis individuals have been kept in the dark about their culture, their history, and even their identity as Métis. According to Douglas, Terry Fox — Canadian hero and cancer research activist — was Métis but never knew it, and this only came to light after his death, when his family tree was traced back to his Métis ancestors.

“Our people don’t know who we are. Canadians don’t know who we are,” Douglas stated.

This is why events like Métis Awareness Day are essential: we must learn the parts of our history that have defined our country and left their mark on members of our nation who have fought to solidify their identity and refuse to let their culture be stamped out.

Movie screening //

Doctor Zhivago Revisited DANIEL LIEBE CONTRIBUTOR

On Nov. 13, UFV hosted an event in room B101 on the Abbotsford campus from 11:30 a.m. to 2:20 p.m. The event honoured the anniversary of Boris Pasternak’s classic, Doctor Zhivago, which won the Nobel Prize in Literature 60 years ago. Various speakers were in attendance, to present on the book’s sustained relevance. Admission was free, and food was provided.

Boris Pasternak is often considered to be one of the most influential Russian writers of all time, and one of the most important writers of the 20th century.

In relation to Russian writers, he ranks up there with Vladimir Nabokov and Leo Tolstoy.

On account of being one of the greatest writers of the 20th century, Pasternak resides amongst Hemingway and Capote.

Doctor Zhivago is perhaps his greatest literary piece and one of the most significant books of its time largely due to its subject matter and impact. The great epic centres around the devastation the Russian Revolution had on people both collectively and individually. For that reason, with its in-depth approach towards the subject matter, the Soviet Union banned the book for many decades. Hollywood loved the controversy around the book and consequently decided to produce an American film adaption of the same title in 1965. The film was considered a cinematic masterpiece, won numerous Academy Awards, and is regarded to this day as one of the best films ever made.

The three main presenters on the 60th anniversary of Doctor Zhivago winning the Nobel Prize in Literature were Larissa Horne, Ron Dart, and Alan Cameron. Larissa Horne works in experiential education at UFV and discussed the overall legacy of the book; Ron Dart is an associate professor in the political science department at UFV who zeroed in on the book’s ability to transcend tribalism; Alan Cameron is an associate professor in the modern languages institute at UFV who conducted a talk on the poems of Yuri Zhivago.

All presenters demonstrated exactly how much the book has persevered through time and remained a classic. However, perhaps the most interesting focus may be the topic of tribalism in relation to Doctor Zhivago’s reception. Thomas Merton and Boris Pasternak used to correspond with one another, although their letters were commonly intercepted by outside government forces and agencies out of fear

they would indoctrinate one another. To provide context, this was during the Cold War and therefore it turned some heads to see a prominent American interact with a prominent Russian.

The example of Merton and Pasternak communicating with one another causing a stir is not the only one in existence in conjunction with Doctor Zhivago’s legacy. The film, while considered to be one of the greatest now and at the time of its release, may have won numerous Academy Awards yet was shoved aside for Best Picture by The Sound of Music. Had Doctor Zhivago been more “pro-America” in its storyline, chances are it would have won. Granted, Doctor Zhivago doesn’t sugar coat the Russian Revolution. On the other hand, it doesn’t exactly parallel The Sound of Music’s casting of shade onto the Nazis. The phenomenon of the most “proAmerican” movie winning Best Picture, especially from a militaristic approach, isn’t new. Doctor Zhivago being shoved aside

by The Sound of Music is a great testament to its tribal reception at the time of its release and a great precursor to how a similar phenomenon with other movies still takes place. History shows that so long as a contender for Best Picture portrays a previous effort of the American military in tandem with pandering to the dominant public opinion of that effort, it has a solid chance of winning. Patton and Argo are two movies that pump the proverbial tires of the American ego in relation to the Second World War and the Iranian hostage scenario that ended in the ushering in of Ronald Reagan’s rising popularity. Not surprisingly, they also happen to be Best Picture victors.

We live in an interesting time in our history in which tribalism is in full swing. There’s a massive trend of people on all ends retreating into their ideological echo chambers. Celebrating Boris Pasternak’s Doctor Zhivago serves as a great reminder to the human condition about the innate characteristics of how divisive human beings can be.

Perhaps we should all reflect on the significance of this book and remind ourselves how wrapped up we can be in our own thinking. In the age of political correctness, Trump, and social media, this exercise is more pressing and timely than ever as those three characteristics of western society currently reperpetuate a tribal phenomenon relating to pride and ideology as was seen by the advent of Doctor Zhivago.

STUDY BREAK Crossword //

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2018 Made by Cassie de Jong ACROSS

DOWN

2: A horizontal bar suspended high in the air by two ropes, and used by acrobats in a circus.

4: A region of the Atlantic Ocean in the Caribbean that includes Haiti, Jamaica, and Puerto Rico.

6: A type of very strong coffee made by forcing steam through ground coffee beans.

8: A candy made by boiling together sugar and butter, which softens when sucked on or chewed.

10: A plant of the mint family that is irresistible to cats.

11: A hot tool used to straighten human hair.

12: A meeting at an agreed time and place 13: Feeling sick to your stomach, accompanied by a loathing for food.

1: An iconic, giant, wrought iron lattice structure in Paris.

2: A historic castle located on the north bank of the River Thames that historically housed England’s crown jewels.

3: A condition where uterine-lining tissue forms outside the uterus, which may result in abdominal pain, heavy periods, and infertility.​ 5: A warm, lined, human-sized pouch to sleep in when camping.

7: Large, ugly, warlike fantasy creatures that are often portrayed with greyish-green skin.

9: Wise, elusive, and graceful fantasy creatures with pointed ears and an affinity for magic.

LAST ISSUE’S

ANSWERS: Across: 1: Graffiti 4: Taffy 7: Icing 9: May 11: Tow 13: Era 15: Easel 16: Niche 17: Stockade

Down: 2: Rattlesnake 3: Idiom 5: Fiancée 6: Yeast 8: Gingerbread 10: Yolk Sac 12: Wagon 14: Atlas

Bread Crumbs

Horoscopes //

Astrological mysteries interpreted weekly by Morgana the Mystic.

Aries — Mar 21 to Apr 19 Brace yourself, Aries! This week is going to demand a lot from you. Don’t get overwhelmed by the expectations put upon you; get organized by setting some shortterm goals and sticking to them.

Leo — Jul 23 to Aug 22 If you find yourself getting discouraged this week, know that it is only temporary.

Momentary lapses in luck happen, and you’re nowhere near failure. Don’t allow any setbacks to keep you from being your naturally sunny self, Leo.

Sagittarius — Nov 22 to Dec 21 The moon is about to transfer into your sign and you’re no doubt feeling a bit more emotional because of it. Don’t let this influx of feelings stop you from committing to something; you’ve never been one to overthink and you shouldn’t start now.

Taurus — Apr 20 to May 20 If you feel like you’re being torn between work and play: choose work. Your leisure time can wait a little longer while you finish up any lingering projects. Without the weight of procrastination on your shoulders, you’ll be able to truly relax.

Virgo —Aug 23 to Sep 22 How did you manage to get stressed out about the new semester when it hasn’t even started yet? Relax, Virgo! The wrinkles in your plan will smooth themselves out … eventually.

Bring yourself back to the present, and don’t forget to enjoy it.

Capricorn — Dec 22 to Jan 19 Your hard work is about to pay off, Capricorn.

Don’t feel guilty starting your celebration a little early. Whether it be a huge group outing or a smaller affair, you’ll benefit from a muchdeserved break.

Gemini — May 21 to Jun 20 With your patron planet going into retrograde this Sunday, you may already begin to feel some growing pains. Talking it out before communication becomes near impossible will be a good way to subvert any upcoming awkwardness.

Libra — Sep 23 to Oct 22 You may be feeling a little nervous. This week is all about making decisions and sticking to them — and that’s something you were never particularly good at. Trust your gut for once, Libra; deep down, you know what it is that you want.

Aquarius — Jan 20 to Feb 18 Leaving stuff until the last minute is your specialty. While it’s a talent many wish they had, your bad habit is bound to catch up with you. Avoid the stress of an impending deadline later on; start an assignment early!

Cancer —Jun 21 to Jul 22 Speak up this week, Cancer. You’ve held your tongue for long enough and it’s about time that you share what’s been on your mind. It can be intimidating but you’ll benefit from an unbottling of the feelings you’ve been keeping inside.

Scorpio — Oct 23 to Nov 21 This week (and month) should be all about you, Scorpio. It’s not conceited to put yourself first sometimes, and you certainly deserve to reclaim the spotlight. Be upfront about what you want; people will listen.

Pisces — Feb 19 to Mar 20 Is something from the past bothering you?

Resolution doesn’t always happen the way we want it to and you may be feeling like things have been left unfinished. Try to tie up any loose ends before they unravel your carefullyconstructed progress.

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ARTS

VOL. 26 // ISSUE 29

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2018

arts@ufvcascade.ca Martin Castro — Arts Editor

Album Review //

CHARTS 1

Stephen Carl O’Shea & Sylvia Platters Shadow Steps (split)

2

Single Mothers Through A Wall

3

Miya Folick Premonitions

4

Jock Tears Bad Boys

5

Ian William Craig Thresholder

6

Homeshake Like Mariah (single)

7

Pill Soft Hell

8

BadBadNotGood, Thundercat, Flying Lotus King of the Hill (single)

9

Autogramm What R U Waiting 4?

10

Art d’Ecco Trespasser

11

Those Who From Heaven To Earth Came Prisma Coloured (Single)

12

Eamon McGrath Tantramar

13

Christ Air Christ Air EP Radiant Baby

14 Do It (Single)

SHUFFLE AARON LEVY

CONSPIRACY THEORIST

The Prince of Parody has announced his impending arrival in Abbotsford next summer, and in honour of this momentous occasion, CIVL Station Manager Aaron Levy feels the need to represent here a series of other people’s songs, sung by... well, other people.

Mo — “Redbone” A succinct revisioning of this Childish Gambino classic, wherein the Atlanta actor/writer and intergalactic card shark impersonator, Donald Glover, implores us to “Stay Woke” and not to close our eyes, amidst authentic and meticulous 1970s-style sounds, harmonies, beats, and keys. This version eschews the excellent breakdown though.

Post Malone — “Return of the Mack” My favourite song performed by this artist by more than a few parsecs, it appeared as a finale to the Seth Rogen Christmas special for Alzheimer’s awareness last year, and features Craig Robinson from The Office as Paul Schaefer on keys and leading the band. Best. Post Malone Recording. Ever. Legit.

Weird Al — “Ode to a Superhero” I’m a huge fan of the original piano ballad by Billy Joel, who, if you pay attention to local standup comic legend Harry Doupe’s recent material, used to finish shows with the charming phrase “Don’t take shit from anybody,” and of course, Weird Al can only make songs better than before.

15

Nancy Pants Psychic Slush

16

Folly and the Hunter Remains

Ke$ha and Friends — “Dead Flowers”

17

Dirty Projectors (I Wanna) Feel It All feat.

Dear Nora [single]

Obviously Ke$ha is quite fond of the Rolling Stones, and perhaps more specifically lead singer Mick Jagger, whose name is “checked” in Ke$ha’s breakout hit “Tick Tock,” but here she is, with a lady friend strummin’ on guitar, singin’ Keef and Mick like it’s everyone there’s serious business.

Mother Mother

18 Dance and Cry 19

Thom Yorke Suspiria

20

Did You Die Royal Unicorn

14

Waking up on the wrong side of the Heart Shaped Bed

CHANDY DANCEY CONTRIBUTOR

In 2012 Nicole Dollanganger gained traction as a musician with a soft voice that would sing the darkest or most sexual of lyrics as though they were lullabies. At the time, she also lacked experience playing the guitar and piano, and came up with her background music by playing around, recording entire albums using just a webcam microphone. She didn’t follow norms or rules, and I became hooked instantly. Once a niche artist, she’s risen in popularity and recently released Heart Shaped Bed under Crystal Math Music/Eerie Organization, an artist co-op founded by Grimes.

Unfortunately, fans will be disappointed to know there isn’t much to be excited for in Heart Shaped Bed. While Nicole seems to have access to more advanced editing equipment, it isn’t polished or used in a way that enhances the listening experience — not to mention that four of the 10 tracks released are re-recorded, older singles which manage to be less powerful than the originals, and that the lyrics of the new songs seem void of the depth and emotional punch she possessed in her past work. As a whole, Heart Shaped Bed fails to take the Nicole Dollanganger brand to the next level.

The album opens to the haunting melody of “Uncle,” a re-recording that maintains a similar somber note as its predecessor, setting high expectations. This song I have no qualms with; it’s classic Nicole and we’ve heard it before.

It sets the tone nicely for the album and paints the picture of a young, yearning girl with a penchant for unhealthy love.

Eventually the album hits “Lemonade,” another rerecording, which is a massive miss because of its wasted potential. It features the echoing of every second lyric within a verse, which is distracting at best and irritating at worst, as well as a musical switch to an electric guitar solo before fading out. When listened back-to-back with the original recording of the same song, I do agree the new album does more to spruce up the otherwise plain sounding track, but it doesn’t sound cohesive and ends up taking away from the experience.

The next big song that’s supposed to leave a lasting effect on us is “Heart Shaped Bed,” but lyrically, it’s a weak song compared even within the album to “Lemonade” or “Chapel.” There’s so much repetition of empty thoughts already expressed better by the aforementioned songs, and

overall it lacks the emotional punch Dollanganger usually packs. A lyrical trend in all of her past work was that her music would make the listener feel uncomfortable or dirty even, while sounding comforting. (An example being that the track “Uncle” had the original song name “I.S.W.M.U.O.M.W.N.,” or “I Slept With My Uncle On My Wedding Night.”) While some tracks manage to maintain this legacy, it’s a letdown that the album’s named after a song that feels like the equivalent of a sigh; it’s too safe. The instrumental aspect at this point becomes repetitive and boring. Don’t be surprised if you have a difficult time telling a few of the tracks apart from one another.

While new fans might be impressed by Heart Shaped Bed, mostly because of the novelty of Nicole Dollanganger’s voice and lyrics, it’s unfortunately a disappointment in comparison to her earlier work. Natural Born Losers, released in 2015, replaced soft piano and guitar accompaniment in favour of electric guitars, drums, and bass lines. It was a novel sound for her, but it worked. The fact of the matter is, Dollanganger can and has done better. She’s made her heart shaped bed, but she shouldn’t just lie in it.

ARTS

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2018

Album Review//

Kurt Vile’s Bottle It In: a dizzy musing on existence “One Trick Ponies.” Vile also seems to be concerned with mysticism and the spiritual side of life on Bottle it In. Although many of his remarks on the album suggest that Vile feels bound to a pointless existence, there are instances in which he includes references to the power of the mystical.

Subject matter on the 13-track LP ranges from death and family detachment in “Cold Was The Wind,” to recurring druginduced hallucinations in “Mutinies.” At times, the songs on the album are difficult to follow and analyze for a deeper meaning because the lyrics come off as confused and senseless. Feelings of dread and anxiety dominate these two tracks, but Vile appears sincere in his portrayal of the past. However, this distorted message blends well with the psychedelic rock melodies reflecting the rock music of the 1960s.

High pitched vocals in the

EDINA BALINT NEWS WRITER

Bottle It In, Kurt Vile’s recentlyreleased psychedelic folk-rock album, is full of tracks that are meditative and sedative in nature, especially 10-minute-long “Skinny Mini.” The slow pace and the constant rhythm of some songs on Bottle It In is likely to daze some listeners.

Since first releasing music with The War on Drugs in 2005, Vile’s own style has transformed from Bob Dylan-esque lyrics and melodies to dreamy pop/rock.

Vile quit the group shortly after he joined it to focus more on his solo career and has experienced great success through this endeavour. Bottle It In, Vile’s seventh album, was recorded on the road. The distracted and drifting thoughts of a nonchalant traveler make their way through sporadic lyrics and repetitive guitar riffs on tracks like “Yeah Bones” and

chorus of “Come Again” and vibrant banjos create a folksy atmosphere. Descriptions of scenery and setting are omnipresent on the track “Bas sackw ards,” where Vile jumps from promenading on the beach to exploring the surface of the moon.

“Loading Zones,” the first track on the record, is one of the more memorable songs on the album both musically and lyrically. Both nostalgic and energetic, the track, on which Vile reflects on driving around his hometown and living a minimalist lifestyle, is made especially captivating by upbeat acoustic guitar melodies and a catchy chant of “I park for free!”

Bottle It In is a pensive, although sometimes scatterbrained album. Most tracks discuss serious, if vague, issues that affect us all, such as death and existential dread. Nevertheless, Vile approaches these matters in a disconnected manner as his repetitive lyrics and frequent

monotone vocals reveal. The folk-rock melodies on the album complement Vile’s voice very well. As a singer-songwriter, Vile manages to retain the intimacy between himself and his audi-

ence through his candour. Albeit Bottle It In is lengthy at 13 tracks, it manages to keep listeners’ attention and elicits in us a desire to interpret the confusing messages behind its content.

Movie Review //

More than a song

Delving deeper into Bohemian Rhapsody EMMALINE SPENCER STAFF WRITER

Bohemian Rhapsody, directed by Bryan Singer, focuses on the origin of English rock band, Queen, though much of the film centres on lead singer Freddie Mercury, who is portrayed by Rami Malek. Beginning before Mercury changed his name, the film tells the story of how he ended up joining Smile, the band which we now know as Queen.

The film goes into details about Mercury’s life including how he legally changed his name, his short-lived engagement to Mary Austin, his comingout story, and his foray into solo musicianship. However, the film should not entirely be taken as actual truth of Mercury’s life or the band’s history. As most biographical movies go, this one also has its inaccuracies. There are two big changes the movie made to Queen’s story, over which the film received considerable backlash from critics. Before the 1985 release of Mr. Bad Guy, Mercury’s solo debut, drummer Roger Taylor had already released two of his own solo records: one in 1981 and another in 1984. Aside from this, the film distorts

the timeline of Mercury’s HIV-positive diagnosis. In the film, Mercury uses the knowledge of his HIV as a way to reaffirm the band’s decision to reunite right before the 1985 Live Aid benefit performance to raise relief funds for the 1983 – 85 Ethiopian famine. The truth of the matter is that there was no diagnosis until 1987, two years after the Live Aid performance had taken place.

The biographical film has been a long time in the making, but has it met all of the hype, and respected the true story of Queen? The movie was by all means entertaining and dramatic, definitely a fan favourite, but it failed to live up to the greatness of Queen and the title song, Bohemian Rhapsody.”

It filled the requirement of having an assortment of Queen songs, but there is certainly a need to acknowledge the inaccuracies included in the film and how they were presented. Another big critique over the film is how Mercury’s sexuality was shown. His sexual promiscuity in the film is formed in such a way that it is assumed to be the reason Mercury had HIV and died.

Within the movie, the first half seems to have some focus on Mercury being heterosexual and dating Mary

Austin. However, part way through the film, Paul Prenter, Mercury’s manager, kisses Mercury out of the blue.

Mercury’s sexuality is portrayed as something thrust upon him rather than something he discovered himself. Furthermore, the film chooses to overwrite the fact that Mercury wasn’t a homosexual or heterosexual, he was a bisexual. It’s unfortunate that the movie would choose to present such a big part of Mercury’s life in such a way.

At the end of the day, if you are just looking for a film with some good music and want to know a little about the band Queen, this biographical movie is definitely one to check out, though you need to be able to overlook the errors in it. The movie held an exciting plot line despite it not being completely true, but the movie is only based off a true story anyway. Despite the historical inaccuracies, the performance by Rami Malek (Freddie Mercury) was incredible. Of course he didn’t hold the same aura that drew people to Queen like the real Mercury did, but that was what made Mercury so special to begin with.

“...romantic complications and a rich array of subsidiary characters make the play such a delight” ~The Edmonton Sun

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