The Cascade Vol. 27 Issue 01

JANUARY 9 TO JANUARY 15, 2019

VOLUME 27 ISSUE 01

Maybe not quite done since 1993

CEP FITNESS CENTRE

NO PLANS FOR UPGRADING ‘BANDAID SOLUTION’ FITNESS CENTRE

pg.3

CHIP SHIPS

‘free’ shipping isn’t worth it

pg. 5

WWW.UFVCASCADE.CA

New Earl

poetry in the mainstream

pg. 14

VOL. 27 // ISSUE 01

Managing Editor Jessica Barclay jessica@ufvcascade.ca

Production Manager Elyssa English elyssa@ufvcascade.ca

News Editor Jessica Barclay jessica@ufvcascade.ca

Production Assistant Renée Campbell renee@ufvcascade.ca

Opinion Editor Jeff Mijo-Burch jeff@ufvcascade.ca

Online Editor Jeff Mijo-Burch jeff@ufvcascade.ca Illustrator Kayt Hine Illustrator Simer Haer Illustrator Cory Jensen

Culture & Events Editor Cassie de Jong cassie@ufvcascade.ca Arts in Review Editor Martin Castro martin@ufvcascade.ca Sports Writer Alexander Jesus Staff Writer Emmaline Spencer

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Staff Writer Carissa Wiens

CONTRIBUTORS Edina Balint Chandy Dancey

Cover Artwork: Kayt Hine Back Cover: Mikaela Collins

WWW.UFVCASCADE.CA

@UFVCASCADE FACEBOOK.COM/UFVCASCADE INSTAGRAM.COM/UFVCASCADE Volume 27 · Issue 01 Room S2111 33844 King Road Abbotsford, BC V2S 7M8 604.854.4529 The Cascade is UFV’s autonomous student newspaper. It originated under its current name in 1993, and achieved autonomy from the university and the Student Union Society in 2002. This means that The Cascade is a forum for UFV students to have their journalism published in an entirely student-run setting. It also acts as an alternative press for the Fraser Valley.

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

The Cascade is open to written, photo, and design work from all students; these can come in the form of a pitch to an editor, or an assignment from an editor. Writers meetings are held every Monday at 2:00 p.m. in The Cascade’s office on the Abbotsford campus.

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

by The Cascade’s editor-in-chief, copy editor, and corresponding section editor. The Cascade reserves the right to edit submissions for clarity and length. The Cascade will not print any articles that contain racist, sexist, homophobic or libellous content. Letters to the editor, while held to the same standard, are unedited, and should be under 200 words. As The Cascade is an autonomous student publication, opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect that of UFV, The Cascade’s staff and collective, or associated members.

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ARTS

Multimedia Editor Mikaela Collins mikaela@ufvcascade.ca

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

FEATURE

Copy Editor Kat Marusiak kat@ufvcascade.ca

OPINION

Business Manager Quintin Stamler quintin@ufvcascade.ca

CONTENTS

NEWS

Creative Director Joel Robertson-Taylor joel@ufvcascade.ca

CULTURE

Executive Editor (interim) Cat Friesen cat@ufvcascade.ca

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Snapshots.......7

13 .......Study Break

Events Calendar.......14

14.......CIVL Shuffle

NEWS "Work is work".......3

4.......Chatting for change

International student enrollment.......4 OPINION Chip Ships.......5

6.......New Years Resolutions

Editorial.......6 CULTURE New student welcome day......10

11.......Cascade Kitchen

Abbotsford and Chilliwack U-join.......11 SPORTS Women's basketball.......12

12.......Men's basketball ARTS

Earl Sweatshirt.......14

15.......Soundbites

news@ufvcascade.ca Jessica Barclay — News Editor

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 9, 2019

NEWS

Campus News//

NEWS BRIEFS

No changes coming to Chilliwack campus fitness center

New contract would force B.C. health authorities to hire new nurses or pay millions A contract being proposed by the B.C. Nurses’ Union (BCNU) would see B.C. nurses receiving a premium when working in understaffed units.

The hope is to encourage officials to hiring new nurses to avoid paying the $100 million in premiums due to workplaces not meeting the baseline staffing levels.

The contract will be voted on later this month. Nurses working in small units would receive $5 per hour and in $3 per hour in large units in premiums. At Fraser Health, $1 million was spent in 2017/2018 to fly out nurses to properly staff the emergency room, yet the hospital still had one of the highest percentages of overtime pay in the region.

-The Abbotsford News

City of Chilliwack purchases former UFV Chilliwack North Campus The B.C. Province has announced it will be giving the City of Chilliwack $10 million for the purchase of the former Chilliwack North campus of UFV. The land will be used to build a new school for the growing community, as the Chilliwack school district is currently operating at 106 per cent capacity with expected growth. There are no official plans as to how the land will be developed, but the purchase included the three existing buildings on the previous UFV campus site.

The money is part of the $921 million the government has spent on school capital projects in B.C. since late 2017.

-UFV Today

Chilliwack campus fitness centre. (Jessica Barclay)

JESSICA BARCLAY SUS president Gurvir Gill says there are no concrete plans for upgrades to the Chilliwack fitness centre.

Over a year and a half ago the Student Union Society (SUS) stopped offering Cheam Leisure Centre passes for Chilliwack students as part of the U-Pass, instead choosing to collaborate with UFV to create a fitness centre at the Canada Education Park (CEP) Chilliwack campus.

The fitness centre, called the “Qube,” was described as a “band-aid solution” when it first opened. The Qube is housed in an old RCMP classroom on the CEP campus, featuring several treadmills, stationary bikes, free weights, and weight machines.

Other services offered in Chilliwack include fitness classes at the Black Box (the previous UFV theatre room) and sporting equipment in the Range

(R building), a partially covered outdoor space.

Gill hopes that the Qube may be moved to a larger, more centralized room in the future. Nothing appears to be available at the moment, and Steve Tuckwood, the UFV director of athletic and campus

and Gill agreed there is room for improvement at the center.

“What was there before compared to what's there now, we have an upgrade,” said Tuckwood.

“Are we where we should be for a university? Probably not.”

“Are we where we should be for a university? Probably not.” recreation, said that without space to grow the only real option for improvement would be replacing equipment.

“So, that's kind of just from the works in talks right now, seeing if that's a possibility,” Gill said. “I'm saying, well, what we can do to help give students a bang-for-their-buck-type deal.”

Tuckwood believes that the Qube is currently not at the level a university should be able to provide in term of a fitness centre,

“I'd love to grow it. I think there's an opportunity there if we can get some traction. If we could replicate what we have in Abbotsford in Chilliwack, I think people would be happy with it, but we don't have the space.”

The previous SUS executive team announced in April 2017 that the contract with the Cheam Centre would be dropped.

Part of the reason was an increase in fees by $8,000, from $71,000 to $79,000.

With this increase, stu-

dents would have received access to all fitness classes in addition to access to the pool and fitness room.

Reported 2017/2018 operating costs of the fitness centre totalled just over $24,000, plus $5,000 for equipment purchases. The dropped contract with the Cheam Centre came with no U-Pass fee decrease for UFV students.

In 2017-2018 fiscal year, UFV had just under 3,000 students residing in Chilliwack. Tuckwood believed that under 20 students used the fitness room per day, and between five to 10 students attended fitness classes. The range, he said, had also been underutilized.

“We haven't had a ton of success in getting anything up and running sustainably there,” Tuckwood said.

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NEWS

VOL. 27 // ISSUE 01

International Students//

SUS Programming//

Chatting for change SUS’s latest group provides opportunity for safe and open discussion on campus CARISSA WIENS The Student Union Society’s (SUS) newly created Equity-DiversityInclusivity (EDI) team held the first in a series of informal “chats” sessions, intending to bring open discussion to often taboo topics like racism, sexuality, and mental health. Their first chat in the series took place near the end of November 2018, with “a few” people in attendance.

The team said they intend to continue the series into Winter 2019, with at least one session per month, and that they are optimistic about the semester and feel that they will be able to reach many students through their chat series.

The EDI team was created by the SUS in the Fall of 2018. Their main purpose is to create events for the student body that encourage equality, diversity, and inclusivity.

The chat series was created because the EDI team felt that these topics, like mental health and domestic violence, are experienced by many students but not openly discussed. Kenton O’Donnell, EDI’s Pride commissioner, suggested that the student body should begin to acknowledge these topics on campus to encourage one another and build community, and that a chat series was a way to do that.

O’Donnell said the team chose to label the series as “chats” instead of “discussions” to make the sessions as informal as possible. The team intended the environment to be non-intimidating,

Correction:

and for students to come and feel safe to talk about different topics common in the university life.

With only a few students present at the first chat, the team hopes to gain traction as time goes on so they will be able to get their name out more. They hope for more students to attend the next chat, aiming for around six to 12 students at each. By keeping the chats to a smaller number the team feels it will allow conversation to dive deeper and become more meaningful to those participating.

Students are also welcome to attend and simply observe the facilitated discussion as well as participate. The team emphasized that the sessions were intended for all students, not just specific groups.

In addition to the chats, the newly created team also intends to create a library of books related to gender equality, sexuality, inclusivity, racism, and other topics in those realms for students to gain access to. Along with that, the members have a shared space in the Student Union Building (SUB) where students are welcome to relax, chat, and connect with the EDI team.

To find out when the next chat is, check out the SUS’s Facebook page or catch up with them in room S2102a in the SUB.

International student enrollment closed early UFV reaches its annual target for international student enrollment EDINA BALINT UFV has stopped accepting international student enrollments for the Winter and Summer 2019 semesters.

For 2018/19, UFV reached its projected target earlier than in other years, in terms of the number of international students they planned on admitting.

The deadline for the winter term was early September and for the summer term the deadline is usually Feb. 1, but applications closed in November.

“We were seeing that we had enough,” Peter Geller, vice provost and associate vice-president academic, said. “In other words we’ve reached capacity. But certainly we are still open for Fall 2019 and Winter 2020.”

UFV decided that it had reached its Strategic Enrollment Management (SEM) Plan target for 2018: approximately 1,700 international students, or 20 per cent of the full-time student body of UFV. Admissions were closed in order to maintain a constant percentage of international students in the upcoming year.

Geller said that there is no current intent to decrease the percentage marker of international students at UFV. At the most recent UFV Senate meeting, however, the presenter and executive director of UFV International, David McGuire, spoke about whether UFV wants to remain at the target of maintaining approximately 20 per cent of the full-time student body as international students.

“We are attempting to answer questions such as what kind of university do we want to be in the future?” Geller said. “If we have decided that right now we have reached the target of 20 percent international students, is that where we want to stay for the next five or

In Volume 26, Issue 31, the article “UFV approves the creation of a new school of science” incorrectly stated that the environmental studies program would begin this January, and the Bachelor of Environmental Studies (Natural Sciences) would be available next September.

The environmental studies program will actually begin next September and the Bachelor of Environmental Studies (Natural Sciences) will be available Winter 2020.

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ten years? What should our mix of students look like?”

International student enrollments have increased over the last several years, with international student numbers doubling over the last five years. According to Geller, Canada is a very desirable destination for international students, especially students from India.

“This was the projected growth, and so we talked about taking in over a thousand students this year and we have reached that goal,” Geller said.

According to Geller, the university’s next goal is to synchronize the SEM Plan to coincide with the UFV Education Plan since they were planned separately and further apart in the past. The UFV Education Plan provides further guidance for the development of the SEM Plan and it sets goals for new and continuing academic program development.

Despite stopping international student enrollments early, there are currently no changes to the admission requirements for international students. Similarly, acceptance to academic programs will be based on the same selection process as in previous years, which will be done on a first-come, first-served basis, just like for domestic students.

However, Senate has considered incorporating a more competitive admission process for international students, especially for programs that receive a lot of applications. The university may also look at including more diversity in the international student population since students from India and China make up most of the international student body.

OPINION

opinion@ufvcascade.ca Jeff Mijo-Burch — Opinion Editor

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 9, 2019

Consumerism //

Local man bothered by free bag of chips How a simple shipping policy led to an utterly pointless waste of resources JEFF MIJO-BURCH At what point does the convenience of online shopping become a journey into absurdity? I spent much of the winter break visiting my wife’s family in Washington, and had an excellent, relaxing couple of weeks. However, one seemingly insignificant event has lingered in my mind, straddling the line between hilarious and infuriating.

Let me tell you a story.

I was given a $40 Walmart gift card for Christmas, which as someone tough to buy for, I really appreciated.

Since this was in the States, I wanted to spend it right away before coming back to Canada. I perused Walmart’s website, looking for something nice for myself, and soon found a couple of books I had wanted. Perfect. The total came out to just shy of $34, and after tax I’d only have about $3 left on the gift card, which I could just spend the next time I found myself in an American Walmart.

Satisfied, I clicked on the “checkout” button. And then things got complicated.

My total came up to $43 after shipping, which would’ve been fine; I wanted the books and could pay the extra $3 to get them. But what made me pause was the fact that, below the breakdown of what I was paying, below the $6 charge for shipping, was a note reading that Walmart offered FREE shipping on orders over $35. What a deal! Albeit a strange one — I had to spend an extra dollar to save five. But I wasn’t too upset at that, because it basically meant I’d get something else as a free bonus.

But boy, did it turn out to be difficult to find that something else. As it turns out, Walmart doesn’t have a ton of items for sale in the $1–$2 range, and many of those that were were either out of stock or wouldn’t ship until well after I’d gone home to Canada (and international shipping was more expensive, of course).

In the end, after a frustrating 10 minutes or so of finding things and adding them to my cart only to find out that, after taxes, they pushed the price back up over $40 even with free shipping, I finally decided to just buy myself a snack to eat while I read my books. I found a bag of “Annie’s Homegrown Organic Cheddar Snack Mix” with some pretzels and crackers and whatever-who-cares-I-just-want-to-placemy-order. It was $1.73, and made my

order total come up a few cents short of $40, nicely using up the entire gift card.

Cool. I hit purchase and planned to forget about the order until it arrived.

But no. Walmart sent me a confirmation that my package had shipped the next morning… followed by a second, then a third. Because my two books and bag of chips were all shipping separately, from different states. For the books, I can understand that — they aren’t new releases, and one likely was never a hot seller and came out in 1999, so I was surprised Walmart even had it. But the chips? Did the chips have to come from a warehouse in Southern California?

In a recent interview with National Public Radio (NPR), Conservation International CEO M. Sanjayan explained that shopping online actually can be more environmentally friendly than shopping at a store (if doing so would mean driving there), but only if you’re okay with slower, consolidated deliveries. According to Sanjayan, “Trucks from online retailers may go out less than full to get you your products more quickly,” quickly eliminating the environmental benefits of online shopping.

My chips arrived after six days (which included the New Year’s long weekend) via a private courier. They came in a small, unpadded plastic envelope, with the crumbs of crushed crackers rattling around in the bottom of the bag. I hadn’t actually checked the size before ordering it, but found out that it was 71 grams — the size you’d find in a vending machine.

The whole experience has opened my eyes to just how wasteful policies of free shipping after a certain threshold really are. I would’ve been happy with my $34 of books. But because of this policy, Walmart paid a worker to pull this little bag of snack food from a warehouse shelf, then package it and throw on a label. They paid a courier service to pick it and other orders like it up, transport it across the United States’ west coast over a matter of days, and a driver to deliver it right to my family’s front door. All of that expense and pollution and time for a bag of chips I didn’t even want, that it would have cost me more money to not order.

In summation, the only good that came from Walmart’s free shipping deal was that I had a snack to eat while I wrote this article. It tasted decidedly alright.

fill a gap in your program

Athabasca University has over 850 courses to choose from to meet your needs and courses start every month. AU has over 6,600 transfer agreements around the world (including with this institution).

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OPINION

VOL. 27 // ISSUE 01

Editorial //

Resolve not to set resolutions CAT FRIESEN The question I’ve heard most in the last month, and that I hear every single December and January is “What are your resolutions this year?”

The answer used to be “I don’t know.”

Then it was “I don’t make resolutions,” which shifted to, during my rude phase, “I don’t make resolutions because they’re stupid.” Now the answer is “I don’t make resolutions, because I do something different.” I’ll get back to this.

I have a problem with resolutions as a whole, and I think that stems from the word itself. According to Google, the word “resolution” means a firm decision to do or not to do something. You’ve resolved to do or not to do something, and that’s that. No ifs, ands, or buts. The problem I have is with the rigidity of the word.

There’s no space for change, no wiggle room in case something goes sideways. If you say you’re not going to eat any sugar this year, the second you have a cookie, you’ve failed your resolution. It’s the absolutes that bother me, and the link to being a failure if you don’t follow your resolutions exactly.

Then there’s the problem with resolutions themselves: they’re often A. vague (I want to eat healthier), B. unachievable (dropping everything and moving to Tahiti when you hav e $15,000 in student loans to pay off), or C. something we think we should do, not something we want to do (going to the gym five days a week when your idea of exercise is walking around the block twice a week).

According to Psychology Today, 80 per cent of New Year’s resolutions fizzle out by February. Not exactly promising.

Why do they bite the dust so quickly? Because your goals are unclear, you’re overwhelmed (i.e. your goals were too lofty for the time and energy you currently have), you’re discouraged (because you’re not seeing immediate results), you aren’t ready to change.

Because of these reasons, I don’t make resolutions. Instead, at intervals throughout the year when I feel stuck or stagnant, I re-evaluate what I’m doing. Am I happy with my job, what I’m doing with my free time, where my future is headed? Am I growing as a person, changing who I am for the better? No? Something needs adjusting.

If you set resolutions at the beginning of the year and only at the beginning of the year, you’re doing yourself a disservice. You’re missing out on the opportunity to check in with yourself periodically, which means you’re not learning to listen to what your body and mind really need.

Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with identifying things you want to do differently and then doing them. But the key is listening to what you want to achieve, then actually doing that. Past that, you don’t need an arbitrary date on the calendar to tell you when to re-evaluate your life. You can do that any time you want: once a month, on the full moon, every third Tuesday. It’s up to you.

Only u

can prevent ugly newspapers. wants to publish your art! We need contributing illustrators, graphic designers, and photographers. For more information about getting involved, email managing@ufvcascade.ca or come to a pitch meeting, every Monday at 2:30pm in S2111.

Lifestyle //

Another year, another attempt at change Make the effort today, not tomorrow CARISSA WIENS Regardless of which semester is beginning, I tend to find myself starting off each new class with thoughts like “I’m going to try a little harder on my final papers,” or “I’m even going to do my readings,” and a hope that maybe I’ll finally use that student planner/ agenda thing I purchased a few months ago. But as we all know, when midterms roll around the eagerness fades, the student planner/agenda thing is buried under the several course packs that we were supposed to absorb, and that sacred extra time in the evenings is used to catch up on Narcos instead of cooking a decent dinner.

At this time of year I find myself wondering what makes us need a beginning, like the new year, to kick ourselves in the ass and improve our habits. I wonder why we struggle so deeply with simply waking up in the morning and beginning a change in our eating habits, adjusting our daily screen time, or making

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the effort to see friends more often.

If we see a problem in our lives, why do we need to wait for the beginning of a beginning to work on fixing this problem?

As I think more about this I realize that along with all of the chatter about New Year’s resolutions there seems to be an equal amount of discussion around failing those resolutions.

It appears to almost be a fact that a New Year’s resolution will not hold up until Dec. 31. Are you really not going to have any sugar for a whole year?

Maybe those who vow to ad-

just their life in some dramatic and positive way feel that — even though they may have the best intentions of seeing these adjustments through until the end of the year — it’s more the effort that counts.

We seem to aim too high then fail too hard. If we’ve never been

a gym rat but commit to going to the gym four times a week for the year of 2019, are we really setting ourselves up for success? Why wo u l d n ’t we start with going to the gym once a week for the first two months and slowly add more visits?

Some may disagree and think that going in full force or quitting cold-turkey is the way to make permanent adjustments in one’s life. But as I look at those vowing to live in their brand new lulus while buying organic kale for the first time, I pity them for the failure they will (likely) experience

after they devour a bag of Ruffles All Dressed chips and hate themselves more than ever.

Often this failure makes us want to dive deeper into that failure: hell, go to McDonald’s for lunch, watch another episode, stay out for a while longer. But if we make small adjustments to better ourselves right here, right now, instead of waiting for a new year or a new semester, wouldn’t we have more grace on ourselves if we slip up? Because it would just be one day in the middle of February where we didn’t have three servings of veggies rather than Jan. 2 and we’re already skipping on our high goal of eating eight servings of veggies each day.

Like they say, “Slow and steady wins the race.” Start now, take it slow, and have grace if you slip up.

BRIEF BITS OF BITE-SIZED BREVITY

SN S AP HO TS

Sleeping in is out Well, the streak had to end one day. After years of blissful afternoon and evening classes, and one 11:00 a.m. class that was more of a struggle than I care to admit, it’s finally happened: the morning semester.

It’s probably time. I’ll be graduating soon, and will need to start getting up early once I find a full-time job, but due to a series of wonderful events, I’ve never in my life had to get up early on a regular basis, and that’s finally

Dam with an “n”

“Why do people swear, Daddy?” asked my nine-year-old son.

I paused, then replied, “I’m not sure. I guess it’s just a way people get out their bad feelings.”

“Like dam,” he persisted. “Why is it a swear word? It just holds water. Why is that bad?”

“No, no, there’s an ‘n’ on the end,” I said, grinning.

“Wait… Dan is a swear word?

Like Grandpa Dan?” “No, D-A-M-N, dam with an ‘n’ on the end,” I laughed.

His question got me thinking: why do we swear? Is it because when we were kids we weren’t allowed to, and so we became completely fascinated with it?

going to end with the rude awakening of an 8:30 a.m. class and my hour-ish commute.

Maybe it won’t be so bad. When I was a kid I liked getting up early. Maybe there’s been a morning person within me all this time, drowning under the exhaustion of my normal 2:00 a.m. bedtime.

But more likely this will be the semester where coffee switches from a once-or-twice-a-month habit to a daily ritual.

Jeff Mijo-Burch

Is it just an efficient way of expressing our anger, pain, hate, or pleasure?

The only line I remember from Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird is “Pass the damn ham, please.” All the beautiful writing in that book, and that’s what I remember. I still laugh when I think of a child saying that line.

Perhaps there’s a lesson there — swear words are most effective if they are unexpected. Dam(n) them up so when you really, really need them, you can unleash a sweeping torrent of unique and descriptive expletives upon the world!

Scott McQuarrie

CURTAILED COMMENTARY ON CURRENT CONDITIONS

We save the worms we think we deserve If I were going to write a missed connections post on Craigslist, it would probably go a little something like this: It was my first year. The fire alarm was pulled in the middle of class and I marched out into the rain just like everyone else. You were a worm in the mud I noticed just as everyone was heading inside, and I panicked and reacted by awkwardly sticking out my arms to stop people from stepping on you. Finally someone

just picked you up and moved you, but I thought we really had something while it lasted. A faculty member passing by said earnestly, “Thank you so much for saving that worm. They’re beautiful creatures.” And you know what? She was right.

Worm, if you’re out there reading this, I’m right here waiting, baby.

Chandy Dancey

The morning’s choice As the beans are ground, I rinse the pot and fill the machine with water. After the grinds are saturated in water and I hear the beep telling me my morning is ready to begin, I open the cupboards and face the biggest decision of the day: which mug to drink from.

I see a new ceramic cup staring down at me, pressuring me to choose it. I think about the others that need me and grow hesitant toward sipping from my new purchase. What about the old faithful cream-coloured 14 oz. that simply says “COFFEE”?

She needs my attention more

than ever because I haven’t held her in my hands for weeks. And my partner is joining me for the joe this morning, so we could sip from the pale blue pair with smooth saucers. But we did just visit them two days ago.

I sift through the shelf looking for the perfect mugs to start the morning with. And after moments of uncertainty, I come to the conclusion that even if I don’t sip from one dear mug of mine today, it doesn’t mean that I never will. I close my eyes and tap at random to find my companion.

Carissa Wiens

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basement, a barn with extension cords trailing from it, or even an abandoned house. As long as bands are able to play and people are able to gather, have space to dance (or just sway), it’s a DIY venue.

Carport Manor is, currently, Abbotsford’s only DIY venue. Started in 2016, Carport frequently hosts both touring acts and local bands.

As with most DIY venues, Carport is nothing fancy. Bands play on a makeshift stage in — you guessed it — a carport. There’s a single light bulb hanging in the middle of the room (along with several coloured spotlights that swirl across the ceiling), and the walls are spray painted in metallic designs.

As with many DIY venues, Carport was created on a whim, though not by Aaron Levy, CIVL station manager and one of the four people living in the house at the time.

“Nobody ever used the garage, none of us drove at the time, so they covered the garage to use as a workshop. I had heard banging for a while and one day I checked it out and it was a stage. [Jesse] was like, ‘Now you’ve got to start booking it.’”

Although Aaron didn’t initially agree to it, the creation of Carport Manor was useful.

“I had been frustrated. I booked about 20 different shows in 20-plus different venues in town. It wasn’t sustainable for bookings. It wasn’t reliable. Every show could be the last show we did at a particular venue because not every venue owner liked every type of music, and not every show did well, and not every band was respectful.”

So, Carport was born. It’s not pretty — the stage is a few boards nailed together at one end of a carport — but what the venue itself is isn’t important, it’s what it does. And DIY venues are designed to strengthen the music community, to put bands in the spotlight who wouldn’t necessarily get recognition from bigger, established venues.

Why else are DIY venues necessary? Because they promote individuality by accepting all acts, not just big name bands that fit into the top charts mould. Hit up a DIY venue and you’re sure to hear a variety of musical styles all in one night; it’s not unheard of for a DJ to open with an industrial noise set that uses refurbished Nintendos as part of the instrument (Ben Jones) followed by a four-piece rock band that has the entire carport groovin’ (MALK).

Obviously, Carport welcomes diversity. Performers like B.A. Johnston, who engages the crowd using humour and props (and almost always ends his set with less clothes than he came in with); Tunic, somehow unnerving and groovy at the same time; Stephen Carl O’Shea with his soft guitar and unhurried vocals; all are welcome.

“You need to give people the opportunity to express themselves and to participate in the cultural economy of their community from a cultural and artistic perspective rather than a financial one,” Aaron said.

DIY venues are also necessary because they breed creativity. With a makeshift stage, a few electrical outlets, and a couple enthusiastic performers, an old barn, an empty garage, or even a backyard can all become a place for people to get together and support the local music scene without having to bend to fit the standards expected from traditional bookings.

“You need to give people the opportunity to express themselves and to participate in the cultural economy of their community from a cultural and artistic perspective rather than a financial one.”

By Cat Friesen

When you think of “DIY venue,” what comes to mind? For some, it’ll be teenagers dressed in jean jackets with spiked hair shoving each other in a basement while a band plays in the corner next to a pool table. For others, it’ll be someone passed out on the back steps, a bottle of whiskey knocked over beside them. For others still, the term DIY venue may be a foreign concept, conjuring nothing at all.

As with the music scene itself, the term “DIY venue” is fluid and unconstrained. It could be a church

Although Carport as a DIY venue is in itself a creative endeavour, there is one ingenious invention that has blossomed within the venue that the entirety of the Abbotsford music scene comes out for: Carport Karaoke.

On New Year’s Eve, Blessed, a band based in the Fraser Valley, team up with Aaron to host “Carport Karaoke.”

“We had this idea where on New Year’s we gave them an opportunity; we’ll learn a song you want to sing and play it with you. And that’s what it was birthed out of, this concept where all these people who always wanted to start bands but were like, ‘I don’t have the time.’

We were like, ‘Well, we’ll learn a song,’” says Drew Riekman, vocalist and guitarist of Blessed and one of the organizers of Carport Karaoke.

Although Carport Karaoke takes a lot of work, there are rewards that come with it. Namely, seeing members of the community overcome their anxiety of performing in front of a group and nailing the performance.

“Watching the people who were really nervous kill it is really fun because there are some people who in the 15-minute break will come up and be like, ‘I don’t think I can do it.’ And I’m like ‘You’re going to be fine.’ There are quite a few people who were really nervous and said they wanted to be in the second half and they totally destroyed it,” Drew said.

Unfortunately, if you’ve never experienced Carport Karaoke with Blessed, you likely never will: New Year’s of 2018 was the fifth and final installment of Carport Karaoke — unless another band is willing to pick up the torch.

“Obviously some of our friends have joked about it. At New Year’s

they were like, ‘We’ll do it next year.’ For us, there’s no creative ownership of it. I would even hope that we would get to play on a couple songs. But yeah, we don’t feel protective of it in any way.”

But Drew doesn’t expect anyone to step up to the plate. “I don’t think you can ask anyone to learn 26 songs for New Year’s … It’s a lot to take on, and the reality of it is there’s a management aspect of making sure 26 people are preparing and getting ready and practicing on their own time.”

The reason Carport Karaoke may have seen its last year is mainly due to the amount of work that goes into planning it.

“Starting in November, it was 10 hours a week. And then in the last week before New Year’s, that ramps up to 40 … Next year I just don’t think there’s going to be time anymore on top of the schedule that we’re trying to maintain.

And arguably there hasn’t been time already in the previous years.”

Despite the workload, Carport Karaoke had obvious benefits.

“There’s a really flattering aspect where people are like, ‘Thank you for putting in all this work.’ It’s not that there isn’t a lot of work. I do see that part of it, but because of the timeframe we’re able to divide it in a way that I find doesn’t feel too overwhelming until the week of.”

That, and it gives them a chance to strengthen their skills and apply it to Blessed as a band.

“It forces us to learn and play music outside of our normal scope and where we’re comfortable. It forces you to look at songs differently, and I think it’s a helpful creative exercise, almost that there’s a benefit we get out of it majorly that I don’t think some people consider.”

Though if this was the last year, Carport Karaoke went out with a bang. “A couple of people who are typically not as rambunctious or on the quieter side this year really killed it … In other years it’s been really good, but this year I feel like everyone really gave it,” Drew said.

Although there are often no set rules at DIY venues, such as there would be at a bar or club, there is a general understanding among those who attend that they should maintain a certain level of respect — for the venue, for the

“You’re opening your house to people.

You’re the host; you’re responsible for what happens there.”

bands, for each other. That means no fighting, no drugs, and no inappropriate behaviour.

However, Carport does have rules — they’re posted on Carport’s Facebook page, and Aaron ensures everyone is responsible for themselves and knows what’s expected of them.

“On New Year’s I’m telling people, ‘Hey, I remember picking you up off the ground beside the house last year. Let’s watch your drinking this year.’ … I go out of my way — sometimes it’s a lecture, or sometimes it’s to point something out, or sometimes it’s just to joke around with somebody, but make the point.”

On New Year’s, and at every other show at Carport, Aaron keeps an eye out from the beginning for people who may cause trouble.

“You identify people as they’re entering the space, you evaluate their coherence and their likelihood to be a good customer or respectful person. If you have any concerns, you may approach them first and let them know some things, or ask some things.”

It’s not that Aaron wants to be the one responsible for the safety of everyone there, but someone has to do it.

“I don’t like being in that position, being responsible for that. But nobody else is really responsible for or comfortable with it. And then if somebody was comfortable with it, I’d wonder if they’d be tactful about it.”

And that responsibility is a lot more than some may think. “There’s a lot of things to keep in mind. You’re opening your house to people. You’re the host; you’re responsible for what happens there.”

And conflict of any kind isn’t entirely avoidable. When something does arise, Aaron has a strategy: if he wants someone to leave because they’ve been disrespectful or for any other reason, he asks them to come outside with him for a cigarette.

“We talk outside, and then they can’t come back in. Ever since I was working in the bars, if someone needs to go, I invite them out for a smoke. If they don’t want to go for a smoke, tell them you need to talk to them outside — get them outside, then tell them they can’t come back in. You don’t have to push anybody out.”

New Year’s was no exception.

“I kicked two people out on New Year’s — or I denied one and I asked one to leave. We’ll have conversations every time I tell somebody leave or that they shouldn’t come. I say ‘Well, we can get coffee and talk about it another time, but now’s not the time.’”

Fortunately, though, nothing has ever turned violent. “I’m pretty pleased that it hasn’t come to blows at any time. It’s pretty essential that it hasn’t — I don’t think it’d be sustainable if it ever did. If there was ever a fistfight there, I think that would be the end.”

Of course there are concerns when it comes to DIY venues. The venue hasn’t been checked out by the city for maximum capacity, and there are possible fire hazards. There won’t necessarily be anyone on site trained in first aid, and if something goes wrong — a fire does start, someone breaks an arm — the venue isn’t always equipped to deal with it.

At least not in a way that a business license would expect. There may not be an

evacuation plan or a first aid kit on site, but nearly everyone there has a phone and common sense. If something does go wrong, they know to call 911 and tell the organizer. Just because the venue hasn’t been approved by the city, doesn’t mean it’s any more dangerous than a verified venue.

Drugs, especially, are a topic of concern to Aaron and others involved in Carport. “Outside of when the shows are, we as a group — those of us who are aware and concerned — have had discussions about drugs: who’s doing drugs, what kind of drugs are being done, what should we be looking at or thinking of doing in order to discourage drugs.”

Though there are things to worry about — drugs, inappropriate behaviour, conflicts — the benefits of having Carport outweigh the risks; namely, exposure for bands who wouldn’t have otherwise been able to play Abbotsford.

“We get tons of bookings that we wouldn’t otherwise be able to do. [For traditional bookings] there has to be the right venue, the right day, the right style of music, the right potential for a crowd. I’ve never said I’m not going to do a show to my knowledge. There are two shows in the past two years that have not been done.”

And this exposure brings bands from all over the world. “I’ve got somebody booked from France, somebody was asking from Florida last week, a band’s coming from Portland next week, Jan. 15, The Hague from Portland and David Ivan. We had that band from the Czech Republic. We’ve had a band from England, we’ve had a band from Spain,” Aaron said.

“When shows regularly have under 50 people, everybody counts.”

Aside from that, DIY venues are important for a number of reasons. According to Aaron, having DIY venues, as well as other spaces to book bands, is important for the community.

“It’s important for artists, for people like you and I who live here and are performing, we want to be exposed to different types of music. We want to have those opportunities. I didn’t have those opportunities growing up in Toronto, in my community. It’s important for the city of Abbotsford.”

How can you support local and touring artists, and keep DIY spaces open?

According to Drew, all you need to do is show up.

“The $5 that you give to a band from Toronto, that goes so much further than I think people who aren’t participating in the music industry believe. If you can think about the fact that you and four friends showing up is the difference between a full tank of gas, that’s pretty extreme.”

If you know a show is happening and you decide not to go because you think one person can’t make a difference, you’d be wrong.

“When shows regularly have under 50 people, everybody counts. I don’t think people give themselves enough credit who come to every show … that goes so much further than I think people believe. That really counts,” said Drew.

Despite not initially agreeing to the creation of Carport Manor, the last few years have been great.

“Did I want to live in a venue? No. As roommates we had talked about that and I said no, I don’t want to do that. That’s not what I’m looking for in life.

That’s not the lifestyle I want right now. I do shows already, I don’t want to live shows. But it’s worked out,” said Aaron.

DIY venues aren’t glamorous; sometimes the light fizzles out and the band is left to play in the dark, and sometimes beer gets spilled on your shoes, but it’s all part of the experience. You get sandwiched between a bunch of sweaty bodies you don’t know and get knocked around but you also get exposed to bands you never would have heard of otherwise and meet people who become lifelong friends.

CULTURE

CULTURE

VOL. 27 // ISSUE 01

culture@ufvcascade.ca Cassie de Jong — Culture Editor

On-Campus Event //

New Students Welcomed New students get their first look of UFV EMMALINE SPENCER On Jan. 4, University of the Fraser Valley (UFV) welcomed our new incoming students for the winter semester. The welcome event featured a variety of workshops, student speakers, and entertainment. Throughout the day raffle tickets were given out, and at the end of the workshops there was a draw for two iPads.

The event began with the opening ceremonies, where new students heard from established students about their experiences and learned a little bit about the community we have at UFV. Following the ceremony, volunteers from Student Life led small groups to their first of two workshops. Each student was given the chance to pick which workshops they would like to attend when they signed up for

Student Welcome Day. (The Cascade)

the welcome day event. The event hosted 12 different workshops that focused on different skills that would help in either life or learning at UFV. The topics of the workshops ranged in a number of subjects, including but not limited to: budgeting, learning strategies, goal setting, life values, time management, mental wellness,

learning the campus grounds, diversity, and social skills. Students who are living in Baker House this semester went to separate workshops focused on dorm life.

Each workshop was an hour long and interactive to keep students engaged. The workshops began with an icebreaker to let students get to know each other.

At the end of the workshops students reconvened at the Student Union Building for a pizza dinner and the iPad raffle. At the dinner I had a chance to sit down and get to know a few of the students and hear their thoughts on the day’s events. All of the students I spoke to claimed to have enjoyed their individual work-

shops and that some of the anxiety of starting university life had gone away. Many said they were happy to have familiar faces on campus, as many of the students joining this winter semester are international students.

The evening ended with students having the choice of going to a Cascades basketball game or a movie night featuring *Guardians of the Galaxy. At the basketball game students had the chance to buy a Cascadians membership — which includes free snacks at games, as well as entry into game night contests — for $5 instead of the regular $15.

For those who commuted to the welcome day event, a special bus was provided to take the students back to Carvolth exchange when the event was over.

JUST BECAUSE THEY SWIPED RIGHT DOESN’T MAKE IT RIGHT. Sexual violence and misconduct can never be part of student life.

It will not be tolerated.

Make campuses safe for everyone, play your part.

PROOF#

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CULTURE

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 9, 2019

Column //

The Cascade Kitchen: Quinoa Pizza Bites CHANDY DANCEY

Preview //

Abbotsford and Chilliwack U-Join CASSIE DE JONG

Quinoa Pizza Bites. (Chandy Dancey)

The Cascade Kitchen is a student-run food column that brings you budgetfriendly recipes and cooking tips. Check back bi-weekly for something new to try in the kitchen, or if you want to see your own recipe featured next, get started by reaching out to cassie@ufvcascade.ca.

Celebrate “Veganuary” in 2019 by exploring plant-based meals featured in The Cascade Kitchen during the first month of the year. This week’s recipe showcases quinoa, a grain that hit “superfood” status a number of years ago but managed to measure up to the fame. It boasts a high protein content, a wide range of micronutrients, and an “International Year of Quinoa”, declared by the UN in 2013. At the time it was even suggested that quinoa could be the key to securing worldwide food sustainability since it’s crops have high yields, are drought resistant, and grow at a wide range of temperatures and altitudes.

Note that this healthy grain doesn’t have to break your wallet either.

It’s widely available in the bulk section of grocery stores where you can buy what you need while reducing cost and packaging.

Ready in: 30 minutes. Serves: 4 (Makes ~16 bites) Ingredients

With the fresh start of a new semester, it can be overwhelming to face the vast amount of options available to students, especially for new students. That is why the associations of UFV are set to soon come together to help make those choices easier. The UFV Student Union Society (SUS) and UFV Student Life are joining forces to host two twin U-Join events with the aim of bolstering participation in our on-campus community. U-Join will take place on both the Abbotsford and Chilliwack campuses, and will provide an opportunity for students to explore options available to them on campus that they may not have known of before.

Two separate events will take place on Tuesday, Jan. 15 in the Student Union Building’s Evered Hall at the Abbotsford campus, and on Jan. 17 in A Building at the Chilliwack campus, both from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

This is the second time that UFV departments, UFV clubs and associations, and volunteer organizations are coming together to host a mass U-Join event. The first occurrence took place earlier this school year in September for the fall semester.

At both U-Join events, students will have the opportunity to get a real idea of what UFV has to offer, such as the long list of UFV clubs looking for new members. In addition to exploring UFV’s many resources, students will be able to enjoy free food and live music from Cambree Lovesy, who has performed live at many previ-

ous on-campus events, as well as on our very own radio station, CIVL 101.7.

The tables will feature organizations such as Study Abroad, the Peer Resource & Leadership Centre, community volunteer opportunities, and more.

Aside from showcasing what clubs and associations UFV has to offer, the goal of U-Join is to help students find engagement opportunities on and off campus. Volunteer organizations from the Fraser Valley and Lower Mainland will also be featured at the event. Overall, U-Join aims to help students connect with staff, faculty, the services and resources available to them on campus, and information on the UFV clubs and associations they can join.

Students need not fear if they are unable to attend either event in Abbotsford or Chilliwack, for there are several online resources available with more information. The SUS website currently lists all UFV clubs and associations. If students are interested in researching new volunteer opportunities, such information is available at Volunteer UFV on myCampusLife. A few great on-campus resources for information also include the SUS office, the Student Life lounge, and the Coast Capital Savings Peer Resource and Leadership Centre (PRLC), which are all located in the Student Union Building. At the PRLC, students can speak with a peer leader if they have questions, or need help finding services to meet their specific needs.

473 ml (2 cups) cooked quinoa 562 ml (1 can) of pinto beans, drained and rinsed 156 ml (1 can) of tomato paste 15 ml (3 tsps) dry basil 5 ml (1 tsp) onion powder 5 ml (1 tsp) garlic powder 5 ml (1 tsp) salt Cubes of cheese to put in the middle (optional or replaceable with non-dairy or vegan cheese) Tip: Similar to cooking rice you can cook quinoa with the general rule of 1 part uncooked quinoa: 2 parts salted water. You can combine the two together, bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer with a lid until the water’s been absorbed. Quinoa tends to double in size when cooked, so 1 cup of uncooked quinoa would give you roughly 2 cups cooked.

Instructions Preheat your oven to 350 F and grease a baking sheet to set aside.

This is also the time I precut 16 cubes of cheese so my hands wouldn’t get messy later.

Mash your can of pinto beans in a large bowl with a fork, then stir in the remaining ingredients until combined. You can adjust the seasonings to taste here, but I found the taste of the uncooked mix (tasted mostly like tomato paste) wasn’t necessarily reflective of the end product (tasted mostly like pinto beans and quinoa).

Use your hands to roll the mix into balls, and if using cheese then press a cube into the centre of the ball before covering it up.

Place all your balls onto the baking tray and bake for ~20 minutes or until the outsides look dry and they’ve browned on the bottom.

Optionally set your oven to broil for 2-3 minutes after that to get a crunchier exterior. Serve and enjoy!

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SPORTS

VOL. 27 // ISSUE 01

Athlete Profile //

UFV Volleyball’s Amanda Matsui ALEXANDER JESUS The 2018-19 season has been a fun one for the UFV women’s volleyball team. Now sitting at 8-4, their campaign has been a positive one, sporting a 4-2 record on homecourt as well as on the road.

A well-rounded and exciting team generally has no shortage of high skill players, and this is certainly the case for the Cascades. If you’ve attended any of the games so far this season, you know that one of them is second year left side Amanda Matsui. Whether it’s a serving streak, a huge block, or a clutch shot, Amanda has emerged as a huge force for the Cascades, bringing talent and energy to a team with no lack of either. Long before the Cascades or even high school however, Amanda’s start to volleyball was different than many.

“I started when I was twelve with a training team that didn’t play any games, anything at all… we were such a young team,” said Amanda.

Humble beginnings for a player who would emerge as a star at UFV, but the benefit Amanda had was a supportive family that

had a bit of volleyball history themselves.

“My mom played, so we fooled around at the house. I had a little sister and an older sister, and we would go into little sports camps that would do basketball, floor hockey, and volleyball. I liked volleyball at a young age. I liked basketball too - those were the main two that I liked, and I just stuck it out with volleyball.”

With both her parents having played high school volleyball, it was only fitting that Amanda’s choice to play university level ball came in the final year of her pre-UFV career, a year where she would have to choose between two sports she excelled at.

“I didn’t actually know until grade 12. I played basketball at a very competitive level (club basketball, Team B.C. basketball). I played club volleyball but it wasn’t as competitive as basketball. For the longest time, I thought I did want to play basketball.”

In the end, Amanda chose to pursue volleyball in university.

Coming out of high school, Amanda continued to grow and excel at volleyball, but a knee injury provided heavy adversity going into her university career.

“I was in our Fraser Valley final of basketball and a girl ran into me the wrong way and took me out at my knee.

I strained my ACL first, and then it tore after.”

To get such a severe injury, not only on the cusp of a university career but also doing a sport you were about to give up, one can only imagine the heartbreak.

“I had people in my high school tell me I was not going to come back from it, and that ‘you’re never going to be the same player, this sucks,’ and it was just like, really?”

Amanda, though she struggled with the pain of injury and time away from volleyball, never quit and rebounded in the biggest way possible when she joined Coach Mike Gilray and the UFV Cascades.

By overcoming the obstacles of a serious injury and joining Playing volleyball. (Dan Kinvig) forces with UFV, her career has led to a large amount of

success, as well as to a lot of fun.

As for hobbies away from the court, spending time with family and friends comes first for Amanda. Despite not playing basketball anymore, Amanda also enjoys watching basketball, and tries to make it out to home games when she has free time.

No interview would be complete without some controversy, and when it comes to a favorite post-game snack or meal, we all know the one food topic of debate that plagues our society.

“Maybe on a Saturday when there’s no game the next day, a post-game meal might be a nice Hawaiian pizza, with chocolate milk.”

There no doubt, whether you’re a valiant advocate of pineapple on pizza, or a staunch pizza traditionalist, we can all agree on one thing. Amanda’s story is both inspiring and fun.

Come see Amanda Matsui and the UFV Cascades play this weekend as they look to build on their four-game winning streak when they take on the Camosun Chargers in back to back games to begin 2019 at the Envision Financial Athletic Center.

Athlete Profile //

UFV Volleyball’s Landon Uy ALEXANDER JESUS

In the sport of volleyball, the various positions demand different physical talents.

The UFV men’s volleyball team has had no shortage of those, and many if not all players on the 2018-19 team consistently display multiple talents that make home games fun to watch. Even of these skilled players, Cascades outside hitter Landon Uy stands out. A combination of competitive drive and a huge vertical jump makes Landon one of UFV’s most noticeable players. It’s not uncommon to hear gasps or comments from the stands after Landon serves the ball during games.

His volleyball career began from a connection close to home.

“My dad was my first coach,” says Landon, who played for Cedars Christian in Prince George, B.C. “He coached me all the way through high school and midway through club seasons.”

His brother also played on the same team as him for many years.

Landon decided he wanted to further his career in volleyball by playing after high school, but his path to UFV was different than others.

“I actually did my first two years of schooling at Trinity Western, and I was playing in a rec league where I met Kyle, the coach here. It was run through UFV and Kyle was running the league. So, I

12

kind of just asked him, ‘Hey like, think any teams want a real short left side to play?’ and he’s like, ‘Yeah dude, why not UFV?’” If you watched the men’s team play this year, you know they play confident and with a lot of energy. It might surprise you to know that they currently sit at a 1-11 record and have struggled closing out games this season.

One important factor that Landon observes is the growth of the team despite the losses.

“There’s a lot of room where we’ve stepped it up each week, made improvements. We’ve dropped back a little bit some weeks but that’s kind of how it goes all the time. You make improvements and then you sometimes don’t play your best one weekend, then you play better the next weekend, right? We’re still hopeful and we’re not too worried yet.”

As focused as ever, losses don’t seem to faze the Cascades or put them off of their goals, says Landon. In the PacWest conference, only one team doesn’t make the playoffs, so as long as the Cascades remain focused and committed to their growth and development, a trip to the postseason awaits.

The most noticeable part of Landon’s game is by far his vertical jump, which has been known to garner quite the reaction from fans.

“For me it’s a big part of the game be-

cause I don’t have a whole lot without it,” Landon said. “For me, since I’m so short, it’s really important. If I’m not jumping high on every ball that I try and hit, I’m not really getting a good aggressive attack out of it ever, right?”

Despite the limitations of Landon’s height, his athleticism and volleyball knowledge propel him to constantly bring a remarkable work ethic and style of play to the court, and he has become a fan favourite.

When it comes to the goals of the team, Landon and the Cascades appear to have their sights set on one main goal: win the playoffs.

When it comes to his favourite post game meal, he presents two scenarios.

“Like, if I’m looking for a full meal, it would be real classic, just like chicken and rice. Fills you up nice and good. But if I’m looking for a snack and something fun and yummy it’d be popcorn or a milkshake.”

Come watch Landon and the UFV Cascades as they take on the Camosun Chargers this weekend in back-to-back games to open their 2019 campaign.

UFV Cascades Sports Scores Dec. 3, 2018 – Jan. 5, 2019 Men’s Basketball Game/Date: UFV Versus Brandon Jan. 4, 2019 Result: Win (74-66) Game/Date: UFV Versus Brandon Jan. 5, 2019 Result: Win (83-73)

Women’s Basketball Game/Date: UFV Versus Brandon Jan. 4, 2019 Result: Win (71-50) Game/Date: UFV Versus Brandon Jan. 5, 2019 Result: Win (63-53)

STUDY BREAK

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 9, 2019

Crossword //

Made by Cassie de Jong ACROSS

DOWN

Across: 4: A cocktail consisting of apple juice mixed with apple liqueur or vodka.

5: The analysis of unique physical characteristics such as fingerprints or voice, as a means of verifying a person’s identity.

6: A substance capable of being decomposed.

8: Holiday where one dresses up in green and drinks beer or other alcohol in excess.

9: A hormone produced by the pineal gland, that one may also take as a pill to help with sleep.

10: To be famously known for a bad quality or deed.

1: A drug that inhibits the effects of allergies.

2: A southeast nation bordered by Thailand to the northwest, Laos to the northeast, and Vietnam to the east.

3: To consist of various types or from different sources.

7: A person who commits the criminal act of deliberately setting fire to property.

LAST ISSUE’S

ANSWERS: Across: 1: Snowman 5: Carol 6: Reins 7: Tinsel 8: Elves 10: Carve 11: Christmas 12: Santa Claus

Down: 1: Scrooge 2: Mistletoe 3: North Pole 4: Holly 8: Elvis 9: Sprouts 10: Cocoa

Bread Crumbs

Horoscopes //

Astrological mysteries interpreted weekly by Morgana the Mystic.

Aries — Mar 21 to Apr 19 You can’t rush through everything, Aries.

You’ll have to embrace the idea of being patient this week to achieve what you want.

Though you may not be a natural, you won’t struggle as much as you fear.

Taurus — Apr 20 to May 20 Impulsivity makes you nervous but lately you’ve been too stuck within your own routine. It’s dragging you down, Taurus. Break away from your “usual” and try something new this week!

Gemini — May 21 to Jun 20 Feel like you’re treading water? You’ve overcomplicated things before they’ve even begun. Change directions and let the current take you where you’re meant to be.

Cancer —Jun 21 to Jul 22 Expect some obstacles this week but don’t let them discourage you. You’ll hit your stride when you realize your troubles are only temporary; better things are on the horizon.

Leo — Jul 23 to Aug 22 Press the “snooze” button this morning? You’ll find yourself yawning through your days this week, so use the weekend to recharge and realign — you’ll bounce back after a little more relaxation.

Virgo —Aug 23 to Sep 22 Put your list of worries away, Virgo. You’re getting too caught up in them to see the solutions that are right in front of you. Your problems will easily resolve themselves without interference; don’t fret!

Libra — Sep 23 to Oct 22 Past decisions have you feeling nervous but there’s no need to be regretful. You’ll benefit greatly from the sudden clarity. Your newfound conviction is just the thing to start the semester off right!

Scorpio — Oct 23 to Nov 21 Be upfront with yourself and others when discussing the new year. Too often you neglect to share your own goals with the world. You’ll find it easier to meet them if you allow others to lend some support.

Sagittarius — Nov 22 to Dec 21 While you’re usually the first to declare “new year, new me!” you may want to reconsider your resolutions. Your endless desire for change is charming — but only to a point.

Settle down, Sagittarius, at least for now.

Capricorn — Dec 22 to Jan 19 Step into this semester confident, Capricorn.

Your prowess for planning will result in a perfect execution of anything you set your mind to this week. Let your successes set the pace for the rest of the month.

Aquarius — Jan 20 to Feb 18 Your forward-thinking nature will bring you down when the future doesn’t immediately reveal itself to you. Taking things one day at a time is a far better approach, especially in new beginnings such as this.

Pisces — Feb 19 to Mar 20 You don’t do too well in chaotic situations, Pisces, and the beginning of the semester isn’t anything but chaos. Fight through the disorganization as best you can and be sure to treat yourself for the little victories — you deserve it.

13

ARTS

VOL. 27 // ISSUE 01

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2018

arts@ufvcascade.ca Martin Castro — Arts Editor

Album Review //

CHARTS 1

Blessed Thought (Single)

2

Warm Amps loose vision

3

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

4

Kellen Saip Courage

5

Art d’Ecco Trespasser

6

Jeremy Dutcher Wolastoqiyik Lintuwakonawa

7

Sydney Beau On My Mind (Single)

8

Charlotte Gainsbourg Take 2

UNKNOWN ME Astronauts

9 10

Twist Distancing

11

First Reign Endless Facade

12

Daughters You Won’t Get What You Want

13

Mike Aube Weirdo (single)

14

XXL Puff O’Gigio

15

generalgruff x The Purveyors Of Free Will General Purv

16

Saltwater Hank Stories from the Northwest

17

Colin James Miles to Go

18

The Funs Alienated

19

Automatisme Transit

20

Big Joanie Sistahs

14

SHUFFLE AARON LEVY

IMPERSONAL TRAINER

CIVL Station Manager Aaron Levy is excited for Art Battle to come back to Abbotsford on Jan. 18 (next Friday) at the Abbotsford Arts Centre’s Arts Addition, and in honour of this glorious event, here are four battle songs!

Earl Sweatshirt’s Some Rap Songs quietly sneaks a chapbook into mainstream rap canon A soul giant’s farewell from beyond the grave

Battles - “Rainbow” A sprawling eight-minute epic, this experimental group paints the colours of the titular unicorn of our natural world. Featuring a slow-building, minute-long intro that ascends into tightly wound yarns of synthetic shaded bends and rolls as counterpoints softly cascade off of the rainbow’s curvature dripping into golden pots.

Led Zeppelin - “The Battle of Evermore” My least favourite song off of the fourth installment of that classic incarnation of the Yardbirds that late The Who drummer Keith Moon famously claimed would sink much like its namesake might, this is also one of the most LOTR-y SOUNDING of any one from the 10 on this keeper.

Rage Against the Machine - “Guerrilla Radio (from The Battle of Los Angeles)” I remember driving through L.A.’s famed massive highway network in 2004 with my father and brother, slowly, obviously, or in gridlock, hearing this song play frequently enough to wonder if something was wrong with the playlist, and wishing that it were the Godzilla soundtrack penned “No Shelter” I’d hear instead.

The Flaming Lips - “Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots” I’ve seen this song performed four times, and perhaps I’ve shuffled about the experience more than that over the years, but the title, nonetheless, lends itself perfectly to this week’s shuffle, “‘Cause she knows that it’s demanding / To defeat those evil machines / I know she can beat them / Oh Yoshimi ...”

MARTIN CASTRO Out of the three big Odd-Future solo breakout acts (Tyler, The Creator, Frank Ocean, and Earl Sweatshirt), Earl Sweatshirt’s music has suffered from a lack of mass-market accessibility that’s made worse by a bevy of critics having lauded his previous two releases as ahead of their peers in terms of lyricism and content. To put it simply, Earl’s at the cusp of where a popular musician begins being considered an “artist.”

Some Rap Songs sees Earl further developing the use of language that made him such a firebrand after the release of 2013’s Doris. On that record, Earl was all bravado. He was, in his own words, “Still in the business of smacking up little rappers.” If it wasn’t his narrative content that raised eyebrows, it was his command over assonance and consonance stacked on top of one another, used to deliver incredibly vivid passages.

On I Don’t Like Shit, I Don’t Go Outside, Earl managed to move towards a more self-reflective incarnation of the brash and antisocial rapping he’d built

his brand on. To the dismay of many of many fans, the starkly introspective record seemed to have its back turned to them; Earl’s music no longer catered to the narrowly defined space wherein rap’s position as the defacto cultural format for ultracontemporary expression avoided becoming escapism. In other words, Earl’s music stopped being “fun.”

Some Rap Songs, judged with the same values in mind, is still “no fun.”

But it is.

On “Ontheway!,” one of the record’s lead singles, Earl’s delivery sizzles off a spliced guitar loop. Images juxtapose each other to the point where even though we’re sure Earl’s giving us some kind of story, it’s not clear whether its purpose is confessional or merely aesthetic. “The Mint,” which follows “Ontheway!,” immediately dispels that confusion. “The Mint” chronicles Earl’s cognitive immersion in his own somewhat self-destructive life — as much of it as we’re shown through the record — and clearly is more introspective than escapist.

Whether or not there’s “po-

etry” in Earl’s music depends on who’s being asked. Is Earl the next Gil Scott-Heron? Probably not, but only because his predisposition for pastiche (in production, in lyricism, in use of imagery) betrays a postmodernism that’s probably not intentional as much as it is reflexive. In other words, Earl’s thought process, (as reflected in his music) is postmodernist in that the music is neither art nor confession, but a mixture of both that is at any point either one or the other.

On “Azucar,” for example, samples of his mother’s voice contextualize a more personal narrative. On “Peanut,” his narrative is so fragmented it can’t be anything other than personal; but the listener has no context with which to decode any image, leaving us grasping at meaning, despite the emotionality conveyed through the track.

Taken as a whole, Some Rap Songs is not merely some rap songs. Rather, it’s Earl’s most focused work to date, and perhaps signals a further transition in one of hip-hop’s youngest, most dynamic rappers.

ARTS

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 9, 2019

Web Series Review //

Groove to the lactic funk with Brad Leone Why a Youtube show is the best cooking show you can watch, and why the best cooking show you can watch is a Youtube show.

MIKAELA COLLINS It’s Alive with Brad Leone is a Youtube series produced by Bon Appetit, a cooking magazine that has been printing since 1956, and is one of the most successful cooking shows ever produced. It hasn’t made the most money, or gotten the most views, but when it comes to making the most of the overlap between education and entertainment, It’s Alive is, simply put, the best.

The titular Brad is the visual embodiment of a bear hug. He has a boyish smile and curly blonde hair, usually jammed under a fisherman’s toque or a baseball cap. His Jersey accent infects his hands as he talks, and his endearing excitement wriggles under your skin. In exchange, Brad invites us into his space— Brad is the test kitchen manager at Bon Appetit, and that’s where It’s Alive is filmed. Episodes open with Brad chatting with coworkers or

fumbling an armful of containers coming out of the walk-in while he sets up his station. Quickly, it’s clear that that show doesn’t have one host, but three: Brad, the cook; Vinny, the cameraman; and Matt, the editor.

Each episode focuses on the process of making a new lactofermented food. Fermentation is, in Brad’s own words, “you know, technically, rotting food,” and as anyone who’s seen a jar of pickles explode can tell you, it can get pretty messy and stinky. So it’s not surprising that it’s something home cooks might shy away from — and a natural candidate for the topic of a cooking show. Brad’s passion makes each episode inviting, and the prospect of fermenting food at home much less intimidating, but in a traditionally polished production — picture a log cabin with a farmhouse sink, brand new pans, and a tripod — it would likely ring hollow.

Instead, Bon Appetit has realized that Youtube allows for a much broader range of formats, and that Youtube audiences are more used to thin or nonexistent lines between content and production. Much of BA’s older video content consists of short, minimalistic how-to videos to which the chef is incidental. The process of production is disguised though filming and editing, clinging to the conventions of traditional television cooking shows. These are shot with still or very smooth cameras to make you forget that the camera is there, and cut so as to appear seamless.

In It’s Alive, Vinny uses constant, attentive camera movement — often pointing the lens at a simmering pot Brad has forgotten or another editor’s face as they taste the fermented hot sauce that Brad promises “isn’t that spicy” but is literally just pureed habaneros — to make himself a character with a dry, apprehensive wit. An even

more important character is Matt.

Matt, the editor, chooses to include Vinny’s comedic pans and Brad’s excited stammering as well at the beautiful close-ups and the eloquent explanations. This gives the show its unique voice, but Matt also makes room for his own — literally, there are speech bubbles. Matt makes jokes, editorializes the ingredient lists, and draws attention to his comedic cuts with the bleep sound you hear in blooper reels. The effect is an uncommon sense of honesty and familiarity with not only the hosts, but the food itself as well yeah, you might spill kombucha all over the floor, but so did Brad; it’s just part of cooking.

Bon Appetit’s YouTube page was once a list of culinary techniques: flaming oranges, cutting avocados, deboning fish. Now, the first word in every title is a name: Brad, Carla, and Claire are a few.

This extensive use of personality, at first glance, might make

it seem like BA has lost its way, like it’s gone from being about the food, to a bunch of wannabe Ina Gartens. But in fact, the use of personality as content as well as information not only gives Brad and the other BA hosts more room to add nuance and fun, but makes it so rather than Bon Appetit showing us how Brad Leone makes giardiniera, it feels like Brad is showing us how we can make giardiniera. Expressed in words, it’s a small difference, but I’ve never made Gordon Ramsey’s beef Wellington, and my fermented garlic honey came out great.

It’s Alive may be the best cooking show ever made when it comes to inspiring and welcoming home chefs, and with Brad, Vinny, and Matt as your hosts, it’s just like your morning yogurt: full of healthy bacteria, and a feel-good addition to your day.

Soundbites //

Sharon Van Etten Remind Me Tomorrow In a vein thematically similar to her past work, though leaning into synthdriven, anthemic, indie rock, Sharon Van Etten’s two currently released songs from her upcoming sixth album, Remind Me Tomorrow, indicate a new energy.

“Jupiter 4,” obviously named after the synth it finds inspiration in, despite its packaging, compliments Van Etten’s vocal gloom. The melancholic essence in her acoustic guitar work loses no purpose in what resembles a 1980s shoegaze remake.

“Comeback Kid” is underlain with droning synths, but plays out with a

relatively upbeat rhythm and optimistic lyricism; something out of character for Van Etten.

Though coming to prominence as a singer-songwriter, Van Etten’s experimentation with musicality now lends to a greater emphasis on itself, but not so much a shift toward it, leaving something behind, as it is an inclusion of everything Van Etten has worked on.

And with this, the rest of the the album’s overall mood remains to be seen.

JOEL ROBERTSON-TAYLOR

Y La Bamba “Mujeres” / “Paloma Negra” Portland’s Y La Bamba add to the city’s impeccable record of producing acts that marry influences seamlessly and without cynicism. “Paloma Negra” (“Black Dove”), is almost lo-fi in its blending of acoustic elements, which together create a soundscape that cradle bandleader Luz Elena Mendoza’s understated (but entrancing) delivery. Luz asserts “I will pass, you will pass from memory, with this figure I move on slowly, but surely.”

In direct contrast to the more subdued “Paloma Negra,” “Mujeres” (“Women”) wears its message on its sleeve: equating

women to water. “Como las aguas bebemos mucho de ellas, se secan los labios nomás si no están junto a ellas” / (Like the rivers, we drink of women, lips chap in their absence.)

Despite their clear message being at the forefront in Spanish, the instrumental aspects of both tracks serve as an aperitif of sorts for Y La Bamba’s fifth LP, Mujeres, out February.

MARTIN CASTRO

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