The cascade Vol. 22 No. 26

Vol. 22 Issue 26

October 15, 2014 to October 21, 2014

Neurotic and erotic since 1993

Taking public transit farther

City planning, expanding shuttle service, and what it means for students p. 10-11 ufvcascade.ca

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NEWS

News

UFV’s English department is hosting a conference on “fiction, poetry, drama, and oral narratives” from the Fraser Valley this March. Proposals (250 words) for papers to be presented should be emailed to Ceilidh Hart

by October 15 (ceilidh.hart@ufv.ca).

Counsellors offer study workshops This Thursday, UFV’s counselling department will be holding free workshops on a variety of study topics in B214 on the Abbotsford campus for most of the day. The series starts at 10 a.m. with “Reading and Note Taking” and closes with “Test Prep and Active Learning Strategies” at 2:30 p.m.

Autumn luncheon UFV Aboriginal Access is hosting its annual autumn lunch event next Tuesday (October 21) on the Abbotsford campus in the student lounge (A221). The event begins at 11:30 a.m. and is open to students and staff / faculty.

Art wall explosion

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Opinion

5

Culture

8

Arts in Review

15

VIFF wraps up

Sports & Health

19

Choosing the right food for your blood

After some “limitless” instructions led to a free-for-all on a C Building wall, VASA has painted over vulgar display and restarted their attempt at artistic collaboration.

Democracy in action The fall municipal election season has begun, as candidate lists were finalized over the weekend. Martin Castro considers the responsibility of the public to their government on page 5, and UFV Speaks features student opinions on page 7.

Wait for the ... temperature drop Want to spice up your wardrobe without taking off your ridiculously comfortable winter jacket? Check out the fashion column, where Nadine Moedt considers the wonderful world of hats.

Our final week of VIFF reviews has Josh Friesen considering the merits of a Chinese award-winner, a South Korean ripped-from-theheadlines thriller, and a Georgian family drama.

Does your blood type affect weight loss? Taylor Breckles weighs the pros and cons of following diets altered for specific blood types.

Breaking the cycle of apathy is everyone’s responsibility Students have good reasons not to vote.

The common culprit for political abstinence is lack of knowledge about the process, the issues, or the candidates.

It is easy to blame apathy as the demon possessing youth and preventing them from voting. But there is some legitimacy to not wanting to vote based on lack of knowledge, and also considering students are often transient — only living in the community for a set amount of time before getting out of Dodge.

While this is valid reasoning, it is also flawed, and perpetuates a cycle of nonvoting. If students aren’t engaged in the political process, their values and issues reflecting their needs don’t take priority either in the campaign or in the years that follow. When student needs aren’t addressed by their municipality, engagement further drops.

This week, the list of candidates for municipal elections was released. There are two candidates for mayor and 31 for city council in Abbotsford (to fill eight spaces). In Chilli-

wack, there are four mayoral candidates and 17 vying for six city council spots. In Mission, five people are running for mayor and 19 for six city council spots. That’s not to mention candidates for school boards throughout the region.

As encouraging as it is to see so many people interested in the governance of our communities, researching each and every candidate is a lot of homework to add onto a full courseload, among other time commitments.

It’s also difficult to wade through the charming but redundant stories of the pastoral and religious upbringing of each candidate, accounts of how many children they

Let us know!

Editor-in-Chief katie@ufvcascade.ca Katie Stobbart

News Editor michael@ufvcascade.ca Michael Scoular Opinion Editor brittney@ufvcascade.ca Brittney Hensman Culture Editor nadine@ufvcascade.ca Nadine Moedt

Managing Editor valerie@ufvcascade.ca Valerie Franklin

Arts in Review Editor sasha@ufvcascade.ca Sasha Moedt

Director of Business Development joe@ufvcascade.ca Joe Johnson

Sports Editor catherine@ufvcascade.ca Catherine Stewart

Webmaster ashley@ufvcascade.ca Ashley Mussbacher

Production and Design Editor stewart@ufvcascade.ca Stewart Seymour

Copy Editor kodie@ufvcascade.ca Kodie Cherrille

Art Director anthony@ufvcascade.ca Anthony Biondi

or tweet at @CascadeNews

News Writer megan@ufvcascade.ca Megan Lambert

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Image: Solanotempest.net / Google

It’s not that students don’t care about politics — part of the problem is that many don’t intend to stay in the Fraser Valley.

Volume 22 · Issue 26 Room C1027 33844 King Road Abbotsford, BC V2S 7M8 604.854.4529

news@ufvcascade.ca

have, and the slough of classic buzzwords: honesty, integrity, and so on. In a perfect world, candidates for office would be approachable but also more focused on connecting with constituents (including students), and not just with superficial babykissing.

Many students and youth in general do want to be politically involved. But in many ways, there’s a disconnect between the university community and the communities at large. How involved are we in making decisions? If the answer is not much, how can we be expected to want to stay here after we have completed our degrees?

Candidates and municipal leaders: if you want to engage students in this process, talk to us like people instead of as politicians, meet us on our home ground, and start acting like we’re valuable members in this community, instead of existing primarily on the sidelines.

Students: if you set aside a total of about three hours between now and November 15 (voting day) to look up the candidates’ information, brush up on the issues that matter to you, and discuss your findings with someone, that’s really all you need. To help you out, we’re going to be making a special effort this year to bridge students and the three communities surrounding UFV by interviewing all candidates for mayor and council with a focus on student concerns.

We’re all busy. We all have our reasons for disengagement. But those who can vote should. Even if you’re planning to move in a couple years, or next year, you’re making this a better community for the next generation of students who will have to deal with the decisions of the people you voted in — or didn’t.

KATIE STOBBART

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Have a news tip?

Email

www.ufvcascade.ca

News

Briefs

Literatures of the Fraser Valley proposals due

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2014

Production Assistant shyanne@ufvcascade.ca Shyanne Schedel

Staff Writers breckles@ufvcascade.ca Taylor Breckles vanessa@ufvcascade.ca Vanessa Broadbent Varsity Writer nathan@ufvcascade.ca Nathan Hutton Arts and Culture Writer martin@ufvcascade.ca Martin Castro Contributors Sandeep Dosanjh, Josh Friesen, Simon Grant, Jeremy Hannaford, Ashley Hayes, Alex Jesus, Alex Rake, Arzoo Sandhu, Jay Smith, Jess Wind Cover image: Anthony Biondi Photos: UFVFlickr, Dennis Tsang / Flickr, Wikimedia Commons

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.

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NEWS

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2014 www.ufvcascade.ca

SUS creates non-student position to oversee services, fills position with former president VANESSA BROADBENT THE CASCADE

Last March, SUS’s presentation of its 2014-15 budget included a brief listing of its permanent staff (non-student) positions, one of which was newly created: services director. SUS president Ryan Petersen says the role needed to be added to handle a large number of student union responsibilities.

“After the redevelopment of the SUS board, we got to the point where we realized there were too many positions and too many random portfolios that overlap ... some areas that are left blank. We [needed] to look at the society and figure out [what we are] trying to accomplish with this,” he says.

Petersen says that at one point in SUS history the union only handled the health and dental program, but as the university expanded and AfterMath, the shuttle bus service, and the U-Pass program were added, it became necessary to create a position that managed all of these services.

“We couldn’t give that to one vice president because that would drive them insane,

Image:: UFV/ flickr

Shane Potter is overseeing services like the Chilliwack-Abbotsford shuttle in a new permanent position. so a services position came about,” he says.

Graduating student Shane Potter, SUS president from 2012-14, was hired for the new position, where he is handling some of the services he saw created during his two terms.

“He provides reports and lets us know what’s happening with [our services]. More

often than not, he’s just doing a good job making sure that everything is running smoothly,” Petersen says.

Potter’s position is one of three permanent staff positions at SUS, which together are allotted $139,096.64. Twenty-three per cent of SUS’s 201415 budget is spent on full-time staff.

While Potter is now occupying a position that was created while he was the president of SUS, Petersen does not view this as a problem.

“He was not part of the process that actually made the position. That was governance and the vice president internal [Greg Stickland],” he says.

As Petersen sees it, there’s a

strong argument for keeping Potter in SUS operations.

“I was on the committee that reviewed the position and made the final decision,” Petersen says. “He was the strongest candidate that fit the background of understanding how the society functions, and his experience with the society and working for it [was also considered],” he says.

Potter declined to be interviewed for this article.

Aaron Levy, station manager at CIVL Radio, which is also a non-profit organization on campus with an elected student board, was originally contacted by Potter to act as a reference, but ultimately did not provide one.

“I was completely happy and ready to give Shane a reference when he was applying for the position,” he says. “He has been a great partner and supporter of the work we do on campus, but I did state at the time that I thought a conflict of interest should be declared.”

Low student interest shown for upcoming by-elections VANESSA BROADBENT

THE CASCADE

Nomination period for the Student Union Society’s (SUS) upcoming by-election recently closed, and only one of the open positions is set to be filled. SUS has become accustomed to having low numbers of people running in their elections. SUS president Ryan Petersen explains that this is nothing new.

“Sometimes there are still a few vacancies. We’re really lucky that the executives were all filled [earlier this year].

The student board that represents all of the faculties of the university is what we’re missing,” he says.

There are four positions open: aboriginal representative, faculty of access and open studies representative, faculty of trades representative, and school of graduate studies representative. The faculty of

access and open studies, as well as the school of graduate studies positions are new, but the trades position is not.

Despite that, it has only been filled once, five years ago.

Requirements for the elected representatives have been reduced to make the position more manageable and possibly more appealing for candidates.

“It [used to require] a rather large amount of your time,”

Petersen explains. “We wanted to change that because we wanted more people to get involved. Now they don’t have to be on any committees; this is the only thing we want them to do.”

Although the representatives are only required to sit on the SUS board, there is still a large commitment that comes with the position. “[With] engaging their communities, their main job is to

represent their community on the SUS board,” Petersen says.

“So when we bring forward an issue they’re always looking at it [for their students’] benefit.”

Petersen realizes the lack of representation on the SUS board is not ideal, and shared what will be done next year to ensure a better turnout for candidates.

“We really have to be more intrusive and go to the department heads [for help],” he

says. “If this is the response that we’re getting, where [students] don’t know [about the positions] or are not interested, then we need to get in touch with them to figure out how we can better communicate with them, or what can we do to make it more interesting.”

Despite the fact that only one of the positions is being filled, Petersen is staying positive.

“We’re really happy to have Morris Prosser running [for Aboriginal Representative] ... it’s very important,” he says.

“I’m just disappointed that we didn’t get more from the others. I can understand why we didn’t, but that’s not good enough; we need to work on that for next time.”

Students will be able to vote through their myUFV accounts from October 20 to 26.

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NEWS

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2014 www.ufvcascade.ca

Art wall comes down, but will rise again ALEX RAKE

CONTRIBUTOR

The art wall across from the SUS office in C Building was painted over last week after students’ interpretation of the words “NO LIMITS” led to the posting of offensive and juvenile scripts and illustrations.

The visual arts department gave the wall to the Visual Arts Student Association (VASA) to use for VASA projects. According to department head Jill Bain, “The idea was that it would become a space for creative communication that would serve to inspire those who participated, and those who viewed it.”

The instructions on the wall read, “This is a wall of conversation. Contribute how you like ... add anything! Draw on the wall, pin up a sketch, or write a comment! NO LIMITS.” While there were some con-

Image: Valerie Franklin

Public expression took over what was originally intended to be an “artistic conversation.” structive contributions to the wall, the space was mostly used as a public soapbox and

graffiti wall instead of a place of artistic dialogue. Bain explains, “VASA didn’t have

time to put up signage that would describe the purpose of the wall before it became a

free-for-all space.”

SUS president Ryan Petersen, whose office is across from the wall, agrees that proper signage might have made the project more successful.

“It was really slow to start,” he says. “There were a few signs saying ‘this is your wall, make it yours,’ and I guess no one really knew what to do with it.”

Petersen thinks the content of the art wall would be improved either by moving to a less public place or by using more explicit signage. In any case, he hopes the best for the project’s future: “I like interactive pieces like that. I feel that’s what a university environment is all about.”

The re-painting is a result of meetings between VASA and the art faculty. VASA intends to start the project again, this time with clearer signage.

Counselling drop-in booth creates safety for inquiring students, raises mental health awareness TAYLOR BRECKLES

THE CASCADE

UFV’s current student population is part of a generation known for amplifying issues surrounding gender, body dysmorphia, and mental health. In order to aid in the further exploration of one of these issues, the counsellors at UFV organized a mental health awareness booth and self-test area for both students and faculty this past week. “[This event was] a mental health awareness event on depression, anxiety, risky drinking, and well-being for staff and students to get information [and] do a self-test, if they [wanted], and then [counsellors assessed] it with them.

But basically, we’re just promoting mental health awareness and giving information,” Kiira Leibel, one of the volunteers for the event, said.

The focus of the mental health awareness table and testing area was not only to inform people about the risks of mental health, but to help anybody who might be suffering at UFV. Along with the various mental health tests, each participant was also screened for suicide risks.

Eileen Burkholder, a UFV

Image: Taylor Breckles

Student volunteers helped out at the UFV counselling department’s mental health awareness tables. counsellor, said they had met with three people who were at high risk for suicide.

“If [a person happens] to answer a question that affirms that they are having suicidal thoughts, we often gently like to address that,” UFV counsellor Priscilla Ang said.

“We invite them to talk more about that, and sometimes they’re able to clarify where

those thoughts come from … we want to be able to provide them [with information] and make them feel safe.”

There was a curtain separating the testing area from the main table with information, which Burkholder explained was for the privacy of the high-risk students and faculty. She continued to say that she wanted to create a feeling

of safety, and should a student or faculty member be at high risk for any mental health problem, additional information was available behind the curtain that reinforced confidentiality and comfort.

Although people came to the event in order to learn about mental health, both for themselves and for loved ones, there was one distinct

aspect which drew in visitors.

“The popcorn has been the most successful [attraction].

Popcorn has this wonderful aroma — if you like popcorn — and we actually ran out.

Popcorn is a nice gift and then we have swag [as well],” Burkholder said. The event provided guests with notepads, magnets, portable temperature emotion tests, and stress release balls in the shape of punching gloves.

Leibel pointed out how the popcorn also made it easier for people to approach the pamphlets, because they could grab a snack before perusing the table. This provided students with a reason to hang around the table, as opposed to feeling stressed or anxious about wanting a pamphlet.

The booth was quiet during the beginning of their demonstration at 10:00 a.m., but picked up by 2:20 p.m. as classes were ending.

Although the popcorn was a definite draw, Burkholder pointed out that their efforts made a difference regardless of the number of participants.

Helping the three suicide risks, providing passers-by with results from the self-test, and informing the public with pamphlets and discussions made the event successful.

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OPINION

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2014 www.ufvcascade.ca

SNAPSHOTS

Lookie-loos

Curtailed commentary on current conditions

Ashley Hayes

Kodie Cherrille

You know what really grinds my gears? People who slow to a complete crawl in traffic when there is an accident, stall, or any sort of vehicular distraction on the highway.

I know I’m just as guilty of it as the next person, but it still infuriates me when the cars in front take their sweet time to get a good look before carrying on with their commute.

Is this something that has happened since the dawn of the vehicle, or are we just a generation of drivers who love the (potential) sight of carnage? We all need to remember if we were in the car that wound up in the middle of the highway, the last thing we would want is people slowing down to sneak a peek.

It could be a life-changing situation for the people involved, so a little compassion should be applied by those of us crawling on by.

It’s lately become standard conversation fare to inject a “right?” at an opportune moment — particularly at the end of a tangent, if someone agrees with you, or (especially) if you cannot think of anything else to say.

Please. Stop. This.

I love shooting the shit. The spontaneity of conversation, especially between two people who have differing mindsets about something, is deliciously stimulating. Moving from one nuance of argument to another — or jumping blissfully from one silly topic to another — feels great. But what am I supposed to say when someone says “right?”

When it’s uttered, the natural flow of conversation is stopped. An elegant, thoughtful, moving thing suddenly flops dead. There’s no agreement and addendum; even worse, there’s no disagreement and explanation. Instead, the ball is suddenly back in my court to say something else. It drains the energy from a good conversation.

Where are the precautions?

Pop-star prowl

“I know, right?”

Jay Smith

Ashley Mussbacher

Just because you have pop-star status doesn’t mean you have license to condone violence against women.

The behaviour of some celebrities makes me sick. Adam Levine, if you think you can get away with portraying yourself as an animalistic sex offender who preys on women and views them as meat, perhaps you need a wake-up call. Fuelling your morbid mentality and your skewed ideology in the songs you write and the music videos you act in is not okay.

Preying sexually on women is a criminal offense. We don’t need a simulated scenario of this happening as a platform to gain popularity and fame.

There’s enough of this garbage, injustice, and crime happening every day. Seriously, man — if you are required to stoop so low as to choose sex crimes for your creative subject matter, you may just find yourself in jail one day.

“The disease continues to expand geographically,” says Dr. Bruce Aylward in a CBC News interview regarding the spread of the Ebola virus in Africa. The pandemic has the World Health Organization and many others concerned. But despite health officials trying to calm the worried public by giving advice like washing hands and using sanitizer, people still insist on old habits.

There are many variables in the works that can help calm the irrational panic: Ebola is not airborne, undeveloped countries are harder hit because of their healthcare systems, and diabetes has killed over 69,000 people per year; it’s common, so it doesn’t raise fear like something exotic does.

Precautions from hospitals, airports, and individuals should be taken, but I don’t believe the threat of Ebola is as dire as the media is making it out to be.

We’re not too dumb for democracy, we’re just ignorant MARTIN CASTRO

THE CASCADE

We often hear people say that democracy gives power to the people, and this is true in the sense that we, the voters, get to choose who represents us. Individually we don’t have the power to make a final choice about any one particular issue, but we do have the power to add our two cents into the poll. Our vote will then be tallied and a choice will be made based on the results.

But democracy works on the principle that the public will go out, after having evaluated each party’s pros and cons across the board, and cast a vote based on an informed decision about these parties’ values and policies. This is what we all wish would happen, but too often it doesn’t.

Sometimes, people don’t even vote.

People need to have the will and energy to go out and participate in our democracy; otherwise,

Image: Alberto Garcia/ flickr

It is the responsibility of the individual to research where their vote will go.

why have a democracy at all?

Educating ourselves is equally important. A good number of young people either refuse to vote, or vote based on very superficial qualifications.

Oh, the NDP are liberal right? I like liberals, but … do I like the liberal NDP more than the actual Liberals? That’s usually what I hear from people who aren’t actually informed about their decision.

This is disappointing because the system is there to give us a way to represent ourselves, but if we don’t know how to use the system, or if we misuse it, then what is it there for in the first place?

In high school, I heard this statement more times than I care to count: “The Green Party wants to legalize weed, right? I’m voting for them!” Whoever you are: if this is you, get out. Inform yourself about the choice you’re going to make. If you really don’t want to vote because no party really speaks to you, then spoil your ballot. How many people have you heard say they’re not going to vote because they don’t like any of the people or parties running? Tell them to go in there and write that on their ballot. That action will send a message: it lets the government know you’re not happy with what they are doing, and informs them that something needs to change. But sitting there yelling at your television and griping about your government isn’t going to do anybody any

good.

We need to educate ourselves. I urge you, if you’re not sure who to vote for or why you should or should not vote for a party, check them out on the internet and research their platform. Do they cater to your needs? Do they appeal to your personal philosophy? If not, ask yourself which of the other parties do.

We need to be more involved in what our government does. Not only do we need to make decisions about who we choose to lead our country — and province, and municipality — we need to make informed decisions. If we refuse to do so, then we lose the right to bitch when the government does something we don’t like.

Are we too dumb for democracy? No, but we are too ignorant and uninformed. If we want the government to be held accountable for its actions, then we have to be held equally accountable for our own actions (or lack thereof) as well.

6

OPINION

Free expression or free explosion?

Why the art wall in C building attracted chaos, not creativity BRITTNEY HENSMAN

THE CASCADE

This fall, the visual arts department approved a request from VA students allowing them the use of one of the walls in C building for the purpose of free expression.

The request was approved for the entire academic year in hopes of fostering a place that would encourage students to express themselves through an ongoing conversation. But what started off as a blank canvas quickly morphed into a magnet for vandalism. After it was made clear to students that the wall was a free-for-all, brainless comments, vulgar sketches, unkempt penmanship, and rotting food smattered the wall in a little under a week.

Every morning that week,when I passed the wall, the same scenario popped into my head, in which a student ambassador has been allotted the task of giving a tour of UFV’s arts facility to a prospective student. “And this is C building, our fine arts building,” the student ambassador would say as he and the new student pass the art wall, which immediately catches the student’s eye. If this is the type of artwork that results from UFV’s visual arts department, I’d rather go to Emily Carr, the student thinks. And that’s how UFV loses its VA program.

Art is so much more than impulsive expression.

Like any other field, art needs structure in order to be successful. If art is to be shared with society, it must have a purpose and a goal. With structure, art can convey a message, help people connect with each other, or take people on a journey. However, art created without time and thought is completely narcissistic. How do a person’s ramblings or “free expression” reach people in a beneficial way? More often than not, rambling and thoughtless behaviour create problems, not pleasure. Free expression is often an excuse for impulsive behaviour, and I am tired of the arts being impulse’s mask.

Impulse does not think. He has no filter, nor does he abide by rules. When impulse comes to greet you he does not hide anything, and he uncharitably prefers to release whatever feelings are within for momentary gratification.

In the arts, we need a filter.

It takes many layers of paint to

form the depth and shadows of a portrait; it takes writing a lot of cheesy lyrics before a meaningful song emerges. Journals, private blogs, rough drafts, and sketch pads are the building blocks of art — spaces where impulse can have its way before the final product is seen by others. These are tools to be used as stepping stones to the grand finale; they are not the final work themselves. So why display the process instead of the final work? And why provide a place for people to brainstorm and call it art? Is an art wall purposed for “free expression” really what students need? If you take a look at how quickly that wall got out of hand, you should have your answer.

VA staff and students, we need to step up to the challenge and create good works of art, pieces that are worthy of display because of the time, effort, skill and technique devoted to them. We mustn’t reduce our potential as artists by using “free expression” as an excuse for crappy art. That’s a cop-out, and we can do better.

If the art wall comes back into business, I hope students take advantage of the blank canvas to work on a piece that will perhaps take the entire academic year to complete. Leave your free expression to your private journal — trust me, people don’t want to see that.

Images: Valerie Franklin

The visual art department opened up a wall for students to express themselves freely, but it resulted in a chaotic mess.

WEDNESDAY,OCTOBER 15, 2014 www.ufvcascade.ca

7

OPINION

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2014 www.ufvcascade.ca

Satire

Bears bear increasing animosity towards animals

by Repp Porter BC bears have been warned of the increased sale of hunting licenses in the province.

The provincial government surpassed its target of selling 100,000 hunting licences for the year, which they expect will prove a great source of revenue. According to the Guide Outfitters Association of BC, hunters who come from outside of Canada spend more per capita, per day, than any other type of tourist.

Grizzly hunting in particular receives heavy media attention.

This fall season, 1,609 grizzly hunting licences were issued. The government reminds the public that grizzlies are not, in fact, endangered.

Endangered or not, there are many groups who oppose the grizzly hunt, including the Coastal First Nations. Jessie Housty, an elected councillor for the Heiltsuk First Nation, deemed the hunt a “moral issue,” calling the grizzly “an incredible species to us both spiritually and culturally.”

According to the Province, Housty said the bear hunt is also

“

in direct conflict with communities’ efforts to promote sustainable eco-tourism businesses, which bring in more money without killing bears. Scott Protter, a local expert on everything, disagrees with naysayers of trophy hunting: “Bah! Who cares? Fuck bears! They get into everybody’s garbage. Besides, they’re taking all our jobs.” Indeed, both the garbage-eating and employment rates among bears of all kinds have increased rapidly since the ursidae began their emigration from wooded areas to the public sphere. More and more bears are becoming public officials, doctors, and educators in this predominantly human society. Yet, there is no data to suggest that this has displaced human employment by a significant number.

“Yeah, right,” said Protter in response to this. “Anyone who says that has obviously been indoctrinated by propaganda like those amoral Berenstain Bear books.”

Mama Bear, an Abbotsford mother of one, fears for her species’ future in the face of prejudice. “Humans invade our home

UFV SPEAKS

Maxina Spies

almost monthly, eating all our porridge and breaking all our furniture,” she wrote in a letter to the provincial government. “After these invasions, all we have to eat is garbage; our only place to sit is in the city! And on top of all this, they want to shoot us?”

Mama demands a serious effort be made on the government’s part to turn the public eye from bears’ apparently strange eating habits, to the very real violence against an ultimately innocent demographic.

Acknowledging Mama’s letter, Protter maintained (through a mouthful of McDonalds cheeseburger and Coca-Cola) that these “junk-munching people-guilters deserve a bullet in their fat, furry asses.

“Let’s not be naive,” he added, raising his eyebrows as high as he could.

A group of grizzlies attempted to eat Protter after his exceedingly loud interview last Monday, but decided mid-way they would rather leave room in their stomachs for some trash.

Do you plan to live in the Fraser Valley when you graduate?

Does this affect your view on the municipal election?

“I may or may not end up living in the Fraser Valley — not sure where my plans will lead me. It won’t affect my political involvement. I think I will vote in the municipal elections as long as I am here.”

Tanner Brown “I probably won’t. I don’t have time for that — I’m an engineering student.

Where I live isn’t a factor. I would vote once I’m out of school and have time to inform myself of all that stuff.”

Tahnee Kolins “I plan to stay in the Fraser Valley.

There is no lack of work here and my family is here. There is not a lot of information [on politics] available to our generation.”

Gyles Wilson-Lee “I plan to transfer to UBC or UVIC. I don’t pay as much attention to [politics] as I should. It is indicative of how my generation is not as in touch with local politics as it should be.”

Donovan Toews

“I have paid absolutely zero attention to the municipal election. I haven’t lived in Abbotsford for over a decade so everything politically wise I have not followed. I want to do field work with my degree, so I’ll be leaving the Fraser Valley anyway.”

Shayne Tyndall “Yes. But I don’t have enough information to vote.”

Brendan Watts “I’m not planning on staying here. I’m going to Nelson. I will vote for what is up there.”

Hannah Adams “After I graduate I hope to live somewhere international. You’d have to be a citizen or permanent resident to vote there.”

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CULTURE

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2014 www.ufvcascade.ca

Below the Belt

Saddle up and ride on: the cowgirl position ALEJANDRO ACROBAT SEXPERT

After flipping through the large online catalogue of sex positions from the Men’s Health website, she and I decided to try the cowgirl, better be described as the “woman-on-top” position. This sensual situation doesn’t require any form of gymnastic abilities, but it still feels rewarding and comfortable.

This offers the female partner an advantage by letting her take charge over the male, along with more freedom and space than some other forms of sex, such as missionary.

The cowgirl allows a woman’s G-spot to be massaged repetitively by the male. With the G-spot being the target of this position, the clitoris doesn’t receive a lot of attention. On the bright side, this allows the orgasm to grow slowly before reaching its climax. For this reason it’s strongly advised to mix up the sex by throwing in a few deep and shallow thrusts randomly to break up the pattern.

For both partners, the cowgirl offers a strong orgasm that slowly builds up rather than simply being a “big bang.”

That being said, my partner and I noticed that the woman-on-top does have a few downsides. For one, trying to get into that perfect

Édouard-Henri Avril’s painting depicts the cowgirl position, which has clearly been around for a while. position can be a bit of trial-anderror. Sitting either too far forward or too far back will cause an uncomfortable situation for both parties. Second, if participants are jockeying for control, rather than letting the girl on top take charge, she may quickly lose her balance.

If you’re not into the cowgir approach, don’t discard the idea just yet. The woman-on-top can also be

altered into a reverse-missionary form, known as “chest-to-chest.”

For those romantics who enjoy traditional sex, this is an easy way to spice up your bedroom activities. Unlike the cowgirl, with the woman kneeling over the male, the female leans down to hug the man. We found that the cuddling, which allowed me to take full control over the situation, helped

create that emotional bond. This form of woman-on-top allows the male to stimulate the clitoris while still reaching the G-spot for that perfect orgasm.

This position creates a different atmosphere from traditional sex, it’s comfortable, and it can allow the woman to take full control over the sexual experience. For both parties, the cowgirl produces

powerful climaxes without a lot of work or awkward positioning.

The most important part of this position is to be in tune with your partner. Whatever role you play, the cowgirl is a truly rewarding experience and will definitely earn you some brownie points in the bedroom.

Cozy fall hats add flair on the coldest days NADINE MOEDT THE CASCADE

As our West Coast winter approaches and UFV’s sketchy heating system begins to labour, outer layers become the only visible signifiers of personal style. Your one winter jacket doesn’t allow for much variance in wardrobe, and almost every attempt to add flair ends up with extra layers of ungainly bulk that has to be removed once inside and in class.

Lillie and Cohoe — local hatmakers based in Nelson, BC — have the solution to this style conundrum.

Hats have always been a symbol of class, and Lillie and Cohoe’s fall and winter collection is nothing if not classy. The styles have been inspired by West Coast winters: functionality and comfort blends with a touch of brilliant chic. If you think earflaps can’t look elegant, check out the Freda model, which adds a slight brim to keep ears and the back of your

Image: Lillie and Cohoe/ Facebook

neck out of harm’s way.

The world of hattery can be difficult to navigate. When choosing a hat, look for function and simplicity. The goal should be to enhance your style, rather than distract; avoid plumes of feathers or overly complex blends of fabric and colour. A winter hat does not need a wide brim; look for a two-inch brim, which will protect your eyes from wind rather than sun.

Many upper-end fabrics such as furs and cashmere look and feel pretty, but won’t hold up in the perpetual dampness of a BC winter. Look for tweed, boiled wool, or mohair, which will act as wind-breakers and

provide nice noggin insulation.

While none of these are entirely waterproof, they won’t disintegrate in the rain.

Selecting colour depends on your personal preference.

Look for hats that add a pop of brightness to the greys and muted tones of winter weather. Bright ruby reds and deep plums will add life to any outfit.

If you don’t feel quite so bold, try navy or look for a two-toned beige to lighten your look. A textured fabric like knitted wool or tweed should be paired with simple colour so as to not appear too busy.

Hats can be worn for any occasion; wearing one while travelling pretty much instantly makes you the stylish protagonist of a quaint rom-com. If you’re looking for something that can be worn indoors and out, try a wide knitted headband.

If you’ve never considered wearing a hat, try checking out a local hat shop and trying some on. Roxanne’s hats in Fort Langley and the Granville Island Hat Shop are brim-

ful of different options for any head size and shape, and both carry Lillie and Cohoe hats. A hat is an essential accessory to a unique fall wardrobe, adding

Image: Lillie and Cohoe/ Facebook

personality and pizazz to your outerwear.

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CULTURE

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2014 www.ufvcascade.ca

Return of the Half Monty celebrates Scotland through skit, song, and plenty of laughs VANESSA BROADBENT THE CASCADE

The Abbotsford Arts Centre was full of singing, feet-stomping, and laughter at Fraser Valley Stage’s Return of the Half Monty.

This was the third spin-off Fraser Valley Stage has produced of its original comedy show, The Half Monty.

The night featured various comedy and musical acts in the style of Monty Python and Saturday Night Live. With a live band playing familiar Irish and Scottish tunes that allowed for plenty of audience participation, the show became less of a theatre performance and more of an interactive pub night.

There were hilarious parodies of well-known songs, like “Things You Shouldn’t Say to Your Wife” rather than Green Day’s “Time of Your Life,” and a new spin on “Cups.” “Don’t Stop Believing” was covered, among other sing-along songs, with free drinks going to the most enthusiastic table.

The comedy met every expectation. Although it tended to get

Half Monty returns with a interactive and fully licensed variety show.

a bit dry or off-colour at times, the humour was non-stop from 8 to 10 p.m. There were plenty of sketches making fun of the Scottish (one of which was titled “If It’s Not Scottish, It’s Crap”), and a couple jabs at their recent attempt to gain independence from the UK. The Irish, English, and Americans were also featured in the comedy. Canadians took most of the brunt by far, with no lack of Newfoundland accents or poutine jokes.

The Canadian perspective on war, border crossings and — of course — Surrey was roasted with relish.

One of the highlights of the night was a tribute to Robin Williams, as well as the return of Fraser Valley Stage’s popular sketch “Interesting People.”

The sketch featured eight singing characters which played off of each other; incidentally, there was some twerking involved.

The production is not one to miss, and runs until October 18. A special performance runs on October 15, with a portion of the proceeds supporting the Abbotsford Arts Council.

Arts Expo showcases resources for arts students BRITTNEY HENSMAN THE CASCADE

An academic career in the arts is not for the writer or painter exclusively. UFV’s fourth annual Arts Expo, held in the Envision Centre, offered information and free pizza for all students who were looking for a little more information on their options as arts students.

Arts, science, and business majors also benefitted from the expo, which offered advice and information about the plethora of resources accessible through the arts department.

The atmosphere was welcoming and alive with enthusiastic department reps, faculty, and student association volunteers.

Members of faculty were eager to chat with students about their fields of study and related career paths. It was a great environment to have a casual conversation with different arts instructors and for students to share in the love UFV’s instructors have for their fields.

One goal of the expo was to let students know about the variety of art disciplines available to them. The expo also showed how even students in bachelor of science programs have resources available to them, should they de-

Upcoming

Events October 15 Student Appreciation Day

Ever feel underappreciated? The Abbotsford campus bookstore is here to help. The day starts at 9 a.m., with a free pancake breakfast for the first 50 students in the door. The all-day free event features a fashion show, door prizes, free yoga, and a talent showcase.

October 16 Study smart workshop UFV’s Counselling Services is offering an all-day workshop on healthy study habits and skills.

The workshop runs from 10 a.m. to 3:50 p.m., and includes seminars on exam anxiety, active learning strategy, note taking and overcoming procrastination. For a full schedule and more information, go to the counselling services home page.

October 17 Birdsong opening The opening night of UFV Theatre’s first production of the year is on our doorstep! Birdsong opens October 17 and will run through October 26. The play is set in the First World War and features an intertwining of romance and war. Tickets start at $15 for matinees at the student rate.

Image: Brittney Hensman

cide to minor in an art.

The peer mentor table provided information on how mentors offer a casual relationship between UFV students, regardless of what year they are in. Peer mentors also ensure students are on the right track and registering for the proper courses that correspond to their program.

The study abroad booth was open to discuss the various travel programs available to students

and which countries accommodate their specific programs, and teacher education program (TEP) representatives set up a cheery table to provide information on UFV’s new secondary school program.

The geography booth challenged students’ knowledge of the world, offering candy and study stress balls in the shape of the earth as prizes if they could pinpoint where a country or city was on a revolving globe.

Student Life was recruiting other students to participate in the planning of events around campus — a great way for students

Image: Brittney Hensman

to get involved with the campus community. Info was provided on the co-curricular record (CCR), including a display of the official CCR document which students can download directly from their myUFV account to add to their resumé.

The expo engaged and informed students, encouraging them to get involved and take advantage of the resources available to them through UFV, from program options to student groups, support resources, and information about future careers after completing an arts major or minor.

October 20 CEP hosts George Littlechild The president’s lecture series presents Cree artist George Littlechild. Littlechild is a internationally renound artist who draws on traditional Cree elements to explore social and political issues.

His lecture will take place at Chilliwack’s CEP campus and starts at 4 p.m.

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CULTURE FEATURE

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2014 www.ufvcascade.ca

Public transit discussion comes to Langley New shuttle may beat Fraser Valley Express

by Megan Lambert and Michael Scoular

T

he past year has seen a number of changes in student transit options: the Student Union Society (SUS) initiated a Chilliwack-Abbotsford Campus connector shuttle, for which service was later expanded, and BC Transit has been on campus multiple times with surveys about proposed service changes. And more is coming.

Connector upgrade: part two First, there’s the campus connector, which, according to SUS data, is in need of more service between Chilliwack’s Canada Education Park (CEP) campus and the UFV Abbotsford campus.

“The primary reason [for the referendum] is to address ... people [that] have been left behind [each week],” VP internal Thomas Davies says. “We’re adding a bus through the period that we’re having all the turn-aways.”

SUS estimates 85 students a

week are being left at stops due to rides running at-capacity. Davies suggests the margin of error means this number might be lower than the actual amount.

This time last year, after reconsidering the cost of running a CEP-Abbotsford connector compared to ridership numbers, SUS proposed and passed an increase, from $6.75 to $17.75 per semester.

Now there are two questions that will be posed to students.

Revising the CEP-Abbotsford shuttle schedule and increasing the number of shuttles running during the morning and afternoon would tack on another $3.50 to the fee.

SUS is also proposing a connector service that would reach students from the Langley area, which would begin downtown near the Langley Centre bus exchange and end at the Abbotsford campus, although the exact route is yet to be finalized. The fee for

the creation of this route would be $5.45 per semester.

There is no UFV campus in the Langley area, but Davies argues that there is a bus service connecting Mission students to Abbotsford, where there are slightly fewer UFV students than there are from Langley. (The number of UFV students living in Mission has declined each year since 200910, when part of the business program was taught at the Heritage Park campus.)

Students will be able to vote either in favour for or against each service addition individually at the end of the month (from October 30 to November 4). If passed, service would begin for the winter semester.

Fraser Valley Express still in the works If SUS’s plan sounds familiar, that’s for good reason. BC Transit has had a Langley-Abbots-

ford-Chilliwack bus connector in various stages of development for over a year. After a delay in approval from Abbotsford city council (Mayor Bruce Banman brought the issue up a second time after it was initially halted by a tied vote), the Fraser Valley Express was scheduled to debut in September 2014, and then rescheduled for April 2015.

The FVX differs from the UFV connector in a number of ways.

At an information open house, BC Transit allowed students and community residents to fill out a survey, with one option asking students to choose between stops in Chilliwack’s downtown or the CEP campus. The FVX would also have a different Langley destination, as it would leave from the Carvolth exchange, a location about 10 kilometres north of the Langley Centre.

There are still a number of details yet to be finalized. Fares were

tentatively set at $6 for a one-way trip with no transfer to other BC Transit services. The FVX’s place within the pre-existing U-Pass program would also be a matter of negotiations between BC Transit and SUS, an unlikely situation if the connector referendum passes.

“In an ideal world, if the price is right and if students are fine with paying that price, we’d like to see some combination of programs,” Davies says. “As that program comes alive, and as we see how our demand is shaped for the Langley service, we’ll take a look and see how we can create efficiency for students just by merging programs together, or adjusting service times, or whatever it may be.”

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CULTURE FEATURE

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2014 www.ufvcascade.ca

Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Areas in New Zealand have added “shared spaces,” which emphasize pedestrians. This is the view before ...

Image Credit: Su Yin Khoo / Flickr

Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons

... and this is what a street looks like after. Walking is not confined to sidewalks, and surfaces are paved differently.

City planner presents at UFV For students who attended a transit presentation led by New Zealand city planner Darren Davis, these types of options and considerations were forefront.

Organized by the UFV Urbanists group, Davis spoke of his experience with a town roughly the same size as Abbotsford (Hamilton, NZ), which also had, at the time he began work there, a similar public view of taking the bus — they mostly did not. Since then the number of people using public transit has steadily risen. “[We] changed the conversation about public transport in Hamilton from one that was really marginal ... to one that was actually useful for quite a number of different things,” he said.

There are a host of issues and questions that can be used to approach public transit: who rides it (low-income or non-working residents, students, seniors), who pays for it (New Zealand differs from Abbotsford in how it only has one level of government that handles transit), how it affects the community it runs through (environmentalists, business owners), and many other more intricate ways of fitting infrastructure and

geography together. Davis said, for a start, that how transit is fundamentally operated makes an enormous difference.

This means looking at redundancies across different levels of transit (something relevant given the FVX/SUS services). “Just getting the existing network to work reliably,” Davis emphasized, can be enough. In Hamilton, this meant reducing wait times and making on-time performance a major focus. Davis suggested these adjustments mostly affect fuel purchase and driver hours, rather than the addition of actual buses, and therefore should not be beyond the budgetary limits of a well-functioning transit service.

Davis acknowledged the comparison between Hamilton and Abbotsford is not an exact parallel, though.

“We were in the fortunate position where the political context was broadly supportive of increasing public transport, [with] public and stakeholder acceptance,” he said. As well, some transit upgrades occurred in anticipation of the time of the 2011 Rugby World Cup, where some games were played at Hamilton’s Waikoto Stadium (which seats 25-

35,000).

A lot of government spending in Hamilton also contributed to upgrades at the city’s central bus centre. Davis said government involvement is necessary, both to improve the public image of the bus service and to give easy, safe access to pedestrians using the transit lines.

“When you think about how you present public transport infrastructure to public transport customers, you see something about how you view those customers,” he said.

Closer to home, proposed realignment of Abbotsford-Mission bus routes was not implemented following a public survey earlier this year. Many residents expressed concern over the push toward using the Abbotsford downtown exchange instead of the one at Bourquin, which is located near the Sevenoaks Mall.

The downtown exchange is poorly lit and consists of two shelters at opposite ends of a crosswalk.

The Bourquin exchange has three shelters, a restroom for drivers, and is made out of a concrete island, though it lacks ample space for more than five running buses at a time.

Another example of shared spaces in New Zealand’s waterfront area.

As BC Transit’s summary stated, major transit additions or alterations “[would] require infrastructure investment to enable the service change proposals to be implemented. In addition, there were a considerable number of responses requesting an increase in service frequency and later trips on multiple routes. This desire would require additional service hours and operational budget.”

Davis repeatedly pointed out, however, that these kinds of changes could happen over a relatively short period of time (Hamilton’s have taken place over less than a decade).

One of the more noteworthy changes has been in New Zealand’s promotion of “shared spaces.” Designated streets are paved as walkways (setts or other pedestrian-friendly material), which emphasizes that those walking along or crossing the street have the right-of-way. “We’re not saying no to the car, but we’re saying the pedestrian has priority in the space,” is how Davis described it.

Car-heavy traffic often re-directs itself to other routes as drivers adjust to the new layout. An obvious comparison would be Abbotsford’s downtown area, where

there is already a lowered speed limit and a high level of visitors on foot to the area during periodic traffic closures for larger events.

Worries that this might discourage visitors to local businesses, Davis said, are unfounded. “It is the people on their feet who spend money,” he said, citing research their city has done before and after the change. One downside to shared spaces, however, has been that it does not provide enough differentiation in surface for disabled pedestrians, as the BBC has reported.

Especially given how the senior population is growing, Davis said making cities walkable and public transit accessible should be a priority for governments and citizens. (In New Zealand, many seniors qualify for free transit rides after 9 a.m. on weekdays and all weekends and holidays.) In Abbotsford, Davis said he saw evidence of new developments, but with gaps between them. Public transit and city planning will likely be a topic of note in the upcoming municipal election.

With files from Stewart Seymour.

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CULTURE

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2014 www.ufvcascade.ca

CROSSWORD X Marks the Spot

by VALERIE FRANKLIN

2. What you’ll probably be doing over winter break if you don’t have a job. (8) 3. The rotating shaft that holds your car’s wheels together. (4) 7. Breakfast cereal that’s allegedly just “for kids!” (4) 9. What the red-lit sign above doors says. (4) 10. Mythical Greek river that you must cross to get to the Underworld. (4) 12. Big, strong animals to pull your cart. (4) 13. Along with death, one of the two things you can’t avoid. (5)

1

2

3

ACROSS

4

5 6

7

8

DOWN

9 10

11 12

13

1. The brand name synonymous with photocopiers. (5) 4. Rubbery stuff that disposable gloves are made of. (5) 5. Tiny squares that make up a digital image. (6) 6. A fighting sport that involves punching people with big gloves. (6) 8. Richard _______, notorious Watergate president. (5) 11. A word for poisonous — or the title of a 2003 Britney Spears hit. (5)

EclipseCrossword.com

SUDOKU 9 6 1 4 5 7 7 4 2

8 9 3 5

9 3

3 5 6 6 4 2

1 IDEA 6 SHOW 8 SOUL 9 KISS 10 CABLE DOWN 2 DEAL 3 ANSWERS 4 BOOK 5 THUNDER 7 MUSIC 11 BASES

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

2

5 6 1 9

ACROSS

Sudoku solution

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

8 4

Last issue’s crossword

6 9 9 3 7

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

7

4 5

The Weekly Horoscope

Star Signs from Natalie Nebula

Aquarius: Jan 20 - Feb 18: If you pass two kittens on the road, congratulations.

Gemini: May 21 - June 21: Bliss and synergy will be yours if you figure out what everyone else is secretly thinking.

Pisces: Feb 19 - March 20: This week, toss a pair of someone else’s shoes at a rabbit, then tell a Virgo about what happens.

Cancer: June 22 - July 22: You’ll get more done this week if you admit you were wrong about everything.

Aries: March 21 - April 19: This is the year of the bear. Prepare.

Leo: July 23 - Aug 22: Three roads met in a wood, and a hare met none of them.

Taurus: April 20 - May 20: It is wasteful to be mistrustful of the plastics you call home.

Virgo: Aug 23 -Sept 22: Remember, it all works out in the end.

Libra: Sept 23 - Oct 22: Aerial yoga will give you the balance you’ve been looking for.

Scorpio: Oct 23 - Nov 21: Split ends will only be the beginning for you. By the end of the week, you’ll be barefoot.

Sagittarius: Nov 22 - Dec 21: A four-leaf clover is like a ring of power. (Keep it secret; keep it safe.)

Capricorn: Dec 22 - Jan 19: Your edgy utilization of tropes will only lead to trouble. And possibly an internet following.

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WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2014 www.ufvcascade.ca

Socially conscious students win Writing Centre awards VALERIE FRANKLIN THE CASCADE

The Writing Prize Competition handed out nine awards for excellence in student writing to 12 students from a variety of disciplines in a ceremony that took place on October 6 in A225. The competition, which is facilitated by the Writing Centre, recognizes academic writing that exceeds expectations, explained UFV instructor and Writing Centre mentor Nadeane Trowse.

“It’s always an honour to be nominated for the awards,” Trowse said. “Only a small number of people are nominated, and an even smaller amount win.”

The topics of award-winning submissions were diverse, and included work from artists, science students, and teachers in training.

Jennifer Colbourne, a psychology student, was the winner of the Applied Theory category for her submission on animal cognition,

titled “The Corvid Controversy: Whether Self-Awareness Truly Exists in Avian Species.” Colbourne argued that self-consciousness is not exclusive to mammals, and emphasized that the discoveries being made about animal cognition “could dramatically alter our beliefs about life itself.”

The Upper Division Technical Problem Solving category was won by a consultant’s guide written by four adult education students: Julie Bell, Lee Derksen, Claire Février, and Kim McLaren.

Février, who was wearing her new baby, represented the group to receive the award.

Many of the award-winning entries showed how students addressed real-world social problems through research. Dylan Thiessen won the Socially Current Research category for his essay on “The Online and Real World Community of Couch Surfing,” while Anna Nienhuis won the Upper Division Criminology

category for her directed studies project on employment opportunities for offenders released from prison.

Hayley Cooper won the First Year Research category with an essay about the transition from child welfare to independent adulthood. Her instructor, Lisa Moy, explained that documenting experiences like these through writing is important to social work.

“We have a window into a painful part of people’s lives, and it’s important to write with compassion, integrity, and professionalism,” Moy said.

A project by Joelle Bausenhaus examined the political, economic, and environmental implications of water quality conflicts on the Rio Grande River, which forms part of the border between the US and Mexico, and won the Upper Division with a National Focus category.

An art history essay by David

writer approaching? e.

scad a C e h r at T e t c a m ar le ch s at 8:00a b a k c g unlo s meetin n a ’ 9 er me Beco s for writ gs @ C142 n u Join ay morni d Mon

Seymour won the Explorations of Marginality category. Seymour’s work challenged the colonial gaze in visual art and the representation of “two-spirited” individuals, challenging gender stereotypes in art.

“It’s important because it’s not written about a lot, and it’s still an issue that we deal a lot with today,” he said.

Trowse noted that award types often change from year to year as new courses and projects are introduced. A new category this year was Poetry Portfolios, for which two winners tied: Katie Stobbart and Sarah Sovereign.

Sovereign’s work reimagined her family history in Ontario, while Stobbart explored poetic form through line breaks. Stobbart also one the Lower Division Reflective Analysis category for an essay on suburban literature.

This ceremony marked the fifth year of on-site ceremonies. Previously, congratulations were sent

via mail.

“We thought we should make it a celebration for the winners,” Trowse said. “It’s important for faculty to recognize [the students] reading.”

All winners received a an award certificate as well as a small honorarium. The winning pieces will also be published in the writing centres in both Abbotsford and Chilliwack. Trowse said that in previous years the only prize was grades that went on students’ transcripts, but now the award recognizes their accomplishments.

“It looks great for a CV,” she said. “Something employers will look at and say, ‘amazing!’”

Katie Stobbart is the Editor-in-Chief of The Cascade.

With files from Simon Grant.

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ARTS IN REVIEW

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2014 www.ufvcascade.ca

Film

Dracula Untold has no bite JEREMY HANNAFORD CONTRIBUTOR

It appears that Hollywood has finally given up trying to rehash the same old horror flicks.

Entities like I Frankenstein, The Mummy, and now Dracula Untold are no longer just icons of horror. They must now be harbingers of action in this generation. But while it is at least a change of the norm, almost none of them have been anything more than loud, incoherent noise.

Director Stephen Sommers is essentially the pioneer of recreating horror legends into action films. His iteration of The Mummy was entertaining, scary, and made decent coin at the box office. It opened up a whole new avenue of ideas while simultaneously nullifying the ideal that these horror legends owned.

Proof of this came in films like Dracula 2000 or The Wolfman (2010). Sommers, while having made a decent film, had opened the floodgate to a never-ending

flow of mindless pieces of garbage. While Dracula Untold certainly isn’t completely awful, it doesn’t do well to set itself apart from the rest of the landfill.

What Dracula Untold failed to do (like I, Frankenstein before it) was to accept what it was and make itself enjoyable. If you are going to make film about Dracula being a super-powered anti-hero, there is a fairly large chance that your film isn’t going to be getting any high marks for story or characters.

But you can still make it fun to watch. Sommers once again did this with Van Helsing. The Hugh Jackman action flick was panned by critics for being cheesy, cliché, and completely ridiculous. But at least it was fun to watch. Thanks to the cringe-worthy story and Richard Roxburgh’s superior ability to overact as Dracula, Van Helsing is a great example of a good bad movie.

Dracula Untold does something any film of its calibre should rarely try to do: take

itself seriously. Luke Evans’ character, the historic Vlad the Impaler, is drawn from a great mix of myth and history. Turning Vlad’s reputation for impaling as his use of fear to prevent further slaughter was another good idea, turning the gruesome legend into an honourable hero.

But these elements that should have been fine-tuned to make the character more developed are used merely as “oh, that’s interesting” moments.

Rather than fleshing out these characters, the film instead feels that it must resort to action, as if those mere minutes were enough to connect the audience with the characters.

Despite its cheesy atmosphere, Van Helsing at least established its characters. However two-dimensional or terrible the performances were, we still understood the characters’ motivations. Dracula Untold not only fails to do that — it has the pacing of a current-day Simpsons episode, as the next scene

A film this cliché shouldn’t take itself so seriously. appears before the previous can barely establish itself. But with a film moving this fast, it is ultimately empty.

Without an enjoyable badmovie edge, Dracula Untold falls into the same pit as I, Franken-

stein did as a forgettable film.

As terrible as it sounds, Stephen Sommers should be allowed to make films like Van Helsing again. At least they’re good for a laugh.

TV

Blood, sweat, and tears: all stops pulled out for The Walking Dead premiere JESS WIND

CASCADE ALUM

Caution: this review contains spoilers from the first four seasons of The Walking Dead and the season five premiere.

The Walking Dead is back and ready for a fight.

By season five the part-time fans have gotten bored and the hardcore fans are salivating for certain characters to return. Knowing this, the show’s crew gave us the emotionally charged and fast-paced premiere we needed.

The episode opens with a time-lapse scene hinting at the backstory of the not-so-friendly Terminus residents. The scene suggests they were once in the same kind of captivity our gang find themselves in now. Maybe they’re not the cold-blooded killers we assumed they were at the end of season four?

Scratch that.

Rick, Glenn, Bob, and Daryl are dragged inside and bent over a steel tub alongside four other unknowns. As the enforcers line up furthest away from the familiar faces, it quickly becomes evident they’re about to be bled out like cattle. Generic extras get their skulls bashed

The Walking Dead protagonists face the brutality of the Terminus residents in the season five premiere. with a baseball, throats slit for drainage — images reminiscent of the Saw series. The camera is slow to cut away as blood pours into the drain below. The gore feels more pronounced than in previous episodes, but is that a marked shift in direction, or is it the slaughterhouse quality?

Regardless, it’s not just zombie gore anymore.

Just as the bat wielder takes aim behind Glenn, an explosion rocks the room and the scene ends. By this point we’re all wondering how close these folks can get to death before they finally lose the fight.

Then the action shifts to Carol. Between her and Daryl, it’s a hard pick for most badass character growth. Carol has been

faced with some of the hardest decisions in the series and her remorse seems only to make her stronger. Her time spent with Tyrese and Judith has cemented this and, like Rick, she’s more focused than ever on what needs to be done to survive.

Carol blasts her way into Terminus, shoots anyone with a gun, and slips out while the

place is overrun with zombies.

How does she know Rick and the others escaped safely amid all the chaos? It doesn’t matter because she finds them in the woods, and Daryl wraps her into the genuine bear-hug that makes us forget about that little miscommunication.

The writers (and actors) nailed exhausted, unencumbered emotion with the Carol moment, but then you remember Rick still thinks his baby girl is dead. Now that reunion is a tear-jerker.

After season four ’s midway decimation at the prison, followed by enough walking to make anyone change the channel, the season five premiere delivered. We are left knowing it’s not the end of the Terminus story (because of another flashback late in the episode). We anticipate the return of forgotten characters and Eugene’s apparent cure in DC. But it was the episode’s underlying message that sealed the success of the premiere.

Subtly crafted into Glenn’s few lines, we are left with hope — hope for their survival, hope for their humanity. Without it, how do we tell the villains from the heroes?

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2014 www.ufvcascade.ca

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ARTS IN REVIEW

This week’s VIFF offerings: Haemoo, Corn Island, and Black Coal, Thin Ice JOSH FRIESEN CONTRIBUTOR

Haemoo South Korean cinema is flourishing. Chan-wook Park and Joon-ho Bong, South Korea’s leading auteurs, have successfully transitioned into the English language with Stoker and Snowpiercer, introducing a larger audience to their respective canons. Haemoo’s success on the festival circuit and its selection as Korea’s entry for the foreign language Oscar is probably due in a large part to Joon-ho Bong’s credit as producer and screenwriter.

Haemoo (Sea Fog) is based on a stage play, which is in turn based on a real event that occurred in 2001. Judging by the collective gasp in the VIFF screening I was in, I assume most were not aware of what event it was based on. All I will say is that the incident is shocking and traumatic; this is not a film for the squeamish.

The film centres on Captain Kang and his fishing crew. He is about to lose his boat due to lack of finances, so in an act of desperation he agrees to the job of smuggling Chinese-Korean immigrants into the country.

His crew is not told until they are at sea.

First-time director Sung Bo Shim competently handles the film, employing a straightforward, no-bullshit approach to storytelling that would make Clint Eastwood proud. The set pieces are solid, especially the ship itself, although the film would have benefitted from a cinematographer who wasn’t afraid to take a step back. The camera is often too close to the action, and three uses of shakycam are three too many.

Haemoo has its flaws, but it’s properly paced and well-told.

The audience at the screening seemed to love it, applauding loudly at the finish. I look forward to seeing what Sung Bo Shim does next, preferably with a slightly larger budget.

Black Coal, Thin Ice In snow-covered streets surrounded by perpetual darkness, detectives and suspects are made distinguishable only by the soft glow of neon signs.

Faces are shrouded by shadow; characters’ motives are unclear.

We are in very classic noir territory in Black Coal, Thin Ice. A brutal murder occurs in Northern China. Severed limbs appear simultaneously across

Corn Island’s minimalist aesthetic adds to the film’s tension.

South Korean film Haemoo is not for the faint of heart.

Black Coal, Thin Ice reworks the classic tropes of the noir genre.

the country in coal plants. The investigation into the murder is botched, leaving detective Zhang Zili injured, ashamed, and without a job. Five years later, body parts are again found in coal plants. Now an alcoholic working as a security guard, Zhang once again finds himself in pursuit of the mysterious mass murderer. The only connection between the two cases is a beautiful dry cleaning assistant Wu Zhizhen, who soon becomes the object of Zhang’s obsession.

An intriguing combination of neo-noir and Chinese realism, Black Coal, Thin Ice demonstrates director Yi’nan Diao’s genre literacy. From the lighting, to the troubled anti-hero, to the femme fatale, the film is full of noir tropes. What makes the film unique is the camera’s continual shift to the mundane.

Unlike the modern Tarantinoinspired trend, the revelations and acts of violence are downplayed. Plot takes a back seat to atmosphere as the audience is immersed in a bleak, nihilistic vision of modern China.

Winner of the Golden Bear at the Berlin film festival, Black Coal, Thin Ice has been a hit with critics, but it’s hard to see it winning any audience awards.

The slow pace and dark, defeatist worldview will be a turn-off for most audiences, but if you don’t view those as detractors, and if you are a fan of noir, then this is a film to see.

Corn Island Every year the Enguri River drops to reveal small fertile is-

lands. Because the river marks the natural border that separates Georgia from Abkhazia, these islands are unclaimed territory. Peasants come every year to live on them during the growing season, attempting to harvest enough corn to survive the winter. Two problems face them: the fact that the two nations have been in some form of conflict since the ‘90s, and the rising waters of the Enguri.

Clearly influenced by the likes of Dreyer and Bela Tarr, Director George Ovashvili’s slow-burning, minimalist thriller takes place entirely on and around one of these tiny islands. We follow an old man, referred to only as Grandpa, and his granddaughter as they methodically bring supplies to the island and construct a small shack. They will have to live on this island in order to tend to and protect their little patch of corn.

The film is low on plot and has nearly no dialogue, and yet the sweeping cinematography gives the film an epic tone. This island means everything and nothing. The river creates and the river destroys. The island is a microcosm of man against nature, of the political instability of the region, and of life itself.

The amount Corn Island is able to achieve with so little is commendable.

A grand achievement, Corn Island hints at a bright future for Georgian cinema, and puts George Ovashvili on the radar as a director to watch.

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ARTS IN REVIEW

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2014 www.ufvcascade.ca

Book

Americanah: of race, immigrant life, and exploring what it truly means to be American ARZOO SANDHU CONTRIBUTOR

CHARTS 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18

White Lung Deep Fantasy The Soupcans Incesticide II Cheap High Ego Wholesale Mac DeMarco Salad Days

Ariel Pink pom pom

Homeboy Sandman Hallways

Sons of Magdalene Move to Pain Death From Above 1979 The Physical World Dead Soft Dead Soft Monomyth Saturnalia Regalia

Flying Lotus You’re Dead!

Leonard Cohen Popular Problems Caribou Our Love Lana Del Rey Ultraviolence Komodo Wagon Citizen Doe Trentemoller Lost Reworks Pretty Taken There’s An Echo Now The Raveonettes Pe’ahi

Shuffle AARON LEVY

CIVL MANAGER Station Manager Aaron Levy is counting down the months of the year. Why? Because he wants to? To get involved with CIVL and write shuffles, email info@civl. ca with the subject line “Shuffles”!

Foo Fighters “February Stars” At the end of The Colour and the Shape, their best album by far, this song is slow and quiet and not really my favourite anything, but it has the name of a month in the title and in all of the choruses. It does happen to cap a great collection.

Weezer “December” This is a B-side to the third full-length, second self-titled, and first terrible quality (in comparison with the first two) Weezer records. It falls well short of the B-sides previously (un-) released as Pinkerton and blue album throwaways, nearly all of which are classics. Sure ain’t “Devotion.”

Wyclef Jean “Gone Til November” I recently had a dream about middle school classmate Daveon, who once told me that Wyclef’s name was pronounced Why-see-lef. I think he was either lying, or simply wrong. I’ll never know, but this song is a classic regardless. He really did kinda slink into the background since, though.

Meh. July Talk “Guns and Ammunition” They’re yet another Canadian indie band to come out with the lead male/ female vocal sharing (Stars, Broken Social Scene, Black Mountain, Shotgun and Jaybird) and they’re probably the most marketable of them all.

“Guns and Ammunition” is catchy, sounds badass, and is pretty popular.

Just like all of us at CIVL! Last Days of April “The Wedding” Title track from their all intents and purposed debut. These guys have been making music for nearly 20 years now, and I saw them nearly 10 years ago in Toronto during North

by Northeast, where they rocked the Bovine Sex Club ‘til the early hours.

Swedish, heavy, and atmospheric.

Awesome.

There comes a novel once in a while that touches you and grows on you in ways you never imagined it would.

Americanah is one of those. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, a Nigerian-born American writer, introduces us to a dark, unspoken side of America, while also exposing the harsh realities of her own home country.

The novel revolves around Ifemelu, a young, independent Nigerian girl, and her boyfriend Obinze. They both grow up in military-ruled Nigeria with good educations and loving friends and families. They also grow up with glamourized notions of the West, inculcating in them a desire to be a part of it.

Ngozi presents the culture and values of the Nigerian subcontinent with such precision and beauty that one can understand precisely where these two characters come from, and it’s easy for readers to associate with them.

The novel takes a spinning

twist when Ifemelu earns a scholarship to go to Philadelphia to continue her postgraduate studies. Obinze migrates to Britain a few years later. The two separate as they embark on their individual life journeys.

It is from this point onwards in the novel that Ngozi really proves her merit as an awardwinning author, as she describes the story of these two characters in these different places. Their loss of identity and sense of dislocation, the

experience of being black, the rejections they face, and the hypocrisy of the American society they face all make for a touching read.

In America, Ifemelu struggles to find work and is turned away repeatedly from jobs. Her classmates speak to her as if she cannot comprehend English. She is often singled out as an “African-American” and it is assumed that she understands their plight. While in England, Obinze struggles to get a security number in order to work legally.

The final section of the book follows Ifemelu’s return and reunion with Obinze, who is by now married to someone else.

Adichie’s immense talent is evident from the fact that such an extensive, epic book remains so tightly arranged, though there could have been fewer of Ifemelu’s blog posts.

Americanah makes for a great read for anybody interested in human behaviour, the realities of being an immigrant, and America’s attempts to reconcile itself with its recent past.

Album

Soulful Islander can be listened to again and again ALEX JESUS CONTRIBUTOR

When it comes to our day-today playlists, everyone is different. Everyone has an artist he or she can listen to over and over, and still feel the same electric touch each time. That’s me and Bernhoft.

After listening to his previous two albums Ceramik City Chronicles and Solidarity Breaks, my mind was blown — so when I heard Bernhoft was releasing something new, I freaked out.

After I thought it couldn’t get better, my mind was effectively blown a second time. Bernhoft does it all over again in Islander.

Jarle Bernhoft is an indiefunk-soul writer from Norway who burst onto the scene in 2008. He is not well-known in North America, yet his talent for creating unique soulful music knows no bounds.

This comes through clearly in Islander. What seems to be an album containing 11 songs turns into a magic carpet ride through the lands of the Norwegian underground indie music scene. The record opens

up with “Come Around With Me,” a track with falsetto trills and an empowering guitar that sounds like something straight out of an ‘80s movie. Bernhoft’s unique voice will send chills down your spine.

Right after, we hear “Wind You Up,” a sassy, groovy tune that almost sounds like an indie version of a Beyoncé song.

A few songs later, out comes “Don’t Let Me Go,” a heartbreaking ballad, which goes to show how diverse this artist’s work is. The variety doesn’t end there; if “Esiwalk” doesn’t get you out of your chair and moving your head and hips, I don’t know what will. There’s

even a point in the song about two minutes in where he changes his voice to sound like Stevie Wonder for a little bit.

Then finally, he caps off the album with “I Believe in All the Things You Don’t,” a beautiful, raw composition full of emotion that truly caps off the album gorgeously.

Ultimately, if you love indie, funk, and soul music, and overall just want to experience something brand new that you definitely haven’t heard before, I highly recommend checking out this record. It very well could make it onto your high priority playlists, as it has on mine.

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ARTS IN REVIEW

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2014 www.ufvcascade.ca

Dine & Dash

Charlie Don’t Surf has cool vibes and good food SASHA MOEDT THE CASCADE

15011 Marine Drive, White Rock, BC Open seven days a week, 11 a.m. ‘til late Entrées $15-$20 After a long walk on the unimpressive beach of White Rock, I wanted to sit down and have some lunch. The road that runs along the beach is lined with touristy-looking restaurants, which scared the cheap student in me, because, after all, tourist is synonymous with overpriced.

We perused the displays of menus, and wound up at Charlie Don’t Surf solely because of the decent prices. We were seated by a cool-looking server with tattoos. The décor of the place was fantastic. There were unusual statues, bohemian-style chandeliers, and an old-style fireplace. It was lunch time, but I wished I could be there at night when all the lights were on. Charlie Don’t Surf gracefully walked the line between casual boho and trendy.

The menu had some pricier items, but for the lunch menu entrées were around $15 to $20 apiece. Most options were sea-

Image: Sasha Moedt

Charlie Don’t Surf has surprisingly affordable prices, great fish tacos, and cheap beer at happy hour. food-based, with a lot of wildcaught items, but there were also pizza, sandwiches, burgers, and pasta.

I ordered fish tacos. I’ve never had fish tacos before, probably because I always thought it was such an odd combination

between Mexican and Mediterranean food, but our server recommended them, and they had cilantro in them. Cilantro is, by the way, my soul food.

My boyfriend ordered an individual pizza and crispy dry ribs. We also had a couple of

beers; it was happy hour, and it was $3.50 for the house lager.

The service was prompt, and though it took a few minutes to wave someone down for a refill, the servers were good-natured.

My food came out in good time. The plate had two open

soft tacos heaped with wild cod, shredded lettuce, avocado, tomato, jalapeño, onion, and cilantro. I ordered the spicy tamarind sauce on the side, though you can get it on the taco. It also came with a green salad — or their Beach Salad, which is topped with fresh veggies, dried cranberries, and goat cheese. It was definitely too much food for one sitting.

My boyfriend’s pizza was fairly simple, and not as cheesy as he’d have liked. The ribs were $10, but there was only a small bowl and a lot of bone.

I really enjoyed my lunch, though. The lettuce was tossed in some kind of mayonnaise or tartar sauce (not quite as tangy as tartar) that pulled all the ingredients together. It was light, fresh-tasting (that’s the cilantro at work) and very messy to eat. With long sips of Charlie’s house lager, I was in fish taco heaven.

The beach may have been dirty and smelly, but with delicious food and a trendy atmosphere, Charlie Don’t Surf made my trip to White Rock memorable.

Cascade Arcade

Shadow of Mordor makes Tolkien’s world your sandbox JEREMY HANNAFORD CONTRIBUTOR

While the Tolkien universe has always stayed in the realm of PG-13, there has always been the idea of a more mature and darker tale to tell. Snowblind’s War in the North attempted to tackle this, but the game suffered from a bland combat system and an all-around forgettable experience. Now developer Monolith has stepped up to the plate and delivered that intended experience — and so much more.

What Shadow of Mordor truly excels in is creating a next-gen sandbox experience. The core gameplay revolves around the “Nemesis system,” which is a hierarchy of Uruk captains and warchiefs. It constantly changes depending on the actions you take against it, as well as actions carried out from within.

The Nemesis system is so crucially ingrained into the enemy combatants that any Orc can have a name and a story. While

Shadow of Mordor’s narrative is weak, but the gameplay is irresistible. you can personally affect the hierarchy via assassinating or branding Uruk captains, the Uruks themselves can affect the system with revolts and rising in the ranks.

Another exceptional feature of Shadow of Mordor is its “one more thing” mentality. Much

like XCOM: Enemy Unknown or Skyrim, Shadow of Mordor can make hours feel like seconds.

The hierarchy is constantly changing, which always results in something new to do. With 25 Uruk captains and warchiefs to contend with, there is always something to do to disrupt or

control the hierarchy.

This is especially true when you are killed by an Uruk. As you watch him rise up, it creates a feeling of revenge that you will want to exact immediately — but this is what the game wants you to do. Players need to be methodical with their attacks. While the game offers Assassin’s Creed and Batman Arkham combat aesthetics, it removes almost all their issues, and without a counter-kill function, combat can be very challenging and sometimes suicidal. This opens up more aspects of the game, as every encounter can be different depending on how the player plans out the attack.

The ironic thing about Shadow of Mordor is that although it has a story, the game encourages you to forgo that narrative. The addictive aspects of the Nemesis system have little to do with how the narrative functions.

This is essential, in fact, as the story in Shadow of Mordor is oddly light in comparison

to its gameplay mechanics. If one were to simply focus on the story, the game could be completed in a little under six hours. Considering the game had over five writers, including Red Dead Redemption writer Christian Cantamessa, the narrative is fairly weak. Instead of fleshed-out plot lines, players are given something resembling Cliffnotes in a much larger project. While this certainly doesn’t take anything away gameplaywise, it will certainly leave players saying, “That’s it?”

Shadow of Mordor offers what gamers truly deserve from a sandbox experience. Monolith has delivered the first true next-generation experience of the year. Its addictive gameplay will turn hours into minutes as you hunt down every single Uruk and level the plains of Mordor.

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ARTS IN REVIEW

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2014 www.ufvcascade.ca

New York artist befriends inmate in stirring documentary MARTIN CASTRO THE CASCADE

Herman’s House, a documentary about a prison inmate who has been kept in solitary confinement since his 1972 imprisonment at the age of 25, was screened as part of a documentary series called Documentaries at the Clarke.

There were a total of eight people in attendance at the screening on Tuesday, October 7 at HPSS in Mission, which the organizers attributed to poor advertising of the event.

Jackie Sumell, an artist from New York, learns of Herman Wallace’s living conditions and seeks him out as part of an art project.

Wallace, who was initially incarcerated for robbery, was put in solitary confinement after being implicated in the murder of a correctional officer. Through cor-

Herman ‘s House humanizes a convict who spent most of his life in solitary isolation, dreaming of open spaces. respondence, Sumell and Wallace form a sort of friendship, while at the same time she questions him about what his dream home would be like.

“I knew the only way I could get him out of prison, was to get him to dream,” Sumell states.

When she first contacts Wallace, he has spent around 30 years in jail, making the time he’d spent in prison longer than the time he’d spent outside. The two collaborate on designing a house for Wallace, and as time passes, Sumell’s models of the house are

displayed at several art galleries across five countries.

The film showcases their burgeoning friendship. Throughout the film, Wallace comes across as an educated man who is very aware of the situation he’s in, as well as remorseful about what led to his situation. The film also documents Sumell’s efforts to build the house, which she and Wallace decide to build in Georgia. Wallace tells Sumell that if he isn’t released, or if he dies before he can see his house completed, he would like her to have the house serve as a youth community centre.

At the time of filming, nobody in the United States had been in solitary confinement longer than Wallace; the film underscores this by contrasting his dream house to his living conditions in a sixby-nine-foot cell. Wallace subconsciously designs rooms to be open

with flowing spaces — the opposite of his life in prison.

Throughout the documentary, Sumell struggles with setbacks in her journey to find a plot of land for the house. Wallace, however, is supportive, even telling her to put the project on hold when Sumell has some personal family issues to deal with. The film effectively humanizes him despite his being a convict.

Unfortunately, though, as the viewers are informed afterwards, Wallace died of natural causes within days of being released from prison — and Sumell is still looking for a place to build.

Coming up on November 1 at the Clarke Theatre in Mission is Neighbor by Neighbor, another documentary in the series being shown free of charge at the Clarke.

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2014 www.ufvcascade.ca

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SPORTS & HEALTH

The new way to yoga is up in the air “Antigravity” yoga offers mental and physical benefits beyond regular, earth-bound exercise SANDEEP DOSANJH CONTRIBUTOR

Finally, you can achieve inner peace and tranquility while dangling in the air. We all know how relaxing and soothing a hammock can be, so why is it only in the last seven years that yoga — a 5,000-year-old practice — and hammocks have merged?

This exciting exercise routine called antigravity yoga first became popular in America and is now gaining claim in Canada and the UK. It involves the use of a silk hammock that’s suspended two to three feet from the ground, in which you do yoga poses. The nine-foot-long fabric cocoons your entire body to form your own peaceful pod that you can hang, lie, and stretch in.

This fairly new trend was developed by Christopher Harrison, a gymnast who now teaches classes in New York.

According to the Daily Mail, even the creator “struggled with yoga poses on the ground because of wrist problems but found his practice much more successful in the air.”

“Using the hammock wasn’t challenging on my wrists,” he said. “I put one in my house, and me and my friends would find ourselves hanging around

Image: Yelp/flickr

“Antigravity yoga has many great benefits, and is easy enough for yoga novices and for people of all ages. “ in it.”

Antigravity yoga, sometimes called aerial yoga, is different from regular yoga because it combines gymnastics, dance, Pilates, and acrobatics “into a hybrid mind-body workout,” says HowStuffWorks.com. And don’t think that you have to be some advanced yogi or gymnast; in reality, “when it comes to your fitness level, there are no restrictions for AntiGrav-

ity Yoga. Even if you’ve never taken a yoga class in your life, you’ll be amazed at how much you can do,” touts BestHealth.

Aerial yoga instructors are raving about how this method offers many benefits that traditional yoga may not include.

Because your muscles aren’t tensed on the floor, aerial yoga is great for decompressing and lengthening the spine as well as the core muscles. In fact, “any-

one that has back issues should be doing this class,” Bill Davis, a group fitness director in Ontario, told BestHealth. Even Harrison’s mother, who found exercise challenging because of back problems, was successful at antigravity yoga.

This playful new practice also increases flexibility faster than earth-bound yoga. The silky-smooth fabric is designed to maintain proper body align-

ment while in poses, so you’re able to get deeper in the stretch with less strain and muscle tightness.

Some take on yoga as a means to increase mind-body awareness. The hammock “closes you off from everything around you and [you] have awareness of mind, body, and spirit,” Harrison told the Daily Mail. With the hammock being so encapsulating, it’s easier to venture inward and really observe your inner self and achieve inner peace and relaxation.

This new form of yoga is getting celebrity attention, too. According to the Daily Mail, even Gwyneth Paltrow says “the moves felt constructive without feeling like a chore” compared to other yoga classes.

Antigravity yoga has many great benefits, and is easy enough for yoga novices and for people of all ages. Harrison believes that this practice refreshes the body’s systems and helps blood flow — and it seems just plain fun to swing, do flips, and hang upside-down in the air, while simultaneously getting a fantastic whole-body workout.

The right food for your blood TAYLOR BRECKLES THE CASCADE

Your blood holds the key to weight loss and health, and foods can either benefit or damage your health based on which ones correspond with your blood type. This is what is preached in Eat Right for Your Type by Dr. Peter J. D’Adamo and Catherine Whitney.

It doesn’t sound like too bad of an idea, right? Wrong. For my blood type, you can barely eat anything, much less anything good.

In the introduction, they explain why eating for your blood type is good for you and how the science of it works, signing off with: “At first glance, the science of blood type may seem daunting, but I assure you that it is as simple and basic as life itself.”

To me, that seems more like a

Image: MShades/flickr

If you have blood type B, you can no longer indulge in whale. Darn. deterrent than anything, since life is neither simple nor basic.

Still, I gave this book a chance and took the mature route in figuring out if this diet was right for me, by skipping to my section: AB positive.

My blood type is rare; I know this and have always been proud of my uniqueness. In this book, however, having a more common type is definitely a plus.

Right off the bat, the book

states that “most foods which are contraindicated for either Type A or Type B are probably bad for Type AB.” Wonderful.

This diet takes all of the enjoyment out of eating because type ABs are supposed to stay away from red meat (including beef, any pig byproduct, chicken, veal, and turtle), kidney beans, lima beans, seeds, corn, buckwheat, and wheat, among many, many others. This means no bread, no steak, no corn on the cob, no pasta, and essentially no fun.

All blood types have similar restrictions, although they aren’t as dramatic. Type Bs, for example, get to avoid pretty much all of the strange foods like bitter melon, bulgur wheat flour, and beluga. Yes, the whale.

Type As avoid yucca, type Bs steer clear of whales, and type Os don’t go near spirulina. I haven’t even heard of

two of these foods before, and the whale option is generally avoided in North America.

Maybe this diet would work for more common blood types, but for me, it’s a no-go.

At least this book provides you with recipes and meal plans for each type in order to get you started. None of which really turned on my taste buds, however, from reading them.

For me, reading the book was enough exposure to this diet that I didn’t even try it. My mom bought the book to try, and I believe she tried one or two weeks of eating according to this plan before she gave up, too.

I’m sorry, but you just can’t make me quit pasta and meat, especially not cold turkey.

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SPORTS & HEALTH

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2014 www.ufvcascade.ca

Cascades impress in last home soccer games NATHAN HUTTON THE CASCADE

The UFV men’s soccer team has struggled with consistency during the 2014 regular season.

Their overall record of 4-4-0 before this weekend was in the middle of the Canada West pacific division, but wasn’t anything special.

They were set to face their toughest opponent to date this weekend, going up against the number-one-ranked University of British Columbia Thunderbirds (8-0-0). The last time these two teams met, it was much of the same story: UBC was ranked first and undefeated, but ended up losing to the Cascades’ squad 2-1 in their only loss of the year. UBC went on to win the national title, and the Cascades — although they did qualify for the playoffs — were unable to gain any traction, and fell early.

Colton O’Neil was the first player to make a mark on the scoreboard when he converted on a penalty kick. UBC’s Navid Mashinchi also converted on his own penalty, quickly countering the momentum the Cascades had.

As the game went back and

Image: University of the Fraser Valley/flickr

This is the second time the Cascades have upset the best team in the country. forth, the Cascades were neckand-neck with the Thunderbirds, showing that although the Cascades weren’t on the national radar and the Thunderbirds were known as the best team around, the Cascades still had the ability to do damage to the T-Birds.

“All the guys step up (against

UBC), because we know they’re the number one team in Canada,” said Justin Sekhon after the game to Cascades Media.

Sekhon talked about his goal that sealed the win for the Cascades in the 89th minute: “I was just floating at the top of the box, and Connor MacMillan had the ball and I made a run

and was pretty open. He put it right in my path.”

The Cascades’ 2-1 victory over the UBC Thunderbirds is their second time in the last two years that the Cascades have upset the best team in the country.

“We have the utmost respect for them, they’re the best team

in the country by a country mile,” said coach Alan Errington. “But it comes down to our players. They’ve executed very well.”

The Cascades men’s soccer team also battled the University of Victoria Vikings this weekend; the 1-1 draw was the last home game of the year for the Cascades, and the last home game ever for players Mark Village, Ravi Singh, Trevor O’Neill, Ryan Liddiard, and Juan Pablo Mora Perea.

Not only was Trevor O’Neill playing his last game with the Cascades, but it was the last opportunity for him to play with his brothers Colton and Connor, who will both return to the Cascades next season without their older brother.

The women’s soccer team was able to score a pair of draws in their weekend action against the Vikings and Thunderbirds.

Next weekend the Cascades will play their regular season final games, first travelling to play Trinity Western University, and then the University of Victoria.

Cascades women’s basketball falter in preseason tournament NATHAN HUTTON THE CASCADE

The Canada West basketball season will be starting very soon, so inevitably all the teams are looking to get some last minute action in before the season tips off next weekend against both Queens University and UBC. The Cascades women’s basketball teams preseason tournament definitely highlighted some errors in the Cascades game that need to be worked on before they’re challenged next season.

Their 76-50 loss to the University of Regina Cougars was perhaps the most embarrassing.

“We couldn’t do anything close to resembling anything that we should have or could have; not a single aspect you could look at and say, ‘That was okay,’” said coach Al Tuchscherer.

The Cascades defense was greatly in question as they allowed the Cougars to shoot 47.5 per cent. They also lost the rebounding battle by over 20 rebounds.

If the Cascades wish to defend their pre-season ranking of fifth in the country, then this

Image: University of the Fraser Valley/flickr

The Cascades’ loss to Regina was their worst of the weekend, but not the only one. weekend’s affairs should be a warning sign for the players and coaches alike.

The Cascades’ loss to Regina was their worst of the weekend, but not the only one. They were unable to win any of their three games, dropping contests against the University of

Saskatchewan Huskies and the Carleton University Ravens.

The Cascades’ loss to the Huskies was highlighted with their best effort against the (preseason-ranked) sixth-best team in the country. They outrebounded the Huskies, a nice contrast to what happened with

the Cougars. They carried a 4533 advantage, but failed to keep the ball, and turned it over 28 times. Sarah Wierks, who is playing this year for the first time without her older sister Nicole, was the best player on the floor for the Cascades, collecting 13 rebounds to go with

her 19 points.

Coach Al Tuchscherer praised the performance from Wierks.

“We showed we could defend at times, and we had some good performances. Sarah Wierks did some great things on defence — ripped some boards, scored some points.”

It was the first time these two teams had met since their CIS bronze medal game battle, which the Cascades were able to win, returning to Abbotsford celebrating their national bronze medal.

The last game of the weekend was against the Carleton Ravens. The game was just bad overall for the Cascades, who lost by 24 points and were unable to get anything going all night long. The Cascades not only lost the game but also lost forward Katie Brink, who took an early elbow to the face and suffered a broken nose on the play.

The Cascades start their season next weekend, where they will get the opportunity to show that this preseason action doesn’t mean anything, and they are still one of the most dominant teams in women’s basketball.