The Cycle of City Planning Vancouver should consider Portland's bike scene

The June sun softens the street into gummy asphalt. My toes slip and slide inside my battered Converse Allstars as I lean forward onto Mississippi Avenue, sweating and squinting. A pack of cyclists in spandex zooms toward me. The crowd lining the road cheers. I'm startled. Why all the excitement? After all, this isn't the Tour de France I've happened upon. Just another community bike race.

Oh, right. I'm visiting Portland, Oregon, the bike capital of America.

Cirque-du-Cycling, as the event is named, is hosted by the local business association, and the reason is pretty simple: there are 80 per cent more bikers in the city of Portland than one decade ago.

After the race, at the VIP party, a grey haired man with geeky, black rimmed glasses laughs with the other guests. It's Sam Adams, I'm told, the mayor of Portland. Adams is well dressed, slightly tanned, with a bit of a belly and a plastic beer cup in hand to explain it. I glance down and catch a glimpse of his pant legs, rolled slightly at the ankle; he's fresh off his bike.

Later, Adams will stand in front of a mix of people -- some of them kids, some of them in suits, some of them tattooed and wearing garters -- and, with plastic cup still in hand, pants still rolled, the mayor will shout: "What a Portland event!"

And I'll think to myself: What does Portland know that Vancouver hasn't yet quite learned?

Why is it that, while a city like Portland has bridges backlogged with bike traffic-jams, Vancouver remains choked in car traffic, and I, nearly alone on my bike route to work? A mere 2,700 cyclists trickle into Vancouver's downtown every day, while over 9,000 daily cross over Portland's bridges.

My first guess is that the Lower Mainland's sprawling pattern of development may be the problem. After all, Portland has some of the strictest land-use laws in North America, and in the late 1970s established an urban-growth boundary restricting their outward creep.

But in reality, almost half of all Vancouver residents commute less than five kilometres to work and more than 80 per cent commute less than 10 kilometres, relatively short distances ideal for cycling, according to the City of Vancouver. Yet in 2007, over 60 per cent of all trips made in Vancouver were made by car, while bike transportation remained at three per cent, even in the downtown core. That's as low as over a decade earlier. Some neighbourhoods in Portland boast up to 30 per cent of people claiming the bike as their primary or secondary mode of transportation.

Vancouver has all the makings for a world class bike city very similar to Portland: temperate, if rainy, climate; active, outdoorsy citizens; and a strong environmentalist movement. But according to Mia Birk, former Bicycle Program Coordinator for the City of Portland, and current principle of Alta Planning and Design, America's leading firm specializing in bicycle and pedestrian planning, just having the right conditions doesn't insure a self-propelled culture.

"There's a myth that Portland is just a place where everybody bikes, that's just how it is," Mia tells me. "The same myth exists for Copenhagen and Amsterdam and all the bike friendly cities of the world. 'That's how it is, people just bike'. And that's not correct, the truth is that we made this city what it is today."

Suing for bike lanes

Oregon, much like B.C., has long had a reputation for progressive thinkers and policy makers. Even back in 1971, the state passed a law that required cities and counties in Oregon to spend a minimum of one per cent of transportation funding on bicycle and pedestrian projects. The law also demanded that every roadway built included both bike and pedestrian facilities.

This law was largely ignored until the early '90s, when Portland's then newly-formed Bicycle Transportation Alliance, now an organization with over 5000 members, sued the City of Portland because the Department of Transportation refused to include bike lanes in the construction of two major new roads. They won, and the court ruled that the city must comply with the 1971 law on every roadway project.

With that decision still in mind in 1996, the city of Portland rolled out its Bicycle Master Plan, the plan that would lay the groundwork for bicycle infrastructure in the city for the next decade. Input from the bike community was taken into consideration and the plan, based on that input, laid out a comprehensive network of bike lanes along major arterials.

"At the time the feeling was, 'We need to be visible, we need to be on the major streets, those are the places that get us where we want to go,'" says Birk.

So in six years the city laid down over 165 miles of bike lanes throughout the city, opening Portland's major streets in a way they had never been open to cyclists before. Then they kept building more.

Vancouver's wrong turn?

It was around the same time that Vancouver developed its own Bicycle Master Plan, but with a dramatically different approach.

As opposed to making un-bike-able streets bike-able, Vancouver took their semi-bike-able streets and made them more bike-able. And they did a tremendous job. City planners in Portland happily admit that they are stealing designs from streets like the Adanac and Slocan bike routes in Vancouver; smaller neighborhood streets known as bike boulevards that are further traffic calmed to give bikes fast tracked throughways from one neighborhood to another quickly and safely.

Unfortunately, however, for the majority of bikers, their target destination does not lie on the calmed 10th Avenue, or Cypress Streets. Yet in planning, Vancouver failed to provide them a comprehensive network of bike lanes, or any other on-street facilities to get them off of those boulevards to where they need to go. Of our 300 kilometres of bikeways, only about 50 kilometres of them are actual painted lanes, leaving the rest of the city for cyclists to fend for themselves against cars.

As a result, Vancouver's city bike plan is tailored to a demographic restricted to the bravest of the brave, people Portland planners now call the "Strong and Fearless".

This, City of Portland bicycle co-ordinator Roger Geller argues, is exactly the wrong approach.

Four cycling personalities

In the early 2000s, Geller sat in his office in the Portland department of transportation thinking hard about the demographic of bikers in the city. He developed a theory, later backed up by research at the Portland State University, that broke them into four separate groups.

On one end sits No Way No How, the one third of the population who has no interest in biking whatsoever. Maybe they'll take a ride on a weekend through the park, but even in the best of conditions they probably won't bike on a regular basis. They just don't want to.

Then you have the Enthused and Confident, not quite kamakazis, but close. These are the roughly seven per cent of people who will bike in the city where it's relatively safe, relatively comfortable, if not a little unnerving for the average person.

Above them, on the extreme end of the spectrum sit the Strong and Fearless, perched on their bikes in the pouring rain, in the middle of the street, ready to go. They represent almost nothing, maybe one per cent of the city's population, the bike couriers and other kamakazis who will bike anywhere, anytime, now matter how dangerous or poor the conditions.

And everyone else? They're the Interested but Concerned, the other 60 some-odd per cent of the population with a rational fear of cycling in the city. They like the idea of cycling, they know it's good for their health, and for the environment, but they only want to do it if it's as safe and comfortable as their ride in a car or bus. And these are the people that American cities, Portland and Vancouver included, need to aim their bike infrastructure at, Geller argues.

"They're the people in the Netherlands who are riding," says Geller.

What would Vancouver need to appeal to these people? I asked.

"Better infrastructure," says Geller. "So the network is more complete. Most of our network is on street. It takes you where you need to go. Paths are wonderful, but they've got to be integrated with a good on-street network."

Admittedly, he also says bike lanes aren't enough for most of this group. Further separation, like buffered bike lanes, or separate cycle tracks (like the three glorious blocks of the Carrall Street Greenway Vancouverites are taunted by) are ideal, but a bike lane is a start.

Tinkering for the timid

Ultimately the concept is what really matters: More than 60 per cent of people who inhabit our cities are damn scared of cars, and if you want to get them on their bikes, you need to put as much space between them and traffic as possible.

Downtown Vancouver, for example, is a nightmare, even for the Enthused and Confident. A cyclist trying to cross town, say, east to west on a marked bike lane has one choice: Dunsmuir Street. This means that, essentially, if a cyclists needs to cross downtown on the south side, he has two choices: go eight blocks out of his way, or take the plunge and share a lane with angry, honking drivers.

It's true that Vancouver's own master plan includes more lanes in the future. Yet when Vancouver city council voted this summer to double spending on cycling infrastructure (to $3.4 million), the money was not allotted to fast-track filling out of the network. Instead, already well-used bike boulevards will receive new crossing signals and lower speed-limit signs. The only additions to on-street infrastructure planned for the money will create bike connections between 2010 Olympic venues. Great if you want to go watch speed-skating once in the two weeks the Olympics will be here, but not so brilliant if you need a litre of milk from the grocery store now.

The fact that the Interested but Concerned are now the driving force behind Portland's new and improved Platinum Bicycle Master Plan may have a lot to do with their explosion of bike culture through various demographics. Every person I saw lining the street of the Cirque-du-Cycling, for instance, was at the forefront of the minds of Portland's city planners; not just those in the race.

Their new plan includes increasing the number of planned bikeways in Portland from 650 to 926 miles, and emphasizing the construction of "low-stress" bikeways as the top way to create a more attractive atmosphere for bikers in Portland. Their streets boast bike lanes, bright green bike boxes to make intersections safer for bikers, and downtown traffic lights timed to the speed of the average cyclist, not the average car.

Even further than that, Portland contracted companies like Alta Planning to blitz neighbourhoods and give out any information residents need to make them more comfortable on their bikes, conducting guided bike trips, and information sessions. The city is removing car lanes in favor of bike lanes, in some cases leaving one lane for cars to share, and a lane on each side for bikers. They're taking out car parking spots in favor of centralized bike parking. (When was the last time you locked your bike to a real bike rack in Vancouver?)

Creating a pro-cycling cycle

What Portland's bike-oriented planners are trying to create and reinforce is a feedback cycle. The safer and easier it is to be a biker, the more people are willing to do it. "If you build it they will come," says Geller. And once they do, the system feeds itself. The more people bike, the safer it is. In the city of Portland, as numbers of daily cyclists increased five-fold, crash statistics remained flat, and fatalities decreased from 41 to 15 per year.

Meanwhile, British Columbia has vowed to reduce its carbon emissions by 80 per cent by 2050. For there to be any chance of that dream coming true, the city will have to get a lot of cars off of the roads of the province's main cities.

It takes time, that's for sure, and Vancouver is slowly chipping away. But as I cruise my way home from the Cirque-du-Cycling, pedaling over the wide neck of bikeway across Portland's Hawthorne Bridge, I am struck by how unusual it feels to be this comfortable and relaxed while riding urban streets. As a cyclist visitor in this city, I sense I've been granted ownership and equity in the road system that, after all, is there to get everyone where they want to go.

Wouldn't it be great to feel that way on the streets back home, in Vancouver?

//Christine McLaren

Writer

FROM THE EDITOR The Broadband Brain Behemoth

A torrent of hard ink and data streams from every corner of the planet encircles us. With the Internet, our media messages are able to travel anywhere, reach anyone, and through translation engines like Babelfish, we can decipher any linguistic code.

"Then they said, 'Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves; otherwise we shall be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.'" (Genesis 11:4)

Once again, we appear to be in a time of biblical prophecy. The tower-top is the satellite and the broadcast tower; it is now possible for the transmission to be understood by all. So why the sordid rhetoric, propaganda and confusion? Increased communication has not brought us peace and unity. Rather, it has brought war to a new platform; the global chess game is played with ideas, and checkmate yields the ruling paradigm prize.

The problem may lie with the scope of our transmissions. Broadcast is a behemoth, slouching and shuffling over an ever-increasing audience, swallowing continents, dividing people ideologically while unifying them under brands and products. We have Pepsi in Papua New Guinea, Boston Celtic jerseys in Sierra Leone, and West Coast gangsta rap in Matanzas, Cuba. The winning brand takes the market share, and modern tribal allegance is manipulated by competing corporations and outdated religious institutions. It is akin with capitalism, and its appetite demands limitless accumulation.

So if broadcast is divisive, is a narrowcast any better? Narrowcast is defined as a transmission of data to a specific audience - an important issue for a student paper whose mandate is to serve a small rainforest campus. By necessity, we fall into the latter category. This stream of thought came from a recent conversation with Roger Farr, Creative Writing prof at Cap (see the Special Features section for more). Farr speculated on the true worth of the broadcast and emphasized the narrowcast for its ability to unify a group of people. When a message aims at a small group, it has the ability to unify their interests according to shared experience. In short, it strengthens community. Farr described the poetic writing circles, like the Liar (also in Special Features) as a powerful example of this, providing a shared experience and community of artistic support that can persist long past the duration of the messages delivered.

Despite its localized audience, the Courier has a powerful legacy of community as well. Many of the current editors and writers met in Creative Writing courses, cutting their teeth on the intense workshop environment. We form integral bonds on the cutting room floor, and surprisingly, they continue, long past our Cap experience is over. Our alumni reporters and editors-in-chief are still close friends and collaborators, encouraging our progress and offering lifelines into new arenas of writing, like the Nation in New York, or the Buenos Aires Times; even Maclean's and the Tyee.

//Kevin Murray

Editor

Voicebox

“I think the Tim Hortons people hate me. I mean, they
probably hate everyone. But I feel like they specifically hate
me. I order the same thing every day and I feel stupid about
it. Okay? I feel stupid about it. I’m sorry, Tim Hortons em-
ployees.”

“Everyone should submit to the Liar by October 30th. Send
stuff to liarcollective@gmail.com. We put up a bunch of
posters but they are bad.”
[Ha! They sure are. -Ed.]


“The North Shore Youth Safe House is looking for volun-
teers. We need a new Mr. or Mrs. Capilano U! Contact
Wendy at (778) 227-7302 or sailing_flute@hotmail.com.
Thanks.”


“I don’t know why people care anymore about the Dalai
Lama. I know it’s considered trendy to attend to the author-
ity of a big pimpin spirit daddy for everything from happi-
ness to foreign policy, but isn’t this just a manifestation of
patriarchy and hierarchical submission? I mean, what can a
celibate monk tell me about relationships? He has never had
one, but he has been pretty clear about his finger-wagging
on shagging, oral sex and masturbation. He’s like a uni-
corn... only applicable to virgins and Harry Potter people.”
[This was sent via email... that’s why it’s so articulate. -Ed.

There are now more ways than ever to have your opinion
heard via Voicebox. You can email voicebox@capcourier.
com, phone (604) 984-4949 (ext. 5), or simply come find our
opinionation station on Tuesday afternoons in the birch caf-
eteria. We’ll record your opinion, no matter how relevant or
informed. And please, don’t be shy. We’re asking for your
opinion… We’re not asking to watch you pee.

CAPILANO’S IN DE CLUB Simultaneously a De Dutch and 50 Cent reference

Capilano University is finally being welcomed into the business world with open arms.  The Certified Management Accountants of Canada (CMA) has decided to let Cap into its exclusive club that very few universities are a part of: schools with an undergraduate accounting program accredited by the CMA Canada.

Their University Accreditation program began in 2000, and since then the CMA has officially recognized 34 post-secondary institutions all over Canada.

Business students who complete Capilano’s Bachelor of Business Administration Program with a minimum 75% GPA will be able to transition into the CMA’s Strategic Leadership Program (SLP) without taking the entrance exam. 

CMA Canada’s accreditation of Capilano’s Business of Administration program will not have a large impact on the degrees students are able to earn through the Business program, but rather opens up more opportunities for the students to take part in post-graduation from the Business of Administration program.

Completion of the SLP gives students a CMA designation, which allows them to work in a variety of businesses with a set of unique skills that gives them a competitive advantage.

“[CMAs] have a holistic view of business, are able to identify issues, envision and chart solutions, and engage the appropriate measures and people within the organization to achieve the desired results,” says Richard Benn, Executive Vice President of CMA Canada. “CMAs are considered both leaders and solid team players, which translates into a unique and effective style of management.”

CMA Canada was created because it acts as a self-regulating body that practices professional conduct in management accounting to protect the interests of the public.

The organization has 50,000 members around the world, and grants a professional designation in strategic management accounting. It also allows for students to gain an integrated perspective on things in the business sector.

"There are many benefits to accreditation,” said Graham Fane, dean of the Faculty of Business at Capilano University. “For example, CMA accreditation signals to employers, the accounting profession and to the government that our program and our graduates meet a high quality standard. Second, it allows Capilano University to attract top students who are interested in the CMA designation. And third, it provides our CMA aspirants with tangible benefits, such as an exemption for the first part of the CMA Entrance Examination."

Some students, however, feel that the accreditation will not make a difference.

“They get done what they need to get done, and they have good resources,” an ex-Business Program student says.  “[The accreditation] gives a little boost, but it doesn’t matter because Cap isn’t known for business. UBC is still UBC.” This student wished to remain anonymous in order to retain business contacts.

Although Capilano may not have a well-known business program currently, the CMA accreditation could change that.

“The CMA accreditation program enhances the stature and recognition of academic institutions, thus making them attractive to students with many competitive choices,” says Benn.

The ability to directly enroll in CMA Canada’s Strategic Leadership Program also enables students to achieve CMA accreditation more quickly and efficiently.

"We’re extremely excited and proud about receiving accreditation from the CMA,” said Fane.

In order to become recognized by the CMA, Capilano’s BA program had to meet all of the CMA Canada Competency Map Entrance Requirements, which included the institution’s commitment to the faculty’s objectives, innovation in curriculum development, and the nature and effectiveness of program quality assurance, among other criteria.

“The CMA is equipped to look to the future to provide real-world strategic direction, business management and leadership,” says Benn.  “A CMA creates value, instead of just measuring it.”

//Samantha Thompson

Writer

NOT ON THEIR WATCH MADD says bar's cash promotion encourages binge drinking

EDMONTON (CUP) – A promotion put on by an Edmonton bar where students get cash if they show ID at the door has become a controversial subject in the community. 

If a student shows ID at the door of the Union Hall before 10 p.m. on a “student night” – usually Thursdays – they receive $10 cash and a token that they can redeem for another $10 cash at 12:30 a.m., when a money table is brought out.

Jesse James is the director of operations for the nightclub side at Gateway Entertainment, which operates Union Hall. He described how the idea of the promotion came about.

“This year we wanted to really come out of September with a bang and just go for a really crazy incentive especially in light of the recent competition and in light of the economic situation,” James said.

James also described the promotion as a response to new Alberta liquor laws on minimum drink prices.

“We’re not allowed to give away free booze of any kind, so the only thing we’re legally allowed to give is cash, so the cash is more geared towards getting people a couple drinks essentially for free . . . you don’t have to buy drinks, but that’s the idea of it,” James said.

Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) have expressed their disapproval of the promotion. Gladys Shelstad, vice president of the Edmonton and area Chapter, wants owners to be more responsible.

“More my concern is that they put minimum drink pricing in effect for a reason and bars should be abiding by that . . . they should be wanting all their patrons to be safe,” Shelstad said.

James said that regardless of whether or not they give away cash at the door, they are always aware of patrons’ safety.

“Whether we give them 20 bucks or they’re just spending their own money, we have to always be aware of someone’s level of intoxication,” James said.

James also said that the promotion is more geared towards back-to-school and was intended to get people down to the Union. The club was renovated over the summer and now has a new DJ.

“The nightclub business is all about change and all about keeping cutting-edge, so we have a couple other cool ideas in the works to follow up this promotion when we do decide to end it,” James said.

At this point in time, the Union Hall is the only establishment employing the promotion. The Ranch, another Gateway Entertainment establishment, closed it doors on Oct. 1, ending the promotion at that location. Shelstad feels that there is a reason that other establishments are not following suit. 

“I think the respectable bars are going to still maintain the liquor bylaws and they are going to enforce it and be respectable,” she said.

Shelstad also mentioned that this promotion is only available for students, which might upset other patrons.

“There’s a lot of other customers, a lot of other patrons out there than just students . . . that bar is showing favoritism for students over other patrons,” Shelstad said.

She said the reason that MADD has commented on this issue is because it could encourage binge drinking.

“These people that take the money from the bar, are they going to go and drink more and indulge quickly and in large amounts? I don’t know. I’m hoping not, I hope that everyone drinks responsibly because at the end of the day we want you guys all to be safe,” said Shelstad.

But James stressed that students do not need to spend money on drinking, and need to make their own choices.

“I think that these choices are at our fingertips in all walks of life and in all things, and I think that people have be held accountable for their own actions.”

//By Alexandria Eldridge
CUP Alberta and Northern Bureau Chief

NEWS BRIEFS More comfortable than news boxers

HELP THE HOMELESS

Local tour company LandSea Tours is bringing their “Stuff the Bus” charity drive to Capilano University this week. On October 15, between 8am and 2pm, the 24-seater bus will be parked in front of the Sportsplex to collect donations of blankets and warm clothing. All donated items will be sent to St. James Community Service Society, to be distributed to local homeless shelters.

COURIER MEETING (WITH COOKIES)

The Capilano Courier will be holding their Annual General Meeting on October 14 at noon in Maple 122. All students are encouraged to come vote and have a say in how the newspaper will function for the next two semesters. Students (with the exception of those who hold CSU executive or staff positions) are also eligible to run for a position on the Capilano Courier Board of Directors. All board positions are unpaid, and meetings are held monthly. Main responsibilities of the board include overseeing finances and dealing with administrative matters.

STUDENT CONFERENCE

The Fraser Institute is holding a free student seminar on October 24. There will be speakers from UBC, the Vancouver Sun, and the Fraser Institue, addressing topics such as Individual Freedom, the HST, biased media, and the economy. Lunch is provided, and students must register in advance. The Fraser Institute is a Canada-based think tank that supports free market principles. For more information, or to register, visit www.fraserinstitute.org/education_programs.

ELECTRONIC VOTING

In light of last year’s controversy surrounding Capilano University’s switch to an electronic voting system, the Senate formed a committee this year to address the matter. Most concerns were voiced by the CSU, regarding the integrity of the system. The committee, which included student representatives, recommended that the electronic voting remain in place, but with five stipulations to ensure that the system runs successfully. These recommendations included advising students and faculty to change their passwords during election time, researching other institutions experiences with electronic voting, and having the IT department address student concerns about how the system works. For more information on last year’s debate, visit http://www.capcourier.com/2009/03/02/keeping-up-with-technology.

THE RESULTS ARE IN!

The CSU elections are over for this semester, and the results are in, so keep an eye out for your new executives. Meeting times for the various committees are posted in the CSU. If you can’t make it to a meeting, you can meet the new representatives at the CSU Annual General Meeting on October 27.

//Natalie Corbo

News Editor

E-LEGACIES TO BECOME A C-LEGACY Olympic Education Website Used by Cap Students will be passed along with the Torch

After more than 100 years and 50 host cities of modern Olympic Games, Link BC has gotten the wheels turning to create a lasting legacy project that discusses the issues surrounding Games of past and present.

Link BC is a service organization that works with tourism and hospitality programs in British Columbia, and the e-Legacies site, which was launched on September 24. The site was made possible by collaboration between Capilano University, Simon Fraser University, Thompson Rivers University and funding from BCcampus. This free tool is meant to assist and encourage discussions about the Olympics, especially the 2010 games, in post-secondary classrooms.

Even before the e-Legacies site was launched, Capilano University has been at the forefront of Olympics-related learning, with students in two special sections of Current Issues in Business Administration learning international business with a Games-related curriculum focus.

The ‘Curriculympics’, as it has been nicknamed, are being taught by faculty members from both business and tourism, focusing on the Games from four different points of view, focusing on questions about legacy and how businesses can prepare for the Olympics.

“So now, while you’re taking the course, you can connect with a whole host of different sites,” says Graham Fane, Capilano’s Dean of the Faculty of Business.

Fane wrote out the two business courses – one set before the Olympics, and one set during. The second course involves European students coming to Capilano for the term to study, as well as be part of the Olympics.

Discussion topics on the website, which are presented in a non-biased format, range from tourism and marketing strategies on the business end of things, to social impacts such as Vancouver’s homelessness issue. Even with an available 47 topics to start with, there are still more to come, and easily downloadable PDF files allow anyone to review facts and questions. It is these discussion starters that are used in the classrooms and students debate the topics.

The discussions don’t have to have a solution, Fane says, “all it does is start them.”

Students and teachers are also encouraged to present their own discussion-encouraging topics.

The website also features links to other Olympic Websites, and even anti-Olympic Websites such as no2010.com to paint a full picture of the Games.

“It’s not like all of these topics are in favor of the Olympics,” Fane notes.

In fact, the program made the choice not to pursue VANOC endorsement at first.

“We didn’t want to be limited to what we could say about the Olympics…we thought VANOC’s endorsement might curtail that”.

Since it has been started, though, VANOC is now fully on board, and the 2012 Olympics in the U.K. have embraced the idea as well.

Following the games in February, B.C will hand E-Legacies over to the U.K. games to continue building on what has been started here.

Even as it travels from games to games, Fane concludes, “It’s still going to have the Cap University Logo on the front. We’re building our own legacy that’s going to have lasting values.”

For more information, visit http://elegacies.ca/2010

//Neil Vokey

Writer

COOK AND WALKER Lars von trier’s antichrist

Walker’s Take

Lars Von Trier's Antichrist is surely a film almost everyone will hear about in one form or another this year. For the uninitiated, Antichrist is a startlingly bleak picture about a couple that has lost their child due to their own inadequacies as parents. The setting is their remote cabin in the woods, fittingly named Eden. Antichrist's surrounding controversy largely derives from the sexual destruction that the main characters embark upon in the final act, in which a close-up (amongst many other things) of a clitoridectomy is shown is shown- clitoridectomy being the surgical removal of the clitoris.

This has turned Antichrist into the cinematic bastard-child of 2009. Very few critics can cast a fair critical eye on Antichrist's many other properties and merits. Von Trier's film is deserving of an audience far more sophisticated than the one it has landed: the torture porn crowd. The controversial images, in which the final act manifests, are 100% intrinsic to the circumstances of the narrative, but the overwhelming potency of them is what most critics call into question as a technique that overshadows the rest of the narrative. This decision is entirely independent to the viewer and his/her opinions on intensive violence, but in speaking for myself, I must say that Antichrist's problems lay elsewhere, and that Von Trier's reluctance to hide images that divide audiences is one of the filmmaker's purest strengths.

Von Trier's film is built upon a dozen storytelling mysteries. One, which instantly comes to mind, is the decision to leave the main characters (played by Willem Dafoe, and Charlotte Gainsbourg: winner of the Best Actress award at Cannes Film Festival) nameless except for being curiously credited as “Him” and “Her.” With such a vague abstraction into the realm of namelessness, we find ourselves watching Von Trier juxtapose the characters as figureheads of their respective sex whilst they play out a modern reimaging of the original biblical story of Eden, Von Trier style. Instead of the snake, Trier has created his own lore independent from the textbooks. As a substitute we have a fox, a crow, and a deer, all of which are visual representations of the characters inner anguish: Fear, Pain, and Grief. With such employed dramatic playfulness, teamed with the purely psychological intent in which the film rests, Antichrist reaches dramatic heights that few films can hit. But despite these heights, there are numerous missteps along the way.

My problems rest within Von Trier occasionally overstepping dramatic boundaries in key moments. Sadly, as a result, these moments fall from their grace and intent and land within the realm of silliness. Such examples would be the infamous talking Fox who loudly proclaims “Chaos reigns,” and brief moments in which the powerful sight and sound aesthetic enters the realm of annoyance. But even these small problems never fully tarnish a film that is fantastically bold, relevant, and fittingly unrelenting. With Antichrist, Von Trier has proven that cinema can be entirely personal in conception whilst simultaneously translate to a cohesive and agreeable picture.

Cook’s Take

Antichrist is just about the craziest movie of the decade. Kurt has already gone over the more notable moments, ones that include genital mutilation and talking animals. What more could someone ask for?

With its bold, freaky trailer, and a continuously snowballing controversy, Antichrist is sure to attract attention from mainstream audiences. It is more than likely to lure the Hostel-loving crowd who need their latest fix of violence and sexuality. Thankfully, it should give those people a nice dose of reality. In films like Hostel, the sensationalized violence and sexuality is gratuitous and made to be agreeable with the audience. In Antichrist, you’re not bound for a bloody fun time at the cinema but rather a despairing, contemplative, and even repulsive work of art.

The scenes that are most extreme don’t arrive until the third act, when all hell breaks loose. Until these climatic events, the film is actually quite subtle, and even quiet. This is excluding several heartbreaking moments of pain, when we observe the character “She” going through a wrenching grief pattern. As the film moves along, it builds up to a horrific yet logical conclusion.

Some people have looked deeply at the films themes that involve nature and the evil inherent in it. While the film does look at some big philosophical and ethical issues, I ultimately don’t take it as a statement about humanity as a whole. Director Lars von Trier is known to take a bleak view of people in his films, but Antichrist is more about himself than any of his previous works. Now, famously, von Trier was going through a very deep depression and undertook this project as a method of therapy. Whether this was a successful venture for him, I know not, but the films cathartic power is undeniable. I have now seen Antichrist twice, and I no longer consider it a film that contains no hope. That is not to say it is happy, but it does offer a slight touch of optimism by the time the credits roll.

Kurt accuses Antichrist of “overstepping dramatic boundaries”, but for me, each moment felt organic and crucial. Even the talking fox. The filmmaker claims he took a shamanic journey during his depression, and during it met a fox that demanded to be in his next film. Interesting casting process. Anyway, I think the movie maintains its serious tone from beginning to end. Some of the patrons amongst us during the screening at VIFF may have laughed at key moments, but this was not because anything was necessarily funny, rather because the subject matter was making many people uncomfortable.

Antichrist is a bold film, a despairing work of genius that will not allow you to sit comfortably. Despite the psychological conflict within the film that is anything but tranquil, the movie has a serene quality. The score is unsettling, the photography is gorgeous, and the acting is masterful. Antichrist may not quite be among Lars von Trier’s greatest accomplishments (such as Breaking the Waves and Dogville), but it stands as one of the very best films of this year.

Antichrist will be in select theatres in North America beginning on October 23rd.

//Kurt Walker & Adam Cook
Writers

Read more of Kurt Walker’s writing at www.walkinginthecinema.blogspot.com.

Read more of Adam Cook’s writing at www.thebronze.weebly.com.

DRESS-UP AT THE DEATH STAR Vancouver Science Fiction and Fantasy Convention’s cosplay connection

Mention the word 'cosplay' to the average person, and you're guaranteed to get one of two responses: a look of incredulity, eyebrow raised, mouth quickly forming into a very fierce scowl, or a wide-eyed look of puzzlement, mouth formed into a small 'o', pondering what the word that just spewed out of your mouth meant.

For those among us who fall into the latter category, I'll lay it down. Cosplay is a hobby that is shared by the sci-fi, fantasy, anime and manga lovers all over the globe. It is a harmless activity that engages one's creativity and imagination, employing a number of skills, such as wood-working, needle-work, hair-styling, and make-up art, just to name a few.

Essentially, according to the ever-faithful Wikipedia, it is “short for ‘costume role-play’, [and] is a fan labour type of performance art in which participants don costumes and accessories to represent a specific character or idea.”

Immediately, images of acne-prone 13-year olds, braces flashing in the sunlight, dressed as some obscure anime character, pretending to be more badass than they actually are, flash though the mind.

But panic not – it is actually quite an incredible art form, simply a way to have fun and bring something they have come to respect and revere to life. Cosplayers expand their creative boundaries and in many cases, challenge something society has deemed a taboo without getting tasered by cops. Since most clothes these days, according to Iwachiten on Urban Dictionary, are “shitted out for everyone via mass factories and little kids in China”, cosplayers can also indulge in creating their own clothing that is more exciting than anything one may find in a clothing store. In essence, it is a lot like wearing your favourite band's t-shirt, painting your team's colours across your face or wearing a hockey jersey the day of a game.

At the Vancouver Science-Fiction, Fantasy and gaming Convention (VCON), which happened last weekend, the cosplayers were out in full force. Although VCON is a relatively small convention compared to most, it still attracted the attention of the Outerrim Squadron. This small group of hard-core 'costumers' are part of a larger association, which calls itself the 501st Legion. The 501st Legion specializes in Star Wars costuming, specifically the Imperial side. The Legion stretches across 24 countries, with almost 5000 members and counting. At VCON, convention-goers were graced with the presence of Darth Vader, Boba Fett, a TIE-fighter, Qui-Gon Jinn, a snow-trooper and a general from the Death Star. This small collection of ‘costumers’ (they said that using 'cos-player' inferred a connection to anime) took great pride in their homemade creations and even led a panel on how to create the elaborate costumes. Many of the more complicated components of the outfits were created with molded polystyrene, which apparently requires quite the technique to meld properly. John, or Boba Fett, said that creating a costume “requires a lot of dedication and a bit of money” and that his costume has taken him over ten years to create and it is still an ongoing project.

It was a pleasant surprise to chat with the costumers and learn about their identities. Many members of this elite group were actually over the age of 25 and had families. They considered this hobby as a way to relax and have fun with people with similar interests and be part of a large social group. In fact, the range in the age of the cosplayers varied from teens to late 40's, creating a connection between many different generations that often find it hard to locate common ground. Despite the age difference, everyone seemed to be getting along and enjoyed the company.

In Vancouver itself, the community of cosplayers and costumers are very inclusive and are always looking for new members. Many times, the people that are dressed up are far more interesting to talk to than the people milling around aimlessly, dressed in their token t-shirt and jeans. A cosplayer will gladly pause a conversation they're having to take a picture or two with you or a friend.

A little farther back in the year, there was another convention that played host to gaggles of cosplayers: Anime Evolution. Throughout the course of the convention, one could spot their favourite Final Fantasy character or watch as a horde of girls dressed in school uniforms descended on vendors. The whole convention was filled with laughter and a general feeling of contentment. Everyone was smiling, and people dressed up as the same character would high-five each other and immediately begin a conversation with the other, asking how they got their hair to freeze in a specific way, or how they got their make-up so perfect.

Cosplay is something that can be shared and enjoyed by a whole assortment of people, from your next-door neighbour’s kid, to the quiet and reserved guy who sits at the front of class. It brings together fans of all different genres to celebrate the creation of revered art and what it means to them. It stimulates the imagination and the creative impulses our society deems verboten and turns them into something fun and harmless. However, if you think this hobby is right up your alley, be careful who you choose to dress up as. When asked how hot the Star Wars' costumes get, the general consensus was “like the planet Tatooine in summertime”.

For more information of various cosplaying, you can visit http://www.501st.com/ or YouTube, which has some pretty sick videos.

//Haley Whishaw

Writer

MOM'S THE WORD: REMIXED Not just for moms

When a show gets hyped, it's sometimes hard not to be skeptical. I have to admit, walking into the Arts Club Theatre on Granville Island and being greeted by a sign declaring “Mom's the Word contains strong language and brief parental nudity,” I caught a whiff of cheesy wordplay wafting off the freshly xeroxed text. Seeing as my mom was out of town, I was taking care of myself and a couple of hairless cats, and now I had to go to a play of questionable quality.

Mom's the Word: Remixed is a compilation of two previous works by the Mom's the Word Collective (composed of writer/performers Linda A. Carson, Alison Kelly, Robin Nichol, Barbara Pollard and Deborah Williams) entitled Mom's the Word and Mom's the Word 2: Unhinged. Directed by Australian theatre giant Wayne Harrison, the group underwent a long and painstaking process of editions and revisions to bring together two full-length plays into a single, new production. I was about to see if  “the moms,” as they are constantly dubbed, had done a good job.

So I took my seat and the lights dimmed. The audience warmed up quickly after a little under a minute of Jill Daum's highly physical monologue depicting childbirth. From then on, I was slowly swayed from my cynical expectations and then quickly sucked into a parental maelstrom of the players' imaginings, populated by eruptions of laughter and the occasional teary eye. By the time I was out the door after the show's well-deserved standing ovulation – I mean ovation – the bad pun on the flyer seemed totally justifiable (and, as you can see, I even came up with my own).

Speaking with Alison Kelly and Deborah Williams, both sang the praises of their director, Wayne Harrison, who has worked on Mom's the Word twelve times in the last ten years. Alison told me of his “incredibly detailed and demanding” style, which Deborah echoed, calling him “an amazingly perceptive director.” This was apparent in performance – all of the actors displayed a polish onstage that comes from hours and hours of hard work.

When I asked Deborah if the show was always handled with such a high degree of comedic grace, she quickly said “Oh gosh no!” But they've been at it since 1993, and their thousands of performances and years of touring Canada and the UK have paid off handsomely. When it comes to being in Vancouver, she said, “It's nice to be home.” And strangely enough, that's the sort of feeling I got at the Arts Club Theatre. It has a warm, happy atmosphere that really suits the play.

At this point you're probably wondering why exactly you, average Cap Courier reader, should see a play about being a mom. I didn't think it was for me either. But when the jokes revved up, they were funny to everyone – definitely not just for moms. The old ladies in the crowd laughed hardest at what you might think of as the most vulgar parts (one example: “I long for the days when the drying semen reassured me of his undying love”). My favourite bits were about childhood and being a teenager, which was, lets face it, an awkward time that we are all glad to have behind us.

For exit music after the show, “All You Need is Love” came on the sound system. That pretty much sums up any worthwhile pursuit – a category in which both being a parent and seeing this play fall. You'll leave feeling loved, and that's more than worth the price of admission. And I'd suggest you shell out the sheckles for your tickets as soon as you can, because according to Alison Kelly, “they're selling like hotcakes.”

Mom's the Word: Remixed is playing at the Arts Club Theatre on Granville Island until November 7th.

//Sky Hester
Writer

SCREW IN THE LIGHTBULB! TURN THE DOORKNOB! Comedy troupe makes light of cultural stereotypes

The audience didn’t have to wait long for the first Bollywood dance, as the cast of I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter Chicken: The Butter Strikes Back opened with the skit “Mera Yaar Intro Dance”.

Munish Sharma and Leena Manro have a very unique form of edgy and risqué sketch comedy. Having known each other for just two years, the pair have created a production company, Bollywood Shenanigans, and put on three shows. They write spirited skits about the real life issues that children of immigrant families face in Canada. “When we write our comedy it has meaning. Even if you took out all the derogatory remarks, it’s still funny,” Leena says.

The program was playfully laid out like a menu, with the skits acting as ‘Appetizers’, actor profiles the ‘Main Course’ and thank you’s the ‘Desserts’. Saris thrown surreptitiously on the walls created a colourful atmosphere in tune with the lively chatting of the roughly 60 people packed into the tiny Box Studio for the group’s third production, which ran from Sept 30th to Oct 3rd.

The cast was as colourful as a Benetton ad, incorporating actors of different cultural backgrounds. They even had a token white guy, Jason Vaisvila, who convinced the audience that he really wanted to be brown.

They call Bollywood, the Hollywood of India, their secret weapon. Audience members wait in anticipation for the first note of music hinting that the actors will break out in that dance that has come to represent South Asian culture. For those in need of a little cross-cultural pollination, that’s exactly what they get.

To achieve this, Leena and Munish blend dancing with a spill of derogatory remarks.

Some skits are light, some have a serious ring, but all leave the audience in stitches. “We can make a point resonate more through absurdity,” Leena says.

The show featured ensembles and cameos from local singer, Sabrina Saran who, for the skit “Fuck or Love?”, convincingly changed the song lyrics of a popular love song making the two mean the same thing. Her mellifluous voice completely outshone the hilarity of the lyrics, however. She sings effortlessly, even without music to back her up.

There were special appearances by past characters like the fluid ‘Snake Woman’, played by Leena, who sells a potion to Jason making him ‘brown’ for one night and so allowing him to pick up a brown girl, Preet, before choking his way back to his unloved, white, bearded self. The skit turned serious when Jason announced that he was experiencing reverse discrimination – the girl wouldn’t date him, explaining that her parents would never allow her to marry a white guy. Munish quickly brought the laughs back with a Dancogram revealing that Jason’s family actually stemmed from India. The boys got so excited that they laughed their way off stage, saying, “Let’s go eat Indian food, complain about our culture and find a white girl.” The audience members exploded into laughter, whether they fully understood or not.

Leena and Munish are anomalies, as they grew up ‘brown’ in small, predominantly white cities. Neither felt they particularly fit in but, upon moving to culturally diverse Vancouver, they found that nor did they fit others’ expectations of South Asian heritage. They have found their niche in their special ability to relate to both worlds. “All that you can do is be true to what you’re trying to say,” Munish says.

At Bollywood Shenanigan’s first show, I Can’t Believe it’s Not Butter Chicken, all they’d hoped for was 20 people. Through word of mouth and tireless advertising, done solely by the two of them, they have created a show that can sell out four nights in a row. They may need to find a bigger venue for their ‘Best of’ show, planned for sometime this fall. Visit www.bollywoodshenanigans.com for more information.

If you’re feeling the urge to Bollywood dance, check out Diwali, a South Asian festival celebrating “the universal light that exists in everyone”. www.vandiwali.ca

//Sarah Kistler

Writer

VIVA LA OBSESION! Cuban Rappers message almost lost in translation

Do you ever have trouble understanding what the hell rappers are talking about? Well, try listening to a hip-hop group that only raps in Spanish.

Obsesion took the stage in Capilano’s cafeteria courtyard last Wednesday to share their incredible style of Cuban hip-hop. Though the lyrics were sung in Spanish, it was still a great time, with students dancing at the front and echoing back in crowd participation.

Alexey Rodriguez and Magia Lopez are a husband and wife hip-hop duo from the suburb of Regla, in Havana, Cuba. The band formed in 1996 shortly after they married. Without any label support, these two have been recording at home on a PC mixing console for over ten years. Although they would love to master their music in a studio, Alexey and Magia aren’t looking for fame. Instead, they’re trying to convey the importance of Cuban revolution through their music.

Obsesion’s performance was upbeat and energetic, regardless of the Spanish lyrics. The two definitely sung from the heart, but an obvious language barrier was at play. Not understanding the language made it seemingly more difficult for students to get into the music, but the two managed to pull it off.

Previous to being a member of Obsesion, Alexey had been a breakdancer and a fan of U.S. hip-hop, which Cubans refer to as “la moña.” Magia has her degree in communications and was a former member of an Afro-Cuban dance troupe before becoming a sculptor. Both Magia and Alexey were working as sculptors when the two met. They shared the same passion for hip-hop, not so much to make people “move” but to share a message about love, politics and social issues.

While writing, composing and producing for Obsesion, the two are still both active members in the Cuban community. They participate in a mixed media arts project called La Fabri-K, to help young people get in touch with other people in the arts community. The organization introduces young people to hip-hop and other arts like sculpting, poetry, and dance. The pair works in disadvantaged neighbourhoods around Havana to help better the community, as well as working in jails to spread inspiration through their music.

When sitting down to get inspired, the band listens to Jazz and other beats such as conga to ad a different flavour into their music. Although the band doesn’t have a recording contract they have shared the stage with The Roots, a popular American band famed for their live approach to hip-hop.

When asked about the importance of the U.S. Alexey voiced, “Of Course I have been influenced by American hip-hop.” With favourites such as Talib Kweli, Common, and Dead Prez, you can see the relationship. These artists are looking to spread a more important message then how fat their paycheques are. Obsesion also have a pretty impressive fanbase themselves, with American hip-hop icon Mos Def supporting them.

Despite the political turmoil between Cuba and the United States, Obsesion recently embarked on an American Tour. “People were great, they were there to enjoy the music. It’s only the people on top that you sense the bitterness from.” Not content with just spreading their outspoken lyrics through the States, Obsesion took the stage for the first time in Western Canada at Vancouver’s Hip-hop Versus War festival.

Obsesion is a talented band with a message, so if you’re interested in expanding your musical horizons, and maybe your Spanish, check out their MySpace page: www.myspace.com/obsesioncuba.

//Jazmine Bahr

Writer

DEGREES OF SEPARATION New Creative Writing program offers unique opportunities

Capilano University has long been recognized for its contributions to avant-garde creative writing. Literary masters Pierre Coupey, Daphne Marlatt, and Sharon Thesen once helmed the creative writing faculty, and legendary poet Robin Blaser was a frequent visitor of the college in the ‘70s. Now, Capilano offers a full Associate’s Degree in Creative Writing. But if you dream of being the next John Grisham or Stephen King, the program may not be for you.

“The difference between our program and those at UBC or UVic is that it isn’t market-oriented,” explains Reg Johanson, convener of the Creative Writing program at Capilano. “Those programs encourage students to adjust to the market, and this promotes a certain style of writing and a certain way of thinking about writing.” Rather than learn how to write a best-seller or get a six-figure advance from a corporate publishing house, students at Capilano are encouraged to become active in the writing community, to support small press and DIY publishing, and to experiment with new genres and forms.

The program is based on intensive workshop classes, in which students are expected to bring new writing every week, offer constructive criticism to their peers, and produce a strong portfolio of writing by the end of the semester. But new courses have also been introduced, including program-specific sections of English 100 and 103. Students not only learn how to write research papers, but also how to write artist statements, grant proposals, and critical reviews. “Rather than study texts and writing from a purely academic perspective, students study them from a literary perspective,” says Johanson.

It’s an idea that has already proven to be extremely popular. The program had a total of 183 applicants this year, of which only 50 to 60 students could be accepted. This impressive demand has led the faculty to consider a portfolio requirement. If this requirement is implemented, the program will become more exclusive and prestigious. However, the faculty’s goal is not to compete with existing Creative Writing degrees at UBC and UVic, but rather to offer a unique program unlike anything else available in Vancouver.

Johanson, along with creative writing professors Roger Farr and Crystal Hurdle, hopes to encourage a sense of community for writers at the University. “At Capilano, we try to create a situation that is more horizontal than vertical,” he explains. “We emphasize a greater connection between the community and the arts. The program finds its ultimate expression in smaller readings, like the Open Text series on campus, where the audience is on an even level with the writers, and writing is understood as being a shared process.”

An important component of the program is publishing, of course, but Johanson emphasizes that the program does not encourage students to abandon their style or write for specific markets in order to be published. “The writer’s individuality or uniqueness is always important,” he says. “We always start from a point of asking, ‘What do you want from this piece?’ Then we can introduce students to the expectations of publishing and work towards the quality of published work.”

The program has proven so successful that the Creative Writing faculty hopes to turn it into a four-year degree. Discussions are taking place about what kind of degree to offer, and the future of the program will ultimately depend on the still-uncertain future of Capilano as a University. Since the transformation of the College into a University in 2008, the discussion among the administration and faculty has focused on whether to offer specialized “niche” degrees unique to the university, or to offer general arts and science degrees similar to those available at SFU and UBC.

According to Roger Farr, the faculty initially visualized the Creative Writing program as being of the specialized “niche” or “applied” variety, but is now considering the possibility of building inside a general arts degree. However, discussions are still underway, and there may be a long way to go before Capilano University offers a Bachelor's degree in Creative Writing. All that Farr can confirm at this time is that third and fourth-year creative writing courses are in development.

Farr hopes to expand the program to introduce writing students to new media and creative methods. One proposed course is tentatively titled “Adaptation, Collaboration, and Performance”, in which students would adapt work from previous semesters for public performance, possibly in collaboration with students from other faculties.

Also in the works are courses in Creative Non-Fiction and Documentary Poetics. Creative Non-Fiction is self-explanatory, but Documentary Poetics may be a new genre to some. It evolved in the 20th century with the rise of journalism and film, and appropriates the methods of the documentary film for poetic purposes. This can mean using found text, or simply using the imagery, tone and style of documentary to break with the conventions of poetic form.

These courses are still in the planning stages, and students may not want to get their hopes up for a full degree program in the near future. However, they can take comfort in the existing program, which offers unique courses and knowledgeable, involved professors. The program also supports student publication The Liar, and encourages students to get involved with the university's twice-yearly poetry publication The Capilano Review. Students are encouraged to drop by the Capilano Review office, located in FIR 456, to find out more.

The department also organizes the Open Text Reading Series, a series of free readings on campus, which commenced in September with local poet Fred Wah. The next reading, featuring Montreal poet Angela Carr, will be on Thursday, October 8th, at 11:30 am in CE 148. Students may check http://capilanocreativewriting.blogspot.com for details on upcoming events.

//Laura Kane

Writer

THE TRUTH ABOUT THE LIAR Capilano’s poetry zine comes clean

  The Liar is a bi-annual poetry and creative writing zine exclusively edited by Capilano University students. It provides an opportunity for students to publish their own poetry, prose, and artwork. Although the English Department funds the Liar, it is an autonomous publication. Each term, a new editorial collective composed of students determines the content and style.

A high turn over rate is usually considered a bad thing, but in the case of the Liar, it allows for constant renewal and growth. Still, there is quite a knowledge gap in the Liar’s history. Some information has been lost. Other information seems to change depending on who is recalling it. With a twenty-two year history and revolving door editorial collective, it’s no wonder.

Former prof Pierre Coupey recalls bringing the idea of a student-run publication to his writing class in the late 1980’s. Students from Coupey’s class began publishing their own weekly broadsheet, which eventually grew into the student run literary magazine known as the Liar. The first volume is believed to have been edited by Derrick Stone and Pete Hofmann in spring 1987, though this issue is missing. The pair edited the second and third volumes as well.

Volume four was edited by Robert Pacey and Kimberley French. Pacey, now the owner of a Vancouver based graphic design company, had poetry published in the third volume. He took over editing when the previous editors moved on to SFU. The early volumes of the Lair included some well-known writers. For volume four, the editors managed to interview Margaret Atwood and included an excerpt from her novel, “Cat’s Eye”. The spring 1989 edition contained an original poem by Charles Bukowski. Pacey recalls that, at the time, the Liar was receiving many submissions in Bukowski’s style so they thought they “might as well go get him”. Pacey sent a letter to the poet, along with $5, writing, “have a beer on me and send me a poem”. To his surprise, Bukowski sent him a poem the following week.

Capilano English instructors, including Sharon Thesen (1990) and Ryan Knighton (1996), have also been published in the Liar. However, the focus always remained student creative writing. Book reviews appeared in the first few years, as publishers were regularly sending new books to the collective. There was only one unofficial rule regarding submissions: “No poems about cats”. For the record, this rule still applies.

Along with perpetual changes in the editorial collective and the visual appearance of the Liar, the name has also undergone transformations. From fall 1992 until spring 1996, the zine was published as the Lyre. The volumes, which were larger, glossy, and professional in appearance, were published once a year. The reason for the name change is uncertain. Prof Roger Farr remarked that the name played with “the oral tradition of poetry”, noting that in ancient Greece, poetry was often spoken while the lyre was played. Whatever the reason, after four yearly volumes, the Lyre disappeared.

Then, in 2005, Roger Farr brought the idea of a Liar revival to students in his Creative Writing class. Seven students came together to create the first issue in ten years. The original Liar name was restored, while the zine shifted to include writing solely by students. Carmen Papalia, co-editor of that, recalls, “Nobody really knew what they were doing, but we learned together and had way too much fun doing so—we would often jump on a trampoline to ‘bounce’ ideas off each other”. The English Department provided a budget of $500. Farr supplied the crew with examples of past issues of the Liar and a timeline for the production before setting them loose.

Aubyn Rader, another co-editor in 2005, remembers Roger Farr telling him that “working on magazines doesn't change much. You have different budgets and you can print more copies. But the production process is always nearly the same. You accept submissions, you lay them out, you print them.” After leaving Capilano, Rader and Papalia, along with most of the Liar collective of 2005, went on to create their own magazine, Memewar, which was voted Best Free Literary Magazine by the Georgia Straight last year. 

The departure of the revival crew resulted in the creation of the infamous Jedi Council. Like each successive collective, the Jedis aspired to distinguish themselves from previous Liar incarnations. Co-editor Laura Kane focused on attracting a wider audience by spamming Capilano with hot pink posters and speaking to creative writing classes. Still, they only received about 25 submissions each term, of which 12-15 were published. With only four co-editors for each of the 2006 issues, they were all involved in every aspect of the zine’s production. “It's a great way to get experience if you want to work in publishing, editing, or just plain writing.” said Kane. “Through working on the Liar, I got experience in selecting and editing content, working with a collective, laying out a magazine, distributing it on campus and in small bookstores, organizing launch parties, and designing websites.”

While Farr agrees that students benefit from their experience working in an editorial capacity, he stresses the benefit is not limited to university studies. “Working with different people and building friendships is crucial for a lively and active literary circle. The best writing emerges from friendships and affinities, not from lessons and reading.”

For many writers, the attraction to the Liar is the possibility of being published. Most university literary journals publish the work of graduate students, faculty, and even professional writers. The Liar offers first and second year students a rare opportunity for publication. “The game of literary stardom is bankrupt. DIY rules,” says Creative Writing prof Reg Johanson. “ I'm glad we can introduce students to the means of their own literary production, and hopefully their own intellectual emancipation.”

The writing in student-run literary magazines is autonomous and more experimental than writing in most other literary magazines. Farr notes that, in general, student magazines tied to other creative writing programs may be closely affiliated with the universities themselves while the Liar is closer to student culture. “There is a real history of radical, risky student mags in Vancouver,” says Farr. “That spirit is crucial and it’s alive in the Liar.”

The current Liar Collective is accepting submissions until October 30th. The issue will be available at the end of November with the launch party occurring around the same time. The evening will include readings by the Liar writers as well as performances by local musicians. A few copies of the spring 2009 edition are still floating around. Look for them in the Library, Bookstore, and Writing Centre. To submit writing, ask questions, or tell tall tales, email liarcollective@gmail.com  All submissions will be judged anonymously.

//Jennifer Cole

Writer

CHRISTIAN AUDIGIER AND ED HARDY Our flashy legacy of crap?

Since 2004, designer Christian Audigier has found great success in marketing multiple clothing lines including ‘Christian Audigier’, ‘Ed Hardy', and ‘Smet’. The clothing lines are all similar in design, featuring lots of crystals, metallic iron-on prints of weapons, tacky slogans like “Born On the Streets”, and large brand name logos adorning each garment. But what started out as a unique style of clothing has evolved into some horrible mess of over branding, as now the designs adorn everything from Ed Hardy brand hand sanitizer, to Ed Hardy brand bottled water, and even a special edition Christian Audigier Lamborghini. All in a grotesque capitalist orgy of over consumption and utter greed.

I’ll admit, when this stuff first came out a couple years ago it was cool, yet terribly over-priced. However, the price itself became the line’s major selling point, as it was one of those things only the rich and stupid could buy. I’m guilty of spending a bunch of money on shirts, hats, and even pajama pants. At the time, these things seemed like good investments, but that was a few years ago before I found out that Chinese knock-offs were about the same quality, and about a quarter of the price – you just had to know where to look.

The brands gained local infamy a few years ago when the Vancouver Police Department Integrated Gang Task Force banned people from wearing any Christian Audigier and Ed Hardy clothing in the Granville Entertainment District and in bars and clubs across metro Vancouver. The clothes had become ubiquitous with gang members to the point that anyone wearing these brands was turned away as part of the ‘Bar Watch’ program designed to keep known gang members out of public establishments, and to lessen the chance of violence involving innocent bystanders. Eventually though, the majority of people decided to stop wearing the stuff because it got played out. Everyone and their dog started wearing it and suddenly crappy imitations flooded stores as retailers tried to cash in on this generation’s BeDazzler. Christian Audigier and Ed Hardy are no longer ‘the shit’, they’re just kind of ‘shit’.

This trend stopped being cool when Christian Audigier decided: “Fuck just selling over priced tacky clothing, let’s sell over priced tacky everything!” No, he didn’t really say that, but considering that you can buy Ed Hardy brand anything, from car air fresheners, to underwear, to European beer, it becomes painfully clear that this is a case of ‘lifestyle’ marketing pushed to the extreme. It’s even sadder to think that there is still a market in this economy for completely over priced tacky crap.

What’s worse is that Christian Audigier and Ed Hardy gear is starting to pop up on every mid-life crisis victim that can afford this crap – sorry, cougars, it doesn’t make you look hip when you’re in your 40’s, it makes you look like a ghetto, busted-ass trailer park resident who probably has a few ads on Craigslist’s erotic services section and a coke problem.

So fuck you, Christian Audigier. You and your products represent everything wrong with society. Here’s an idea: why not just start making Ed Hardy brand douche bags? Obviously, one could argue that they already produce Ed Hardy douche bags, just not the literal kind. 

Ultimately, both Christian Audigier and Ed Hardy will stand as testaments to the kind of sick culture of over consumption that has permeated this decade. I’m sure that just as we have 1980’s themed parties today, it’s not too bold a prediction that in twenty years they’ll probably have dress up parties featuring Ed Hardy and Kanye West’s ‘Shutter Shades’, all the while collectively wondering: “Did this crap really used to be cool?”

//Aaron Bolus

Writer

MICHAEL MOORE IS NO HERO Let's all ignore his latest film

SASKATOON (CUP) – As if 2009 wasn’t already a rough year for capitalism, Michael Moore has set his sights on our venerated economic system.

In his latest film, “Capitalism: A Love Story,” Moore uses the current financial fallout as the backdrop for his attack on the economic system that brought the world to its knees almost exactly one year ago, as well as the culture and politics that have allowed for greed to be the ruling currency of our age.

“Capitalism” will hit theatres Oct. 2 and early reviews have been almost unanimously positive, but the last thing we need is Michael Moore’s latest propaganda flooding multiplexes.

Moore has carved out a career for himself by championing the cause of the little guy but his methods and motivations are far from pure. His first documentary, “Roger & Me,” came out 20 years ago and chronicled the closing of a GM plant in Moore’s hometown of Flint, Mich.

The central theme of the film is that Moore cannot get an interview with GM CEO Roger Smith, the heartless tycoon responsible for all the misery in Flint. The only problem is that Moore did meet with Smith. Twice! Yet Moore conveniently left that out of the film, since it made a more appealing story line to exclude Smith.

Although he had taken out a second mortgage on his home in order to film “Roger & Me,” the risk soon paid off. Before long, Moore was producing television shows and more documentaries, all with the David vs. Goliath motif. But the pattern of deception he had set in his first film proved to be too good to abandon.

“Bowling for Columbine,” Moore’s anti-gun documentary focusing on the 1999 Columbine high school shootings of Littleton, Colo., used similar sleight of hand techniques to make his point. The iconic first scene of the film, in which Moore gets a free rifle for signing up for a bank account, is alleged to have been entirely prearranged.

Footage of NRA president Charlton Heston was taken out of context to paint him as an insensitive gun-nut taking joy in the Columbine massacre. In fact, the NRA cancelled most scheduled events at its meeting in Denver that year. It only maintained its general meeting, which as a non-profit, the NRA was forced to hold by law.

Heston holding a rifle over his head and growling, “From my cold dead hands,” took place a whole year after the massacre but Moore massaged the footage to suggest Heston was doing so in the grieving community of Littleton immediately after the shootings.

“Bowling for Columbine” went on to win an academy award despite its many flaws, launching Moore into mainstream consciousness and making him an icon of the American left wing. His subsequent films “Fahrenheit 9/11” and “Sicko” have made Moore the wealthiest documentarian in history.

Canadians should know better than most as to how deceitful Moore can be. In his 2007 health care documentary “Sicko,” he presents Canada’s health care system as a utopian project that leaves everyone happy and satisfied. Although it is no doubt superior to American health care, Canada’s health care also has its problems such as long waiting lines and chronic underfunding. Canadians recognize this but Moore glosses over it in order to forward his political agenda.

Also, in “Bowling for Columbine” Moore walks around an affluent neighbourhood in Toronto and claims to find nothing but unlocked doors, What a great country Canada must be! Moore’s producer has since admitted that only 40 per cent of the doors they tried were unlocked, but the truth has never stopped Michael Moore before.

Like many Canadians, Debbie Melnyk and Rick Caine felt Moore was a progressive voice in American politics, fighting the conservative establishment through humour and wit. So, in 2004, the two filmmakers travelled south to film a documentary about the man they admired. However, they soon unearthed many of the common criticisms against Moore that they had previously dismissed as Republican smears.

Melnyk and Caine also found that Moore was a slippery fish when it came to actually speaking with them about his work. But even though they could not confront Moore directly, they exposed his many lies and misrepresentations in their own documentary “Manufacturing Dissent.”

Documentaries are strange hybrids of news and entertainment. On one hand, they try to shed light on areas of concern. On the other hand, they also have financial pressures that encourage dishonest behaviour if it might make the film more profitable.

The Center for Social Media at American University recently released a report about documentary filmmakers and what guides their storytelling. Although most people interviewed strive to be honest, they also admit to fudging the truth and manipulating certain facts and sequences in order to show the “higher truth.”

In Michael Moore’s case, this fudging is especially pronounced. Furthermore, by casting himself as a working class hero, the millionaire documentarian merely exploits the working class. In both “Bowling for Columbine” and “Fahrenheit 9/11” he uses tragedy to further his own anti-Bush agenda. In “Sicko,” he uses the stories of Americans screwed over by the health care system to make himself out to be a hero.

In Moore’s upcoming release “Capitalism: A Love Story,” he once again uses the truly tragic consequences of the financial meltdown and its many victims to cast himself as the star. And once again, Moore has confused celebrity for credibility.

//Ishmael N. Daro

CUP Opinions Bureau Chief