Peak Humour obtained this photo that reveals the TOP SECRET set list for the much anticipated national anthems portion of August 3rd’s Vancouver Whitecaps game in Portland against the Timbers. Check it out!
UniverCity to begin development on Slopes
On June 17, the Burnaby City Council approved UniverCity’s proposal to rezone Phase 4 of the Burnaby Mountain campus. The transformation of this space, previously the home of G Lot and the Visitor Parking Lot, will, according to a press release, “[pave] the way for a significant diversification of residential development at SFU’s UniverCity.”
Phase 4 is the fourth area of the campus that has been rezoned during the development phase. The Burnaby City Council approved rezoning of Phase 3 (northwest of the Water Tower Building) in 2010, and Liberty Homes is in the process of rezoning Parcel 25 in Phase 2, which will be a mixed use site with three types of buildings on it: townhomes, a small tower, and a four-storey building.
Phase 4 — otherwise known as UniverCity Slopes — is comprised of eight development sites on which developers are planning to create units to accommodate the growing number of families on the mountain. These buildings will be a maximum of six stories in height and will contain ground-oriented, larger average size units.
When asked what motivated the decision for this new type of housing, Jesse Galicz, Development Manager of the SFU Community Trust Staff, responded that the impetus came from the Burnaby Mountain community itself.
Galicz does not feel that student housing can be ruled out yet.
“What we are seeing is we have a lot of first time homebuyers that have moved into Phase 1 of the community, and what we’re finding is we have a slightly higher average number of families in our community than in the city of Burnaby.” said Galicz. “Those families want to stay and grow in the community, so there was some discussion that they wanted to see larger unit sizes.”
UniverCity has already begun the next step in the development phase of the Slopes neighbourhood, leasing Parcel 30 to Polygon Homes. Their proposal, which would be the first project in the neighbourhood, is to create approximately 160 new homes. If approved, the project would move forward in early 2014 and would take between one and a half to two years to complete.
Still, UniverCity’s plans for development do not stop in Phase 4. “What we’re trying to create here is a complete community for everyone, from the very young to senior citizens,” said Galicz when speaking to the end goal of the Burnaby Mountain development. “That means a complete sustainable and healthy community that provides all the necessary amenities in one space.”
What we’re trying to create here is a complete community for everyone.”
– Jesse Galicz, Development Manager of the SFU Community Trust Staff
The blueprints for this future development can be found on the Official Community Plan, which shows development reaching from Discovery Park to the Swing Area on the west side of campus. The south neighbourhood, which has been designated but not officially planned, would include 1,500 units beyond what has already been zoned.
Despite the obvious excitement that comes with new development, not all residents have been convinced by UniverCity’s future plans. For many students, the hesitation comes with the lack of any concrete proposals to create affordable housing on campus.
Aware of these concerns, Galicz does not feel that student housing can be ruled out just yet.
“We don’t actually have the specific buildings in place yet,” said Galicz. “We try to partner with certain developers to provide different types of housing so in the future we would like to provide more affordable housing. We don’t have a specific project in mind yet, but there are opportunities in both Phase 3 and 4 to do that.”
Students can expect to see 300 new units up for lease each year during the next stages of UniverCity development. Galicz feels that even without specifically targeting students, the university will be able to provide substantial housing opportunities for SFU students.
“In comparison to the rest of the lower mainland and Burnaby, our housing is quite affordable running at about $400 to $450 per square foot, which in the context of Vancouver is more affordable than a lot of other regions,” said Galicz.
“Average [cost] is about $450 per square foot. Obviously views and finishings play a role in that, so you can find some housing that’s a little bit cheaper and some that’s more expensive. We do that on purpose so we’re providing different levels of housing for a diversity of people,” concluded Galicz.
Peak Week July 29 onwards
Eats
If you haven’t made it over to the Chinatown Night Market yet, you should consider checking it out soon, if not for the food alone. There’s a booth from The Pie Shoppe, Vancouver’s smallest pie shop making handmade fruit pies, unique caramels by [in the oven] (featuring flavours like smoked salt and root beer), plus Keefer St.’s Bao Bei opens up a patio right in the midst of all the festivities. Check out their crispy pork belly and enjoy a cold bottle of Yanjing. There’s also a dumpling cook-off and eating contest hosted by Bao Bei on August 16, between 6:30 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. No matter what your taste buds prefer, there’s something yummy for every foodie.
Beats
The 37th annual Powell Street Festival fires up again from August 2 to 4. The festival will begin on August 2 with a multimedia performance by Omodaka, a combination of traditional minyo (folk music) with contemporary electronics and visuals. Other highlights include a performance by Doug Koyama, an improvisational loop-pedalist, a reading by Mariko Tamaki, the author of Skim and (You) Set Me on Fire, and the Jackson Avenue Block Party Performance space and marketplace. Events are happening at several venues around the city, and all daytime events are free! Check out powellstreetfestival.com for the full schedule.
Theats
The Vancouver Queer Film Festival is almost here! Featuring over 70 films from 20 countries, from Bollywood to Hollywood, drama to documentary, indie to big budget, the variety is endless. Events include Reflection / Refraction, performance art inspired by short films on August 1; the opening gala party featuring the film Magnificent Presence! on August 15; and Margarita, a film about a mexican immigrant facing deportation, showing on August 16 at SFU’s Goldcorp Centre for the Arts.
Elites
As part of SFU Public Square’s Summer Writes: Urban Tales series, City Centre: A Poetry Reading and Conversation About Life in Urban Vancouver is happening August 7. The conversation will take place between 7:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. at SFU Vancouver campus and will feature Vancouver’s Poet Laureate Evelyn Lau in conversation with poet Daniela Elza. The evening will consider Vancouver’s mixed landscape of mountains and urban architecture with the unpredictable and rainy weather and how this environment affects each of the artists. The event is free, but seating is limited.
Treats
Ever wanted to learn swing dancing but didn’t know where to start? Royal City Swing is offering a Hand-to-Hand Charleston workshop on August 2. The workshop covers the basic movements involved in the hand-to-hand Charleston, as well as a few fancy moves in the second half of the workshop. It is recommended to be familiar with some level of 20s Charleston or tandem dancing prior to the workshop, but if you are a fast learner and are feeling brave, join in! Tickets are $10. Check out the Royal City Swing Facebook group for more details.
Sex ed app brings answers to your phone
A new London-based startup is trying to teach young people about sex, and going to the most likely place they’ll look: the App Store.
Founder Fabrizio Dolfi described how a couple of years ago he was on a train reading an article about STDs on his mobile phone. The article that talked about the issue of young people not seeking medical attention when they think something may be going on down south.
“[Young people] avoid or delay seeing a doctor mainly due to embarrassment. Embarrassment that others might find out about their condition . . . Embarrassment, mostly among guys, to drop their pants in front of a stranger,” explained Dolfi. “Because of that many just wait, hoping that whatever it is will go away by itself.”
In an effort to avoid situations where young people avoid or ignore STDs or health problems to do with their sex life, Dolfi came up with the idea to bring sexual health information to young people through their mobile devices, with the My Sex Doctor (MYSD) app.
– Fabrizio Dolfi, MYSD App Creator
“I realised that a large part of the problem regarding young people and STDs have to do with insufficient education,” said Dolfi. “That’s when I came up with the idea of an app that would have given them easy access to minimum knowledge required to properly manage this new function of their body that activates by itself during puberty: sexuality.”
The recently released app, which is available in a lite and a $1.99 paid version, gives a comprehensive overview of sexuality and answers the most common questions that Dolfi and his team found that young people have. During their preliminary research, the team asked young people to write down the 10 questions or doubts about their sexuality that bothered them the most, and used this information to create the app. Dolfi also had a friend who was completing a PhD in sexology at the time to weigh in on content.
The finished result is a sexual database, complete with a list of sexual topics that include various types of sexual activities, pregnancy, a dictionary that defines sexual terms such as “back door” and “mons pubis”, and a list of the “100 Things You Must Know.”
“The ultimate purpose of the app is to change the way people access sex education,” said Dolfi. “To free them from the embarrassing conversations with parents or relatives, from hours spent online reading . . . to avoid getting the wrong ideas from misinformed friends or adult entertainment.”
He continued, “We think sexuality is a fact of life, it just happens. The same should be true for sex education. As young people mature they should have easy access to information about sexuality, and our app tries to provide precisely that.”
SFU mourns loss of student activist
Last week was challenging for SFU staff and students alike, as the community began to mourn the tragic loss of student and campus activist Michael McDonell.
McDonell, who graduated from SFU in June with a major in Sociology and minors in Labour Studies and Humanities, was to begin graduate work in September. The 24 year-old passed away in hospital on Sunday after an accident occurred at Sasamat Lake. McDonell was swimming off of White Pine Beach when he got into distress, and was under water for at least five minutes before being pulled out.
Aside from being an excellent student who received first class grades in most of his courses as well, as one of the first granted Hari Sharma student awards in Labour Studies, McDonell was actively involved in the SFU community — in the Sociology and Anthropology Student Union (SASU), the Labour Studies Student Union, and with Left Alternative. He had also been a director at SFPIRG where he helped to produce a “strategic vision for the organization,” while “acting as employer for staff.”
In the short time since McDonell’s death, numerous student groups at SFU have organized events in his honor. Last Thursday in Freedom Square on Burnaby Campus, SASU held a barbeque, with all proceeds going toward helping McDonell’s family with funeral costs. Community members gathered to speak with each other about their memories of Michael and to share in the event that he himself helped plan for a student union that he was heavily involved in.
The McDonell family held a celebration of Michael’s life on Saturday, July 27 from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the Halpern Centre at SFU Burnaby Campus where friends and colleagues were encouraged to say a few words about Michael.
Warren and the Labour Studies Student Union will be hosting an informal celebration of McDonell’s life at the pub, which will provide food and operate as a fundraiser to help the McDonell family recuperate some of the funeral costs. The day and time are still to be determined, and all are welcome to attend.
Although the pain of the loss of McDonell will never go away, the love and support felt this week by his friends and family are testament to the impact he made at SFU.
“While it pains me to acknowledge that he is no longer with us, I am lucky to have had the chance to know him,” said Gloria Mellesmoen, SFSS education representative and a friend of McDonell’s. “I know that I will never forget him or the way he shared his passion with the world.”
The multitude of comments that McDonell’s family has received since Sunday speaks volumes to his character and influence in the SFU community, and we have included several below.
“His GPA and his organizational involvement were testaments to someone who was comfortable combining academic and activist roles. He succeeded well in both, and was widely respected for his student involvement. As for his potential, well, we all have more potential than is ever realized, but in his case, what he achieved in his short time was admirable.
His contribution to classroom discussions and his involvement in student politics revealed a person who calmly got done what had to be done. He was a model of modesty and quiet assurance that made others feel confidence in him and in themselves. He was highly regarded by his peers and others with whom he studied and worked.”
– Dr. Gary Teeple, Director for the Labour Studies Program, and one of Michael’s Sociology instructors
“After nearly a decade away from full-time studies and wishing to re-enlist in campus activism, I was advised to seek out Michael McDonell as he would be good for collaborating. My first day back we met by happenstance and I soon learned how modest that referral was. Michael became the anchor for the LSSU and, I quickly realized, was literally a hub unto himself for social justice at SFU. His dedication was tireless, his efforts selfless.
A shining example of the quality of character we should all aspire toward. In a troubled world such as ours, humanity is in dire need of more Michael McDonell. I am grateful for knowing him. He will be missed.”
– Joel Warren, Chair, Labour Studies Union
“I knew [Michael] as a member of the SFU community and as a friend. He always had a smile on his face and a social justice issue to advocate for, no matter where we were. He was incredibly intelligent and passionate about almost everything that he spoke about. Michael was an amazing friend and a selfless person. He was a brilliant man who was a valuable part of the SFU community. When I think of the word ‘engaged,’ I think of Michael.”
– Gloria Mellesmoen, Education Representative, SFSS Board of Directors
“Always there and involved, always committed to making the world a better place. Michael was the best of people, a true advocate. The world is lesser without him in it. It’s up to us to take his batons and keep his actions and dreams in our hearts and minds.
I think that if everyone who knew him would join just one of the many causes he loved that were working towards a better world, we could make that world happen.”
– Melissa Roth, TSSU organizer
Throwback Album Reviews: Rush, Fiona Apple, and The Beatles
Rush – Hemispheres
Rush has been together for almost 40 years, and though mainstream success has by and large eluded them — save for a string of modestly popular albums in the early 80s — they have inspired a devoted following made up of people who are fond of irregular time signatures, calculated guitar solos and science fiction-inspired lyrics.
I am not one of these fans: I respect them and acknowledge their existence, but I observe them in the same way I might observe a Norwegian soap opera sans subtitles.
It’s hard to deny Rush’s technical ability — Neil Peart’s drumming, especially, is surely among the most creative of the rock and roll canon — but Hemispheres, often considered a high water mark of the band’s lengthy career, does nothing for me.
The album opens with “Cygnus X-1: Book II,” a musical suite which spans 18 minutes and recounts the story of a deity looking to reconcile a populace divided into two separate hemispheres — a Cold War parable? Lead vocalist and bassist Geddy Lee’s irritating wail does little to lend weight to Peart’s lofty lyrics.
“Circumstances” and “The Trees” are similarly uninspiring — the latter track seems trapped between self-parody and straight-faced conviction, whereas the former’s homesick balladry is undercut by a repetitive chorus and a corny keyboard interlude.
Closing track “La Villa Strangiato,” which stands as the trio’s first instrumental, is unequivocally Hemisphere’s finest moment, though this may be because Geddy Lee does not sing. In any case, the song’s stream-of-consciousness format quickly becomes tiresome, and the album’s remarkably short runtime — only 36 minutes, unheard of for a prog rock album — came as a happy surprise.
Ultimately, it comes as little surprise that the group’s next album, Permanent Waves, completely abandoned expansive musical suites and strived towards more economic, structural songs. Hemispheres ultimately strikes me as a failed experiment, albeit a noble one. At least “Spirit of the Radio” is pretty good.
Fiona Apple – When the Pawn…
Though its album title is novelistic and its subject matter occasionally maudlin, Fiona Apple’s sophomore LP is full of brilliant musicality, gorgeous vocals and lyrics that are equal parts sympathetic and self-deprecating.
Coming off the heels of her immensely popular debut Tidal, When the Pawn… effectively ups the ante: the songs on this record simply sound better, due in no small part to studio wizard Jon Brion, whose lush production and theatrical string arrangements complement Apple’s raw, unhinged vocal.
Her singing, which has always been her strong suit, befits her creative songwriting: the Burlesque snarl of “On the Bound” and the syncopated hip-hop beats of “Fast As You Can” only serve to highlight Apple’s uniquely impressive chops.
Apple’s lyrics matured along with her music: she yearns for casual spontaneity in “A Mistake”, casts a weary eye on conventional romance in “The Way Things Are” and performs autopsy on a broken affair in “Love Ridden.”
Though I tend to lean towards Apple’s sparser efforts — namely her most recent LP, The Idler Wheel… — the opulent orchestration on tracks like “Get Gone” is playful enough to stave off accusations of melodrama.
Even the album’s catchiest numbers, like “To Your Love” and “Paper Bag,” are given balance by grace of Apple’s acidic wordplay and charisma.
The biggest triumph of Apple’s tunes is that each one is wide open, leaving the listener to pick them apart and interpret each sentence. Lines like “Maybe some faith would do me good” might sound sarcastic or sincere on any given listen, and her music is all the more relatable for it.
When the Pawn… is a complex and ambitious album, but it’s also inviting and unpretentious, tailor-made for sufferers of the human condition with just enough flair to assure Apple a consistent fan base for decades to come.
The Beatles – Rubber Soul
Sandwiched in between The Beatles as teen heartthrobs and The Beatles as serious musicians is Rubber Soul. This LP is full of firsts: first marijuana-inspired songwriting session (courtesy of Bob Dylan), first instance of George’s long love affair with the sitar, and the first time that the group retained complete artistic control in the studio.
The results are predictably rewarding. The songs on Rubber Soul flirt with psychedelia, R&B and chamber pop. Some of them are among the group’s best contributions ever, especially John’s: the gentle, nostalgic “In My Life” is about the closest he’d ever verge towards sentimentality, and the mature anti-love story of the Dylan-inspired “Norwegian Wood” silences any lingering whispers of hand-holding or she-loves-yous.
Paul’s contributions are less notable, albeit far from unremarkable. “You Won’t See Me” boasts an industrial-strength hook, and album opener “Drive My Car” is bouncy and lovable. George, on the other hand, has a chip on his shoulder: “Think For Yourself” is downright cruel, and “If I Needed Someone” does little to soothe the burn.
Still, Rubber Soul may be the most overrated entry in the Fab Four’s canon. Paul’s faux-Français “Michelle” is sappy, and John’s “Girl” is overly similar; elsewhere, John’s “Run For Your Life” is easily the quartet’s most misogynistic number, and Ringo’s performance on “What Goes On” is, well, about as good as any of his other lead vocals.
As a checkpoint in The Beatles’ discography, Rubber Soul may be the most important: nothing would be the same afterward, and nothing had sounded quite like this before. But with the shadow of Revolver and Abbey Road looming in the horizon, it’s hard not to see Rubber Soul as more of a stepping stone than a milestone.
Word on the Street: Royal Baby Name
I didn’t get it. I don’t know how though, I used my winning golf-betting strategy . . . how could they not name the baby Tiger Woods?
Murray McFadden, Also had money on the name “Prince Ernie Els of Cambridge”
I came pretty close, I had Ringo Alexander Louis.
Louise Foreman, Was one Beatle off
Oh shit, is it too late to guess?
Geno Pandapiglio, Forgot about his annual Royal Baby Name Pool this year
I messed up . . . I thought people only had one name like an idiot!
Dale Grundy, Idiot
I got it. They named him Ringo, right?
Phil McDonald, Really? Another one?
University Briefs
Shelter from the storm
The University of Calgary has taken in over 300 flood evacuees from across southern Alberta, housing them in the campus’ residence buildings, which have more space in the summer semester.
Since the massive flooding that began on June 19 and has forced over 100,000 Albertans from their homes, there has been a continuous flow of evacuees into U of C residence. According to City of Calgary community development worker Zorian Klymochk, what was “supposed to be a 72-hour response [has] turned into a three-week response.”
With funds provided by the municipal and federal government, evacuees have been given rooms and access to different services on campus, including internet access and food cards for the residence dining services. However, all evacuees will soon be moved again, as new students begin moving into residence in August.
With files from The Gauntlet
Guerrilla gardening gunning for greenspace
Trent University alumnus Nicholas Weissflog is combatting the neglect of unused land with a new project called guerrilla gardening. This socio-ecological initiative capitalizes on unused land to create vegetable gardens and plants that are free to the public.
These guerrilla gardens have sprouted up in six locations around Peterborough since Weissflog found the project in his third year of Ecological Restoration at Trent. For Weissflog, the importance of the project lies not just in creating green spaces, but growing vegetables that “are for the public to enjoy freely, addressing poverty and access to fresh and local produce.”
With files from Arthur
Queen’s professor victim of hate crimes
History professor Karen Dubinsky received two threatening letters earlier this July telling her and her same-sex partner to move from Kingston or be subject to “deadly serious consequences.”
The letters, which were sent by members of a Christian group based in the “Deep South,” claim to have relocated other “people like you” from the Kingston area, and tell the women that they “are not going to be safe at home, office, or anywhere else” if the message is ignored.
Since receiving the letters, Dubinsky and her partner, Susan Belyea, have received lots of community support, culminating in two rallies held the weekend after receiving the letters. “It’s like a symphony of love here, it’s crazy,” said Belyea.
With files from The Journal
Humour Editor’s Google Search History from this Week
– definition of word “belt”
– vancouver whitecaps schedule
– how much water is in the human body?
– brad mcleod
– brad mcleod humour
– brad mcleod cool
– lukemia
– lukaemia
– did batman ever have a mustache?
– photo album reviews
– pizza hut hours?
– brad mcleod cool guy
International Headlines
Karate master wearing black suspenders after misplacing his belt (Waist Accessories Magazine)
Man cuts down entire forest in an attempt to find out how old the trees are (Village Idiot Voice)
Vanilla Coke receives competition from new drink “Pepsi Bland” (Novelty Beverage Times)
Video review shows that North Korean team won every World Cup ever (North Korean Free Press)
Controversial bill banning adoption finds out it was adopted (Newspaper Weekly)
