Citing free speech doesn’t eliminate harm

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January 25, 2021

Space Junk performing for the Bowie Ball 2021 livestream. Image courtesy of The Rickshaw Theatre

By: Charlene Aviles, Peak Associate

On January 9, 2021, the Rickshaw Theatre and Stable Genius presented the 6th Annual Bowie Ball, an annual BC Cancer Foundation fundraiser featuring local bands performing David Bowie’s classic hits. Since Bowie’s passing in 2016, the Rickshaw Theatre has kept the tradition alive. The livestream incorporated a montage of music videos of various bands including Cass King & The Cassettes, Secret Asian Man, and Jimmy Baldwin’s Bowie Ball Band, and ended with a live performance from Space Junk.

Normally, my music playlist consists of Ed Sheeran, 90s R&B, and boy bands, such as NSYNC and Boyz II Men, so the Bowie Ball was a chance for me to expand my music taste. This was my first Bowie Ball, and I intended to make the most out of it. As I waited for MCs Aaron Chapman, Tony Lee, and Dennis Mills to start the event, the livestream displayed a photo of David Bowie saluting. Beside him was a quote, “The future belongs to those who can see it.” This inspiring quote not only made me excited for the event but also reminded me to adopt an optimistic outlook for 2021.

The very first Bowie song I heard at the event was “Heroes.” A slideshow of frontline health care workers played on screen, while Cass King & The Cassettes played their rendition of the song in the background. As I heard the lyrics “Oh we can be heroes, just for one day,” I immediately thought of my many relatives who are serving in the health care system. The fact that the slideshow indicated that the first song was a tribute to health care workers was very touching. Seeing the photos of their daily sacrifices reminded me of their courage and dedication to their patients.

The second song that caught my attention was “Dancing in the Street.” Eric Lowe and Tony Lee, known on stage as Secret Asian Man, sang in front of a green screen with changing backgrounds ranging from Vancouver streets to the running of bulls in Spain. At the same time, one of the two members of Secret Asian Man danced for the audience. His clapping and hip-swaying made me smile, and I found myself clapping along to each of the lyrics too. I also appreciated how he made the song his own by substituting some lyrics to incorporate various cities in the Metro Vancouver area, such as Surrey and Burnaby.

Later, when the Jimmy Baldwin’s Bowie Ball Band performed, the saxophonist Tim Sars’ talent immediately blew me away. During his soothing saxophone solos, it felt like time stopped. I was almost in a trance-like state, mesmerized by how he effortlessly hit all the notes.

After the fundraiser, the Rickshaw Theatre exceeded their goal of $10,000. In total, they raised $10,443 for the BC Cancer Foundation. You can still make a contribution to the BC Cancer Foundation and support the Rickshaw Theatre’s event production costs by donating through their respective websites.

Your weekly SFU Horoscopes: January 25–31

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January 25, 2021

An illustration of a girl with long flowing hair. Astrological signs and stars shine around her. — ILLUSTRATION: Marissa Ouyang / The Peak

By: Alex Masse, Staff Writer

ARIES: Have you invested in “screaming into the void” lately? I think it’d be really therapeutic for you. If no void is available, there are a number of worthy substitutes. Try screaming into a pillow. Or even your cat’s belly. I’m sure that will go well for both of you.

TAURUS: Start a rock collection. They’re great company and make fantastic melee weapons. You never know when you’ll have to Cain and Abel someone over the last pack of kombucha at Whole Foods. You didn’t even want it until that jackass ex student-athlete from high school went for it.

GEMINI: Okay, so, you’re probably not doing too great in isolation, are you? If I were you, I’d look into mitosis. Become a twin — literally! Because really, there’s no better company than yourself. No one can stand being locked indoors with you better than yourself. Well, let’s hope, at least.

CANCER: Stay hydrated, because oh, you’ve got a lot of crying ahead. Ah, you’ve already started. Stop! You’re smudging my notes about Aquarius! (Does anyone care about them but themselves, anyway?)

LEO: First of all, nice hair. Second of all, be extra careful combing that hair this week. With your nine year-old Scooby Doo pajama bottoms bringing down the average score of your Zoom call look, you may even want to invest in a leave-in conditioner.

VIRGO: Hey, you missed a spot. Where? Oh, you’ll find out soon enough. Trust me, you’ll find out soon enough.

LIBRA: It’s time you invoke your representative scales and go on a crusade in the name of justice. Or not. I don’t know, the stars are being pretty wishy-washy about it. Maybe just shake your fist at someone while their back is turned and call it a night.

SCORPIO: Do you remember that old folk tale about the frog that helped the scorpion across the lake, only for the scorpion to stab the frog to death because all scorpions know is stabbing people? Yeah, I was just seeing if you remembered. No particular reason.

SAGITTARIUS: Ooh, I think there’s love in your future! Somewhere! Maybe not this week, maybe not next week, maybe not even this year, but I saw a glimmer of it. Wait, was that the sun reflecting off your overpriced hipster glasses? Who knows.

CAPRICORN: You know what you did, Capricorn. One day, you’ll have to pay that $300 in emotional damages and $1200 in property damage. Or maybe you forgot what you did because you forgot to roast your friend while it happened and can’t make the association?

AQUARIUS: The water-bearer is bearing fruit! All that hard work you did is going to pay off! Yes, you’ve been chosen! Or you won! Or . . . something! I don’t know, my notes get a bit smudged over here. Like, you could literally just be getting a fruit basket this week. But hey, it’s something!

PISCES: Surprise, you’re getting gills for a week! I hope that doesn’t interfere with your Zoom calls. Maybe you can get, like, a waterproof phone? Or a fishbowl for a helmet? Just attend class in a tub full of Cancer’s tears, I guess.

“Perform for Pride” provides powerful performances for a purpose

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January 25, 2021

reese-findler — SFU student Reese Findler (pictured centre of the second row from the top) is the creator, organizer, and a performer in Perform for Pride. PHOTO: Mike Wakefield / North Shore News

By: Kyla Dowling, Staff Writer

Want to donate to an LGBTQ+ organization while also receiving access to a wonderful benefit celebrating youth performers? Look no further than Perform for Pride, a Vancouver-centric cabaret currently in its fourth year. The show features a multitude of performers, with some as young as 11, and performances include original songs, and queer musical theatre. With interviews from Broadway’s Jeanna de Waal and choreographer and Vancouver native Lyndsey Britten, the show is a non-stop whirlwind of heart-wrenching solos and delightful artists. Perform for Pride switched to a virtual format this year, premiering on January 9.

Perform for Pride started four years ago, when creator and organizer Reese Findler, then a high school senior and now an SFU student, drew inspiration from Cabaret for a Cause and Concert for America, two musical theatre benefits raising money for various humanitarian organizations. The former, like Perform for Pride, centres around youth performers.

“I walked out of the 5th Avenue Theatre in Downtown Seattle [where Concert for America was] and said ‘I’m gonna do that,’” Findler told The Peak. “Around six months later, in January of 2018, Perform for Pride was presented for the first time.”

Findler, a theatre native, was not accustomed to working behind the scenes at first. “I relied on my instincts, on-stage knowledge, and advice from family, friends, and peers, and kind of dove headfirst into the process,” she said of her first year organizing the event. Now, Findler is in her third year at SFU. She majors in gender, sexuality, and women’s studies, but also took two semesters of stage management and another of production technology to gain more experience directing.

The transition from an in-person cabaret to a virtual one was difficult but there were benefits. “When the show is live, whatever happens on stage is what happens,” Findler explained.

The performers this year had the opportunity to redo their videos over and over until they were happy with the final product. Instead of rehearsals and collaboration, Findler spent the majority of her time editing the show. One of the few positives of the cabaret being virtual this year was the show’s accessibility. “Friends and family outside of Vancouver could watch it, audience size wasn’t limited by theatre capacity, and the video could be viewed on a different date than its premiere,” Findler explained.

This accessibility also benefits the fundraising work Findler is doing. Though she had to change her ticketing model due to the online format, there is technically an unlimited number of people who are able to buy tickets this year — and all of the proceeds go to Out On Screen, an LGBTQ+ organization focused on centering queer art. Not only have they created the Vancouver Queer Film Festival, but they also have youth-centric programs that use media to help educate on discrimination in schools. Findler noted that “Out on Screen’s missions aligned with what Perform for Pride is and does [and] there’s something full circle about youth raising funds for an organization that will then work with those youth to create inclusive environments.”

So what’s in the future for Perform for Pride? Hopefully an in-person cabaret for the fifth anniversary. Aside from that, Findler has sky-high goals. “I would love [Perform for Pride] to run for longer than one show a year and perform it in different theatres. I’ve also thought about curating Perform for Pride for schools — maybe partnering more with LGBTQ+ organizations and delivering some kind of performance-education hybrid to schools around the Lower Mainland.” To view this year’s Perform for Pride acts, visit their Instagram page @performforpride.

Minister of Environment announces Vancouver’s Low Carbon Cities Canada Innovation Centre will be at SFU

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News

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January 25, 2021

aditya-chinchure-DrizqCuAV2o-unsplash — PHOTO: Aditya Chinchure / Unsplash

Written by: Karissa Ketter, News Writer

On January 12, 2021, Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, announced that Canada’s federal government had chosen SFU to house their newest Low Carbon Cities Canada (LC3) Innovation Centre.

The Centre will be created in a partnership with the Renewable Cities Program at SFU’s Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue. It is government funded with an endowment of $21.7 million. Wilkinson noted that “its aim is to [reduce] Metro Vancouver’s carbon footprint through research, capacity building, and the use of innovative financing tools.”

According to Wilkinson, “Many promising urban low-carbon solutions fail to make it from proven concept to implementation due to a whole range of different factors — including difficulty accessing capital and markets, risk aversion, and policy barriers.” He added, “SFU’s new urban climate centre will help overcome these barriers by investing in, derisking, demonstrating, and scaling up local decarbonizing solutions. The result will be investment-ready projects that can be taken to the next level by private or public sector partners.”

This announcement comes after the introduction of the Canadian Federal government’s new climate plan, A Healthy Environment and a Healthy Economy, announced in December 2020. It aims to exceed targets for 2030 carbon emissions and become net zero by 2050. Wilkinson noted that the LC3 Innovation Centre will reduce carbon emissions from Metro Vancouver, create local work, and protect the environment.

The Metro Vancouver press conference held a panel discussion with various government officials and non-profit leaders including Wilkinson, Member of Parliament Terry Beech, City of Vancouver Mayor Kennedy Stewart, and Director of Renewable Cities Alex Boston.

Also in attendance was President of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities Garth Frizzell who noted in the press conference that the “announcement recognizes that local leadership is essential for cutting climate-changing emissions.” This was a sentiment echoed by Wilkinson in an interview with The Peak, where he said that the federal government has “started consultations with the provinces and territories about how [they’re] going to move forward [with the new climate plan].” Wilkinson said that “[they] are looking for the provinces to step up, and do more.”

He elaborated that this includes Indigenous communities and over the last few years the federal government has been committed to working in partnership with Indigenous leadership. They have ensured that the programs they come forward with are “effectively co-developed with Indigenous leadership.” According to Wilkinson, the new climate plan is “about actually getting [Indigenous] communities involved in economic opportunities.”

Regarding the federal government’s purchase of the Kinder Morgan Trans Mountain Pipeline Project, Wilkinson responded that “there’s no inconsistency with the Trans Mountain Pipeline and fighting climate change.” He said that instead, “it creates the building blocks for us, enabling us to achieve net zero by 2050.”

At the press conference, Wilkinson said, “The challenge and the opportunity of our post-COVID recovery [ . . . ] is to lower greenhouse gas emissions in a way that strengthens Canada’s competitiveness, in what will increasingly be a low-carbon future around the world.”

Serving as a Member of Parliament for North Vancouver, Wilkinson was pleased to see the centre located in Metro Vancouver. He elaborated, “Today’s announcement represents a part of these ambitious plans and [SFU] is a natural partner — a school whose namesake embodies the power and the potential of exploration and of innovation.”

Wilkinson told The Peak that the Innovation Centres in Calgary, Edmonton, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, Halifax, and now Metro Vancouver are each tasked with “identifying the areas of priority that are most important to the community that they live in.” Wilkinson noted that these Centres were inspired by Toronto’s Atmospheric Fund built in 1991.

Pets unionize, annoyed with owners using them as compensation for a lack of online personality

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January 24, 2021

exploitedinstagramcelebrityinfluencer — PHOTO: Gudrun Wai-Gunnarson / The Peak

By: Juztin Bello, SFU Alumnus

Vancouver, BC — Following an influx of complaints from household pets regarding inaccurate quoting for captions on Instagram, zero compensation for modelling, and providing non-consensual emotional support, these animals are biting back against their owners who use pet-focused Instagram accounts for validation.

From dogs being tired of being called “floofs” and “pupperinos” to free-roaming animals like raccoons that have online followings for some reason, animals around the digital Insta-globe have united in one loud bark/chirp/dolphin noise to say: “Enough is enough.”

Many of the victims, who can be found at humiliating Instagram handles like @dukethedastardlydoggo or @wittlepweciouspwincesspug, have expressed disdain towards micro-abusive behaviours by owners in the form of identity theft and poor working conditions. This includes owners using their likeness on social media without consent and spending pet-earned funds from social media towards non animal-related purchases.

@megantheepony, who prefers to go by Meg, finds her owner’s reliance on her humiliating.

“It’s embarrassing, frankly. You think it’s bad knowing a horse girl? Imagine being a horse owned by a horse girl. She posts the same photos of herself on my back daily. I’m known back home as ‘horse girl’s horse.’ I don’t show my face there anymore.” Meg has amassed a whopping 55 followers, no thanks to her owner’s incredibly low-quality photos and cringey first-person captions.

“Do I even like my owner? Well, all I can say is this: neigh.”

Some pets, like @thegingerpussy, are sick of being used for self-deprecating humour by socially and romantically awkward women.

“Please don’t bring me into your online ‘cat lady’ narrative, Kharleigh Marie-Leigh Nichole May Lorraine-Phillips. You’re not a cat lady — you’re just emotionally unavailable,” said Ginger.

Moreover, pet owners are inciting false pet quotes in their captions, often using juvenile adorations like “mommy” or “pupper”. On this, Chungle the rabbit (@bigchungle) stated: “I didn’t crawl out of my mom’s furry little rabbit hole and risk having her literally eat me to have some anxious knitter claim that I call her ‘mommy.’”

The unionized animals produced an open letter containing several complaints and serious demands.

“Given how dense and shallow many of these owners are, the only way to get what we want is to spell out our ultimatums for them,” explained the very popular Chronic the hedgehog (@chronicnotsonic). “They want me to be prickly? I’ll be fucking prickly.”

The Peak had initially set up an interview between our Editor-in-Chief and @blowingbubbles, the fish who spearheaded the open letter initiative, since Bubbles felt it easier to talk with someone of equal intelligence. Unfortunately, much like a goldfish, our Editor-in-Chief’s minimal attention span resulted in zero progress, and the open letter was sent directly to The Peak instead.

A few of their demands, according to the open letter, include: lessened exposure to cameras and non hand-lotion-using heathens, consultation on Instagram captions (with a specific list of humiliating terms and pet names to avoid), full rights to sponsored posts and endorsements, and removal from dating profiles.

“Our demands are simple. If anything, they are more for them than us,” concluded Chronic. “All we want is to lick our balls in peace, sniff some ass, live a fulfilling two-year-long life of sleeping where we shit, and push our owners into becoming actually significant people within society.

“Oh, and please stop calling us your ‘fur babies.’ It’s fucking weird.”

Monday Music: Jumping straight into the (magical) books

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January 24, 2021

“Woodland” by The Paper Kites

"Monday Music" in giant yellow block letters with a red background — Monday Music: your weekly themed playlist. Image courtesy of The Peak.

By: Kelly Chia, Peak Associate

Inspired by Dungeons and Dragons and the years I’ve spent reading young adult fantasy books, I’ve always been enticed by the idea of starting an adventure in a different world. Picture a place where bards sing about you, where shanties echo your name throughout taverns, and most importantly, where you carry some cool ass swords.

Be forewarned: the Woodland EP by The Paper Kites will make you want to leap from your seat and run straight through the woods, chasing euphoria under the sun. The titular track, “Woodland,” evokes that pure joy of having fun in the forest. The chorus begins with the vocals ascending through the last notes of the pre-chorus as the drums pick up: “Chasing all the things that are keeping us young / We won’t stop running till we reach the sun,” Sam Bentley, the vocalist, sings. This chill, yet upbeat song romanticizes the youthful natural beauty of the wilderness.

Breaking bread over a warm campfire, you take in your surroundings with excitement: this is where your adventure begins.

“Laura Palmer” by Bastille

Compared to the lighthearted instrumentals of “Woodland,” “Laura Palmer” is a darker song with a heavier, steadier drumline. If “Woodland” is a fun adventure through the woods, “Laura Palmer” is the song that dares you to continue running down an unknown path. Dan Smith’s vocals soar in the chorus as the string orchestra joins the drum to simulate your heart beating faster.

As your path forward looms with uncertain dangers, do you keep going? Or do you seek refuge?

“I See Fire” by Ed Sheeran

The theme in The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, this song features few instruments, instead focusing on Ed Sheeran’s lyricism and vocals. Sheeran’s vocals shine in the isolated introduction, as well as the bridge, where the largely quiet instruments crescendo with the line: “And with that shadow upon the ground, I hear my people screaming out.”

Your beloved town is on fire. Heartbeat rising, you fight the flames as you try to reach your loved ones in time.

“Test Drive” by John Powell

Image courtesy of DreamWorks Animation, L.L.C.

This incredible instrumental track is in a pivotal scene in How to Train Your Dragon. Hiccup successfully flies with Toothless, a dragon he has befriended, for the first time. It is a monument to their friendship, and it is filled with joy. The soaring instrumentals in the middle of the song reflect that fantastical feeling of flying through the skies, and it is beautiful.

In the nick of time, you’ve overcome your trials and come out the other end feeling like you have the whole world in your hands.

“Trooper and the Maid” by Charlotte Cumberbirch

Featured in Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag, this particular song pairs cheeky lyrics with the high vocals of Charlotte Cumberbirch. Any good hero’s story has to be recorded by a bard and sung in a tavern, after all, and the jolly spirit of this song is the perfect one to celebrate with. This feels like the song where a stranger takes your hand to dance.

After a difficult battle, you arrive back at a tavern, the quintessential fantasy barhouse. The flutes and the fiddle begin, and you cheer with mead as you know the rest of the night will be filled with shanties.

To listen to all of these songs and enter a deeper world of magical galore, you can find my playlist on Spotify, titled “Jumping straight into the (magical) books.”

Need to Know, Need to Go: January 25–31

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January 24, 2021

Illustration of a blue calendar, with "Need to Know, Need to Go" written on top — Arts & Culture events to catch around the city. Image courtesy of Brianna Quan

By: Sara Wong, Arts & Culture Editor

See Sounds Listening Party: S F Ho | January 28 at 8 p.m. | Zoom | Free with registration

See Sounds Listening Party is a series of online workshops organized by Kitsilano’s Publik Secrets art studio. The upcoming See Sounds event features local artist and author S F Ho, who recently contributed two essays — Water and Fire — to SFU Galleries’ summer 2020 exhibit, The Pandemic is a Portal. Ho plans on actively engaging with the See Sounds audience by conducting activities (such as writing and reading aloud) to explore “the power of vocal expression and oral narrative over the written page.” To register and learn more, visit Publik Secrets’ Eventbrite page.

Whose Chinatown? Examining Chinatown Gazes in Art, Archives, and Collections | Griffin Art Projects | January 29–May 1 | Free

This exhibit, located in a North Vancouver gallery, displays a history of Chinatowns and Chinese communities around the world using art, as well as various artifacts and archives. According to Griffin Art Projects’ website, Whose Chinatown? will feature the work of notable and diverse Canadian artists such as Emily Carr, Paul Wong, and Unity Bainbridge. The exhibit aims to question how art can help change perceptions of Chinatowns and what planning for the future of these cultural epicentres looks like.

Wayfinding | Evergreen Cultural Centre | Now until January 31 | Free

Featuring the work of Coquitlam’s Leanne M. Christie, Port Moody’s Sara Graham, and Vancouver’s Devon Knowles, Wayfinding is about “conversing with the urban environment.” The concept was born out of COVID-induced isolation, where repetitive neighbourhood walks led to the three artists undertaking a more detailed investigation of their immediate surroundings. Utilizing a variety of mediums, such as photography, stained glass, and oil painting, Christie, Graham, and Knowles hope to provide a commentary on city building and transformation.

SFU economics alumnus solves Canadian global debt crisis by suggesting we “print more money”

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January 24, 2021

By: Paige Riding, Humour Editor

VANCOUVER, BC — A recent graduate from the SFU department of economics, Matthew Lashuk, has gone where no other economist with a basic understanding of the capitalist proceedings of the world has ever gone before. In a widely read and often scrutinized dissertation, the academic argued that printing more money would single-handedly solve Canada’s approximate $721 billion dollar global debt.

Lashuk sat down with The Peak to explain his solution to the crisis that has plagued the country for decades.

“Why has nobody thought of this before? Simple. They’re overthinking it,” he began. “If you’re hungry, you go to the grocery store and buy more food. If you’re thirsty, you turn on your tap and fill up a glass. It’s the same premise. Lacking money? Just . . . make more.”

When asked if he understands that there are countless exploited farmers and essential workers that risk their health to provide said food, and that this food is limited and not an ethereal entity that magically shows up at Whole Foods, Lashuk scowled.

“I know that. Are you belittling me?”

The Peak would never critique anyone, ever.

“But money is different. There are lots of trees. I have one in my backyard! We cut them down. We make more money. We spend it to pay off debt. The trees grow back. We cut those down. It’s really not that hard.”

We considered explaining that Canadian currency is plastic, but we didn’t want to stop him while he was on a roll.

“Think about the absolute advantage Canada would have if we made the most money. Oh, for those who don’t know, which I’m sure is most of you, absolute advantage is producing more of a desired product or thing with the same amount of effort and resources as others. So now that we have introductory economics out of the way, you may understand my complex and nuanced thought process here . . . We make more money, while others make less.”

Here, we noted he’d already said that and his explanation hadn’t factored in inflation or the basic premise of consumerism at all.

Lashuk chuckled. “For being the paper representing the student body of a distinguished university, you are all quite unaware. Of course I’ve considered inflation. You just keep making the money waterproof and it will float.”

It is currently uncertain whether Lashuk knew the difference between inflation and inflatable pool floaties.

Riding off participation marks and his accountant dad’s help with every assignment, the graduate prides himself on this “monumental advancement for the country he holds dearly” that was “achieved through countless hours scrolling through The Economist but only looking at pieces with Elon Musk as the thumbnail because he knows how to ethically make money.”

The Peak will update its readers on Lashuk’s future efforts to ignore the current ways of life.

The haunting of all the books I have bought but never read: a memoir

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January 23, 2021