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The Only Place by Best Coast

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EIC
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By Colin O’ Neil
Photo by TheArches/Flickr

After two albums, Best Coast still has the tag of fun- and sun-loving garage dance music, and The Only Place is no exception. Songwriter Bethany Cosentino and multi-instrumentalist Bobb Bruno provide a strong sense of place in their sophomore album, and still deliver their familiar California surf-rock melodies and simple, catchy lyrics.

The band’s debut album, Crazy For You, brought recognition from tastemakers Pitchfork and Exclaim!, and its single, “Boyfriend” spread them across the world of indie music. Their newest effort takes up where Crazy For You left off, a perfect summer album for dancing, sitting on the porch, or just feeling glad to reside on the best coast.

The Only Place kicks off with the title track, which epitomizes the Best Coast philosophy. With its quick chord changes and memorable lyrics, it feels like we’ve already heard the song before upon first listen. Its lyrics, like most of Best Coast’s music, take pride in their home and scoff at those who don’t live in sunny California or on the west coast. It’s a song with undeniable radio potential and one that Best Coast probably tired of playing before the album even came out. It’s just that good.

The following tracks don’t reach the same level, but do shine at times. Cosentino’s lyrics are sometimes whiny, but they’re clear, to the point, and are supported by excellent garage rock guitar riffs and simple percussion. “Why I Cry” is a danceable attack at the boys in Cosentino’s life, while “How They Want Me To Be” is like a diary entry, claiming small-time rock stardom as an elite form of living, whether others see it or not.

With only one song over four minutes, The Only Place is a fast listen. It will likely be over while you’re still thinking about the first song and whether or not you should drop your life and move to California. It makes you nod your head and tap your feet; at times it makes you get up and shake it. In both its lyrics and instrumentation, it asks, “Why would you live anywhere else?”

Youth in the Lime Light

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EIC
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By Kaylin Metchie
By Luc Dumas

I’ve walked into the loudest rehearsal I have ever been a part of. The conversations and laughter of over 20 energetic children fill the space. It takes over 10 minutes to get the performers to quiet down and into their positions for the rehearsal to begin.

This is what every day is like for the people at Project Limelight, a charitable organization that provide youths ages 8–15 a space for performance and artistic expression. Today, the cast and crew at Limelight are working on their pilot production, Wonderland, a pantomime adaptation of Alice in Wonderland that will include audience interaction, music, comedy, and dance.

Like many arts organizations, Project Limelight is dependent on support from the community, and so far it has been met with overwhelming generosity. The Vancouver Opera and Playhouse have donated props and costumes, and SFU is lending the Fei and Milton Wong Experimental Theatre for their upcoming production. Cory Monteith of Glee fame has also come onboard to speak on why this free theatre program is so important to youths.

“Everybody is on board,” said director Paul Belanger. “I think it is the idea that you are giving kids a voice. They learn about themselves and you can’t give that to somebody in any other way than theatre.”

Belanger is the visionary force behind Wonderland, and has been working with Project Limelight for the past two months. From decades of experience working with them, he knows that when it comes to kids, you need respect. The crew, who are all volunteers, have to remember that everyone is on the same plane. “The little guy that doesn’t focus and talks in the corner has the same right as the glorious A+ student that listens and does everything perfectly.”
And the respect is mutual. “The kids come to us and ask us questions about life. That is priceless”.

Within a four-hour rehearsal, there are bound to be times when kids are less focused, but that’s part of the learning process. “We try to instill a respect for theatre into them. It doesn’t happen the first time, but I think any program that we are doing we have to work way harder in the beginning to get the nucleus together to all be on the same page,” said Belanger.

But there are times when everything falls into place, and that gives Belanger some peace of mind. “I know that in front of an audience, when you get 200 or 300 people in front of them, they are going to come to life. And it is that one time in rehearsal that I see it work, and I go ‘Oh, thank goodness for that!’”
During the process, the kids, who come from different schools around Strathcona and from different family backgrounds, have grown into a strong ensemble. Those that were dismissive at the beginning, or didn’t want to play with others, have become comfortable and confident in showing their true selves.

“A lot of kids with confidence in themselves and respect come out of arts programs,” Belanger claimed. “I have taught for many years and the one thing that always comes back is that they get a sense of self; they learn to love themselves.”

For Belanger, the youth in the program have reaffirmed that it’s not about being perfect, but the journey. “What we’re here for is to give the kids a time where they are allowed to be themselves and to have fun. If they don’t have fun doing this, then what’s the point?”

SFU’s UAV team places second in national competition

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EIC
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By Graham Cook

Team Guardian’s unmanned air vehicle places second with a $1,000 budget

Unmanned Systems Canada held their 2012 Unmanned Air Vehicle (UAV) Competition from May 4–6 at the Southport Aerospace Centre in Manitoba. The event challenged university teams to use their auto-piloted radio controlled planes to complete a series of tasks. This year, SFU’s squad of engineering students, Team Guardian, came just shy of victory with a second place finish.

Team VAMUdes from Université de Sherbrooke in Quebec took first place, finishing ahead of SFU’s squad and Team Blackbird from Carleton University. Also competing was Team UAARG of the University of Alberta and Team Uvic Aero of the University of Victoria. Team Four Winds from UBC-Okanagan was scheduled to participate but was forced to drop out for unknown reasons.

Team Guardian consists of 11 members including Bryan Pattison, Ginelle Nazareth, Irene Tong, James Allnutt, Kevin Young, Luke Routley, Ben Tuline, Jessica Peare, Miguel Cruz, Project Manager Tim Gjernes, and Operations Manager Matthew Keeler. They range from first- to fourth-year students with the more experienced students taking more senior roles.

Team member James Allnutt spoke with The Peak about the makeup of the competition. Each team used their UAV to complete tasks that simulated a forest fire scenario, a civil application that he contrasted against the military aspect of similar events in the United States. Basic colour coded shapes, such as squares, circles, and triangles, were arranged as far as three kilometres away. These targets were each labelled with QR codes that had to be automatically identified by the aircraft and reported back to ground station. Allnut explained that the biggest setback for their creation was not spotting the codes, but the poor quality of their camera.

James Allnutt, who described himself as a “two-and-a-half-year student,” told The Peak that Team Guardian began in Fall of 2010 as a fourth-year capstone project. A capstone project is a large, yearlong endeavour that completes a mechatronics degree. He described how it evolved from there, with lower-level students being recruited every year,while fourth-year students continue to use it as their capstone project. The plane, he said, is a simple off-the-shelf remote control plane that they worked together to extensively modify. He described the plane as a constant work in progress with custom parts being continually added.

Allnut also explained that the team was almost unable to attend the competition as their auto-piloted plane struck a tree during a test flight just one week before competition.

Another continuing factor deterring the students is a lack of funding. While some schools were able to spend upwards of $25,000, Team Guardian spent just under $1,000 on their plane and were forced to pay for transportation, totalling over $500, out of their own pockets. Allnut stated that this did not place them at too large of a disadvantage at the actual competition; Team UAARG’s heavily funded UAV nearly took out Sherbrooke’s ground station upon take off. The near miss apparently required a kick from one of Sherbrooke’s team members in order to protect their aircraft.

The team currently has several sponsors which include the Faculty of Applied Science, the Engineering Student Society, and Associate Professor Dr John Jones, among others. Despite the quantity of supporters, Allnut stated that the team is in nearly constant need of funds.

Allnut concluded by touching on the makeup of the competition, stating that while Sherbrooke continued to dominate the field, no team was able to fully complete the task put before them. The Quebec university has won every year that the competition has been held. But Allnut described his team as the favourites to finally defeat them.

To watch Team Guardian in action, check out www.the-peak.ca/multimedia

A quick look at the SFU Clubs

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EIC
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A short video covering clubs day, and the clubs offered at SFU.

Created: Julian Giordano
Contact: [email protected]

Score: Colors – Leo Perez

Interview with the SFSS President

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EIC
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A short interview with Lorenz Yeung about the SFSS, and what it hopes to accomplish for the summer.

Created: Julian Giordano
Contact: [email protected]

New transit app attempts to make travel easier

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EIC
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By Graham Cook

Next-Bus technology will let users know how close their bus is

Padraig Kennedy, an app designer and recent immigrant from Ireland, has released his latest creation with the intention of making the Vancouver bus system easier to use. The app, “Buscouver,” utilizes the new Translink GPS-based technology Next-Bus to allow the user to see when the next bus will arrive at a given stop.

The iPhone application was originally named “Next Bus Vancouver,” a copyright infringement that Kennedy told The Peak was an innocent mistake. He went on to share that he began work on this project late last February, after arriving in Vancouver and not liking the similar apps available. He described the project as “scratching an itch.” When work began, the intention was to use the transit schedule data to show when a bus was due to arrive. However, roughly a week before Kennedy’s app was set to launch, TransLink debuted their Next Bus technology, prompting him to use the new data.

“The one thing we may caution is that it may not be as up to date as possible,” said TransLink spokesperson Drew Snider. He added that they’ll have a more accurate system in place in the Fall for developers to take information from. TransLink doesn’t have its own app, but does have a mobile-friendly website. The Peak found three other Vancouver transit apps that were either free or $2.99.

As to why iPhone users should choose his product, Kennedy feels his version is faster and has a better layout than TransLink’s website. As an example, he pointed to companies like Tapbots, which provides the TweetBot application. According to Kennedy, many choose this option over the original Twitter app due to an improved design.

Kennedy said that he “never really expected to get rich off a bus app.” One of his recent blog posts, which outlines costs, corroborates this. After paying a designer roughly $1,000 and valuing his own time at $15,000, the app made $410 over the course of a month. The post asserts that losses are due to the 99 cent model not working for local apps, but only “for apps that appeal to a big percentage of iOS users.”

Kennedy released an update last week that officially changed the name to “Buscouver”, and raised the price to $2.99. The app will use GPS tracking where possible for more accurate information. According to Kennedy’s blog, he plans on making at least $5,000 per year in order for it to be worth his while.

The Avengers

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EIC
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By Paul Hurst

Larger-than-life superhero action flick remains true to its comic roots

The Avengers is a 20-course meal at a five star restaurant of action and adventure with action as the main course and spiced up by credible acting. It’s paced just right, alternating furiously funny “high camp” and brief seriousness. After the events of Thor, The Avengers are brought into the picture to defeat Thor’s adoptive brother, Loki, who comes to Earth to enslave all humans. He’s backed up with the requisite army of ugly, evil alien invaders.

Intense cartoon conflict and the latest in computer-generated special effects on a vast scale are the stars here, with the plot receding into the background. The Avengers is WWE done superhero large. Much of the humour in the movie is physical slapstick akin to professional wrestling, and the comic violence elicited rounds of laughter from the audience. Iron Man, played by Robert Downey Jr., provides most of the bon mots that give a semi-intellectual balance to the visceral funnies — at one point the Hulk grabs Loki by the legs and beats him repeatedly against the ground, like a child with a doll. Loki is left lying in a divot in the concrete floor and making squeaking sounds.

The special effects and sets are up to the latest standards, if not pushing the envelope. One expects the latest in gigantic space ships and evil CG monsters, and The Avengers is more than happy to avenge your need for them.

The movie comes to a satisfying conclusion, with the obvious, wanton, necessary destruction of New York City. Everyone loves it when NYC gets blowed up real good.

Award fund established for deceased SFU graduate

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EIC
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By Graham Cook 

Funds will go towards female international students

The friends and family of the late Lenami Godinez-Avila have created an Award Fund at SFU in her memory. Twenty seven year-old Godinez-Avila died in late April while hang-gliding off Mount Woodside in Agassiz, B.C.

According to a press release from RememberingLena.com, it was Godinez-Avila’s dream to create such a fund that would allow international students like herself to attend university abroad. The recipients of this award will therefore be female international students who wish to study at SFU. The same document states that “those selected will demonstrate a passion for sustainability, a connection to community and the drive to work hard — core values that exemplified Lenami throughout her life.”

Godinez-Avila was born in Mexico and came to study at Simon Fraser University in 2003. In 2006, she graduated with a BA in Latin American Studies and Economics, and went on to work for the B.C. Ministry of Environment. She participated in waste reduction projects such as a compost drop spot where apartment residents could deposit kitchen scraps. Godinez-Avila also regularly donated to SFU’s International Students’ Emergency Assistance Fund.

The situation surrounding the young woman’s death is currently being reviewed by law enforcement. Witnesses claimed that she fell 300 meters about 30 seconds after takeoff. The tandem hang-gliding pilot involved, 50 year-old William Jonathan Orders, was arrested on charges of obstruction of justice for allegedly swallowing a camera’s memory card. The CBC reported that police used daily X-rays to follow the memory card through his body, and that the police are now in possession of the card.

Orders have been released on bail, with the conditions that he put up just over $5,700, surrender his passport, and not participate in any hang-gliding. He is scheduled to appear in court on June 18.

Opponents of men’s centre are unwittingly reinforcing patriarchy

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EIC
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2

By Paul Wang

Critics of the proposed SFU Men’s Centre claim that it is unnecessary, because men don’t have the same problems as women. However, this argument relies on the same problematic assumptions that the Women’s Centre is supposed to fight, and is ultimately a stumbling block for the cause of gender equality.

Let’s make one thing clear: there is no need for the creation of some sort of Victorian gentlemen’s club at SFU. A men’s centre will need the same level of oversight that the Women’s Centre does. Furthermore, the creation of a men’s centre cannot compromise the current operations of the Women’s Centre, an organization that provides valuable services to the student body. Despite assertions to the contrary, academic statistics do not make the Women’s Centre obsolete. There are indeed more women pursuing undergraduate degrees than men, and more of them getting their degrees. However, that doesn’t mean that there aren’t still abused women, female victims of sexual harassment, or cultural assumptions that prevent these women from reaching their full potential. The issues that the Women’s Centre deals with are primarily cultural, not academic.

The cause of these issues is a series of cultural assumptions and biases which most refer to collectively as “the patriarchy,” a term which conjures up an image of a male-dominated society. The problem with that image is that, like most issues, has two sides, a duality reflected by the fact that although our student body is doing a fine job of combating the assumptions that victimize women, it has entirely ignored those that target men.

The patriarchy defines roles for men as well as women. The man is the warrior, the stoic, the defender, and the breadwinner. These ideas create an increasingly obsolete image of masculinity that forces demands on men that are difficult to live up to. This is why abused women are rightfully treated with sympathy, while abused men are so afraid of the humiliation of potential emasculation that they rarely report an abusive partner. This is why when a woman dresses in men’s clothes, she’s a tomboy, but when a man dresses in women’s clothes, he’s labeled a freak.

These issues exist, and they are issues in need of address. A men’s centre, under the proper oversight, can provide a place for research and activist events. It can help with the education process to fight these cultural assumptions from both sides, and to open a second front against both sexual discrimination, and stereotyping.

To say that there is no need for a men’s centre is to insinuate that us guys are expected to take care of our own problems, and that either abused men and the cultural assumptions that victimize all but the most “macho” of us don’t exist, or that we are strong enough to deal with them ourselves. This idea would then suggest women must naturally have a specialized support structure to help them. How is this different from what both the Women’s Centre and the proposed Men’s Centre aim to fix? The opponents of the Men’s Centre may not know it, but by reinforcing the same cultural assumptions that we should be banding together to fight, they are perpetuating the problem.

SFSS board shorts

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EIC
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By David Dyck

Board addresses concerns about facilities

The board approved a letter drafted by URO Jeff McCann addressed to SFU VP-finance and administration Pat Hibbitts, which addressed several concerns that the society has about “access to invoices, information relating to project quotes, and timely feedback opportunities.” It suggested that facilities post electronic invoices, formal documentation between preliminary and final estimates, and more opportunities for feedback.

 

Board seeks Build SFU project worker

A job description for a Build SFU project worker to support the board of directors was passed. Among the project worker’s responsibilities would be to take meeting minutes and work with other SFSS staff, student representatives, and university staff. The staff member is projected to work from five to 20 hours per week.

 

URO sends standing regrets for summer

University Relations Officer Jeff McCann requested that the board ratify standing regrets for May 22 until August 18. “I don’t want to take a leave of absence, I want to keep working, I just won’t be able to come to board meetings,” said McCann, citing a summer co-op term that he accepted. He stated that he would still attend space committee meetings, Build SFU steering committee meetings, and forum meetings.

Treasurer Kevin Zhang voiced concerns that as an executive director it’s more imperative that he attend board of director meetings than faculty of health sciences representative Tracy Luong, whose leave of absence over the summer was approved by board earlier this month.

“Why don’t we give him the benefit of the doubt and let him do it? He was president last semester, I’m pretty sure he knows what he’s doing,” said education faculty representative Shideh Manavipour.

Zhang responded, “I ran on a platform of being accountable. There’s no way for me to know if Jeff is being accountable if he’s doing work at home. If I don’t see the person and all I see is 10 hours [worth of] emails, who’s accountable?”

McCann pointed out that he was heavily involved in at least two of the items on the agenda at that meeting itself, including the letter to VP-finance.

The board voted to ratify the URO’s standing regrets until the end of June, at which time it would be reevaluated.

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Simon Fraser University’s independent student newspaper since 1965.

Contact us: [email protected]

© The Peak Publications Society 1965-2024

Simon Fraser University’s independent student newspaper since 1965.

Contact us:
[email protected]

© The Peak Publications Society 1965-2024