tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-83260718505164560092024-03-13T20:19:22.017-07:00the Capilano CourierCapilano Courierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18309364761678101890noreply@blogger.comBlogger1213125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8326071850516456009.post-15280986557187247142012-06-15T12:33:00.001-07:002012-06-15T12:36:31.939-07:00TO BE A MILLIONAIRE Arts Club's High Society provides window to the wealthy life //Samantha Thompson<br />
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As I sat down in the ever-elegant Stanley Theatre, I wasn't sure what to expect. Would this portrayal of the classic musical cause me to bob my head along in time with the music? Or would it fall short, instead leaving me to flip through the program to find out when the intermission was? As the curtains slid back, revealing an illustrious stage, I had high hopes for this production. The first act opened with the elegant Lord mansion, illustrating the house help cheerfully introducing what exactly it means to be in a “high society”. The mansion and its gardens all encourage a theme of soft ivories and greens, with tasteful flowers and furniture pulling in each set to create an eye-pleasing scene. The Arts Club had really done it again in terms of visual production, leaving no cost spared in creating a true stage delight.</div>
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It isn’t long before the audience was introduced to Dexter (played by Todd Talbot) who promptly stole the show, and the audience's collective heart. You will no doubt find yourself hoping he and Tracy find romantic happiness, from the moment he invites himself to tea right up until the energetic finale. Talbot fills the stage with charm, and maintains strong chemistry with each of the actors in every scene. You can't help but cheer for him and everything he does, even though he does serve as a sort of antagonist for the plot.</div>
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The portrayal of each of the characters provided depth, so that it was as though you knew each one intimately, beyond what the script had given you. All of the actors were clearly passionate about their roles, which is what provided a certain level of realism to the story. Even though most of us are unable to partake in the life of a high society on a regular basis, this production provides a quirky and comedic window into that different, debonair way of living.</div>
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Fast-moving with a satisfactory combination of singing and dialogue - this is a musical, after all - this production of High Society will keep you engaged from beginning to end. Every song was convincingly sung with the perfect emotion – energy where it was celebration, and sadness when it was about heartbreak. As a result, the performance will have you in both laughter and tears within mere minutes. The Cole Porter standards that got their name in the film musical pack just as much punch with today's live audience. You will reminisce with age-old classics like "True Love" and "You're Sensational!", and tap your foot along with "She's Got That Thing!" and "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" Of course, there's also the hilarious "Say It With Gin" which could easily become your Friday-night theme song. Although it is certainly difficult to live up to the musical talents of Sinatra and Crosby, the cast stood on their own as an excellent musical ensemble. It has shown once again that the Arts Club has a phenomenal skill for producing top-notch musicals.</div>
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And as you exit the beautiful Stanley, you will travel home continuously humming the annoyingly catchy "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?", wishing you could return to the addictive world of High Society.</div>
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//Samantha Thompson, copy editor</div>Samantha Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16957224671619767421noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8326071850516456009.post-13220430508798222642012-06-06T16:13:00.000-07:002012-06-06T16:13:25.555-07:00COSTUMES, CRUMPING, CHEERLEADERS Putting the gold in Santigold //JJ Brewis<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">For those of us without the means to afford full stadium rock shows, we are often treated to the dive bar treatment, or a straight up four-piece band without any bells and whistles. For those in the crowd at the Commodore Ballroom's Santigold performance, the audio-visual masterpiece may have been a bit overwhelming. </span><br style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><br style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Santigold, or "Santi White" on paper, treated her capacity Commodore Ballroom audience to the most colourful club-sized show she could have possibly dreamed up, complete with a pair of mirrored dancers, elaborate costume changes, and an on-stage dance party featuring 50 or so of the crowd's most excited fans.</span><br style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><br style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">It was impossible not to want to dance to Santigold's high energy set, which was a great spin on her already captivating album tracks. The show was like a series of individualized live music videos, each catered to the specific song with specialized choreography, an intense and almost overwhelming light show, and the odd appearance by two band members in a giant pony costume. </span><br style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><br style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">The songs themselves seem to be a witch's brew of old school hip hop, 90s R&B, some drum and bass, reggae, jungle, and anything else that can be crammed in. More interestingly, each song seems to be less than three minutes long, making the genre collisions all the more impressive. On the single "L.E.S. Artistes", White commanded the crowd with a big vocal that would easily be at home on American Idol or the like, a sincere technical range with a certain flavour that is certainly distingushable from any other vocalist out there. But she's not keen to just sit comfortably belting out big choruses, instead switching it up with the urban-tinged "Creator", even rapping on "Unstoppable". </span><br style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><br style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Meanwhile, Santigold's cheerleader-esque dancers mime sledgehammers in unison, shake their booty with rigorous speed, and deliver a stadium-ready routine complete with pom-poms and flips. The routine is matched by Santigold's entire band, outfitted in African hats and multicoloured striped outfits, adding to the international flavour of the show. The musicians only lose their costumes momentarily, when the white pony costume is paraded on stage, trotting around for an entire song. </span><br style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><br style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">The set had a lot going on, but specific themes lasted for one song and then were quickly tossed out for the next, like the Bollywood-inspired "Freak Like Me" which had the dancers in full Indian motif, and the pulsating rave lights creating a truly cinematic experience. On the Caribbean and Calypso-flavoured take on her new single "Disparate Youth", dancers waved umbrellas behind an intense White who got up close and personal with her fans despite the massive barracade which only seemed to provoke her interaction. She them invited a massive chunk of the crowd onstage for "Creator", which led to a floodgate of on-stage sass, ass-shaking, and Facebook profile photo self-shots. Santi even got a bit Jay-Z with a cover of his "Brooklyn (We Go Hard", which seamlessly bled into her own "Shove It".</span><br style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><br style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">If anything, Santigold's show is ready for the big stage. With big hooks in the songs, flashy stage appeal, and a fan base growing at a rapid pace, don't be surprised if her return to Vancouver is at a much less intimate venue. Bragging rights for those in the house at this performance, naturally.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">//JJ Brewis, editor-in-chief</span>Samantha Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16957224671619767421noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8326071850516456009.post-33974863916822062362012-06-06T16:02:00.000-07:002012-06-06T16:02:56.760-07:00IF IT AIN'T BROKE Best Coast give Biltmore deja vu //JJ Brewis<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Bethany Cosentino and her Best Coast project were the biggest deal in muffled garage rock two years ago. I saw the band a total of three times within six months, yet for some reason kept coming back for more. The crunchy hazed out guitars and distorted lovelorn lyrics rode the wave that similar artists like Vivian Girls established, but capitalized on the niche with the concept album "Crazy For You" - that is if boo-hoo boyfriend-dumped-me guitar pop can be described as concept (I'm going with yes).</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Needless to say, music fans are fickle as shit, but for some reason Cosentino has a certain appeal that drew in enough of a mixed demographic to sell out the show. The woman has so much charm that she's created a Twitter account for her cat Snacks and sells novelty plush recreations of him at her merch booth. That is only the quirkiest bit about her girl-next-door, which also includes a line of summer threads at Urban Outfitters and the fact that she somehow snagged Hollywood producer Jon Brion to work with her on much of the material on her new album "The Only Place". The last time I saw Best Coast at The Biltmore, a very supportive and warm Cosentino comforted my drunk ass and told me to chase after a boy who was obviously not the one for me. I may have been extremely wasted, but I'll never forget her taking the time to sit with me and attempt to cheer me up. Needless to say, her album became my heartbreak go-to, shelved tightly between "Jagged Little Pill" and "Tragic Kingdom" in my record collection. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">It's clear that I'm not the only one who has found some sort of personal connection with Best Coast. The album cover for "Place" depicts a brown bear hugging the state of California, giving the title specificity. And upon listen, the tracks on the album are almost a carbon copy of her first release, surf-infused sunny pop that sounds entirely vintage and charged with energy, until the downtrodden lyrics about bummers and shitty relationships set in, creating one of the most juxtaposed appeals in current music history. Given the material's shady core, it's no wonder that Brion signed on with Cosentino for this disc, given that his track record is a cornucopia of bleeding heart style artists like Fiona Apple and Rufus Wainwright. That said, the new record does showcase Brion's production values, a high budget treatment that sees Best Coast depart the garage and sit comfortably among music's A-listers. It's something to be said that the authenticity is still in tact despite such a significant production upgrade.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Yet, live, Cosentino and her well-rounded band still retain every last ounce of dive bar do-goodery that made them so great in the first place. "We played here once three years ago," she told the crowd. "A fight broke out while we were playing. We aren't really fighting music."</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">It probably didn't hurt that local openers Nu Sensae brought their blend of wacky punk to the much excited audience. By the time Best Coast's set arrived, it was nearly midnight, but the crowd was singing along and dancing to each lyric as if it was an excerpt of their own high school diary. Even with the new songs a bit more filled out, it was the classic break-up go-to tunes like "Our Deal" that had the couples in the audience swapping their PBRs for a soft hand hold, and the singles in the crowd clutching their newly purchased vinyl copies of "The Only Place", hoping for an answer within the tracks.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">//JJ Brewis, editor-in-chief</span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">//photos by Tom Nugent</span>Samantha Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16957224671619767421noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8326071850516456009.post-79003789474651808862012-05-17T11:50:00.002-07:002012-05-18T19:30:34.163-07:00SOUL SERMON The church of Willis Earl Beal invites all listeners //JJ Brewis<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222;">Fans of music could easily compare a live show to a Sunday mass. For Chicago soul star Willis Earl Beal, it's easy to make that comparison. Beal, on tour with his debut LP "Acousmatic Sorcery", hit the Biltmore stage in the least likely of ways. With a book of Bukowski poetry placed in his hand, he treated the crowd to one of his favourite poems before even introducing himself.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222;">Beal is in flux here, early in his career. Self-admittedly, he loves writing and singing, but hates performing for crowds onstage. Yet here, in his showy singular leather glove, clearly authentic Ray Bans, and skull-emblemed t-shirt, Beal is half accomplished onstage impresario, yet retains an air of cool unmatched by most in his league. His first interaction with the crowd is when he announces, "This is a song about redemption. I wanna be redeemed. How do you be redeemed?"</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222;">After all, his brand of Chicago soul holds an undeniable appeal, with his a Capella vocals as an unreal platform for his charming tunes to reach countless demographics. Even though his career has gained momentum at a rather rapid pace, Beal's persona seems to retain his charisma. While other artists attend to big budget productions as public interest in them increases, Beal now uses his time with his audience for something a little more personal: "I used to read out of one book, now I read out of two." He then proceeds to read an extra piece of poetry for the crowd. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222;">Willis Earl Beal's backstory has been written about enough times to make the guy sick of his own history, and he often answers interviewers with a slight disinterest in the repeated tales. A quick online search of the man reveals a charming rags-to-riches archetype in which the once homeless Beal found a voice for himself by placing ads around town searching for a girlfriend. Recording music onto CDRs eventually got him off the streets and signed to a record label. He's modest about his past, but his path has informed him as a lyricist and artist. Despite seeming unenthused in interviews about his live show, this is what he calls "The Church of Willis Earl Beal", where the only choir is his voice, and the only accompaniment is an old school reel-to-reel player that he switches on and off at his whim. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222;">Yet everything about Beal-- no matter how calculated it is or isn't at this point-- comes off as cool. The toothpick he keeps in his mouth for half the performance doubles as a guitar pick when he needs one. He perches himself on a casual bar chair, leaning back with the guitar horizontally placed over his knees while he plucks away at the tune. The kid-drawing haphazard skull image on his shirt also displayed on a white flag becomes a cape halfway through the performance, as Beal's set takes itself to the iconographic pop level as possible that it may be for one man, unaccompanied onstage by any backing musicians. </span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihNjz3UnMlOjH0Gq_dbg0S_fhQiHF16kl9ohZJC27HA5tDV317yf_Pv5beFybBRIr5lESrpb4ftr8t0A9_1E-p3m9NR58aDiN3A-0mFE-26I2wuxcvMnWtsCXgREc2UeKRF4VQz4a7u5c/s1600/IMG_4414.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihNjz3UnMlOjH0Gq_dbg0S_fhQiHF16kl9ohZJC27HA5tDV317yf_Pv5beFybBRIr5lESrpb4ftr8t0A9_1E-p3m9NR58aDiN3A-0mFE-26I2wuxcvMnWtsCXgREc2UeKRF4VQz4a7u5c/s320/IMG_4414.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969);"><span style="color: #222222;">Even in his most theatrical moments, Beal breaks it down for the crowd putting it in context, finally bearing flag to his life. "It always amazes me how I get to get up here and play these long ass shows", he tells the audience. "I got into town [and] three people recognize me. We're talking about a guy working at FedEx a year ago."</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">But a true performer never lays it down for too long. Willis, a performer and musician at his core here, tells the crowd they're in for "something nasty". With the reel-to-reel back on, he begins a microphone stand straddling dance, and shouts "I ain't got no love" over and over, then removes his belt as a makeshift percussion instrument, slapping it against a chair until the song ends.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">//JJ Brewis, Editor-in-Chief</span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">//photos by Tom Nugent</span>Samantha Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16957224671619767421noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8326071850516456009.post-67713827095596477642012-05-02T11:39:00.000-07:002012-05-02T11:43:23.951-07:006 BANDS, 6 VENUES, 6 DAYS A musical endurance challenge for the ages //JJ Brewis<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZkfBiPWZaD1krKPAklyvOtaqmcHYHY7IaP5pf65vXY0XPssjdmKvK7S_R3DcWP4y4XH10hFZga8EMZBZO-ff4VsVSGaZ5QgYIeEQBINsF_W_-4yigj3bPsHZXWnLgNVA-gC4O0OqSmbdb/s1600/IMG_2757.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZkfBiPWZaD1krKPAklyvOtaqmcHYHY7IaP5pf65vXY0XPssjdmKvK7S_R3DcWP4y4XH10hFZga8EMZBZO-ff4VsVSGaZ5QgYIeEQBINsF_W_-4yigj3bPsHZXWnLgNVA-gC4O0OqSmbdb/s320/IMG_2757.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">M83 - Photo by Tom Nugent</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt;">For those who go to music festivals, three days in the hot pouring sun combined
with as much drinking and live bands as possible is an easy formula because
you're removed from your day-to-day life. For those who can't take the time off
to go to such things as Coachella, we stay in town and work our jobs, letting
those touring bands come through Vancouver on their way back from the festival
and taking in as much music as we can on top of our 9-to-5s. And in my case, I
challenged myself to take in six shows in a row, waking up at 7:00 AM each day,
going to work, and heading to a show afterwards, on repeat all week, just
because I thought I could. Results varied. It was like my own mini music
festival week.<br />
<br />
<b><br />
TANLINES<br />
</b>Apr. 23 at Fortune Sound Club<br />
<br />
It's nearly midnight, and Tanlines still haven't hit the stage of the
packed Fortune Sound Club. The New York City electro-rock duo, supporting their
brand new debut LP, are also embarking on their first major tour. Following the
group on Twitter has been a funny journey, watching as they inquire about where
exactly the magic spot is to get a night's rest between Portland and San
Francisco. Working out the kinks seems natural, and the band's debut Vancouver
appearance was a surprising display of an ironed-out set, for the most part.
After a live pre-show soundcheck, the group immediately just began their set
without the usual over-the-top MC hyped intro that comes along with the average
Fortune show. Drummer Jesse Cohen met the crowd with "Boy is my every
thing possible that could be tired is tired. We drove from Minnesota, and we
just got here." Opening their set with the Vancouver-appropriate
"Rain Delay" was a good choice: the slow, bare bones track was an introduction
to a set which would accelerate quickly. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt;">The set featured a tropical-infused
blend of indie rock and electronic dance pop that had the room busting a move
despite the late set time. Vocalist/guitarist Eric Emm's slightly pitchy vocals
have found a nice groove placed among Cohen's computer bleeps and Frankenstein
drum kit made of both regular percussion instruments and fancy computerized
ones. Cohen does seem to do most of the legwork, including the in-between song
banter, awkwardly addressing the crowd, "This is the part of the show
where I mention Stephen Harper." A loud response of booing prodded Cohen
to continue. "Not because I like him, but because I want you to know that
some of us down in the United States know who your Prime Minister is!" The
crowd's chanting of "USA!" prodded the duo to laugh and loosen up
onstage. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt;">Tanlines are far catchier and dance-friendly as a live act, with
Cohen looping drum beats and keys to sound like the duo is actually a full rock
band, mixing hip hop, jungle, and tribal sounds. Ending their set with 'tour
exclusive' "Board Slipping", the group even threw a touch of surf
into the set. "We get to wake up with the knowledge that hip-hop was born
in our city 30 years before hand," Cohen said. "You get to wake up in
this beautiful city and look at that beautiful mountain.” Here's hoping the
group will be back to stare at our mountains and pound out another set sometime
soon.<br />
<b><br />
SCHOOL OF SEVEN BELLS<br />
</b>Apr. 24 at The Electric Owl<br />
<br />
For those who missed out on the heyday of the '80s Industrial and goth music
scene, School of Seven Bells are heavy in the renaissance of that era,
capitalizing on the music which was a lifestyle to a generation of music fans.
Clearly lovers of synth pioneers Depeche Mode and other similar artists, School
of Seven Bells fuse pivotal aspects such as dreamy piano looping and hypnotic
echo-heavy vocals into a dramatic blend that translates magically onstage. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt;">The
ethereal stage show features band members Benjamin Curtis on guitar and
Alejandra Hedeza on vocals, backed by some guest touring musicians. The result
is a moody and introverted concoction, with a heavy percussion exo-skeleton
that provides warmth to the tunes that may otherwise be a hazy blur of chamber
choir melodies. In their all-black ensembles, the group look the part, with
lace-up Doc Martins and flowy witch-like gowns adding a visual affirmation to
the musical base. The songs are stylised perfectly as to solidify that
everything is in place for a reason. There were no bells and whistles, and the
minimal core works well for the group. Like a more focused Ladytron, the songs
leave room for dancing, but have a hearty lyrical core, particularly in the
aggressive "Low Times", in which Curtis wails on a crunchy guitar
solo, and Hedeza spells out the word "predator" on repeat. It's
slightly jarring to watch the crowd bopping along to a track that has such dark
lyrical content, but the shift between the band's material and the social
context is aside from the point. The eerie undertones are accompanied by grins
all over the stage, though, a testament to the band's creation of the music as
a sincere art piece, not a gloomy set of individuals. Sadly for the group, just
as the set reached its pique, the show had come to a halt. "That's
it," Curtis told the crowd. "Our songs just keep getting
longer."<br />
<b><br />
<br />
THE NAKED AND FAMOUS</b> <b><br />
</b>Apr. 25 at The Commodore Ballroom<br />
<br />
The first of two back-to-back performances at the esteemed Commodore Ballroom
saw Auckland, New Zealand favourites The Naked and Famous completely
overwhelmed by the response. After all, the first performance sold out in mere
weeks, prompting the promoters to add a second date. Co-vocalist and
multi-instrumentalist Thom Powers gushed to his adoring audience, thanking
them: "We've been [on the road] for a long time. We don't have houses.
We're homeless!" It's apparent why the group have continued their
roadbound lifestyle, with the crowd faithfully bouncing to their songs,
professing each lyric as if they were their own words. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt;">Powers' bandmate Alisa
Xayalith shares vocal duty creating an interesting dynamic to their songs. In
concert, the Naked and Famous are far more potent than on record. The group
shines best during their pop-heavy tracks, like the MGMT-eque "Young
Blood" with its catchy choruses. Deep album cuts are a lot different than
the band's singles suggest, showing a less accessible, more post-punk side,
like encore "Da Da Da". Accompanied by a flashy yet complimentary
light show, the entire production was top notch. In total, the experience is a
colourful one that has a little something for everyone. On "Punching in a
Dream", Xayalith knocks it out of the park, and even the super-fans
singing along halt in their tracks for a moment to hear her sing the lyrics. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt;">The Commodore's floor ripples with bass on the heavier tracks, causing the
floor to get those legs moving, and they hardly stop for the rest of the night.
When they slow it down for a moment on "The Sun", the speaking of the
crowd takes away from the sharp intimate moment onstage. The performing
continues to be passionate though, and when they bring it back to full blast on
finale "Young Blood", the Phil Collins-esque drumming and snazzed LED
lights are the perfect backdrop for both vocalists to belt this one out: a
perfect middle point of aggression, passion, and chemistry. The Naked and
Famous have done what they came for.<br />
<b><br />
JUSTICE<br />
</b>Apr. 25 at The PNE Forum</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZVUQukLTtKKE-DVAXRkaTXNqr73iqj7EEHjVg3EG8rVcZZSJd4LI6UZKFOuBooD1QDwf4rLTL0VjPYa5HPb8aUDMimt7kSKiMkQ3rX2WiDAFcnlTG1q2uI5uTtdfV3n1uBI6rQyquMeT8/s1600/DSC_0636-9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZVUQukLTtKKE-DVAXRkaTXNqr73iqj7EEHjVg3EG8rVcZZSJd4LI6UZKFOuBooD1QDwf4rLTL0VjPYa5HPb8aUDMimt7kSKiMkQ3rX2WiDAFcnlTG1q2uI5uTtdfV3n1uBI6rQyquMeT8/s320/DSC_0636-9.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Justice - Photo by Melissa Dex Guzman</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt;">"Justice are over," balked a friend who had seen their grandiose
stage show back in 2007 at their 'peak'. But for those ready to write something
off just because it's not brand new, I challenge you to check out even five
minutes of Justice's present live show to make up your mind. Much of their set
will look and sound familiar to anyone who saw them back when-- the massive
light-up cross sandwiched between a too-tall stack of Marshall speakers, with
the two French electro-DJs, Gaspard Augé and Xavier de Rosnay, perched up top,
nodding their heads. Yes, some things are best left untouched. They salute
their fans like pilots before take-off, placed among a two foot storey high LED
light setup, half of which is taken up by the speaker stack. But the boys
aren't content to just lay low. They'll have you think nothing has changed
whatsoever-- but halfway through the set, during the group's biggest single to
date, "D.A.N.C.E.", Augé leaves the massive podium for the first
time, and as he enters the front of the stage, the cross slides to the right as
the set splits to reveal a shockingly white-bright lit up piano and bench,
leaving him to sit down and plunk out the tune's melody on the keys. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt;">The light
production of the whole show drew from religious ceremonials, with rays of
light shining down on the pair at opportune times. The set was a perfect mix of
the genre-bending debut "†" and their tough follow-up, last year's
surprisingly guitar heavy "Audio, Video, Disco". Just as the songs
got more intense, the production matched it, like the speakers performing
spiral light pulsations, then bleeding down like the brightest waterfall you've
ever seen. On "Civilization", the sound goes quiet for just a few
seconds-- long enough to make you scratch your head, and then like a tin can
radio, it slowly creeps back in, and the hook blasts through those Marshalls
louder than it was in the first place. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt;">Justice are not lazy. The show was like
an ultimate mega-mix, and with too many songs to fit into one set, other tracks
were not discarded, but used as sample loops to rile up the crowd like club
favourite "We Are Your Friends" and the sing-along-friendly
"DVNO" used as the lead-in for "Horsepower". While it's a
bummer to not see the whole track live, it's nice to see it pave the way for
something new. In "STRESS", spinning red police lights act as
an impromptu interrogation squad. As a finale, it is no shocker that the big
guns come out: light-up organ pipes emerge from atop the speaker system, and
the two musicians freeze for several minutes, letting the screams and cheers of
fanfare wash over them. In this state, a minute feels like forever, and it's
hard to wonder just what they're doing next. It's like a symbolic baby being
birthed night after night for the whole tour. In the finale, for the title
track from their new album, the solid light walls go dark for the first time
and a combusting galaxy motif takes its place. We have arrived. It was
elaborate as hell, but totally worth it. Not bad for two dudes who don't say a
single word the entire time they're on stage.<br />
<br />
<b><br />
M83</b><br />
Apr. 26 at The Vogue Theatre<br />
<br />
Last fall when Anthony Gonzales and his band of electro-oddball music makers
brought the M83 stage show to town, the small stage of Venue felt nice and
intimate for everyone in the room. But the songs may have been too anthemic for
such a performance, and their comeback performance, this time at the much
larger Vogue Theatre, gave a lot of breathing room for the group. Filling the
space with lasers, neon tube lights, and some of the greatest electronic indie
pop to sneak its way into the top 40 charts, M83 left a major mark on the Granville
Street crowd. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt;">There were plenty of theatrics, such as the demon-masked mutant
who dons the group's merchandise and music videos, reaching his hands out over
the crowd like a weird prophet of misfits, foretelling the bizarre yet wonderful
music about to fill the walls in mere moments. On top of sounding so
intricately wonderful, M83 make it look good while they're at it, spastically
beating drums from every angle, fiddling with knobs, and Gonzales getting down
on his knees to slam through his guitar solos like a classic rock veteran.
Amazingly, all of this happened with flailing pulsating lights commanding the
stage like a Hollywood masterpiece. For "Let's have a party on this one",
Gonzales professed to the crowd, before standout single "Midnight
City" had everyone in the theatre, including those in the overstuffed
aisles, hooting and hollering mere seconds into the song's intro. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt;">M83 have
perfected an exact formula combining electro and rock elements. On "We Own
The Sky", Gonzales and keyboardist/vocalist Morgan Kibby's voices create a
unique sound together. The encore began with "Skin Of The Night",
which focused on Kibby's outrageous vocal register, a testament to unique
voices leaving their mark. On closer "Coulers", the entire band,
including a special appearance by the saxophone player, showed a playful
whimsy, as the track ends up a ten-minute long jam session, with everyone
onstage smiling and laughing right until the last note. <br />
<b><br />
NEON INDIAN</b><br />
Apr. 27 at Venue<br />
<br />
Saturday nights are interesting for club shows, because bands have to be on and
off stage by the curfew. For Neon Indian frontman Alan Palomo, this is an
excuse to squeeze in as much singing and dancing time as possible. In fact, he
even left out the whole formulaic 'leave the stage for the encore' thing that
has become a routine for literally every single show I've witnessed. "We
only have about ten minutes left," he told the crowd. "We're not
gonna leave and come back. We have a couple more tunes for you." The
gesture was much appreciated as the clock raced against the chillwave act to
the finish line. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt;">Most of the set blended together, but managed to sound quite
good in spite of that. Many of the songs are quite samey, but as a live show,
the group creates a whimsical and fun presence. Palomo thanked the "lively
and spirited" crowd, dancing his feet-shuffling dance through the entire
set, playing in front of a light up hexagon which blew smoke on-stage. In
between sips of his Red Stripe, Palomo and his band managed to pack most of
their sophomore "Era Extraña" into the set, encouraging the crowd to
dance, cheekily asking them "It is Saturday night, right?" I mean
this in the nicest way possible: Neon Indian were the perfect comedown for a
week of so many musical highs. Ending their set with the Pitchfork favourite,
single "Polish Girl", the band's electro-savvy grooves were on their
best foot, with the crowd hanging on every beat, swaying in pure bliss.<br />
<br />
--<br />
It surprised me that no matter how much I enjoyed myself, it was completely
draining to just sit through these shows. Being the spectator is somehow
tiring. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt;">
I won't lie. My ears are ringing non-stop with tinnitus, the bags under my eyes
are heavy, and I feel like I've been hit in the face with a brick. But would I
do it again? Absolutely.</span>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt;">//JJ Brewis, Editor-in-Chief</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt;">//Photos by Melissa Dex Guzman and Tom Nugent</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Cambria;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span>Capilano Courierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18309364761678101890noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8326071850516456009.post-76305627023680059532012-04-25T13:06:00.002-07:002012-04-25T13:07:58.884-07:00BLINDED BY SCIENCE Thomas Dolby returns to his roots at Rio Theatre //JJ Brewis<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">For someone who hasn't released a new album in nearly two decades, and best known for a weird hit from 30 years ago (1982's "She Blinded Me With Science"), Thomas Dolby has no problem charming his way through a full set. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">The London electronic pioneer has a full body of work behind him, working both his '80s revival niche as well as promoting his upcoming release "A Map of the Floating City". Though he hadn't been to town in several decades, Dolby was met with large fanfare and a legion of fans proving they were waiting for what was only a matter of time. Absence has served Dolby well, and his resurgence is a fitting one, given that his early work helped open the floodgates for what is now a full-blown genre in its own right. Though Dolby may have been an outsider when his massive 1982 hit "She Blinded Me With Science" took the airwaves by storm, the blips and bleeps lacing his records are now a commonplace mainstay for radio singles and indie markets alike. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Dolby, above his work as a machinist and tinkerer, is a storyteller, something he admits freely. His songs, part diary and part fiction, are melded pieces of half-truths in which the listener submerges and makes up their own mind about where the borders of fact and fiction may be defined. That's where the electronics come in. Dolby still croons with a flowing glow, which perfectly juxtaposes the synthesizers and keyboards he stations himself for most of his set. The chemistry seems to work, guiding his story songs along in a set that feels like a sort of science-fiction book of short stories. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">On "The Flat Earth", Dolby samples the voice of the late Martin Luther King, Jr. saying "I still have a dream", yet Dolby himself seems just as poignant in his lyric, professing "The earth can be any shape you want it." The jangly tune of this song, in which Dolby builds an entire sound orchestra before singing, is a precursor to later tunes in the set and Dolby's career, which verge into world music and fusions.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969);"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Backed by only a guitar and a drummer, Dolby does most of the heavy lifting, constantly fluctuating between charming vocalist and serious button-presser, proving to his already-sold audience that he's still got more than a few tricks up his sleeve. Each song is preceded by a story of its own, such as new single "My Evil Twin Brother" in which he relays the story of being jet-lagged in New York City at 3 a.m., getting into a plethora of sticky situations. Between the heavy cocktail concoctions and the mistress taking him to the dance floor, Dolby perfectly bemuses his audience in what must likely be another of his storytelling tangents. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Dolby's career has been an interesting one, if his tales are any account of it. Before playing a true-to-the-record version of his hit "Hyperactive!", Dolby told a story of how the studio he'd worked in was next to the one Michael Jackson was working in on "Billie Jean", and how the encounter led to Dolby giving Jackson the track to work on. Michael may have turned Thomas down on using the song, but it became a massive UK hit for Dolby in his heyday. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">For someone so steeped in electronics, Thomas Dolby has no trouble paying homage to other genres, such as during "Love Is a Loaded Pistol", a song which has lyrics almost entirely pieced together of old Billie Hollidays. During this rare moment, Dolby's keyboard is stripped down on pure Grand Piano mode, plunking away as a tribute to the jazz great. The great thing about Thomas Dolby live is that the set is so versatile which constantly keeps it refreshing. On two tracks, Dolby's teenage son Graham sat in on drums. For the latter half of the set, a guitarist/violinist sat in, adding an extra juiciness to the tunes. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">As enchanting as some of Dolby's new work may be ("Toad Licker" for example, with its Imogen Heap joyharp sampling, keeps Dolby current), it was the rear end of the set, where Dolby stashed his '80s gems that kept the crowd screaming for more. On "Europa" and "Airhead", the storyteller and the electro-king merge as one where Dolby shines completely. But it was the closer "She Blinded Me With Science", that proves the power of a hit is an undeniable thing. Yes, there is a lot more to the man and the performer than the one track that still plays in '80s "One Hit Wonder" compilations. Although it may have been the only track that put Dolby on the pop music canon, it was also the reason we were all still there that night.</span>Capilano Courierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18309364761678101890noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8326071850516456009.post-33727643266702653132012-04-25T12:58:00.002-07:002012-04-25T12:59:38.061-07:00THE SPEED OF SOUNDS Coldplay blow roof off Rogers Arena in full Technicolour //JJ Brewis<br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;">Coldplay, riddled in duality. They take themselves very seriously, as well as
know how to enjoy every moment onstage. For a band who enters the stage to the
triumphant "Back to the Future" theme, they have a lot to prove.
Before even stepping foot on the massive arena-sized platform, the backdrop
shone in a cinematic glow, with black lights showing the rainbow graffiti motif
which has accompanied the UK group on this, the "Mylo Xyloto" era of
their monumental career. Where the band previously donned sophisticated
military wear for "Viva La Vida" or the sombre all-black garb for
"X&Y", this time they switched it up yet again. And props to
whoever is responsible for the themes and art direction here, because the
"Mylo Xyloto" tour shone in full neon colour, a spectacle unlike any
I'd ever witnessed before. Just before the band entered the stage, the 20,000+
wristbands, which had been mysteriously handed out by the group's street team in
the lobby, all started flashing every colour of the rainbow, matching the
bright hypnotic lasers and backlights onstage. For a city that rarely gets a
look at the stars in the sky, the moment was exhilarating for the crowd, bonded
together in a flashing pulse: the realization that we were all part of the show
was a special one.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEJmlLGayu9YXueQtghn4O9HCx57JkUDq78-eHIYo1tQfIJ74v5hdF39JC_JgWlSvrBABRms4BCJkoJEl4SaSfgKYKHSPM9hf07SWOGGFvHG2q6YXOLBh5axQU8Xm7sHYtsAHRwpHPsLf5/s1600/coldplay-0140.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEJmlLGayu9YXueQtghn4O9HCx57JkUDq78-eHIYo1tQfIJ74v5hdF39JC_JgWlSvrBABRms4BCJkoJEl4SaSfgKYKHSPM9hf07SWOGGFvHG2q6YXOLBh5axQU8Xm7sHYtsAHRwpHPsLf5/s320/coldplay-0140.jpg" width="320" /></a>The colour bonanza hardly stopped there. Within the first half hour, the crowd
would witness no less than three massive confetti cannon blasts, a plethora of
neon beach balls dispensed among the crowd, and two of the band's many top-ten
smash hits, "In My Place", and "The Scientist". The
customized Mylo Xyloto confetti, which mimicked the symbolic iconography of the
band's latest disc and incarnation, would remain splattered among the arena,
including the stage, for the remainder of the performance. While confetti is a
customary arena show staple, most artists have it discarded off the stage by a
leaf blower moments after it lands. Vocalist Chris Martin, on the other hand,
chose to frolic in the yellow and pink piles, leaping through the air and
rolling about like an excited child in a flower garden. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieNu4qHKbe8C6WLbX9bMhwHlM32Gnwc9-GV5JbR-hxsgH6Qv5VxTq-djEZbQJX_Tta3iN9FXGeyMQ5MrzTKumgEL_Kq2FedHPxroWoqjOp9X8i05ZWOYxx2wecQsj3XQOuKxweFWKQA-5V/s1600/coldplay-0262.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieNu4qHKbe8C6WLbX9bMhwHlM32Gnwc9-GV5JbR-hxsgH6Qv5VxTq-djEZbQJX_Tta3iN9FXGeyMQ5MrzTKumgEL_Kq2FedHPxroWoqjOp9X8i05ZWOYxx2wecQsj3XQOuKxweFWKQA-5V/s320/coldplay-0262.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;">Openers
Metronomy managed to make an impression on the half-capacity crowd, who
trickled in slowly near the tail end of the London act's set. The electro-pop
quartet worked the room to the best of their ability, despite obviously more
familiar with club sized gigs. "It's very nice to be in such a big
room," proclaimed singer-keyboardist Joseph Mount. Aside from the crowd
gaping in certain spots, the outfit captured the attention of those lucky
enough to catch their performance. The set was a quick introduction into the
group, highlighting their diverse catalogue. It ranged from electronic trumpet
solos to the slow Calypso styled drum portion of "Everything Goes My
Way" at the hands of percussionist Anna Prior, who also sang the track. A
lot of the set was fused together in a dark electronic-heavy tone that read
similar to a more lyrical Daft Punk, like a narrative-style video game, which
had me visualizing the most fashionable chase scenes possible. Metronomy came
across as a younger, more video-game influenced Bloc Party, with confessional
lyrics reading "I hear she broke your heart again, so now you're gonna
come and see me", from their single "Heartbreaker". The band
show some clear influence from Coldplay's usage of stage light trickery, with
each member of the group sporting a circular light-up oversized lapel which
pulsated along to the beat of the songs, like light-up hearts feeling the
sensation of the music within each member of the group.<br />
<br />
Coldplay was set on giving the audience their money's worth, and the massive
hockey rink was actually perfect for the show. The acoustics lent themselves well
to the songs, in Coldplay's case, that would include a full spectrum with
everything from anthemic ("God Put A Smile Upon Your Face") to
ballad-like ("Fix You"). Early on in the set, right before launching
into the band's breakthrough single "Yellow", Martin turned to his
bandmates and said "We have the best fucking job in the world, you
know?", a rhetorical question he likely spurts out at every show. But who
cares? He does have a point, and at least the guys seem gracious, delivering a
hell of a show that is not cheap in either the set list or theatrics.<br />
<br />
Martin proved himself a jack-of-all-trades during "Yellow", moving
from keys to guitar mid-track without a hitch. The flawless transition was a
perfect response to those curious of the band's popularity. At this point,
Coldplay are likely in the top ten most successful bands touring today. In a
live setting, Coldplay make testament that some bands get famous and successful
for a reason, that reason simply being that they are good at what they do.
Martin as a front man is undoubtedly charming, asking the crowd at one point
"Is it really true that right now everyone in Vancouver is stoned? That makes
us the perfect band for today." While not precisely the champions of
stoner rock, the band's psychadelic stage show would likely be a trip for those
in the crowd who partook in the '4/20' daytime festivities downtown. The remark
just came off as cute and witty, where as if someone else would have said it,
it would likely seem obnoxious. The magic and charm of Martin and his bandmates
just somehow manages to buy them a certain <i>je ne sais quoi,</i> backed
by some of the best pop songs of the last decade. The group's newest single,
"Princess of China", was performed with a video-screen version of
Rihanna, dolled up like a geisha, harmonizing with the live-action
Martin.<br />
<br />
The show would be a testament that Coldplay are not a one-trick-pony type of
pop-rock group. For a portion of the set, the band moved up to the front of
their catwalk-style "B stage" for a mini-set that saw drummer Will
Champion temporarily abandoning his drum kit for a Kanye West-style electronic
drum pad for "Up In Flames", showcasing an urban sound that fit the
group quite well. Afterward, Martin, in his mis-matched neon green and orange
shoelaces, plunked himself on a miniature piano for "Warning Sign",
whose "I miss you" sentiment brought more than a few crowd members to
tears. But just as they may be capable of making their audiences a little bit
weepy, the band followed up with a little remedy to any aching heart.<br />
<br /> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgES4SE5dQc7jyX7545e8GWqMNWfor_prBFbeuRrfxdgJ9cnn_2lYVevdex5FzCm-KCl6RTuX-6PnIOkF9CCCVnceYbI6_2HkbGGnlbnl_QkEi7aTSVh5s1ex6T3RFxCosFmbclC1ZitqM5/s1600/coldplay-0183.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgES4SE5dQc7jyX7545e8GWqMNWfor_prBFbeuRrfxdgJ9cnn_2lYVevdex5FzCm-KCl6RTuX-6PnIOkF9CCCVnceYbI6_2HkbGGnlbnl_QkEi7aTSVh5s1ex6T3RFxCosFmbclC1ZitqM5/s320/coldplay-0183.jpg" width="320" /></a>
Before people had a chance to wipe their cheeks, large orchestral Timpani drums
were being boomed back at the regular stage, just in time for some electronic
violins to chime in for "Viva La Vida". Martin met with his crowd,
reaching each corner of the stage, smiling the goofiest and most genuine smile
you could imagine, at one point even twirling around a red bra that had been
thrown on-stage by an admirer. By the end of the song, I think it's suffice to
say there was not an individual who wasn't belting along the "Ooh woah
oh" hook along with not only Martin but the entire band. At the song's
close, Chris Martin himself dropped to his knees and then his back, as if
wounded by the sheer power of his own song. Yet again, it's somehow endearing,
not obnoxious, coming from him.<br />
<br />
Considering the spectacle of the entire production, it should have been no
surprise to see Martin show up in the bleachers during the encore, with only a
spotlight shining down, with the audience members in that section nearly in
tears of excitement. The acoustic version of "Us Against the World"
was touching, as the band members each slowly joined in the stripped-down
version. As the song came to a close, the band raced back to the stage for the
bombastic "Clocks", which saw the light and laser show reach new
levels as the lasers became full on clouds above the stage. Believe me, I was
just as confused seeing it as you are trying to picture it!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;">During the
show, when they performed "The Scientist", the Rogers Arena crowd
showed the band that they were willing to compete for who could blast the
lyrics louder. With black lights and juxtaposed neon lasers looming over the
stage, and Martin tinkering away at the keys, the track's lovelorn lyrics only
became even more immediate than the album version, which clearly everyone in
the house was well versed in. But that was the thing about this show: nearly
each track was sentimental to the crowd, and with the songs came droves of
personal memories which have become imbedded in these songs for many of us. The
band has reached heights unseen by most artists, because their music appeals to
so many different types of people. They're accessible to a point; yet still leave
room for heartfelt lyrics and an artful tone, a rare combination not often met
with artists of this calibre, and this paradox was showcased well in their performance.<br />
<br />
<br />
</span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;">//JJ Brewis, Editor-in-Chief</span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;">//Photos by Melissa Dex Guzman</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>Capilano Courierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18309364761678101890noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8326071850516456009.post-16056556445526958762012-04-14T14:29:00.000-07:002012-04-14T14:30:16.523-07:00FROM THE EDITOR The memory I wanna forget, is goodbye // Samantha Thompson<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 12px;">When
I graduated from high school, we were meant to do a little write-up for the
yearbook that people could look back on years from now and think, “Oh, I
remember her!” or, “Wow, I really didn’t follow my dreams at all!” Some of the
entries said things like “penis!”, but others left quotes that were meant to be
inspiring. I, myself, feeling particularly inspired at the age of 17, left words
from the now over-quoted tale of the Lorax from Dr. Seuss: “Unless someone like
you cares a whole awful lot, it’s not going to get better … it’s not.”</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">Many
of my other editorials this year have tried to raise awareness about the
important issues that are constantly occurring and developing in our society,
because I believe that that Lorax quote is accurate. If we don’t start paying
attention and raising awareness about issues that are going on in our world,
things are only going to continue to get worse. As students, we should, every
day, be challenging the opinions of those around us and the opinions that we
ourselves hold in an effort to encourage ourselves to think critically. Many of
us who have worked at the <i>Courier </i></span><span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">over the past year have aimed to do this using the
written word. Through our articles we have offered a different perspective, or
even introduced a story that may have received very little attention because it
was not covered by the mainstream media.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">I
am so proud of the <i>Courier </i></span><span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">and all of our wonderful staff and contributors for
being able to provide these services. This year, we have seen many changes to
the paper, but we’ve still held true to our motto of “pushing buttons”. Our
writers have been given national exposure, and we have been thanked by the
community for showcasing stories that needed to be told. It has been a year of
so many learning experiences, but one of the greatest things for me has been
seeing each person on our staff grow into the strong, confident members of the student
press that they are now.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">One
thing we have also learned this year is the value of teamwork. You and I are a
team, as reader and writer, because together, we help to spread ideas. As well,
the <i>Courier </i></span><span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">staff
has consistently worked together as a team, realizing all too quickly that to
miss a deadline results in a pile-up of work for everyone the next week.
Without teamwork, life in the newspaper industry is very difficult. There is a
wrong perception that in order to be a journalist (in a “dying industry” no
less), you must be cutthroat, pushing others out of the way in order to get the
Big Story. Certainly, it may be like that for some papers, but what I have
learned in my time so far is that you must be aware of how your actions affect
others, because every action has a consequence.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">This
is my last editorial as Co-Editor-in-Chief, so I need to take some time to
reminisce about what, for me, has been one of the most important years in my
life so far. I’m not really ready to say goodbye. Some of us are leaving this
circle of life and moving on to different schools, different activities,
different goals. Some of us will remain to provide you with another year of
articles that will both inform and entertain. At this time I must thank you
all, staff, contributors, and readers, for the passion and love you have given
to this publication. I cannot express to you how much your various
contributions have meant to me, because wherever we end up, we were all able to
spend some time together with this shared experience of reading and writing
each other’s words. It is through this experience that we have proven that
there is power in words, and strength in new ideas. When combined, these tools
can allow us to change our society for the better.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">As
Lord Byron said, “But words are things, and a small drop of ink, falling like
dew, upon a thought, produces that which makes thousands, perhaps millions,
think."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">//Samantha Thompson, editor-in-chief</span></div>W3B EDI7ORhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07798935582369488707noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8326071850516456009.post-64018744797853828592012-04-14T14:26:00.000-07:002012-04-14T14:27:07.546-07:00FROM THE EDITOR Movin' on up // Sarah Vitet<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 12px;">I
was originally going to utilize this esteemed editorial space with a lengthy
goodbye to my beloved staff, but a more thrilling event has recently come to my
attention that I just must announce here instead.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">The
neighbourhood where I currently live has officially been renamed “The East
Village”, which is perfectly delightful news for someone such as myself. The
working-class people who dwell around me do not, to be perfectly blunt, help
maintain the proper dignity that a madam of class truly deserves. The reputation
of the area is clearly in shambles, beset by such dreadful eyesores as lowrent
(sp?) apartment buildings and derelict public elementary schools.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">"There's
certainly a stigma with saying you're on East Hastings. People sometimes react
to East Vancouver without realizing there's this eclectic bunch of
neighbourhoods," said Patricia Barnes, the Executive Director of the
Hastings North Business Improvement Association, in an interview with CTV.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">I
have always longed to experience the glamour of New York City, and the
undistinguished Vancouver neighbourhood monikers held no flame to the romance
of the Manhattan boroughs. While some plebs might say that “Hastings Sunrise”
was a more humble title for the neighbourhood, they would be wrong. The East
Village is a perfect name, as evidenced by no less than two artist studios in
the area, and the voguish coffee shop that I rarely frequent but always mean
to.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">There
is even a quaint “Chicken Processing Plant” that carefully wafts a
mouthwatering odour throughout all of The Village, particularly on hot summer
days. We, the more reputable residents, often send letters of appreciation to
the Plant, as we could never imagine living in a part of town that wasn’t
fragranced by rotting animal flesh. The residents of Kitsilano and Yale Town
have been trying to get Chicken Processing Plants in their neighbourhoods for
years, but alas, they just aren’t quite charming or eclectic enough.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">Though
“The Meatpacking District” was our first choice for the new neighbourhood
moniker, in the end, City Hall said it sounded too much like a Gastown (<3!)
boutique, so we decided on The East Village instead. Although in previous years
the neighbourhood has been know to be a bit too proletariat to be truly
fashionable, the revitalization of the area is clearly a priority for the city,
as it should be. Once every borough of Vancouver has been cleaned up, the potential
of the city will finally be seen. It’s time the poor stopped taking advantage
of The East Village and found somewhere more appropriate to live.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">I
originally thought I would have to move to a different part of town to gain
more status, as I am no longer going to hold the role of High Queen Empress of
the <i>Capilano Courier</i></span><span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">, but now I see that the world listened to my prayers, and
sophistication has arrived at my doorstep. The “The East Village” banners are
already up along all the promenades near my home, with a
neo-art-nouveau-inspired design that I personally absolutely adore. I thought I
would be sad to leave the <i>Capilano Courier</i></span><span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">, but now I feel nothing but relief. Goodbye,
inferior student clowns, I have no use for you anymore!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"><i>Sarah
Vitet has been reading the </i></span><span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">Capilano Courier <i>since she was 14 years old, when her mom
started going to Cap and brought it home. Sarah immediately fell in love with
the paper, not only because of the “cool college newspaper” appeal, but also
because of the genuine campy journalism style, charming leftist editorializing,
and experimental art direction. She used to dream of one day becoming the
Editor-in-Chief of the </i></span><span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">Cap Courier<i>, and when that day actually came, she couldn’t
contain herself. This year has been a remarkable learning experience that she wouldn’t
give up for anything, and she is so grateful for the three years she got to
spend working at the best paper in the world. She encourages anyone and
everyone to get involved with the </i></span><span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">Courier <i>in some capacity, as it is a
life-changing force of nature that she will miss so much she doesn’t want to
think about it. She is bad with goodbyes, apologizes for this awkward
third-person epilogue to a cop-out sarcastic editorial, and wishes everyone a
summer full of responsible sun exposure, good sex, and bad recreational drug use.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"><i><br /></i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">//Sarah Vitet, high queen empress</span></div>W3B EDI7ORhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07798935582369488707noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8326071850516456009.post-12685178469261980722012-04-14T14:20:00.001-07:002012-04-14T14:20:48.103-07:00THE VOICEBOX Vol 45 Issue 24<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0e3KfOg_z_-3SpSkDY2GwddVaRUGNwO83GtapZrRI9GvFpbMttVAv60JyXW1kJXmFvoYu7ZHkAPndsYCPSQZdxI1EbbGkK0R6SiVOci3btc8iuSov7i_NQPMvHNN-Z7raTH_XjZ6qEk0A/s1600/Voicebox.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0e3KfOg_z_-3SpSkDY2GwddVaRUGNwO83GtapZrRI9GvFpbMttVAv60JyXW1kJXmFvoYu7ZHkAPndsYCPSQZdxI1EbbGkK0R6SiVOci3btc8iuSov7i_NQPMvHNN-Z7raTH_XjZ6qEk0A/s320/Voicebox.gif" width="320" /></a></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: TradeGothicLTStd-BdCn20; font-size: 12px;"><b><br /></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: TradeGothicLTStd-BdCn20; font-size: 12px;"><b>Look
for the Voicebox on Tuesday afternoons in the Birch cafeteria, to anonymously
“voice” your “opinion” on any “topic.” Introverted alternatives include
emailing your opinion to voicebox@capilanocourier.com, or texting (778)
886-5070.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: TradeGothicLTStd-BdCn20; font-size: 9pt;">“How
does someone write an entire article on the Zelda Symphony Concert and not once
mention the original composer, Koji Kando?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: TradeGothicLTStd-BdCn20; font-size: 9pt;"><i>Hi,
Koji, thanks for writing in. I found this question quite interesting for two
reasons. First of all, you write in, and don’t even mention the composer’s name
yourself. Believe me, I just spent six minutes Googling various endless
combinations of “Zelda”, “composer”, “Music”, “symphony”, and the only thing
that turned up was your letter! Weird, right, since it hasn’t even been
published yet?! Anyway, more interesting is the fact that you assume I know which
“Zelda Symphony Concert” article you are talking about, leaving me to think
you’re a bit hypocritical not citing which specific article you’re dissing while
simultaneously calling us out for doing the same thing. Nice try, Koji.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: TradeGothicLTStd-BdCn20; font-size: 9pt;">“Is
it true that Australia is extremely racist?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: TradeGothicLTStd-BdCn20; font-size: 9pt;"><i>From
what I hear, yes. But, I heard that from a Nonstralian, so it could potentially
be blamed on them being AA (Anti-Australian). There’s actually a good rule in
determining if anything/anyone is "extremely racist": If you have to
ask, yes.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: TradeGothicLTStd-BdCn20; font-size: 9pt;">“Fun
Fact: The music video for Sisqo’s 'Thong Song’, gave me one of my first and
most uncomfortable erections. This was before I discovered masturbating.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: TradeGothicLTStd-BdCn20; font-size: 9pt;"><i>Wow.
That’s a good share. I had a friend in elementary school, Timmy, who lived near
this weird tunnel that had a stowaway of old </i></span><span style="font-family: TradeGothicLTStd-BdCn20; font-size: 9pt;">Playboy <i>magazines which he
stashed away there. Except, just to "fool" adults like our parents, anytime
we spoke about these pornos in public, we would call them “peebs”, as if we
were really hiding anything. Hilariously stupid. He told me I could take one
home, and I did. I don’t think I really understood what masturbation was. I
went to a Catholic school! They didn’t teach us that kind of shit. Anyway, my
friend demanded I take this magazine home. Little did he know I was a FH
(future homosexual), and I ended
up trading the Playboy to one of my other friends for TLC’s </i></span><span style="font-family: TradeGothicLTStd-BdCn20; font-size: 9pt;">Crazy Sexy Cool<i>.
My dad also tried to get me on to women by buying me the Drew Barrymore </i></span><span style="font-family: TradeGothicLTStd-BdCn20; font-size: 9pt;">Playboy <i>for my
birthday one year – how mortifying. A few weeks later, he came home and asked
me what I “thought of” the magazine. “Well, dad,” I told him, “I really enjoyed
the interview with Jean-Claude Van Damme.” I was 11.</i></span></div>W3B EDI7ORhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07798935582369488707noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8326071850516456009.post-32946453395044671962012-04-14T13:57:00.001-07:002012-04-14T14:12:20.372-07:00MEDIA + DEMOCRACY = HEALTHY SOCIETY The mainstream press may not be telling the whole story // Leah Scheitel<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 12px;">“It’s
about the connection, the urgent connection between media and democracy,” explains
David Barsamian, the founder and director of Alternative Radio, a well-known
self-funded weekly radio program. “If the citizenry is not informed or does not
have a broad range of perspectives and views to choose from or to be exposed
to, then it is not in a position to be really an effective participant in
democracy.”</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg53ZMKH_C9gG4icy8W8oQPEhbGacL0xX-MUzSRG0alvAM6mEfX5KZHiHGDMyfodrtXz2R-vV2kNBdgCix53zQWj926g9ZG6bKAFvoon4IYpUwUXFCBzLB7_64_jf3BqMR_lq3f5PtKE0wf/s1600/News+media.tiff" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg53ZMKH_C9gG4icy8W8oQPEhbGacL0xX-MUzSRG0alvAM6mEfX5KZHiHGDMyfodrtXz2R-vV2kNBdgCix53zQWj926g9ZG6bKAFvoon4IYpUwUXFCBzLB7_64_jf3BqMR_lq3f5PtKE0wf/s320/News+media.tiff" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">Barsamian
is an award-winning journalist who has worked closely with many activists,
including noted writer and linguist Noam Chomsky. A part of the mandate of
Alternative Radio is to provide “information, analyses, and views that are
frequently ignored or distorted in other media.” Barsamian is coming to speak
in Vancouver on Apr. 15 about media within a democracy, and the issues
surrounding it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">“There
is a growing audience all over the US and Canada for alternative media,” says Barsamian.
He believes people are starting to notice flaws with the mainstream media, and
a now looking for independent news sources.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">“More
and more the problems with the corporate controlled media have become all too
obvious to many people. So, there has been a keen interest into independent
media.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">Isaac
Oommon, co-founder of the Vancouver Media Co-op, a reader-funded “grassroots
media” network, echoes this sentiment, and credits recent social issues as the
reason for the rise of alternative media in Canada.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">“Alternative
media has become more prominent, because in 2010 we had the Olympics and the G20
summit in Toronto … where alternative media really got to cut its teeth and
show what it could do,” Oommon explains. “People wanted to get involved and get
more people involved, and now I think more than the past decade there are avenues
to which people can engage with alternative media.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">Oommon
became personally involved with alternative media in 2009 in protest of the Olympics,
and believes that they demonstrated why alternative media is important. “[The Olympics
showed] why alternative media needs to exist. There was this overwhelming
mainstream media emphasis on the games, and sportsmanship, and things like
that. They covered less issues in Vancouver, specifically on the Downtown
Eastside, poverty and homelessness.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">“It’s
just a matter of going beyond the mainstream media to where the voices who are
most disenfranchised can get heard outside the loudest ones, which are usually
the ones that are on top of the power structure,” he concludes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">There
are various independent media on the national and local levels. The VMC is a
member of The Media Co-op, a network which connects local independent media.
They are also active in Halifax, Toronto, and Montreal, and they produce <i>The
Dominion</i></span><span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">, a
grassroots newspaper featuring alternate angles to news stories.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">Alternative
Radio has a strong connection to Vancouver as well.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">“Co-op
Radio in Vancouver was one of the very first radio stations anywhere to
broadcast alternative radio, so I have that connection to Vancouver,” he
explains.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">“I
have no training and I have no formal academic credentials. I was a volunteer
at the local community radio station in Boulder called KGNU. That is where I
learnt a lot about radio: how to produce, how to edit, how to narrate, how to
write; all of the skills that are required. In 1986 I decided to take whatever
skills I had learnt and start this one hour program.” Barsamian’s show can now
be heard from coast to coast, and is aired on about 150 radio stations all over
North America.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">Barsamian
has worked closely on issues that are often overlooked by other media sources. Most
recently he has been banned from India for his work on the human rights
violations in the state of Kashmir.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">“Over
70,000 Kashmiris have been killed by Indian security forces, and over 10,000
have gone missing, and this is not reported on by the Western press. I was
going to go back to Kashmir, but on Sept. 23, 2011, I was denied entry at the New
Delhi airport, even though I had a valid visa in my passport. To this date, I
have been given no explanation as to why I was banned.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">Despite
his long roots in the media, Barsamian has never stopped to rest on his
laurels, and is always engaging with people in whatever way he can. “I have a
book coming out shortly on the economic collapse called <i>Occupy the Economy</i></span><span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">, and I have a new book with
Noam Chomsky called <i>How the World Works</i></span><span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">Before
his forum in Vancouver, he is speaking in Nelson BC, at the Kootenay Co-op
Radio benefit, and after he is headed to Eugene, Oregon to conduct speeches on
uprising movements. “This is a constant part of my work. The outreach, to talk
to community groups, to colleges, universities, churches, and others.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"><i>David
Barsamian is speaking at the SFU Harbour Centre on Hastings Street on Apr. 15
at 2pm. For more information on him or to hear podcasts of his radio program,
visit www.alternativeradio.org</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"><i><br /></i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px;">//Leah Scheitel, writer</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px;">//Photograph by Jason Jeon</span></span></div>W3B EDI7ORhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07798935582369488707noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8326071850516456009.post-57135769135587153162012-04-14T13:48:00.000-07:002012-04-14T13:49:08.940-07:00HOME SWEET HOME Rezoning of UBC's Acadia neighbourhood causes backlash // Claire Vulliamy<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 12px;">Planned
changes to one of UBC’s residential neighbourhoods, dating back to a Land Use
Plan from March 2011, have evoked concerns from residents about the future of
their community. In the Land Use Plan, a large portion of the Acadia
neighbourhood on campus, which is currently student family housing, is
designated to become "non-academic". Essentially, this changes it to
market housing, open to anyone who can afford it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">Ashley
Zarbatany has lived in Student Family Housing at UBC in the Acadia Park
neighbourhood since 2009. She used to live in the Acadia Courts, a group of
buildings in the neighbourhood, but had to leave when the roof collapsed and
she and her family were exposed to asbestos. Zarbatany relocated to a
townhouse, where she pays around $1,300 a month for a two-bedroom suite. “I
love the townhouse, but it's so expensive for a student,” she says.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">Sections
of the Courts are now being taken down. Though they were originally meant to be
15-year temporary housing, they have been home to students for approximately
40, she says. The residents were given their notice of eviction last year.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">Lisa
Colby, the Director of Policy Planning for Campus and Community Planning, says
that, “all eligible residents will be provided alternative housing options
within Acadia Park by July 1, 2012." This is of concern to Zarbatany: “Who
are they qualifying as "eligible" students?” she asks. “There are
still many students who have not been given placing, and this is a serious concern,
as many of them are not yet finished their degrees.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">These
events led her to dig up the March 2011 Land Use Plan. A section of the plan
explicitly designates specific areas of housing on campus for different
purposes. Acadia Park is defined as providing “a range of rental and long-term
lease housing to the broader community.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">Lisa
Colby, the Director of Policy Planning for Campus and Community Planning
confirms this: “A portion of the area that is currently student family housing
will become a non-student family neighbourhood, creating a complete community with
a variety of residents.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">Zarbatany
doesn’t feel that this kind of community will work, when there are people who “paid
over $600,000 for a condo or townhouse, to be situated beside student families
who are being crammed into these small high-rises, who are paying much less,”
she says. “I just don’t really see how that would foster a healthy community
dynamic.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">Colby
says the reason why they have chosen to develop Acadia this way is because it
is a low-density area, and many of the buildings are older. “Over the next 30
years, it’s an ideal opportunity to renew and redevelop the neighbourhood at higher,
more appropriate sustainable densities.” According to Colby, there will
eventually be more student family housing in Acadia offered at student family
rates.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">She
adds that the reason why the information on Acadia for the public is not
developed is because they haven’t begun the actual planning process. “Before
any development takes place in Acadia, a Neighbourhood Plan for the local area will
be undertaken.” According to Colby, the planning process will take place later
this year, or at the beginning of 2013, and will provide “numerous opportunities
for stakeholder and community [to offer] input into the planning process.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">As
for the release of the Land Use Plan in March 2011, Zarbatany says, “students
were not properly consulted or engaged in this process. This change was not
advertised widely and many students were upset to learn about it after the zoning
had already taken place.” Her main concern is that when they rezone to
non-academic, “they essentially guarantee that the housing market will
determine the price of housing.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">Residents
of Acadia who were concerned about the changes attended a workshop on the recently
released Housing Action Plan (HAP), which took place on Mar. 29. The HAP was
created as “a policy initiative to increase housing choice and affordability on
the Vancouver campus for faculty, staff and students.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">Zarbatany
found the information at the workshop lacking, especially when it came to
providing solutions for students. “They seemed to be focusing more on faculty
and staff housing shortages and how to develop that.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">What
they did offer for students was that the University would work with the
students’ society of UBC, the AMS, “to lobby the provincial government to
increase our student loan so that we could receive more for our rental
allowances per month,” she says. “Instead of solving the affordability issue,
they’re saying that they’re going to make it so that we get more debt, which
makes no sense.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">Zarbatany
is also concerned changes to Acadia will compromise its suitability for
families. “Something that makes Acadia so wonderful now is the green spaces …
We have a lot of space here for the children so they often go out and play on
the street, on the car-less roadways that we have,” she says.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">According
to Colby, green space will be discussed in the planning process, and the
University is “committed to providing ample and appropriate green space and
amenities to all its neighbourhoods.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">“Once
the density is higher there will not be much that you can do to increase green
space,” says Zarbatany. “All of the important decisions will have been decided
before the neighborhood plan is even undertaken. … The neighbourhood planning
process is meaningless unless it has control over rezoning."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">"Affordable
student family housing has a definitive impact on many students decisions to
attend this school,” says Zarbatany. “We don't want to see student family's
needs be prioritized last after real estate developers interests.”</span><br />
<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">//Claire Vulliamy, arts editor</span></div>W3B EDI7ORhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07798935582369488707noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8326071850516456009.post-67352418033755826172012-04-14T13:36:00.000-07:002012-04-14T13:37:14.170-07:00PALM TO THE FACE Indigenous right in Guatemala threatened by biodiesel industry // Gurpreet Kambo<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 12px;">On
Mar. 15, Capilano University’s Liberal Studies program played host to activist
and writer Alicia Gladman for a discussion on the current political issues
occurring in Guatemala. These issues include colonization, sustainability, and
land struggles. While Gladman wasn’t in the country for very long, and makes it
clear that she is not an expert on the area, her experience taught her a great
deal, both about herself and about the world around her.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">“It
started with me wanting to learn Spanish. The organization I work for in
Vancouver is called Our Community Bikes; we’re affiliated with an organization
there that builds pedal-powered machines like water pumps and things like that
in Guatemala. So, that was my initial interest - learning Spanish and doing
bike mechanics,” said Gladman. “While I was in Spanish school, I encountered
the organization I ended up going into the smaller communities with and getting
involved with land rights.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">This
organization, called the Guatemalan Solidarity Project (GSP) is an organization
that “seeks to build relationships of solidarity with communities and
organizations in the struggle for peace and justice in Guatemala,” as explained
on their mission statement on their website. Their interests are in human
rights and land rights, especially for the indigenous peoples of Guatemala.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">A
part of the GSP’s initiatives is what they call “Human Rights Accompaniment”,
which is what Gladman was involved with. This project has foreign “tourists”
observe and accompany indigenous communities during crucial times such as going
into negotiations with the government.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">“There’s
a lot of political tension, and a lot of violence … but there’s a safety net
that exists around tourists in that country,” said Gladman. “It’s a tricky
thing when you’re travelling in a country that’s lower on the global hierarchy.
I come from a country that has more clout than Guatemala, so I think there’s a
fear of some economic retribution, or they’ll get bad PR [if a foreigner gets
hurt] and that Canadians will be less likely to be tourists there.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">Indigenous
peoples in Guatemala have long had conflicts with the government. From 1960 to
1996, the situation escalated to become a civil war: “The war started because
there was no political room to move, no change happening, and a lot of
indigenous people were frustrated at being enslaved by this rigid class and
ethnic hierarchy,” said Gladman.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">The
war ended in 1996 with a “peace accord”, something that was a cause of much
hope for the indigenous. “The peace accords were signed on the basis that they
[the government] were going to redistribute land and start having conversations
about land reform and indigenous rights across the board. It started to happen
for a few years, but then things started to fall back to the status quo around
Y2K.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">While
the peace accord may have been a legitimate attempt by the government of that time
to make reparations for abuses against the indigenous peoples, it was not a
legally-binding document in any way – it was merely an agenda for what was <i>going
to be discussed</i></span><span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">.
In the meantime, the burgeoning environmental movement provided an opportunity
for the government to make massive profits by planting African Palm, from which
biodiesel is produced.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">“All
of a sudden the government and the major landholders realized that they could
do much better by removing people from their land and [replanting] it as
African Palm instead of engaging in any kind of political dialogue,” said
Gladman. “Just like any government, they end up having the trump card. You can
compare it to the indigenous reserves in Canada: there’s an amendment to the
Indian Act that says that the government has the right to expropriate this land
at any time. [Only] until it’s convenient for the government, the people who
live there can stay.” Some of the communities were successful, at least in
getting the companies or the government to the table for discussion. Gladman
acted as the “human rights accompaniment” during one of these negotiations.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">“What
[the indigenous groups] said at that meeting was ‘we want land,’ or ‘we need
somewhere to farm and live.’ What the company offered them was temporary jobs.
If they went quietly, they would be hired by the company to dismantle their
villages, and then plant African Palm. Then their jobs would end quite quickly
after that. The government representatives were incredibly evasive at that
meeting.” She added that these negotiations can be somewhat lopsided at times,
due to the lack of education, literacy, or money for lawyers among the
indigenous populations.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">Gladman
believes that the situation may be becoming as bad as it was before 1996, as
some groups have resorted to desperate measures: “It seems to me that they’re
being pushed in the same direction of having no room to move politically … [One
group] had taken a politician hostage, which actually started the negotiation,
and they ended up gaining title to their land,” she said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">“I
think it’s just that there’s nowhere else to go,” she said. She went on to
explain how these groups had been working for such a long time to even get the
government to listen: “March to September is a long time to starve. They’d had
their crops bulldozed, and they had no resources at hand. There does come a
point where you just need some leverage.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">As
for the future, Guatemala has recently elected a militaristic former general as
its President; however, as long as there is hope, people continue to fight. “My
fear is that the African Palm plantations will deplete the soil, and then
there’ll be nothing left. It’ll be really hard to scratch a living out of
that,” said Gladman. “Hopefully things will turn around before then.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">As
for reflecting on her personal experience of her time in Guatemala, Gladman
recognized that it has made a personal impact on her as well, but she quickly
brings the discussion back to the issue itself: “It was interesting for me
because it’s not my life. I think it’s strange being a privileged tourist in a
place that is facing a lot of struggles that I’ll never have to go through,”
she said. “It’s all part of this system; this is how capitalism works. It’s
veiled if you’re in Canada, but it’s not so much veiled there. We’re all
participating in feeding into it.”</span><br />
<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">//Gurpreet Kambo, news editor</span></div>W3B EDI7ORhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07798935582369488707noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8326071850516456009.post-66107660229319536392012-04-14T13:26:00.001-07:002012-04-14T13:27:16.142-07:00FACING THE UNKNOWN The experience of working as an au pair in a foreign country // Samantha Thompson<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 12px;">The
idea of moving to another country can be daunting, but when you can move there
and already have a place to live and the cost of food taken care of, the idea
of traveling suddenly seems a little more realistic.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">This
is why many people have decided to try out life as an au pair, including Emily
Ware, who is currently working as an au pair for a family in England: “I just
want[ed] to see the world, [and] live in new places,” she explains regarding why
she chose to become an au pair. The job provides a host of opportunities, as
well as giving the opportunity to gain work experience with children.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">An
au pair is a position that typically allows someone to travel to another
country on a temporary work visa and work as a live-in caregiver for a family’s
children. There are numerous ways to enter this line of work, including through
an agency, or through various forums that advertise host families and au pairs
looking for work.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">However,
finding an au pair position can be a lengthy process, filled with many unknowns.
There are agencies available to assist with the process, but there isn’t a
standard answer for how an au pair experience will work out.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"><b>BABY
STEPS<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">Jess
McElroy, a current student at Capilano University, is hoping to become an au
pair beginning in the spring of 2013. She is planning on getting her degree in
social work, which contributed to her desire to become an au pair. McElroy
feels that being an au pair “would be a good way to get experience working with
children while also traveling and living in a different culture.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnjLujuZldgeh1gbTcIqYrc_5hJxvIfOkE9LlF-gjQY2Vomxp_W1VCtf5gJvmE613wSUgKnmU-Z5XCf4SpdwKyKOUQ4PGldVgR4Jce8eemAocrwkBu7KXscxUnuAtmI91pQGQvMyfWMyMa/s1600/Features+Au+pair.tiff" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnjLujuZldgeh1gbTcIqYrc_5hJxvIfOkE9LlF-gjQY2Vomxp_W1VCtf5gJvmE613wSUgKnmU-Z5XCf4SpdwKyKOUQ4PGldVgR4Jce8eemAocrwkBu7KXscxUnuAtmI91pQGQvMyfWMyMa/s320/Features+Au+pair.tiff" width="241" /></a><span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">To
begin the process, McElroy created a profile on a website that matches
potential au pairs with families who meet the criteria she provided. “I get to
look over the families’ profiles and I contact the families that I want,” she
says.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">“It’s
like online dating, really,” says Ware, jokingly. She points out that there are
a lot of differences between each au pair’s experience, and what they have to
pay for once they have been hired by the family. Some families will pay for the
airfare for the au pair to get to their country of residence, and some will
also pay for language classes, if the country is not English-speaking, as well
as health insurance and a city transit pass. It is pretty standard for the host
family to pay for their au pair’s room and board, and occasionally they will
also pay a wage in some form, sometimes labelled as weekly “pocket money”.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">“I
was looking for a family with kids who are already pretty independent. I don't
think I could handle taking care of someone else's baby,” says Ware. “I wasn't
overly specific about location, but my preferred countries were England, Spain,
and – because I'm interested in learning German – Germany, Switzerland, and
Austria.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">There
are many different websites set up to help connect au pairs with host families,
and vice versa, including Aupair World, Go Au Pair, and Great Au Pair. Most
websites feature a section where you can create a profile as a family or an au
pair, specifying things like language, the age of children, and the country.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">“A
lot of families are looking for someone to become a part of their family and to
show their kids a new culture,” says McElroy on what she’s seen on the websites
so far.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">In
addition to these websites, there are many agencies in assorted countries that
help with connecting au pairs to families as well, many of which are members of
the International Au Pair Association. This association has more than 170
member organizations, and each member organization must meet what the
association refers to as “firm business and ethical standards, and agree to
abide by IAPA’s Code of Conduct which signifies competence, fair dealing and
high integrity.” Their members include organizations in countries like
Australia, Brazil, and Ecuador, as well as France, Canada, and China.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">After
the au pair has contacted the family they are interested in, or the family has
contacted the au pair, Ware says it is common to exchange emails, and talk on
Skype and other forms of communication before they “hire” the au pair. Once the
family and au pair have connected, it is a matter of getting a visa, booking
the flight, and getting prepared to go.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">“You
just have to trust that it's legitimate and that they're good people,” says
Ware. “But it's usually really obvious when you start getting to know them.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"><b>A
DAY IN THE LIFE<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">Once
the au pair begins working with her host family, the adventure truly begins.
Although au pairs are typically responsible for childcare, they will also
sometimes be responsible for basic housework, and, in Ware’s case, looking
after the horses, dogs, chickens, and cats that her family owns. “It’s a lot
more involved than the average au pair job of school runs and making dinner,”
she says.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">For
Ware, her average day begins around 8am when she feeds the animals, turns out
the horses, tidies up the house, and walks the dogs. The mother of her two boys
(aged five and seven) gets the children ready in the morning and takes them to
school. During the rest of the day, she mucks out the horses’ stalls and
occasionally does other chores like ironing and vacuuming. Once the children
get home from school, she says, she is responsible for looking after them in
the evening, making them dinner and other similar things. Typically, she will
work from 8am. Until 1pm, and then 4 or 5 pm until 8pm.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">While
it sounds like a busy day, Ware points out that she can ask for certain days
off, and usually doesn’t have to work bank or stat holidays, with some
exceptions. In return for her work, she gets a place to live, her food paid
for, and £80 a week (approximately $125CAD). In other jobs, the British minimum
wage is £6.08 for workers 21 years of age and older, and £4.98 for workers aged
between 18 and 20.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">Although
compensation for doing au pair work varies greatly, often people do it for the
experience and for the benefit of having their room and board already provided
for.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">“I
wanted to do some traveling, but also make a bit of money,” Ware says. “It’s
really difficult to get on your feet in a new country so I thought if I had a
job where a place to live is provided for you it would be much easier … I like
kids so it seemed like a perfect thing for me to do.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">McElroy,
who is planning on being an au pair in France, is looking forward to working
with children. “I want to get skills working and communicating with children
and families. … I’m also excited to learn how to adapt to a new culture.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"><b>HORROR
STORIES<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">Many
au pair experiences are good, but there are several accounts of both au pairs
and host families concerned about their living situations. On websites like
Great Au Pair, for example, au pairs can write specific complaints, naming the
family, location, and child – and host families can do the same about au pairs.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">On
Great Au Pair, complaints vary from au pair accusations of sexual harassment to
families not following through on promises made in the initial interviews. The
host families’ complaints include au pairs not showing up for prepaid flights,
stealing, and leaving without any notice.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">There
are other, more interactive forums as well, like Au Pair Mom and Au Pair
Clearing House, where people post their questions about the au pair industry
and others reply. One poster wrote that “my au pair does not bathe or wash her
hair frequently enough and she smells. I mean, she really smells!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">However,
as all of these are public forums, the complaints are very rarely looked into
and often are simply personal claims. There doesn’t appear to be a formal
complaint body, but is possible that agencies, as the go-between, assist with
resolving complaints independently.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"><b>EXPECTATIONS<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">Perhaps
the most difficult thing about becoming an au pair is not knowing what to
expect. There are many variables, and much of the information available does
come from forums and agencies. McElroy pointed out that she had an idea of what
she wants but doesn’t really know what she should expect from her experience.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">“I'm
honestly not quite sure what to expect, so I don't have many expectations at
this point,” she says. “I would really like to have a family who treats me as
one of the family and not just a maid. … I am really hoping to get kids who are
respectful of me.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">Ware
so far has been having a good experience as an au pair, but she warns of the
culture shock that accompanies the position.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">“It's
interesting meeting all these people and it's a really good learning
experience,” says Ware. “The hard thing to deal with is the difference in
lifestyles.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">She
notes that many au pairs come from middle-class backgrounds, but there are
families sometimes who are quite wealthy. Speaking from her own experience she
says, “Most of the families are very wealthy and have employees for everything.
It's a culture shock to live in a huge mansion and have housekeepers and
gardeners and parents who aren't often around. It's a really different way to
live and it's definitely a learning curve.” There are host families who are
middleclass too; it all depends on where individuals end up working as au
pairs.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">Although
there are au pair horror stories floating around, with enough research and some
good luck it seems as though becoming an au pair has a lot of potential as an
overseas adventure.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">“It's
a great job to do,” says Ware. “You just have to be prepared for anything.”</span><br />
<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">//Samantha Thompson, editor-in-chief</span><br />
<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">//Graphics by Stefan Tosheff</span></div>W3B EDI7ORhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07798935582369488707noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8326071850516456009.post-26134755438257724922012-04-13T22:27:00.002-07:002012-04-13T22:28:50.675-07:00THE NAKED TRUTH Various manifestations of nudity in society // Gurpreet Kambo<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 12px;">Though
everyone is born nude, showers nude, and exists in the nude underneath our
clothing, the naked human body is something that is still extremely taboo in
many areas of society. In most every social situation or public place, offense
would be taken at the sight of bare breasts or exposed genitals, and in many
cases it is illegal to be naked. Despite the stigma, however, public nudity continues
to exist in many forms, for a diversity of purposes.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC2j_-ytsAJNsz2gGr4HU8CwOOa3Ta4yglkPwslrEp7CoqzVEd1E-PW7r6NDx426mm6cBomAAJzE3camiNmlTdYICMQSNj7IVVPhu-IOaBS7f8GMQBiVc-xBu0SscX3mVQq5_kmRNuVdIZ/s1600/Features+nudity.tiff" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC2j_-ytsAJNsz2gGr4HU8CwOOa3Ta4yglkPwslrEp7CoqzVEd1E-PW7r6NDx426mm6cBomAAJzE3camiNmlTdYICMQSNj7IVVPhu-IOaBS7f8GMQBiVc-xBu0SscX3mVQq5_kmRNuVdIZ/s400/Features+nudity.tiff" width="270" /></a><span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"><b>FOR
PROTEST<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"><i>“There
are those who so dislike the nude that they find something indecent in the
naked truth.”<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"><i>—F.
H. Bradley<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">Nudity
has been used as a form of protest throughout history. The Doukhobours,
specifically a more radical sect called the “Freedomites,” are one of the most
famous groups to have used nudity as a form of protest. At the close of the 19th
century, the Doukhobours were a religious minority fleeing persecution from the
Russian government. Many of them came to western Canada looking for a less
hostile environment to live in; however, many Doukhobours saw injustices that
still needed to be protested. Materialism in particular was one issue they saw
with Canadian society, which they protested by attacking targets they saw as
being symbolic of materialism. The Doukhobours famously held nude protests against
materialism, as they believed that human skin was God’s creation, and thus more
sacred than clothing, made by human hands.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">More
recently, a local nude protest has garnered media attention. Justine Davidson,
a UBC student, decided to use her body as a form of protest in front of a
display from a group called the “Genocide Awareness Project” (GAP). The display
showed graphic photographs of aborted fetuses, and juxtaposed those with images
of historical massacres such as the Holocaust, the lynching of African
Americans, and the destruction of the World Trade Centre. According to the GAP
website, it is “a traveling photo-mural exhibit which compares the contemporary
genocide of abortion to historically recognized forms of genocide.” However
Davidson took offense to the notion that a woman exercising her freedom of
choice over her body could be equated to genocide.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">“My
body is where I exercise and appreciate my freedom on a daily basis, and I
reject outright the assertion that by supporting the right to free, safe
abortions, I am turning it into a tool of mass murder,” said Davidson on her
blog <i>Naked at UBC</i></span><span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">“I’m
a woman, and they’re telling me that I am basically a genocidal maniac,” says
Davidson. “I’m being compared to the Nazis and the Pol Pot regime; they had
systematic mandates to wipe out an entire race of people. None of those things relate
to my philosophy, or my body.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">“It
struck me at that moment, that a very effective way to say that would be to
take my clothes off, and to present my body as a counter to what they were
presenting my body as,” says Davidson. “I will admit that I didn’t analyze the
message of my nakedness for very long before I was stepping out of my clothes,
but as I sat there naked in the afternoon sun … I had a chance to ruminate on what
the naked female form means in our society, and its effectiveness as a way to
expose oppression and shame-based control.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">Inevitably,
UBC campus security arrived and told Davidson to put her clothes on. “I asked
why, and was told that I was ‘indecent.’ I found this particularly ironic, seeing
as I was sitting in front of a six-foot-high image of naked bodies piled in a
mass grave.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">As
a form of exercising her political views, Davidson found nudity to be
empowering. “As soon as I took my clothes off, I realized that a naked person
in a crowd of people who are clothed is incredibly powerful,” says Davidson. “No
one is going to come near you, because they are going to think you are insane,
or the fact of your nakedness is so shocking and surprising to everyone that
you have this bubble of protection around you.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">While
initially the administration of UBC was pursuing punishment against her for
breaking their student code of conduct, after widespread media coverage, and a
request from Davidson that her supporters write to the University to oppose any
punitive action against her, they relented and said that they would only keep a
record of the incident on file.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"><b>AS
A LIFESTYLE<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"><i>“We
live in an atmosphere of shame. We are ashamed of everything that is real about
us; ashamed of ourselves, of our relatives, of our incomes, of our accents, of
our opinions, of our experience, just as we are ashamed of our naked skins.”<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"><i>—George
Bernard Shaw<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">For
some, nudity is not only the means of expression, but the cause. NIFTY, which
stands for “Naked Iconoclasts Fighting The Yoke”, is one such organization.
NIFTY was founded in 1992, and “is an activist political organization dedicated
to the cause of clothing-optional right – in Canada and around the world.” They
oppose all legal restrictions on non-sexual nudity.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">“We
believe that nudity is healthful,” says Greg Depaco, secretary of NIFTY. “It is
absurd to ask us to compromise our rights as free citizens to promote our own
health as we see fit, in order to appease others who don't like to look at
genitals.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">NIFTY’s
argument also believes that the government should not infringe on the rights of
individuals. That this corresponds to a classically right-wing value is perhaps
ironic, because it is on the right that people are known to be more conservative
about such body issues. “Canada is a free country, and so decisions about what
to wear should be left to the individual citizen, with no government coercion,”
says Depaco.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">While
acknowledging that hiding nudity is ingrained into mainstream North American
values, Depaco believes that this type of restriction is harmful to society as
a whole: “The obsession with concealing our genitals results in poor body image
and body self-concept,” explains Depaco. “As the bodies of our friends and neighbours
- ‘ordinary’ people – are hidden, all we see is the airbrushed perfection of
Playboy/Hollywood; this creates an impossible ideal of beauty which results in
people feeling bad about themselves, with more and more even resorting to
plastic surgery in an attempt to meet this ideal.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">Depaco
feels that society’s aversion to nudity may have some roots in organized
religion. “It's because of religious views which hold that nudity is improper,
and which have over time been so embedded into our cultural norms, that their
religious origins have been obscured. NIFTY tries to help change that by
educating the public about the harmful effects of enforced genital
concealment,” he says.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"><br />
He adds, “Nudity is not harmful to children and, as is so often the case with these
cultural prejudices, the opposite is true. Nudity is beneficial to all ages,
especially children, and it is the obsessive concealment of the natural body which
can harm children.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">Nearly
all of the major religions have some notion that nudity is improper or harmful –
certainly in Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, and Sikhism. “If we could poll
1,000 people across the Lower Mainland, we would find a smattering who would
say, “Yup, I’m all for naturists’ rights,’ but I think you’d still find a
considerable number of people who would say, 'No, I’d not be comfortable with
that,’ ” said Dave Quist in an interview with the <i>Georgia Straight</i></span><span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">. Quist is executive
director of the Institute of Marriage and Family Canada, a conservative lobby
group. “I recognize their right to go do that [be naked], but I don’t want their
rights to interfere with my rights not to be offended, not to have my children
see that, and so that’s where we run into conflict.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">Quist
disputes the notion that public nudity is or can be non-sexual. “You can’t look
at car commercials or a beer commercial, and many other things that are
advertised, without a scantily-clad man or woman,” he explained. “When we don’t
have any modesty left, we characterize sex and sexuality as being just a crass
thing without talking about intimacy or love, or the very nature of what
intimacy is intended to be. So when we lose modesty, we lose a lot of the other
things that go with it.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">However,
Depaco doesn’t agree, and feels strongly that this notion that the body should
be covered up needs to be changed. “Being offended by the sight of the natural
human body is an abnormal and irrational reaction. When society bends over
backwards to accommodate those who have this reaction, it merely normalizes,
legitimizes, and perpetuates it.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"><b>UNDER
THE LAW<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"><i>“There
is much to support the view that it is clothes that wear us, and not we, them;
we may make them take the mould of arm or breast, but they mould our hearts,
our brains, our tongues to their liking.”<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"><i>—Virginia
Woolf<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">The
laws around nudity have evolved over the years, although it is perhaps most
important to note that the biggest factor in whether being nude is a criminal
act is <i>context</i></span><span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">.
Section 174 of the Criminal Code, the section that pertains to nudity, states:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">“(1)
Every one who, without lawful excuse, (a) is nude in a public place, or (b) is
nude and exposed to public view while on private property, whether or not the
property is his own, is guilty of an offence punishable on summary conviction.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">(2)
For the purposes of this section, a person is nude who is so clad as to offend
against public decency or order.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">(3)
No proceeding shall be commenced under this section without the consent of
Attorney General.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">Essentially,
according to Constable Lindsey Houghton of the Vancouver Police Department, “A
person will be convicted only if (1) the AG consents, (2) the person is
offending public decency, and (3) the person is in public view.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">Due
to these restrictions, particularly the unusual one that charges must be
approved by the Attorney-General, charges under this code are extremely rare
now, and even more so if the nudity is non-sexual in nature. Martin's Criminal
Code, a widely used text that compiles and assists in interpreting the code,
provides some more clarity as to the purpose of this piece of legislation.
"This offense is not aimed at conduct such as swimming nude at an isolated
beach, even where the accused misjudges the loneliness of the beach.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">However,
there are situations in which public nudity is of a more clearly criminal
nature. The preceding section of the Code deals with “Indecent Acts” and it
states that anyone who commits an indecent act “in any place, with intent
thereby to insult or offend any person, is guilty of an offense punishable on
summary conviction.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">While
it does not clearly define what things may or may not constitute indecent acts,
it does explicitly define one context: “Every person who … for a sexual
purpose, exposes his or her genital organs to a person who is under the age of
14 years is guilty of an offense.” According to Houghton, if someone is being
charged under this section of Code, it does not require the approval of the
Attorney General.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"><b>FOR
EQUALITY<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"><i>“We
seem okay with violence, but nudity we race to criticize and censor.”<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"><i>—Eva
Mendes<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">“There’s
a significant difference between topfreedom and nudity,” says Dr. Paul
Rapoport, co-ordinator of “Topfree Equal Rights Association”(TERA). “In the
media, oftentimes if a woman is topfree somewhere, a headline often says that
‘so and so was nude’. It bothers me a great deal. In the Criminal Code, nudity
is mentioned, but women’s breasts are not. If we look at this as an equality
issue, which it really is, then if men without a top are not nude, then
certainly women can’t be called the same either.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">TERA’s
statement of purpose says, “We do not suggest that women or men should go about
with bare breasts. That is every individual's decision. We do believe that
since men may choose to do so in many situations, women must also be able to <i>at
least </i></span><span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">in
the same situations.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">In
B.C., the most prominent case around a woman’s right to be topfree was Linda
Meyer of Maple Ridge in 2000. Meyer sought to ensure that women had the same
rights as men, in being able to go topless in the city. She did this by showing
up topless in the municipal swimming pool, and other areas to challenge any
laws that may be interpreted to prohibit that.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj98ehp3GvJAEJrv9-IE3bw-pVU4jpZ4zMQGUmTwD1DYxNnICU0wE4M9JivivUWxXhNnAcwIOrewcsBwD3ZHwA1Ceg-VmbS1rhvKLbJWDKdqo0psVuH7cHA8qKAXZpvluSi0EKid01RYMZf/s1600/Feature+back+cover.tiff" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj98ehp3GvJAEJrv9-IE3bw-pVU4jpZ4zMQGUmTwD1DYxNnICU0wE4M9JivivUWxXhNnAcwIOrewcsBwD3ZHwA1Ceg-VmbS1rhvKLbJWDKdqo0psVuH7cHA8qKAXZpvluSi0EKid01RYMZf/s400/Feature+back+cover.tiff" width="308" /></a><span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">However,
at that time, the city council did not take kindly to her actions. “Maple Ridge
had created a bylaw really just for her, very bad legal policy, that
criminalized women for being topfree,” says Rapoport. “The town of Maple Ridge
is not allowed to do that because it is a federal matter, and its penalties
went beyond anything described in the criminal code. It was thrown out in court
… Linda has really set the tone for all of B.C., partly because she has gone to
various public swimming pools topfree, and challenged not only the law, but the
attitudes that are very demeaning to women that say they can’t do this, and are
implying antisocial behaviour. [The Maple Ridge decision] was very clear in
that it had a larger meaning socially and politically. There were various
rumblings in many levels of government that they weren’t going to prosecute
topfree women.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">In
2007, the Vancouver Police Department instructed its officers not to detain or
question women for being topless anywhere in Vancouver. Meyer was also involved
in this case, as she was accosted by police for walking topless in downtown
Vancouver. Meyer sought a ruling from the Vancouver Police Board on the matter,
which concluded with the instructions in a letter to Meyer that stated
"public female toplessness does not meet the test for criminal indecency.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">While
he recognizes that many men will say that they can’t help but ogle a women who
is topless, Rapoport believes that this attitude is one that can change, and is
based on the individual. “People said that before about women who wore shorts.
It was certainly said in the 18th century when women would go outside their own
home unaccompanied by a male relative. There is no reason why that has to be
the case, it’s certainly not automatic,” says Rapoport. “It’s a bit of a
circular problem, in that the more women are seen without a top, the less
likely it is that anyone will have a problem with it. It is an incremental
advance that we’re looking at here. There’s no reason that that man has to do
anything whatsoever other than behave in the accepted manner, and not disturb
or provoke the woman in any way.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"><b>FOR
FREEDOM<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"><i>“To
see you naked is to recall the Earth.”<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"><i>—Federico
García Lorca<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">Because
the naked human body is such a taboo in modern society, being naked makes most
people feel unprotected or vulnerable, particularly in regard to being judged
by others. While that vulnerability is usually seen as a negative thing, Tasha
Diamant runs a workshop called the “Human Body Project”
(www.humanbodyproject.com) in which she tries to capture this vulnerability,and
make it into something positive, to allow people to see and connect with each
other in a meaningful way.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">“At
its most essential, it’s that we all do share this vessel [the human body]. We
are vulnerable, our bodies are vulnerable, and the planet is vulnerable,” says
Diamant. “I believe that we haven’t evolved in a way that we have to evolve if
we’re going to survive. The key to that is experiencing being able to be in
vulnerability. When we do that, we can actually find power and connection
there. We’re in a culture of domination … [and] in a very deep way we need to
understand vulnerability; it’s the only way forward. That’s why I do the
project.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">When
she facilitates the workshop, Diamant uses her own naked body to set that
example of what being vulnerable could look like. She puts herself in that
vulnerable place first, and hopes that others will come with her.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">Interestingly,
Diamant doesn’t consider herself a nudist, and says that being nude makes her
extremely uncomfortable. “I’m 50 years old, and I’m getting older and saggier.
Every time I do it, it’s difficult. I try to show up as I am, in the moment.
Living in this culture, women are judged brutally on their bodies. That hasn’t
stopped and it will not stop,” says Diamant. “It took me two years to get the
guts up to be naked. I didn’t want to be naked, but I knew that was the only
way to be as vulnerable as possible without hurting myself.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">The
workshop itself is unscripted, and thus allows whatever is meant to happen with
the people present to happen in a natural way. “I felt that [it was important]
to show up naked and without a script, an agenda … I have an intention of
showing up vulnerable hoping that people will accept me as that and to see what
happens with their own vulnerability and their own way of connecting,” says
Diamant. “Beyond that intention, to show up without an agenda is also very
vulnerable. What I had found was that, especially in a place like Victoria, a
lot of people are not that uncomfortable with nudity, but the idea of not
having an agenda makes people uncomfortable, like “what the fuck’s gonna
happen?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">Diamant’s
children were her inspiration for this project. “I had kids late in life. It
woke me up in a way that nothing had before,” she explains. “My heart just
exploded with love for my first daughter, and now I have two. I was way more
connected with the world in a way that I hadn’t been before that.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">Diamant’s
own childhood had an enormous effect on the decision to partake in this project
as well. “In my adult life, I realized that when I was growing up I literally
didn’t know that I had a vagina, and I don’t think I was told that I had a
heart. This is really indicative of the culture that we live in. To not even
know those things about yourself is … this invisible part of ourselves … I’ve
chosen to try to make the invisible visible.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">Though
Diamant admits to being quite shocked by humanity and often feeling hopeless,
this is her way of giving something back to make change. “I feel, in a very
deep way, that we’re in a crucial time in history, and if we don’t change, we
are not going to survive. I also realize that I didn’t care that much until I
had kids … The culture to me is wrong.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"><b>FOR
THE FUTURE<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"><i>“Because
God created it, the human body can remain nude and uncovered and preserve its
splendour and its beauty.”<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"><i>—Pope
John Paul II<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">Perhaps
expectedly, Vancouver has connections to notable nude movements. Canada’s
oldest nudist organization, The Van Tan Club, was started in Vancouver in 1939,
and its founder, Ray Connett, is acknowledged as “The Father of Canadian
Nudism.” The World Naked Bike Ride also began in Vancouver, and now occurs in
74 cities around the world. Wreck Beach is one of the oldest and most famous
nude beaches in North America, and the patrons have fought many battles to
preserve its legacy as a nude beach. Topless women are no longer considered
“indecent” and are allowed to go topless in public without fear of arrest.
Furthermore, there is a plethora of nude events around the city, from nude barn
dances, nude tennis, nude bowling, nude dinners, and even a campsite in Mission
specifically for nude camping. Clearly, the naked human body is a phenomenon
that unites us all.</span><o:p></o:p><br />
<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">//Gurpreet Kambo, news editor</span><br />
<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">//Graphics by JJ Brewis and Shannon Elliot</span><br />
<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">//Cover by JJ Brewis</span></div>W3B EDI7ORhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07798935582369488707noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8326071850516456009.post-58504856904400059502012-04-13T21:56:00.000-07:002012-04-13T21:57:26.013-07:00INSTINCTIVELY ELECTING CHANGE The importance of electing women to Parliament Hill // Claire Vulliamy<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">A
year ago at an estimates hearing in Australia, Finance Minister Penny Wong was
interrupted in the middle of her sentence by Coalition senator David Bushby.
“If <i>I </i></span><span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">can
finish now,” she said, glaring Bushby in the eye. His response? Cat noises.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">Wong
immediately responded. "You meow when a woman does that … that's a good
idea. It is just extraordinary. The blokes are allowed to yell, but if a woman
stands her ground you want to make that kind of comment. It's sort of
schoolyard politics, mate.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">In
all her 19 years on Parliament Hill, Hedy Fry, the Member of Parliament for
Vancouver Centre, has not seen anything quite like that. However, she says, “It
doesn’t mean that the snickering does not occur when a woman gets excited and actually
is going after the point that she’s trying to make, and her voice raises a
decibel or two, that there isn’t a little snickering, just quiet snickering, because
everybody knows that it’s wrong, that it’s sexist, but they snicker,” she says.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">“But
people at least have the ability to know and to be embarrassed if they’re
called out doing it, which at the end of the day I think is some kind of
progress, really.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">The
first female MP elected to the House of Commons was Agnes MacPhail, who served
almost 20 years in office. She was elected in 1921. Currently, women make up
about 25 per cent of the House of Commons. The most recent election saw a
record high at 76 female MPs in the house, but this 25 per cent still doesn’t
accurately represent the demographics of women in the general population.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">As
women are still a minority in Parliament, and in politics in general, sometimes
their needs are not met and they find the structures of a system that was not
designed for or by them to be lacking.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">“I
don’t think you could accuse the Canadian Parliament of discriminating against women
in any way shape or form,” says Fry on being a female MP. “There is no basic
overt discrimination against females, but there are things that do not
acknowledge the presence of female Parliamentarians.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">There
are very clear reasons for this, she says. “Men have ruled for the last couple
of millennia, and therefore they built institutions of democracy, they’ve built
of Parliament,” she says, institutions that “accommodate a male way of
thinking, a male way of being.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">Having
more women come into office is a step forward; however, the barriers continue
even after entry into the House of Commons. What female MPs must face is a
historically male institution that has only recently began to change.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"><b>DIFFERENT
NEEDS<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLOk9mp1yYGT-HqZY50mgg-_ncDkk22Iw6rRe_shnLRWCbMcOlWbGUASHuPL8r1LCCSISxZnXUY0gMnLGwC3wLXAHU7tt336FVk3tI_ynZDVHq4ZHkdpazf2p4Ojm9wLA2JO0f5Z0MuoXT/s1600/Features+women+parliament.tiff" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLOk9mp1yYGT-HqZY50mgg-_ncDkk22Iw6rRe_shnLRWCbMcOlWbGUASHuPL8r1LCCSISxZnXUY0gMnLGwC3wLXAHU7tt336FVk3tI_ynZDVHq4ZHkdpazf2p4Ojm9wLA2JO0f5Z0MuoXT/s400/Features+women+parliament.tiff" width="245" /></a><span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">As
Fry puts it, drawing from her experience as a physician, the different needs of
the sexes come down to completely physiological factors. “Female MPs bear
children. That gives them a totally different set of responsibilities,” she
says.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">These
differences are sometimes harder to navigate than one might think. Fry mentions
a recent event where female MP Sana Hassainia brought her three-month-old
Skander-Jack into the house, and was asked to leave. Failing that, she was told
to give her baby to a page. “You can imagine, pages are young university
students. What mother gives her baby to somebody she doesn’t know, who she
doesn’t even know can hold a baby?” Fry asks.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">The
incident “is now being debated and discussed by a little committee,” Fry says,
which may reach a decision about the rules surrounding babies in the House.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">Women
bringing their babies into the House has often been tolerated, although it was
“never formally introduced,” which is why the incident with Hassainia and her
son occurred.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">Fry
remembers two female MPs who had babies in Jean Chretien’s second term. They
often had to bring their children into the house and breastfeed, “and the
babies had to be accommodated within the actual lobby which is where MPs walk
out of the chamber,” Fry says. This motivated a decision to install change
tables in the women’s washroom.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">Fry
remembers one time where the house had three days and three nights of non-stop
voting and one of the young MPs had their baby with them. She was allowed to
feed her baby while she was not voting. It was very discreet, as “she had a
scarf and nobody could see what she was doing,” says Fry.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">Fry
likens the needs of women to any other group. Parliament “has made room for
disabled persons, it’s all wheelchair friendly,” she says. “So, that’s been
accommodated, but some of the things we take for granted about women haven’t
been accommodated.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">When
Fry first came in under the Liberal Chretien government, “there were two
washrooms, one for men just outside the doors into the actual chamber, so it
took literally 20 seconds to get there.” On the other hand, the women’s
washroom “was way down the end of a back corridor.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">It
was an issue. “One female MP actually missed a vote because she had to go to
the washroom; it was ever so far away that she couldn’t get back in time,” Fry
says. At that time, Fry says, “we decided to take the existing men’s washroom
and split it to create bathrooms for women there.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">The
reason for the inconvenience of the bathroom wasn’t a deliberate exclusion, it
was simply that the very building’s structure harkened from a time when there
were little to no female MPs.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"><b>JET
LAG<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">One
of the most notoriously difficult things about being a politician is the long,
grueling hours and the requirement to travel for work.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">Joyce
Murray, the MP for Vancouver Quadra, emphasizes that the demands are
relentless. “Women work, like men do, in Ottawa, many, many hours a day, and
then the expectation is to be home on the weekend and serve the needs of the
constituency,” as well as the needs of their family.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">While
she stresses that this weighs on everybody, it can affect women in particular.
“Even when both partners in a marriage or relationship are working in the work
force, women still shoulder more of the family and administrative and the children
side of the household activities,” she says.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">Indeed,
though partners in a relationship both often work, women do spend more time on
unpaid work such as household chores, childcare, and elder care, according to
2006 data from Statistics Canada. Based on this kind of data, Murray says, “it
may be more challenging for women [to be involved in politics], especially
women that have young children.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">Murray
believes that many structures of Parliament are “still holdovers from a time
when Members of Parliament were primarily men, who came out by train from
wherever their constituency was, brought their families, lived in Ottawa, and
went home by train in the summer, or for Christmas.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">This
doesn’t have to be the case, she says. The structure set up is “not utilizing
modern technology communication tools, it’s not utilizing meeting technology in
the way it could, it’s relying heavily on long air flights, especially from
far-flung ridings, and that’s got an environmental impact, a time impact, and a
stress impact on men and women alike.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">Factors
such as these, Fry says, are what make it so that more women go into positions
in municipal or provincial governments. She describes her own personal commute,
“traveling sometimes eight hours with a three hour time difference,” as
something that would definitely impede having a family. “If you leave your
children home, you’re an absentee parent. And you know, socialization still
expects that the woman should be there,” she says.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">She
notes that a lot of women aren’t interested in becoming MPs for this reason or
will “wait until their kids grow up, like I did.” However, waiting it out is
not the solution, Fry says. “Why should they? I mean, the whole idea of having
a Parliament is to have a representation of society.” This includes people from
all groups and of all ages.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"><b>PARTISANSHIP<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">These
kinds of demands on women, of family and work, are just some of the many issues
that are discussed in the all-party women’s caucus. “We haven’t reached any
conclusions,” says Murray, “but we want to make it [Parliament] a more
family-friendly place.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">The
all-party women’s caucus has existed off and on since 1989. For some time it
was just a meeting of female members of the Liberal party; however, in October
of last year Liberal MP Carolyn Bennett invited female MPs of other political
parties to join.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">“We’ve
now had three meetings, once a month for the last three months with women from
all of the parties,” says Murray. The Conservative senator is a co-chair and
the other co-chair is Liberal. “Our discussions have covered the general
terrain of women’s equality, women’s portrayal in the media and in politics,
and barriers to having more women in Ottawa.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">“I
am very sorry to say that there are very few female Conservative MPs who are members
of this group; the female Conservative senators are [part of the women’s
caucus],” says Fry. “Originally, when we first started [the women’s caucus], a
lot of the Conservative women came, but they’ve dropped off; maybe they’re just
busy, I have no idea.”</span><span style="font-family: Disp; font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Disp; font-size: 9pt;">“I do know
that I have spoken to some Conservative women MPs who have told me that they
don’t like this issue of ‘women’s this’ [and] ‘women’s that’ because women have
to stop being seen as victims and treated as victims,” she adds.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Disp; font-size: 9pt;">Conversely,
Fry doesn’t see it that way: “We’re not saying women are victims at all.” She
points to something that was brought forward to the United Nations in her time
as Secretary of State Multiculturalism and Status of Women, called gender-based
analysis. This analysis is “how to analyze every policy, every piece of
legislation that is coming through Parliament, to ensure that it does not
unintentionally create a challenge for men and for women.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Disp; font-size: 9pt;">Fry
emphasizes how important it is to uphold this, and that certain policies, such
as the Harper government’s job creation plan, haven’t. “[If] you know that only
one per cent of women are in the construction trade, how is that an equal
opportunity job creation program? It isn’t. If you’d done gender-based
analysis, you might have recognized it wasn’t,” says Fry.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Disp; font-size: 9pt;">She also
stresses the importance of women working together on Parliament Hill.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Disp; font-size: 9pt;">It has
happened a few times, she says, “where women coming together have been able to
cross partisan boundaries, to make significant changes, like when the Liberal,
and the NDP and the Progressive Conservative women came together to make breast
cancer a really important and seminal issue.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Disp; font-size: 9pt;">In June
2011, Rona Ambrose, present Minister for the Status of Women for the
Conservative government, spoke at the Equal Voice reception, an organization
that aims to get more women elected into office. “As elected women to the House
of Commons we have a special opportunity, and I believe a real obligation, to
work together to improve the lives of women and girls,” she said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Disp; font-size: 9pt;">In
conjunction with Equal Voice’s mission she also encouraged more women to run,
but the message that she sent about female solidarity in Parliament was clear.
“I look forward to collaborating with all of my 75 women colleagues from across
the political spectrum,” she said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Disp; font-size: 9pt;">The
percentage of female candidates in political parties ranges from the low 22 per
cent of the Conservative candidates, to the high 41 per cent of the NDP
candidates. As with the Liberal party, the NDP party has its own women’s
caucus. MP Djaouida Sellah, who is chair of the NDP women’s caucus, announced
her election last year, saying that, “The evolution of the status of women in
the Western world has created a domino effect that can still be seen today
around the world. The fact that Saudi Arabian women obtained the right to vote
in municipal elections shows that the path forged by Canadian women is still
guiding the evolution of many societies.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Disp; font-size: 9pt;">Unfortunately,
despite this strong role, it seems that it is not enough to avoid the usual
scrutiny, particularly from the media. Last month, <i>Huffington Post </i></span><span style="font-family: Disp; font-size: 9pt;">put up a very brief video clip
entitled “Another vain NDP MP in the House of Commons” of Sellah brushing her
hair out of her face while looking into a mirror, saying that the MP was the
latest to be “caught doing something embarrassing.” She can be seen fixing her
hair for approximately five seconds.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Disp; font-size: 9pt;"><b>TOP OF
FORM BOTTOM OF FORM<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Disp; font-size: 9pt;">While the
Conservative male-to-female ratio is the least equal, they have increased their
ratio the most in the last half-decade: while now representing 22 per cent of
the Conservative candidates, women accounted for only 12 per cent in 2006. As
noted in a parliamentary publication on Women in Parliament by Julie Cool of
the Social Affairs Division, the Conservatives have not implemented any special
measures to achieve this.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Disp; font-size: 9pt;">With
consideration to the fact that women, on average, earn less than men, other
political parties will sometimes provide additional campaign funding to women
who are nominated. The NDP, who have the highest ratio of women to men,
actively seeks out minority groups and women to be nominated. Most parties have
minimum quotas.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Disp; font-size: 9pt;"><b>SLOW
VICTORIES<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Disp; font-size: 9pt;">According
to the Parliament of Canada’s website, since 1997, the number of female-held
seats in the Parliament has remained at around 20 per cent, most recently
jumping to 24 per cent in 2011. The number has been steadily increasing, with
the exception of 2004 to 2006, when four female seats were lost.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Disp; font-size: 9pt;">There are
still needs that could be accommodated, Fry says. Better childcare would be a
good place to start: “Some places, like Sweden, and Scandinavian jurisdictions,
they do have childcare available in the precinct, they also do have neonatal
care available, they have breastfeeding rooms … they have very female-friendly
precincts,” she describes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Disp; font-size: 9pt;">Another
issue is the opportunity for women to prove their equality with their male
counterparts. This is often impeded by the tendency to give women “soft
portfolios,” Fry says, where “in many countries, [women are] given social
services, health, human resources, [and] labour… [instead of] the hard-nosed
political things; finance, and international affairs, and trade, and that kind
of thing, which is kind of sad. Because you know, I think it’s time that we
start judging women on their ability.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Disp; font-size: 9pt;"><b>MORE
THAN QUOTAS<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Disp; font-size: 9pt;">A big
question hanging overhead as well is whether electing more women will in fact
change the structure.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Disp; font-size: 9pt;">“Some
Parliaments that have a large number of women are beginning to say, ‘Well, have
they?’ Have women actually fulfilled the promise of change? Or have women,
suddenly finding themselves in a male-dominated arena, decided instead of
sinking they would swim, and in order to swim, they actually join the club?”
says Fry. “And they behave like a man, and they don’t want to be spoken of as
women, because there is a tendency for us people in business, in Parliament,
and the media, to stereotype women as shrill, if they raise their voices, as
ambitious in a negative [way], aggressive if they are ambitious and they want
to move forward.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Disp; font-size: 9pt;">It’s this
attitude, she says, that sees many women fall silent, or adapt to the ideas of
others.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Disp; font-size: 9pt;">This is one
pitfall, but conversely there are also success stories that avoid this.
Brigitta Dahl, former Speaker of Parliament for Sweden, explained her
impressions of the Swedish Parliament. It’s not just the representation of
women, she says that makes a difference, but “that a majority of women and men
bring relevant social experience to the business of Parliament. This is what
makes the difference. Men bring with them experience of real life issues, of
raising children, of running a home. They have broad perspectives and greater
understanding … Neither men nor women have to conform to a traditional role.
Women do not have to behave like men to have power; men do not have to behave
like women to be allowed to care for their children.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Disp; font-size: 9pt;">The
presence of women in Parliament, then, can also make change beyond uniquely
female needs. Because women often hold a strong role in supporting family,
their push for more family-friendly amenities in office also paves way for male
politicians who want to have a stronger family life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Disp; font-size: 9pt;">Greater
representation from all groups in society strengthens democracy, but it can
also lead to the ability to break out of traditional roles, to and make change.
Female politicians often hold this promise.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Disp; font-size: 9pt;">Fry
emphasizes that for this reason, it’s important that female politicians stand
their ground. “I think most people instinctively … when they elect a woman …
elect change. I think they really instinctively believe that things are going
to change,” she says. “And if it isn’t, they’re going to say, ‘What the hell’s
the difference?’”</span><o:p></o:p><br />
<span style="font-family: Disp; font-size: 9pt;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Disp; font-size: 9pt;">//Claire Vulliamy, arts editor</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Disp; font-size: 9pt;">//Graphics by Marco Ferriera</span></div>W3B EDI7ORhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07798935582369488707noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8326071850516456009.post-20652726649586045202012-04-13T21:31:00.004-07:002012-04-13T21:32:40.431-07:00CASUALTIES OF THE WAR ON DRUGS Exploring Canada's prohibition crisis // Sarah Vitet<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 12px;">Lalanya
Blue McGraw was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma in 2001, after a biopsy
revealed that small growths in her chest and neck were cancerous. Her condition
was serious, and death was a very real potential outcome, though there were
treatment options available.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXiVVTb3GpK4_1YgVSTX0YocaVwKF7XA2cLhUgtu2e5TexUYDLSdE1NUuBm2dkWTHuJG3tissvjRiWca67AakJHJWzjR5eKL01EGsi2hgN4XB2mmu-MYJIYzo8XHOf6ZSHUB9WEG-ZQrTj/s1600/Features+drugs.tiff" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXiVVTb3GpK4_1YgVSTX0YocaVwKF7XA2cLhUgtu2e5TexUYDLSdE1NUuBm2dkWTHuJG3tissvjRiWca67AakJHJWzjR5eKL01EGsi2hgN4XB2mmu-MYJIYzo8XHOf6ZSHUB9WEG-ZQrTj/s320/Features+drugs.tiff" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">“I
was told that there were medical treatments which had proven highly successful
for curing this type of cancer at its stage, and I quickly began a protocol of
chemotherapy followed by radiation,” says McGraw. The cancer responded by
shrinking in size at first, but then began to grow again. They tried several
chemotherapy drugs and two bone marrow transplants, with little success.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">“In
2009, I joined the B.C. Compassion Club Society and started using cannabis
frequently to help with my symptoms of the cancer and the side effects of
chemotherapy,” says McGraw. Cannabis helped relieve her nausea and pain, as well
as increasing her appetite and aiding with sleeping. “What I didn't
anticipate,” says McGraw, “was that it appeared to slow the progression of my
cancer.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">Though
the Cancer Agency had exhausted all their treatments for her, McGraw’s use of
medical marijuana seemed to make a huge difference in the growth of the cancer
cells. “My oncologist had no explanation but simply said ‘whatever it is you're
doing, keep it up.’ And I did just that,” says McGraw.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">However,
there are drawbacks to using medical marijuana. “I know of people who were
denied life-saving surgeries because of their choice to practice this illegal
pain management,” says McGraw. She also knows people who have had doctors
refuse to sign forms on their behalf: “I have another friend who passed away
recently with a ferocious spirit, but a petite, frail, and weakened body that
could no longer fight harder than the cancer,” says McGraw. “With all that she was
doing to defy the odds, she didn't have the energy or time to go through the
steps of obtaining permission to use cannabis from a dispensary, and she was
uneasy with the inconsistency and risk of buying off of the street, so to speak.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">The
illegality of marijuana often scares patients away from using it, and because
it hasn’t been studied in combination with other medications, doctors cannot
always confirm that using medical marijuana won’t cause complications. People
are often unwilling to take that risk.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">“The
tragic losses are too plentiful and painful for me to continue to list them,”
says McGraw. “I'm left with the insight to say with conviction that because
marijuana is illegal in Canada, people that I know, love, and miss greatly were
denied direly needed comfort.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 30pt;">*
* * <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">The
chief medical health officers in British Columbia, Nova Scotia, and
Saskatchewan recently published a paper in Open Medicine analyzing Canada’s
illicit drug policies. They concluded that criminalization of marijuana and
other drugs has not worked, and that an alternative model should be
implemented, such as regulation and taxation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"><br />
“The use of illegal drugs remains a serious threat to community health,” the
paper reads. “However, despite the substantial social costs attributable to
illegal drugs, a well-described discordance between scientific evidence and
policy exists in this area, such that most resources go to drug law enforcement
activities that have not been well evaluated.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">They
point out that when the Office of the Auditor General of Canada last reviewed Canada’s
drug strategy in 2001, it estimated thatof the $454 million spent annually on
efforts to control illicit drugs, $426 million (93.8 per cent) was devoted to
law enforcement.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">The
report was in part a response to Bill C-10, which imposed mandatory minimum
sentencing for minor drug law offenses. Despite the estimated $1 trillion
dollars that the United States has spent on their war on drugs, it has widely been
shown to be ineffective.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">“In
addition,” the paper reads, “although reducing the availability of cannabis has
been a central focus of drug law enforcement efforts, over the past 30 years of
cannabis prohibition the drug has remained 'almost universally available to American
12th graders,' according to US drug use surveillance systems funded by the US
National Institutes of Health, with 80–90 per cent of survey respondents saying
that the drug is “very easy” or “fairly easy” to obtain.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">In
February 2012, a group of former B.C. attorney generals wrote an open letter
stating that cannabis prohibition is a failed policy, and should be ended.
“Thanks to the police intelligence efforts of organizations such as the RCMP, it
is now commonly accepted knowledge that marijuana prohibition drives organized
crime and related violence in B.C.,” the letter states. This followed a similar
letter written by former Vancouver mayors in November 2011, also condemning marijuana
prohibition.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">"We
need to acknowledge that our current approach to some of our substance-use
policies is perhaps not as evidence-based as it should be," said Dr. Paul
Hasselback, chair of the Health Officers' Council of B.C.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 30pt;">*
* * <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">In
May 2010, Marc Emery was extradited to the United States by the Canadian
government to stand trial on conspiracy charges. He is currently in Federal
prison in Mississippi, with an earliest release date of July 2014.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">“He
[Marc] is Canadian, paid his taxes on seed sales, was well-known for what he
did, never hid anything, and he never left Canada, so it was a big shock to
most Canadians and people worldwide that American law enforcement could arrest
somebody in Canada and have them face life in prison,” says Jodie Emery, Marc Emery’s
wife and current manager of the Marc Emery’s Cannabis Culture Headquarters store,
the BCMP Vapour Lounge, Pot TV, and <i>Cannabis<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"><i>Culture
</i></span><span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">magazine.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">While
operating in Vancouver, Marc Emery was “sending seeds all over the world,
bringing millions of dollars in to finance ballot initiatives, political
parties, conferences, all sorts of peaceful democratic activities and
activism,” explains Jodie Emery. Through public speaking and activism, Emery
continues to advocate for marijuana legalization.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">“The
war on drugs is incarcerating millions of people all over the world who never
hurt anybody,” says Emery. She also notes the benefits of cannabis, including
the properties of industrial hemp, as well as medical marijuana. Emery explains
that the stress-relieving benefits marijuana has on users can be extremely
beneficial to overall health.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">“People
who smoke a joint aren’t going to get angry or violent, they are going to sit
on the couch and eat chips. Everybody jokes about that, but it’s because
there’s truth to it,” she says. “If anything can reduce your stress levels,
that extends your life … eating healthy, or doing healthy activities, or using
cannabis can reduce your stress level, which can extend your life and reduce
the likelihood of getting sick. So in that sense, marijuana should be used by
people if it works well for them.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 30pt;">*
* * <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">Despite
growing public opinion in support of the legalization of marijuana, the
legislation regarding minor drug charges has recently become more severe,
rather than less. “We know that more and more Canadians under Harper’s government
are going to be going to prison,” says Emery. “Bill C-10, including mandatory minimums,
is guaranteeing that we are going to see a lot of non-violent Canadians put in prison,
and even more worrisome is that private prison companies, who have never
operated in Canada before, are now meeting with our government.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">The
effects of privatized prisons are clear in the United States, where the prison
industry is the fastest growing industry, and prisoners labour at extremely low
wages while free citizen unemployment rates climb.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">“They
are for-profit companies that exist on the stock market, and they have to
guarantee that their prisons are always full,” says Emery. The emphasis is
taken away from prevention and rehabilitation, and new laws are lobbied for by
private prison companies, rather than created out of necessity.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">In
2008, two judges in Pennsylvania pled guilty to accepting bribes from the
owners of two for-profit juvenile facilities. Called the “Kids for cash”
scandal, the judges accepted $2.6 million in return for imposing harsh
sentences for juveniles brought before their courts. “So we’ve got this serious
corruption that goes on, where law enforcement is being bought out by prison industries
to ensure that people are being put in prison,” says Emery. “That is immoral
and unjust in the extreme, and unfortunately that is going to happen here.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">Although
Emery does agree that violent criminals are often given sentences more lenient
than they are perceived to deserve, she notes that it is often due to
incorrectly followed procedure. “The reason that so many of those dangerous
people aren’t being dealt with properly is that 70 per cent of all court
resources are used for smaller, nonviolent drug offences,” says Emery. If
prohibition were ended, the justice system would be able to function optimally.
According to Emery, imposing harsher sentences for nonviolent criminals is not
the solution.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">“This
prohibition isn’t working to make streets safer, it’s not working to get rid of
gangs,” says Emery. “You have to wonder why prohibition continues, if all the
proof shows that it’s not helping solve problems, it’s only helping to make
certain people really rich. So that raises some questions.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">According
to RCMP Superintendent Ray Bernoties, in a speech made to the Canadian
University Press on Mar. 3, “No decision we make today is going to make gang
violence go away. There isn’t one black and white answer.” He pointed out that
there are still illegal tobacco and alcohol industries, mostly operating in
rural areas. Bernoties also noted that the gang-run marijuana trade in B.C.
often exports to other countries, so simply ending prohibition in Canada would
not eliminate organized crime activity.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">“Gangs
will be violent no matter what the substance,” says Bernoties. He does note,
however, that many of the problems associated with drug use are health care
related, particularly addiction. “For me,” says Bernoties, “the answers to
crime have very little to do with law enforcement.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 30pt;">*
* * <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">Although
many people agree that prohibition in Canada is harmful and should be changed,
there is no true consensus on what model should replace it, particularly in
regards to cannabis. Some people believe that marijuana should be regulated and
taxed, similarly to alcohol and tobacco, while others believe that marijuana
should be able to be grown by anyone, like any other plant.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">"For
the last decade, Portugal has decriminalized all drug use and they have some of
the lowest rates of drug use in Europe and they have some of the least amounts
of harm from drug use," said Dr. Robert Strang, Nova Scotia's chief
medical health officer, in a CBC article. Strang is one of the authors of the
Open Medicine paper suggesting that marijuana ought to be taxed and regulated.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">“From
this point forward there’s a lot of discussion and ideas and debate that need
to take place,” says Emery. “Unfortunately, prohibition is easier to keep in
place … its a lot easier than doing such a drastic overhaul that would have
consequences in everybody’s lives.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">McGraw
hopes that cannabis can be legalized, and that the transition and function of
the new model be derived from a variety of perspectives. “I would ultimately
like to grow my own cannabis at home and make my own medicine from my
organically grown plants,” she says. “I think that's a fair aspiration and I
believe that legalization should incorporate that option.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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* * <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">In
regards to other illicit drugs, many experts suggest that prohibition is doing
more harm than good. “The criminalization of people who use drugs continues to
prove ineffective in reducing rates of drug use and has instead contributed to
substantial health-related harms,” states the Open Medicine paper. A recent
study by the World Health Organization concluded that countries that had
stricter illegal drug policies for users did not have lower levels of use than
those with more tolerant policies.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">“There
are a lot of activities that people can do that can kill them. Eating peanuts,
my goodness: peanuts kill people every single day, so let’s make those illegal,
and send all the peanut farmers to jail. Of course nobody is proposing that,
because it wouldn’t make sense,” says Emery. “The best approach is just to
educate about proper, healthy use for activities, and help those who face
problems with any sort of activity. When it comes to illegal drugs, they should
be legal, and regulated too.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">For
McGraw, the war on drugs has not only resulted in the suffering of many of her
friends, it continues to put people at risk of not getting the relief they
need. “I am one of the fortunate ones,” says McGraw. “I had a doctor who did
not to hesitate to sign the forms on my behalf, given the severity of my case.”
For others, the option to use medical marijuana is impeded by the prohibition.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">Although
there is a long history of marijuana activists advocating for legalization,
more recently many non-marijuana-users have been speaking out against
prohibition in Canada, which highlights the growing severity of the situation.
“For the safety of everybody, and also for economic reasons,” says Emery. “It doesn’t
make sense to continue keeping marijuana illegal.”</span><br />
<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">//Sarah Vitet, editor-in-chief</span><br />
<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">//Graphics by Faye Alexander</span></div>W3B EDI7ORhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07798935582369488707noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8326071850516456009.post-53878107343059119972012-04-13T21:08:00.000-07:002012-04-13T21:08:18.328-07:00ARTS SHORTS Vol 45 Issue 23<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBU7L-lBoUvYv3Aw8qAgtXq3vYSgNmq-gDxe53T9nOumwoOXur3vF1UmzQB8bjENHK6xEYjFxSVLvnOgstF58_e4fa63nrJ1lD66MtVsmvCEOk7g3qpQFjJaPx0oEI04L5al7AXT5rvAh6/s1600/Arts+shorts.tiff" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBU7L-lBoUvYv3Aw8qAgtXq3vYSgNmq-gDxe53T9nOumwoOXur3vF1UmzQB8bjENHK6xEYjFxSVLvnOgstF58_e4fa63nrJ1lD66MtVsmvCEOk7g3qpQFjJaPx0oEI04L5al7AXT5rvAh6/s1600/Arts+shorts.tiff" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: TradeGothicLTStd-Bold; font-size: 9pt;"><b>GLADYS
KNIGHT<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: TradeGothicLTStd-Bold; font-size: 9pt;">at
The River Rock Casino<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: TradeGothicLTStd-Bold; font-size: 9pt;">March
31<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: TradeGothicLTStd-Bold; font-size: 9pt;">Growing
up, I was introduced to Motown quite early, which is perhaps the reason it was
like second nature for me. Back in the late ’60s, Knight and her family band
The Pips made a massive impression on the Motown scene, releasing some of the
label's biggest singles. When Gladys embarked on a solo career in the late ’80s,
she went on to cover blues, jazz, and gospel music. Her show at the River Rock
was a fantastic retrospective covering all her eras, without coming off like a
desperate cash-grab focusing on a career that once was.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: TradeGothicLTStd-Bold; font-size: 9pt;">In
fact, Knight's star is still bright and intact. Her current run on TV mainstay <i>Dancing
With The Stars </i></span><span style="font-family: TradeGothicLTStd-Bold; font-size: 9pt;">is
not a washed-up stop-in, but an appearance by a rare legend who has continued
to tour into her late 60s, while still recording music both old and new.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: TradeGothicLTStd-Bold; font-size: 9pt;">Near
the end of the show, after churning out a handful of classic throwback tunes, Knight
performed her new single “I (Who Have Nothing)”. The cover of the Ben E. King
standard showed a new edgier side of Knight, with dark harmonies instilling
urgency into the romantic track. Such seems to be the greatness of Knight as a
vocalist and performer.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: TradeGothicLTStd-Bold; font-size: 9pt;">A
mid-section of the set gave Knight some breathing time when her brother and
former member of The Pips, Merald “Bubba” Knight, came onstage to duet with
Gladys on The Beatles’ “Yesterday”. It was a sentimental and touching throwback
that made me wonder if my sister and I will be that cool when we’re in our 60s.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: TradeGothicLTStd-Bold; font-size: 9pt;">Gladys’
voice is unmistakable, but lends itself well to many genres. Knight's set
jumped with ease from her early hits with The Pips such as “I Heard It Through
The Grapevine” to down-tempo jazz numbers like “Someone To Watch Over Me”. She
even dabbled in modern country, with her own spin on JoAnn Womack’s “I Hope You
Dance”, which was met with one of at least a half-dozen standing ovations of
the evening.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: TradeGothicLTStd-Bold; font-size: 9pt;">Knight
met her crowd with humour and flair, explaining her life and its stories
through the songs, introducing each number with impressive storytelling chops.
Knight seemed almost overwhelmed when the entire house was brought to their
feet at the beginning of closing number, “Midnight Train To Georgia”, which seemed
to be not only nostalgic for myself, but most of the people in the room.</span><o:p></o:p><br />
<span style="font-family: TradeGothicLTStd-Bold; font-size: 9pt;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: TradeGothicLTStd-Bold; font-size: 9pt;">//JJ Brewis, art director</span></div>W3B EDI7ORhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07798935582369488707noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8326071850516456009.post-91211775691635949242012-04-13T21:00:00.000-07:002012-04-13T21:00:17.821-07:00MOKA ONLY GONNA MAKE Y'ALL STOP Interview with local "celebrity" // Harrison Pratt<span style="font-family: DispIt; font-size: 9pt;"><i>(Editor’s
note: Moka Only is a local hip hop artist who is possibly best known for being
part of Swollen Members. Now in his late 30s, Moka Only has released a rough
average of three albums a year since 1989. On Jan. 31, Moka Only paired up with
fellow local MC Evil Ebenezer and released a concept album called </i></span><span style="font-family: DispIt; font-size: 9pt;">ZZBRA: The Original Motion Picture
Soundtrack<i>, described as a soundtrack to a movie that went over budget and
fell apart during shooting, never to see the light of day, “Stuey Kubrick’s
Pan-African adventure epic.” Here is a transcript of an interview with Moka
only in regards to this release.)</i></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuBMU-YNRz8FMvzH5ijwcG7FRfCj5pjtLU9X8NIxDF5bAmEWEREhh0P74FK_EPX3KLCuniZjkr_Ms9oaT_0ltwikNrpHvsj3A3r0_6FmaUQA8KH-m_-uzkNCAHv2oS6ynSGU7p5WzQ-X3j/s1600/Arts+Moka+Only.tiff" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuBMU-YNRz8FMvzH5ijwcG7FRfCj5pjtLU9X8NIxDF5bAmEWEREhh0P74FK_EPX3KLCuniZjkr_Ms9oaT_0ltwikNrpHvsj3A3r0_6FmaUQA8KH-m_-uzkNCAHv2oS6ynSGU7p5WzQ-X3j/s320/Arts+Moka+Only.tiff" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: DispIt; font-size: 9pt;"><b>Harrison
Pratt:</b></span><span style="font-family: DispIt; font-size: 9pt;"> How did you
end up making this album? How did you meet these guys?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: DispIt; font-size: 9pt;"><b>Moka
Only:</b></span><span style="font-family: DispIt; font-size: 9pt;"> I’ve known
Evil for many years just through an association with the hip hop scene, so
we’ve done some stuff together, and I’m not sure what happened; we just ended
up making it. It was some years ago, actually.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: DispIt; font-size: 9pt;"><b>H:</b></span><span style="font-family: DispIt; font-size: 9pt;"> I’ve noticed in the liner notes it
says that Stuey Kubrick and U-Turn produced it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: DispIt; font-size: 9pt;"><b>M:</b></span><span style="font-family: DispIt; font-size: 9pt;"> It was one of the first projects
I’ve done where I didn’t do the beats.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: DispIt; font-size: 9pt;"><b>H:</b></span><span style="font-family: DispIt; font-size: 9pt;"> Did you use any of your gear for
this? I noticed there was a Casio SK-1 on one.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: DispIt; font-size: 9pt;"><b>M:</b></span><span style="font-family: DispIt; font-size: 9pt;"> Yeah, I used a Casio SK-1. It was a
track that I actually added to “Stunt Driver”. That was me, but other than that
I didn’t do the beats.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: DispIt; font-size: 9pt;"><b>H:</b></span><span style="font-family: DispIt; font-size: 9pt;"> When are you most productive and
where does your inspiration come from?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: DispIt; font-size: 9pt;"><b>M:</b></span><span style="font-family: DispIt; font-size: 9pt;"> Let’s say I’m most productive every
day that I’m alive. I’m always inspired, there’s not a moment that goes by
where I’m not thinking about something to do with music or creativity or art. As
for where it comes from, that’s a mystery, and I think you can ask just about
every other artist, [and] after they give you their bullshit answer, they’ll
give you the real answer; nobody really knows where it comes from, some people
are chosen by a greater power to be vessels for art. I don’t know, I have no
idea, I just know that’s what keeps me running, and if you took that away,
that’s my lifeline, I wouldn’t have anything to live for.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: DispIt; font-size: 9pt;"><b>H:</b></span><span style="font-family: DispIt; font-size: 9pt;"> You must stay up pretty late at
night. What time do you wake up most days?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: DispIt; font-size: 9pt;"><b>M:</b></span><span style="font-family: DispIt; font-size: 9pt;"> Depends if I recorded during the
night or not. Sometimes, also touring, sometimes I got to catch flights at six
in the morning or whatever, so it varies.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: DispIt; font-size: 9pt;"><b>H:</b></span><span style="font-family: DispIt; font-size: 9pt;"> You’re a busy man. Do you ever
decline offers to work with people?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: DispIt; font-size: 9pt;"><b>M:</b></span><span style="font-family: DispIt; font-size: 9pt;"> Yeah, I’ve declined a lot of
things. But I give people a fair shake. You know, one of the reasons for
declining somebody: it may be their approach, if someone’s approach is off, I
don’t care how much money you’re offering. I don’t want to do it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: DispIt; font-size: 9pt;">If it’s
not up to par financially, there’s no way they can make it happen. I would say,
“Get at me when you can.” You know what I mean. I try to keep it fair, but you
know I don’t discriminate. It could be anybody, really. If their heart’s in the
right place and they [have] some skrill [money].<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: DispIt; font-size: 9pt;"><b>H:</b></span><span style="font-family: DispIt; font-size: 9pt;"> This is a concept album. You guys
made a soundtrack to this movie <i>Zzbra</i></span><span style="font-family: DispIt; font-size: 9pt;">. I was wondering if this <i>Zzbra </i></span><span style="font-family: DispIt; font-size: 9pt;">movie will come out?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: DispIt; font-size: 9pt;"><b>M:</b></span><span style="font-family: DispIt; font-size: 9pt;"> I doubt it’ll ever see the light of
day. It’s not meant to be seen.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: DispIt; font-size: 9pt;"><b>H:</b></span><span style="font-family: DispIt; font-size: 9pt;"> In the liner notes I noticed Stuey
Kubrick mentioned that “after great creative differences, I buried the footage
deep in the jungle.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: DispIt; font-size: 9pt;"><b>M:</b></span><span style="font-family: DispIt; font-size: 9pt;"> Well, that’s an artistic way to put
it. I don’t know what he did with it. I mean, you know, it’s sometimes good not
to take everything literally. Even if it’s given to you that way. It’s all art.
It’s all just for laughs and stuff, you know. The bottom line is we take the
craft of creating music very seriously; we take ourselves … not so serious. You
know what I mean? We just like to have fun with it, and yes, we will sometimes
do and say things to confuse people, or sometimes do things and say things to
surprise people, but nothing is of malice or ill-intent. We’re just
entertainers, is what it comes down to.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: DispIt; font-size: 9pt;"><b>H:</b></span><span style="font-family: DispIt; font-size: 9pt;"> Do you guys plan on touring?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: DispIt; font-size: 9pt;"><b>M:</b></span><span style="font-family: DispIt; font-size: 9pt;"> We’re actually on tour right now;
as you’re calling me, we’re in the tour bus right now. I’m on the phone with
you! We’re just pulling into Edmonton right now. Right now were doing this
cross Canada tour, then we’re onto Japan; after that we’ll stop over at Thailand.
Then there’s a break and it’s on to… I’m not sure where. I don’t know.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: DispIt; font-size: 9pt;"><b>H:</b></span><span style="font-family: DispIt; font-size: 9pt;"> Are you guys going to Lebanon?
‘Cause I noticed you guys have a song called “I look Lebanese”. I was wondering
if you had any connections with Lebanon?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: DispIt; font-size: 9pt;"><b>M:</b></span><span style="font-family: DispIt; font-size: 9pt;"> No. I just look Lebanese. I’m
negro. A lot of people look at me. You know what I’m saying? Cause I’m a light
skin black person. But it’s like … I’m negro. That’s what I am. You know what I’m
saying? But I’m sort of racially ambiguous. You know what I’m saying? People
don’t realize how fucking black I am. I’m like the blackest. I’ll tear your
head off! You know what I’m saying? I’m very militant. But not really. I like
to sit around and eat cereal and stuff. I’m just goofing around, man. But, I
mean the truth is, yeah, because I am a bi-racial, I’m black and white. Some
people, bi-racials, they do have an ambiguously racial look to them. And that’s
why I said that in the song, I said “I look Lebanese”; I said it in “Let’s
Roll” and we ended up looping it up for that song. I don’t think we’re going to
Lebanon … we have lots of Lebanese friends, so you never know. It may happen.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: DispIt; font-size: 9pt;"><b>H:</b></span><span style="font-family: DispIt; font-size: 9pt;"> Where did you meet Evil; you guys
known each other for a long time then?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: DispIt; font-size: 9pt;"><b>M:</b></span><span style="font-family: DispIt; font-size: 9pt;"> Like I said, I actually did say,
Evil’s part of the scene in Vancouver, I’m part of the scene in Vancouver, and
somewhere along the lines, I don’t remember the exact moments, but we
connected. I heard about Evil for a long time, actually before I ever met him,
I heard about how crazy he was and the first time I’ve seen him perform was
2001. So it wasn’t too much longer after that, that we started to connect on
some music type stuff.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: DispIt; font-size: 9pt;"><b>H:</b></span><span style="font-family: DispIt; font-size: 9pt;"> You guys planning on collaborating
more after this album?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: DispIt; font-size: 9pt;"><b>M:</b></span><span style="font-family: DispIt; font-size: 9pt;"> Yeah man, it’ll definitely happen.
Like I mentioned before, the album is not new. It’s something we’ve been
sitting on. We actually made the album in 2006. Everything was done in 2006, except
the videos we just shot recently. Some things just aren’t ready to come out.
Just to make sure things are ready. So, whether it’s the business part, or final
artistic touches or whatever, that’s what it is.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: DispIt; font-size: 9pt;">//Harrison Pratt, writer</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: DispIt; font-size: 9pt;">//Graphics by Claire Vuillamy</span></div>W3B EDI7ORhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07798935582369488707noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8326071850516456009.post-44159032911807021592012-04-13T20:44:00.003-07:002012-04-13T20:45:31.692-07:00WE ARE ALL LIARS Capilano's student-run literary magazine prepares to publish latest edition // Colin Spensley<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 12px;">Getting
published is the goal of most aspiring writers. However, it can be daunting. Daunting,
but worth it – exposing your creative side to the world at-large can be, and
usually is, a very rewarding experience for many writers. The problem lies in
finding someone willing to publish you when you have little or no experience in
the field.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">Fortunately
for writers at Capilano University, there is <i>The Liar</i></span><span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">. <i>The Liar </i></span><span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">is a student-run literary
magazine at Capilano that operates on democratic principles with elected
editors, submissions, and staff and with a new Editor-in-Chief selected every
year. <i>The Liar </i></span><span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">publishes
bi-annually, with a call for submissions open twice a year: once in the fall
semester and once in the spring.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"><i>The
Liar </i></span><span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">takes
submissions from anyone willing to have their work read by the collective. Although
many magazines will take submissions from freelance contributors, the
likelihood of your work being selected relies heavily upon the size and
reputation of the magazine or book.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">Since
the spring of 1987, <i>The Liar </i></span><span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">has continued to publish student submitted work
with only a few gaps in production between then and now. Students are
encouraged to submit all works they feel are worthy of publishing in any form: “<i>The
Liar </i></span><span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">works
as a collective and we vote on everything democratically,” says editor Allie
Quelch.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">This
includes which pieces are selected to go in the magazine. “We used to publish
mostly micro fiction and short poetry, but now we’re moving towards longer
pieces. The spring issue is our largest one yet, at about 130 pages.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">Although
<i>The Liar </i></span><span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">has,
in the past, published mostly the work of Capilano students, they are looking
to expand to students anywhere in Canada. The form of <i>The Liar </i></span><span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">itself has also changed: “We’ve
gone from a stapled zine in the last few years to a perfectly bound book, so
that’s really exciting,” says Quelch.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">The
process of voting to select which writing goes in <i>The Liar </i></span><span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">is done collectively by all
the editors and contributors. The submitted works are circulated amongst
writers and editors and voted on; the ones that receive the most votes are published
in that semester’s magazine.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">After
all the works have been selected and edited, the magazine goes into production,
which includes layout and graphic design, an aspect of publishing geared more
towards art students. “We could really use some graphic design students right
now,” says Quelch. “We usually have a meeting at the beginning of each
semester, but with no time to poster or promote ourselves, we usually just end
up talking to creative writing classes and doing the design ourselves.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-DispIt; font-size: 9pt;"><i>Poem
from the upcoming issue<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-DispIt; font-size: 9pt;"><i>of
</i></span><span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-DispIt; font-size: 9pt;">The Liar:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAsMZEy_7Gv1_1iKcoVMiyXoYDVQSMltwa2-VhtwTSe1DnTMO5vCtgnwyAFcfHzM0op5jSd-Hs0CQgDCw_rX5SpGPdkFlhFh6gIg46MDyVVM_RKf-BL-1IFjz7X2_quCmBIJgd5-UL5Yxx/s1600/Arts+Liar.tiff" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="262" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAsMZEy_7Gv1_1iKcoVMiyXoYDVQSMltwa2-VhtwTSe1DnTMO5vCtgnwyAFcfHzM0op5jSd-Hs0CQgDCw_rX5SpGPdkFlhFh6gIg46MDyVVM_RKf-BL-1IFjz7X2_quCmBIJgd5-UL5Yxx/s320/Arts+Liar.tiff" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-DispIt; font-size: 9pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-DispIt; font-size: 9pt;"><b>CHICKEN
BITCH<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-DispIt; font-size: 9pt;">By
Allie Quelch<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-DispIt; font-size: 9pt;">chicken
scratch<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-DispIt; font-size: 9pt;">records<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-DispIt; font-size: 9pt;">of
chick fights<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-DispIt; font-size: 9pt;">etched<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-DispIt; font-size: 9pt;">into
fingernails embellished<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-DispIt; font-size: 9pt;">with
“Pink Before You Leap”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-DispIt; font-size: 9pt;">polish(ed)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-DispIt; font-size: 9pt;">her
off with a bitch slap<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-DispIt; font-size: 9pt;">and
a cheap shot<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-DispIt; font-size: 9pt;">cat
swipe<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-DispIt; font-size: 9pt;">at
an ill-conceived facial<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-DispIt; font-size: 9pt;">adjustment<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-DispIt; font-size: 9pt;">Time
to repent<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-DispIt; font-size: 9pt;">repaint<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-DispIt; font-size: 9pt;">nails</span><span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"><i>If
you’re interested in reading this current issue of </i></span><span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">The Liar<i>, it comes out on
Apr. 12. There will be a release party on that day at the Railway Club from 6-8pm
which will include free copies of </i></span><span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">The Liar <i>as well as readings. Copies will also
be available in the CSU and the Library after the release.</i></span><o:p></o:p><br />
<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"><i><br /></i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">//Colin Spensley, columns editor</span><br />
<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">//Graphics by Katie So</span></div>W3B EDI7ORhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07798935582369488707noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8326071850516456009.post-69406206129786987512012-04-13T20:36:00.001-07:002012-04-13T20:37:31.444-07:00JITTERBUGGING IN THE AGE OF BIEBER Vancouver class teaches swing dance to new generation // Victoria Fawkes<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 12px;">If
there ever was an underrated pastime, it’s swing dancing. Popular from the
1920s to the 1930s, swing dancing was born out of the smoky underground dance
halls of Boston, New York, and Chicago. Big band jazz bands were the soundtrack
for this particular era of dance, which brought swing dancing enthusiasts of
all nationalities together. Swing dancing was also a major stepping stone in
the birth of jazz dance, which is currently far more well-known than the art of
swing dancing.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">Lucy
Falkner is the owner, administrator, instructor, and a performer at Rhythm City
Productions, a Vancouver dance studio devoted to vintage jazz dance. She
teaches the popular jazz dance style of lindy-hop, a partner dance that was
created in Harlem in 1927. Falkner began swing dancing in 1999, and has since traveled
extensively to dance, train, and teach lindy-hop.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">“I
was just one of those beginning students in 1997. I went to a drop-in lesson
and was immediately hooked. I kept going and a few years later, I was asked to
teach a class. So I’ve traveled around the world because of dance,” says
Falkner.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">Falkner
has taught Charleston, vintage jazz, lindy-hop, and blues all across Canada and
the Pacific Northwest, and at the world-famous Swedish Herräng Dance Camp. In
2000, Falkner spent two months studying African dance in Ghana, and is now
involved in African dance, jazz dance, and tap dance classes back in Vancouver.
Though Falkner has dabbled in other swing dance styles, her first love will
always be lindy-hop.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">With
all the new styles of dance today, Falkner still values the style of dance that
she originally learned over newer music or styles of dance, and is thankful to
be able to teach other swing dancing enthusiasts who are willing to learn: “What’s
important to me is fostering more enthusiasm for lindy-hop and have it in
thriving in the Vancouver scene. The more people I have in lessons, the more
people who get to experience swing dancing,” she explains.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">What
she sees as even better is the way first-time dancers experience the art of
lindy-hop, and then tend to like it so much that they will gravitate towards
other styles of vintage dance. “People who were students of mainly lindy-hop are
now into other dance styles, and are exploring more than they ever planned to
because they liked the first class they took,” says Falkner. “I still dance
only in the classic vintage range, though,” she adds.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">Falkner’s
swing dance classes aren’t the only ones in which students can get exposure to
classic vintage dance in Vancouver. The UBC Swing Kids program on the UBC
campus, for instance, offers lessons, practice sessions, workshops, and group
social dances for everyone in the Vancouver community, not just UBC students.
Swing Kids not only covers the classic lindy-hop style of dance, but also West
Coast Swing, Balboa, and other kinds of swing dance styles.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">Though
swing dance made its premiere almost a century ago, that hasn’t stopped it from
regaining popularity, since the 1990s when swing culture experienced a revival.
In a time when both boy bands and grunge swept North America, a more
contemporary style of swing dance called “retro swing” made an appearance and
has been going strong since. The origins of retro swing dance can be credited
to the Los Angeles band Royal Crown Revue, who played an essential role in the
revival of rockabilly and neo-swing music in the 1990s. Beginning their careers
by playing in California clubs, the band popularized swing and ska music in the
underground scene, and eventually went mainstream.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">During
the 1990s revival of swing dancing, pop culture was also influenced by the
popular dance style. The 1993 film <i>Swing Kids</i></span><span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">, which portrayed the
challenges of German youth who loved swing dancing during WWII, was one such
film that helped to promote the dance to a modern age. The 1994 film <i>The
Mask </i></span><span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">also
attracted attention to modern swing dancing, as it featured scenes that
portrayed modern styles of swing dancing and music. <i>The Mask </i></span><span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">also featured music by Royal
Crown Revue, which further helped to popularize the genre and create more fans
of swing dance and swing music.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">As
music trends change what seems like every other day, Falkner and other swing
dance enthusiasts know that the longevity of classic dance is something to be
treasured as much as possible. And with over 13 years of dancing under her belt,
Falkner believes that it isn’t hard to teach and inspire future swing dancers
to popularize a form of dance that was so well-loved almost 100 years ago.</span><o:p></o:p><br />
<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">//Victoria Fawkes, writer</span><br />
<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">//Graphics by Chris Dedinsky</span></div>W3B EDI7ORhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07798935582369488707noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8326071850516456009.post-82218475789244904872012-04-13T20:18:00.004-07:002012-04-13T20:21:41.512-07:00BANDS OF CAPILANO Hunger City & Medina // Leah Scheitel & Jonty Davies<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 12px;"><b>HUNGER
CITY</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">By
Leah Scheitel<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">Want
to see a young Vancouver band that has lots of guitars and a hardcore singer?
Then you might want to check out Hunger City. The band started two years ago as
the brain child of Jonty Davies and Curtis Luckhart, and has grown in to a
six-piece band, featuring two guitars, a bass, drums, piano, and a strong
female lead.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigk3Qxqp_jXlUbjScghZIajGsbVeMKNA6QKG_ZGsZRwk6_wzbKk7Jhyphenhyphensdi6-5-ndtGzw4unPegLexHb4jgNyrQDPwQIqn1NTk8D3LE_3ABimCgZjzBR2hum-VyTJs_wD4i3yutsQ1h4vSJ/s1600/Hunger+City+family+photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigk3Qxqp_jXlUbjScghZIajGsbVeMKNA6QKG_ZGsZRwk6_wzbKk7Jhyphenhyphensdi6-5-ndtGzw4unPegLexHb4jgNyrQDPwQIqn1NTk8D3LE_3ABimCgZjzBR2hum-VyTJs_wD4i3yutsQ1h4vSJ/s320/Hunger+City+family+photo.jpg" width="244" /></a><span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">“Me
and Jonty used to live together,” explains Curtis Luckhart, who learned how to
play the bass just so he could start the band. “And we called our apartment ‘Hunger
City’. When we were putting the band together and looking for a name, our
friend suggested that we call it Hunger City.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">The
name has double meaning to the band, as it also references a David Bowie song: “I
think that is has some connotations to it, like a political or sexual
something,” says guitarist Jonty Davies. Hunger City is in the midst of
releasing their first EP, called <i>Boono Goozie</i></span><span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">, which is a complication of
four original songs.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">“Everyone
contributes to writing the songs,” says Davies. Credit for the songs is given to
Hunger City instead of individual members, and is being mixed by Mick Dalla
Vee, who plays for Bachman Turner Overdrive. They are also preparing songs to
submit to the Peak Performance Project, a local “battle of the bands” type
competition put on by the Peak FM.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">Hunger
City has a strong Capilano connection. Davies and Luckhart both attended Cap,
along with lead guitarist Ryan Brown, and drummer Max Ley is currently
auditioning for the jazz program for next year.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">Syd
Gibson is the lone female and had a strong musical upbringing. “I wrote and
performed songs all through elementary school and performed them,” she
explains. “I even got asked for an autograph in elementary school from my
classmates.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">The
pianist, Spencer Moreau, is the younger brother of Davies’ and Luckhart’s
teenage friend. “We used to hang out at their house, and eventually we just
realized that we liked him more,” jokes Davies.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">Various
artists are cited as their sources of inspiration, from Cream to White Stripes,
Mother Mother, and even Lana Del Ray. Their sound is very raw and heavy, but
with a sort of fineness that causes involuntary booty shaking. The band aren’t
immune to this either; Hunger City really gets in to their music, dancing while
they play. It’s pretty easy to enjoy yourself watching them, when the band
looks like they’re having an even better time than you are.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"><i>Hunger
City’s next show is on Apr. 12 at the Media Club. Doors are at 8pm, and it’s $8
at the door.</i></span><span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"><b><o:p></o:p></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"><i><br /></i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">//Photograph by JJ Brewis</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"><b>MEDINA<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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Jonty Davies<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">With
a powerfully affected, sampler-based sound, Medina is a group that sits in the
echelons of what you could call a sort of modern, progressive pop. The tunes
aren’t conventionally delivered, as they play with textural and structural
variation, yet there’s an undeniable accessibility to them – partially due to
by their penchant for obscure funk.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">There’s
a great deal of colour to this music, as vibrant textures come with rapid-fire
tremble. Frontman Sam Rushton’s study of English at Capilano is evident, as he
presents fascinating lyrical explorations that put greater emphasis on poetry
than defined themes (“I’ve got a brand new shirt/earthquakes are singing
out/you’re so artistic, yeah/let’s wear our feelings out”). He also uses consistent
vocal modulation effects – a touch that plays a larger hand in contributing to
the shape of the band’s sound than most frontmen are capable of.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">Drummer
Duncan Maunders offers a distinctly old-style jazz feel behind the kit, replete
with fills from the school of Buddy Rich. It’s a flare that comes unexpectedly,
given the immediate impression of the music, but ultimately adds impressive
stylistic depth. This is not surprising, given his time in the Cap Jazz
Program, although that was, interestingly enough, for saxophone, not drums.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">Trevor
Moreau’s guitar work is intricate, yet never invasive, and it recalls the
bouncy twang of Talking Heads. Most vividly, though, it is Eric White’s
resonant soundscape experiments that define Medina’s intrigue. Drawing from
sources both popular and strange, he activates a dynamic repertoire of sampled
loops that come across as wholly original. Though the music can lean toward
slow and brooding at times, there’s never an emptiness of appeal, and when they
build to the throbbing jump of German language-spewing “Friend In A Fruit
Bowl”, the group captivates with the lure of music from the future.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"><b>Jonty:</b></span><span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"> What's your favourite
historical empire?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"><b>Medina:</b></span><span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"> I think our appreciation
for all things Byzantine is reflected in our music. It's just so obvious.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"><b>J:</b></span><span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"> What's your most shameful
musical/stylistic influence?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"><b>M:</b></span><span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"> A combination of The
Tragically Hip and The Doors.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"><b>J:</b></span><span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"> <i>Simpsons, Seinfeld,
Family Guy, </i></span><span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">or
<i>South Park?<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"><b>M:</b></span><span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"> <i>South Park</i></span><span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">, although it doesn't have
the timeless qualities of <i>Seinfeld </i></span><span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">or the <i>Simpsons</i></span><span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"><b>J:</b></span><span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"> What's the best bar in
Vancouver?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"><b>M:</b></span><span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"> SAILOR HAGAR'S!!!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"><b>J:</b></span><span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"> Who do you find to be the
most obnoxious celebrity?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"><b>M:</b></span><span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"> Donald Trump. The man eats
pizza with a fork and knife.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"><b>J:</b></span><span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"> If your music was to be the
soundtrack to a film, who would direct it/what would it be called?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"><b>M:</b></span><span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"> Michael Bay. <i>Bed Raptors
2: Return of the Son of Theropod</i></span><span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"><b>J:</b></span><span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"> What's the sexiest
instrument?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"><b>M:</b></span><span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"> Definitely the cello.
Anyone who has watched a performance by YoYo Ma knows what I'm talking about.
(I'm talking about the way he straddles that thing.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"><b>J:</b></span><span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"> Dinner with Obama or beers
with Bush?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"><b>M:</b></span><span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"> Tough one. I'd have to say
beers with Bush, because afterwards we'd probably go rustlin' armadilla at his
ranch. Barry's cool, but I don't think they have armadilla at the White House.
Or armadillos for that matter.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"><b>J:</b></span><span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"> What's your favourite of
the ten Commandments?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"><b>M:</b></span><span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"> Remember the Sabbath day. I
always forget which day the Sabbath is.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"><b>J:</b></span><span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"> What was the coolest decade
of the 20th century?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"><b>M:</b></span><span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"> The '80s. Best eight months
of my life. And Eric wasn't even alive. Those were the days.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"><b>J:</b></span><span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"> Terran, Protoss, or Zerg?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"><b>M:</b></span><span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"> Gotta go with the 'toss.
Heavy costs are made up for with strong attacks, good speed, and great macro.
Plus they are kind of like Klingons.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"><b>J:</b></span><span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"> How do you hope to die?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"><b>M:</b></span><span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"> Being chased off a cliff by
hundreds of naked women and having regretted everything.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"><b>J:</b></span><span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"> Who's your favourite
Beatle?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"><b>M:</b></span><span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"> George Martin.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"><b>J:</b></span><span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"> Explain your group's name.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"><b>M:</b></span><span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"> Medina is the place where
the prophet Mohammed died. It has great significance to us because we're, ummm
… devout Muslims …<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"><i>You
can catch Medina at The Media Club (695 Cambie St) on Thursday, Apr. 12th.</i></span><o:p></o:p><br />
<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"><i><br /></i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">//Photograph by JJ Brewis</span></div>W3B EDI7ORhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07798935582369488707noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8326071850516456009.post-10968903999308533652012-04-13T19:41:00.001-07:002012-04-13T20:20:29.107-07:00BANDS OF CAPILANO Rio By Night & No Island // Leah Scheitel & Jonty Davies<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 12px;"><b>RIO
BY NIGHT</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">By
Leah Scheitel<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKOmObqqNnYizNr5Xre65ov2C7lfFupjJG5sFoxN7Tk0TvuRLvMsNw5dJC27SbJqr_XyaWJs5og_gBWeuR9ZsqJQUBEsnAmBbhvTMiHBMk789g1eE-GU1hX-qgadNA72UgLOPVb00zawUK/s1600/Bands+Rio.tiff" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="177" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKOmObqqNnYizNr5Xre65ov2C7lfFupjJG5sFoxN7Tk0TvuRLvMsNw5dJC27SbJqr_XyaWJs5og_gBWeuR9ZsqJQUBEsnAmBbhvTMiHBMk789g1eE-GU1hX-qgadNA72UgLOPVb00zawUK/s320/Bands+Rio.tiff" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">“Why
don’t we wear sequins on Wednesdays?” asks Rio By Night’s lead singer Britt
MacLeod to the crowd at the Cobalt on a Wednesday night. MacLeod, who was
dressed in a black sequined top, is the driving force behind the young band that
spawned out of Vancouver’s open mic scene in November 2011.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">Rio
By Night is a four-piece band, with an interesting high-low contrast between a
cello and ukulele. “I had a really big surge of creativity when I picked up the
ukulele,” MacLeod explains. “The cello is my favorite sound in the world, so
meeting Alex [Hauka, the cellist] was a real serendipitous thing. That helped
us shape the sound.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">Ben
Whippie on the bass guitar and Mike Lauder on the drums complete the foursome, who
describe themselves as soul-folk and earthy-pop. “We have really broad eclectic
tastes,” Macleod says. “For me as a songwriter, a big part of my musical diet
growing up was 1960s and ‘70s folk singer-songwriters. That’s something that
really influenced me growing up: James Taylor, Carole King; the stuff that my
mom loves.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">The
band cites Muse as one of their current inspirations, and Hauka says that if he
could be in a band with anyone, it would be Matthew Bellamy, the lead singer
from Muse.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">Currently,
Rio by Night is in the works to release their first EP, due out this spring,
featuring six songs. “[The EP] was a backwards progression,” says MacLeod. “I
started recording an EP that was kind of a solo project, and then put the rest
of the band together. I pulled Ben in, who I knew from theatre school, and
found Mike on Craigslist. It was a few months after Alex and I had already been
recording.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"><br />
MacLeod and Whippie are both products of musical theatre programs – MacLeod was
part of the first graduation class of the musical theatre program at Capilano
University in 2007, and Whippie went to the theatre BFA program at UBC. Hauka
is a classically trained cellist who performed at the closing ceremonies for the
2010 Olympics, and Lauder thanks his tolerant parents for letting him play the
drums growing up.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">The
band has an original sound as they have no guitar, the staple of so many bands.
However, the bass, cello, and ukelele, matched with MacLeod strong vocals, do
more than just fill in.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">While
continuing to work on the EP, the band is also looking to pick up more shows
around Vancouver. “Now we’re trying to get our name out there and get ourselves
out there more,” says MacLeod. “We have big goals for every show, but we have
been talking about just trying to have more fun on stage. We always have fun,
but [we want] to let it come through a bit more and involve the audience more.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"><i>Rio
By Night and their music can be found on Facebook and CBC Radio 3, and playing
different venues around Vancouver.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"><i><br /></i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">//Photograph by Donal Willer</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"><b>NO
ISLAND<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">By
Jonty Davies<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">Prominently
featuring silky smooth saxophone and breezy jazz chord progressions, No Island
has probably heard of the Doobie Brothers. Their music suggests tones of the
detached coyness that colours much of the premier '70s lounge-pop groups, which
they approach with reverence and earnest.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">Vocalist/guitarist
Keith Sinclair tells stories of characters in LA and on the road fighting for
what they want, but losing what they need. These stories don’t seem to have an
immediate personal context, but rather act as parables that are consistent with
the genre’s ideals.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg5ueexueg-XQxGPsYcFSBN9W6DyHWAqhnmZgLpDUE4UMDZ_wxUzw-rm7SwmeymIpv24NJoWMDksTDtyX-VmRUNnnhza9VmX6l28-0lhuJ2h1jlMAN1tfXt0IWe7ztDGWpfeO4SYjAEbS2/s1600/Bands+No+Island.tiff" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg5ueexueg-XQxGPsYcFSBN9W6DyHWAqhnmZgLpDUE4UMDZ_wxUzw-rm7SwmeymIpv24NJoWMDksTDtyX-VmRUNnnhza9VmX6l28-0lhuJ2h1jlMAN1tfXt0IWe7ztDGWpfeO4SYjAEbS2/s320/Bands+No+Island.tiff" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">Sara
Lauridsen's bass and Mike Ferguson's drums form a reserved, though steady
rhythm section, and the music's most obvious shades come from James Wilfred
Martin and Andy Rice on sax and keys, respectively.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">It’s
a fitting name – No Island – as the word Island is often synonymous with the
sphere of Jamaican music that brought us reggae and ska. While No Island
features brass and woodwinds, instruments associated with these genres, there
is no apparent island reference to their work. There is one clear exception,
though, and it comes with debut album highlight, “Too Close To Home”, a song
that vibes with a solid reggae-bounce.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"><b>Jonty:</b></span><span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"> What's your favourite
historical empire?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"><b>No
Island:</b></span><span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">
Rome. Or perhaps Ottoman. I’ve always enjoyed putting my feet up …<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"><b>J:</b>
What's your most shameful musical/stylistic influence?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"><b>N.I.:</b></span><span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"> I don't think any of my
influences are shameful; however, I have a long list of terrible, terrible
music in my collection.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"><b>J:</b></span><span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"> <i>Simpsons, Seinfeld,
Family Guy, </i></span><span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">or
<i>South Park?<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"><b>N.I.:</b></span><span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"> <i>Seinfeld </i></span><span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">is the most important sitcom
of all time, but I'd pick the <i>Simpsons </i></span><span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">in their glory years.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"><b>J:</b></span><span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"> What's the best bar in
Vancouver?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"><b>N.I.:</b></span><span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"> The Railway Club.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"><b>J:</b></span><span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"> If your music was to be the
soundtrack to a film, who would direct it/what would it be called?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"><b>N.I.:</b></span><span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"> It would be directed by
Michael Mann. Not sure what it would be called, but it would be about an
endearing band of criminals. Maybe it's a heist film.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"><b>J:</b></span><span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"> What's the sexiest
instrument?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"><b>N.I.:</b></span><span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"> Triangle (think about it).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"><b>J:</b></span><span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"> Dinner with Obama or beers
with Bush?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"><b>N.I.:</b></span><span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"> Dinner with Obama, but only
if we can order Chinese food right to the front door of the White House.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"><b>J:</b></span><span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"> Terran, Protoss, or Zerg?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"><b>N.I.:</b></span><span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"> What?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"><b>J:</b></span><span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"> How do you hope to die?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"><b>N.I.:</b></span><span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"> I hope that it's a long
time coming and everyone is prepared but then I die unexpectedly from doing
something stupid.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"><b>J:</b></span><span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"> Scotch and ciggies or pot
and wine?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"><b>N.I.:</b></span><span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"> I do not partake in such
things.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"><b>J:</b></span><span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"> Explain your group's name.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"><b>N.I.:</b></span><span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"> No band, no music, is an
island. No matter who you are or what you play, what you do is influenced in
one way or another by everything else you've heard.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"><i>Check
them out at www.no-island.com. They're also active at facebook.com/NoIslandBand
and @NoIslandBand on Twitter.</i></span><o:p></o:p><br />
<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"><i><br /></i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px;">//Photograph courtesy of No Island</span></span></div>W3B EDI7ORhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07798935582369488707noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8326071850516456009.post-86236233264444049352012-04-13T19:22:00.001-07:002012-04-13T19:23:44.145-07:00STUDENT FOODIE Heritage cooking // Leanne Kriz<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 12px;">Canada
is an intriguing mix of diverse individuals with varying backgrounds and
stories. Unfortunately, many people have lost touch with their history and what
goes along with it; culture, traditions, family ties, tales, knowledge, and so
much more. Dietary choices play a huge role in the way people live their lives and,
in turn, their culture and traditions. So what better way to get in touch with
your ancestors than a delicious haggis, some rice dumplings, baklava, tortillas
or whatever other recipes you can scrounge up from your family archives?</span><br />
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">If
you are already well in-touch with your culture, why not check out some other
unfamiliar foods and surprise your taste buds with some traditional meals from
around the world? In fact, if you need a great date or dinner party idea,
choose a particular style of cooking, and cook it for a crowd or your current
crush. Hold a Norwegian night; Lebanese, Spanish, Korean, Ethiopian, etc. Go
all-out and pick a traditional board game or movie from the same area! My good
friend’s mother held a Lebanese-themed night and it was probably one of the
most memorable dinner parties I’ve ever attended. Not only was the food
fantastic, the night culminated in her mom performing a belly dance for all of
us.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">Whatever
your inspiration is, whether it’s your desire to get to know a bit about your roots
or a genuine curiosity of other cultures, it is important to find an authentic
recipe. I recommend your first step be to contact your more distant relatives
and dig through Mom and Dad’s old recipes. Hard copy old recipe books are
great, and, of course, you can use the Internet too.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">My
recent obsession has been to harass my grandmother with e-mails in order to
obtain all her best Czech recipes. I’ve eaten many of them before, but I think
it is important to learn to make them on my own so I can maintain the
traditions and knowledge on how to create such mouth-watering meals.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">Today,
I am going to provide you with a recipe for schnitzel and potato salad, which
is a classic meal in my household. Shockingly, they are both incredibly easy to
make. When I feel like getting in touch with my ancestral roots, I whip up a
batch of salad, fry up some schnitzels, crack open a good Czech beer and transport
myself to my grandma’s apartment in Czech Republic.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">Pay
tribute to those before you with a beautiful meal and share the experience with
your friends and family.</span><span style="font-family: TradeGothicLTStd-BdCn20; font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: TradeGothicLTStd-BdCn20; font-size: 9pt;"><b>Kriz
Family Potato Salad</b></span><span style="font-family: TradeGothicLTStd-Cn18Obl; font-size: 9pt;"><b><i><o:p></o:p></i></b></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: TradeGothicLTStd-Cn18Obl; font-size: 9pt;"><i>Ingredients<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: TradeGothicLTStd-Cn18Obl; font-size: 9pt;">8
large russet potatoes<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: TradeGothicLTStd-Cn18Obl; font-size: 9pt;">6
hard-boiled eggs<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: TradeGothicLTStd-Cn18Obl; font-size: 9pt;">2
cups pickles, finely chopped<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: TradeGothicLTStd-Cn18Obl; font-size: 9pt;">1-2
cups ham, chopped into cubes<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: TradeGothicLTStd-Cn18Obl; font-size: 9pt;">1
large (or two small) white onions, finely minced<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: TradeGothicLTStd-Cn18Obl; font-size: 9pt;">1
package frozen peas (about 350g)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: TradeGothicLTStd-Cn18Obl; font-size: 9pt;">1-
1 1/2 cup mayonnaise<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: TradeGothicLTStd-Cn18Obl; font-size: 9pt;">3
tablespoons yellow mustard<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: TradeGothicLTStd-Cn18Obl; font-size: 9pt;">Juice
of one large lemon <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: TradeGothicLTStd-Cn18Obl; font-size: 9pt;">Salt
and pepper to taste<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: TradeGothicLTStd-Cn18Obl; font-size: 9pt;">1.
The best way to go about making potato salad is to prep all your ingredients.
Start by peeling your russet potatoes and cut them into quarters (so they cook
faster) and boil until soft (about 15-20 minutes, depending on the size).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: TradeGothicLTStd-Cn18Obl; font-size: 9pt;">2.
While your potatoes are cooking, start boiling your eggs (you can use more than
six if you like eggs!). Put your eggs in a pot of water. Once the water starts boiling,
turn it down to a low boil and start timing – you should let them cook for
about ten minutes. After the eggs are done, put them in cold water to cool
before peeling.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: TradeGothicLTStd-Cn18Obl; font-size: 9pt;">3.
While your eggs and potatoes are cooking, you can start chopping up the rest of
your ingredients. Keep all the ingredients in separate bowls once you prep them.
Chop your pickles into small pieces. Your ham can be cut into cubes that are
about 1/2 cm wide. Take the most care with mincing the white onion; it is easy
to ruin your potato salad by cutting the onion in pieces that are too chunky.
Finally, juice your lemon, measure out your mayonnaise and mustard, and have your
salt and pepper on hand.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: TradeGothicLTStd-Cn18Obl; font-size: 9pt;">4.
At this point your potatoes and eggs are hopefully cooked and cool enough to
cut. Peel your eggs and chop them into small pieces. Take the potatoes and cut
them into cubes that are about 1 cm thick. You want to keep the pieces
relatively small.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: TradeGothicLTStd-Cn18Obl; font-size: 9pt;">5.
Grab a large bowl and place the ingredients down in layers (this is because it
is hard to mix if you put it all in at once and your potato salad may end up over-mixed
and mushy). To do this, place a layer of potato down, then a layer of each of
the ingredients including mayo and mustard. Mix up this first layer. Continue
in this manner until you have done about three or four layers. Do one final
mix.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: TradeGothicLTStd-Cn18Obl; font-size: 9pt;">6.
You can eat the salad right away, but my family always makes it a day before so
that there is time for all the flavours to combine. If you are leaving it to rest,
smooth out the top of the salad and put plastic wrap over the top.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: TradeGothicLTStd-Cn18Obl; font-size: 9pt;">7.
Serve with a squeeze of lemon!</span><span style="font-family: TradeGothicLTStd-BdCn20; font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: TradeGothicLTStd-BdCn20; font-size: 9pt;"><b>Schnitzel<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: TradeGothicLTStd-BdCn20; font-size: 9pt;"><i>Ingredients<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: TradeGothicLTStd-BdCn20; font-size: 9pt;">Chicken
breast or pork cutlet (the thinner the better)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: TradeGothicLTStd-BdCn20; font-size: 9pt;">1
cup flour<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: TradeGothicLTStd-BdCn20; font-size: 9pt;">3
large eggs<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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cup breadcrumbs<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: TradeGothicLTStd-BdCn20; font-size: 9pt;">Salt<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: TradeGothicLTStd-BdCn20; font-size: 9pt;">Vegetable
oil<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: TradeGothicLTStd-BdCn20; font-size: 9pt;">1.
Pound chicken or pork until thin. To do this, use a meat mallet, or tenderizer.
You can also place the meat on a cutting board with a piece of saran wrap on
top, and just hit it with something heavy, like the bottom of a frying pan. You
want to thin the meat till it is about 1 cm thick.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: TradeGothicLTStd-BdCn20; font-size: 9pt;">2.
The next step is breading the meat. To do this, set up three separate stations
side by side – flouring, egging, and breading. For flouring, put about one cup of
flour on the plate. The next station is your egg station – put 3 large eggs in
a bowl that is shallow and flat so you can fit your whole piece of meat in it,
and whip well, to the point where the eggs are no longer stringy. The third
station is bread crumbs – do it the same as flour.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: TradeGothicLTStd-BdCn20; font-size: 9pt;">3.
Now place your flattened meat into the flour mixture and coat thoroughly. Then,
place your floured meat into your egg mixture. Sometimes you need to swish the
meat around a bit or let it sit so the egg has a chance the stick to it.
Lastly, coat the meat in breadcrumbs. Don’t be skimpy! Make sure the whole piece
is well coated. The best way to do the breading is to have two or three people
doing an assembly line. In the process your fingers usually get quite breaded, and
you’ll probably have to stop to de-coat your bulbous fingers at least once,
maybe a few times.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: TradeGothicLTStd-BdCn20; font-size: 9pt;">4.
I put all the breaded schnitzels on a cookie sheet and leave them until the last
minute to cook because they only take about five minutes per piece, and it is best
to serve them freshly fried.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: TradeGothicLTStd-BdCn20; font-size: 9pt;">5.
To fry them, just place them in about half a centimeter of oil. Cook at a
medium heat until lightly brown. Place them in the oven at a low temperature while
you finish cooking up the rest. I recommend you don’t stack them while you are
waiting, because they will get a bit soggy. Just lay them out on a baking sheet
or in a large Pyrex dish with a paper towel underneath.</span><span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">Before
you tuck in for your scrumptious meal, raise your pints, and say “nazdravi.”
This means “cheers” in Czech!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"><i>Leanne
comes from a long line of food lovers, and has been cooking since she was eight
years old. She has spent many years creating the perfect chocolate chip cookie.
In spite of all of her food experimentation, to this day her favourite meal is
still a delicious bowl of popcorn.</i></span><o:p></o:p><br />
<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;"><i><br /></i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">//Leanne Kriz, columnist</span></div>W3B EDI7ORhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07798935582369488707noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8326071850516456009.post-72480951557394719292012-04-13T19:08:00.002-07:002012-04-13T19:09:26.305-07:00LOVE, AWKWARDLY Episode VII: In love and death // JJ Brewis<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 12px;">I’ve
had my heart broken enough times that you'd think it wouldn't hurt anymore.
However, every time a new romance embarks, my history just seems to repeat
itself. When I'm in the thick of it (pun intended, sorry), I'm level-headed and
able to rationalize about how it would feel if the situation ended; but when it
eventually ends, even if it's on my accord, the emotional side of me takes
over.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">I
do my best to not get attached to guys I'm seeing until it's reached a
legitimate amount of time. When I was younger, a first date would mean the world,
and despite its outcome, I'd be automatically compelled to assume whomever I'd
just met was my future husband and start planning the rest of our life together
like some sort of crazy person. But in my wise old age, I am dismissive to a
fault. Perhaps a happy medium makes sense, but I'm not exactly there. Just last
week, I failed to call a guy back for telling me I had a "serious case of
gay voice." I mean, really.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">I
met someone a few years ago, and we had a very brief but tumultuous love affair
that may haunt me for the rest of my life. A mutual friend who he worked with
introduced us after thinking we would hit it off. It was more than that "Oh,
you're both gay" bullshit that some friends pull when trying to set up the
only homosexual people they know. My friend's co-worker Jeremy and I actually
seemed to share some common threads. Despite the fact that he was five years my
junior, we wore the same oversized glasses and dressed the same, listened to
all the same music, and had the same sense of humour. We were both vegetarian;
we'd both lost a parent; we shared a birthday.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipjOEGvEKcGVFBJ1-F6uKCm6oxPo8YmnOP1wedacST84X16CgJFa0wshJt8FP0vYu7k5c1vzgJtsPrspaTeuLVB4ZMNmBpihyphenhyphen_j9VYmkDiirhlHAPmBOsfx_eFntVcQ93zDjdaD3eKa5CE/s1600/Columns+JJ.tiff" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="177" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipjOEGvEKcGVFBJ1-F6uKCm6oxPo8YmnOP1wedacST84X16CgJFa0wshJt8FP0vYu7k5c1vzgJtsPrspaTeuLVB4ZMNmBpihyphenhyphen_j9VYmkDiirhlHAPmBOsfx_eFntVcQ93zDjdaD3eKa5CE/s320/Columns+JJ.tiff" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">My
time dating Jeremy lasted about two or so months, and remains one of my more
pleasant dating experiences to this day. It was the first time I felt like I
really had one of those romances from the movies that I'd always admired. We formed
a really quick bond that amazed me as well as everyone around me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">Perhaps
the intensity of the relationship is what accelerated its demise. Although he
closed the first date with "I love you", I wasn't scared off like one
normally would be in such a case. We shared quite an emotive time together: he told
me heart-wrenching stories about losing his mother to cancer the previous
summer, and about a damaging bike accident in Paris which temporarily left him
in a coma. It seemed as though we could tell each other very serious things,
and I revealed a few things about myself to him that I've never revealed to any
of best friends, let alone a romantic prospect.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">I
spent the next eight weeks in a kind of bliss, constantly checking my phone at
work, trying to outdo myself for cute date ideas, and wondering if I could
somehow find a way to make this feeling last – but amidst all of the flowers
and kisses was a ticking clock. There was something brewing inside of Jeremy,
and the part of him that I knew was only a fragment of the big picture.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">We
reached such a high level of comfort really fast, and the friends who I was
living with at the time were concerned my bruised heart wouldn't be able to
take it if we broke up. Of course, naturally, that happened. I could tell that
the stress of his physical rehabilitation and emotionally processing his
mother's death were huge roadblocks for him personally, because he talked to me
about them. He was also immensely devoted to his education and his volunteer
work at an organic farm. Between all of this, he told me he really couldn't
continue seeing me because he knew that I deserved more of a time commitment. Having
been on the shitty end of the break up stick several times, I can easily
decipher the difference between truth and bullshit, and I knew Jeremy was being
honest with me. He told me that he loved spending time together, but fostering a
relationship wasn't really in his capabilities.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">About
six months after we stopped seeing each other, I ended up getting a job in the
accounting office at the same grocery store where Jeremy worked. Shortly before
Christmas, I was halfway through a shift when a knock came on the door, with
one of the cashiers arriving to pick up their till. I opened the door, sitting
on the floor, half-covered in deposit bags and coin boxes, before I realized it
was him. Luckily we were both equally shocked to see each other, which was uncomfortable
as hell. Although I’d been told he left the store before I was hired, it turned
out he came back to pick up a few shifts around the break while school was out.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">Jeremy
disappeared after the Christmas break, and the last time he came to pick up his
till from my office, I wished him a happy holiday. I remember thinking that he
looked particularly pale, and sad. Our exchanges at work were usually quite
short, both given the way the store operated, and also just to avoid potential
awkwardness, I guess. But this shift was two days before Christmas, and I
stopped him before he took off: "How are you?" He stopped and looked
really upset. "I can't really get into it, but things are just kind of
weird right now," he told me. His boss came up behind him, so he had to
go, but before he left that day we agreed we'd meet up for coffee over the
Christmas break.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">Well,
the coffee never happened. Jeremy never came back to the store, and as time
went on, life got busy and meeting up seemed like less of a priority, as
neither of us ever seemed to pursue it. It was only a few months after the
holidays, though, that I was reminded of him, when I logged into Facebook and
saw that one of Jeremy's friends had uploaded a memorial page to him. He had
passed away that day after a years-long battle with cancer; something
unbeknownst to me, as he'd never mentioned it at all.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">Although
we weren't together at the time of his passing, a massive sadness filled me.
I’ve experienced my share of deaths, but this one really hit hard. After I'd
cried and felt guilty, I realized that in a personal relationship, he may have
been the most honest person I've been involved with. The secrets I'd told him
never came back to me, and believe me, they would have. Carrying someone else's
baggage to your grave must be a hard task, especially when that person has no
idea you're fading by the day.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-Disp; font-size: 9pt;">It's
been almost a year since he died, and among all my regrets, I feel a sense of
self-worth in that relationship, just in how honest and real it was, despite
its fleeting nature. It makes me just drill home the point of not wanting to
waste my time with men who feel like they have something to prove. It was the
subtleties that keep my heart inclined.</span><span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-DispIt; font-size: 9pt;"><i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-DispIt; font-size: 9pt;"><i>JJ
Brewis is quite possibly the keenest member of our editorial staff. He has been
writing columns on various topics for the Courier for three years, and is now
revisiting his most successful theme: relationships.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-DispIt; font-size: 9pt;"><i><br /></i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-DispIt; font-size: 9pt;">//JJ Brewis, columnist</span><br />
<span style="font-family: UtopiaStd-DispIt; font-size: 9pt;">//Graphics by Lydia Fu</span></div>W3B EDI7ORhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07798935582369488707noreply@blogger.com