The Cascade Vol. 20 No. 12 - April 4, 2012

Vol. 20 Issue. 12

www.ufvcascade.ca

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 4, 2012

Considering the following since 1993

P. 3 Japan a year later p. 7

Q&A with Bonfire Madigan p. 13

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WEDNESDAY, APRIL 4, 2012

INSIDE THIS WEEK’S ISSUE News

Opinion

Arts & Life

Sports & Health

Go Green! Turn it Off!

Good-bye pennies

The Secret Lives of SUS exposed

Birth Control: An in-depth report

The Conservative government released their budget last week which announced the death of the penny. We gave Sasha Moedt and Anthony Biondi a couple of the endangered coppers for their thoughts.

The Secret Lives of SUS – By day, they’re our student union representatives, but what do they do in their time off? Find out who is wowing Hong Kong and who is pulling rabbits out of a hat.

We give you all you need to know about birth control in this, the first of a two-part series. Condoms, vasectomies, spermicide and the prevention of STDs

Read more on page 16

Read more on page 18

UFV dedicates an entire week to creating a greener campus. Dim the lights as you read this article and continue in the participation of saving energy.

Read more on page 3

Read more on page 6

EDITORIAL

Volume 20 · Issues 12 Room C1027 33844 King Road Abbotsford, BC V2S 7M8 604.854.4529 Editor-in-Chief esau@ufvcascade.ca Paul Esau Managing Editor ali@ufvcascade.ca Ali Siemens Business Manager joe@ufvcascade.ca Joe Johnson Online Editor michael@ufvcascade.ca Michael Scoular

Attention

Production Manager stewart@ufvcascade.ca Stewart Seymour Art Director anthony@ufvcascade.ca Anthony Biondi

Below the Belt Readers!

Due to the highly racy and explicit nature of this week’s sex article (if we had published it the entire paper might have spontaneously combusted in the manner illustrated below.), The Cascade has moved Below the Belt temporarily online to our website. Our new sex columnist, Tits McGee, has been very...thorough in her coverage of this week’s topic. Find the article online at http://ufvcascade.ca/ under Blogs!

Copy Editor joel@ufvcascade.ca Joel Smart News Editor grace@ufvcascade.ca Grace Romund Opinion Editor dessa@ufvcascade.ca Dessa Bayrock Arts & Life Editor jen@ufvcascade.ca Jennifer Colbourne Sports Editor sean@ufvcascade.ca Sean Evans Photojournalist rebecca@ufvcascade.ca Rebecca Groen News Writer joe@ufvcascade.ca Joe Johnson Staff Writers Karen Aney, Sasha Moedt, Leanna Pankratz, Alexei Summers Contributors Taylor Johnson, Paige Hoblak, Kenneth Muir, Nick Ubels, Tim Ubels, Nadine Moedt, Jenny Pittman, Jeremy Hannaford, Chris Doyle, Scott Sparrow, Meghan Helmer, Ryan Peterson, Aaron Levy, Jeremy Wright

UPCOMING EVENTS April 4

April 7

April 11

April 11

Race & Anti-racism Network (RAN) meeting

Trans Siberian Orchestra at AESC

Fraser Valley Chambers of Commerce Showcase and Mixer

Love for Japan – Japan Earthquake Relief

The Race and Antiracism Network (RAN) will be meeting on April 5 from 12:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. in B133 on the Abbotsford campus.

RAN is a group of faculty, staff, students and administrators whose goal is to raise awareness of racism and inequity. They organize events related to similar issues and meet to ensure a time and space dedicated to dialogue about these important issues. They will also be meeting again May 3. This event is open to anyone.

The Trans Siberian Orchestra will be at the Abbotsford Entertainment and Sports Centre (AESC) April 7. The doors open at 7 p.m. and the show starts at 8 p.m. The orchestra is on their last leg of their “Beethoven’s Last Night” rock theater tour. “Beethoven’s Last Night” surrounds the music and life of composer Ludwig van Beethoven.

The Trans Siberian Orchestra mixes musical talent and imaginative storytelling into one gripping mix that will keep you enthralled from beginning to end. The tickets range from $25 to $75 and are still available at the AESC box office or online.

A number of Chambers of Commerce from around the Fraser Valley will be featured at an upcoming event aimed to allow for the showcasing of Fraser Valley businesses, organizations and institutions and the networking of people within those. UFV will be represented at a booth at the event which will be held at Tradex and Exhibition Centre April 11 from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Admission is free, but you must register at business.abbotsfordchamber.com in advance to receive complimentary tickets. There is a $5 fee for parking.

Even though it has already been one year since the large and devastating earthquake and tsunami which took more than 16,000 lives, there are many people who are still living in makeshift accommodations, unable to afford the costs to rebuild their homes. On April 11, from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., head out to U-House on the Abbotsford campus for $2 dollar community dinner hosted by the Japanese Student Club. All proceeds raised by this dinner will go to the Canadian Red Cross in support of the Japanese earthquake and tsunami victims.

Printed By International WebExpress

The Cascade is UFV’s autonomous student newspaper. It provides a forum for UFV students to have their journalism published. It also acts as an alternative press for the Fraser Valley. The Cascade is funded with UFV student funds. The Cascade is published every Wednesday with a circulation of 1500 and is distributed at UFV campuses and throughout Abbotsford, Chilliwack, and Mission. The Cascade is a member of the Canadian University Press, a national cooperative of 75 university and college newspapers from Victoria to St. John’s. The Cascade follows the CUP ethical policy concerning material of a prejudicial or oppressive nature.

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

Articles and letters to the editor must be typed.

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

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

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 4, 2012

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NEWS

Science associations send year out with a Big Bang joe johnson

THE CASCADE

This past week went out with a Big Bang. Not the sitcom or the origination of a universe, but an end of the year event put on by three different student associations which brought students out to their event in hordes.

Held at AfterMath, the Big Bang was the result of the efforts of the Computer Information Systems Students Association (CISSA), Physics Students Association (PSA) and the Biology and Chemistry Students Association (BCSA) who worked in collaboration with the Student Union Society.

Last Friday from 5 to 10 p.m.

AfterMath was rocking with trivia, contests, multiple bands, video games, popcorn and a warm atmosphere.

Derek Froese, an organizer from CISSA, who along with BCSA president Greg Costello, managed the night, was really happy with the result.

“We really put a big effort in the advertising and it paid off. And we weren’t sure it would, it was a bit of a gamble. But you know

Image: Dessa Bayrock/The Cascade

what, we were packed the entire night from five o’clock on. We had people leave because there was no chairs, which is a limitation of the venue, but I think it turned out really well – packed house all night.”

It was so successful that AfterMath’s capacity of 107 people was reached early on in the evening.

Lining the hallway of the building were televisions hooked up to video games Super Smash Bros., Super Smash Bros. Melee and Rock Band. Just in front of AfterMath’s

entrance were multiple computers setup for contest entry for many prizes such as a $100 gift card to ThinkGeek.com and a grand prize of a free four-credit science course.

For $10 you could buy a burger, fries and beer – which were served remarkably quickly given the number of students.

And of course there were the bands Dogwood and Dahlia, The Hairless Bares and The Stone Travelers.

Not everything went off as

planned, though. Rain played a role in how some of the events were designed. While there were tents lined along the side of AfterMath which people could walk out into and housed couches, a popcorn machine, and an impressive array of creative balloon hats that did prove to be popular, the rain stopped many for venturing to the outdoor area.

“You know, rain was a big problem for us,” Froese noted.

The 130 confirmed attenders on the event’s Facebook page forced the organizers to anticipate large crowds and come up with creative solutions. “We were worried that people would have nowhere to go,” Froese continued, “so what we did was built this outdoor thing with the tents and couches and all that. We put a fair amount of effort into that, but just because it was raining even though we had it here, no one really used it.”

Aside from the minor and uncontrollable outdoor problems, everybody appeared to have a good time. And at the end of the night, once the final contest winners were announced, the final trivia question was posed, “how

much fun did you have tonight?”

To which the venue erupted in cheers.

As this was the first attempt to host a Big Bang event and it was so successful, there is already movement for it to become a reoccurring tradition. According to Froese, two other organizers, Gagan Mahil and Jason Ho “were both involved in the planning as well, quite a bit, and they’ll still be here a year from now when the next event comes on. So we’re really hoping this event will carry on.”

But as great of an event as it was to send the year off for the students of different programs, it was the community aspect that was so significant.

“UFV keeps talking about community,” Mahil commented, “and now finally we’re starting to get one. It’s about time. So hopefully this keeps up, hopefully more of these happen throughout the year and it’s not just a year-end event.”

“Now that people sort of have that sense of community like ‘hey we can have a good event,’ apprehension is gone. We can make a good event.”

Turn It Off Week at Abbotsford campus GRACE ROMUND

THE CASCADE

Although it’s never a good thing to get caught red-handed, last week it was great to get caught green-handed as UFV’s clandestine greenUFV team kept on the lookout for students participating in energy-saving activities last week.

Prism Engineering, an energy consulting firm in Burnaby, has been working in conjunction with UFV to promote energy conservation at UFV’s Abbotsford campus in the past year as a way to be environmentally friendly as an institution.

Sarah Smith of Prism Engineering was on the Abbotsford campus last Wednesday to raise students’ awareness of Turn It Off Week at UFV. She was at a booth fully equipped with 200 cupcakes

Image: Grace Romund/The Cascade

Sasq’ets visits the greenUFV pledge board topped with green icing; they were available to anyone who passed by the greenUFV booth who agreed to make a concerted effort to conserve energy on campus. Those who signed a “Green Pledge” and placed their pledge on the greenUFV pledge board

received a cupcake.

Sasq’ets visited the Turn It Off Week booth donning as greenUFV t-shirt before touring campus encouraging students to do “green” things.

Smith said, “We’re trying to promote the “Turn It Off” mes-

sage that you don’t need to keep lights on when they’re not using them. This is our second Turn It Off Week. We had one last term and this time we are connecting it up with “Earth Hour” at the end of this week. We also have the get caught green-handed campaign which is on throughout the week as well.

“The idea is to catch people doing “green” things; if they’ve left their office and they’ve turned off their monitor and their lights when they’ve gone for lunch or they’re biking to campus or those kind of things the UFV green team will be give out ballots and people will be entered to win prizes,” Smith explained.

GreenUFV is an initiative mostly supported by Facilities services. However, as a part of the Turn It Off Week during the fall semester, which was geared more towards staff and faculty,

the greenUFV team recruited members from various different faculties and departments to be particularly conscientious of their energy consumption and that of their colleagues.

The Turn It Off Week was funded largely by BC Hydro.

“We have a representation from a number of different faculty and staff…” Smith noted. These green team members were the ones carrying around ballots and were on the lookout for “green” people. “It could [have been] anyone, anywhere” who could possibly have come upon you with ballots for the chance to win prizes.

Among the prizes available for those caught green-handed were a night at the movies, dinner for two at Finnegan’s Grill, and gift cards for grocery stores.

State of the Arts: BA faculty hosts roundtable on creativity MICHAEL SCOULAR

THE CASCADE

For the third roundtable session organized and attended by the College of Arts this academic year, the importance, feasibility and methodologies of teaching creativity to students was discussed and thought through.

The roundtable was more of a conversation—to infuse the days and semesters to come with a spirit of collaborative learning— rather than a meeting that would bring about immediate change in the curriculum. At the forefront was the discussion about what could be done differently – and how professors need to think differently about creativity in the classroom.

The key issues that arose over the course of the panel included

the questions of if working in the creative arts is “useful” in the world outside of an institution of learning, or even if creativity is something that is properly fostered in the BA program as it is now. Dean of Trades John English saw the programs at UFV as being too separate, calling for a “transdisciplinarian approach.”

That is, an approach where the “nuisance” barriers between programs that make taking trades courses—which he presented as a creative setting of another kind, where problem solving and the creative process can take on another kind of application—could be more easily accessed and taken as elective courses.

Theatre department head Bruce Kirkley spoke of how the skills developed in acting can be creatively applied in many other areas of work, and English pro-

fessor (now on sabbatical) John Carroll pointed out how credentials alone don’t make for a convincing resume. “Problems aren’t disciplinary,” Carroll stated, emphasizing not only the value of being able to take a wider variety of courses but the creative environment in those classes that must exist.

Kirkley described the creative process as “never done, never finished, never fixed” and the creative person as someone who must be “comfortable with uncertainty and risk” and “have a reverence for the unknown.” How that might take root in the classroom was developed by Visual Arts instructor Shelley Stefan, who emphasized how creativity “requires more terrain.” Stefan went on to visually display how there is no single route or approach that works best, and then

spoke on how it is important to allow the room and time for that in the classroom. “I always say to my students to take ownership of your failures and experiments,” Stefan said, and this direction towards progress and cultivation rather than results is how the roundtable defined itself.

“We need to be creative educators,” Carroll continued. He acknowledged the reality that UFV is a commuter school, but also saw the role professors can play in changing that perception. As one professor from the audience put it, the university classroom needs to be “a place to solve the problems that brought you to the program in the first place.” Carroll stated the “danger of seeing education as a stepping stone” and characterized the endpoint of certification as something that “kills creativity.” Carroll con-

sidered it most important that a professor provides the time and the atmosphere in the lecture hall or classroom—the right conditions—so that a student is “allowed to open [their] mind.”

As the roundtable closed, it was with the repetition of Carroll’s earlier delineation of work (“discipline, development, studying technique”) and play (“the spontaneous, the intuitive, the inspirational”) of creative endeavors, with the addition that “we need to be a bridge between [those].”

This roundtable session will be online soon. The first two sessions, on ‘What a BA graduate should know about science’ and ‘Educating for Citizenship’, are are already available at ufv.ca/ arts.htm in video form.

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WEDNESDAY, APRIL 4, 2012

NEWS

The American Stonehenge inspires web series DESSA BAYROCK

THE CASCADE

Georgia was the last of the original 13 colonies of the USA. In 1979, it became home to the Georgia Guidestones – also known as the American Stonehenge.

Jay Fergusun, director and creator of Guidestones: an interactive thriller, was intrigued by this American phenomenon when he first heard about the monument in 2009 from an article in Wired magazine.

“I decided to do a little snooping at various forums pertaining to conspiracies,” Ferguson said in an interview on guidestones.org.

“You know, things that would not necessarily be easily placed into an article in a major publication.”

Some information about the Guidestones is readily available, although not much. The structure was commissioned by person or persons unknown under the pseudonym R. C. Christian, and is composed of four slabs of granite that stand nearly 20 feet high,

each side inscribed with what could almost be considered commandments: Maintain humanity under 500 million people, in perpetual balance with nature; guide reproduction wisely – improving fitness and diversity; unite humanity with a living new language; rule passion, faith, tradition and all things with tempered reason; protect people and nations with fair laws and just courts; let all nations rule internally, resolving external disputes in a world court; avoid petty laws and useless officials; balance personal rights with social duties; prize truth, beauty and love – seeking harmony with the infinite; be not a cancer on the Earth – leave room for nature – leave room for nature.

These 10 instructions are carved into the granite sides of the structure in eight different modern languages (including English, Spanish, Hindu, Chinese and Swahili) and four ancient languages are inscribed on the top of the stones. it has been speculated that these are the rules for a new world order, but after 33 years there is still very little informa-

tion about them.

In fact, this was nearly all the information that Jay Ferguson first read about and inspired the beginnings of Ferguson’s project Guidestones: an interactive thriller. Having worked on this project since he first stumbled across the concept in 2009, it finally came to fruition last week as a “push” web series of 50 episodes.

The series itself is about an exchange student studying journalism in Toronto, who discovers a murder that’s been covered up. She begins to find clues online, almost as though someone is leading her along, which connect back to a conspiracy and the Guidestones.

Only a few sparse details about the series have been released to the public, which is all part of the mystery; it’s designed specifically to leave the audience hanging and wanting to search for more. After a viewer signs up, an episode will be sent to them once a week, on a timeline specific to each viewer; if a friend signs up four weeks after you do, for instance, they’ll begin at the start of the series and the

episodes will be released to them at the same rate.

The story is based on real events.

When Ferguson first began research on the Georgia Guidestones and diving into conspiracy websites and blogs, a woman by the name of Sandy contacted him, and as Ferguson notes, “seemed to have interesting insights.” After a few months, Sandy agreed to meet in person, and turned out to be “a very together and strong woman,” which Ferguson admits was completely unexpected.

A lot of details from her personal experiences made it into Ferguson’s series, and although he says the team “took many creative liberties” in cobbling it all together, the basics are the same.

Sandy, like the protagonist in Guidestones, is also an exchange student in a journalism program in Toronto who found herself “wrapped up in a legitimate murder mystery” while doing a class project. Clues on the Internet led her deeper into the conspiracy, and although Ferguson eventually hired a researcher to help compile information, he admits

that throughout his investigation process, he still relied on this journalism student to make sense of things; as he says, he turned to her “to clarify certain things and she would often fill in some important gaps.”

This combination of the Georgia Guidestones, an unsolved murder and a journalism student was intriguing to Ferguson, but he knew a documentary was never an option: he could never get Sandy to go on record, and “most of the other principals were either dead or impossible to find.” Finally Ferguson decided on a documentary format with fictionalized elements, which would give him enough creative freedom to dive into the realism of the story without directly involving—and endangering—Sandy. This also allowed him to develop interactive material for viewers as well – clues to help eager audience members follow the plot along faster than the one-episode-perweek pace.

Agree? Disagree? Comment at The Cascade online at ufvcascade.ca NEWS BRIEFS

Image: Reuters

Canada opposition sees low bar for Quebec independence

Cost of an occupation

image: Alex Smyth/CUP

image: Reuters

Image: Sam Slotnick/The Link

Canada air safety checks have big flaws: auditor

Students largely left out of federal budget

Image: Chris Hanna/The Concordian

Hundreds of thousands flood Montreal’s streets

OTTAWA (Reuters) - The new head of Canada’s main opposition

MONTREAL (CUP) — It’s been almost two months since the

OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canada’s system for monitoring airline

OTTAWA (CUP) — Higher education in the context of research

OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canadian politics is more rough and tumble

party says a simple majority should allow independence for

James Building occupation at McGill University ended, but the

safety has major flaws that could result in more accidents unless

and innovation stole much of the spotlight in the federal

than the country’s reputation for civility might suggest. At times

French-speaking Quebec, a far lower bar than the one accepted

party isn’t over just yet.

improvements are made, the government’s spending watchdog

government’s latest budget, but students and youth seeking

it can be downright bruising - literally - as demonstrated by the

by other pro-Canada parties and one that could make indepen-

An Access to Information request submitted by The Link revealed

said on Tuesday.

greater financial aid were otherwise left in the dark.

celebrity son of Pierre Trudeau, Canada’s Liberal prime minister

dence more likely.

that the number-six party occupation came with a six-figure

Auditor General Michael Ferguson said that although the

“The plan’s measures focus on the drivers of growth: innovation,

during the go-go 1960s.

Thomas Mulcair, a Quebecker who took over as head of the

price tag, costing McGill University over $141,000.

transport department’s regulations call for aviation companies

business investment, people’s education and skills that will fuel

Justin Trudeau, a Liberal member of Parliament in his own

left-leaning New Democrats last month, said Canada would

Calling the occupation a “surprise resignation party” for the

to be inspected every year, about 70 per cent of them were not

the new wave of job creation,” Finance Minister Jim Flaherty

right, climbed into an Ottawa boxing ring on Saturday night

have to negotiate independence for Quebec if a majority of

University’s deputy provost student life and learning Morton

investigated in the 2010-11 fiscal year.

told reporters in advance of the budget’s unveiling in the House

and delivered an upset thrashing to his Conservative adversary,

voters opted for that.

Mendelson, 23 students demanded that administration overturn

“Transport Canada is not adequately managing the risks associated

of Commons on March 29.

Senator Patrick Brazeau.

“Quantitatively clear...in a democracy is 50 percent plus 1,

a decision to invalidate a referendum that granted funding for

with its civil aviation oversight,” he said.

But apart from a heavy focus on industry-related research and

The bout, staged for an Ottawa cancer charity, was more than

period, full stop, that’s it,” Mulcair, 57, said in an interview in his

CKUT and the Quebec Public Interest Research Group.

“The significant weaknesses that need to be addressed involve

additional funding for one particular youth employment pro-

a good-natured publicity stunt. The combatants were to have

wood-paneled office in Parliament, one floor up from that of

Heightened security and overtime pay account for over $134,000

how the department plans, conducts, and reports on its surveil-

gram, Canadian post-secondary students were largely missing

gone toe-to-toe for three, two-minute rounds under Olympic

Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

of the money spent during the five-day protest that began on

lance activities,” he wrote in a report.

from the Conservatives’ 2012 budget.

rules in a match sanctioned by Boxing Canada, but Brazeau suf-

That’s not the argument accepted by either the Conservatives,

Feb. 7.

There are more than 34,000 aircraft in Canada and a total of

“There’s no relief in this budget for students,” said Roxanne

fered a technical knock-out with half a minute to go in the third.

or the Liberals, who in 2000 passed legislation entitled the

Other costs are split between overtime agency personnel, cater-

more than 5,000 air carriers, maintenance firms, airports and

Dubois, national chairperson for the Canadian Federation of

While both politicians said the event was mostly about fund-

Clarity Act to lay down terms under which Quebec might secede

ing and cleaning. During the first three days of the occupation,

aerodromes. In 2010, more than 75 million passengers flew with

Students (CFS). “We’re facing the highest tuition fees, the

raising, they had engaged in a heated Twitter exchange in the

from Canada.

the university spent a combined $60,867. By comparison, the

the borders of Canada, the world’s second largest country.

highest student debt — and it’s basically gone unnoticed by

May 2011 election and there was plenty of trash talk ahead of

“The Supreme Court of Canada has stated that democracy means

following week, the costs dropped to about $11,570 per day.

In 2009 and 2010, the total number of accidents was the lowest

this budget.”

the match.

more than simple majority rule,” the act says in its preamble.

“The University has a budget of nearly a billion dollars,” said

recorded in a 10-year span in Canada. The last serious accident

Research and innovation

Brazeau - a strapping, tattooed aboriginal leader from northern

Quebeckers have held two referendums about independence.

McGill University spokesperson Doug Sweet. “We’ll just have to

occurred last August when a First Air jet crashed in the northern

The Conservatives instead placed a clear emphasis on innova-

Quebec who has a background in martial arts - let it be known

The most recent, in 1995, was defeated by the narrowest of

suck it up.

Arctic, killing 12 people.

tion and research funding, namely in the form of partnerships

at Wednesday’s pre-fight weigh-in that he would prefer

margins, and emotions on the issue are still raw.

“If every time someone occupied a space and the University

Ferguson said that the International Civil Aviation Organization

between businesses and universities. Among their plans, they

dispatching his reedy Liberal opponent by knock-out.

Recalling that he had fought all his life to keep Quebec in

ceded to their demands, what would happen?”

has forecast that the current volume of air traffic in North America

intend to dedicate $14 million over two years to double the

“He hits hard. He actually had me seeing stars for a couple of

Canada, Mulcair bristled at any suggestion that he was taking a

Not all McGill students share Sweet’s view of the number-six

could more than double by 2025.

Industrial Research and Development Internship Program,

the shots,” Trudeau told the crowd, which included at least three

weak position in terms of Canadian unity.

party expenses, saying this large bill might have been avoided if

“If nothing else changes, this increase in volume could lead to

which currently supports 1000 graduate students in conducting

cabinet ministers and a number of parliamentarians.

“The subtext can’t be, so it means you’re willing to give up the

the University had engaged in a dialogue with protesters.

more accidents. The department recognizes that it will have to do

research at private-sector firms.

But Trudeau’s greater height and stamina, and 20 years more

country at 50 per cent,” he said. “The subtext is, I’m willing to do

“Everything about how the administration handled the occupa-

more just to keep the accident rate per revenue-generating pas-

The Conservatives also plan to send $6.5 million over three years

experience in sparring, proved too much for Brazeau as he had

what has to be done to make Quebec feel comfortable within

tion showed that they had all the resources they needed to do

senger mile traveled in Canada at current levels,” he said.

to McMaster University for a health care research project, and

him on the ropes a number of times with a series of punishing

Canada and for Canada to be a welcoming place for Quebec.”

everything but engage with their students about the reasons

will dedicate $500 million over five years to support moderniza-

blows.

they were there,” said Danji Buck-Moore, one of the sixth-floor

tion of research infrastructure on campuses through the Canada

occupiers.

Foundation for Innovation, starting in 2014–15.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 4, 2012

Fraser Valley Regional Science Fair hits UFV’s Abbotsford campus PAIGE HOBLAK

CONTRIBUTOR

The Fraser Valley Regional was held last week at UFV for the fourth consecutive year. Elementary and secondary students from the Fraser Valley showcased their talents with science-based projects that were a far stretch from the classic volcano model.

Right at the end of what has been “Youth Science Month” across Canada, Fraser Valley grade school students put on an impressive display of researchbased projects up in the Envision Athletic Centre at UFV. Projects were put on display from Wednesday to Friday followed by an awards ceremony Friday afternoon.

Projects took on a wide variety of subjects from health to agricultural to music based experiments.

Students tested the effects of certain foods and vitamins on the human body. They experimented to see what environments plants and animals would thrive in: natural vs. artificial. They played architect, making precise replicas in smaller form and one project even recreated an electric guitar using only simple materials.

The awards ceremony presented winning students with cash prizes and scholarships from local sponsors. Over $42,000 in awards were given to students who had outstanding projects that represented innovation in a particular or general category.

Two hundred students from 21 local schools participated this year with a total of 160 projects on display for judgment and perusal.

Lead judge Dr. Ron Wilen of UFV’s Biology department seemed equal parts excited and overwhelmed about the event. He explained that he feared the coming of the event all year due to the abundance of talent presented because not all can be winners. He was clearly thrilled with all the projects he had viewed and was not looking forward to the difficult task of choosing the winners, considering the ample efforts put forth by all. Students from grades seven to 12 were competing for the ultimate prize, which was to be chosen to represent their region at the Canada-wide science fair in Charlotte Town, P.E.I., in May. Students were self-motivated for the most part as many of the projects were not required for class credit. Students came out for science’s sake, motivated for reasons other than it being forced upon them by the class curriculum.

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5

NEWS

The voice of reason: Philosophical advice for everyday concerns from the Student Association for Philosophical Counselling

Dear Voice of Reason, I have been in a long distance relationship for two years now. Lately, with the separate lives we are living I’m feeling really lonely and miss the fact that I don’t have that intimacy and emotional bond with someone. I miss the comfort of having someone with me and because of this void I have the urge to cheat on my boyfriend. The thing is I love him and see a future with him and I want to keep the chemistry between us the way it is when we’re together. I find it hard to bring this up with him because of my urges to cheat and he may take it the wrong way. I honestly don’t know what I want. So what do I do for the time being so that neither of us gets hurt?

Sincerely, Fill the void Dear Fill the void, The key to any successful relationship is communication. It’s

obviously difficult to address this problem because it’s hard to tell someone you love that you have urges to be with other people.

However, being open is key to keeping your relationship strong.

Your boyfriend may feel the same way and due to lack of communication your relationship may be heading somewhere you both don’t want it to. Depending on how this talk goes, you may come to realize that you miss the physical and emotional attachment you have with him and that you don’t need it from someone else. If this is the case, together, you need to come up with ways to fill the void of feeling alone. You can set up dates to talk on the phone or use the newer and cheaper technologies such as Skype or Facetime.

If communication doesn’t help because you can’t be open with your boyfriend or you need to be with someone else, then you then

you should seriously think about your relationship. What is it about your boyfriend that you can’t be open with him about? If you feel like he will take it the wrong way, then you need to reason with why you can’t talk to him. In a sense, hiding your feelings is equivalent to being dishonest. You should consider your other half and not just yourself. How would you feel if your boyfriend wasn’t being completely honest with you? Try talking to someone like a friend or family member; it may help bring understanding to why you feel this way. If this approach is unsuccessful or you don’t want to talk to anyone, perhaps you may need to take a break from you relationship to think about what you want.

Committing to a relationship holds an unspoken agreement to be honest and faithful to one another. A long distance relationship is still a committed relationship. In this case, you need to be moral and discuss why you feel the way you do. The famous Ger-

man philosopher Kant once said, being moral means doing the right thing even though it’s not what you want to do.

Telling him how you feel doesn’t make you a ‘bad’ girlfriend. It adds to the honesty, openness and trust that keep a relationship strong. If you feel guilty because you can’t continue to be faithful then you should end the relationship because it’s not fair for him. Taking a break from the relationship isn’t a bad thing either. Having time apart even through distance may allow you to realize if you want to be with him or not.

“Unless commitment is made, there are only promises and hopes; but no plans.” – Peter F. Drucker.

We hope this helps and if anyone reading this would like to respond to this issue specifically or anything else please request advice from the SAPC by emailing devan.christian@ student.ufv.ca.

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www.ufvcascade.ca

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 28, 2012

OPINION

Quebec students fight tuition hikes SASHA MOEDT

THE CASCADE

Could you afford school with a 75 per cent increase in tuition? Dish out an extra $325 per year for the next five years? Quebec students are having the same reaction you would, with tuition increasing $325 each year until an overall increase of $1625 is reached in the 2016-2017 academic year.

The increase in post-secondary education tuition fees was included in the budget by the Quebec Liberal government. According to CBC News, the government named the hikes a necessity, to reverse underfunding and deficits.

According to Statistics Canada, Quebec currently has the lowest tuition rates for residents at $2519 per year. The 75 per cent increase would put them to third of the provinces at $4144, leaving Newfoundland and Labrador with the most affordable at $2649. British Columbia is at fourth, with an average of $4852 per year.

Keep in mind minimum wage and the cost of living: Quebec minimum wage is $9.65 – which sounds pretty good to me, a BC student working at $8.25 an hour for the past two years, even with the recent increases. Our cost of living is higher on average,

Image:Christine Bell at Bishop’s University

too. It’s an average of $1003 rent for a two bedroom place, while in Quebec it costs $629, according to the Quebec provincial government webpage.

I can’t help but be drawn to Newfoundland and Labrador; it costs $616 average rent for a two bedroom place, and minimum wage has been $10 an hour since 2010.

No! Leave the pennies!

ANTHONY BIONDI

THE CASCADE

People have been talking about it all week, some even celebrating. All I know is that I’m not particularly happy. I mean, the penny may have been more of an annoyance than anything, but it is the single digit, a necessary piece in any calculation.

I can’t have two cents without the penny.

And now that the penny has been revoked, we are going to be running into a few problems as it works its way out of the system. Most obviously, businesses and stores will have to round their numbers to the nearest five. This includes tax calculations, so there will be no more of the 99cent marketing campaigns.

The unfortunate side of this is the inevitability of rounding up. The hike in prices will be minor, and in some cases miniscule, but it will still be a hike. In this day and age when prices have gone up enough already, another small hike may be just the wrong thing. This move is supposed to help the economy, but in some ways I think it will make it more difficult.

There is a major problem here.

Digital banking and money that is dealt with digitally will still contain the penny, and won’t be rounded one way or the other. This won’t be much of a problem immediately,

but with bank money and credit cards keeping track of a currency that no longer exists, it puts certain limitations on banking groups and card companies. A physical payout can never contain those imaginary cents, and banks will never want to just round up. This gives extra money to the banks and financial holders. Though not necessarily a bad thing, I’m afraid it may end up being more complicated than that in the future.

On a more positive note, my wallet will no longer have to deal with the frustration of those tiny copper coins. But is removing the penny solving the problem? We no longer need to produce them to make up for our own carelessness in losing so many in a year. However, the nickel may just take its place. The lowest value coin is always going to be the most tossed around. We may not have as many of them as pennies due to their slightly higher monetary value, but they will now carry the mentality of its copper cousin. Since prices have to round to compensate, the nickel has to fill the shoes of its predecessor. We didn’t lose an annoyance; we simply replaced it.

I have to wonder if the removal of the penny is going to save us. It may save us money in the short run, but where do we end up later on? The world is a global market now. The rest of the world will still be giving us single units of change. We will still have to deal with the penny on a regular basis, and that’s only going to get harder now that it’s just a theoretical concept. These are only just the beginnings to the problem of losing the penny. It was a good idea in theory, but in the end I think we just shot ourselves in the foot.

But the hikes in Quebec are ominous. Julia Wolfe, a student at Concordia University, said the student body is extremely unhappy with the proposed hikes. “Students are out in the streets, every day. Today there was a huge masquerade protest … It’s been a protest marathon these past few days, and that will

continue.”

Wolfe said that she is not impressed with Concordia’s fiscal abilities, and the huge tuition increases will not be of benefit to students worthy of such huge hikes. “My understanding and my experience is that there will not be an increase in quality of our education. I mean, I could definitely speak for Concordia in saying that they are experts in wasting money.”

“Frankly, I don’t know why we would give people more money, people who’ve already proven they’re not capable of handling what they have now,” Wolfe remarked. “And why we think that suddenly they would be able to spend even more … I just don’t think students should have to pay for that.”

Wolfe, who is editor-in-chief at Concordia’s student paper, The Link, explained that she is lucky: even if the hikes go through, she only has one more year to go. “I could afford an education, but I am an international student, and I’m going to see my tuition go up a lot more.”

For other students, an affordable education might be placed out of their reach. “I mean, it’s hard. I do believe that education is a right, not a privilege, that no matter where you come from you should be able to

go to school. It’s sort of hard to say reasonable cost, you know, I think it differs from province to province.

I think in a province like Quebec, where people are paying really high taxes, they should be getting really low tuition fees. That’s reasonable.”

There should be a decent balance between affordable education, and education that has quality. If Concordia and other universities in Quebec are not capable of handling the flow of money to properly benefit students, the hikes will only be a huge strain on student debt. This will lead to a future generation deep in debt and a country struggling to keep its head above water.

The strength of the student protests are promising. “I think the government’s going to have to back down,” Wolfe says. “With the numbers that we have now, we can already see the government start to crack ... If we keep pushing we’ll see the deal we think is reasonable.”

Hopefully students in Quebec will find their government more yielding than the BC government is, as far as education goes. Imagine if students had to fight the same battle as the BC Teacher’s Federation? But with such strong dissent of so many future voters, with any luck the Quebec government will back down.

Yes! Take the pennies!

SASHA MOEDT

THE CASCADE

What good are pennies? Finance Minister Jim Flaherty said in his 2012 federal budget release that the penny is “currency without currency.” As a result, the penny will soon be extinct, and rightfully so.

According to The Vancouver Sun, it costs 1.5 cents to manufacture each penny. Canadians lose $11 million each year to pennies produced by the Royal Canadian Mint. $11 million so that the gas station can ask $1.69 for a chocolate bar? $11 million so that the customer in front of you can slowly count out their pennies for exact change? $11 million so that you have to have hundreds of pennies in your car, under the couch, spilling out your ears?

No thank-you.

Soon after the announcement of the obliteration of the coin, the Canadian penny took to Twitter to voice its anger.

“What? This is bullshit!” @ CDN_PENNY stated in its first

tweet. It might have 1879 followers, but the Canadian penny has yet to gain clout. But nevertheless, the Canadian penny is articulately calling out for support of Canadians, with undeniable logic: “Listen, the maple leaves haven’t been valuable for a long time and THEY’RE still around.

How does THAT work?”

But the Canadian penny is soon to be extinct anyway. Businesses dealing with cash are recommended to round up or down, after tax has been applied. So if your coffee is $1.89, it’s going to be $1.90, and if it’s $1.86, it’s $1.85.

The penny still thinks the whole thing is bull. “Good luck giving your two cents NOW, assholes. Round THAT up,” it tweeted.

I can’t help but feel nostalgic reading the tweets of an angry little penny. It’s the same feeling that came with the rejection of Pluto as a planet and with the disappearance of the portable CD player. But the natural urge to cling to tradition, even if it’s useless, is inside us all: landline phones; physical books;

the institution of marriage. These are the things we grew up with, and the urge to stick with them is practically bred into us, whether or not we really should.

Ultimately, the penny is just bringing us down. But let’s reminisce for a while. It was always the yuckiest coin in your change purse, with its dark copper colour; dirt and crud seemed to collect on it. Yet if you saw one on the side of the road, you picked it up straight away. The lucky penny. If you wanted to save five cents or so on a purchase, you could pay for your stuff in all pennies. The cashier would just stick the handful of coins in their till, and assume you counted correctly. You were off, scot free! You could throw three cents into the tip jar, and the chiming of coins could be anything!

You could pass yourself off as a generous tipper.

The Canadian penny has responded indignantly to Jim Flaherty‘s dismissal of its worth: “Looking for something to throw into fountains? How about Jim Flaherty?”

At this point, it’s just being a bitter little bastard. It costs too much.

No one uses it. It’s small and ugly.

It is rude on twitter. Canada giveth, and Canada taketh away, like I always say. It’s time to flip this coin into history. Penniless is the way to go. Penny-pinching? It’s a headache, and so are all the other stupid clichés associated with it.

In a touching call for support, @ CDN_PENNY told followers to “go find 25 of me. Call someone who cares.” But this plea only serves to remind us how old fashioned and out of date the coin is. It costs 50 cents for a phone call.

www.ufvcascade.ca

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 28, 2012

7

OPINION

No bottles, no brainer: moving to a greener campus

Image: southerninspirationsblog.blogspot.ca

CHRIS DOYLE

CONTRIBUTOR

Although many universities in BC aim towards becoming a green campus, UFV included, Vancouver Community College (VCC) is taking a large step in the right direction.

VCC has decided to completely stop selling plastic water bottles on campus.

They will compensate by providing not only more water fountains, but also providing every single student with a reusable water bottle.

In my opinion, this is a bandwagon

that UFV should not hesitate to climb onto. As a university, we have already provided multiple reusable water bottle stations, which seem to be rarely used, and you can barely walk 10 feet before passing another water fountain.

So why don’t we just take the plunge and follow schools like VCC in their fight for a greener BC? UFV prides itself on various green initiatives, so it seems a little obvious that we as a campus would want to support this globally-conscious move, right?

As it stands now on campus, it’s

not hard to see water bottles being thrown away - or left around like the trash that everyone seems to think they are. For a campus fighting to be green, we seem to have an odd way of showing it. If we’re still struggling with the basic reduce, reuse, recycle, then we might need to look into more drastic measures. If we follow VCC’s move, then we’re not only helping the issue, but actually removing the alternative completely.

Though it’s true that groups on campus such as Sodexo might have an issue with this movement based on the potential loss in sales, I believe that we as a student body could show them the light. We have power over many facets of UFV – why not Sodexo as well? If the student body can stop using water bottles and begin fully taking advantage of the green aspects of this campus, such as the reusable water bottle station, then we’ll be able to show the University that we’re serious, and that we as a collective are standing for a greener campus.

Vancouver Community College has taken the next step towards the ideal – the green campus that all BC schools are striving for. It only seems right for us to follow in their footsteps and go beyond what we have already achieved.

Prostitutes branded with barcodes in Spain PAIGE HOBLAK

CONTRIBUTOR

Imagine being stuck in a lifestyle that you can’t escape. Considering we live in a country that is known for its liberty, this is almost unfathomable. Canada is abundant in opportunities and allows immigrants to receive equal rights as citizens.

However, a country like Spain hasn’t been quite so lucky.

Many women in Spain, both citizens and immigrants, have had to turn to lifestyles that aren’t exactly ideal. Prostitution has been a consistent way of making a paycheque for women in Spain and many of these women have lost their control along the way.

A number of prostitutes in Spain have been trying to regain control of their lives. These prostitutes attempted to escape their pimps for

various reasons and suffered severe consequences.

Police have arrested 22 pimps who had allegedly forced women into prostitution. Many of their assets were seized alongside the arrests. A gang which has been recognized as “The Bar Code Pimps” have been forcefully tattooing barcodes and price tags to the prostitutes who work for them as a sign of “ownership.” Tattooing the women was a tactic used by the gang to condemn the prostitutes for trying to escape them. The pimps used physical violence to demand their money be handed over to them.

Despite their arrests, this permanent stamp of indignity would certainly cause long-term damage to one’s identity. The sex industry in Spain is highly profitable. Many women in Spain have turned to prostitution due to unfortunate circumstances such as low-paying jobs

and a high rate of unemployment which is currently growing.

Prostitution in Spain lies on a very fine line, as it is not considered illegal, but neither is it accepted.

However, pimping is illegal, which I guess this is one way to try and keep control of the system. If women willingly put themselves in the situation, it is taken as free will; however, if pimps start controlling prostitution and reap the benefits in doing so, this becomes a much bigger problem.

The Spanish government needs to look at the current issues being faced and adjust their laws accordingly. I believe that some light has been shed on the subject of prostitution and as a result of this; a forum for discussion has been created for the citizens of Spain.

Obviously the system they have isn’t protecting the women within it, if these barcode tattoos are any indication.

message we are conveying.

You are right in saying that I cannot understand how you felt when you were faced with an unplanned pregnancy. I can only know about this by trying my best to empathize with your experience, but also by sharing my second hand experience. In reflecting on one of my dear friend’s similar situation last summer, I recall her anguished emotion as she wrestled with her desire to continue her pregnancy and her family’s desire for her to end it. You are right in saying that I cannot possibly understand exactly how you felt. But please understand that regardless of the situations I have or have not been in, I still care.

I am sorry for any harm you feel the pro-life movement has caused you in your healing process. I will be the first to admit that we are flawed people. I am sure you know this all too well. But this admittance is the basis of our attitude towards postabortive women: we know we are all flawed, but we love people anyways, in spite of their actions, and even when those actions include being involved with an abortion. We are not out to put down or condemn postabortive women. Be assured that there are groups who will love and help you – without judgment. Our group on campus is one of them.

We try our best to approach this issue with tact and with care, raising

The post-Fukushima plan

Image: KEI

JEREMY HANNAFORD

CONTRIBUTOR

A year has now passed since a massive tsunami hit Japan and caused the nuclear meltdown of three reactors at the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant; more than 50 square miles of the Japanese coastline area is now uninhabitable due to radiation, and will remain so for several decades. In the wake of the disaster, a massive anti-nuclear energy movement emerged from the concerned public, to the point where a poll taken in the summer of 2011 stated that 74 per cent of people surveyed wanted Japan’s other 54 nuclear power plants shut down as a safety precaution.

Nuclear power plants are always subjects of debate. These facilities produce large quantities of energy while producing low amounts of carbon emissions, but on the other hand, they obviously pose massive safety risks and can cause damage to the local environment due to the nuclear waste produced by the plants.

Newer nuclear plants have instated measures that decrease these risks by disposing of the nuclear waste in more environmentally-friendly ways. But despite these precautions, over 130,000 evacuees will most likely never be able to return to their homes in the area of Fukushima.

At first, I thought that the deactivation of Japan’s nuclear reactors was a safe and Earth-friendly procedure.

But then I became concerned with how Japan would make up for the 30 per cent of electricity that was being emitted from these plants, which power the homes and workplaces of almost 38.4 million people.

To compensate for the power they’ll lose, Japan has set plans in motion using renewable energy sources like wind turbines. This sounds all well and good, but then I found that they want to construct

these wind turbines off the coast of Fukushima’s nuclear contaminated area.

Other than the fact that they want to place them in a high radiation zone, that whole coastline is at risk of suffering another tsunami or earthquake-related disaster. My concerns rose when it was announced that these turbines also won’t be up and running until 2020. What will provide that missing amount of energy the next eight years? With the financial crisis still in effect, Japan will have suffered job losses from shutting down these plants as well as the loss of hundreds of billions of dollars in investments from having built them.

I am all for a more ecofriendly power supply for Japan. It is a start, considering how China and Japan are already some of the biggest polluters in the world. But it shows that the instant that things go wrong, people are more than willing to abandon them without thinking.

Of course, the circumstances revolving around this event are quite horrible. Radiation poisoning is a horrible condition that I would not wish upon anyone. But unless the Japanese have a better solution with a shorter timeline, they will be relying on already over-worked gas factories and other emission-producing plants. The Japanese are aware of this as they are still running six of the original 54 nuclear power plants.

But eventually these, too, will be shut down.

The Japanese people need time to recover from this disaster, but they also need to install better countermeasures for these types of events.

The world thought there would never be another Chernobyl. Obviously, no one can predict mother nature, but it really is up to scientists to put in rules and measures to prepare for these events as best as possible.

Letters to the editor To the Post-Abortive Woman: I admire your honesty and courage in writing your letter. I am writing to represent the pro-life group to whom you addressed your letter in the March 28 edition of The Cascade.

I thank you for your letter. It has reminded me of why I am involved in pro-life work: because there are humans involved, not just the preborn, but also the mother. You raise a valid point: too often the pro-life movement is focused on the debate and on the philosophy behind it. Too often it is not focused on the women, like yourself, who are being affected by unplanned pregnancies. Too often we do not realize the delicacy of the

awareness on the reality of abortion while at the same time pointing people to compassionate support. We know that there are many women who deeply regret their abortions, and we want to prevent other women from going through similar pain.

This is why we work with the Silent No More Awareness Campaign; the campaign is dedicated to helping other women (and men) handle the emotions they experience after abortion. The people who run the campaign are post abortive, but have come to find the support and healing they needed to forgive themselves, as they see they are not alone in their experience.

Once again, I thank you for your

courage in writing your letter. I think it is something we as a pro-life group can reflect on. We believe that every human being, from conception onwards, has inestimable value and dignity. When it comes to the abortion issue we cannot neglect the life of the mother while advocating for the life of her child. Regardless of what you have done in the past, or what may happen in your future, know that your life has value and dignity. I truly wish you all the best for the bright future which lies ahead for you.

Rebecca Groen UFV Life Link

8

www.ufvcascade.ca

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 4, 2012

ARTS & LIFE

CROSSWORD 1

2

4

Canadian bands: In honor of the Junos 3

ACROSS 1. Kezia, Fortress, Scurrilous (14 letters) 4. Howe Sounds/Taking Abalonia, Islands Disappear, Little Mountain (12 letters) 6. Up, Play, Sea of No Cares, Fortune’s Favour (11 letters) 8. Welcome to the Night Sky, New Inheritors, Hello Hum (11 letters) 9. After the Gold Rush, Harvest, Prairie Wind (9 letters) 10. Call Me Irresponsible, Crazy Love, Christmas (12 letters) 11. A Lesson in Crime, Elephant Shell, Champ (15 letters)

5

6

7 8

DOWN 2.

3.

4.

5.

7.

9

10

Up to Here, Fully Completely, Day for Night (16 letters) Naveed, Clumsy, Healthy in Paranoid Times (12 letters) In Our Bedroom After the War, Set Yourself On Fire, Sad Robots (5 letters) Postcards and Daydreaming, Nice Nice Very Nice, Oh Fortune (9 letters) Live It Out, Fantasies, Grow Up and Blow Away (6 letters)

11

DESSA BAYROCK THE CASCADE

LAST WEEK’S Answer Key Across 2. Calf 3 Moses 5. Nebuchadnezzar 8. Chariot 10. Esau 11. Eden 12. Salt 13. Frogs Down 1.

3.

4.

6.

7.

9.

Jawbone Manna Cherubim Bathsheba Ararat Tentpeg

EclipseCrossword.com

Aquarius: Jan 20 - Feb 18 Computers are not your friend right now, it would be wise to back up everything. Twice.

The Weekly Horoscope Star Signs from Madame Mystique Gemini: May 21 - June 21

Libra: Sept 23 - Oct 22

Opportunity is knocking on your door, so make sure you don’t release the hounds.

As always, you are performing quite the balancing act. However, chainsaws and fire are still not recommended.

Pisces: Feb 19 - March 20

Cancer: June 22 - July 22

Scorpio: Oct 23 - Nov 21

The next few weeks will bring you many successes, as long as you stay focused and avoid procrastination.

You’re feeling the burn! Now’s the time to start a new exercise regime while your energy levels are at their peak.

People will step on your toes, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t good dance partners.

Leo: July 23 - Aug 22

Sagittarius: Nov 22 - Dec 21

Don’t worry about that dark shadow looming in the distance, it will pass.

I know it’s hard Leo, but you need to relinquish your grip on that controller so that other people can have a turn.

Close friends will value your opinions this week, and may come to seek you out as an expert.

Taurus: April 20 - May 20

Virgo: Aug 23 - Sept 22

That giant pile in your inbox isn’t getting any smaller, so put your head down and charge through it before it can grow any larger.

Your hard work is paying off and success is starting to show. Now just don’t let it go to your head!

Aries: March 21 - April 19

Capricorn: Dec 22 - Jan 19 Love is in the air – also pollen.

One of the two is making you foggy headed, be sure to take an antihistamine or get out on a date.

Visit us at www.monktucky.com!

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 4, 2012

www.ufvcascade.ca

9

ARTS & LIFE

Dine & Dash: Noodle Road

#24-31940 South Fraser Way, Abbotsford 604.557.0600

Hours: Tuesday to Sunday 11:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.

Price: $20 or under (with a few group or specialty dishes over)

RYAN PETERSEN

CONTRIBUTOR

Noodles are an obsession of mine. From plush Italian spaghetti to chewy Japanese soba, I enjoy them all. So when I discovered the Asian fusion restaurant Noodle Road located at South Fraser Way and Clearbrook, I grabbed my appetite and a friend and headed out to see what they offered.

At first we were put off by the location and exterior of the building, as it is located in a strip mall next to a Value Village and a liquor store, but once inside our impression quickly changed. The restau-

rant offers a cozy intimate setting with a mixed deco approach of tiles, large floral wallpaper and white bamboo dividers, which create an interesting atmosphere for diners.

Noodle House’s menu consists of a mix of Korean, Chinese and Japanese dishes that all focus on noodles. I opted for the Shanghai pomodoro, spaghetti noodles wokfried with vegetables and chili tomato sauce served with a choice of beef, chicken, seafood or tofu. My companion being the slightly less adventurous of the two of us decided upon one of their lunch box sets of vegetable teriyaki, chow mein and vegetable rolls.

While we waited for our meals, the server brought us water, tea and some complementary chilled vermicelli noodles coated in a smoky sesame sauce that I found to be both delicious and refreshing.

In short order our meals arrived and I was faced with a heaping deep dish plate of Shanghai pomodoro with tofu (having been raised

Image: Noodleroad.ca

on spaghetti sauce with tofu, I wished to make the comparison).

The chili sauce offered heat without overloading the pallet. The vegetables were cooked but still crisp and the tofu had a nice crisp skin with a soft, silky inner texture that absorbed so much of that delicious sauce. I enjoyed the fact that it was all fried together in a wok as each noodle was well coated in sauce and was not dry or gummy

in texture, a problem I have found at some spaghetti restaurants.

My friend’s box set was a standard affair that can be found at most Japanese style restaurants.

While I did find the vegetable rolls too large to eat without them falling apart, the combination of sweet yam, the refreshing and crisp daikon radish and creamy smooth avocado proved to be an excellent mix of taste and texture.

A few other things that stood out for me were the light teriyaki sauce that was used and how the vegetables were not overcooked and maintained their freshness.

Be aware that they favour a Korean style chopstick, which is thinner than what most western people have been exposed to and takes some getting used to (at least for this reviewer), but the staff are more than happy to offer you a fork if so desired.

The service was friendly yet unobtrusive, without servers continually asking about refills or how the meal was. Drinks were refilled and empty plates were removed quickly and quietly. The premises is licensed so dinners can accompany their meal with beer or cider or the more adventurous diners can try a Korean Soju, a drink comparable in taste to vodka (or so Wikipedia claims). The overall experience for my friend and I was an enjoyable one and I, at least, would be more than happy to dine there again.

Drink o’ the Week The Cascade Cookbook Lemon Meringue Martini

Kate Nickelchok’s World’s Best Veggie Chilli Kate Nickelchok was the vice president academic of the Student Union Society in 2011/2012. A third-year General Studies student, she is studying next year abroad in Wales. Currently a member of the Lens of Empowerment program, Kate is especially interested in exploring the topics of settler-Indigenous relations, social justice and global development. When she’s not lobbying the Canadian government on student issues, you can usually find Kate somewhere on campus (probably Baker House), with her ukulele and poi, enjoying UFV Student Life.

“This veggie chilli is always a hit - even with my most carnivorous companions!”

Image: Kate Nickelchok

Ingredients:

You’ll swear your grandmother ground up a pie and added vodka.

1 oz vanilla vodka 1 oz limoncello 1 oz fresh lemon juice 1 tsp simple syrup* (or agave syrup) Pour ingredients into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake.

Pour into martini glasses with sugared rims; use a slice of lemon for garnish. Can alternately be served with whipped cream on top. *To make simple syrup: Bring 1 cup water to the boil then add 1 cup sugar. Stir until sugar is completely dissolved. Let cool to room temperature, then store in a glass jar in fridge.

Ideal for: Easter dinner Bad for: The Easter bunny On The Cascade scale: A-

1 tbsp. olive oil 1/2 medium onion, chopped 2 bay leaves 1 tsp. ground cumin 2 tbsp. dried oregano 1 tbsp. salt 2 stalks celery, chopped 2 red bell peppers, chopped 3 cloves garlic, chopped 2 (4 oz) cans chopped green chili peppers, drained 2 (12 oz) packages vegetarian burger crumbles 3 (28 oz) cans whole peeled tomatoes, crushed 1/4 cup chili powder 1 tbsp. ground black pepper 1 (15 oz) can kidney beans, drained 1 (15 oz) can garbanzo beans, drained 1 (15 oz) can black beans 1 (15 oz) can whole kernel corn

1. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Stir in the onion and season with bay leaves, cumin, oregano, and salt. Cook and stir until onion is tender, then mix in the celery, red bell peppers, garlic and green chili peppers.

When vegetables are heated through, mix in the vegetarian burger crumbles. Reduce heat to low, cover pot and simmer 5 minutes.

2. Mix the tomatoes into the pot. Season chilli with chili powder and pepper. Stir in the kidney beans, garbanzo beans and black beans. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer 45 minutes. Stir in the corn, and continue cooking 5 minutes before serving.

Makes around 8 servings.

Estimated cost: $15 *modified from allrecipes.com

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WEDNESDAY, APRIL 4, 2012

FEATURE

The Secret Lives of SUS JEN COLBOURNE THE CASCADE

Wyatt Scott

This has been a great year at UFV, and we have our friends at SUS partly to thank for that.

Yet while the staff of SUS wandered mild-mannered about the campus and the office this year busy doing their good works on behalf of the student body, little did we know that each of them had their own surprising secrets outside campus life. So now, let us take a look at our past year’s VP

Carlos Vidal

Image: Courtesy of Wyatt Scott

social, VP academic, VP finance, rep-at-large, communications administrator and SUS president and their fascinating lives. A hearty congratulations goes out to Sam Broadfoot, Ryan Petersen, and Carlos Vidal on their re-election who will, along with Jhim Burwell, be back with SUS next year, and the best of luck to Wyatt Scott and Kate Nickelchok in their future endeavours at UFV.

Image: Courtesy of Carlos Vidal/Yes! Magazine April 2011

Jhim Burwell

Image: Courtesy of Jhim Burwell

By day: VP social

By day: President of SUS

By day: SUS communications administrator

By night: World champion magician

By night: Viral YouTube sensation

By night: Liberal Party of Canada candidate

From a young age, Wyatt Scott performed magic. Starting with a little magic kit at age seven, by age 12 he was doing his first magic shows in the neighbourhood (at 25 cents per kid) and began performing for birthday parties at age 14. When Scott was 18, he received a call from a pub that asked him to come perform card tricks for $100 per hour.

Soon after, Scott purchased his first illusion, found an assistant and built his first comedy-magic show, eventually buying a truck and a trailer and founding, along with two others, the company Great Scott Illusions. Nervous at first, in his early twenties he began competing worldwide, and with perseverance started to place; in 2006, he won the international championship in Portland, Oregon, and would go on to win several more awards.

Though primarily doing shows in Western Canada, Scott performed all over, in places such as Washington, Idaho and California. As his popularity and reputation grew, Scott also became a teacher with up to 70 full time students, including Scott Ward, the hypnotist who performed at UFV in March.

Some of Scott’s favourite illusions were: the Kubzag, a newer variation of the cutting-the-assistant-in-half routine; the Blamo Box, in which his assistant would appear into a tiny, previously empty box; and the Metamorphis Trunk, where he was locked in handcuffs, put in a bag and padlocked into a trunk – the assistant would then stand on the box and in 1/3 of a second they would switch places (they were about the third or fourth fastest at this in the world). Such tricks featured in his famous championshipwinning Pink Panther routine, a pink-oriented show (including a pink suit) in which the music progressed from classic, jazzy, Pink Panther music, to a more modern techno version.

So what is such a successful magician doing at UFV? While Scott has never given up magic completely, he has finished with doing large illusion shows. Unfortunately, the hundreds of hours of rehearsals, large staff, high cost and the recession killing off people’s disposable income proved too much. Now, Scott is more picky and choosy about where and when he performs – though he has happily done a few shows here at the school. Currently, he is working on another degree at UFV (his first being in Culinary Arts in Alberta), where he can be near his family.

Thanks to YouTube, Carlos Vidal is a star in Hong Kong.

It all began when he created his CarlosDouh video series, where he humorously defines Cantonese words and phrases with his catchphrase slogan “Hear it. Speak it. Memorize it” along with other videos to do with Chinese culture, such as his “Cooking with Carlos” series. Full of fun and attitude, the videos are a mix of both Asian and Western film styles, and appeal to both English and Cantonese speaking audiences.

While Vidal is obviously not Chinese, he learned to speak Cantonese fluently when he lived in Hong Kong for a few years after high school. An avid YouTube surfer and videographer, he decided to make funny and unique videos and start up his own channel. After a few videos, his viewership started to go viral, and Vidal soon became a YouTube partner, which allowed him to start making advertising revenue.

His username “CarlosDouh”—“Douh” being the Romanization of his surname, given to him by his first Cantonese teacher—soon became iconic in China and elsewhere. He has been able to meet and film videos with Chinese pop stars MC Jin and Gem Tang, has performed at the River Rock Casino with Hong Kong TV stars, and has been flown to Hong Kong for a Cathay Pacific Airways event. He has done radio shows as well as TV interviews, has had numerous articles written on him worldwide, and has been a spokesperson for Coke in Hong Kong, as well as for other companies online.

So far, Vidal has thoroughly enjoyed the experience of being a YouTube star. Vidal often gets stopped by fans when in Hong Kong, and even Richmond, BC; in fact, once when in Richmond, Vidal passed a guy talking on his phone who, upon seeing Vidal, immediately hung up, ran up to him and asked excitedly, “Hey! Are you Carlos from YouTube!? Can I get a photo with you?” When recognized, Vidal always stops to chat with his supporters; he loves interacting with his fans of all ages—from kids, teens and college students to parents—and often gives out free CarlosDouh swag from his online store.

Of course, it is difficult for Vidal to keep up with the workload of editing movies and coming up with ideas, especially while he is in school. As soon as the winter semester ends, he plans to get back on track with a ton of ideas, each intended to be better than the last, with even more new and creative video effects. Vidal also plans to come out with more merchandise based on phrases from his videos. For the future, CarlosDouh is here to stay; says Vidal: “So long as fans keep enjoying the videos and wanting to learn more Cantonese slang, I’ll always be willing to keep them happy!”

Jhim Burwell was born in a red diaper: as a baby, he played with Justin Trudeau and at the age of two he was used as the strategically-placed toddler for candidates to come kiss and pose with. His family has a long history of involvement in the Liberal Party of Canada, with a great relative as a speaker of the house, and Burwell’s own father as one of Trudeau’s “go-to guys” in the Niagara area.

Around age 11 or 12, just after his father passed away, Burwell joined the Young Liberals, and remembers riding around in the back of a truck putting up campaign signs with Liberal MP Gilbert “Gib” Parent, later speaker of the house, Parent in dungarees with his ball cap on backwards.

Parent would remain influential in Burwell’s life, and Burwell turned to him for advice when he decided to run for MP. In 2006, being a resident of Fernie at the time, Burwell ran for Kootenay-Columbia, an electoral district that consistently votes Conservative. With nobody else coming forward as Liberal candidate that year, Burwell felt compelled to step forward, disliking the use of parachute candidates. Though he lost the election, he still received 5443 of the votes (13.34 per cent), placing third. The next year, his wife, an RCMP constable, was transferred and Burwell and his family moved to the Fraser Valley, where Burwell continued his work as a freelance journalist, until later in 2007 when he took his current job for UFV’s SUS. Despite having such a strong Liberal upbringing, Jhim Burwell still questioned his family’s political affiliation, and did an in-depth amount of research before deciding himself to join the Federal Liberals. Burwell is what he terms a “Paul Martin Liberal,” and stands strongly behind the ideas of the social safety net—providing cultural resources, the arts, social security, health care—and fiscal responsibility. He is also very concerned about regional isolation, a problem that became particularly troubling for Burwell after he moved out West and saw for himself how isolated the West really was from the centre provinces.

When running in Kootenay-Columbia, Burwell also spoke out strongly against the Bountiful polygamist settlement, supporting federal intervention – unlike the Conservative incumbent. Such an outspoken stance may have earned him having his vehicle’s tires slashed while speaking in Creston; fortunately, he discovered this before driving his wife and five-month-old son out on the treacherous highway. Luckily, the Green Party candidate came and lent Burwell a hand.

At the moment, Burwell has stepped back from running again as a Liberal candidate due to its time consuming nature, focusing instead on his volunteer firefighting and his family. However, sometime in the next few years, he plans to rejoin the riding association and eventually, once his kids are in high school, he plans to run again – for Jhim Burwell is determined that one day he will sit in the House of Commons.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 4, 2012

www.ufvcascade.ca

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FEATURE

Kate Nickelchok By day: VP academic By night: Indian soap opera star This past summer, Kate Nickelchok was an intern for the National Council of Rural Institutes, a department of the Indian government that looks at alternative forms of rural education based on Gandhian philosophy. Nickelchok gathered information about livelihood patterns and education styles in isolated, rural areas of India, mostly in Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat and Rājasthān.

Having spent all of her time so far out in the remote countryside, Nickelchok decided to check out city life in Mumbai for her 22nd birthday. As she was heading for India Gate, a national monument and popular tourist destination, Nickelchok was stopped by a talent agent who asked her if she wanted to be in a TV show. Apparently, it is common for blond, Western looking tourists to get picked up by agents to do TV extra work. Hesitant, as she was only in Mumbai for one day, Nickelchok took his card and went to check out a few more tourist sites. Unable to give up such a unique opportunity, she soon hopped in a rickshaw along with some friends from Germany and, one hour long drive later, they arrived at the studio.

Technically, it is illegal for tourists to do extra work and are commonly paid under the table (though, in fact, Nickelchok actually had a worker’s visa); and so,

she and her friends were tucked away and told to tell anyone who asked that they were just there to meet the stars. Originally, she and her friends were to be in the background of a party scene. However, after some debate, it was decided to put them in a bedroom scene, with the three girls lounging sensuously in bed with a businessman who is busily in discussion with another man on the phone.

Nickelchok was very hesitant about doing such a scene, as it perpetuated some of the very negative stereotypes of Western women that she had been trying to overcome herself as a woman traveling alone. Though it made her somewhat uncomfortable, Nickelchok couldn’t resist such a once in a lifetime opportunity. As this particular television series, called Bade Achhe Lagte Hain, is one of the most popular primetime dramas in India, Nickelchok soon found herself inundated with e-mails from friends she had made in India who couldn’t believe she was actually able to be on the show.

Though overall she enjoyed the experience, what was really important to Nickelchok was the work she did in rural India, not Bollywood. Her trip only increased Nickelchok’s passion for education and social justice, a passion continued on this year with her work at SUS. One day, she hopes to return to Udaipur in Rājasthān to carry on her work for India’s Adivasi (indigenous) Rights groups.

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Image: Taken from Bade Achhe Lagte Hain

Sam Broadfoot

Ryan Petersen

Image: Anthony Biondi

By day: VP finance By night: Brony When Sam Broadfoot’s friend Bob told him to check out My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic, Broadfoot was skeptical. It took a few months, but finally in early November Broadfoot sat down and watched the first episode. He couldn’t stop. That night and into the next morning, Broadfoot watched the entire first season.

From that moment on, Broadfoot was a Brony (a male fan of My Little Pony).

What Broadfoot appreciates most about the show is its family appeal. He compares it to Disney’s Aladdin and The Lion King, which are designed to appeal to both adults and kids and bring the entire family together. Rather than treat kids like complete idiots, it uses clean and wholesome humour to honestly explore relevant life issues. Nor is it just for little girls – unlike the original series which, despite Broadfoot’s best efforts, he cannot stand. The newer My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic series is meant to appeal to all ages and both sexes.

Broadfoot also appreciates the show’s high quality.

The animation, developed by the same animator who worked on The Powerpuff Girls, is top notch, he feels; as for the music, he praises how very well it consistently ties into the show. Even when Broadfoot feels an episode is somewhat poor, it is always well-executed.

Broadfoot’s favourite pony, of whom he even has a plushie, is undoubtedly Twilight Sparkle. A bookish and introverted pony, Broadfoot can’t help but identify with her. Not only does she love books—even sleeping in a library—but she is also organized, a little OCD and a know-it-all. Though initially blunt and not very likable, Twilight Sparkle grows throughout the series as she discovers the fun power of friendship. Broadfoot loves that while Twilight Sparkle has many strong points, she’s still realistically flawed as well.

Though Broadfoot loves My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic, he doesn’t consider himself one of the hard-core, uber-fans of the online community. He does follow internet Brony fan creations, though, especially songs; Broadfoot has also been known to draw a pony or two, which has been a fun outlet for his artistic abilities.

Most recently (see the last issue of The Cascade), Sam Broadfoot hosted the Winter Wrap Up Meet Up event; based on the “Winter Wrap Up” episode where the ponies clean up winter in Equestria in order to bring in springtime, it was held on the last day of winter, March 19. Broadfoot and other UFV Bronies had a blast watching episodes of the show, decorating cupcakes and talking ponies.

Will Sam Broadfoot start an official UFV Brony club?

Perhaps, says Broadfoot, depending on whether or not a number of people start showing interest. However, it remains without a doubt that more Brony events on campus are on the horizon.

Image: Sean D. Evans

By day: Rep-at-large By night: Nudist camp worker In a beautiful secluded area by the river lies the Shadow Falls Campground, a “clothing optional” gay and lesbian campground in Harrison Mills. In the summer of 2008, Ryan Petersen was employed at the small, private campground, an experience he thoroughly enjoyed. The scenery, including a number of waterfalls, was gorgeous, and the campers were always nice and friendly, as were his bosses. Among nature at its most stunning, and in such a pleasant environment, Petersen had an ideal summer job.

Initially, the nudity made Petersen a bit uncomfortable. It’s not that Petersen is a prude by a long shot, often going nude around his friends, but it was a bit disconcerting at first to be constantly surrounded by naked people. Petersen never went naked at the actual camp—mostly just wearing his boxers—as he found it a little strange to be nude as an employee in a professional environment. Neither of his bosses chose to go nude, either, though sometimes his coworker would work in the buff. Petersen is pretty sure, though, that if he worked there again he’d just go naked.

Working at Shadow Falls changed Petersen’s attitude towards nudity. The campers were just there to unwind, have fun, get away from the city and be one with nature – and what better way to be one with nature, than relaxing the way nature made you?

Though not all the campers went naked, those who did sincerely enjoyed the freedom.

Most of the campers were gay men—Petersen only saw a few lesbian couples—though it wasn’t unusual for straight friends to be brought along too. Petersen found it was a great experience getting in touch with the older gay community – these men having faced so many hardships earlier in their lives. The cultural environment was very unique, Petersen found, and radically different from the mainstream, typical media presentation of the homosexual community. All in all, Petersen found the experience refreshing.

Ryan Petersen has never forgotten his summer at Shadow Falls, and would definitely consider working there again – currently, though, he spends his summers up with his family in Oliver and does maintenance work for the Dominion Radio Astrophysics Observatory in nearby Kaleden. In the meantime, he would love to go back to the campground for a weekend and reconnect with all of the great friends he made – and most likely, he will do so in the nude.

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www.ufvcascade.ca

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 4, 2012

ARTS & LIFE

Haute Stuff LEANNA PANKRATZ THE CASCADE

I was pleased to stay in two Sundays ago, due to an event as delightful as the season five premiere of my favourite TV show, Mad Men. I’ve waited 17 months for this, and was not disappointed.

After all, what could be better on a night in than voyeuristically enjoying the pursuits of a group of men (and women) who drink Canadian rye at noon, pass cigarettes around office meetings, and consider romance their prime physical activity?

Yes, I was more than enchanted to see the return of Don Draper, Roger Sterling, Pete Campbell and Joan Holloway. However, as homey as a television return to Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce may be, I have to say (with some embarrassment as I attest to my fashionminded ways) that my eyes were more so on the clothes than anything else! Janie Bryant, long-time costume designer for the series, has worked her magic yet again with a set of outfits that reflect the ever-passing ‘60s and, in this season in particular, descent into mod.

The show does a fabulous job of incorporating clothing into the storyline and into the plot, and many characters are solidified through their clothing choices, from Betty

Mad Style in Mad Men

Draper’s clipped in waists and elaborate dresses characteristic of a ‘60s housewife, and Peggy Olsen’s.

Don and Roger’s suit-and-tie combos are not to be ignored, either, and the anticipation surrounding the coming fifth season has certainly been felt in the fashion world, with a wide-ranging return to a time where people really knew how to dress.

“Today the well-off 55-year-old is likely to be the worst-dressed man in the room, wearing a saggy T-shirt and jeans,” says Bill Cunningham of The New York Times.

“The cash-poor 25-year-old is in a natty sport coat and skinny tie bought at Topman for a song.

Young men are embracing the “Mad Men” elements of style in a way that the older men never did, still don’t and just won’t.”

Is it true that our very own youth culture is harkening back to the days of wine and roses? One might agree when they see the looks pitched on Fashion Week runways for the coming spring/ summer season. Looks are all about browline glasses, sport jackets, styled hair and all things plaid, tweed and suede.

The women in Mad Men are even more decked out than their male counterparts. The season has returned with its characteristic looks – slim waists, pencil skirts, neck-

Image: farm3/flickr.com

lines with more than a suggestion of endowment, and day and evening coats that would make Jackie Kennedy stand up and applaud.

These are the ’60s, and these are women in New York, the fashion and career capital of America. It’s going to be fabulous. I was delighted by the mad prints, amazing sunglasses, and, of course, all that backcombed hair. “Casual Friday?

Not my tree,” states a new Ralph Lauren ad, and I am fully inclined to agree.

Book Review

Album Review

Patti Smith – Just Kids LEANNA PANKRATZ THE CASCADE

“Swan, my mother said, sensing my excitement. It pattered the bright water, flapping its great wings, and lifted into the sky. The word alone hardly attested to its magnificence nor conveyed the emotion it produced. The sight of it generated an urge I had no words for, a desire to speak of the swan, to say something of its whiteness, the explosive nature of its movement, and the slow beating of its wings. The swan became one with the sky. I struggled to find words to describe my own sense of it.

Swan, I repeated, not entirely satisfied, and I felt a twinge, a curious yearning, imperceptible to passersby, my mother, the trees, or the clouds.”

It is in such passionate, delicate prose as this that renowned folk artist Patti Smith relays her past in the 2010 National Book Award winning memoir, Just Kids. Smith tells the story of her life as a poor, young New Jersey poet fascinated by the works and lives of Ginsberg, Baudelaire, Blake, and Rimbaud, who moved to New York to pursue art, and who would eventually meet a certain man named Robert Mappelthorpe, with whom she would enter a relationship that was perhaps the magnum opus of her life. Smith and Mappelthorpe would become artistic partners, muses, roommates and lovers, and Smith captures each of these essences with beauty and aplomb.

Smith’s writing is a true delight for any reader, as her brilliant word usage and descriptive lan-

guage brings her memoir a step up from the standard “I did this, then I did that” language so prevalent in books of this sort. Instead, Smith relays her story with frenzied artistic anticipation, bitter melancholy and all the starry-eyed wonder of a kid who was also a brilliant artist finding her way through the maze of fame and love in New York. The swan passage cited earlier is just an example of the loveliness and insight that Smith offers readers.

The memoir functions almost as a scrapbook of the artist’s life.

Included are descriptions of her star-struck meetings with such greats as Janis Joplin and Salvador Dali, as well as small, endearing anecdotes about her life with Mappelthorpe that bring to mind small but beloved trinkets that Smith has stored in the treasure trove that is her memories. She describes with decadent details an old lace Victo-

The show’s creators do a wonderful job of showcasing the transition to the later ’60s through clothing, particularly the emerging “Youthquake” that was to be the onset of a whole new generation of party people, of mod, the Beatles, and all things sex, drugs, rock, and of course, fashion.

In one stand-out (and tweetedabout) scene, Don Draper’s former secretary and new wife, Megan, throws him a surprise 40th birthday party. While Draper himself

isn’t as charmed as some would be by the gesture, I was certainly charmed by the array of amazing party wear worn by her guests – a mixture of old friends and new Sterling Cooper acquaintances.

The style dichotomy is beautiful, with Sterling Cooper’s older members in clean cut, tailored suits, and well-mannered party dresses that we viewers have grown familiar with.

However, the aforementioned “Youthquake” also makes its scene in the likes of the younger characters – brightly patterned coats, coloured and printed dresses with increasingly short hemlines. The new Mrs. Draper makes perhaps the episode’s most enduring style scene as she presents her husband with his birthday gift – an erotic, exotic rendition of New Wave classic “Zou Bisou Bisou.” The character, a French Canadian bombshell, utilizes the era’s best style to good measure, donning a black microdress with flowy, chiffon sleeves, black patent heels, dark, winged eyeliner and a blunt haircut with more than slight implications of mod. As you can imagine, my style-inclined mind was singing, and the song, as well as the look, has been stuck in my head all week.

Oh, Mad Men, thank you for your return.

rian dress, yellowed with time that was without a doubt her favourite garment. She fondly reminisces about the time when she cut Mappelthorpe’s hair or, in almost singsong prose, writes of the rooms and streets her story played out in.

Just Kids often borderlines on art and life philosophy, which makes it not only a riveting read, but one that is enlightening, and leaves the reader feeling inspired to play out their own story.

There is no better title for her memoir than the one Smith chose, for it truly is the story of a girl and a boy who, at the time, were nothing but kids. The story occurs before Mappelthorpe was known for his sadomasochistic, shock-rendering photographic work that would be a milestone in his career. The tale is bittersweet. Patti Smith fondly remembers her time with Mappelthorpe, and we read the book knowing he passed away from AIDS in 1989. The memoir is a loving obituary to a time of innocence and discovery, and to the man she loved so dearly. The excerpted line, “we gathered our colored pencils and sheets of paper and drew like wild, feral children into the night, until, exhausted, we fell into bed,” is a vividly-real description of just who Smith and Mappelthorpe were in those early days.

In Just Kids, readers are treated to the story of not just a singer, but a true artist – a woman who thirstily drank up all life had to offer, and took childlike pleasure. It is a story of love, carpe diem, and a truly sensitive, artistic and beautiful mind.

Bonfire Madigan – Saddle the Bridge ALICIA WILLIAMS

CONTRIBUTOR/CIVL DJ Bonfire Madigan is a Riot Grrrl, folk/baroque, avant-garde artist currently residing in California.

She has been playing cello since she was nine and has been in bands since she was 15. In an interview I did with her for my show GRLGRMS on CIVL Radio, she told me she played after a hardcore band once and some of the guys there, who were previously slam dancing, started crying as she played. Madigan’s music is intensely emotional, poetic and full of angst toward social injustice and inequality.

Starting off moody, with “Mad Skywriting,” Bonfire Madigan’s album Saddle the Bridge has depth beyond the words of any music review. Having started playing cello at a very young age, Madigan shows throughout this album her mastery of the instrument.

Skipping forward two tracks, you find the gentle but passionate song “Running.” You feel every note and lyric pierce your being on this track, definitely one of the slowest but most powerful songs on the album. Madigan cello artistry has been honed to the point where she can play and sing at the same, something not many players can do.

Looking to the almost-middle of the 13-song album, track five “Awake” is one that will stay with you. The whole song is a build-up to a giant, climactic finish. On this track Madigan has a blues-style way of singing which combined

with the stop and go on the cello is haunting. The last 50 seconds will blow your mind. This song, above all, is the perfect showcase of Madigan’s cello and vocal skills.

“Rachel’s Song” is simple, shorter, and has a darker Goth feel than the rest of the album. The powerful lyrics “I don’t mind, that I’m not feeling so fine” sung like a chant forces you to ignore everything else happening around you. This is followed by a song with the same title, “Rachel’s Song [Locational Variations On],” an instrumental song showcasing Madigan’s beautifully virtuosic ability on the cello.

Meanwhile, “7 Mile Lane” is kind of jumpy and erratic, but still you hear the raw emotion in Madigan’s voice. This track features my favourite lyrics out of every song on the album. A part that always catches me is “we came to speak in tongues, but we only know teeth and gums.” And that is just one example of the wordsmithery featured in this brilliant song.

The very last song on the album, “Downtrodden Up,” closes the album slowly and intensely. You can almost feel the movement in her voice when she says “push.”

This song is the perfect end to the album. It encapsulates everything from the 13 tracks. It’s moody, angsty and with a plea for social change.

The whole album is great, but if you only hear three songs, make them “Awake,” “7 Mile Lane” and “Downtrodden Up.”

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 4, 2012

www.ufvcascade.ca

13

ARTS & LIFE

Q&A:Bonfire Madigan ALI SIEMENS

THE CASCADE

1 2 3 4

CHARTS

Grimes Visions Said The Whale Little Mountain Plants And Animals The End of That

Cousins The Palm At The End Of The Mind

5 6 7 8

B.A. Johnston Hi Dudes

Zeus Busting Visions

The Ketamines Spaced Out

The Wooden Sky Every Child A Daughter, Every Moon A Sun

9 10

The Men Open Your Heart Baby Eagle & The Proud Mothers Bone Soldiers

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Islands A Sleep & A Forgetting

12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19

Woodpigeon For Paolo John K. Samson Provincial Trust TRST Bahamas Barchords TOPS Tender Opposites Sleigh Bells Reign of Terror Leonard Cohen Old Ideas

Shuffle AARON LEVY

CIVL DJ/HARDBOILED

Aaron Levy is still CIVL Radio’s station manager. He works hard, and he plays hard.

Alien Ant Farm – The Movies One of the last rock radio wonders of the nineties, AAF scored because Papa Roach did – the two had a pact: if one made it big, they’d drag the other along. While P-Roach was huger, AAF was clearly better. Carly Rae Jespen’s “Call Me Maybe” sounds identical.

Fo’ real.

Tricky Woo – Let the Good Times Roll Tricky Woo is a classic Canadian indie band that I’ve known of for years but only really gave a chance this weekend after seeing this video on Much Music’s The Wedge. “I found the music baby, now all I need is a woman like you!” Killer MC5esque harmonies and riffs.

Sloan – Underwhelmed From their debut album Smeared; “She was underwhelmed if that’s a word, I know it’s not cause I looked it up. It’s one of those skills I learned in my school”. This opening line introduces a stream-of-consciousness recanting of a rendez-vous with a hot nerd and the self-consciousness that follows.

I was fortunate enough to be put in contact with the talented cellist Bonfire Madigan who will be visiting The Reach Museum in Abbotsford on April 5. Her take on what music is and where she finds inspiration is all explained in the most understandable form; Madigan’s ability to draw the reader through her music is just as prominent in her answers in this interview.

What is music to you?

A universal language for emotions.

When you write music, do you have a routine? What is the atmosphere like?

I feel that I am always writing music, taking notes on bits of conversation, poetry, ambient living sounds and allowing ample moments for the puzzle pieces to coalesce into a song form or piece of art music. Whenever I am practicing I leave this space for the new motifs and ideas to percolate into the shape of new works.

How important is classical training?

I believe that in any craft you engage in, working on your fundamentals is essential ... practice, patience, and due diligence go a long way in evolving any activity you enjoy doing.

Who are your role models in music?

A few jumping to mind today include Meredith Monk, Arthur Russell, Bjork, Tom Waits, Yoko Ono, Evelyn Glennie ... this list could go on and on depending on which day you ask me.

Who is on your iPod? Rostropovich, Carla Morrison, TV on the Radio, Wild Flag, Dirty Three, Nina Simone and Warpaint.

What kind of music did you grow up listening to? Did it shape your musical tastes today?

My dad exposed me to the music

he loved. Of course this is probably some of the defining rebel rock, best popular music of the last century including his favorites: Jimi Hendrix, Neil Young, Bob Marley, John Lennon ... so yes, I was deeply impacted and invigorated as a young musician by being exposed early to the mastery of these artists who still inspire anyone who loves listening and creating music. I feel very lucky that my pop exposed me to such quality artists at such a young age. He has great ears!

What does success look like to you as an artist?

Sustainability. To have sustainable support bases and business assistance with which I am able to write, perform, share my work.

I would like to get to continue on towards evolving a time and place where a core group of patrons, friends, fans ensure I will have the space and resources to continue making art and music and bring into and around the world – well into my golden years.

What are some of your favourite memories of musical performance?

Performing on the classical stage at Bumbershoot in Seattle and playing so ferociously on the encore finale that my G string snapped right off the cello to a roaring standing ovation. The engineers up in the sound booth found this so spectacular (and rather hilarious) that when I returned a couple years later they brought me up to the booth to show me the string they had recovered from the stage, framed with the poster from the show with the description, “The night Bonfire Madigan broke her G string here on our humble classical stage.” They then asked me to sign the poster. It was very sweet and silly coming from that scene of music in particular.

What are some of your hopes and dreams regarding music?

I have a dream that music and

sound art healing will become integrated into collective medicine and wellness. We are just at the beginning [of] understand[ing] that drugs and surgery can be outmoded forms of preventative and long term health and that in fact intention, narrative, vibrational sound frequency and energy healing have unprecedented results on our collective future.

Does your cello have a name? If so, how did it get its name?

This is a timely question because yes in fact it does: Miranda. My unstoppable Miranda cello. The name was just sealed by an unfortunate but perhaps destined happening a couple months ago when I was on tour in Europe. On our trip from Berlin to Barcelona my cello was damaged very, very badly in transit (in fact, I am still paying off the repairs as I discovered, alarmingly, an awful loophole in my insurance that would not cover the damages).

Well me and this cello have been on tour and in studio together for over a decade now and she is just about to have her centennial birthday next year, although some shops assessed that she [might] not make it back to playable. There is no giving up on her. Her tone, our instincts, those hundreds of harmonics, she is my favourite partner thus far in my composer/performer/singing-cellist career journey.

Fortunately, I was able to find an amazingly progressive luthier [sic] who brought her back to life using carbon fiber rods, the same material used on space shuttles.

Thus the name comes from the moon Miranda circling Uranus.

It is understood that this unique unflappable satellite has been smashed so many times that you can actually nearly see through parts of it (kind of like Willie Nelson’s trusty ‘ole Martin guitar) but because of the fierce pull of it’s partner planet it continues to orbit proudly: just like my Miranda cello.

Drake – Motto I’m only including this song here because it was clearly Canada’s album of the year over the past 12 months, and the Juno’s completely snubbed it, despite the fact that Drake has been the most successful Canadian to receive the least amount of legitimate flack all year. Far from ovah’.

Hunx Hairdresser Blues

Image: Courtesy of Bonfire Madigan

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WEDNESDAY, APRIL 4, 2012

Mini Album Reviews

SoundBites

ARTS & LIFE

Paul Weller Sonik Beats

Poor Moon Illusion EP

Of Monsters and Men

Old Mare You Deserve More

One would think that “the Modfather” Paul Weller, age 53, would be content to stick to familiar territory when releasing new material. Instead, Weller surprises everyone as he dives headfirst into experimental beats and synths overdubs in Sonik Beats, blending together the most eclectic set of influences that he has ever recorded. While genre hopping sometimes dilutes the flow of a record, Weller’s passionate performances and his band’s ferocious energy on every track keeps Sonik Beats afloat. However, the overdubs on Sonik Beats seem superficial, constricting and inauthentic, as electronics-for-the-sake-of production values permeate throughout the record. Paul Weller has shown on his last three albums that he isn’t afraid to change and evolve his music, but sometimes the unanticipated overdubs are most noteworthy for being just that, surprising.

Pushing boundaries, defying conventions and being on the cutting-edge of musical technology does not always equate with a good listening experience. There’s no doubt Weller has grown more assured and imaginative in his older years, but the album’s flaws lie in its overambitious production.

A wash of ambient sound, a starry, campfire-lit night where you can almost hear the crickets chirping resolves into a reverberant, gentlyplucked acoustic guitar arpeggio.

Frontman Christian Wargo (Fleet Foxes, Crystal Skulls) sings, “I want to learn to rely on what I first decide when the moment comes so I don’t have to think twice,” in his unsteady warble. This is “Illusion,” the first track from Poor Moon’s debut Sub Pop EP of the same name. Illusion is a brief collection of five lightweight, chamber pop tracks with folk revival underpinnings. Despite their best efforts, Wargo and his band mates cannot escape the imposing shadow cast by Fleet Foxes, who have already produced a pair of masterful albums with a similar aesthetic. Why the same basic ingredients—reverb-drenched, baroque folk with abundant vocal harmonies—do not coalesce into something nearly as stunning or spectacular essentially comes down to song writing. It’s folkpop by numbers. Illusion is agreeable to the point of being forgettably bland; there’s no risk, nothing at stake either musically or lyrically. Poor Moon opts instead for a sort of hazy, aimless melancholy with very little substance for listeners to grab hold of. “People in Her Life” shows the most promise, displaying the greatest vigour and life of all these tracks, but it is merely a standout among fairly mediocre offerings.

My Head Is an Animal is a title that says it all. No, this album isn’t about hearing voices in the lead singers head, but consists of verses about trees and grasshoppers, kings and talking trees.

Still interested? My Head Is an Animal has a quality that surpasses what initially could be considered lyrics from a fantasy saga. This band is native to Iceland and My Head Is an Animal reflects the mythical quality of an isolated island with a unique culture surrounded by volcanoes, hot springs and icebergs. Some particular songs which stood out on the album were “Dirty Paws” and the title track “My Head is an Animal.” This album is particularly addicting when trying to calm oneself down during end of semester panic attacks, as the music is definitely positive and has the capability of soothing wild beasts (or at least stressed-out university students). Although it won’t pay for a ticket to Iceland to spend the summer in a thatched roof cottage, listening to My Head Is an Animal has the capability of transporting you there through its indie folk music sound with an Icelandic twist.

Local group Old Mare’s You Deserve More is an album with songs that will serve your soul with ease. The album is composed of six songs that are equally suitable to accompany any mood.

Whether you are taking a mid-day drive, studying, or attempting to cure a broken heart, You Deserve More will be the perfect album to support any of these activities. Simple instrumentals amplify wholesome vocals, producing music that comes from the heart. I could not pick one song that sticks out over others, as I find all the songs from this album consistently captivating.

Old Mare would fit into the indie-folk genre, making for an easy-listening experience. You can listen to their album online and hassle-free at www.oldmare.com. I would highly recommend giving them a listen, as I am sure you will find their music alleviating to your busy mind.

TIM UBELS

NICK UBELS

My Head Is an Animal

JENNY PITTMAN

PAIGE HOBLAK

FilmReview Mirror Mirror MICHAEL SCOULAR

THE CASCADE

“An idealized version of themself, a monarch in a very twisted kingdom.” So goes a line from Tarsem Singh’s first feature The Cell, one that could easily be re-appropriated to any of the director’s subsequent works, for on a surface level each of them has some connection to fairy tales, myths, dreams, alternate forms of the self and the world.

In Mirror Mirror, Julia Roberts is the queen, who has a mirror that speaks back as a perfected version of herself. The story, told from the queen’s perspective, indicates a shifting of the Snow White tale to be skewed more in the delusionary indulgences and startling blood and fabric of Tarsem’s other films.

However, what is significant here is how he, while still claiming the story as his, has scaled his attention-grabbing down to a smaller scale. He has framed his characters not as grains of sand, but as impressive storybook characters.

Mirror Mirror announces its intentions from the first scene, which encapsulates exposition in dollfigured grandiosity. It is storytelling visually related to, but distinct from, the reading of fables in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part

1. Yet, here it is tinged with sarcasm as Roberts relates the setup.

This kind of knowing sideways glance continues throughout, but unlike the postmodern sneer of many modern fairytales, which deign to kids but would prefer to reel adults in, it arises more out of an incredulous disbelief. It is as if Snow White is being let out of a cloistered existence and seeing a fantastic world for the first time (which she is), a bubbling enthusiasm to spit out what’s on the character’s active mind, which also makes for the most nervous, lovesick stammers in a movie since The Three Musketeers. All this is rooted in the tonally-balanced performances of Lily Collins and Armie Hammer, who both know how to show concern for a nonsensical situation without mocking it and easily adapt to silly costume changes with a lightweight, but radiant comedic touch. Mirror Mirror isn’t faithful to any one folk tale, re-appropriating elements from a variety, but its deviations result in something innocently different, removing the warning and sinister threads of the fairy tale, leaving behind the eye-glistened looks of not-so-forbidden love and constant celebration.

The look of Mirror Mirror is one of sections, maybe intentionally

left as pages, where space is cordoned off into sets of extravagance and environments can’t touch the characters. It’s a limbo-like world, where everything is exactly as it was the first time around, dropping the difficulties of navigating the woods or finding the way back home in favour of images where faces and dresses take up entire frames. This is the last film Eiko Ishioka, a costume designer who will become a legend if she isn’t considered one already, made before her passing earlier this year, and her repeated collaborations with director Tarsem are a testament both to Ishioka’s unrepeatable creativity and Tarsem’s love for showcasing beauty in his images.

Of all the moments of love, both between characters and materials, it’s a single shot of the dwarves of the tale reacting to news of Snow White leaving them that strikes both poles of this movie.

Led by Jordan Prentice, Mark Povinelli and Danny Woodburn, the dwarves mainly occupy the comic relief (in a movie that’s almost all comic relief) and spur the most banal moments of the picture (a training montage, the mostly sidetracking action scenes, and they’re also the impetus for most of Alan Menken’s candidates for most obvious,

berating score of the year), yet in a single shot that Tarsem holds for as long as he can, they also show themselves to be yet another part of a movie that cares about how it presents itself.

There are some lines about being true to yourself, and on and on, but in the intimations between the characters and the loving way in which they are shown, the purpose

of Mirror Mirror isn’t reducible to an underlying moral in the tradition of fairy tale endings. It is more of a consideration of the form as malleable to Tarsem’s sensibility, yet another teller of an oft-told story, one with an eye towards what’s come before. Tarsem doesn’t make great movies, but he does make them his, which also means Mirror Mirror, in the end, celebrates itself.

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ARTS & LIFE

Daffodils were cancer survivor’s “Symbol of Hope” NADINE MOEDT

CONTRIBUTOR

As part of the Canadian Cancer Society’s “daffodil campaign,” on March 29 at the bookstore, UFV academic advisor Michelle Rickaby read from her short story “My Symbol of Hope.” The purpose of the daffodil campaign, which is running through April, is to further the cause in the fight against cancer (proceeds going to research and cancer prevention initiatives) and, as the Canadian Cancer Society’s website states, “let those living with the disease know that they are not alone.” On April 27, there will be coordinated events across Canada.

Published in Canadian Living in 2009, Rickaby’s story is about her personal experience fighting and beating Hodgkin’s disease. It is also a story about why, for her, the daffodil is a symbol of hope. The story begins when she was first diagnosed with Hodgkin’s disease, also known as Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Rickaby, who was in her twenties at the time, had already lost her brother to cancer, so she did not consider her prognosis to be good.

Hodgkin’s disease, a cancer of the lymphatic system, has a five-year survival rate of about 86 per cent.

Rickaby describes the ordeal of 40 chemotherapy treatments,

Image: Nadine Moedt

including a graphic account of the burning in the inside of her throat and her underarms. During that period she lost a significant amount of weight, she lost her hair, and her strength. In addition to the chemo treatments, Rickaby employed visualization techniques she learned from a book titled Getting Well Again by Dr. O. Carl Simonton.

Although the cancer eventually went into remission, and Rickaby believed that though she had recovered physically, she was still psychologically unwell. For years, she struggled to “get past being a cancer survivor,” unable to move on with her life. Rickaby lived with the constant fear of a recur-

rence; every ailment “terrified” her. As well, she couldn’t come to terms with why she had survived while so many others, including her brother, had not.

Four years after her recovery, Rickaby was out walking when she saw a single daffodil. In that instant, this vision of a simple flower gave Rickaby hope. She states that, for some reason, the flower was to her a “signal to change.” And she did. She went through a divorce, remarried, and returned to school. She says now she lives her life to the fullest. She has gone whale watching off the coast of BC, ridden an elephant in India, and recently she has travelled with her husband to Cambodia.

Rickaby decided to tell her full story in a novel she published with two of her friends, also cancer survivors. The book, titled Choosing to Smile, follows the three women in their fight with cancer.

Its purpose is to communicate a message of hope for those who are in times of trial, and in 2011 the trio received the Woman of Courage Award. Undoubtedly, Michelle Rickaby’s story is an inspiration to anyone whose lives have been touched by cancer.

More information can be obtained at www.choosingtosmile.com

How the gaming industry left kids behind JOEL SMART

THE CASCADE The age of the average gamer has been getting older and older for the last couple decades. Though the ‘80s saw gaming directed towards primarily children, the average gamer these days is in their late 30s. For older gamers, it seems positive – more games aimed at them. But it has serious implications for the gaming industry as a whole that the younger generation seems less interested in gaming.

There is nothing to say that the current gaming generation—mostly born in the ‘80s—will ever stop playing games. But, the crowd will only thin out as time goes on. For an industry to be sustainable, it needs to convince subsequent generations to join in. That, it seems, may not be as likely as initially suspected.

Even though children are consuming more media than ever before, they’re playing games less. A 2010 study by the Kaiser Family Foundation that has tracked children’s media use for a decade found that 8–18 year olds spend far more time watching TV, listening to music, and using a computer than they do playing video games. The study found that children use media over 53 hours in an average week – that’s seven hours and 38 minutes a day! That is over an hour more than kids consumed five years before. Though 2012 figures are not available, it’s likely that the situation is either the same, or worse.

Despite these high numbers— which reach double-digits when multitasking is considered—the

VA Grad Show: A whole lot of Eklektisch TAYLOR JOHNSON

CONTRIBUTOR

Spring is in the air! That means three things to a university student: better start studying for finals, time to remember the definition of “the great outdoors” and graduation! This last week the Visual Arts’ Eklektisch show displayed the creative works of eight diploma graduates at the Kariton Gallery in Abbotsford. “Eklektisch?” No, it is most definitely not an English word and not a spelling mistake either, but rather German for “eclectic.” Eclectic by dictionary definition means to be made up of the best, picking out what you like about something—in this case art—and composing something else with those elements. After seeing the show, this title seems quite appropriate.

Eklektisch displayed a wide variety of contemporary-style art, such as Brianna Toebosch’s Baptism: Water, Spirit, Blood—three side-by-side images of an unknown colourful substance against a white background—and Karalee Storness-Bliss’ Self-Portrait, which played around with shapes, with one side of the piece a realistic rendition of a smiling brunette, while on the other side was the same brunette but flattened and enlarged.

Other quite unique work included Anita Lewis’s audio video combination Slick n’ Sleazy, Gross n’ Greasy, a series of photographs of a blond girl devouring a giant burger practically the size of her head, as well as Reanne A. Novak’s Distressed Worker, a collection of things we can all relate to, such as a work uniform and name tag, a lamp (without a lamp shade), and a blanket. However, Novak gives these items a sense of chaos and sudden disaster, kind of like that

feeling when you realize you’ve slept in and have 10 minutes to be at work.

For those of you who, like me, have no artistic abilities, Lillian Neufeld’s Sketchbook Entries allows its viewers into the mind of an artist. Designer labels, celebrities, pencil/pen sketches, and brightly-coloured images of people and places were sprawled up and across the white wall. Like Neufeld’s piece, Megan Joyce’s One Sky, One World was also a work we artistically-challenged types could sit back and appreciate the talent behind; it was a large bird made up of what looked like maps cut into all different sized feathers – pieces which I am sure took an extremely long time to create!

In more traditional mediums, there were realistic portraits as well as a copper-etched rendition of the human brain by Angela Schettle. Schettle’s Dr.!! consisted of a copper-on-plaster portrait followed by an explanation of the human brain’s purpose to “control information flow.” Close by was a traditional Chinese mask

by Meagan Joyce entitled Chinese Dragon Half Mask #1, which stood out vividly against a white wall. Its purple and green colors gave it an ancient and historic look among the more modern style art.

There was certainly something for all palettes at the Eklektisch Visual Arts show. A variety of art, from the more contemporary to the more traditional, all was elaborately set out on display; it was Eklektisch indeed. Congratulations to the diploma grads and best of luck wherever your talents take you!

Worried you missed out? Until April 17, the Eklektsich Visual Arts Grad show will be held at the Kariton Gallery on Ware St.

Image: SegmentedNext/ flickr.com

Jade Raymond, Ubisoft Toronto managing editor

average child spends just about an hour a day gaming. Perhaps those numbers still seem high, but compared to the older generation, it’s small stuff.

The gaming industry, it seems, grew up with its initial generation of gamers. That means fewer games, especially high-quality titles, are designed for children.

Considering the pull other media forms direct at kids, perhaps it isn’t too surprising.

Kotaku editor-in-chief, and former MTV gaming correspondent, Stephen Totilo recently spoke with Montreal-native Jade Raymond, managing director of Ubisoft Toronto, about the situation.

“What if the next generation of our culture thinks games are so out of touch that they dismiss them as the wasteful rich pastimes of a more self-indugent generation?” Totilo asked of both Raymond and his readership.

Raymond explained that money seems to be the core of the problem. There is little room for error, with the amount of money on the line – so rather than experiment, the big companies tend to cre-

ate the same thing over and over again.

“All the stuff that happened with the Arab Spring, internet freedom and just generally what’s going on with people’s privacy and all of those kinds of things as tech moves along,” she told Totilo. “That’s the kind of thing that’s been brewing for a while. These are really big stories. They are being dealt with in other media. You can see films that are already out addressing these things. Books. Documentaries. But for some reason games don’t touch those things.”

In short, younger gamers are looking for meaning, not a mindless escape. For that to happen, game makers will have to take risks.

It may be that the time for video games is reaching a critical moment. A moment where a generation will either leave them behind, or perhaps out of the mindlessness a new, deeper, more meaningful industry will arise; an industry that represents a plurality of voices. It is a promising suggestion – and one that the indie gaming community may just have the answer for.

Poster: Angela Schettle

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WEDNESDAY, APRIL 4, 2012

ARTS & LIFE

POSTCARD LITERATURE A Night at Chapel Arts Scott Sparrow As we pull up to the corner of Abbot and Hastings the dash reads one-twenty-seven and I’m just starting to feel it. Jack, Travis and I shimmy and shake our way out of the back seat and onto the broken sidewalk. Our movements slowly drain out the beat of the car radio and conform to the sporadic noises of the street. The kid who had supplied the chemicals stands, holding the open driver door and the roof of the car to keep himself balanced, and jitters off some words in our direction about “Yeah, I’m gunna go to such-and-such instead, see ya folks on the other side.” The loss is soon forgotten as the three of us tip-toe, crawl, circle, and dance down the street. The purpose of our direction is barely on the periphery of my thoughts; I submit to the will of the world.

It’s a good thing we have Jack.

Taking a drag from his smoke, he snaps into a momentary alertness.

I see him standing with a mailbox, speaking to the street signs: “This way gents,” he asserts as his eyes slink back into the maze of his mind.

My thoughts turn liquid.

—

When they start to form again I can see that we’ve arrived. Jack and Travis are on the street corner talking to a group of people I don’t know. Not feeling social at the moment I fidget for my wallet and make for the door. From what Jack told us it’s an art-show-poetry-reading type thing. Not sure what sort of atmosphere to expect I tuck my shirt in and attempt a coy smile.

The foyer is small. Doorless doorways puncture each of the opposing walls. Strange art hangs, making sharp contrast with the clumsy looking off-white walls which dance with moisture damage. Circus images depict mythological type beings made from the head of this and the body of that, etc.

A distant memory overrides my audio visual input for a second, or several – I can’t be sure. My mother is reading to me from Where the Wild Things Are. Then I snap back to what I assume is reality. I have already wandered to the next room.

There are many people here conversing in loosely held groups which seem to be flowing like icebergs in a frictionless abyss. I

study the faces. There are sharply dressed hipsters and rugged bohemians, wanna-be Sinatra’s and neo-beatniks. Show girls are suspended above our heads in hanging hula-hoops and clowns on stilts over-exaggerate the third dimension. Everybody seems to be playing a part. Am I expected to join the charade? Or would they mind a passive onlooker? I look down. My hand has become occupied by a trendy glass of wine: probably not a good idea but I suppose ill nurse it.

There’s more art in this second room. My brain begins to swim and the images become videos.

The creatures depicted start playing with their own appearance, or I do. They are talking to each other.

They are mixing with the people in the room as clumsily as I am.

I attempt to explain my understanding of the art to the artist. She explains it differently. Does that make me wrong? I hope I haven’t offended her. Perhaps another room would work better for me.

— As I explore (one hour? two?) I encounter many things. Among

Face to face I felt like a tool. A spyglass in the hands of some no good spy. But it needed to be done, and somehow I was the one to do it. I parked my car a block away from the crime scene. Lost Lagoon was silent, the police tape waved in the cool sea breeze like the unbroken ribbon at a finish line before the race had come around the final bend. The walk was nice, and the sky was clear. The car had been removed, tire tracks from the tow truck dug deep in the wet mud. The days were always beautiful after a rainstorm. Beautiful enough to make me feel sick.

I kept close to the tape, watching the ground for any sort of giveaway. I was ecstatic at the thought, anything to put this business behind me. It was a demented feeling. I supposed that bloodhounds felt the same way when they hunted at the end of their mas-

Would you like to see your short fiction published? The Cascade is looking for original flash fiction to grace the pages of this fine publication. Submissions may touch on any theme or topic.

gency and interconnectedness of the moment, and therefore make love to me without a word of farewell come the morning?

Or would they – could they!

– see something constant, something that transcends the fleeting snapshot? Could they see me? And together in this, more than making love, we could risk it all for the dangerous truth of a more pure connection.

What would a stranger see, to look upon me now?

Would they see one of the creatures down the hall?

A dancing conglomerate of the onlooker’s perspective: an interpretation?

Or would they see beauty in the fact that nothing could be more impossible than the infinite contin-

With this, I slink from the bench to the floor and take a look at my hand to see how far gone I am – we call this the test. Yupp, its patterns still amuse me. I swim in the carpet. Jack and Travis are chuckling in my direction. A few people are conversing over the page I wrote.

I begin to understand, while they could never hope to.

Who or what is the artist of me?

I pause here...

I love my mother.

Anthony Biondi

ters’ leash. Irene was at my apartment now, waiting with only my radio for company. All she would hear was the latest Sinatra and the breaking news she already knew.

Meanwhile, I feigned the need to buy smokes so I could look at the crime scene in the light of day. I was certain there was a detail I had missed the night before. If she wouldn’t tell me who I was dealing with, I would find out myself.

I looked down the roadway. The tire tracks of the shot up car veered from the road a few meters from the scene, violent and waved. I noticed a few small holes in the roadway surrounded by another small section of tape. Bullet holes.

They appeared to be random.

They struck the concrete at awkward angles, like the shooter was cross eyed and five years old. The funny thing was, I had seen bullet holes like that before.

Postcard Literature: Call For Submissions

them, there’s a game of pool going on behind a cracked door. I don’t know how to play snooker. I refuse the invite.

There’s a beautiful girl with beads in her hair. She’s reading poetry to onlookers. I’d like to understand her, but I’m sure she knows exactly what she means, and that I could never hope to. Perspective.

I find my friends sitting in a corner sifting through a discovered stack of old records. My steps conform to Ziggy Stardust being played too slowly. I don’t mind.

Contingency.

I discover a lonely typewriter sitting on a bench. Loaded with paper and ready to converse, it calls me over. I sit. I think. I write: explaining my thoughts to it, to myself. Connection.

Suddenly, there was a feeling of cold metal on the back of my neck.

“You some kind of peeper?” It was a man’s voice, high and gravelly.

Hell, it may have been low and melodic. Guns all sound the same to me.

“Do I look like I am? Lay off, pal.”

“If you ain’t no peeper, why you meddlin’ in police work?”

I was hunched forward, the gun pressing harder into my neck. I bit down to keep my cigarette. My hands were planted on the concrete. I was staring straight at the bullet wounds in the road. “I’m a reporter. Heard there was a story here. Now get that iron off my back.”

The gun vanished from my neck. “That’s better.” I could feel warmth rush back into the spot. I stood up and turned around.

The man still held the piece for-

ward. He was a medium height, and a medium build. Normal all around. He had a moustache and slicked black hair. He held a Colt a black gloved hand, the other hand was shoved deep into his jacket pocket. He wore a serious expression and chewed the stub of a toothpick between his molars. By his suit, I assumed he was well to do; or at least a high class thug. A man that leads a conversation with an automatic can’t be much better than a thug. Then again, who am I to judge?

“If you’re a reporter, then give me the scoop.” He said.

I laughed and blew a puff of smoke from my cigarette. “What, and spoil the story? Listen to the radio, they made an announcement there.”

“Kinda wise for a reporter, eh?”

He stepped forward, the gun pressed into my chest. He was a

pal all right. It was real flattering.

“Who wants to know?”

“Doesn’t matter. Talk, paperboy.”

I sighed. “Figure it out. Someone was shot off the road here. You want more detail than that, go to the police. I’m sure they’d love to see that bit of iron you have there.”

The man turned and walked back down the road. I guessed he wasn’t paid enough to ask any more questions. He slid his gun and hand into the free pocket and disappeared behind a tree. I steadied a shake in my right knee and began walking back to my car. A shot-up car, a mysterious gunsel, a shaky automatic; I needed a whiskey. I ran my hands through my hair. I needed that drink real bad.

Submission Guidelines:

- We’re not sticklers for genre. As long as it’s good, we’ll consider it.

-Subject line should include the name of the work and the author

- Please inform us if your submission has been previously published.

-Submissions should be attached as a Word .doc.

- Submissions can come from UFV students, faculty or community members.

-All works must be under 1000 words. Show us what you can do in a limited amount of space.

What we like: - General fiction is preferred, but humour and satire are also appreciated.

Response time will typically be one week.

Please email all submissions to: alexei@ufvcascade.ca

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 4, 2012

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SPORTS & HEALTH

Game of Pucks: Playoffs are coming Canucks first round opponents dissected JOEL SMART

ble option – not only are they the shortest distance away from Vancouver, they are also in the same time zone. Getting a bit further away, Los Angeles would still arguably be the second best option geographically – especially since they are also in the same time zone.

The Avalanche are still not a horrible option, despite being in a different time zone. Phoenix and Dallas represent the two least desirable options geographically – with the Stars being far and away the worst option in terms

five games, they won’t have to make an additional flight. In their season series against the Sharks this year, the Canucks won three games and lost once in overtime (3-0-1). Against the Kings, they won two games, lost once, and lost another in overtime (2-1-1). In their matchup with the Avs, they won all six games (6-0-0).

Against the Coyotes, they won and lost once in regulation, and won and lost once in a shootout (2-1-1). Finally, in the season series with the Stars, the Canucks won twice, and then lost once in regulation and once in overtime (2-1-1).

Through this analysis, it seems as though San Jose and Colorado make the best possible matchups, followed

by Los Angeles, Dallas, and then the Coyotes. As it stands, however, the Avalanche seem the least likely to make it into the postseason.

With every team in the league having just two or three games re-

maining, and so much still up in the air with only until Saturday for every spot to be determined – we are in for a very interesting finish.

In fact, it is still possible for the Canucks to win the President’s trophy; if they were able to, it would mark the first time since the lockout that a team managed to win it backto-back – an especially difficult task with the parity that the salary cap has brought to the league.

Besides the Canucks games on Thursday at 6 p.m. against the Flames, and on Saturday at 7 p.m. against the Oilers, you might also want to keep an eye on the Detroit/St.Louis game at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, the Rangers/Penguins game at 4 p.m. on Thursday, and the St. Louis/Phoenix game on at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. However, it seems quite likely that it will all be decided—Saturday the final day of the regular season—when all 30 teams play.

Heat took advantage of that opportunity over two games last weekend, playing two thrillers that went into overtime and a shootout.

On Friday night the Heat fell 5-4 in a shootout. The high scoring affair was led by goals from Dustin Sylvester, Hugh Jessiman, Joe Piskula and Krys Kolanos; a positive sign for a team that has not seen widespread scoring for some time. In fact, the Heat have scored 14 goals in their last three games. That is just the kind of production that could help propel

them into the postseason.

On last Saturday night, the Heat were looking to take three of the possible four points from the Wolves.

They were successful, even though it took a few extra minutes. In front of a crowd of 7044, the fourth sell-out in franchise history, the Heat took the game by a score of 4-3 in overtime.

Greg Nemisz opened the scoring in the first, and Kry Kolanos and Clay Wilson each potted one in the second. Then, with just 11.9 seconds remaining in overtime, Brian Connelly

scored off a beauty of a pass from Ben Walter.

The three points earned from the Wolves go a long way toward keeping the Heat in the hunt for one of the five coveted playoff spots.

This Wednesday night, April 4, the Heat will play another important game against the Rochester Americans who currently sit four point back of the Heat, and a playoff spot. The game will be the first inaugural Punjabi night at the AESC - featuring Punjabi music, food and dance.

the cascade

With the Canucks guaranteed either first or second place in the Western Conference, eyes have turned toward the frantic cluster of teams vying for the seventh and eighth spots.

It has come down to five teams that could wind up as the Canucks first round opponents: the Los Angeles Kings, the Phoenix Coyotes, the San Jose Sharks, the Dallas Stars and the Colorado Avalanche. It will be a desperate push, largely out of the hands of the Canucks; yet with so much on the line, who can help but look at the possible matchups?

One thing that the Canucks have to take into account is the distance between Vancouver and the city of the team they face. As we saw in the first round against the Chicago Blackhawks last season, the amount of travel can lead to fatigue later on in

a Cup run. Teams that can get out of the first round without a lot of travel will be much better positioned moving forward. On that front, the San Jose Sharks represent the best possi-

of travel.

Of course, the best way to minimize travel is to reduce the number of games it takes to win the series. If the Canucks can finish a series in four or

Heat Report: The final push SEAN EVANS the cascade

With just six games remaining in the regular season, the Abbotsford Heat currently sit in fourth spot. The fight for the five possible playoff spots will likely come down to the final game of the season, as there are only four points separating fourth place and 10th place. Even more concerning for the Heat, they sit only one point ahead of sixth and fifth place.

The Heat are in desperate need of a

strong finish if they hope to see postseason ice.

With their playoff hopes on the line, the Heat faced off against the Chicago Wolves this past weekend.

As always, the Wolves, affiliated with the Vancouver Canucks, had the crowd in the AESC on their side.

The games against the Wolves this season have had by far the largest in attendance, and proved to be a good opportunity to sell the Heat as a viable, inexpensive, professional hockey experience in the Fraser Valley. The

A day at the gym: Some pressing complaints ALEXEI SUMMERS the cascade

When I’m not engaging in the great sport of wrestling bears, or flying around the world in my private jet airplane solving mysteries, I like to spend a little bit of time at the gym. Any gym will do, provided it has the right equipment for my regimen, which consists of a bit of cardio - treadmills, rowing machines, and then some armcurls with the dumbells, and maybe some cable stacks.

Lately I have been frequenting UFV’s Abbotsford campus fitness centre, and have been fairly impressed. For a gym that is very small in size it’s got nearly everything I need – although boxing equipment might be nice.

However, for my own part, there has never been a time where I have gone to any gym without finding at least one person who has annoyed me terribly. Simply put, for all those who don’t normally go to fitness centres, gyms tend to be a gathering place for all kinds of highly-annoying people: gym stereotypes.

UFV’s fitness centre is surprisingly fairly devoid of these people – but not completely. I still occasionally hear the words, “bro,” uttered between two gym buddies, as they finish using the barbell – which is probably loaded with too many weights because they were trying to look impressive.

Now if you’re anything like me, you’re probably not a terribly serious gym-goer. I like to go for only about half-an-hour to an hour a day – I’m a busy man, as you know; I have bears to wrestle, and mysteries to solve. As such, it’s particularly annoying for

me when I arrive at the gym only to find someone using the machine I had my heart set on using. I usually think to myself “Well. That’s alright.

They will be done soon,” and I’ll go use some other machine, or fitness apparatus. Thirty minutes later, that same person is still on it, seemingly unaware—or perhaps just uncaring—that there’s anyone else in the gym. These are the machine hogs, the worst kind of gym-goers. It’s strange they’re usually there every time you go to the gym, too, almost as if they never leave.

Then there is that one guy who grunts and screams very loudly while lifting weights because he has to let everyone around him know just how hardcore he is. He seems to be in incredible pain, and he’s lucky his spine is not snapping, which probably has a lot to do with the fact that he’s lifting way too much. Yet despite what you may think, he doesn’t put the weights down. He keeps lifting, and screaming, and his friend next to him is nodding vehemently and is yelling “One more!” They’re both wearing muscle shirts, and sunglasses—yes, even at night—and occasionally they will lift up their sleeveless shirt to check out their own abs in the mirror. Just picture television personality Pauly D, from Jersey Shore.

I’m sure deep down, most of these stereotypes are alright people. But they’re inconsiderate, and annoying.

You learn to look past them, because at the end of the day you only have to deal with them for a short period of time. So, look past their faults, and try to find it in your hearts to forgive them, gym-goers. They know not what they do.

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SPORTS & HEALTH

Health Kick: don’t let your workout burnout KEN MUIR

lead to burnout and ultimately a complete removal from sport.

In sport there’s a taboo subject – nobody is talking about it, but everyone knows it’s out there. I’m talking about quitters. At least, that’s what they’re called behind their backs. Everyone else calls it burnout.

The problem is that athletes sometimes leave their sport feeling depressed, tired, and have an overall sore relationship with their sport.

They often leave before they were able to do what they set out to accomplish. Goals are left on the drawing boards, so to speak. It can leave one with a bad taste in one’s mouth, for months or even years after the individual decides to quit the sport, and they may not fully understand why they feel the way they do; how things went so wrong so quickly. And the real shame? If they were just told in the first place about the consequences of burnout, many of them would still be in sport. Hopefully this article will serve to illuminate the issue, so that any athlete or potential athlete won’t suffer needlessly through a set of confusing and awful feelings if burnout ever arises.

Put simply, burnout is mental and/ or physical exhaustion, a reduced interest in sport, and an overall decrease

in sport performance. The symptoms range from depression to physiological signs of stress, such as increased anxiety, trouble sleeping and increased heart rate. There are four different ways to experience burnout:

Smith’s Cognitive-Affective Model of Stress This pathway is a little complicated, but the gist of it is that the athlete becomes faced with a very stressful or overwhelming goal; one that the athlete doesn’t feel he/she will be able to accomplish. While this causes some athletes to feel even more motivated to succeed, it causes other athletes to experience anxiety, stress, depression, fatigue and eventually burnout. They become trapped by the monumental size of the problem they need to overcome, and the need to try to overcome it anyways, despite their internal pessimism. In contrast, the former athletes, who get motivated by massive challenges, are internally optimistic and won’t experience these problems.

Silva’s Training Stress Model This model highlights those athletes who can’t seem to improve in their training. This is called staleness. To compensate, some athletes will try to over-train, or push their bodies beyond their limits, which can lead to injury. Essentially, burnout arises through training frustration. If the athlete can’t figure out how to get past the staleness in training, it may

The Investment Model This applies to athletes who have been training and competing for some time. If they start to lose interest in sport, they’ll feel an inner conflict because of how much time they’ve already invested. Stepping back from competition would mean that all they’ve done so far in sport will have been for nothing. This problem becomes compounded if training is the

CONTRIBUTOR

image: rendezvouswithsneakers.com

only activity the athlete does in his/ her spare time. The athlete will continue to train even if they no longer enjoy it, because they feel compelled to commit to their investment. After a while, burnout will set in and the athlete will leave sport entirely.

The Empowerment Model This pathway stems from coaches pushing athletes into commitments that they wouldn’t necessarily make on their own, mostly in time commitments. The athlete will spend all of their time training, and little time socializing outside of that circle of people. The loss of personal control causes the athlete to want to experience other activities in lieu of training, and this eventually leads to burnout and withdrawal from sport.

Sadly, burnout is completely preventable in most cases. One just needs to know the signs, and react accordingly. Sometimes the best move is to just leave sport before the symptoms get worse. Here some preventative measures you can deploy: 1.

For Silva’s and Smith’s Stress Models: • Take time off. This can range from a few days to a few months, depending on strong your feelings are • Mix up your training. Too much

repetition in a training schedule inevitably leads to staleness (plus, it becomes really boring). Cross-training is a great way to combat this.

• Voice problems you may be having with your training to your coach.

Together, you may be able to work out a better training regime that will prevent overtraining and burnout.

2.

The Investment model • If you feel that this model applies to you, you should probably leave the sport before burnout occurs. If you’re not enjoying the sport, you should move on.

3.

The Empowerment Model: • In this case, the problem is your coach, not you. Change your training regime in such a way that you feel you have personal control over it as well as yourself, and that you can still experience other aspects of your life. Voice your concerns with your coach.

Honestly, burnout needs to be discussed more often among athletes and coaches. Most aren’t aware of the dangers and potential consequences that burnout can have on one’s psyche. Hopefully, armed with this knowledge, you too can prevent yourself from this host of unpleasant symptoms.

Sports you’ve never heard of: Royal Shrovetide Football pletely cancelled once, in 2001, due to a nationwide outbreak of Foot And Mouth Disease. The game was reportedly even played in the trenches of battle during both World Wars.

JEREMY WRIGHT CONTRIBUTOR

Are you a fan of the simple pleasures of watching a well-fought game of rugby? Or the crisp sound of heads clashing on the football field? Then here’s a sport you should both hear of and stay clear of!

The place: Ashbourne, England The name: Royal Shrovetide Football To answer your first question, Royal Shrovetide Football is an epic sport played by every man, woman and child of the small village of Ashbourne. The game is split into two eight-hour halves starting at 2 p.m. and ending at 10 p.m. The goals are old mills positioned three miles apart called Clifton and Sturston.

Shrovetide Football is played once a year, the first half on Shrove Tuesday, the first day of Lent and the second half on Ash Wednesday, which is 46 days before Easter.

According to www.shrovetide. net, the leather and cork ball is hand painted before every game, which often takes about three weeks to complete. The design will often represent the dignitary who will start the game.

The ball is thrown, or “turned up” as they say, from a brick podium called the plinth in the middle of town. The ball lands in the hoards of people from both teams surrounding the area and the violence begins. The teams are divided into the Up’ards who were born North of the Henmore River and the

The rules for this game are simple, but important: - No trespassing on other peoples property.

- The ball must not go into the churchyards, Memorial gardens or building sites - You must not intentionally cause harm to others.

- The ball must not be hidden from view in bags or rucksacks.

- The ball must not be transported in a motorized vehicle.

- A goal is scored when it is tapped three times onto one of the stone plinths. If it is scored before 5 p.m. then another ball may be thrown up.

- Play ends at 10 p.m. and the ball is returned to the Green Man public house (hotel and pub) where the final speeches are presented. image:: brainz.org

Down’ards who were born South of the river.

When the ball is in play both teams form giant mobs referred to as “hugs.”

These are similar to the scrum in rugby. The only difference is a scrum in Rugby doesn’t have 3000 people and the fist fights are kept to a minimum.

These are the only hugs in the world shopkeepers have to board up their

store fronts to protect against. The hugs attempt to push the ball either North or South towards their respective objectives, hoping to give the old mill a hearty bang three times and tally a goal. In the event of a goal being scored before 5 p.m., a new ball is turned up and play restarts. The Up’ards have won the majority of the games with only one to three goals

being scored altogether.

Shrovetide Football dates back to the 1600s. There is a reference to it in a 1683 publication, but Ashbourne only has records going back as far as the 1890s because a fire claimed the Royal Shrovetide Commitee Office. You can find all the games from 1891 at http://www.ashbourne-town. com. The game has been only com-

Other than that, the ball can be kicked, thrown or dribbled up and down the streets, and players are free to get as rough as they need, without killing anyone, to gain possession.

Next time Vancouver wants to riot, perhaps someone should throw up a ball and let the fun begin.

You can learn more at http://www. shrovetide.net.

Come write for The Cascade. Writers meeting every monday at 8:30 a.m. in room C 1420

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 4, 2012

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SPORTS & HEALTH

Your guide to birth Control (Part one) KAREN ANEY THE CASCADE

These days, we learn about sexual health as early as elementary school. Some people choose to begin an active sexual life early in life; hence, our education system has adapted and begun to teach the basics of reproductive health. However, depending on the school you went to, teacher you had, and classes you skipped, you may not be on the same page as everyone else. Heck, maybe you just didn’t pay attention. Well, here it is: everything you need to know about birth control.

There are many different forms of birth control, and even more misconceptions surrounding them. Because the different forms of birth control act in different ways, they each have their own set of health concerns that it’s important to think about. All these aspects factor into choosing the best birth control method for you – there isn’t a universal “best choice” unless you’re willing to consider lifelong abstinence.

Handy disclaimer: though all information contained here is based on medical studies, it’s not our fault if you get pregnant. Sexual health is no one’s responsibility but your own.

Barrier Methods These are what they sound like. They create a barrier between sperm and the female egg. This includes the obvious examples—condoms—but also technically encompasses surgical options. Both vasectomies and tubal ligation prevent sperm from reaching the egg, and thus are categorized as barrier methods of birth control.

Condoms

There are both female and male forms of condoms. The most wellknown of these is the male condom, which is available in latex, polyurethane, and natural forms (which are made from animal membrane). While the polyurethane and natural versions are slightly (less than one per cent) less effective than the latex versions, they are fairly readily available because latex allergies are common in both men and women.

If you use condoms and have experienced irritation—as a male or a female—a latex allergy may be the cause. Try switching condom types, and if that doesn’t alleviate your symptoms, consult a physician. Potential problems that can accompany male condom use generally relate to size: to be effective, the condom needs to fit snugly on the penis. If the condom is too tight or too loose, it can be prone to breaking or to leakage – both of which could result in pregnancy. For this and other reasons—though condoms are 98 per cent effective when used perfectly—typical use is actually only approximately 85 per cent effective. These statistics, as well as the ones following them, were found at OPTions, a provincial sexual health website, and are from studies conducted by provincial health authorities.

Aside from the three basic materials used for male condoms, there are many variations: lubricated, flavoured, and ribbed are a few examples. Another example are those that come with spermicide on them. This can improve the condom’s rate of efficacy, as spermicides kill sperm. However, the only spermicide legally allowed in British Columbia is called nonoxynol-9 (N-9), which has been known to cause irritation to vaginal lining. Thus, condoms with N-9 on them increases a woman’s risk of contracting HIV.

image:Kimono condoms

Health Canada has stated that these condoms should not be used for anal intercourse, and that the dangers of using N-9 condoms are less likely to affect women who use them infrequently. However, Health Canada says that using these condoms is better than using no form of birth control at all.

Female condoms are also known as internal condoms. They are made of polyurethane and consist of a loose tube of plastic with a soft ring at either end. They are 95 per cent effective when used perfectly, and 79 per cent effective based on typical use. These condoms have all the advantages of a male condom; they are fairly readily available, and are good defences against both pregnancies and STDs. An advantage of female condoms over male condoms is that they don’t need to fit anything snugly – thus, varied anatomy size will not render these any more or less effective. This means that female condoms are a good option for those couples where the male has especially large or small genitalia.

To use a female condom, the top ring is squeezed together and then inserted into the vagina. It is important to hold the outer ring of the condom against the labia while the penis is being inserted; this ensures that the penis is inside the condom. When removing, the outer ring is squeezed and then twisted (so that the semen is kept inside the condom and does not leak). This should be done before the woman stands up.

Spermicides These are technically a barrier contraceptive because they work by chemically blocking the entrance to the uterus. In British Columbia, all spermicides used contain nonoxynol-9 (N-9). This chemical immobilizes and kills sperm before it is able to swim to the uterus. Thus, the spermicide is most effective when deep in the vagina. Typical applications include creams and gels which are applied using an applicator, but each product is unique and will have its own application instructions. Spermicide should be applied before intercourse, but generally only lasts for a period of approximately one hour – for a more specific time frame, consult individual products. If you and your partner tend to engage in long sessions of intercourse, this is

Cervical Caps and Diaphragms

Both of these devices are used by the female. They are made of flexible materials such as latex, and work by fitting against the cervix, preventing the flow of sperm to the uterus. They differ only slightly: while both work in the same manner, cervical caps are stiffer and smaller – more thimble shaped than a diaphragm. Cervical caps are no longer produced in Canada, but can be found both online and in American pharmacies.

Their efficacy differs if you have had a child: 91 per cent perfect use and 84 per cent typical use drops to 74 per cent perfect use and 68 per cent actual use if you have carried a child to term. They come in a few different sizes, and it is up to you to select the one that is best suited to your size. Diaphragms are still produced in Canada, though they’re not highly com-

Sterilization

Sterilization is achieved through a vasectomy in men and tubal ligation in women. Vasectomies are 99.9 per cent effective, and tubal ligations are 99.5 per cent effective, making them an attractive form of birth control.

Vasectomies are performed by tying, cauterizing, or clamping the vas deferens: these are the tubes that join the urethra and the scrotum. This procedure is performed on an outpatient basis, typically takes less than an hour, and is done under local anaesthetic.

Vasectomies are reversible, using a process called a vasovasostomy. This surgery, while it can take a few hours longer than a vasectomy, is also an outpatient procedure. However, it is not 100 per cent successful – it’s not always possible to regain the connection between the scrotum and the urethra. Also, the longer a man waits to have this reversal, the longer span of time his body has to stop recognizing its own sperm, and can actually develop antibodies that render it ineffective. According to a study done by Dr. Charles Patrick Davis, though a vasovasostomy has a 97 per cent success rate after three years, the chance of actually impregnating your partner is only 76 per cent of what it would have been prior to the vasectomy.

For this reason, vasectomies are considered a permanent form of birth control, and a physician will

an important factor in your decisionmaking process.

Spermicide is 82 per cent effective with perfect use, and 71 per cent with typical use. It’s important to note that, as this is a chemical that is applied internally, it can disrupt normal and healthy bacteria.

Thus, spermicide can cause irritation of the vagina and surrounding skin, but can also lead to urinary tract infections, yeast infections, and other infections and ailments.

If you are prone to such infections, this probably isn’t the birth control method for you. Howmon. They are selected and fitted by your physician.

Diaphragms work by catching sperm. As they are flexible and cannot perfectly cover the cervix, they are made to be used in conjunction with spermicide. When used as such, they are 94 per cent effective with perfect use and 84 per cent effective with typical use. While they can be inserted for periods of up to 24 hours, the spermicide must be applied before each instance of intercourse, and the chemical lasts for a period of only one hour.

Because diaphragms are meant to be used with spermicide, they carry all the same adverse risks that spermicide does. They can likely deny the surgery to young men who have not fathered any children.

Tubal ligation is performed by cauterizing, tying, or clamping the fallopian tubes. These tubes lead from the ovaries to the uterus.

This procedure is considered major surgery, is done under general anaesthetic, and if there are complications, a lengthy hospital stay. While this is also considered a permanent form of birth control, it has some negative side effects. One such effect is an increased risk of ectopic pregnancies: according to a study done by the Chapel Hill Tubal Reversal Center in North Carolina, ectopic pregnancies can occur in five per cent of women who have had tubal ligation, where they typically occur in only one per cent of the general female population. One advantage, according to the same study, is that women who have had the tubal ligation performed have 40 per cent less risk of ovarian cancer.

Tubal ligation is also reversible, though the reversal surgery is even more invasive than the initial process. It requires at least a one night stay in the hospital, and has a recovery time of approximately six weeks. As some fallopian tube length is lost during the reversal

image: tressugar.com

ever, it is effective when used as a backup birth control method in conjunction with another method of contraception, and can reduce the danger of getting pregnant through misuse of primary methods (such as a leaking condom).

image:prlog.org

cause a number of infections, some more serious than others.

Further, the diaphragm itself can cause Toxic Shock Syndrome if used during a woman’s menstrual cycle. To reduce risk of infection, and of cervical and pelvic cramping and pain, your diaphragm should be refitted after any significant weight loss or gain.

image:urology.jhu.edu

process, the likelihood of pregnancy is reduced compared to prior to the surgery: according to the same Chapel Hill study, only 59 per cent of women achieve fullterm pregnancies with 7.5 cm or more of tube, which is the highest bracket of length studied.

So, though both forms of sterilization seem like attractive options, they may not be viable ones for the majority of readers. Physicians are likely to refuse sterilization on younger patients, and though reversals are possible in both cases, likelihood of achieving pregnancy is greatly reduced.

Aside from that, both procedures are surgeries, carrying all the risks that any surgery does (adverse reactions to anaesthetic, infection, and even death).

To learn about hormonal birth control methods and to find out where to obtain birth control, check back next week.

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