The Cascade Vol. 27 Iss. 26

NOVEMBER 13 TO NOVEMBER 19, 2019

VOLUME 27 ISSUE 26

Kissing princes and hoping they turn into toads since 1993

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UFV launches environmental studies progRam

3 altercation on campus 10 drag show in the sub 15 tarantino's hollywood

WWW.UFVCASCADE.CA

VOL. 27 // ISSUE 26

Production Assistant Renée Campbell renee@ufvcascade.ca

Opinion Editor Carissa Wiens carissa@ufvcascade.ca

News Editor Jessica Barclay jessica@ufvcascade.ca

Arts in Review Editor Chandy Dancey chandy@ufvcascade.ca

Culture & Events Editor Andrea Sadowski andrea@ufvcascade.ca Feature Editor Darien Johnsen darien@ufvcascade.ca Illustrator Kayt Hine

Sports Editor Alex Jesus alex@ufvcascade.ca Digital Media Manager Anoop Dhaliwal anoop@ufvcascade.ca Illustrator Kelly Ning

Social Media Writer Katee Clements

Sports Writer Nic Jackson

Social Media Writer Krizzia Arcigal

Staff Writer Karen White

Photographer David Myles

Staff Writer Krystina Spracklin

The Shuffler Aaron Levy

CONTRIBUTORS Aleister Gwynne Maecyn Klassen

Cover Design: Jessica Barclay Back Cover: Renée Campbell

WWW.UFVCASCADE.CA

OPINION

Copy Editor Kat Marusiak kat@ufvcascade.ca

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15 16......Events Calendar

Snapshots.......7 @UFVCASCADE FACEBOOK.COM/UFVCASCADE INSTAGRAM.COM/UFVCASCADE Volume 27 · Issue 26 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. Pitch meetings are held every Monday in The Cascade’s office on the Abbotsford campus at 2:00pm.

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.

The Cascade is published on the traditional, unceded territory of the Stó:lō peoples. We are grateful to be able to work and learn on this beautiful land.

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ARTS

Production Manager Elyssa English elyssa@ufvcascade.ca

NEWS

Creative Director Mikaela Collins mikaela@ufvcascade.ca

CONTENTS

FEATURE

Business Manager Aneesha Narang aneesha@ufvcascade.ca

Managing Editor Nadia Tudhope nadia@ufvcascade.ca

CULTURE

Executive Editor Jessica Barclay jessica@ufvcascade.ca

CIVL Shuffle.......14

NEWS Altercation on campus.......3 OPINION Editorial.......4

4.......Dear Robin

Building K 2.0.......5 CULTURE Drag show......10 Philosophy Club Q&A......11

10....... Cascade Kitchen 11........LNAP

SPORTS Women's volleyball.......12

12......Men's volleyball

ARTS Bojack Horseman final season.......13 Dear Girls.......14

13......The Testaments 15......Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2019

news@ufvcascade.ca Jessica Barclay — News Editor

NEWS

UFV //

NEWS BRIEFS Keystone pipeline reopens after spill The Keystone pipeline, which moves oil from Alberta to Manitoba and into the United States, has resumed service after spilling 1.4 million litres of crude oil in North Dakota in October. The pipeline’s operator, TC Energy Corporation, says it will operate the pipeline at a reduced pressure, gradually increasing the volume of crude oil it is moving. The U.S. Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, which ordered the Keystone pipeline be shut down for corrective action, has approved the repair and restart plan for the pipeline.

TC Energy is working with the U.S. Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration to investigate the cause of the breach, which affected approximately 2,090 square metres of land.

No injuries or arrests reported after altercation between 30 party-goers

- Global News Car windows broken in UFV parking lot On Nov. 6. four car windows were broken in the parking lot outside of the Abbotsford campus library. Two windows and a mirror were smashed on one of the vehicles. The Abbotsford Police Department reported to the scene. It was speculated that the damage was done by an air rifle shooting bb’s.

“UFV Security reports indicate several vehicles were vandalized close to, and on, the Abbotsford campus on the evening of November 7. The Abbotsford Police Department have been contacted and a file has been created,” Dave Pinton, UFV director of communications said.

Residents protest clearing trees for Lynn Canyon parking lot Metro Vancouver’s North Shore residents are opposing a project approved by the District of North Vancouver council to cut down over 50 trees in Lynn Canyon Park to expand parking.

The parking lot expansion project was approved to address traffic problems in the area and will include paving the lot, and adding seven more parking spots and a turnaround.

Residents in the area object to the removal of the trees, which surround their homes, with one saying that owls, falcons, and, recently, bats use the trees. District Mayor Mike Little said that initially the project proposal brought significantly more parking, but has been reduced to address residents’ concerns.

Parking lot altercation. Nov. 5, 2019. (The Cascade)

JESSICA BARCLAY An altercation outside the Student Union Building (SUB) between approximately 30 Diwali celebration attendees ended with no reported injuries.

On Nov. 5 at around 9 p.m. a fire alarm went off in the SUB, causing the evacuation of the building.

As the building occupants waited for the fire department to approve the building for re-entry, around 30 individuals gathered in the SUB parking lot. The two groups that formed yelled at one another across the parking lot, waved golf clubs and baseball bats, and revved the engines of several sports cars that were parked in the area.

The majority of those involved in the altercation got into cars and out of the parking lot shortly before the Abbotsford Police Department (APD) arrived.

“Griffin Security intervened in this altercation and the Abbotsford Police Department (APD) was called and members responded,” Dave Pinton, UFV director of communications, said over email.

No injuries or arrests were reported by the APD. The university will be investigating the event internally and will work with the APD “as required on this matter.”

“UFV is very concerned about this incident and has zero tolerance for any violence in our university community,” Pinton said. “UFV will vigorously protect and uphold the fundamental right to safety for our students, faculty, staff, and all members of the university community.”

UFV security said that the fire department assessed the building and there was no concern of fire. The alarm was likely pulled by an event attendee.

It is unknown if all those involved in the incident were UFV students. The event was approved by the Student Union Society (SUS) and was hosted

by UFV students, but the event was ticketed. Anyone who purchased a ticket was able to attend the event, regardless of if they attend the university.

The event was a celebration of Diwali, the festival of lights.

This year Diwali landed on Oct. 27, and typically occurs over the course of five days.

“Students wanted to hold that because of our population that we have at the school,” Tripat Sandhu, SUS president, said.

“It's a very cultural or religious event, depending on where you're from.”

The event attendees also gained access to one of the SUB boardrooms during the celebration. No damage was reported in either the hall or the boardroom.

- CBC News

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OPINION

VOL. 27 // ISSUE 26

opinion@ufvcascade.ca Carissa Wiens — Opinion Editor

Advice //

Editorial //

Why we should care about the Hong Kong protests

Dear Robin

JESSICA BARCLAY

ROBIN HALPER Life is tough and confusing and weird. We all need help sometimes, and when you need an expert opinion, you turn to an expert opiniongiver like Robin Halper. Whatever problem you’re facing in life, Robin will have a solution. The Cascade cannot guarantee the effectiveness of Robin’s unique approach to life, but if you’re in a jam, get some advice by writing to halp@ufvcascade. ca Sweater weather Dear Robin, I live in a basement suite. It’s been incredibly cold in there lately (I don’t have a temperature controller in my place), so I asked my landlord to turn up the heat. She says she did, but I’m still super cold and I feel uncomfortable about asking her to turn the heat higher. What should I do?

Sincerely, Blizzarding in the basement Hey, That’s a tough one. The best solution would be to get a space heater. Yes, it’ll cost a bit initially, but in most basement suites you don’t pay for utilities, so it will be a win in the long run.

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If you’re not into that, borrow a sleeping bag from a friend (a backpacking one with just a small face hole) and live in that naked. It will keep you warm. I promise.

Robin Sick solutions Dear Robin, How do I do my homework with a cold? My brain is so foggy I can hardly concentrate on studying for my midterm next week. Help!

Sincerely,

Forever Foggy Hello, You’re not alone in this struggle.

Since your midterm is next week I think you should wait out this cold. The worst part of colds usually lasts for only a few days, so take that time to sleep till 2 p.m. and eat chicken noodle soup out of the can. In reality, it’s not like you were going to study a whole week in advance for the test, so do what you always do and cram the night before, and hope that you feel a little better by then.

Robin

In early June, China proposed a bill that, if passed, would have allowed the extradition of Hong Kong prisoners to mainland China.

The bill has since been retracted, but the protests have escalated into a demonstration of citizens’ frustration regarding China's continued infringement on Hong Kong's autonomy.

Hong Kong was under British rule as a colony until 1997, when it was passed back to China. Part of the agreement made included Basic Law, which outlined the freedoms Hong Kong would have, including a separate judiciary and legal system.

The protests have been escalating since China banned face masks in October. On Monday, an unarmed protestor was shot by the Hong Kong police and a man was set on fire for scolding protestors. The Guardian said that around 60 people were injured, and 260 were arrested.

The protestors have been using increasingly extreme tactics, blocking streets and throwing gasoline bombs and bricks. On Monday, six universities cancelled classes, and on Tuesday protestors and police clashed amid tear gas canisters and gasoline bombs at the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

If you haven’t been paying attention, you should be. How China works to end the sixmonth-long clash will be indicative of its respect, or lack thereof, for Hong Kong’s independence and the democratic power of the semi-autonomous state.

While many countries have voiced support for the Hong Kong protestors, few have taken action beyond that. Considering the state of democracy and human rights in America under the Trump administration, it may be surprising that representatives at several levels of U.S. government have taken a strong stance in support of the protestors. The House of Representatives passed a number of bills in October demonstrate its support, including exempting

Hong Kong from trade sanctions and tariffs applied to China.

Hong Kong protestors have asked for stronger action from the U.S., saying that the U.S.China trade war is putting pressure on the Chinese government.

Canada currently has issued statements supporting the protestors, but has no sanctions in place on China despite the country’s flagrant human rights violations and increasing violence against the activists Canada claims to support.

According to the BBC, China responded by telling Canada that it should "immediately stop meddling in Hong Kong affairs and China's internal affairs.”

International pressure is having an effect on how China is dealing with the protests, at least according to the Hong Kong protestors. Canada, as a demoncratic country, has a responsibility to stand up in support of those who are experiencing human rights violations.

This is not to say that Canada has a responsibility to step in and force the creation of a democratic system. However, if Canada is a democratic country that wants to uphold democratic ideals on the international stage, our government should stand behind citizens who are demanding rights in their own countries.

There are protests going on worldwide — in Russia, in Bolivia, and in Egypt — where citizens are demanding fair treatment from their governments. If democratic countries ignore the protests of citizens in Hong Kong, a democratic state, who are experiencing documented violations of their rights and being denied their freedom of speech, what does that mean for people in other countries?

China is a world power operating amidst numerous democratic countries. It may feel like we can’t do much, but those in support of the Hong Kong protestors can demand our government take a stronger stance and take concrete action in support of the protestors.

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2019

OPINION

Satire //

Building K 2.0

UFV makes plans for the new phase of Building K CARISSA WIENS UFV opened up Building K on Nov. 4 and has been hosting select classes since. The newly renovated building (formerly Finnegan’s restaurant) has 10 classrooms, two computer labs, and one meeting room.

No one saw any downsides to the new building. It was favoured by the university because of the existing structure and proximity to campus. Unfortunately, the university has received many complaints from faculty about students being late to class due to the extremely remote location of Building K. A student claimed their always on-time professor was 40 minutes late to class. One faculty emailed the president’s office claiming over half of their class didn’t even show up on the first day because the students got lost trying to find Building K. To address the complaints, UFV held a press conference on Friday in front of the renovated building.

“We always want to be moving forward at this university; therefore, we have finalized plans to relocate Building K to a new location that will be more convenient for students, staff, and faculty,” a UFV representative said, hoping to summon loud applause for the university’s innovative idea.

Instead the audience, filled with students, staff, faculty, and members of the community, responded with silence followed by many raised hands for ques-

tions.

The representative explained that the university is going to pluck the entire building from the ground, move it across campus, and ground it somewhere entirely new, all in one piece. The projected start time is January 2020 and is estimated to cost six times more than the price of constructing a new building.

When asked why the university wouldn’t just construct a new building due to the assumably enormous amount of money the project will cost, the representative said the school wants to be more environmentally conscious.

Discarding all of the brand new materials that were used to renovate Building K into the dump would be incredibly wasteful.

It has not been confirmed where Building K 2.0 will be located. Rumors are already spreading that it will go right in the middle of the Green, making it the most easily accessible building on the Abbotsford campus due to its central location.

Asking around, students didn’t seem to care very much about the project, just a shrug and a “whatever.” It appears that as long as students can take all of their classes near each other, all is fine.

Regardless of the university’s lack of detailed plans for the project, it still seems to be going forwards, regardless of complaints about the uselessness, idiocity, and bizarreness of the entire plan.

Come Work With Us develop professional skills get experience writing and editing join a great team

JR. NEWS EDITOR send inquiries to managing@ufvcascade.ca

Prospective architectural rendering of Building K on the Green. (Mikaela Collins)

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BRIEF BITS OF BITE-SIZED BREVITY

SN S AP HO TS

CURTAILED COMMENTARY ON CURRENT CONDITIONS

Illustrations by Kelly Ning

Pumpkins are pumpkins are pumpkins, and fruits Let's settle this argument once and for all. Pumpkins are not gourds.

Pumpkins are also usually not squash. Pumpkins are pumpkins.

There is no official scientific definition of a pumpkin, as there are numerous cultivated varieties. The one most of us are most familiar with is the bright orange Cucurbita pepo subspecies. The species includes various zuccinies, squash, gourds, and of course, our favourite Halloween carving fruit. The Cucurbita moschata species contains butternut squash and the less commonly known Long Island cheese pumpkins that are often used in commer-

cial pumpkin pie mixes.

As you can see, there are huge morphological differences even within the same species, let alone the same entire Cucurbitaceae family, so how can we tell them apart?

The non-scientific distinction is that in the Cucurbitaceae family, pumpkins are the round edible fruits, squashes are the irregularly shaped edible fruits, and gourds are the non-edible fruits.

Yes, pumpkins are also fruits but that’s a discussion for another day.

Do you want some ointment for that burn?

My deepest sympathy goes out to everyone who works in retail this time of year. The greatest woe of working in a busy storefront during the holiday season might be the never-ending stream of Christmas songs that lodge themselves deep into your brain. The most overplayed song of them all is Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You.” Since the iconic ballad first came on the airwaves in 1994, it has earned Carey more than $60 million in royalties alone.

Let’s talk for a minute about the grave insult in this song that Carey

unleashes unto the world like the diva she is. The first line of the song is: “I don’t want a lot for Christmas,” and then she goes on to reveal that “All I want for Christmas is you.” Mariah Carey is telling you that you are not much. So please, stop playing this song in malls everywhere until the ears of retail workers bleed, because it’s not the cute little love song we all thought it was- it’s Mariah throwing shade at her lover.

Andrea Sadowski

Jessica Barclay

When I die, put me in the bone jacuzzi Liquid liabilities

Disposing of an empty bottle or cup is simple enough, but what do you do with one that still has some liquid in it? Maybe your hot beverage has gone cold and you don’t want to keep drinking it. Perhaps you do not have time to finish your drink before you have to go somewhere where beverages are not allowed.

Maybe you decided to try something new, but didn’t like it and don’t want to finish the rest. There are a few inelegant solutions to this problem, such as dumping it on the grass or down a water fountain, or just chug-

ging what you have left. Even so, it would be nice if there was a place where we could dispose of our unwanted leftover fluids. It wouldn’t have to be fancy. A watertight receptacle that gets emptied and rinsed out twice a day would be sufficient.

I find it odd that a place with a constant population of roving caffeine addicts like UFV has no solution to this very real problem.

Aleister Gwynne

You’ve heard of burying the dead, and you’ve heard of burning the dead, but you may not have heard of boiling the dead, like how you would beg your mom to let you boil dead animals for their skeletons after reading that scene in Charlotte’s Web — or was that just me?

It’s called water cremation, and it’s an environmentally friendly option that still lets you take home a bundle of “ashes.” (In both traditional and water cremation, the grey powder that is given to the deceased’s loved ones is actually pulverized bones.) Instead of using fuel to burn a body, water crema-

tion essentially boils and gently dissolves a person’s flesh, and the resulting sludge can get drained away into your run-of-the-mill municipal sewer system, or used as compost.

It’s currently not legal in B.C., and that’s understandable — some people might be uncomfortable with the idea of a loved one being turned into goo and washed away like toothpaste spit. However, I, for one, welcome the opportunity to become a formless mass of amino acids — maybe then guys will stop staring at me on the bus.

Mikaela Collins

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ituated in the heart of the heavilyforested Fraser Valley, it makes sense for UFV to be introducing a new Environmental Studies program next semester. Students were able to enroll for the Bachelor of Environmental Studies degree for the first time this Fall semester.

Headed by Michelle Rhodes, the environmental studies program will include the Bachelor of Environmental Studies (BES) and the Bachelor of Environmental Studies (Natural Sciences), the latter of which will be offered for the first time in the coming Winter semester.

The two degrees are different, but have a common core which includes base knowledge in things such as environmental ethics and professional competency.

Since it’s important for students to develop experience in the field they’re interested in, Rhodes said students will be encouraged to do co-operative work terms, join practicums, and develop their professional experience.

The program will serve as an opportunity for students who want to focus on environmental studies, but don’t want to be funneled into larger universities such as Simon Fraser University or the University of British Columbia. It’s important for UFV to offer this to local students, especially as our changing society and environment demands a response to multiple environmental crises.

The program has been 12 years in development, and was first proposed in the 1980s. Rhodes became involved in 2007, joining the Environmental Studies Curriculum Committee, who started the processing of courses to include in the degree.

It was a hefty task, since the program includes courses from multiple disciplines Rhodes hopes to see more environmenincluding statistics, economics, agricultal courses develop from different fields of ture, geography, English, biology, and study, so the committee's devised a way philosophy. With the growing threat of for professors to get involved in expandclimate change, it was important that this ing the program and offering their knowlprogram address issues of a changing enedge to students. vironment, and Rhodes is hoping to see it grow even more.

“We have a seminar course that is open to faculty from across the institution to “It has a lot of space for growth as we bring teach into, if it's an environmental theme. on new faculty. The climate emergency re- So it creates some opportunities for facally demands that we're responding to not ulty to do some new course development just that crisis, but the plastics crisis, the if they want to go in that direction,” said biodiversity crisis — we're in a time of eco- Rhodes. logical crisis,” said Rhodes. “So the goal is that this degree program, the two degrees, People are realizing more and more that will provide that opportunity for new cur- their livelihoods are intertwined with riculum development that will respond to the world around them; the future job that.” field will have a heavier focus on sustainability and a need to understand the enRhodes has been the driving force be- vironment. The program will fill a much hind the fruition of the program. She ex- needed gap in UFV’s programming and plained that there was a large demand to options for students and faculty wanting focus on a stronger science component, to explore more on this topic. which led to the BES (Natural Sciences) degree. This is in slight contrast to BES, which “I really wanted my education to be enhas a broader and more arts-focused base. gaged in change-making. I know that was

something that all of us around the table, on the committee, shared,” said Rhodes.

Rhodes wants the program to be a diverse place where students can bring their life experience and interests into their education.

“We're just as happy to have people who maybe aren't your strongest students academically, but who bring incredible real-world experience.

So whether that's sitting in a tree or measuring that tree for forestry, those are people who bring in environmental knowledge through different contexts and lenses and perspectives. Creating a program where that is really just integrated into the form of learning was exciting.”

Students have expressed interest to both Rhodes and Trevor Carolan, an English professor who’ll be sticking around after retirement to teach an eco-literature course under the new program next semester. Like Rhodes, Carolan thinks an environmental program is needed at UFV, specifically to address student demand.

Carolan received a letter from one of his students, Amanda Carvalho, who was interested in the Beat Generation, Zen spirituality, and environmentalism to inform her future career as a high school counselor.

One of the classes that Rhodes is looking forward to is “Environmental Studies 200: Bioregional Communities.” Rhodes said that the course will explore living sustainably in a given bio-region.

“Whether that's here or in northern Alberta or in the Toronto area, what are the tools that you need, what are some of those questions you need to ask [to live sustainably in your bioregion].”

“I saw these two other books called ***Seattleness and ***Portlandness. Those are two pretty hip towns in America. Everybody wants to live in Seattle or Portland these days. Seattle's got coffee culture and Portland's got craft beer culture — they're both really great cities.

Somebody just put together a compendium of the things that make Seattle unique, they started writing up the different components that made Seattle, Seattle. I thought what about the Valley? There’s so much here and it's changing. We've got about half a dozen wineries going now and so many small breweries; there's the return to people growing hops again in the Valley, for craft breweries.”

The reading list for the class includes writers from the Beat Generation, a literary movement from the 1950s whose authors explored cultural themes, especially surrounding spirituality and freedom of expression. Some of the authors on the list worked in and around the Pacific Northwest, including Jack Kerouac and Gary Snyder. Carolan explained that these writers will provide a base for cultural exploration in his class.

“The Western perspective of how knowledge is generated and owned is hyper-colonial. So we really needed somebody in geography or environmental studies who brought that different perspective.”

Rhodes explained that the program recently hired Stefania Pizzirani as an assistant professor, who has specialties in environmental geography and Indigenous research.

Rhodes said that she’s excited about several of the interdisciplinary courses that will be offered with the new program. This includes a course that has yet to come to full fruition surrounding issues of ethical fashion, and a course called “Planting for Reconciliation,” which will include studies of traditional native plant use and students will work on the development of the Shakespeare garden at UFV’s Chilliwack campus. The Shakespeare garden was designed to pay homage to playwright, William Shakespeare, and the plants mentioned in his plays. The garden will also include the deliberate planting of native B.C. plant species and is intended to be a symbol of reconciliation as both Shakespearian plants and Indigenous plants cohabitate.

He explained that the idea came to him when he discovered two cultural atlases from the publishing company Sasquatch Books.

Compiling the “Valleyness” chapbook would give students an opportunity to engage in cultural mapping in the Valley, and would provide an opportunity for students to get to know the area more.

Rhodes explained that it was important for the program to develop courses that were decolonized and included Indigenous knowledge, and to work towards the decolonization of all courses.

“There's been some conscious decisions over the last several years in multiple departments so that it's not just, okay, you take a course in Indigenous studies, but that your courses across the board are decolonized. We're not to a point where we can say all of our courses are fully Indigenized or anything like that — that's going to take a long time — but we can start decolonizing.”

Valley culturally distinct. The class will take place in three-hour sessions on Thursdays, is open to students of all backgrounds, and will include field trips, films, and guest speakers.

“The West Coast Beat writers were always grounded very much in a sense of place; that was always part of it. There was always that very close tie to Indigenous thought and culture, which they borrowed from liberally, and helped shape what we call the environmental movement.”

“Future teens will face issues that will be specific to their generation and, likewise, counsellors will require tools specific to their issues.

Central issues may involve the stress-inducing threat of a growing climate emergency,” Carvalho wrote in the letter.

Carolan’s been a part of the development committee for the environmental program for nearly six years and will be leading a class that will address some of these concerns, called “Identifying ‘Valleyness’: The Deeper Loam.”

It will be a senior workshop that focuses on eco-literacy and eco-literacy issues, specifically concentrating on the Cascadia and Fraser Valley region. Students who are a part of the class will work toward compiling a small book of writing based on their research during the semester, with a focus on what makes the Fraser

In the same way these writers captured pieces of their environment and preserved it through writing, so too does Carolan want to capture and preserve pieces of the Fraser Valley through the development of the chapbook.

Whether or not it’ll be an ongoing project hasn’t been decided, but either way, it’s a great way for students to build up their portfolio while exploring the Valley, and it’ll be an invaluable contribution into the archives of local history.

For students interested in learning more about the program, and/or who have questions about getting involved, there will be a drop-in information session on Thursday, Nov. 14 from 1 - 3 p.m. in B133.

CULTURE

VOL. 27 // ISSUE 26

culture@ufvcascade.ca Andrea Sadowski — Culture Editor

Column //

Cascade Kitchen: Egg drop soup

UFV Event //

The Valley Clique came Tucked and Loaded for UFV drag show Free drag show rocks the Streats lounge with local talent CHANDY DANCEY

Egg drop soup. Nov. 9, 2019. (Chandy Dancey)

CHANDY DANCEY The Cascade Kitchen is a student-run food column that brings you budget-friendly 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 culture@ufvcascade.ca.

Flu season is fast approaching, and soon many students will be in need of a comforting bowl of soup to nurse them back to health. Look no further! Egg drop soup is easy on the stomach with its broth base and sneaks in protein with its beautiful ribbons of cooked egg. It also serves as a great base if you want to add in vegetables and can be made in practically the same amount of time as waiting for take-out delivery.

Ready in: 15 minutes. Serves: 6 Ingredients 946 ml (4 cups) of stock (vegetable, chicken, beef) 15.6 g (2 tbsp) cornstarch 2.6 g (1 tsp) ginger 0.7 g (1/4 tsp) garlic powder 3 eggs 5 ml (1/2 tsp) sesame oil (optional) 3-4 green onions, sliced Salt and pepper to taste Tip: Save money by buying bouillon powder or cubes instead of cartons of broth. It can easily be made up using the instructions on the package.

1. Beat eggs well in a small bowl.

2. Whisk to combine the cornstarch, ginger, garlic powder, and stock in a medium pot and heat until simmering.

3. Stir the broth while simultaneously pouring in the whisked eggs slowly to create ribbons of egg.

4. Remove from the heat, add the green onions and sesame oil, and season with salt and pepper.

5. Serve and enjoy!

Recipe was adapted from the food blog Gimme Some Oven.

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The Streats lounge was graced with a free drag show on Nov. 7, welcoming to the stage Anida Tythole, Justice Dejour, and Jo King. The powerful drag trio gave UFV students a night to remember packed with lip syncs, raunchy jokes, and even risque games for willing participants.

For many audience members, it was their first experience at a drag show.

For those not knowing what to expect, drag is a growing art form that embraces sexuality and pushes the boundaries of gender. It’s a form of entertainment that typically involves wearing clothing of another gender, often in highly stylized and exaggerated ways. Shows like RuPaul’s Drag Race have been helping make drag more visible in mainstream media, but it’s been around for centuries, tracing back to ancient religious ceremonies (among the Incas, Aztecs, and Egyptians) and Japanese theatre.

The stage and seating were tucked into a corner of Streats; cozy but not ideal for seating the 30+ people ready for a show. However, the cramped seating did nothing to deter the excitement and energy of the audience for lip syncs to songs like “Venus”

by Shocking Blue and “Greedy” by Ariana Grande. Every dance had audience members clapping, howling, and laughing as performers danced both on and off stage — lap dancing on the occasional viewer.

Between musical numbers there was humorous banter by the performers, often teasing audience members about texting during the performance or complimenting their fashion. The interludes also included contests that pulled volunteers from the crowd to participate in lewd games onstage. One game in particular paired strangers in teams and had them race to get into sex positions as fast as possible, introducing us to exotic positions such as the “Rusty Trombone” that many hadn’t heard of prior to the event. The prizes for these contests were gift bags, where the colourful contents ranged from sex toys to lube.

The only thing that brought down the high-energy atmosphere was the breaks. The event was slated to have doors open at 6:30 p.m., but the advertising did not clarify that the show would actually start closer to 7.

The first half of the performance was approximately 20 minutes long, with a 20-minute break before the second

half, which was slightly longer. As an audience member, it felt like equal parts waiting for the performance and watching it, and after a long school day it became obvious that audience members were beginning to feel the fatigue by the slow decline in cheering and screaming.

This was the first drag show at UFV in recent memory, and despite any of its shortcomings it was highly entertaining and put on by a passionate and talented cast of drag performers.

All three performers are either currently enrolled at UFV or alumni.

“I was here when it was UCFV, and it was nowhere near [this progressive]. I was not out at that point, so I think that’s great that people can come to a show like this and be themselves … We’ve come a long way,”

King said Outside of this performance, Tythole can be found hosting her show Tucked and Loaded regularly at The Stage in Mission. Tythole puts on shows to fundraise for the Fraser Valley Youth Society, a non-profit organization that supports LGBTQ+ youth in the Valley. Incidentally, this is also where King and Dejour met Tythole, later forming the Valley Clique drag trio.

Whether it be curiosity or a desire to connect with the LGBTQ+ community on campus, give local drag a chance. The Valley Clique are tentatively planning another performance at UFV for Valentine’s Day, and based on this recent show, you won’t want to miss it.

UFV drag show. Streats Lounge. Nov. 7, 2019. (David Myles/The Cascade)

CULTURE

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2019

Club Spotlight //

Q&A with UFV’s Philosophy Association

UFV Event //

End the frustration of procrastination

UFV event helps students focus and de-stress for the busiest time of the semester

A group to discuss life’s deepest questions in a fun and exciting way KAREN WHITE Tyler Branston is the president of UFV’s Philosophy Association. The association’s goal is to inspire student’s discussion, education, and passion for philosophy. They meet weekly for study and reading groups and monthly for general meetings. The Cascade reached out to Branston by email to learn more.

What are the benefits students can receive by joining?

Some of what we study in the philosophy classroom is difficult and daunting. Reading [Friedrich] Nietzsche on your own can be hard and intimidating and reading him for a class can be quick and a lot can be missed. In our reading groups, we go at our own pace and talk about it as we go. I think it’s fair to say everyone who has attended these reading groups has had a lot of fun reading Nietzsche.

Studying logic is a degree requirement for philosophy majors at UFV, and it doesn’t come easy to many of us. Having a formalized study group gives us the opportunity to work through problems as a group. I personally have been attending the study groups and I feel it has really helped me with PHIL 300.

We as an association are working to make sure those who want to go to grad school or do the honours program in the upcoming semester know what is required. We hosted an event recently in conjunction with the philosophy department to give us more information and help guide us through these big tasks.

Having an association brings in the possibility of getting speakers to come to UFV, and members of the association can have a say in who comes in to speak. Is there a speaker you want to come present at UFV? Let’s talk about it and see what we can do.

What type of students can join this association?

The previous philosophy group at UFV was called the Philosophy Students Association of UFV. When we created this association we did not want to imply that our association is limited to just philosophy students.

Philosophy and theory are within and underlie many different disciplines, and we believe students in any discipline could benefit from what we’re doing with this association. Our ex-

ecutive team is filled with people who are involved in multiple disciplines including, but not limited to, sociology, psychology, English, and criminology. Our goal is to have an association that’s open to people from every discipline.

Want to discuss philosophy in general? Maybe want to flesh out what’s been taught in class or what’s missing? Want to read through a work that you won’t encounter in class, or get ahead on writing or reading for a class? Want help with paper prep for undergrad conferences or journals?

Want to know about local events to do with philosophy? We can help with all of this, either directly or indirectly.

What made you want to be the president of the association?

I’ve been studying philosophy for nearly five years, and most of it has been in the classroom. I have always found discussing ideas with others outside of class helps ground ideas. I wanted to put on events to encourage and help students and to give us the opportunity to engage with philosophy without the dread of having to do it for a class.

Despite the bureaucratic hurdles, this association has been a passion project for me. Through the association, I’m hoping that students can engage and enjoy philosophy outside of class and that students can see that philosophy can be wholesome and enjoyable … and can actually be fun.

I like to say that philosophy isn’t just old white guys ranting about boring stuff, but a rich, fun, and exciting discourse on life, reality, science, aesthetics, and so much more.

When and what is your next meeting/event?

Our next regular event is our Nietzsche reading group on Wednesday, Nov.13 from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m., in room B121. This reading group is designed to be open to everyone. No previous reading is required; we even have two extra copies [of the book] to use for those who don’t have a copy.

Check out the Philosophy Association online through their Facebook or Instagram page (@philufv) or check out their upcoming events on My Campus Life.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Long Night Against Procrastination. UFV Abbotsford. Nov. 6, 2019. (David Myles/The Cascade)

ANDREA SADOWSKI The Academic Success Centre partnered with many different departments on campus to hold this semester’s Long Night Against Procrastination (LNAP), which had a myriad of free food and support stations to help students both focus on their school work and remain calm through it all.

UFV’s LNAP aims to help students start all of the projects and papers whose due dates are right around the corner, and gives them the tools to do so, along with a few fun distractions. UFV’s sixth LNAP event took place on the Abbotsford, Chilliwack, and Hope campuses on Wednesday, Nov. 6. Just under 400 students came to the semi-annual event, with about 110 in Chilliwack, 12 in Hope, and the rest in Abbotsford.

Sandra Smith, the coordinator at the Academic Success Centre and organizer of the event, explained that LNAP originated at a university in Europe around 10 years ago, and has since become a popular event for many North American post-secondary institutions.

“The idea behind [LNAP] is to give students an opportunity, reason, and excuse to get started on stuff they have been putting off,” said Smith. “It comes at a critical time of the semester when people are feeling stressed out and remember how little time there is left to finish projects.”

UFV’s LNAP is planned with this time frame in mind. Holding the event a month before exams ensures that students have enough time to fit it into their schedules, but also feel the impending doom that will soon be upon them.

“The event is to bring together services, fun activities, caffeine, therapy dogs, and everything we can think of to attract students to come and give them support,” said Smith. “It is to introduce students to resources and services that they might not have known about or maybe haven’t had an opportunity in their busy semester to take advantage of yet.”

The event, although planned and organized primarily by the Academic Success Centre, is a collaboration between many departments on campus.

The office of the provost and vice-president academic sponsored a prize of free tuition for one three-credit course, worth almost $500. To enter to win the grand prize, students needed to collect a minimum of eight stamps on a bin-

go-like card of all the different stations set up at the event.

There were many stations whose purpose was simply to unwind, such as Campus Recreation’s “root beer pong” table, the Peer Resource and Leadership Centre’s “de-stress room” with puzzles and adult colouring books, Student Life’s “selfie station” with fun props to pose with, and the St. John Ambulance Therapy Dogs. Other stations were there to help students actually get some work done, such as the Academic Success Centre’s peer tutors, who were busy tutoring students up until midnight; the Citation Station, who advised students on how to correctly cite in both APA and MLA style; and the Math and Stats Centre, who helped students with difficult assignments. The event could not have happened without the library, who agreed to stay open two hours later than their normal closing time to give students a designated place to study.

There were also several information tables to help connect students to more on-campus resources, such as counselling services, academic advisors, the French Club, Sexualized Violence Prevention, and the Circle K International Club.

A major draw of the event for students was the vast array of free food available throughout the night. A table beside the event’s registration station was filled with coffee, fruits, vegetables, cookies, and brownies, and close to midnight, stacks of pizza arrived for students to feast on.

A highlight for Smith was the open mic event, held on a makeshift stage outside of Tim Hortons, for students to showcase their talents speaking, singing, or playing an instrument.

“The evening kind of ends with Bhangra dancing, and the music just gets loud, the dancing is amazing, and the crowds that are around just get so exciting … I was a little worried the first time we did it because we were going for a coffee-house vibe and I told Tim Hortons that, and it was not a coffee-house vibe, but they were thrilled with it,” said Smith.

Missed the event, but still need help with citation on that research paper, or tutoring with your math homework? You can always book an appointment with a peer tutor from the Academic Success Centre through their website, or drop in to get help with a quick question.

Save the date for next semester’s LNAP, which will take place March 4, 2020.

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SPORTS

VOL. 27 // ISSUE 26

sports@ufvcascade.ca Alex Jesus — Sports Editor

Men’s Volleyball //

Women’s Volleyball //

The Cascades lose UFV’s women’s two games over volleyball the long weekend team ends the UFV’s men’s volleyball team faced off against Capilano and now hold a record of 4-6 weekend with a 6-4 record NIC JACKSON

The UFV men’s volleyball team was in full force over the weekend in a two-game series against the Capilano University Blues. Before entering the weekend, the Cascades sat at a record of 4-4.

The weekend opened with the Cascades hosting the first game on Friday, Nov. 8. Although the Cascades wanted to use their momentum they gained from the previous weekend’s win over Camosun, the UFV men’s volleyball team started the first set flatfooted.

The first two points of the set were awarded to the Blues when UFV’s Jackson Obst opened with a service error and Capilano’s Simon Friesen followed up with a service ace. From there, the Capilano Blues dominated the first set, which resulted in the Cascades losing the first match point with a set score of 25-16.

The start of the second set seemed more hopeful for the home team. After Capilano picked up the first point with a service ace, the Cascades were able to gain the lead in the set with a pair of their own service aces scored by UFV’s Graham Walkey. From there, the teams battled evenly throughout the entirety of the second set.

However, the Blues took the set when Capilano’s Enis Besirevic was able to kill the last play, ending the set with a score of 25-23 for the Blues.

Although the Cascades were down 2-0 in the third set, they were determined to fight back.

However, their greatest effort was

not enough to force the game to a fourth set. Near the end of the set the game score was 24-21 for the Blues, with the Cascades holding possession of the ball. The set ended shortly after when UFV’s Shubdeep Wander was unable to serve the ball in play, resulting in the Cascades losing the set 25-21 and losing the game 0-3.

After losing the first game at home against Capilano, the UFV men’s team headed to North Vancouver on Saturday to face off against Capilano in their home stadium. This time UFV saw better results than the previous night; however, the Cascades were unable to find a win yet again.

The start of the game was promising for the Cascades. After battling back and forth with Capilano throughout most of the first set, the Cascades were able to break a 21-21 tie, scoring four of the next five points and ending the set 2522 for the Cascades.

While the first set ended with the Cascades on top, UFV was unable to recapture the magic of their first set. The next three sets ended with the scores 25-17, 2521, and 25-14, all in favour of the Blues. With the Cascades losing both games over the weekend, they now sit in fifth place in the PacWest standings, with eight points.

Next weekend the Cascades will be back in action, with two games against the Douglas College Royals on Friday, Nov. 15, and Saturday, Nov. 16. The games will be held at the Envision Financial Athletic Centre, and Douglas College, respectively.

Slapshots //

The Cascades shared hosting privileges in a two-game series with Capilano over the Rememberance Day weekend NIC JACKSON The Remembrance Day weekend was an exciting one for the UFV women’s volleyball team. Before starting the weekend, the team held a record of 5-3. However, two games against the Capilano University Blues changed their record to 6-4.

The first of the two games was on Friday, Nov. 8, at UFV. The opening set of Friday’s games saw the Blues slowly increase their lead throughout, until they ultimately took the first set point with a score of 25-18. Although the Cascades were able to tie the set many times throughout the first, the home team was not able to grab the lead for the entirety of the first set.

Eager to recover from the opening round, the Cascades battled throughout the second set. Although the Blues fought back against them, UFV’s Sedona Arabsky was able to find two late-set kills to end the round in favour of the Cascades, with a score of 30-28.

Once the Cascades tied the overall game 1-1, they refused to give up another set. Following the second, the two teams played another two sets, with both rounds just narrowly end-

UFV Cascades Sports Scores Nov. 8 – Nov. 9, 2019

Women’s Volleyball Game/Date: UFV versus Capilano/Friday, Nov. 8 Score: UFV 3 CapU 1 Game/Date: UFV at Capilano/Saturday, Nov. 9

ing in favour of the Score: Cascades, 25-23.

UFV 1 CapU 3 After winning the first game of the weekend at home, 3-1, the Cascades headed to North Vancouver Game/Date: to again take on the UFV versus Capilano/Friday, Capilano University Nov. 8 Blues. The second game of the weekScore: end started out lookUFV 1 Camosun 3 ing like the Cascades would repeat their Game/Date: success from the folUFV versus Capilano/ lowing night; howSaturday, Nov. 9 ever, UFV was unable to capitalize late in Score: each set after the first, UFV 1 CapU 3 resulting in a 3-1 loss.

Starting out the game strong, the Cascades were able to and 25-23, respectively. pick up the first set of the night, Despite only winning one of with a 25-23 set score. Although the two games over the weekthey looked to be in control after end, the Cascades still sit in the first, the second set saw the third place in the PacWest standCascades fall behind halfway ings, with 12 points. through, and unable to recovBoth of the next two games er. The second set of the night for the UFV women’s volleyball ended with a score of 25-19, for team will be against Douglas the Blues. While the Cascades College. The first will be on Fricontinued to try and grab an- day, Nov. 15 at 6 p.m. at the Enother point, they were unable to vision Financial Athletic Centre beat out Capilano. The third and at UFV, and the second will be fourth sets both ended in favour on Saturday, Nov. 16 at 5 p.m. at of the Blues, with scores of 25-20 Douglas College.

Men’s Volleyball

The life of a university athlete

KSI versus Logan Paul was actually really good for boxing

Twenty-four hours in the day.

Wake up. Beep, beep, beep. It is 4 a.m. and you are awake, getting ready for the day of training, school, and work. You drive to your morning workout on the water, and prepare to get in the boat and row your morning away under the sunrise. After your morning workout, you drive back home to get ready, get back to campus, and eat breakfast before starting your school day. Class after class, and eventually you make it to midday where it is now time to go to work while also fueling your body with liquids

The general reaction to celebrities playing sports isn’t gigantic. I can’t say there’s ever been a time where I’ve thought “Wow, I really want to see two movie stars go head-to-head on the soccer field.”

However, fighting is quite different. Whatever makes people gather and stare on a street corner when two people brawl in public seems to be the same thing that got people excited for last Saturday’s fight between KSI and Logan Paul. The YouTube superstars fought valiantly in their highly anticipated rematch, this time with KSI being victorious via split decision.

Some boxing fans were quite upset at the match due to the lack of skill in that specific fight, which was made the main fight in an event that had world champions fighting. What I think they’re missing

12

and solids to keep you strong and healthy. Then, after work is done, you hope it is now time to go home and call it a day. Instead you hit the gym and do a workout before calling it a night and hitting the books to do some homework. Then, eventually after getting as much homework done as possible, you finally get to sleep only to wake up and do it all over again the next day.

Aneesha Narang

is that in the end everybody won. Fans of these YouTubers paid the pay-per-view price to watch the fight and also watched real world champions in the process. Devin Haney, the WBC lightweight champion and Billy Joe Saunders, the WBO super middleweight champion, were fighting opponents on Saturday, Nov. 9 alongside these internet personalities.

New audiences like the ones these celebrity YouTubers bring actually help the sport of boxing a lot.

It’s not the traditional TV or pay-per-view model that’s going to keep boxing going; it’s the “like, share, and subscribe” days now.

Alex Jesus

arts@ufvcascade.ca Chandy Dancey — Arts Editor

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2019

ARTS

Netflix //

Bojack Horseman enters final season

How will the troubled horse actor’s story end?

on Netflix. The final four episodes are due to be released by Jan. 31, 2020.

Bojack Horseman follows the story of a Bojack Horseman, a Netflix exclusive adult, washed-up, former TV actor as he struganimated television series, has entered gles to cope with drug addiction, past its sixth and final season. The first eight trauma, and a deeply flawed personality. episodes of season six, in addition to the The twist in this series is that roughly half previous seasons, are currently available the cast are humanoid animals, Bojack included, and this affects the story’s universe in a variety of interesting ways.

The show is a mixture of comedy and drama, with its brand of humour being a mix of puns (mostly animal-related), absurdism, and black comedy. The more serious scenes focus on interpersonal relationships, the callousness and fickleness of society, and, most of all, characters struggling (and often failing) to overcome personal demons.

Season six begins with Bojack in rehab.

This will not come as a surprise to those familiar with the series. What is surprising is that treatment actually seems to be sticking. Bojack has made many previous attempts at getting his act together, but always backslides sooner or later. As episodes and seasons pass without lasting progress, viewers begin to wonder if he can ever change.

ALEISTER GWYNNE

Bojack himself realizes this and is reluctant to leave the controlled environment of the rehab centre, fearing he will revert back to his old ways. Yet, it seems Bojack may have actually turned a corner. He has given up drinking altogether, is apparently starting a new career, and is making an effort to set things right with the people he has hurt over the years. Even so, past experience leaves the audience with a sense of tension, wondering if he can really keep it up this time.

Still, even if Bojack really has changed for the better, and for good, it may not matter. Bojack has hurt many people, and at least a few of them will be unwilling to forgive him. The latest episode ends on a cliffhanger where a character Bojack cares deeply for is about to learn of something especially heinous that he did (or rather, almost did) in a previous season. This, and other developments, point toward a final reckoning where Bojack will have to face the full consequences of his past actions.

In a season five episode, Bojack observes that “There’s always more show.”

His statement has both an in- and out-ofuniverse significance. Bojack means this

as an explanation for how things never get resolved, either in TV shows or in real life. Shows cannot decisively answer all questions nor solve all problems because otherwise there is no conflict, and without conflict, the show cannot continue.

The previous seasons of Bojack Horseman are like this, with arcs rarely beginning or ending at the beginning or ending of seasons, and past events and plots often come back to affect the present.

Season six, however, is different. It is already stated to be the final season, and soon there will be no more show. I think this points to one of two things: either Bojack will die, or he will finally get a “happily ever after.” Personally, I suspect the latter, but considering the show’s tone and events in the season so far, it is hard to be sure.

Bojack Horseman is not for everyone, and I myself struggled to get into it at first. Whether you like the series or not will depend on how much you relate to the characters and conflicts, and whether you enjoy the show’s particular brand of humour. However, I suspect that the final resolution to Bojack’s story will retroactively make or break the series.

Book //

The sequel we wanted but didn’t need The Testaments remains in the shadow of its antecedent CHANDY DANCEY The Testaments by Margaret Atwood was one of the most highly anticipated novels of the year, serving as a direct sequel to The Handmaid’s Tale. It follows three narrators whose accounts weave together the demise of Gilead, the fictional region from the first novel, and are used to flesh out the insidious world built by Atwood.

The Handmaid’s Tale is a classic in dystopian literature, said by its author to be speculative fiction rather than science fiction. Atwood drew only from actual events in human history to create the atrocities that occur at the hands of the Republic of Gilead’s religious, totalitarian government. This further permeates the chilling realization that events from the story have happened before, and they could happen again.

The system forces women into servitude in every way imaginable. Under Gilead rule, women are assigned segregated roles in society, and those of child-bearing age are designated as Handmaids who undergo ritualized rape to bear children to high-class families.

Launching from this is The Testaments, following Aunt Lydia, a character from the first book who’s responsible for indoctrinating Handmaids; Daisy, a Canadian teenager who witnesses anti-Gilead protests; and Agnes, a well-to-do Gilead teenager. Rather than focusing on the inward, subtle acts of resistance by Gilead women, The Testament shifts its attention to the

louder, larger idea of rebellion. Mayday, an organization that smuggles Gilead women into Canada, is in full effect, and there are many familiar characters who have their hands in it.

The sequel, although well-written, most likely won’t be heralded like its predecessor. It’s captivating, wielding three different plotlines that feel natural when they intertwine, but it falls flat in that it lacks the mystery of the first novel.

The Testaments spells out the inner workings of Gilead rather plainly whereas readers were previously thrust into a world shrouded with mystery, seen through the eyes of Offred. Knowledge is power, and her world was dismally claustrophobic, equally as confusing to us as it was for her. The plot twists are predictable with prior knowledge from The Handmaid’s Tale, lessening the impact of the ending despite how satisfying it is.

Furthermore, Offred’s relatability as a protagonist isn’t replicated in The Testament. The narratives offer a glimpse into the mind of a villain in Aunt Lydia and otherwise entertains us with the perspective of two young, immature adults. It makes for an intriguing plot line, but it fails to confront readers with the possibility that the protagonists could be anyone. Offred wasn’t an outright hero. She wasn’t a feminist activist like her mother nor was she outspoken and brash like her friend Moira. She was an average woman who remained a n o ny m o u s throughout the entirety of the novel, never openly resisting the Gilead regime. However, all three of The Testament’s characters are significant to the corrupt government system, reducing the powerful connection that readers had to characters of the first novel.

The Handmaid’s Tale was written in

1985 during a heated period of feminist movement involving campaigns and political progress toward the recognition of women’s rights. It served as a foreboding warning against allowing the opposition to gain traction. Similarly, The Testaments feels relevant amidst current worldwide tensions.

The United States is witnessing an impeachment inquiry against a president who glorifies traditional values and publicly shares misogynistic views on online platforms. Furthermore, although North Korea is frequently discussed in regards to its nuclear readiness, less focus has been on how similar its government is to the ones in 1984 and The Handmaid’s Tale.

Namely, every aspect of citizen’s lives are controlled and watched, defectors risk their lives to escape, and there are public executions. The emergence of another tale from Gilead serves as a reminder to readers that its premise might not be as improbable as we’d like to think.

The Testaments doesn’t add anything meaningful to the message of its preceding novel other than fleshing out how Gilead functions and granting followers of the previous novel a satisfying conclusion. What The Testaments does offer is more content for hungry fans. Although it’s compelling, it lacks the full body blow packed by The Handmaid’s Tale that shook readers into rethinking the world around them. With the shifting political climate though, it’s possible that both novels may become more relevant than is comfortable in coming years.

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VOL. 27 // ISSUE 26

Book //

CHARTS

SHUFFLE

1 Becky Ninkovic

AARON LEVY

2 Woolworm

CIVL Station Manager Aaron Levy was denied entry to TWO of his favourite local establishments this week — you know which ones

Woe Awe

3 Kamikaze Nurse Bucky Fleur

4

Akurei September EP

Decker 5 Sue Outskirts Of Love

6 Corridor Junior

7 Geoff Berner

Grand Hotel Cosmopolis

8 9

Lightning Dust Spectre WHOOP-Szo Warrior Down

10 Walrus

Cool to Who

11 Kristin Witko

Zone Of Exclusion

12 Fruteland Jackson

Good as Your Last Dollar

13

Floating Points Crush

14 Virginia Leaves

As Long as I've Lived

15 Vivian Girls Memory

16 Outpatient 5 Track EP

17 Zachary Lucky Midwestern

18 19

Green Day - “86” I rocked this BJ classic from their sophomore major label release on the way to Thanksgiving dinner last month, and it remains as relevant as ever through its tale of rejection and dismissal. Fun fact, when you 86 something, it’s cancelled, like a Twitter account, possibly forever! And ever, and...

Sublime - “Don’t Push” I once read, maybe even on Wikipedia — definitely somewhere on the internet — that Sublime’s work was widely panned by critics upon their initial releases back in the early and mid-‘90s prior to singer/guitarist Bradley Nowell’s untimely death. That’s what why I only trust critics from TODAY’s modern media cabal!

Sublime - “Get Out!” “My place is not a home, don't make no difference / But I’ve found that I need a place to stay / I never listen to what the landlord man say / You should’ve seen the flops in my house / We was jumping on walls and kicking ceilings / Nowadays, people listen to me ...”

Flip Dinero - “Leave Me Alone”

This shuffle may be made up entirely of previously shuffled Matana Roberts songs, but this one would be a Coin Coin Chapter Four: worthy replay due to its sheer Memphis reliance on the howl in the hook and Flip’s cadence over Common Holly the vaguely industrial, spaceWhen I Say to You Black age comedown beat. Ain’t got Lightning no time for that.

20 Wide Mouth Mason I Wanna Go With You

14

PUBLIC ENEMY #1

Dear Girls is both captivating and crude

Ali Wong’s debut book offers anecdotes on sex, how to trap a husband, and a long list of after-birth tips KRYSTINA SPRACKLIN Ali Wong is a comedian known for the raunchy Netflix specials she performed while pregnant, Baby Cobra and Hard Knock Wife, as well as her latest film release, Always Be My Maybe. Wong’s approach to sex, career advice, relationships, and Asian culture is candid, refreshingly deconstructed, and further explored in her debut book.

Dear Girls is a book of letters written for her daughters, should they ever find themselves in her shoes. Wong’s father passed away abruptly, leaving behind a letter. The final note from Wong’s father left few anecdotes, and she decided she would spare none for her daughters. The girls, Mari and Nikki, play an interesting role in that they’re both a subject of the book as well as the (eventual) intended audience.

The first chapter opens with an abrupt account of Wong’s frustrating dating streak involving five men and their issues with erectile dysfunction. It’s Wong’s unabashed crassness and refusal to avoid any topic that generates an intimate tone throughout the book right from the get-go. For anyone concerned, the front and back of the book directly state that her daughters are prohibited from reading it until they are 21.

Wong’s narrative doesn’t follow a linear structure; instead, it begins with her dating life and jumps around from there. Her experiences as an Asian woman remain peppered throughout, as well as her trials of trying to make it through the comedy circuit. As the mother of two little girls, Wong is blunt about the strife she’s overcome in order to reach her present level of success.

Wong made her debut as a comic performing stand-up and sharing graphic anecdotes about her dating life that she claims are even more vulgar than the jokes she performs now. She pokes fun at the aspiring white, male comics who envied her “allowance” to address topics they could not. As she began to build a name for herself, this envy manifested into resentment, with several comics claiming she was just a token for her gender and race, not a comedian owed respect for her ability to tell jokes and stories. These frustrations weren’t just limited to men; the camaraderie amongst women has its limits in the professional realm too.

As Wong explains in her book, “The absolute worst is when [a female aspiring comic] expects me to help her skip the line. I’m down to help people out if I can, but only after they’ve paid their dues.”

A quick note follows that this isn’t because Wong resents women or sees them as her competition. It’s a note she couldn’t avoid slipping in, lest she risk having an accusation of internalized misogyny hurled her way. Throughout her book, Wong expresses tenderness toward her female relationships, but her feminism isn’t the sweetlylaced, every-woman-is-your-friend narrative that often surfaces in storytelling today.

Part of what makes Dear Girls so charming is that it paints the intricacies of human experiences, and that includes refusing to hold the hands of those wanting a leg-up without exerting the same, tireless routine of visiting dreary bars every night just to cultivate a name. Wong is

trying to leave a message to her daughters that, regardless of what they want in life, they must work hard for it. They must exhaust all the possibilities, and they’re allowed to set boundaries and not feel guilty about them.

Ultimately, the theme of the book focuses on motherhood: Wong’s relationship with her mother, her pregnancies, and the hurdles she faced before delivery. Wong discusses how her first pregnancy resulted in miscarriage, and how it changed her interactions with family and friends when she learned she was pregnant with Mari, her eldest.

Miscarriages are terribly common, but Wong recounted that no one in her life had ever shared their experiences or the frequency of these tragedies. Those trying to become pregnant may be familiar with this cautionary reminder: until the end of the first trimester, you shouldn’t announce that you’re expecting. This isn’t intended to scare an expecting parent, but to minimize exposure.

It can be traumatizing for someone to repeatedly share their loss with friends, family, and even acquaintances. There are several reasons a miscarriage can occur, but in North America, 15-20 per cent of all pregnancies result in miscarriage.

Those who experience one often harbour the shame and blame in silence, as Wong did herself.

She offers advice for those on the outside of the tragedy: don’t ask why. Acknowledge their pain, express your sympathy, let the parents grieve, and move on. Trying to play detective and investigate the why is a passive way of shifting blame onto those who’ve lost.

Wong’s mission is to recount her experiences in the most gut-busting way possible, and it succeeds. She writes exactly as she speaks: graphic, indulgent, and over-the-top. At just over 200 pages, Dear Girls is a quick, distracting read that doesn’t shy away from the gritty tracks of life but tackles it with amusing insight. Wong gives you permission to fail, to learn through her mistakes, and ultimately recover from the blows thrown your way.

ARTS

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2019

Movie //

Movies, murder, and Manson Tarantino turns history on its head again with Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

MAECYN KLASSEN Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is the kind of film you get when Quentin Tarantino is let loose upon a massively significant six-month period in 1969 Hollywood. The film follows fictional actor Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio), his stuntman Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt), and Tarantino’s interpretation of real-life actress Sharon Tate (Margot Robbie) as they navigate the changing landscape of the film industry at the end of the ‘60s, and rocket toward the infamous series of murders committed by the followers of Charles Manson.

At over three hours long (even when watching the standard release), it should perhaps feel like a chore to sit through — yet even without the massive, bloody action sequences that Tarantino is known for, every part of the film is a delight to watch.

Setting Hollywood in 1969 provides Tarantino with two fantastic plot opportunities, both of which he uses to their fullest. As evidenced both by this film and his past projects, Tarantino is clearly a student of film as well as a creator. He turns his attention to a certain subset of actors who found their careers floundering in the late ‘60s: those who once found success as action heroes but slowly began to slip into obscurity after the public turned their attention to someone younger and more exciting.

Rick’s storyline is based entirely around this concept.

Rick can only watch as his career circles the drain, despite his best efforts to remain rel-

evant. Most of the movie’s plot takes place over one day, and we follow Rick as he films a western pilot, throwing himself entirely into one last role before he may have to give up his Hollywood dreams forever. The threat hanging over his head is that, if he fails to attract some interest with this role, he’ll have to resign himself to making westerns in Italy — the last dying gasp for Rick, who was once the star of a beloved TV western.

DiCaprio is incredible to watch as Rick, swinging wildly between hope for the future, pride in his work, and a terrifying gulf of insecurity and self-hatred spiked by his alcoholism. Rick is based on a number of real actors, and his story is all too familiar — for every Steve McQueen, there were 10 Ricks in Hollywood.

The second opportunity Tarantino has concerns a darker underbelly of fame and the hippie movement. Sharon Tate was murdered in 1969, along with four others, in her home by three members of the Manson family. Our second protagonist, Cliff Booth, becomes intertwined by spending an afternoon with a member of the family. Cliff is less nuanced than Rick is, but Brad Pitt plays him affably; his laissez-faire attitude is really all there is to him, and his friendliness doesn’t conceal any kind of hidden rage.

Cliff comes across a young hitchhiker who leads him out to Spahn Ranch (the real movie ranch in the desert where the Manson family stayed) and introduces him to the rest of the family. This is where Tarantino’s deft hand in building suspense comes into

play. Even if the viewer knows nothing at all about Charles Manson or his followers, the sense of danger when Cliff arrives at the ranch is almost overwhelming, and only just lets up as the scene drags out to its conclusion.

Not much can be said about the portrayal of Sharon in Hollywood — Margot Robbie plays her extremely well, but her purpose is only to give the audience a specific reason to be fond of her and to make them worry as the film races toward the date of her murder. As with the climax of Inglourious Basterds, which saw all of the top members of the Nazi party immolated in a planned theatre explosion, Tarantino decides to rewrite history at the end of Hollywood. The two storylines then converge beautifully: the three Manson family members advance on the home of Sharon, who just so happens to live next door to Rick.

It doesn’t do Tarantino enough credit to call Hollywood a love letter to the real Hollywood of the ‘60s. The film draws you into its environment like no other: you’re in the backseat as Sharon arrives at the Playboy mansion for a party, you’re on set as Rick delivers a powerhouse monologue, you’re on the ranch as Cliff tries to figure out exactly what these hippies are up to.

Neon hums to life, Joe Cocker blasts from a car stereo, and an era that is quietly slipping into legend is expertly illuminated, both lovingly and with the kind of edge fans of Tarantino might expect. This is Tarantino’s least stylized film, his most straightforward, and possibly one of his most effective.

Rewind //

The Mummy is a mundane adventure

KAREN WHITE The 1999 film, The Mummy, was written and directed by Stephen Sommers, who is also known for directing 1994’s The Jungle Book.

Although the movie received high praise when it came out (especially compared to the most recent 2017 remake, which saw awful reviews), The Mummy has not aged well.

The Mummy from 1999 starts off in ancient Thebes with a high priest called Imhotep who betrays his Pharaoh, killing him and suffering a horrible death for offending the gods. Jumping to the 1920s, Rick O’Connell (Brendan Fraser) teams up with love interest Evelyn Carnahan (Rachel Weisz) to save the world from eternal doom when Imhotep is accidentally reawakened during their search for ancient Egyptian artifacts.

The Mummy is overdone. The ear-splitting shrieks and explosions are way too excessive, and the forced comedy really gets to you. I found myself cringing where I should have been laughing.

Brendan Fraser is an actor that everyone can relate to, and I don’t mean that in a good way.

He demonstrates that anyone can do his job, which should not be true. He is a good example of the goofy, average man, but his fame in the film industry doesn’t feel justified. Although the ability for audiences to relate to him might be good, it isn’t exciting in this particular film. The Mummy is supposed to be thrilling, but

because of Fraser and the scriptwriting, we get forced comedy that doesn’t quite fit.

The stale romance in the film is another area where the movie falls short. We have this great female character who is intelligent and capable, but when she first meets Rick it’s like an instant yearning ignites in her. She cannot get him off her mind, and she falls into the typical female role of a damsel in distress when she gets captured by Imhotep.

What The Mummy does do well is represent a value from the ‘90s: how an average guy, like Rick, can achieve the “American Dream.” He starts off with nothing, sentenced to death, but by the end of the film, he ends up with everything. He saves the world, and gets the treasure and the girl. That kind of storyline has an appeal. Many people today still strive for the American Dream because it means there can be equal opportunity for all.

If ordinary people can become extraordinary, then the American Dream is possible to achieve.

Overall, The Mummy suffers from a lot of flaws but it redeems itself with the incorporation of the ’90s value of the American Dream and the special effects that still decently hold up today.

The only issue is that when they start start raining down from the plagues that are unleashed

by Imhotep, it feels as though it is attempting to distract the audience from utter boredom. The film does get more exciting, but at this point, it doesn’t really matter, your brain has already become mummified.

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Note: Note:

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

• Renting It Right Tenancy Workshop @ UFV (Abbotsford), Global Lounge, B223, 5:00 – 6:30 p.m.

• Town & Gown @ UFV (Abbotsford), SUB, 5:30 – 9:00 p.m.

• Woof Woof Wednesday @ UFV (Chilliwack), A1355, 11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

• Hanzi: Movie Screening @ UFV (Abbotsford), B101, 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.

• C3 — The Mighty Mughals @ The Reach Gallery (Abbotsford), 10:30 – 11:30 a.m.

• Arts & Cultural Activities — Mini Button Blanket and Beaded Flower @ UFV (Abbotsford), S1111, 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.

• Film Night: Edge of the Knife @ The Reach Gallery Museum, 6:30 - 9:00 p.m.

• Ryan McMahon @ The Railyard (Mission), 7:00 – 10:00 p.m.

• Kellen Saip Album Release Show @ S+L Lounge (Abbotsford), 8:30 - 11:00 p.m.

• Caroline Allatt @ Tractorgrease Cafe (Chilliwack), 7:00 – 10:00 p.m.

• God said Kill, Warrborn, Panolith, Silent Screamers @ Captains Captain Pub, 8:00 p.m. – 1:00 a.m.

• Table Tennis and Pong Tournament @ UFV (Abbotsford), SUB, 12:00 - 3:00 p.m.

• Multicultural Family Fun Night @ Central Heights Church (Abbotsford), 6:00 - 8:00 p.m.

• • • •

Harma White @ The Railyard (Mission), 7:00 – 11:00 p.m.

Ryan McNally @ Tractorgrease Cafe (Chilliwack), 7:00 – 10:00 p.m.

The Valley All Stars @ Sneakers Sports Lounge (Abbotsford), 8:00 p.m.

Downtown Abbotsford Winter Jubilee @ Downtown Abbotsford, 5:00 – 9:00 p.m.

• Chilliwack Independent Film Festival @ Cottonwood 4 Cinemas, 12:30 – 11:00 p.m.

• Boardwalk Puzzle Challenge @ Boardwalk Cafe and Games, 6:30 - 9:30 p.m.

• Chilliwack Independent Film Festival @ Cottonwood 4 Cinemas, 12:30 - 8:30 p.m.

• Belle Plaine @ Tractorgrease Cafe (Chilliwack), 1:00 - 3:00 p.m.

• Brian O’Brien @ Tractorgrease Cafe (Chilliwack), 7:00 – 10:00 p.m.

• UFV Scholarly Sharing Initiative: Rajnish Dhawan @ UFV (Abbotsford), F125, 1:00 - 2:25 p.m.

• Life Hacks: Mug Decorating @ Foundry Abbotsford, 3:00 – 5:00 p.m.

• Andrew Christopher @ Trading Post Brewing (Abbotsford), 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.

• Poetry Night and Book Launch @ House of James (Abbotsford), 6:30 – 9:00 p.m.

• Reimagining Queer & Gender Diverse Sexual Health @ Foundry Abbotsford, 6:00 – 9:00 p.m.

• Diabetes Awareness Workshop @ UFV (Abbotsford), A225, 12:00 – 1:00 p.m.

• O Christmas Tea: A British Comedy @ Abbotsford Arts Centre, 7:30 – 9:00 pm.

• Transgender Day of Remembrance @ UFV (Abbotsford), SUB, 3:00 – 4:30 p.m.

• Woof Woof Wednesday @ UFV (Chilliwack), A1355, 11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

• KPMG Networking Event @ UFV (Abbotsford), A235, 5:00 – 7:00 p.m.

• Senior Abuse Awareness Workshop @ UFV (Abbotsford), B101, 1:30 – 3:30 p.m.

• Arts & Cultural Activities — Mini Button Blankets and Dream Catchers @ UFV (Chilliwack), A1201, 11:30 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.

• Winter Safety with Tim Lee @ Valhalla Pure Outfitters, 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.

• Daniel Wesley @ Tractorgrease Cafe (Chilliwack), 7:00 – 10:00 p.m.

• C3 — Arts, Activism, & Canoes @ The Reach Gallery (Abbotsford), 10:30 – 11:30 a.m.

• The Paint Ball: An Emerge at the Reach Fundraiser @ The Reach Gallery Museum, 6:30 - 10:00 p.m.

• Life Hacks: Household Hacks @ Foundry Abbotsford, 3:00 – 5:00 p.m.

• Ethics of Internships @ UFV (Abbotsford), B101, 4:00 – 6:00 p.m.

• Local to Global Holiday Market @ UFV (Abbotsford), SUB, 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

• C3 — Campbell’s Honey @ The Reach Gallery (Abbotsford), 10:30 – 11:30 a.m.

• Woof Woof Wednesday @ UFV (Chilliwack), A1355, 11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

• Paint Night and Pillow Talk @ UFV (Abbotsford), A312, 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.

• Theo and Thugs (featuring members of Gob) @ Replay Boardshop (Abbotsford), 7:00 – 10:00 p.m.

• UFV WEST Career Panel Night @ UFV (Abbotsford), B121, 5:30 – 7:30 p.m.

• Commemorating 550th Gurpurab of Guru Nanak Dev Ji @ Sikh Heritage Museum, 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.

• UFV International’s Holiday Party @ The Rancho, 6:30 – 10:00 p.m.

• Trivia Night: Millennial Edition @ Townhall Public House (Abbotsford), 7:00 – 9:00 p.m.

• Symposium on South Asia and Gender @ UFV (Abbotsford), F125, 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

• Random Dander @ The Railyard (Mission), 7:00 – 10:00 p.m.

• Salt Thief @ Tractorgrease Cafe (Chilliwack), 7:00 – 10:00 p.m.

• Indigenous Drum-making Workshop with Darren Charlie @ Trethewey House Heritage Site, 1:00 – 4:00 p.m.