The Cascade Vol. 22 No. 21

Vol. 22 Issue 21

September 10, 2014 to September 16, 2014

Harbouring the best-dressed gentlemen of UFV since 1993

UFV art students on how they

Find What Works p. 10-11

ufvcascade.ca

2

NEWS News

4

Opinion

8

Culture

12

Arts in Review

16

Sports & Health

19

News

Briefs

Abbotsford hosts economic summit Abbotsford hosted an economic summit this week featuring Bill Good, formerly of CKNW radio; local MP Ed Fast; and president and CEO of Kinder Morgan Ian Anderson. UFV president and vice-chancellor Mark Evered also spoke at the event. The event was hosted at the Abbotsford Centre, featuring local businesses and a Fraser Valley mayor’s panel. Stay tuned for our coverage in next week’s issue!

Debate: did Jesus exist?

On September 20, the Fraser Valley Atheists, Skeptics and Humanists and the BC Humanists will present a respectful, thought-provoking debate between Michael Horner and Dr. Richard Carrier on the historicity of Jesus.

The event will be held in B101 from 2-5 p.m. General admission $5; students and seniors free. More information is available at fvash.com.

Nurses-to-be follow moms-to-be UFV nursing students are “shadowing” expecting mothers while they study the theory of maternity nursing. Students will follow parents residing in the Fraser Valley and Metro Vancouver to doctor appointments, prenatal classes, and be present for labour and delivery. Students are encouraged to meet with parents and learn through about the experience from the patient’s perspective.

Have a news tip?

Let us know!

Email news@ufvcascade.ca or tweet @CascadeNews

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2014 www.ufvcascade.ca

Science on Purpose

Jeffrey Trainor has all the details on the invention of the GravityLight, a light powered by – you guessed it – gravity.

STRRRRRRIIIKE! The meaning of the word “strike” goes beyond the mere actions of a teachers’ plea for an increased salary. Columnist Repp Porter sheds light on the BC teacher’s strike. You won’t want to miss this!

Planning a night out on the town – this town Want to take your sweetheart out without blowing the bank on gas money, Port Mann tolls, and downtown parking? Nadine Moedt offers advice on how to plan a fun, sweet date that celebrates all the good things Abbotsford has to offer.

At the Venue with Swans – the band, not the birds

The loud experimental rock band came to Vancouver last week and rocked Granville (although we’re still trying to get over the ringing in our ears).

Salt gets a second chance

Is salt really all that bad for you? And are all salts created equal? Brittney Hensman takes a closer look at the much-maligned mineral.

Come to campus, get candy, then go home KATIE STOBBART

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

How do I get other students to give a shit about any of this?

Most students running clubs or organizations on campus will likely agree this is an essential question: one that makes or breaks everything a group is trying to accomplish.

If not, I’d like to know your secret.

This week I spent a couple hours at a table at U-Join to talk to students about The Cascade, to encourage them to contribute, and to meet our readership in person. I know from being on the other side of the table that matching names to faces can go a long way, but I left the event feeling a little disheartened. Maybe the middle of a warm, sunny Monday afternoon is not a high-traffic time on the Green, or maybe people have already stopped attending their Monday classes, but I only had three visitors. Tables with candy and ice cream on offer seemed to fare a little better, which is no surprise, but still — how many students were just there for the sweet stuff?

At least The Cascade has the benefit of a weekly publicaVolume 22 · Issue 21 Room C1027 33844 King Road Abbotsford, BC V2S 7M8 604.854.4529 Editor-in-Chief katie@ufvcascade.ca Katie Stobbart Managing Editor valerie@ufvcascade.ca Valerie Franklin Director of Business Development joe@ufvcascade.ca Joe Johnson Webmaster ashley@ufvcascade.ca Ashley Mussbacher Copy Editor kodie@ufvcascade.ca Kodie Cherrille

Image: drocpsu/Flickr

This reluctance to foster community on campus is a bad habit for well-educated people to carry into the world beyond. tion — something tangible to set out on tables and in racks around campus to prove we exist, that we’re part of student life here. But after seeing referendums with a miserably low voter turnout, and attending event after event with the same dozen people running the show and filling the seats, I have to wonder: are students part of student life here?

I remember walking through a crowd of students at my first U-Join, trying to peer between people crowded around one table or another, and getting the sense that university was a place that had

its own community, its own unique flavour. Maybe I’ve become too cynical, but now I feel more like I’m trying to extract that flavour from a stone.

I see small groups of students trying (and some succeeding, despite the lack of interest from their peers) to make an impact.

This reluctance to foster community on campus is a bad habit for well-educated people to carry into the world beyond.

A little over 20 years ago, The Cascade published a full page of letters to the editor. Some discussed the lack of support

News Editor megan@ufvcascade.ca Megan Lambert

Production Assistant shyanne@ufvcascade.ca Shyanne Schedel

Opinion Editor brittney@ufvcascade.ca Brittney Hensman

Varsity Writer nathan@ufvcascade.ca Nathan Hutton

Culture Editor nadine@ufvcascade.ca Nadine Moedt

Staff Writer breckles@ufvcascade.ca Taylor Breckles

Arts Editor sasha@ufvcascade.ca Sasha Moedt Sports Editor catherine@ufvcascade.ca Catherine Stewart Production and Design Editor stewart@ufvcascade.ca Stewart Seymour Art Director anthony@ufvcascade.ca Anthony Biondi

Contributors Dessa Bayrock, Vanessa Broadbent, Martin Castro, Alayne Cheny, Olivia Federeau, Remington Fioraso, Jeremy Hannaford, Ashley Hayes, Riley Nowlan, Alex Rake, Tori Thistlethwaite, Jeffrey Trainor Cover image: Anthony Biondi

for gay and lesbian students, others responded briefly to articles in the news and opinion sections, and still more discussed things they had seen in local or provincial papers. Now we’re happy to get more than one or two letters in a semester, sometimes none from students. I also can’t recall the last time I heard of a letter campaign urging governments to embrace political or social change.

Maybe it’s a product of the time: letter campaigns, like social media donation blitzes, ignite briefly and flicker out.

But letter-writing is another way we participate in community as well as exercise our political power. The people who are in a position to make decisions at any level, whether they are part of the Student Union Society or university governance, don’t know what you want, need, or care about without your feedback.

This paper is not meant to be just the voice of staff and regular contributors. It’s supposed to be a place for your voice — but that’s something we can’t accomplish without you.

C’mon, Shoeless Joe. Your baseball field is right here.

Printed By International Web exPress The Cascade is UFV’s autonomous student newspaper. It provides a forum for UFV students to have their journalism published. It also acts as an alternative press for the Fraser Valley. The Cascade is funded with UFV student funds. The Cascade is published every Wednesday with a circulation of 1500 and is distributed at UFV campuses and throughout Abbotsford, Chilliwack, and Mission. The Cascade is a member of the Canadian University Press, a national cooperative of over 50 university and college newspapers from Victoria to St. John’s. The Cascade follows the CUP ethical policy concerning material of a prejudicial or oppressive nature.

Submissions are preferred in electronic format through e-mail. Please send submissions in “.txt” or “.doc” format only.

Articles and letters to the editor must be typed. The Cascade reserves the right to edit submissions for clarity and length. The Cascade will not print any articles that contain racist, sexist, homophobic or libellous content. The writer’s name and student number must be submitted with each submission. Letters to the editor must be under 250 words if intended for print. Only one letter to the editor per writer in any given edition.

Opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect that of UFV, Cascade staff and collective, or associated members.

3

NEWS

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2014 www.ufvcascade.ca

UFV’s 40th anniversary celebrated with corn maze JEREMY HANNAFORD

CONTRIBUTOR

One field at the Chilliwack Corn Maze and Pumpkin Farm looks a little greener and leafier this year: UFV’s logo is featured as part of the corn maze this year as part of the university’s 40th anniversary celebrations. On September 3, UFV president Mark Evered invited university officials and the press to an early showing of the maze.

The maze will open to the public on September 13 with an admission price of $10.

UFV director of advancement Hilary Beard said the proceeds go directly to students in the form of the Changing Lives, Building Communities scholarship endowment.

“It is an endowment set up specifically to fund multiple awards for our students,” Beard noted, and went on to thank sponsors, Peterbilt Pacific and Fraserway RV, as well as the Chilliwack Corn Maze itself. “They enjoy partnering with us, we enjoy partnering with them, and then other funding is coming from our sponsors.”

Evered expanded on the significance of the partnership to UFV in the community.

“This farm illustrates important elements of agricul-

UFV’s logo was etched into the cornfield and is now visible from the air. ture and agri-tourism … what a great way to promote agriculture and this year, the 40 years of success of the University of the Fraser Valley,” Evered said.

This effect was made visible from above to attendees of the showing, who got a bird’s-eye view thanks to Chinook Helicopters. Pilot Cathy Press gave passengers a five-minute glimpse of the maze with

UFV’s logo.

The process of making the maze takes a few days to complete. Lloyd Taekema, an employee at the corn maze, explained how it works.

“We do it when the corn is small,” Lloyd stated. “They come with three guys and [plot the maze] in six hours.

They’ll put little flags every so many rows, then we plant them to make it easier to

count rows. From there, they put a dye down and I go over it with my tractor … it takes me about three days to go over the maze.”

John Bruinsma, who owns the corn maze with his wife Diane, said that when the maze began, they did not know what to expect.

“When we started this 16 years ago, we didn’t know where this was going,” he

Image: UFV flickr

said. “We’ve seen lots of trends, lots of people, and I think there’s an analogy there that points toward UFV. When they started, they didn’t really know where they were going [either] … there is a maze analogy in there, too, because you still don’t know where you’re going — you’re searching and finding.”

Bridging UFV and China with wood-frame program ALEX RAKE

CONTRIBUTOR

UFV is building new connections with China with what BC knows best: wood.

In August, the UFV Trades and Technology Centre hosted 16 Chinese industry and postsecondary instructors for a three-week intensive training program on wood-frame construction. This program was executed by Canada Wood — an organization formed to represent wood industry interests — in order to train instructors in wood-frame technology and open up the softwood lumber market to China.

John English, dean of the faculty of applied and technical studies, said in the last 15 years the provincial government has been trying to open up China as a market for softwood lumber in order to “decouple themselves a bit from the US market.” He noted Canada Wood partnered with UFV

Image: UFV flickr

UFV and China are partnering through Canada Wood to promote the lumber industry through trades training. because of its existing connection to the industry, teaching carpenters, electricians, architectural technicians, and others involved in wood-frame construction.

English also went on to describe the benefits of woodframe construction, explain-

ing that it goes beyond the frame.

“Wood-frame is very seismically stable, it’s environmentally efficient, [and] it’s energy efficient,” he said. “[It’s a] system designed as a whole; not just the frame, but the waterproofing, the maintenance,

the use of particular cuts of wood ... in the design of the house.” According to English, China’s adoption of this technology is a smart move, as its concrete or brick buildings do not stand up as well to earthquakes.

Thanks to the successful summer enrolment, English is certain UFV will continue to offer the program, although in the future he would “like to do it more during the semester time so our students and their students ... can interact.”

Prior to the program, Canada Wood sent two UFV instructors to Deyang, a city in China’s Sichuan province, to teach. According to English, this has led to offers “to have some of our regular students go to China and learn the regular program in the Chinese institution in an effort to get some interaction going.”

English sees these partnerships with China as more than just a way to open markets.

Having witnessed first-hand the aftermath of the 2008

earthquake in Sichuan, he feels that there is humanitarian potential in this kind of program.

“I think that just the very idea that we have our faculty and students potentially interacting with people in China opens up a worldview that otherwise you just don’t get when you take a trade program ... [it would be] a cultural experience, a social experience, as well as a technical one.”

“We kind of think of international exchanges and opportunities as more associated with other kinds of programming than in the trades,” he continued. “The trades can partake in a larger worldview ... It’s an education, as opposed to simply being trained.”

Kerry Haggkvist, program manager at Canada Wood, noted that “UFV is laying the foundation to attract new students, provide training to staff in China, create satellite campuses, and exchange knowledge and ideas with a whole new set of partners.”

4

NEWS

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2014 www.ufvcascade.ca

Science on Purpose

Gravity-powered lights pull in plenty of interest JEFFREY TRAINOR

CONTRIBUTOR

If there is one thing the world truly has in abundance, it’s gravity — and the creators behind the gravity-powered light known as GravityLight are looking to tap into it as a plentiful and renewable energy source.

The concept of creating energy through human motion isn’t new — simply look to wind-up clocks and watches — but the idea of using gravity is unique.

Inventors Martin Riddiford and Jim Reeves came up with the idea while taking a challenge set up by the charity SolarAid. The challenge was to create an LED lantern that could compete with kerosene lamps for under $6. Riddiford and Reeves wanted to create something that emitted highquality luminosity, but at the same time was cheap and easy to operate.

As explained on GravityLight’s website, the lamp “gen-

Image: Wikipedia

The GravityLight creates kinetic energy from dropped weight. erates energy out of a small bag that can be filled with any type of debris.” This could be

rocks, sand, or rice, for example. “Once this weight’s been lifted up by human

force, gravity begins to act on the weight, slowly pushing it downward, creating kinetic

energy which turns a small set of gears, converting the kinetic energy into electrical energy.” One lift of the weight can create anywhere between 12 and 28 minutes of light.

The GravityLight is a way for people to bring electricity and light with them anywhere. For example, if you brought one along while camping, it would mean you wouldn’t have to fumble around with batteries and a flashlight at 3 a.m.

However, this technology could also have a great impact on developing countries with unstable or unreliable energy sources, and would benefit from this easy-to-manage light source. With a target goal of $6 per unit, the GravityLight could be easily distributed to nations affected by natural disasters, war, or disease.

With a large run of GravityLights hitting production in 2015, we could all be gravitating towards this renewable energy source in the near future.

New beers for a new year

AfterMath reopens for the new semester with to-go items and an expanded drink menu VANESSA BROADBENT

CONTRIBUTOR

AfterMath, the restaurant and bar located in UFV’s Envision Athletics Centre, has reopened after undergoing changes which include new menu items, promotions, and events.

Restaurant manager Adi Brar explains that one of the new changes at AfterMath is the speed of service.

“We had some feedback that the service was slightly slow. The menu has changed to make it much faster,” he says. The new menu includes a grab-and-go section of readymade foods including sandwiches, pizza, and calzones.

AfterMath has also expanded its drink menu. Brar shared that they decided to carry imported beer to appeal to a larger variety of students.

“One suggestion was that we should get imported beer because we have lots of international students coming,”

Image: Quinn Dombrowski/ flickr

AfterMath’s new menu includes take-out options for students who need to eat on the run.

Brar says. The bar now offers beers from almost all over the world, including Vancouver’s own Granville Island Brewery, which features a different beer

every season. Customers can also try the four-beer sampler, where they can try four different kinds of beer for under $8.

In addition, some of the beers

that were only available in bottles last year are now available on tap, resulting in lower prices.

Although there aren’t any

more major changes planned for the near future, Brar said they are open to feedback and ideas.

“If anything is brought to a server or a manager’s attention, we talk it over right there, discuss it among everyone and solve the issue,” Brar said. “There will definitely be constant changes as people react to things, including different promotions and menu foods.”

AfterMath will also host more shows this year. The campus lounge often features local bands, and this semester it will be host a variety of additional events, including a comedy show on Thursday, September 11. Clubs and associations can also book AfterMath for their own functions.

“There will be a lot more events and a lot of participation from clubs and associations,” said Brar. “We’re trying to be open and friendly, and accessible to them.”

5

NEWS

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2014 www.ufvcascade.ca

ISIS recruiting is a “war of ideas” ASHLEY WADHWANI

THE OMEGA

KAMLOOPS (CUP) — After a CBC article uncovered that a former Thompson Rivers University student had apparently gone to fight with terror group ISIS, a TRU professor is asking why it happened and what can be done to stop it from happening again.

In his search for answers and in an attempt to start a dialogue, TRU political science professor Derek Cook held a forum on ISIS recruiting in the West on Thursday, Sept.

4. Cook is also the chair of the TRU Faculty Association’s human rights committee.

Collin Gordon, a TRU student up until 2009 and former member of the WolfPack men’s volleyball team, recently made headlines for joining ISIS alongside brother Gregory.

It was suggested to Cook by the university that his forum not focus on Gordon, citing privacy concerns.

ISIS has been justifying violence and mass murders as part of a religious ideology, when really, Cook said, it’s a political ideology.

Before opening the room to feedback and questions from attending students, faculty and public, Cook aimed to disillusion the extremist group’s use of religion in order to gain followers.

“The main thing I’d like to

Image: Facebook

This image was posted April 12 on Collin Gordon’s Facebook page. emphasize is that the story they’re being given — the inducements for joining — it’s a con. It’s a phony story. It’s not as advertised and people need to know that and this group needs to be confronted for what it is,” Cook said.

“So how is it that so many Western young people are joining them? Someone suggested that Western culture advocates violence; we see violence all around us. These people are simply reflecting our culture back at us.”

ISIS has used online propaganda on social media as a way to recruit. The access to that information may be doing more than just informing young people, which is a con-

cern to Annie St. John-Stark, chair of the philosophy, history and politics department.

“The Internet and social media make it very clear to us when we wouldn’t have had it clear to us 30 or 40 years ago on what is going on. I think that, in a sense, encourages the attractiveness,” St. JohnStark said. “I think that that type of access may be in general principal a good thing that we can look at all of that.

I’m not sure if there’s a way to stop that connectivity.”

“The question is if we can get into the dialogue and see if we can steer people susceptible to ISIS propaganda in a different direction, to show them that they are being

Lifesaver campaign provides funds for struggling students ASHLEY HAYES

CONTRIBUTOR

Many students are familiar with financial hardship, but sometimes circumstances make it even more difficult to make ends meet. One source of funding that eases the burden comes from the UFV lifesaver program, which allows UFV faculty, staff, and alumni to make a donation for struggling UFV students.

Since the program’s inception in 2009, it has helped 236 students by issuing emergency funds to those who demonstrated need. When students experience a sudden financial hardship, they can speak with an advisor in the financial aid office, explain their situation, and apply for emergency funds. Funds are

provided on a case-by-case basis.

Donors are able to choose one of three options as to where their donation will be allocated. The first is the UFV student emergency fund. According to the UFV website, this fund “provides financial support to students experiencing serious economic difficulties due to sudden and unexpected situation[s].”

The second option is to donate to the faculty and staff bursary, which students who demonstrate financial need can apply for each semester.

The third choice, “other funds”, contributes to existing awards or bursaries, new equipment, or library resources. Donors also have access to information online about department projects to which they may donate. These

include agriculture (farm automation equipment), theatre (theatre lighting board, digital projector and video camera), and student transitions (first-year success programs).

During the 2011 campaign, UFV matched all new funds that were donated. This year, they are asking existing donors to renew their gift, increase their donation amount, or ask friends or colleagues to match their donations.

The current “Be a Lifesaver” campaign runs until October 31, and donations can be made online.

The university advancement office said the general idea of the UFV student emergency fund is that it is a “gift” to students who are in an extreme financial situation; as such, it is not treated as a loan to be paid back.

conned,” Cook responded.

Gordon’s Twitter account shares a glimpse into the extremist culture in 140 characters or less. A tweet dating back to October 27, 2011 said “Am doing color commentary for the @TRUWOLFPACK Kamloops Volleyball Home Opener this Friday Nation wide broadcast on canadawest.tv!”

In April 2012 he began to quote the Quran, the religious text of Islam. On August 21, 2014 he tweeted “10/10. The video of James Foley losing his neck is the perfection of “Terrorism”. #IS #JamesFoley #Caliphate #Iraq #Sham #Gaza #FreeGaza,” referring to the Aug. 19 murder of U.S. journalist James Foley.

In an interview with CBC, Cook said that those attempting to communicate with Gordon over social media should be aware, as it may not be him.

“If we tried to persuade him to come back, what would happen? He’d be killed,” Cook said.

“Unfortunately, he’s lost.”

Whether the account remains Gordon’s personal account or is being used by ISIS, his story has created recent media waves. Does this coverage combat ISIS recruitment propaganda, or encourage it?

TRU journalism professor Alan Bass believes the line between reporting and aiding the spread of propaganda can be a difficult one to find.

“Where that line is drawn often depends on the gravity of the news event itself. However, I suspect mainstream media has virtually no impact on whether or not a young person (and let’s keep in mind we’re talking about a very small number of people) decides to travel halfway around the world to become a fundamentalist killer,” Bass said via email.

Greater influences might be targeted messages being delivered through fundamentalist-controlled social media and Internet recruiting sites, he added.

The forum ended with a message from Cook in reflection of our own political system.

“It has to be more than a military response. It has to be a fight of belief systems. It has to be showing young people who want to do something about injustice that their concerns are recognized,” Cook said.

“This is a war of ideas. And it needs to be taken on by those who engage in ideas, like universities and colleges, so that we can stop the tide of young people who are headed towards ISIS,” Cook said.

“Once they get under ISIS, they do what they’re told or they get killed.”

U-Join introduces new students to campus clubs MARTIN CASTRO

CONTRIBUTOR

If you walked through the Green on Monday, you may have come away with handfuls of candy, free UFV swag, and your name on more than a few membership lists. The annual U-Join event brought booths belonging to various UFV clubs and associations in an attempt to make new and returning students aware of the extra-curricular activities they might partake in while at UFV. “From Weeks of Welcome [events including U-Join], I’ve signed up about 25 people,” noted CIVL manager Aaron Levy. “I don’t know how many people will end up volunteering with [CIVL] properly.”

Levy observed that only a fraction of the people who

sign up during U-Join and similar events end up volunteering for CIVL on a regular basis.

“What really will make a difference is students being on campus a lot, which they’re not,” Levy continued. He went on to say that students who are interested in being involved will do so regardless of what events are held.

SUS engagement officer Derrick Swallow, who helped organize the event, said that student reception to U-Join has been quite positive so far.

“It’s not always easy to get connected at UFV, so having everything out on one location really helps people see what’s happening.”

Swallow went on to say that as long as there is an increase in student participation, then SUS has reached its goal.

6

OPINION

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2014 www.ufvcascade.ca

SNAPSHOTS

Technology takeaway

Curtailed commentary on current conditions

Earlier is better

Jeffrey Trainor Concerts are the epitome of a musical experience. The thrill of hearing, feeling, and grooving to your favourite artists’ tracks in a mob-like environment elevates your understanding of the art and taps into a very primal aspect of human nature.

However, when you go to a concert nowadays, you will see a plethora of people holding up tablets and phones during this primitive ceremony. These social media junkies are determined to record the performance or take a picture to share on Instagram before partaking in a truly natural social experience — the concert itself. It’s impossible to ignore the fact that we live in an age of social media, but really, must we document and photograph every second of our lives for our online followers?

It seems the driving motivation behind all this boasting is to create jealousy, which is absolutely ridiculous. If you are living your life to create a cool online portfolio, then you aren’t really living at all. So please, put the phone or tablet away and just enjoy the show. We’d all appreciate it and I’m sure you would too.

Christy Clark isn’t Umbridge

Native ads freak me out

Olivia Federeau

Dessa Bayrock

Megan Lambert

While the negative impacts of working at a certain coffee mega-chain grow daily (namely my dwindling respect for the general public), I have to admit there is a significant benefit to my job besides free coffee.

I’ve been converted to a morning person.

Naturally, this may not strike most people as an appealing or beneficial job characteristic, and truth be told, I would often prefer to trade my 4:30 a.m. opening shift with a coworker. But with the help of more than a little caffeine I have seen the light and have become a more productive person because of it. I’ve traded in my late nights of Pinterest and Netflix for early mornings with my French press, a good book (or textbook, depending on the week), and a hot, homemade breakfast. And yes, all before an 8:30 a.m. Monday class.

So the next time you curse those brighteyed, bushy-tailed keeners arriving early for class and looking quite put-together, remember: it’s not too late for you to make the switch. You might even get a good parking spot.

For the most part I whole-heartedly agree with what I’m seeing from this teachers’ strike.

Students are rising up. Teachers are rising up. Parents are rising up. And I agree with them. The school system needs help.

A lot of people are frustrated. A lot of people are angry. Hell, I’m one of them. But there’s a trend I’m starting to see that really, truly bothers me.

Let’s get one thing straight: Christy Clark is not an evil woman. And attacking her character is not the way to bring the strike to an end.

Is she the devil? No. Are she and Hogwarts’ Professor Umbridge twin sisters? No. This strike is ultimately about the students — and do we really want to show them that problems are solved through rudeness, bullying, and personal attacks?

Criticize the government all you like, but Christy Clark isn’t a fairytale villain — and we should stop treating her like one.

Native advertising is the new superbug of marketing. Companies harvest the information you provide to social media accounts, then concoct sneaky advertisements suggested for you based on your demographic. I was scrolling down my Facebook news feed recently, and a brand was advertising a T-shirt appealing to employees of the department store I work for.

I totally loved the shirt, but that’s not the point. Normally I’d just accept it ... after all, the point of a company is to sell you stuff, right? However, native advertising is also changing the way we look at news. Articles “promoted” or “sponsored” by companies completely oppose the idea of unbiased journalism. This is scary because the information is seamlessly blended among “real” articles. Will people know to screen every webpage looking for a hoodwinking? Apparently money can buy you everything — including the truth.

“The Fappening” and the obsession with celebrity ASHLEY HAYES

CONTRIBUTOR

Though it may seem like there are new celebrity scandals on a near-daily basis, the “Fappening” — as it is being referred to on Reddit — takes the cake when it comes to controversy. On August 31 an anonymous source released nude photos of Jennifer Lawrence and Kate Upton, among over a hundred other female celebrities. Since this scandal broke, there have been numerous theories about how the photos were accessed. First, Apple and the iCloud platform were accused of having a flaw in their security. Apple has said their security is fine, so the newest theory is a phishing scam, where fake emails under the guise of legitimate companies are sent out in the hopes that people will give out sensitive information, such as usernames and passwords. Regardless of how the pictures were accessed, the FBI has opened an investigation, and a debate about celebrities and pri-

Image: Gage Skidmore/ flickr

Yes, we love celebrities — but they’re human beings too, and deserve to be treated that way. vacy has been sparked.

It is not hard to understand why this scandal has taken over the internet. There is an obsession with celebrities. I admit it: I love reading TMZ every morning to see the latest in celebrity gossip.

I’m not really sure why I enjoy

knowing what is happening in the lives of people I’ve never met, but I know I’m not alone in my quest for gossip. But I do know that there is a difference in looking at paparazzi photos, Instagram, or Twitter feeds versus stolen, intimate photos of women who never

anticipated their discovery. It is a blatant violation of their privacy, and it is all over the internet for the entire world to see. I am impressed with the many celebrities who have owned up to the authenticity of the photos, instead of hiding under the “that’s not

me” statement. These women are indeed admitting they took nude photos for whatever purposes.

Why shouldn’t celebrities be able to take nudes just like the rest of us normal folk? Camera phones were invented for the sole purpose of naked selfies, weren’t they? As a celebrity, you have to expect that you will lose most of your privacy, but I don’t think anyone would expect their personal photos to be spread all over the internet (unless they were “accidentally” leaked on purpose).

Celebrities have significant others, and with all the travel they do, I imagine they get lonely like any normal person would. If they want to send or receive private pictures, then they should be able to do so without worrying about the potential repercussions. The only thing celebrities with nudes on their phones should be worried about is a scorned lover using them for some sort of revenge — things all people should worry about after sending a sext.

7

OPINION

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2014 www.ufvcascade.ca

Theatre etiquette: attending a live theatre production requires some basic courtesy RILEY NOWLAN

CONTRIBUTOR

If you were to go up to a friend right now and ask them if they wanted to go see a show, you may be faced with some questions: “Which movie do you want to see? What time? Do you want to share a large popcorn?” However, you would most likely not be asked which play you had tickets to or what time the doors opened, and that is a shame. Live theatre is something I jump at the chance to experience and something I would encourage others to take part in, but unfortunately it has become an all-too-rare activity in our society.

Today we are fascinated with famous stars and enjoy the tailored perfection of dramatic car chases and romantic gestures that have been achieved through countless takes and special effects.

While I often go to the movies, there is something wonderful about being rows away from watching talented actors and actresses live.

With the difference in experience between a blockbuster movie and a Broadway musical, however, should come a differ-

ence in behaviour. This summer I had the pleasure of seeing Wicked and The Lion King, and while the shows blew me away, the poor behaviour of some of the audience concerned me.

For example, people took photos of the set even though all photography was prohibited — and even after being told not to, a few people couldn’t resist snapping an extra picture or two.

Now, this doesn’t overly grind my gears before the show has started; however, the use of flash photography during a play blows my mind. The musicals I saw were filled with intricate dance routines and stunts performed in heavy, complex costumes. A sudden flash from a dark theatre could certainly cause those dancers to lose focus, miss a step, or injure themselves or others. I was pleased to see that the actors in these shows didn’t miss a step, but the rule is there for a reason, and it’s not a hard one to follow.

I also witnessed an audience member in the first row sitting on the stage before the show started, all in the name of a good photo — and when an usher told her to get down she made sure that the photo was up to snuff before complying. People talked through the

Image: Matthew Paulson/ flickr

There is more at stake than your social media presence — some consideration for the actors is a start. show, left their belongings in the aisle, or insisted to the ushers they knew where they were sitting and refused to show them their tickets.

Theatre is something I love, and as soon as the curtain goes down on a show I long to see another one. I encourage each and every person to go and experience the

magic of live theatre — but if you do not think you can show your respect to the actors, the staff, and the play itself, you should stay home and watch Netflix.

Have we forgotten about the danger of earthquakes?

VANESSA BROADBENT

CONTRIBUTOR

Other than the yearly drill that everyone did in elementary school, most people don’t give much thought to earthquake preparedness. An earthquake seems like one of those things we wouldn’t think could happen here. With the one that occurred two weeks ago in Napa Valley, California, I’m beginning to wonder if we are prepared for a natural disaster to hit Abbotsford and the Fraser Valley.

Napa Valley’s earthquake had a magnitude of 6.0 and was the largest earthquake to hit the region in 25 years. Although there were no casualties, the earthquake was very damaging to the economy of Napa Valley — specifically, the wine industry. The area attracts a large number of tourists every year, especially in the fall, and the majority of them go to experience the wineries. The wine industry has suffered both physically and economically with over $100 million in damages caused by the earthquake.

Could the people of Napa Valley have been better prepared

Image: UWI Seismic Research Centre/ flickr

The Fraser Valley may not be truly prepared for a major earthquake to strike. for this natural disaster? Though it isn’t every day that an earthquake hits, a high risk of damage should regardless be addressed with high precautions. As many wineries have suffered extensive damage, we are aware that there could have been prevention had there been a little more thought

and planning. Napa Valley’s wine is highly priced due to its exceptional quality, and this caused some wineries to lose hundreds of thousands of dollars in product.

So is the Fraser Valley prepared for an earthquake to hit our area?

We may not have as many wineries at risk, but there are plenty

of other businesses and industries that would be affected by an earthquake. The disaster in Napa Valley may not have had any casualties, but that is not always the case. Even something as simple as how to prevent oneself from injury is unknown by a significant amount of people; it’s simply not

something we are faced with on a regular basis. Earthquake preparedness is taught to children in schools, but after that, the issue doesn’t tend to come up anymore.

Young children are taught to hide under their desks at school or in doorways if they’re at home, but in middle and high school, earthquakes don’t ever seem to be addressed. We forget that we are at risk even though a situation like this may seem unlikely to us.

Earthquake preparedness may be an inconvenience, but in the end it’s worth it. We are caught up in our daily routines and couldn’t be bothered by something that will “probably never happen,” but if we look around, it’s clear that it isn’t the case. Earthquakes can and eventually will happen in the Fraser Valley, and we need to take the necessary precautions and ensure that we are prepared for one. What may seem like a great inconvenience to us now could end up not only saving money, but also lives. Let’s think twice before we assume that we don’t need to worry about earthquakes.

8

OPINION

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2014 www.ufvcascade.ca

Satire

Striking new teachers’ strikes: strikes! Or strike-outs?

REPP PORTER

CONTRIBUTOR

With the BC teachers’ strike no closer to resolution, some educators have turned to other kinds of strikes to have their voices heard.

Philip Harbler, a psychology teacher at Abbotsford Shrubs Elementary School, is the leader of the “New Strike Movement” (NSM): a group dedicated to discovering more effective striking methods.

“Look, nobody wanted a teachers’ strike to begin with,” says Harbler. “Why would anyone give us what we want if we give them stuff they don’t? We hope to come up with a strike that’s way more interesting than teachers.”

The NSM has focused especially hard on impressing the BC Public School Employers’ As-

sociation (BCPSEA) with sportsrelated strikes. When mediator Vince Ready walked out of talks between the BCPSEA and the BC Teachers’ Federation (BCTF) on August 30, he said it was because “[their bowling scores] still remain a long way apart.” Since then, the NSM has rented out every major bowling alley in the Fraser Valley.

“We’re definitely getting, uh, better,” Harbler assured the press on Friday, declining to give an exact count of strikes, or even spares.

Not everyone is enthusiastic about this new approach; drama teacher Gina Lais argues that the NSM misunderstands the core issues.

“Bowling scores?” she said yesterday morning in a video posted on her personal YouTube channel.

“The BCPSEA doesn’t want to see

teachers bowling well; they want to see teachers defeated.”

Lais created her own group in reaction to what she deems the “illogic of the Anus-M” (which she later clarified was a pun on “NSM” when reporters didn’t laugh). Her Newer New Strike Movement (NNSM) seeks to appease the BCPSEA in a winnertakes-all game of baseball. “We’ll definitely strike out / And they shall witness pain / And they shall know pity,” Lais wrote in a poem she posted to her Tumblr last night at 3 a.m. The NNSM has not received any response to their challenge from the BCPSEA yet, but Lais remains optimistic.

Both the BCPSEA and the BCTF have publicly disassociated themselves from the NSM and NNSM, which is the first thing they have agreed on since talks began.

Image: Dan Pearce/ flickr

Editorial Cartoon by Alayne Cheny

Throwback Thursdays (for the whole week!)

Hickory dickory dock...

UCFV Cascade Vol. 1 No. 2 UNKNOWN AUTHOR

THE CASCADE

UCFV had a clock The clock struck seven Then it died and went to heaven Hickory dickory dock. clock (klok) n. a mechanical device for keeping time, larger than a watch, with a moving pair of pointers, or hands, on a dial marked with the hours and minutes.

If this dictionary definition of a clock is used as a test against UCFV’s clock out front, it would not, at this point in time, make the grade needed to pass.

This exam has four questions on it, and each one is worth five marks. Let’s deal with each one separately.

1.)

Is it a mechanical device for keeping time?

Answer: Yes. Or at least that’s what the original reasons were for it being built. Right now, however, it is at a mechanical standstill and has not been keeping time. 1.5 marks for effort.

2.)

Is it larger than a watch?

Answer: Yes. It by far out does the wrist watch of any normal human being. Also, it does an excellent job of linking UCFV to the community.

Our clock tower closely resembles the bell towers of many local churches. If bonus points were given, they’d get them for having such a strong sense of community spirit. Bonus points aren’t given, however, so they’ll have to live with 5 marks.

3.)

Does it have a moving pair of pointers or hands?

Answer: Yes. But only if it gets really windy, or that major earthquake that they’ve been predicting actually oc-

Image: Brittney Hensman

curs. Sorry, 0 marks for this one.

4.)

Does it have a dial marked with the hours and minutes?

Answer: Yes. Sort of. It has lines on it. Because the clock does not work, though, they are useless. 2 points for strategically placed lines that enhance the looks of our clock tower ornament.

Add all of this up and the result is a glaring 8.5 out of 20. I’m sorry, but 42.5% is definitely a failing mark. Our clock is not a clock. It is an ornament. ornament (or ne ment) n. 1. anything that adorns or beautifies; 2. article or person that ads beauty, honor, or grace to the surroundings.

Paper Texture: Sagawa/ deviantart.com

The Cascade needs an ad sales rep!

Pay is $50 per issue plus 30 per cent commission. Send your resume to joe@ufvcascade.ca.

Application deadline is September 26.

CULTURE

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2014 www.ufvcascade.ca

CROSSWORD

Cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs

ACROSS

by VALERIE FRANKLIN 1 2

3

4

9

5

6

2.

The least sweet of the three types of chocolate – but some say it’s great for your health, at least in moderation. (4) 4.

Small, colourful, crunchy chocolates you can eat by the handful. (Which colour do you eat last?) (8) 6.

Hold a piece of chocolate in your mouth for a minute and it’ll begin to do this. (4) 10.

Liquid chocolate for dunking fruit, cookies, marshmallows, or your whole face. (6) 13.

Chocolate is usually sold in this form. (3) 14.

A magical substance consisting of hazelnuts, cocoa, and pure bliss blended together and sold by the jar. (7)

7

8

DOWN

9

10

1.

This chewy chocolate bar is named after the Red Planet. (4) 3.

The least chocolatey of the three types of chocolate – in fact, it isn’t technically chocolate at all! (5) 5.

The most common of the three types of chocolate – or a substance that’s great for dipping your chocolate chip cookies in. (4) 7.

A Swiss company that makes gold-wrapped bunnies at Easter and truffles at Christmas.

(Hint: it sounds like what comes out of your dryer.) (5) 8.

It might taste bitter by itself, but this powder will make your baking taste like chocolate. (5) 9.

A European country known for its outstanding chocolate and waffles. (7) 11.

Break me off a piece of one of these! (6) 12.

The first name in chocolate peanut butter cups. (5)

11

12 13 14

EclipseCrossword.com

SUDOKU PUZZLE 6

2 8 6 7 3 3

9 4 6 3 1 2

6 5 2 8 7 3 3 2 5 7 1 2

Last issue’s crossword Across 1 BAKERHOUSE 5 PETERJONES 6 REFILL 8 THEGREEN 12 ABBOTSFORDCENTRE 13 SUB 14 SYLLABI Down 2 SASQETS 3 AFTERMATH 4 COMMUTERCAMPUS 5 PARKINGPASS 7 EVERED 9 CRITERIA 10 USED 11 OREG

Sudoku solution

3 2 5 9 7 6 8 4 1 4 9 7 8 1 3 5 6 2 8 6 1 4 5 2 3 9 7

7

Answer keys

2 8 6 7 3 5 4 1 9 7 1 9 2 8 4 6 3 5 5 4 3 6 9 1 7 2 8

4

7 6 1 1 5 6 2 7

6 5 4 1 2 8 9 7 3 9 3 2 5 4 7 1 8 6 1 7 8 3 6 9 2 5 4

2

10

Music, modern politics, and turmoil

UFV art students explore the sources of their own inspiration in Find What Works exhibition VALERIE FRANKLIN THE CASCADE

UFV’s latest art exhibition, Find What Works, showcased how the artists did just that — and how it proved to be a transformative experience for each of them.

On September 5 the gallery space in B136 was filled with students, supporters, and art-lovers celebrating six directed studies art students, each of whom has spent the last several months exploring new painting techniques and honing their unique styles. “‘Find what works.’ It’s a truism,” said Chris Friesen, the instructor who supervised these students. “Everything has something that’s outside the artist’s control.” None of the students’ first attempts or ideas ended up exactly as they originally expected; each went through a series of evolutions before the final paintings were ready to be unveiled.

Blending sound and colour “For me, this project was about experimenting and perfecting,” said student Ryan Cadarette, who painted a series of portraits of Duke Ellington, Glenn Miller, and George Gershwin based on classic photographs of the musicians.

Cadarette painstakingly handdrew each, then airbrushed them and painted them with acrylics.

For him, refining his painting technique was a process of discovery.

“I had never used an airbrush before,” he explained. At first he experimented with spraypaint and stencils, but found the lines too harsh. “I found that airbrushing had a much softer effect,” he said. “I also found that I could use cloth instead of stencils to get rid of the hard edges.”

The result is photo-perfect – but instead of black and white like the photographs they’re based on, the paintings are executed in bright shades of candy-coloured paint.

“The idea is rooted in synaesthesia,” Cadarette explained. For a synaesthetic person, emotions, sounds, textures, and colours are all inextricably associated. As Cadarette listened to the music of the old jazz masters, he chose colours associated with the moods that their music put him in.

“I hope that you’ll be able to hear and feel the music when you look at my paintings,” he said.

Making music on canvas The work of Cadarette’s fellow artist Janelle Fitz, a lifelong pianist, shares a similarly musical motif. Her elegant, abstract paintings feature thickly textured stripes of black and white, evoking images of piano keys and musical staves.

“Music has always been a big

Images: Valerie Franklin

The works on display took surprising directions, even for the artists. part of my life,” Fitz said. “I have some family members who were also involved with instruments, and music brought us closer together.”

Fitz described her painting style as being generally more representational; this project was her first attempt at expressing the qualities of an abstract concept like music through a visual form. The result is fluid and organic.

“I wanted to represent the energy and movement and beauty that music can evoke,” she said.

As Fitz refined this new, abstract style of painting over the months of the directed study, her confidence grew.

“Chris had me start off on 16inch canvases,” she said. “Then I moved up to 2x3 feet. They’re displayed in the other gallery [in C building]. You can look at those and get an idea of how my process developed.” Her final pieces were painted on canvases measuring 3x4 feet and 5x2.5 respectively.

Masking the ordinary Artist Jeff Rasmussen produced a series of colourful, kaleidoscopic paintings.

“For me, I’m a sculptor,” he stated. “I used to think that I was just a sculptor. But then I started painting, and realized that these are paintings informed by sculpture.”

His previous paintings also involved layering one colour on another, but there’s much more subtlety and variation in his new series: deep, monochromatic backgrounds slashed with strong lines of bright, up-front colour like searchlights across a sky. The shading of the paintings gives them exceptional depth and movement, as do the unusual textures of the manmade objects he airbrushes over, which include chains, fencing, mesh, and milk lids.

“I wanted people to think about the things we use in our everyday life and how they affect us,” Rasmussen said.

His process of repeatedly masking the canvas with objects and airbrushing over them creates an illusion of three-dimensional depth, like staring into a psychedelic cavern. It’s both geometric and organic at once.

“When it’s time to strip [off the layers of stencils], it’s like Christmas. Like an advent calendar.

That’s what I should have called these, advent paintings,” Rasmussen said. “When you peel it off, you don’t know what you’re going to get.”

Like the other painters, Rasmussen underwent a psychological shift throughout this project. For him, it was learning to let go.

“I’m fussy. That’s a nice word for it,” he said, grinning. “Normally my paintings are very controlled, very photogenic. This explores a side of me that I wouldn’t have discovered if I hadn’t gone to this school, if I hadn’t been pushed.”

Drawing on modern politics For student Scott Gordon, an art instructor himself, the process of discovery was less about honing his physical painting technique and more about learning to channel his political ideology into art.

His paintings are Banksy-like in their simple but powerful statements on issues like gun control, healthcare, and economics. An American flag motif binds this series of paintings together; Gordon is Canadian, but is fascinated by

Above, works by Janelle Fitz.

the extremist tendencies of modern American politics.

“I don’t tend to use political themes, so this was very different for me,” he explained. “I just started playing with the idea of a flag and it began to flow.”

His piece “Rights of the Many or the Few?” shows the Second Amendment scrawled on the toe tag of a corpse, the outline of which is visible under an American flag. The stars on the flag have been replaced by Glocks, which, Gordon explained, are one of the most popular types of guns in the US, as well as being among the easiest to use.

“Rights of the Many or the Few” is particularly inspired by the Sandy Hook elementary school shooting of 2012.

“Being a teacher myself, I found it really horrific,” Gordon said.

He was particularly alarmed that although there was an outcry for stronger gun control in the wake of the shooting, there was also a vocal movement to arm teachers with their own guns.

Another of Gordon’s pieces depicts an elephant, a symbol of the Republican Party, stumbling through an American flag and smashing teacups under its feet, representing how the Tea Party “acts like a bull in a china shop.”

Other hot topics his paintings address include the decision to evacuate Americans infected with Ebola back to the USA, and the Chinese control of world wealth.

But he didn’t set out to create any of these at the beginning of the course.

“What you see on the wall is not what I started with,” he said. “I had different plans, but I stopped having fun with those halfway through and threw them out.”

Equestrian enlightenment Among the most striking works in the gallery is the work of avid horseback rider Christine Homfeld, who created a series of paintings focusing on her black horse.

But Homfeld, too, found her artwork going in an unexpected direction when she broke her clavicle and was unable to ride while she healed.

“Though some would see this

as a disaster, I reconstructed it into an opportunity for enlightenment,” she wrote in her artist’s statement. She decided to explore the bond she shares with her horse through painting detailed studies of her.

“We think that by speaking louder and more forcefully, we can get animals to do what we want,” she said. But, she mused, a subtler and more nuanced approach is what will succeed.

Homfeld’s gentle approach can be seen in the details of “Braviarre I”; the same patience that it takes to build a relationship with a horse is reflected in her careful, tender brushwork.

The gritty aesthetics of turmoil The work of Kyle Huntley, a member of the Canadian Reserves, reflects his military background. His intense, fiery paintings centre on the representation of post-traumatic stress disorder, which, he points out, is an emerging epidemic among Canadian veterans.

“Many of my personal friends are suffering from it,” he says.

“I’ve never been to combat, so I’m not affected directly.”

The subjects of his work are fellow soldiers caught in what Huntley calls these men’s breaking points: “what pushed them into turmoil, a tempest in their own minds.

“These are all people that I know. These are all emotionally charged moments,” he said.

Although Huntley said that he prefers a cleaner, monochromatic look in his usual work, in order to create these paintings, he abandoned his usual military precision and allowed himself to experiment freely. If the paintbrush didn’t go where he expected it to, he didn’t consider it a mistake.

Even the canvas he painted on is unstretched and rough around the edges, adding to the intense, gritty aesthetic. As a finishing touch the painting was shot with a soldier’s gun, leaving a real bullet hole in the canvas which was then smeared with “blood” like a wound.

“In this,” Huntley said, “even just looking at them, you feel warm, you feel hot. You feel how they would have felt. The dirt, the grime …”

Unexpected directions Friesen explained that while he’s worked with these students in classroom settings before, he was pleased to have a chance to coach them one-on-one through their artistic development — through uncharted territory and unexpected inspiration.

“That’s where the exhibition title came from,” he said with a smile. “We found what works.”

11

Above, work by Kyle Huntley; below, Jeff Rasmussen’s paintings.

Above, “Braviarre I” by Christine Homfeld; below and right, works by Ryan Cadarette.

Below right, works by Scott Gordon.

12

CULTURE

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2014 www.ufvcascade.ca

How to date like an Abbotsfordian: cheap, sweet ideas for a night on the town NADINE MOEDT

able. Start at Willowview farms on McCallum, pick Honeycrisp apples, Italian plums, Bartlett pears, or sweet corn, and sample the delicious apple cider.

Next, head over to Little Farm Products, a magical little hobby farm and community garden just down the road from UFV. Collect your own eggs from the chicken coop, meet Rambo the ram, and have some tea in a quaint tearoom.

THE CASCADE

Whether it’s your first date or you are just looking to add some creativity to your routine, here are some student-friendly, local options for a night out with your sweetheart.

Suburban Swing and Rocko’s: $30 If your date is into old-school dancing, put on a pinstripe suit, fedora or high-waisted sailor shorts and head to Suburban Swing. Every Sunday night at the Abbotsford Social Activity Association (ASAA) — yes, that’s a place — on Essendene, East Coast swing instructors start with a beginners lesson and end with a few hours of dimly lit suburban swing. The night is $8 for students. After the dancing, head over to Rocko’s, a 24-hour ‘50s themed diner in Mission, for milkshakes or deep-fried pickles.

Duft and Co. and the Clay Cottage: $20 This date option offers a walk-

Image: On the Road

There is no better aphrodisiac than freshly picked apples from Willowview farms. ing tour of downtown Abbotsford. Start at the newly renovated Duft and Co. for a real butter croissant and an espresso. Take a window shopping tour of lifestyle store Spruce Collective, the farmers market (if it’s a Saturday), Hemingway’s Books, and the FreeWheelin’ record shop. Then make your way up to the Clay Cottage, where you

can pick out a piece of pottery, choose a paint, and channel your inner Burgess & Leigh. The Clay Cottage will fire your art, and voila! A new set of coasters or special mug!

Apple picking and Little Farm Products: $15 Agri-tourism: a classic Abbotsford date. This one is bike-

Brunch and Birchwood Dairies: $20 Bond with your date over the cheapest brunch in town: Townhall’s weekend special is $5, and includes eggs, toast, hash browns, and bacon or sausage.

Upgrade for my favourite, an egg and bacon wrap with a fruit bowl, for $6. Next, head over to Birchwood Dairies, where you’ll be greeted by a friendly donkey, a horse, and a couple of goats. The dairy makes their own ice cream on site and have a variety of flavours sold by the cone. A sunny field next to the store is perfect for some volleyball or soccer.

Music and storytelling go hand in hand for Coldwater Road’s Patrick Spencer ALEX RAKE CONTRIBUTOR

Coldwater Road, a folk band from Vancouver, released their first album, The Woods, this past August. The band’s singer and songwriter, Patrick Spencer, discussed his approaches to writing and performing in an interview with The Cascade on September 5.

Songwriters are often asked what comes first for them — the music or the lyrics. Spencer didn’t hesitate in his answer: “For me, lyrics first. To get enough drive to work on a song — because it usually takes me quite a while to get it to the point where I like it — I have to start with the idea. I have to want to say something.” He clarified: “I’m more of a trained storyteller, not necessarily a trained musician. I’m just a selftaught musician.”

Spencer ’s story-telling musical influences include Bob Dylan, Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy, Ryan Adams, Counting Crows,

and Vancouver ’s own Dan Mangan. He says that, for him, Mangan especially is “a positive role-model for local musicians ... He’s really shown that hard work and perseverance can really come through.”

Coldwater Road itself is a hard-working project, doing everything from playing on the train during Via Rail’s “Entertainment On Board” program to busking on Granville Island.

The band consists of “three to five” members, which requires a certain adaptability on Spencer ’s part.

“If we play a private show in

someone’s backyard, it might make more sense for there to be just two of us ... But, if we’re playing at a nightclub or somewhere where there’s a drinking crowd, and we need to bring a bit more energy, then we’ll try to bring out four or five of us.”

“It really helps me,” he said, “having the freedom [of a changeable line-up]; otherwise it would be too frustrating [coordinating practices and shows].”

As well as a fluctuating lineup, Spencer embraces the unpredictability of live audiences: “I take comfort in the fact that I’ve rehearsed all the songs a lot ... I know how my performance is at least going to start. But ... you really never know what kind of interaction you’re going to get from people, so you really have to improvise the energy around you. In order to be successful at busking, you have to engage the people who are coming to watch you; otherwise, they will watch you for a little bit then leave.” He added that improvising with the crowd

“keeps the music interesting.”

Coldwater Road’s music is folksy, but unmistakably contemporary; Spencer ’s lyrics mention modern technology such as cellphones and Twitter as passingly as another songwriter might mention a bucket or a shovel.

“I notice how much I have to use it,” he said, “so I might as well embrace it.” He accepts, if somewhat begrudgingly, technology’s prevalence in modern life: “I hate how much time artists these days have to spend online. I get it, though. I’m not kicking and screaming against it ... You have to kind of embrace it and accept it. If you don’t take advantage of these things, it’s maybe not good business.”

Spencer has no plans to stop writing songs (or stories), and is currently interested in writing about the outlaws of historic British Columbia. Coldwater Road will perform with the Doll Sisters on October 16th at the Railway Club in Vancouver.

The Woods is available online at coldwaterroad.bandcamp.com.

Upcoming

Events

September 12 UFV turns 40 While some 40-year-olds pretend their birthday never happened and stay perpetually 39, UFV begins its lavish celebrations for the big four-oh on the CEP campus in Chilliwack. Come out to party at a bluegrass and BBQ-themed (is BBQ a theme?

Come to CEP to find out) event, which includes tours of the sparkling new Agriculture Centre of Excellence, food vendors, and a play place. Live music will include folk-themed Headwater, Viper Central, and the Paperboys. Admission is free, and the event runs from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m.

September 17 That ‘70s party Further festivities for UFV’s 40th include a free ‘70s-themed party on the green at UFV’s Abbotsford campus. Dress in bell bottoms, as there will be a highstakes and high-competition retro costume contest; rumour has it, Mark Evered may make an appearance in polyester. There will also be a marketplace and a live music lineup of Taxmen, Lightning Dust, and the Boom Booms.

The party starts at 3 p.m., so be there or be square.

September 13 After Dark at the Reach Described as “the hottest fundraiser in the coolest gallery,” this evening of art and elegance calls for your most artsy cocktail dress, feathered hat, and shiny satin shoes. The night is a fundraiser for children’s and seniors’ art and heritage programs, with tickets at $150, or $125 for “Reach friends.”

Highlights include Amanda Shatzko’s aerial art, jazz duo Kat Wahamaa and Tony Rees, pianist Susan Choi and company’s classical music performance, and an auction of local art in support of community art programs. The night starts at seven.

September 11 Comedy at AfterMath Comedians Sunee Dhaliwal, Cliff Prang, and Ash Dhawan take to the AfterMath stage for a night of free entertainment. The hilarity starts at 7 p.m. but we’ve got the scoop on two-for-one appies and beers on special. Come and get a little buzzed first for the full comedy experience!

CULTURE

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2014 www.ufvcascade.ca

How to rock the polka dot TAYLOR BRECKLES THE CASCADE

In relation to the fashion world, I am Pluto: lonely, out of orbit, and not even a planet anymore.

However, there is one aspect of fashion that the giant reigning designers and I can agree on: polka dots. They’re fun, they’re quirky, and they provide oodles of entertainment in boring situations — what’s not to love?

Not everyone agrees on the place of polka dots in the fashion world. Yet unlike the wild prints found among today’s youth, polka dots are timeless in both their sophistication and whimsy.

The polka dot is one of the most versatile prints in modern fashion; they can be used in every outfit from casual (going out with friends, or making a home movie about your cat) to classy (the finishing touch to your office job, a nice party, a date, or the Queen’s gala).

While the early- to mid1900s have us beat in flaunting the spots, polka dots are making a comeback in the modern world. Stores like Suzy Shier, H&M, and even Wal-Mart have embraced the polka dot. I find

13

Image: jessydust.com

Suzy Shier has the best selection, with vintage design and better quality than most fastfashion stores.

My one qualm about this new polka dot trend is that it is still hard to find vintagelooking items that sport this pattern. I can find jumpers (or are they rompers?), mini-skirts, tops, and some dresses all embellished with this design, yet they are all in a modern style.

There’s something so much more enjoyable about putting on a dress that looks like it came right out of the past; however, buying authentic vintage is often unpractical for both your wallet and maintenance. When I purchase a new

clothing item, I don’t want to worry about it falling apart because I don’t know how to sew in order to keep it at peak condition.

Although going into mainstream clothing stores and finding something quirky and cheap is a perk, it would be much nicer if they expanded their horizons into more vintage design. Then again, if these items were to be easily found, they wouldn’t be nearly as unique.

There are certain rules that one must abide by when deciding to rock the polka dot. For example, you can’t mix polka dots and other bold patterns, like stripes or plaid. Sure, there are ways to pull it off — such as patterns in minor accessories — but pairing a polka dot top with a striped bottom will result in horrendous clashing.

You also need to make sure that your colours don’t clash. If using a black and white polka dot pattern, try adding a splash of colour with jewellery, socks, leggings, or headwear. I love adding a touch of scarlet for that ‘50s look.

When dressing and accessorising, just remember that the polka dot is the star: let it shine!

Style on Campus

by Nadine Moedt Dustin stands out among the masses with a coordinated outfit of olive cords and fabulous green hair. Here’s what this double lit and visual arts major has to say about personal style.

Describe your personal style: Maybe a little bit Hunger Games chic. I like to think I would live in the Capitol; I like to match up whatever I’m wearing to whatever my hair colour is in some way or another. I dress workplacefriendly for the most part.

Where is your favorite place to shop in the valley?

My favourite place to shop in the valley is probably H&M — don’t judge me! It’s where I bought this cardigan, which I wear almost everyday I think.

The Weekly Horoscope Aquarius: Jan 20 - Feb 18: You will feel lethargic for most of this week. A tonic of wheatgrass and apple cider will help, if drunk at the stroke of midnight.

Pisces: Feb 19 - March 20: Six pennies will become increasingly relevant.

Aries: March 21 - April 19: Embrace the Hammurabic Code.

Taurus: April 20 - May 20: You will encounter a problem with a friend or neighbour or distant auntin-law this week. Take the bull by the horns.

Gemini: May 21 - June 21: A pet wolverine might be a wise investment.

Star Signs from Natalie Nebula

Libra: Sept 23 - Oct 22: You will get a surprise bill in the mail.

Cancer: June 22 - July 22: Saying everything in slant rhyme will improve your test scores this semester.

Scorpio: Oct 23 - Nov 21: If you fail at your next great endeavour, plant lettuce.

Leo: July 23 - Aug 22: Eat Daniel.

Sagittarius: Nov 22 - Dec 21: Your charisma and sage understanding of the universe will come in handy on your next term paper.

Virgo: Aug 23 -Sept22: Collect three drops of Jupiter before you return.

Capricorn: Dec 22 - Jan 19: Avoid the word “nice” at all costs.

14

ARTS IN REVIEW

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2014 www.ufvcascade.ca

Film Review

November Man does too little with too much JEREMY HANNAFORD CONTRIBUTOR

It has been over 12 years since Pierce Brosnan last portrayed the coveted character of James Bond, and his return to the world of action and espionage was certainly anticipated. With Roger Donaldson (The Bank Job) in the director ’s chair, it looked like this could be something worthwhile. However, November Man suffers from a bland script trying to overcomplicate itself.

The premise of November Man is that Brosnan’s character, Peter Devereaux, is a veteran CIA agent gone rogue in an effort to uncover a conspiracy about a rising Russian presidential candidate. At the same time, he is caught in a game of cat-andmouse with his former pupil as they both seek to uncover the truth. If you recognize that synopsis, it’s because you’ve seen it before many times.

This film is another victim of having an eye-catching trailer that terribly misrepresents the entire movie; having a guy jumping through a doorway firing a gun in slow motion while Brosnan provides an impressive voiceover about the power of a bullet was a great marketing ploy. Too bad both the stunt and the speech are completely irrelevant to the rest of the film.

The movie does feature one of the most overly cliché shots in all of cinema.

The script plays out like a straight-to-DVD action spy film with a number of clichés and customary plot twists. There are many moments that reflect other action films — films that were also weighed down with faults. The story tries to overcomplicate itself in the same sense that Brian de Palma’s Mission Impossible did. There are so many plot points that come and go that it leaves little room to comprehend what transpires.

Characters are introduced and killed off before their relevance begins to appear. And the characters we do get to know are so

generic that the audience has no reason to care about them.

Even Brosnan is a victim of this. His character is an attempt at a more hardened and violent version of his James Bond character, but this film can’t decide whether to set him up as an anti-hero bent on vengeance or a man who just seems to be angry all the time. He spends more screen time yelling at people and drinking hotel booze than actually advancing the story.

And when he does push the narrative forward, he appears without any explanation of his arrival in that plot point loca-

tion.

But at least he has some emotional development — unlike co-star Luke Bracey, who gives a terribly bland performance as Brosnan’s former pupil. He follows the action with the same dull facial expression and doesn’t compare in the slightest with Brosnan. Even in the moments where they are exchanging cliché banter in an attempt to razz each other, at least Brosnan is trying to make something of it. Bracey just comes off as a one-note robot.

The real performance from this movie is that of Olga

Kurylenko. While her performance isn’t a powerhouse, her plotline is really the only one you may actually care about.

Though it is still a bit cliché, it’s compelling to watch her story unfold in the film’s climactic moments. But Kurylenko’s character isn’t truly introduced until nearly three-quarters of the way through the film, which ultimately fizzles the spark her character could have had.

There are some other positive points to this film. The action is consistent, and some of the sequences are set up very well.

A few action scenes are filmed with a serene sense of clarity and are edited well. November Man’s action scenes are strong, and there is some good filmmaking. It’s frustrating to think what could have been done if the rest of the film had been similar to these scenes.

November Man tries to be too many things at once, and it suffers from it. Cat-and-mouse games, numerous plot twists, and a teacher/pupil rivalry are all components that have been used in much better action movies. If you are to run with an overdone premise, you must have a creative edge to make it memorable; otherwise it will be added to the list of pointless action movies. Sad to say, to quote Brosnan himself, November Man will “cease to exist” from memory come late fall.

TV Review

Bojack Horseman: more man than horse MARTIN CASTRO CONTRIBUTOR

Bojack Horseman is one of Netflix’s rapidly increasing number of original programs. Featuring voice acting by the likes of Will Arnett as the titular character, Aaron Paul as his couch-potato roommate, and Alison Brie as his ghost writer (and, of course, love interest) Bojack Horseman details the antics of Bojack, an alcoholic, washed-out, emotionally unstable sitcom actor from the ‘90s, unable to come to grips with the fact that he is no longer relevant in pop culture.

Also, he’s a horse. The world Bojack inhabits is populated by a ragtag group of walking, talking animals, along with actual people, all co-inhabiting the world as if such a thing were the most normal of occurrences.

If there’s any adjective that can be used to describe Bojack

the character, it’s broken. Bojack is a self-centered egomaniac who can’t take any criticism and deals with his problems by drinking them away, or, in a more severe episode of selfloathing, a week-long binge of cocaine pills. Bojack’s emotional

state is about as stable as a Jenga tower two-thirds of the way through a game. He attempts to publish a memoir by way of a ghost writer, all while reliving his glory days by watching old reruns and drinking to the point of excess.

Bojack Horseman actually manages to be a heartfelt journey into the heart and life of a severely broken person while still being ridiculously funny in an overly cynical manner. If this show has any shortcomings, they lie in the fact that it can be quite oddball at times — and while these instances are humourous and worthy of airtime, they detract from the overall emotional story arc. However, the show’s offbeat, choppy pace serves to reflect Bojack’s continuously deteriorating state of mind.

Full of gags that highlight the ridiculousness of the show’s premise, Bojack Horseman is unflinchingly bizarre in its portrayal of the human condition, and doesn’t back down from critiquing our current celebrity culture: everyone in Hollywood is an animal.

Bojack and his friends (though calling them such is a stretch) all

have their time in the spotlight, partaking in various subplots and scenarios throughout the series. It seems that throughout the season we’re waiting for Bojack to grow up, to come to terms with his failed attempt at celebrity life and choose a path that will lead him to normalcy.

Bojack instead chooses to pursue more and more ridiculous antics in hopes of staying relevant in the public eye. Full of insecurities and craving attention, Bojack is the product of the reality TV and gossip magazines of our world.

As the audience accompanies Bojack on his journey of selfdiscovery (or self-negligence), we find that, although he’s a horse, Bojack himself couldn’t possibly be any more human.

15

ARTS IN REVIEW

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2014 www.ufvcascade.ca

Album Review

Broods’ Evergreen blends a calm, introspective aesthetic with powerful soul MARTIN CASTRO CONTRIBUTOR

Mini Album Reviews

SoundBites

Hailing from New Zealand, Broods is made up of siblings Georgia and Caleb Nott, with Georgia on lead vocals and Caleb contributing production and backing vocals. Their debut album Evergreen was released in August.

Almost all of Evergreen has a very liquid, calm sound. If ever you’re travelling at night — in a plane, a car, or perhaps one of those ridiculously decadent trains they’re so fond of over in Europe — I would recommend Evergreen to serve as the soundtrack to your voyage.

“Bridges,” one of the record’s lead singles, was the song that introduced me to the New Zealand duo, and is a great example of just how well Georgia’s incredibly intimate vocals

work when accompanied by her brother ’s modern, spacious production. As I listen to “Bridges,” I almost always find myself rocking along with the beat by the end of the song; the chorus is sublime.

“Everytime,” the second track, is as airy and has the same aesthetic qualities that make “Bridges” such a ridiculously great track, but it also packs more of a punch: it’s got more angst, a faster pace, and is full of energy. The chorus is particularly striking, as Georgia again delivers a chilling combination of her distinct timbre and the intense power she puts behind it.

In comparison to the rest of the songs on Evergreen, “L.A.F.” is more upbeat and less emo-

tional, but this doesn’t make it any weaker a track. There are instances of great poignancy within the song, but at the same time the track itself is almost playful at times.

“L.A.F.” is succeeded by “Never Gonna Change,” one of the best tracks on the album.

Starting out quite slowly — one might even say hesitantly — the track showcases all that is good about Broods: Caleb’s overlapping, pulsating production provides ample space for Georgia to deliver her lines, while a heavy synth underlines the vocals in the chorus. As many times as I’ve heard this song (and I’ve heard it countless times; it was probably the first song of theirs I ever heard), it still does not get old, and my head unconsciously bobs as soon as that chorus kicks in.

“Four Walls” is even more

tender and stripped-down than “Never Gonna Change.” The track comes across as a representation of some very personal feelings. It almost has a spiritual leaning to it, and it’s quite soulful.

The album comes to a close with “Superstar,” which was produced by Joel Little, who produced Lorde’s “Royals.” The song has the same aesthetic as “Royals” in some parts, but is overall more laid back, lending itself more to Georgia’s vocals quite well.

Evergreen proves to be a solid debut album from one of the more talented duos in R&B-influenced-pop at the moment.

What’s your take on the latest tunes?

Bear in Heaven

Murs and iMayday Mursday

Bleachers Strange Desire

Until the release of their 2012 album I Love You, It’s Cool, Bear in Heaven was considered a highconcept experimental outlier. I Love You, It’s Cool ended up connecting with a more mainstream fanbase due to its combination of Bear in Heaven’s traditional experimental soundscape with cozy and familiar electropop melodies. The band continues this trend on their new record, Time is Over One Day Old, albeit in a less successful manner.

The problem with Time is its lack of consistency and overall lacklustre songwriting. The standout tracks — like opener “Autumn,” the dreamy, bass-driven “Time Between,” and the ballad “You Don’t Need the World” — contain melodies that stick in your head for days on end, but these tracks are few and far between. Unfortunately, a heavy portion of this record is monotonous and easy to forget.

This is more lamentable because of how beautiful and charismatic the production of the album is. Overall, the album’s lackluster songwriting overshadows the vibrant sonic tapestry Bear in Heaven has created. It is surely worth a listen, but maybe only that.

The collaboration of rapper Murs and group iMayday comes the album Mursday, released this past spring. It contains 14 tracks, including the singles “Tabletops,” “Here,” “Brand New Get Up,” “My Own Parade,” and “Serge’s Song.”

Although I was hesitant to give the album a listen as hip-hop is not my go-to genre, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. Lyrically, it flows together well. It is refreshing to hear tracks that don’t solely revolve around money and sex. There are serious songs (“Here”) tucked between more upbeat songs (“Brand New Get Up”). One of the songs that stood out the most for me was “Here,” with its tone and showcasing of iMayday member Wrekonize’s vocals. Lyrically, the track can make you think about where you are in life. Overall, if you enjoy hip-hop, but not necessarily what you hear in the mainstream, check out the album. It is a good introduction to both artists.

It’s hard to believe Bleachers had a good chance of never evolving to anything more than a creative idea of Jack Antonoff. Antonoff, lead guitarist and backup vocals for Fun, initially released the Bleachers track “I Wanna Get Better” six months before the full-length album Strange Desire would appear in July. What an achievement that was. The initial single, an incredibly catchy song of the summer, showed what the band had to offer — but the depth of the album was still unexpected.

It played much like an ode to guitar, synth, and 1980s Phil Collins. Over 11 tracks, the layering, progression, and process are masterful; it’s a strong contender for a personal album of the year. A lot of the tracks feature amazing pop hooks that keep the pace of the album floating along. “Wake Me” changes that tempo, as a hypnotically romantic track. Antonoff also presents some unexpected collaborations with the likes of Grimes and Yoko Ono, the latter presenting an unsettling and conflicting listen. In a year that has seemed to be a valley of breakthrough albums, Bleachers has shown that they’re sitting above all else.

JEFFREY TRAINOR

REMINGTON FIORASO

JOE JOHNSON

Time is Over One Day Old

We want to hear your thoughts on new music, films, books, restaurants, and more!

Contact sasha@ufvcascade.ca to write a review for our next issue.

16

ARTS IN REVIEW

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2014 www.ufvcascade.ca

Concert Review

Swans thrash the Venue with tooth, claw, and singing saw CHARTS 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

Orangy Oran.gy Ty Segall Manipulator Partli Cloudi Two Moron Ever Nose Parquet Courts Sunbathing Animal

Animals As Leaders The Joy of Motion

Reigning Sound Shattered

Cheap High Ego Wholesale Flying Lotus You’re Dead!

Lydia Ainsworth Right from Real Part I Monomyth Saturnalia Regalia

The New Pornographers Brill Bruisers

12 13 14 15 16 17 18

Zammuto Anchor Alvvays Alvvays n.213 Mixed Bag Dead Soft Dead Soft Greys If Anything Fountain Fountain

The Roots ...And then you shoot your cousin

Shuffle AARON LEVY

CIVL RADIO STATION MANAGER

CIVL Station Manager Aaron Levy remembers what happened in New York just 13 years ago this week, and has a number of songs to commemorate the date, in advance of this Thursday’s AfterMath comedy throw-down on the date in question.

Wilco – “Ashes of American Flags” This album was to be released on 9/11, 2001, but as a result of label issues, it didn’t come out until over half a year later. Ironically, the album’s futuristic cover includes a pair of Chicago skyscrapers, and this song was recorded months before the tragic falling of those heralded buildings.

Nickelback – “How You Remind Me” Now, with the sentimental and highbrow out of the way, I purchased the album on which this song was housed on the day the towers came down, and I was darn happy to have done so, though in retrospect, it’s a bit of a joke.

Okay, a big joke.

Matthew Good Band – “Man of Action” Not actually about 9/11, but it’s a song about doing things that impact a change, which, on one hand, is what those pesky terrorists probably thought they were doing — and on the other hand, it’s what the people trying to pick up the pieces at Ground Zero were up to.

Immortal Technique – “Bin Laden” This guy is just not afraid of anything.

He’s of Peruvian descent, and he’s a bad-ass mofo if I ever heard one rapping about international politics. Venom-filled is how I would describe his rhymes, and he’s always calling out significantly more powerful than he world leaders. Atta boy.

Modest Mouse – “Dark Centre of the Universe” “Took a lot of work to be the ass I am and I’m really damn sure that anyone can equally easily fuck you over. Died saying something but I didn’t mean it, everyone’s life ends, but no one ever completes it, dry or wet ice they both melt and you’re equally cheated.”

Image: Marcin Kutera

KODIE CHERRILLE THE CASCADE

I’d never been to the Venue before. It seemed like an odd place, in paper, for Swans to play. I thought they’d surely play at a “seedier” place than a nightclub on Granville (I don’t mean that as derogatory; seedy venues are brilliant in their own right). The dark atmosphere inside, however, suited the sounds to come.

“This place makes me think of The Social Network,” my friend says. I’ll leave you to interpret that — I’ve never seen the movie.

I pointed out the clutter on stage: amps, a guitar, drums, and a singing saw. Behind all that is the pile of gear for Swans (towering above everything else is a gong, and next to it some dulcimers). A man and a woman take their places: the woman on stage right, looking serene as she watches the man on the left begin the procession, working over a tiny synthesizer.

Over a sawtooth synth drone, Carla Bozulich comes onstage.

Her black dress is torn, her hair a tangle of darkened, wild curls. She surveys the audience, fixes a gaze on some spectator, and beats her hand to her chest three times. She looks somewhere else, beats her hand again. She takes her spot on the cluttered stage and picks up her guitar, and with some handheld magnetic tool, makes it roar with feedback.

The songs that follow are various exercises with this squall of noise: the synth player loops a sample that grows more

and more distorted, and with a free hand whales on a drum; the woman alternates between drum and saw duties. Carla croons, whispers, and screams with a range that harkens Jarboe (once a principal songwriter for Swans), leaping and falling to her knees, sufficiently quarantining her energies within the tiny spot of stage she had to work with. There are no riffs — the songs are expansive, but not quite ambient outings — and I imagine these pieces as blues songs for a dilapidating city, with abandoned buildings swaying dangerously in static storms.

And then, the beautiful, vicious Swans: the clutter clears, and there’s a huge, bearded man banging a gong. It summons the band — all sharply dressed and looking very stern — to their instruments, all playing the same note for at least 10 minutes, getting ever louder.

Finally, the music dies down; Michael Gira steps up to the microphone, hums out something indiscernible, and then the band roars back into action.

This is a new number, and even though To be Kind was released only a few months ago, Swans have come with a heap of new material; nearly half of the set was either new or unreleased music.

Live Swans consists of a surprising amount of spontaneous energy. Gira is the main conduit, but through a language of head-nods and melodic tics, the band communicates just precisely where in the song they are. At other times, Gira dances with an Ian Curtis-like abandon, though he never forgets to conduct his bandmates with a

raising or lowering of his arms.

“A Little God in My Hands” live is an inversion of the studio outing. The lurching riff is quicker and more jagged onstage, and yet what made me jump in surprise on the album feels like a natural culmination on stage. Gira lifts his hand from his guitar, raises it: the whole band gives everything.

My entire body is vibrating, and I feel like the ground I am standing on is not level anymore. “The universal mind” of the song is surely attained at high volume.

My night was made with “The Apostate.” Those hairraising, distant howls in the beginning? A motherfucking electric lap-steel. Drummer Phil Puleo and percussionist Thor Harris extend the best part of the song — the perfectly timed drumming, picking up speed here and imperceptibly decelerating there (a collapse of something huge is signified) — and when the post-apocalyptic dance groove sets in (Thor picking up a hammer and banging those dulcimers attentively), Gira gives it all he’s got: blood-curdling screams, leaping, dancing. It is inspirational to see this 60-year-old man rule the stage and command such a visceral sound.

At the end of the show, the six of them line up onto the front of the stage and bow. Gira says that he and the band will be outside and at the merchandise table, talking with whoever might come by. It was fantastic to see them outside, making small talk with anyone over cigarettes — to see a band hellbent on their art, yet still taking the time to be kind.

17

ARTS IN REVIEW

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2014 www.ufvcascade.ca

Cascade Arcade

Developing games, developing dreams at PAX 2014 ancing the search tables. We’re big believers in supporting our games after people have been kind enough to buy them.

JEREMY HANNAFORD CONTRIBUTOR

Geoffrey Card is a lead game designer for Undead Labs. He has worked on PC version of State of Decay and expansion packs Breakdown and Lifeline. Jeremy Hannaford had the chance to ask him about his career as a game designer at PAX 2014.

What got you into gaming?

My early exposure to gaming was largely due to my father writing for computer magazine Compute! in the ‘80s and bringing home a ton of free games.

My “job” at that age was to play every game that came in, then demonstrate them to my dad so that he could write reviews.

That got me to start looking at games critically, and questioning how they were designed, rather than just playing them passively.

The game that was probably most formative for me as a future game designer was the original Deus Ex. There was this moment when I tried something that I believed was impossible — rescuing my brother from the men in black — and discovered that there was an entire parallel storyline based on that decision. That opened my mind to the potential of games as a unique storytelling medium that can take advantage of its audience’s rebellious desire to make their own choices, rather than restricting those choices in order to preserve authorial intent.

Are you a designer or programmer?

I’m a designer. That means my job is to determine how the game is supposed to work —

How does it feel having obtained your dream job for your dream game?

It’s actually kind of surreal.

I’ve spent a lot of my 12-year career in the game industry imagining the games that I really want to make ... and now when my brain wants to go through that process, it comes up empty, because there really is nothing more interesting to me than the project that’s right in front of me.

Image: earbuddy.net

the rules, systems, controls, et cetera that define the game on a fundamental level — and then to fill in the gaps with details.

You said that before you went to PAX 2012, you had a dream of having a zombie game with survival-like qualities State of Decay has. What was the full premise of your idea when you first had it?

I was working on an idea for a mobile game that involved plotting a road trip across zombie-infested territory with a group of survivors, but the actual zombie combat was secondary. The game was really about survival, community, and making choices to keep your people alive.

You saw State of Decay two years ago at PAX 2012. How did it feel to see your dream game have come alive?

It’s actually a great feeling when you discover that someone else is inspired by the same

sort of fantasy that inspires you.

When I saw State of Decay, I had this immediate sense of kinship to the folks at Undead Labs, because when they went into the zombie apocalypse genre, they found the same niche I did — an experience that wasn’t just about the moment when the zombies attack, but also all the moments after that, as people figure out how to keep going in a new, much harsher world.

Did you talk with any of the developers at Undead Labs at PAX 2012? Did those conversations have a hand in you getting to work for them?

After getting to know a few people from Undead Labs at PAX 2012, I kept talking to them, off and on, over emails and lunches for almost a year.

Undead Labs is very careful about hiring new people — the development environment in this place depends heavily on having a culture of veteran developers who work together

well and trust each other, and trust takes time. It was the following July when I actually had my final interview, and they made me an offer.

What is your role with the company and what have you brought to State of Decay?

I guess my official role is as the lead designer on the State of Decay franchise — though I’m always uncomfortable with titles, especially ones that imply leadership. Luckily, Undead Labs is about the most un-hierarchical place I have ever worked. Everyone here is equally invested in what we’re building.

What I’ve done so far is handle a lot of the design work on the PC version of the game, the Breakdown and Lifeline expansions, and the Year One Survival Edition. I’ve also worked on several of the improvements that were patched into the original game, like followers, vehicle inventories, and bal-

What advice would you have for those who are looking to get into the industry?

All the industry people I know have different stories about how they got in. Particularly people who have been in the industry longer than I have — there were no college programs that fed into the game industry back then, and there was very little in the way of formal training. It was just passionate people finding ways to do the thing they loved on their own, and occasionally bumping into other people like them and getting hired.

Really, it’s still like that in a lot of ways. There are college programs that can help, but none of them is a guarantee that you’ll find a role in the industry.

What matters isn’t the diploma, but what you can create. I’d advise aspiring game developers to start making games now, using whatever means they have at their disposal. Loving to play games is one thing, but to work in the industry, you need to love making games even more.

Dine & Dash

Shandhar Hut: amazing dishes, appealing prices VANESSA BROADBENT CONTRIBUTOR

The Shandhar Hut, an authentic Indian restaurant, is located on Young Road in Chilliwack. The restaurant is well-known locally not only for its fantastic Indian food but for its traditional Indian décor and atmosphere.

Upon entering the restaurant, I was immediately hit with a wave of different spices.

Although the smell was very strong, it was welcoming. The lights were dim but still bright enough to see the artwork that hung on the walls. Every wall was decorated with paintings,

each a different scene familiar to Indian culture and history.

They were extremely colourful and showed women wearing traditional Indian clothing and jewellery. Vases filled with peacock feathers stood in the corners, and every table had a tapestry underneath a glass covering with similar cultural scenes depicted. Indian folk and Bollywood music played softly in the background, adding to the unique atmosphere.

Unfortunately, the customer service was less than great. The server brought a payment machine to the table shortly after we were finished our meal, and

without our asking. It gave the feeling that we were expected to leave although the restaurant wasn’t closing for another half-hour or so. There was no friendly welcome upon entering the restaurant, and it was clear that all the employees were very busy and probably even understaffed.

The lack of customer service is made up for by the quality of food. I have yet to try a dish at Shandhar Hut that isn’t amazing. Even their butter chicken, the popular Indian-Canadian staple (and my favourite), is to die for. The strong and distinct Indian flavours tasted more

enticing than overpowering.

Paired with fresh garlic naan bread and a crispy vegetable samosa, it made for the perfect meal. Each dish was served in a bowl that was placed over a burning candle to keep it from becoming cold. The rice was served on the side in a small copper bucket, matching the copper cups in which the drinks were served.

The prices at the Shandhar Hut are almost as appealing as their food. Main dishes range from $12 to $16, which is quite the deal considering the portions are large and made from scratch daily. Even with a side

of bread and a drink, you can expect to pay less than $20. The appetizers, which are just as good as the main dishes, are all under $10: perfect for the hungry and broke student.

I will definitely be visiting the Shandhar Hut again in the near future. I have tried Indian food on many occasions and it has never been one of my favourites, but I’ve found the exception — nothing compares with the Shandhar Hut. Whether you are an Indian food addict or not, the Shandhar Hut will not disappoint.

18

SPORTS & HEALTH

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2014 www.ufvcascade.ca

New coach serves up a new season of men’s volleyball

Breast cancer awareness tent comes to UFV

NATHAN HUTTON

TORI THISTLETHWAITE

THE CASCADE

CONTRIBUTOR

This year the Cascades men’s volleyball team begins a new chapter in their history with brand new head coach Kyle Donen. He is looking to improve on the woes of the team’s recent history after the dismissal of previous coach Greg Russell.

“I hope to build on the legacy that Greg started here at UFV and find ways to grow and expand the program for the future,” says coach Donen when asked how he plans to distinguish himself from Russell.

The Cascades finished the season last year at eight wins and 16 losses. The team exhibited moments where they proved their talent against top rivals. One instance in particular being when they defeated the Columbia Bible College Bearcats (16-8) in two of the four games they played against each other.

The volleyball team held their tryouts on Wednesday night and although the roster has yet to be announced, we can expect to see some familiar faces including Nikolas Vojnovic, the Togerertz brothers Josh and Anthony, and star middle Liam Neufeld. When I spoke to coach Donen he claimed that one of the most valuable assets to the team

Image: Giandomenico Ricci/flickr

The men will kick off the new season with their first game against the CBC Bearcats on October 17. this year will be the continuity from last year’s squad.

“I think the team had a lot of depth last year, and a number of the players are returning this season. The continuity of the group should definitely help, but it will be important to see how the new faces gel with the team and contribute.

We are going to focus on being a better ball-control team and creating a winning mentality on and off the court. I really believe in this group and I want them to believe in themselves.”

Donen also went on to explain how he feels his youth

will allow him to coach a certain way.

“I find I relate well to my players at this level because just a few years ago I was playing university volleyball just like they are now. I have always been able to draw from my own experiences to relate to my players in a positive way.”

The men will have just over a month to prepare for their opening weekend festivities against local crosstown rivals, the Columbia Bible College Bearcats, where the Cascades will be tested immediately by one of the top teams in the

PACWEST. This season will consist of 24 games, where the men will be presented with the opportunity to get back into the playoffs after missing the postseason last year. Recent playoff woes have come from the team’s inability to exit the first round, and from dropping their games against UBC-O, Douglas, and Camosun in consecutive years.

However, this year is a fresh start with a new coach, and we can look forward to an exciting new season coming our way.

Get off your ass: how to motivate yourself CATHERINE STEWART THE CASCADE

I’m constantly finding myself in situations where I’m sitting at the computer and I get struck with the urge to work out. But then I overthink everything. I think about what time it is, if it’ll be dark by the time I get outside, or if my exercise clothes are clean (let’s be honest, they’ve been untouched for far too long).

After thinking for so long, I then start to imagine all the exercises I’d end up forcing myself to do. I’d work on cardio and be stuck on a treadmill for an hour, when instead I could be on the computer for an hour actually enjoying myself.

By the time my debate with myself has ended, I choose to stay on the computer doing

nothing. Hey, at least thinking about exercise counts a little, right?

Wrong. Lack of motivation is one of the most used excuses made by Canadians every day.

Funny how we’re also pretty high up on the list of heaviest nations.

Getting motivated to start exercising is tough. It usually takes something drastic. However, if you set small goals for yourself and, to quote Nike, “just do it,” then you have no time for excuses. You’d already be done your workout by the time you decided to not go to the gym.

Rebecca Woll, manager of personal training at Equinox in New York City, says that in just six weeks, you start to see results in your body, and that makes you never want to go back to the way you were.

I also heard that after eight weeks, your close friends and relatives start to notice a change in your appearance.

But then after 12 weeks of your spicy new workout regime, the whole world can now tell that something new is going on with you — and that it’s looking good.

Many people have had bad experiences with exercising.

Trust me — I was forced into gym class too. But the best part about being an adult is making your own decisions. If you found you didn’t enjoy that one experience at the gym because of the spinning class you took, try Zumba out! Try out all sorts of things until you find something you enjoy — even if it’s water aerobics and you’re surrounded by wrinkles and arm flab.

You know yourself better

than I do, and if you think you’d need someone on the outside to motivate you, call up a good friend and lay it all out for them. Ask them to remind you to go to the gym or do Just Dance for 30 minutes. (Bonus points if you send them a selfie mid-workout for evidence, sweat stains and all.)

Set little goals and rewards for yourself after each workout. You might even have to buy fancy new gear in order to get in the mood. Remember to make exercising fun and try to remind yourself of that glorious ache in your legs after a day of cardio.

Whatever it may be, find something that motivates you and stick with it. I’m not saying it will be easy, but I am saying that you’ll be looking your best by the time the new year comes around.

If you saw a pink tent on campus this week and didn’t check it out, you missed your chance to participate in a free yoga session (but don’t worry; you will get another chance on September 26).

From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Wednesday, September 3, volunteers from the Don’t Forget to Check campus campaign were spreading awareness about breast cancer, giving away prizes, and encouraging students and faculty to join in and do some yoga. The Don’t Forget to Check organization is traveling around BC this month to spread their message and get women focused on early detection as well as prevention.

While you are led through a series of low-intensity yoga movements, the volunteers provide information about breast health, healthy eating, getting active, limiting alcohol intake, quitting cigarettes or avoiding smoking, and checking your breasts on a regular basis for any abnormalities. Although there are many variables when it comes to breast cancer, these five factors can limit your risk, as well as improve your quality of life.

Amanda McNally, a community relations specialist with CBCF, explained why the campaign is relevant to students.

“Students are potentially living away from home for the first time and being influenced by external pressures affecting their diet, exercise, and alcohol consumption. We hope to better inform this group about lifestyle choices, as the decisions they make between the ages of 18 and 25 can impact their breast health in the future.”

For more information, you can check out their website, dontforgettocheck.ca, which contains information about what campus they are currently at, as well as what time they are conducting their yoga sessions. You can also check out their Twitter account, @CBCF_ BCYukon, which will link you to their Instagram as well as to their Facebook page.

When it comes to cancer, prevention and early detection are incredibly important — so remember, you are never too young to check your breasts or make good decisions about what you put in your body.

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2014 www.ufvcascade.ca

19

SPORTS & HEALTH

Debunking the salt myth, one grain at a time BRITTNEY HENSMAN THE CASCADE

If you ever find yourself seated at a dining table with me, you are bound to hear the words, “Can you please pass the salt?”

My grandpa used to tell me, “Oh, salt is bad for you, you know. It hardens your arteries and puts sodium rings around your eyes,” which, as a child, created the horrific image of an artery with lard oozing out of it, and an old man with bulging eyes.

Contrary to hearsay, salt has impeccably positive assets to your health, including antibacterial and cleansing qualities.

However, when consuming salt in our food, we must first differentiate which type of salt is good and which type is bad.

Ordinary “table salt” is processed and “refined” to make it sit nicely in a dish without clumps. During the process of refining the salt, many original minerals are removed, and then unnaturally added back in (specifically iodine). This simulates what we call “iodized salt.” Good, right? Wrong!

According to the Salt Institute, when manufacturers “iodize” their salt, the iodine they use is not in its fullest and pur-

Image: Auletta/flickr

“Salt contains impeccably positive assets to your health, including antibacterial and cleansing qualities.” est form. They will typically use a potassium iodide or potassium iodate containing approximately 0.002 per cent to 0.004 per cent of actual iodine.

Furthermore, table salt consists of a manufactured form of sodium chloride, which, according to the Global Health Centre in Texas, acts as a chemical toxin that your body cannot break down easily. It actually stores it in your tissues, which

can create further health problems.

Salt in a considerably purer form, such as pink Himalayan salt, is known to contain more of the natural minerals your body needs in comparison to your regular iodized table salt.

Pink Himalayan salt has become quite popular amongst certain health groups. Some sources even say it is one of the purest forms of salt, due to its

location and the process of its retrieval.

Pink Himalayan salt is located inside the Himalayan Mountains, keeping it free from environmental toxins and impurities which are often found in sea salt. Since Himalayan salt is typically hand-mined, this process keeps it from being tampered with by outside factors. Additionally, pink Himalayan salt is said to be com-

posed of 84 natural minerals your body needs.

The function and importance of iodine in your body emphasizes the importance of salt in your diet. The National Health Institute tells us the average adult requires approximately 150 mcg of iodine per day.

However, due to the amount of processed and packaged foods we consume, this quantity is not sufficient enough for what our bodies require.

Has anyone ever seen a goiter? It’s a large bulging lump located under your chin that indicates you have a thyroid problem. This is one of the main problems that people who have a lack of iodine experience.

So how do we avoid this issue? You eat iodine-enriched foods, such as green leafy vegetables, seafood (tuna or cod), cranberries, organic yogurt, and unprocessed salt, such as pink Himalayan.

Salt is great for your body because of its mineral content (especially its iodine). You just need to be sure you are using the right stuff. The next time you feel a pang of guilt while reaching for the salt, reassure yourself that your body needs it in its purest form — so sprinkle generously and enjoy!

One gym to rule them all We compared the best fitness centres in Abbotsford so that you don’t have to get a taste of what the gym has to offer before committing to the monthly fees.

REMINGTON FIORASO CONTRIBUTOR

Apollo Athletic Club The Apollo Athletic Club is located at 3600 Townline Road.

Membership fees can be paid monthly, every six months, or yearly, and you can get a free day-pass to try it out before signing up. The facility’s activities include racquet sports, basketball, swimming, weights, a sauna and steam room, and group exercise. Apollo Athletic Club has child-minding for an additional fee.

The Tuesday after Labour Day is the equivalent of New Year’s Day — it’s the opportunity for a fresh start. This is when students typically make their resolutions for the new semester.

The most common resolution?

Getting healthy. Specifically, going to the gym. The amount of options available for this can be overwhelming — but we’ve done some of the work for you.

Keep reading to find out more about a handful of Abbotsford’s fitness centres.

Abbotsford Recreation Centre ARC is located at 2499 McMillan Road by Yale Secondary.

One of the perks to ARC is that the U-Pass covers the cost for drop-in use of the facility. There are classes including yoga, pilates, cardio, and cycling. If you are not really interested in going to the gym but still want to work out, the ARC does have al-

Image: James Lord/Flickr

“Being a student and balancing life can make it difficult to go out and take advantage of the different facilities available.” ternatives — swimming and ice skating are also available.

GoodLife Fitness GoodLife Fitness is located at 32500 South Fraser Way. Monthly membership fees vary depending on your interests.

There is an array of activities

and services available, in addition to the typical gym equipment — for example, Zumba, hot yoga, a women’s-only section, and personal training.

From Monday to Thursday, it is open 24 hours. In addition, a free three-day trial is available on their website if you want to

VRC Fitness VRC Fitness is located at 2814 Gladwin Road. The activities available at VRC Fitness include swimming, cardio, weights, group fitness, yoga, and basketball, and there is a women’sonly section. For those with children, child-minding is available for an add-on cost to the monthly membership fee.

They also provide a one-day trial pass to try the facility out.

UFV Fitness Centre The Envision Athletic Centre beside AfterMath houses the Fitness Centre in E100. The fees are not included within the student fees and cost $40 for the year. Gym membership includes access to weights, bench press, and universal stations.

The Abbotsford campus location makes it convenient to go after classes.

Being a student and balancing life can make it difficult to go out and take advantage of the different facilities available, and it can also be intimidating if you are doing it for the first time. However, many of these fitness centres have flexible timing and a variety of programming — you can tailor your own interests in what you do, or you can try something new entirely! Whatever the case, there are plenty of options for you to improve your health this semester.

20

SPORTS & HEALTH

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2014 www.ufvcascade.ca

UFV + You 40th anniversary Party

fall CElEBRaTIONS Bring your family and friends!

Fri, Sept 12

Bluegrass and BBQ at Chilliwack campus, CEP

3–8 pm

Free event! Live music, food vendors, marketplace, kid zone, and more! Check out Headwater, Greenwood, Viper Central, and The Paperboys on the main stage.

Sat, Sept 13

UfV day at the Chilliwack Corn Maze

10 am–4 pm

Lose yourself! Make a difference. Admission goes towards UFV Changing Lives, Building Communities Scholarship Endowment.

Wed, Sept 17

Get Groovy at the abbotsford campus

3–8 pm

Free event! Celebrate on the campus green! Retro costume contest, live music, market place, and more!

Check out The Taxmen, Lightning Dust, and The Boom Booms on the main stage.

Fri, Sept 19

Open house at Hope centre

11 am–3 pm

Free event! Tour the facilities and enjoy family fun activities.

Tues, Oct 21

Celebration of light, Clarke Theatre, Mission Free family friendly event celebrating diverse cultures and light in partnership with Mission Community Services Society.

5:30–8:30 pm

Media SponSorS:

Together with you, UFV has accomplished a great deal in 40 years, both locally and beyond. We take pride in our history and look to the future.

Celebrate with us.

ufv.ca/40