THE CADRE

Feature Friday: “Come Away With Me”

By: Lorelei Kenny

Come away with me my love, in the dead of night

When the noise of the world has drifted away

From the heat that beats your brow and the things that keep you bound

From this place of endless tragedy, this valley of dry bones

From this place of broken dreams and abandoned promises

I see you drowning at sea, a sea of bitter waters, whose tides have claimed many before you

I bid you come to a land far away

A place unnamed, a place without a history, where we can rewrite ours

I know not what lies ahead

And all we have may be each other

But we are enough

Two souls yearning only for each other can bless the world with beauty

Say yes my love

Our new world waits to greet us with a gentle breeze

Turn your back on what you know and trust me with your heart

With your heart in my hand and my hand in yours, we will forge a path

And if you forget who you are along the way

Look into my eyes and see the sparkle that only you can give

Elizabeth Iwunwa

“As with many things, it took my loved ones to show me that I had the gift of words and a duty to share it with the world. At the crux of every human endeavour is the search for love, and I write mostly about it because after all, we are products of it. I am currently working on a book called “Poem + Prayers” and slowly but surely it is coming together. My understanding of love stems from my faith, which is the ultimate expression of sacrifice and intimacy. Practising silence lets everything I have experienced and learned about life rise to the surface. It also gives me a chance to piece those things together and create something that can be felt deep down inside.”

September 30, 2016 0

When the Final Bomb Drops in Syria and No One’s Left to Hear it, Will it Make a Sound?

By: Connor Mycroft

This was supposed to be an article about the presidential “debate” that occurred Monday night, but let’s be honest, everyone is already sick of hearing about it. Everyone’s social media feed has been one long running commentary about who won, how they won, what they should do in the next debate, how the polls are looking, how morally reprehensible Trump is (as if we haven’t known that for decades), how deceitful and, shall I say, political Hillary is (go figure).

Conspiracies are abound claiming that Trump’s weird inhalation before he spoke means he’s surely in bad health (or on cocaine), that a lack of unique questions to Hillary means she rigged the debate (or, just maybe, doesn’t have as much questionable conduct as the Alt-Right wants her to), that both candidates have claimed they aren’t going to attend the next debate (because neither of them actually want to win, right?), ad nauseam. Quite frankly, everything that could be said on the matter has already been, and I don’t think there is anything I could add to the conversation you can’t find anywhere else. So instead of contributing to this dumpster fire I am going to shift perspectives to a part of the world that has been lost during this Razzie-worthy performance (hell, it wasn’t even directly mentioned during the debate).

Of course, I am referring to Syria.

Over the weekend I watched a short, 40 minute Netflix documentary on the “White Helmets”, a group of volunteer civilian aid workers operating out of Syria. Largely based out of Aleppo (if you don’t know where that is, go ask Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson), this group of roughly 3000 is the de facto front-line aid service following any airstrikes. Highly coordinated, they arrive on the scene to pull victims, predominantly women and children, from the fresh rubble of homes, hospitals, and other often non-conflict related buildings. Since their establishment in 2013, the White Helmets have saved upwards to 60,000 people, an enormous sum when one considers that they had lost only 140 of their own. They are extraordinary people who have put their past lives on temporary hold so they can alleviate some of the sufferings they endure every day.

Unfortunately, almost as soon as I finished the documentary, I receive a notification on my phone informing me that Assad-allied and Russian forces had carried out almost 200 airstrikes in Aleppo. In doing so, they killed 100 civilians and destroyed 3 out the 4 White Helmet’s HQs in the city. There is no denying that this was a deliberate effort by the Assad government to cripple the White Helmet’s ability to respond to this sort of devastation. Since they operate primarily out of the eastern, rebel-held area of Aleppo, the Assad government views them as an impediment in his quest to regain control of the whole city, despite being an unarmed group and focused specifically on civilian victims (which most often happen to be in the east).

These airstrikes have continued throughout this week, bringing the tally to a staggering 400 deaths, making them some of the most collateral (read: civilian) heavy airstrikes of a 5-year civil war which has now claimed over 400,000 lives. Following the airstrikes, government-allied forces began a ground assault, meaning that the violence, and the casualty list, is only going to worsen in the coming days.

Since Russia began direct military involvement in the Syria one year ago, it’s reported that their airstrikes have killed more than 2700 civilians. This means that Russia has killed more civilians in one year than ISIS has in all 3 years of activity. Although claiming that their involvement was only to aid in abating the March of ISIS and crippling other jihadi extremist groups, it became quickly evident that to the Russians, “extremist groups” meant any force not allied to the Assad regime.

It turns out this definition includes any civilians unfortunate enough to find themselves near any of these rebel-held territories. These airstrikes and bombings have been completely indiscriminate, following a scorched-earth policy of wiping everything, and everyone, out and leaving Assad with a nice layer of ash to rebuild upon. It’s entirely fear driven. Assad wants everyone to know that if you are in rebel-held areas, they will assume you are a rebel and you will die like a rebel. The only way to ensure that you and your family will survive is to wade back into the murky, blood-covered warm embrace of your fearless leader.

The UN Security Council has now accused Russia of possible war crimes for using bunker-buster and incendiary bombs on civilian targets, which is outlawed in international law. There are even accusations claiming that chemical weapons may have been used. In terms of Assad, it’s as if for the past 5 years he’s been trying to commit every Crime Against Humanity in the book. But if there is one thing that this conflict has shown us, it’s that nothing short of a nuclear bomb is enough reason to actually do anything substantive in removing this tyrant.

It wasn’t enough when he ordered his forces to fire indiscriminately into crowds of peaceful protesters at the beginning of the Arab Spring.

It wasn’t enough when it was discovered that protesters were dying from torture and starvation while in prison.

It wasn’t enough when he began barrel-bombing civilian homes and hospitals.

It wasn’t enough when he began using sarin gas and other chemical weapons (which are again, “outlawed”)

It isn’t enough now that most of Syria has been reduced to rubble, and that Assad’s campaign is once again kicking into high gear.

The current argument from the West is that the focus is on ISIS and that once they have been eliminated focus will again return to Assad. Well, that’s a fine notion to entertain until you consider that Russia, being a permanent member of the UN Security Council, will veto any attempt at his persecution. In 2014, with the help of China, they blocked a draft resolution that would have granted the International Criminal Court, the super effective institution that it is, jurisdiction over war crimes committed by all sides of the conflict.

And that’s where the problem really lies now, isn’t it? At this point, neither side of this conflict has clean hands. Every rebel group, allied or not, has at one point or another also been accused of similar war crimes, with substantiated evidence. Now don’t mistake me, Russia’s actions are reprehensible, and Assad deserves to be deposed and thrown in the Hague to rot, but We (the royal We here, not us specifically dear reader. Rest easy) have done plenty to fuel this conflict.

For starters, there was an, admittedly, shaky temporary truce in place to allow for the delivery of UN aid until the United States broke it by leading a series of airstrikes of their own that killed dozens of Syrian troops. This gave Assad and the Russians all the leverage necessary to begin their renewed assault on Aleppo. Now, I understand than in the fog of war mistakes happen, but these are simply not the kind of mistakes one can afford.

Due to the renewed hostilities, the UN has been forced to abandon the aid shipments, leaving thousands in an increasingly compromised position with a lack of basic necessities. Back in July, coalition airstrikes killed an estimated 73 civilians, mostly women and children, making it the deadliest coalition attack on non-combatants since the bombing campaign against ISIS started. In less than 6 months our bargaining posture has become highly dubious, and our effectiveness increasingly ridiculed.

But maybe let’s start closer to the beginning. Believe it or not, there was actually a period in time where we had an opportunity to depose Assad very early on, which could have avoided most of this suffering in the first place. In 2012, hardly a year into the conflict (and before it exploded into a full-blown civil war), Russian ambassador Vitaly Churkin reportedly approached the other 5 permanent members of the UN Security Council with a proposal that would have had Assad cede power shortly after peace talks began.

That could have been it. Done. Civil war, region-spreading chaos, half a million deaths, maybe even ISIS, avoided. Do you know what came of that proposal? According to the former Finish president Martti Ahtisaari, the US, France, and Britain were so damned convinced he was about to fall like other Arab dictators in the region that they blissfully ignored it.

Once they realized how hilariously wrong they were, the next-best plan they mustered up was to begin funding, arming, and training “moderate Syrian rebel forces”, as if they collectively decided to have selective amnesia and forget all the other times this had definitely worked out (Vietnam, Saddam Hussein against Iran, the Mujahideen against the Soviets, basically all of Latin America).

The thing is, there was a decently organized, sectarian fighting group at the start of the conflict; the Free Syrian Army. However, once it became clear about a year in that the movement was faltering and being co-opted by jihadist elements, their sense legitimacy quickly nosedived. This was when the Obama administration really began the arming/training operations, by the way. So inevitably, most of these arms wound up in the hands of the various extremist groups such as Al-Nusra, Al-Qaeda, and gasp even ISIS.

While we’re on the topic of ISIS, I’d like to quickly outline the origins of this group, for the context. So the 2003 Iraq War, generally viewed as a bad move these days. A coalition consisting predominantly of the US and Britain launched a full-scale invasion under flimsy (or fabricated, your pick) evidence, overthrew a dictator, and found themselves stuck in Vietnam 2.0 for the better part of a decade. They removed Saddam, a Sunni, and replaced him with a Shiite government. This government very quickly began enacting anti-Sunni policies to seek revenge on the 40-some years of oppression they had faced under Saddam. During the occupation, the United States decided to use Saddam’s old torture chambers, Abu Ghraib, as one of their main detention facilities.

The predominantly Shiite prisoners were released into the wild, and a new batch of Sunni prisoners was brought in and subsequently became the victims of the infamous Abu Ghraib Prison Abuse Scandal. You can imagine how eager they were to become productive members of the new Shiite-dominated Iraq when they were released, so long as they weren’t sent to Gitmo. So,to recap, you have a large, disenfranchised Sunni population (many of whom were formerly members of Saddam’s army or special guard), a highly dysfunctional government that can’t properly secure their borders, Shiite gangs allowed to roam free and abuse Sunnis, plenty of misplaced weapons and munitions, and a civil war in a neighbouring country. Boom. ISIS.

Obama’s plan to train and equip a separate group of hand selected fighters was also a colossal failure. By the the time Obama ended the program, only 5 fighters could be accounted for of the intended 3000 who received training and munitions from US special forces, and where do you think they all went? This program cost an eye-gouging $400 Million, or approximately $130,000 per fighter. By and large, the most effective fighting force has been the Kurds, who after centuries of maltreatment at the hands of others really have nothing left to lose. And sure, now they are an ally, but just wait until this conflict ends and they begin demanding sovereignty across Turkey, Syria, and Iraq from a much higher and better-equipped bargaining position. Hmm, why does this seem so familiar? Is this supposed to be a poem? Is there some rhyme scheme I’m not privy to?

But to be fair, maybe none of this could have been avoided. The 2012 proposal could have quite possibly fallen apart once the two sides realized they wouldn’t be able to compromise. Perhaps whatever transitional government could have been instated would have been just as dysfunctional as Iraq’s or Libya’s, creating the same power vacuum which lead to the rise of ISIS. I mean, the Liberal Internationalists have really found themselves in a shaky position since, well, every attempt they’ve made so far in the 21st Century. I’m no determinist, but maybe this is just the necessary sequence of events that has to occur for Syria to move towards a more inclusive society.

So let’s look at what we’ve got now. We are currently experiencing the worst refugee crisis since World War II, which is not only destabilizing surrounding Middle Eastern countries, but also allowing ISIS to spread, providing a platform for Far-Right Nationalist parties to bring us back to the 1930’s, revealing the true moral stance of the West, and threatening to unravel the entire European Project. But we can pat ourselves on the back as Canadians. We have welcomed a grand total of 30,000 Syrians into our loving country (after an extensively intrusive, religiously-biased, and possibly sexist vetting process. Nothing like securing those ocean borders, right?). Meanwhile, millions of refugees are stuck in neighbouring Arab countries, hundreds of thousands are stranded and starving between Turkey and Western Europe, and hundreds more are arriving by the boatload per day. But hey, at least we are doing better than our neighboring to the south eh guys?

Do you remember what caused this initial outpouring of concern 4 years into the conflict? Before Trump was the presidential nominee, before Nigel Farage and Brexit, before the sexual assault reports in Cologne, before Munich, before Nice, before Paris, before Belgium, before San Bernadino, there was a washed up body of a child off the coast of Turkey.

At this point, we all recognize the motionless, sand-covered body of Alan Kurdi, and now perhaps you even recognize the dust-and-blood covered face of Omran Daqneesh, but there are thousands of other children who have been victim to this conflict. In fact, Save the Children has estimated that nearly half of the casualties this past week have been children. Any Syrian child under the age of 7 knows one thing, and that’s the civil war. They have been conditioned their entire lives to cower at the faintest sight of an airplane, dodge sniper fire on the way to the market to get food, survive record-breaking winters with nothing but a tent and a fire, and how to cope with the loss of loved ones on a regular basis.

We are currently witnessing the creation of a lost generation of children with no education other than war-time survival and how to sell cheap garments in refugee camps for food. The longer this conflict continues, the harder it is going to be to be for these children to properly reconstitute themselves back (or for the first time) into the greater society. I can’t even fathom the amount of trauma services that would be required to properly care for them. I can only imagine it won’t be enough.

Don’t they at least deserve a better future than the present they were provided?

Until our International Community can get it’s collective shit together, there is going to be more destruction, more death, more festering extremism, more refugees, and more dead children washing up on beaches. And when this conflict meets its eventual end, there will be Assad, sitting on his throne of rubble built atop every decomposing Syrian, laughing while staring down a humiliated, discredited United Nations.

September 29, 2016 0

Streeter: #Who’s Your Fahder?

By: Lorelei Kenny & Morin Mawhinney

Humans of New York started with just an ordinary guy and his camera. Now, you have to work hard to find someone who hasn’t heard of this project. However, if you haven’t heard of it, basically, the photographer, Brandon Stanton, approaches strangers on the streets of New York, he interviews them, snaps a picture, and posts these “glimpses of people’s lives”, as he describes them to his blog. Inspired by this concept we’re giving it a go here at UPEI. Over the past few days The Cadre has strolled around campus and asked random students, “Who’s your fahder?”, a colloquial expression amongst islanders often spoken in an effort to build a relationship off of common connections. As PEI and UPEI continue to diversify, the answers given to this common PEI question become more and more unique and intriguing.

*****

Ian Campbell: “My fahder is Kevin Campbell, he is the manager of Traffic Operations for PEI Transportation and Infrastructure renewal. He is the biggest Montreal Canadians fan you’ll meet. I’d describe him as an original Canadian Hipster, for sure. None of the children in our family have ever seen his upper lip, he’s always had facial hair. He’s a big family and he raised five kids. He’s a quiet man, but filled with wisdom, if you get anything out of him. He’s an inspiration to me because he is probably the hardest working man I know, and for this he doesn’t get enough recognition, so thank you dad.”

Kate Morris: “He is very controversial, and he thinks he’s always right….haha”

Erin Mcneill: “My fahder is Paul McNeill, and he inspires me everyday because he is a single parent and he works his butt off. We travel lot together as a family, his family is from Scotland, so we’ve gone there, and other place too.”

Leif Sirum: “My fahder is Mr. Sirum, he is from Norway, as am I. He’s a petroleum engineer. When we lived in the Middle East we would sail together, it was super fun…now there’s a happy memory! He had a little mid-life crisis and bought an old Volkswagen Beetle. He loves his kids to death, no matter what, and that’s inspiring. I want to love my kids half as much as he loves us.”

Chelsea Feng: “My fahder is my father? (laughs out loud) My parents, when they got married, they were so, so, poor – they had nothing. He was trying to start his own business but he just kept losing money. As a kid we lived in a horrible house, the conditions were really bad, and my father made like 10 Korean dollars per month. I really admire my father because he didn’t give up, and eventually he made it! Now the situation is much better for our family, and here I am studying Canada. So I feel that my father is a great man. He has inspired me to do what I want to do and to do what I love and never give up.”

Drew Beaupre: “Phil Beaupre is my fadher. He has been a businessman his entire life, he majored in business at York and owns a Tim Hortons in Ontario. He’s Catholic, he’s hilarious, he’s a pretty cool guy. He isn’t very emotional, unlike me, I’m super emotional. He tends to keep his emotions pretty private, like he wouldn’t just be like, I love you, or give me a hug or anything like that. But he shows his love through his actions. For instance, Ontario to PEI is a very long drive, and when I first moved out here, he drove out here with me to help me move and get settled. Sometimes our relationship is a little bit if-eee, but it’s gotten a lot better. We are both really abrasive so when we disagree it quickly turns into a yell-fest. However, as an adult I have come to understand our differences, and I have become very proud to be his son. It’s been quite a journey with him.”

Sarah Murray: “Mike Murray is my fahder. He’s a really big science nerd just like me. He studied Biology at UPEI, so we definitely have a lot of similar interests. He’s the only other science person in my family, so he kinda just gets me.”

Jessica Watts: “Donny Watts is my fahder. He’s picked me up from many all-nighters, and has always gotten me and my friends home safely. A memory that sticks out to me is when I was five, and I had an appendicitis. He was in the middle of a meeting, and he ran out of it, rushed me to the hospital and didn’t leave my side the entire time. So ever since I was little I alway knew if I ever needed anything I could count on him. He’s a real beauty. ”

Kayla Schut: “Mike Schut is my fahder. He lied to me a lot when I was growing up. Stupid little things, it was funny though. For instance, my dad told me that molasse candies were poisonous, so I grew up with this irrational fear of them. On Halloween, I would sort through all my candy and give the molasse candies to him, all along he just wanted them cause he liked them, and I didn’t figure out what he was doing until I was like fifteen. But yea, that pretty much sums up my dad, he loves to mess with me. It’s all in good fun…it builds character.”

September 28, 2016 0

Is It Worth The $$$?

By: Morin Mawhinney

There’s no need to tell you, a dedicated UPEI student, how much it costs to be so dedicated. By now, we’ve all experienced the feeling of pure panic as we watch every hard-earned dollar and cent slip away like sand in an hourglass, out of our bank account and into our education. Of course, there is no better place to put it; but with classes, books, and fees combined, the toll is great (both emotionally and on the bank account).

I don’t know how it feels to be shot, but I imagine it’s similar to the feeling that follows adding up your educational expenses, and then comparing it to the number on your bank balance. As a friend of mine often says after a purchase, “Ooooh, right in the bank account.” With that under consideration, is it worth the added expense of living in residence? Sure it’s convenient, but is that really enough? I took to the halls of res and asked a couple of residence residents what they thought.

As for facts and figures, $4,490.00 is how much a room in residence and a meal plan costs, at the cheapest per semester! This is a huge sum of money to add onto an already large tuition bill. After interviewing several students, though, that amount seems slightly more reasonable.

Noah Murphy, a first-year engineering student, admits it is a high price to pay for convenience, but he says the luxury of good food, the amount of space and the three-minute commute to class makes the cost completely worth it. Murphy is a unique case when it comes to the living situation.

He’s from Bonshaw area but still chooses to live on campus, rather than at home. His reasons? “It would be a 25 minute trip to class every day, and I have classes all day, every day of the week. As it is, I have class at 10 and I wake up at 9:30…There’s a lot of convenience in getting up every morning and having my food right there.”

Another residence student, Adam Bennett, who happens to come from off island, also feels he did the right thing by deciding to live on Res. “The rooms are bigger than I expected. On Google, they show you rooms that are a little square foot but it’s not like you get out of bed and knock knees.”

In addition to the perks of convenience, Res acts as a stepping stone towards independence. While still living out of the home, he is not as involved as finding, renting and maintaining an apartment. Murphy states that one of the reasons he left was to “have my own space through university;” and although it would’ve actually been cheaper to rent an apartment and buy groceries separately, Murphy frankly states, “I didn’t want to sign a lease.”

Leases are scary and grown up, and frankly, University is terrifyingly adult already. When asking Bennett if he feels that living in residence is worth the cost as opposed to apartment living, he believes it is, with all his heart. “I didn’t know anyone in PEI,” says Bennett, “so the closest thing I could get to an apartment was living with my brother in a house, which would’ve cost the same as a spot in residence, but it’s a lot more social being in residence.”

When asked if either of the boys would choose to live on campus next year, Murphy replies, “I might be in residence next year, but it’ll be the apartment style. Like Andrew or Blanchard.” This ties into the path on the way to independence.
When snooping on my friends who live in residence, I’ve heard it compared to a hotel. The walls may be thin, but you can’t beat the convenience and the freedom. There may be drawbacks; but then again, what living situation is perfect? As far as these students are concerned, living in residence is for them. But what about you? Where are you living? At home or apartment, residence or a friend’s couch? As always, The Cadre is interested in what you have to say. So answer us this: is residence worth the cold hard cash?

September 27, 2016 0

I’m Sorry for Interrupting but Come to Canada, Thank You

By: Zach Geldert

Watching the United States presidential debate is like watching a couple lions wrestle. Sure it is interesting and intriguing entertainment but in the end, it is a pointless game that accomplishes nothing. Mr. Trump incessantly cut Mrs. Clinton off, arguing useless points that always seemed to go right back to the business empire that he has built (on the backs of minimum wage workers). Mrs. Clinton did an admirable job of ignoring these continued attacks, however, that is about all that she did well. Both candidates merely pandered to the middle-ground, undecided American voters when they were not personally attacking the other person. There were no actionable policies identified.

The issues, such as the racial division in America, quickly devolved unnaturally to gun-control issues. Mr. Holt, the moderator, had to remind the candidates what the debate topic was twice! No one suggested how to actually fix the problem other than ‘more training’ for police. What kind of training will be offered? How will they actually stop racial profiling of young black American men? I acknowledge that the race issue in America is systemic and a whole room of academics and politicians could debate varying ways to fix the problem and still not to come to a general consensus.

Nonetheless, in a debate that was supposed to be centered around policy and what the candidates will actually do, there was no comment on how they would attempt to fix the race issue. Therefore, I kindly invite any and all Americans from all walks of life to come to Canada.

In Canada we have everything that America has and then some. We have beautiful land. Do you like rocky coasts, sandy beaches, bustling cities, untouched forests, jagged mountain-scapes, or rolling plains? Whichever one you choose we have them all. We are the most educated country in the world! We have a judiciary branch that independently represent the interests and freedoms of Canadians.

We are non-discriminatory in welcoming every race from around the world that adds to the lustrous diversity in our country. For example, we welcomed 25,000 Syrian refugees and are still welcoming more. I am sure all Canadians would love to welcome some of our American neighbours. Our government is a multi-party system that affords every Canadian the opportunity to have their values accurately represented, rather than voting for someone to avoid an even worse candidate.

But, you might say, what happens if I break my leg running off the plane to this beautiful country? Do not fear, we have you covered with country-wide healthcare available to all residents of Canada! Now you do not have to re-mortgage your home in order to receive the healthcare that every person deserves. What is not to love about Canada? We are not bullies, we are welcoming, and if we accidentally cut you off you can bet that a vehement, full-hearted apology is forthcoming.

Please, come to Canada and avoid the buffoonery of the American presidential election. By the time our next election rolls around there is a strong chance that you, disenchanted American friends, can be a Canadian citizen with the right to vote in an election in which up to 5 candidates will civilly debate real topics instead of repeatedly bashing each other while deflecting the issues. Below I have included some helpful links for any American considering moving to Canada. We will be happily awaiting your arrival ☺.

How to move to Canada: http://www.wikihow.com/Move-to-Canada

How to become a Canadian citizen: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/citizenship/become-eligibility.asp

36 facts about our beautiful country: http://www.factslides.com/s-Canada

We are winners: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7DeQbTzPE8

How to sing our national anthem: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vdKQBJYcDCo

September 27, 2016 0

Sit-down With Paper Lions: “Nothing Holding Us Back”

By: Lorelei Kenny

The release of the new Paper Lions’ album has been greatly anticipated by fans. Different from previous albums, “Full Colour is not just instrumentation, it’s more synthesized. It’s a grander production than a four piece rock ensemble.” says guitarist Colin. “The name, Full Colour describes the overall attitude of the album.” adds drummer David. The title captures the essence of the album. It’s vibe is much more playful and poppy than previous albums, with upbeat catchy jams like “Believer” “Call Back” and “Don’t Wanna Dance”. At the same time, there are some tracks that are more mellow and relaxing, like “Born to Rule” and “End of July” that are full of sweet harmonies and echoing vocals. Overall, the album is more complex than previous albums, with more parts and layers. For instance, there’s couple horn features on the album, including a solid saxophone solo in “End of July”, something never seen before on a Paper Lion’s album.

In the past the band put a lot of limits on themselves, pushing themselves into a corner stylistically. This time, however, they made the decision to let nothing hold them back. Instead of hesitating, they dove into the unknown, learning through trial and error what worked and what didn’t. They have gone from a heavier rock feel as seen in Trophies (2010), to a lighter indie rock sound in My Friend (2013), and now, to a poppy electronic vibe in Full Colour (2016). It’s evident that the band’s sound has transformed over the years, but Full Colour is definitely the biggest leap yet for the band. Needless to say, the countless hours spent experimenting, practising, and ultimately not letting anything hold them back has paid off.

All of their albums are worth checking out. The the best way to experience their music and any music for that matter is to experience it live. Being an avid concert goer, I can vouch for that. The energy of the crowd at a concert is so joyful and vibrant, because everyone is there for the same reason, they love the music. At a concert, you see music being made right in front of your eyes, it fills your ears, you can feel the music beating through your body. THIS FRIDAY you have the opportunity to experience this exhilarating feeling and engage with Paper Lions. On September 30th (Friday), Paper Lions will take the stage at 7pm sharp at the Prince Edward Convention Centre in the Delta, in Charlottetown.

The band says this concert is going to be the biggest and most sophisticated show they’ve ever produced. The band’s been working on creating a full blown imaginative production and that’s what the super show is going to be. Without revealing too many details, the band told us about their epic setup for the show. They have ordered custom lighting, they have created colourful visual projections, and they have booked a stage equipped with a catwalk. More than ever before their show will be timed down to the second, with lighting, visuals, vocal and musical cues all synced together. Paper Lions are going all out, you don’t want to miss it!

Ticket sales are going really well, so head on over to the front desk of the Chi-Wan Young Sports Centre on campus and grab a ticket (20$) before they sell out! . In case you want to purchase merchandise at the concert (CDs, vinyl, and T-shirts) remember to have some cash on you. and if you want to get to know the music before you go to the concert so you can “jam out” with your friends, Paper Lions’ entire discography is available on iTunes and Spotify, and you can also grab physical copies of Full Colour and other albums at Back Alley Music on Great George Street and Green Eye Designs on Victoria Row.

A huge thank-you to David Cyrus MacDonald and Colin Buchanan for taking time out of their extremely busy schedules and allowing The Cadre to come to their studio for a chat!

Hope to see all you Panthers at this once in a lifetime show on September 30th!

September 26, 2016 0

Fuck: Its Perfect

By: Zach Geldert

There is no other word in the English language that is more versatile than the word fuck. It can be a noun, verb, adjective, pronoun, and an adverb. However, that is not even the best part of the word. Fuck derives its perfection from the fact that it is so ambiguous that it makes the perfect curse word. It has transcended its definition and has shifted into an obscure and ambiguous expression. To exemplify my statement, I would like to invite all Cadre readers to take part in the following experiment. First step is to find a friend. Second, buy a hammer. Third, get the aforementioned friend to drop the hammer on your unprotected toe. Fourth, spew as many curse words as needed to make the pain go away. Finally, assess all of the curse words and their meanings.

Once one assesses the meanings of each word said it will become evident that virtually every curse word is a curse word because it is degrading to someone, whether it is a race, sexual orientation, religion, or gender. However, there is one word that can be excluded; the word fuck. Fuck does not discriminate against anyone. Sure it is a colloquial term for sex, but in today’s sexualized society with mostly naked women selling beer and chiselled men promoting perfume, sex is not a big deal. Moreover, when one uses fuck to refer to sex it is not degrading any gender, it is simply a word that is less sterile than sex or intercourse. No one wants to say that they “engaged in intercourse last night”. Moreover, to say “fuck it, I fucked up that exam” does not mean that you had sex with the exam. Rather, you are expressing your displeasure with your performance on the exam. Fuck is simply an easy ‘filler’ verb used to casually explain your displeasure instead of saying “I wish I could forget about that exam; I really did not perform well”. Fuck saying that. It’s too long and too proper for the raw emotion that you wish to express.

While I am arguing for the augmented use of fuck there is a fine line that must be drawn. Fuck may be ambiguous and not hurtful in and of itself but that does not mean you should tell your professor to “fuck off” next time they assign three chapters to read for the next class nor should you tell your mother you’re “fucking hungry” the moment you walk in the door. Fuck still creates great tension every time it is uttered and is an abrasive and offensive word. Therefore, you should save fuck for when it is really needed, like when your friend drops a hammer on your toe. After all, the word is not hurting anyone nor is it continuing the subversive discrimination of sexist and racist slurs that remain far too prevalent in our society. So save those ‘fucks’ for when you are beyond formal expression of emotion so that the word continues to have the “smack you right in the fucking face” impact that has led to its notoriety as a curse word.

Hopefully this article will stir up some fucking debate about this fucking topic. Do you fucking hate the word fuck? Do you fucking love it? Let the Cadre know what you fucking think by emailing us at cadreeditor@gmail.com.

September 26, 2016 0

Feature Friday: “Recovery”

By: Lorelei Kenny

“Once a free spirit, always a free spirit” she vowed to her friend. They knotted their pinky fingers together and made an unbreakable vow. United, they would conquer the world- they needed no one else.

***

She thought the world of herself, pride consumed her spirit. She would never allow a boy to tame her, or put her in her place. Instead she would travel and become one with the universe. She knew not what it meant to settle down, or to fall in love with a man. To her, love was the sound of Sylvia Plath’s writings singing from it’s pages and a warm cup of coffee. She longed for adventure and her soul cried out for more.

“No one will ever call me baby,” she scoffed at the idea. “No one will calm my spirit. I am free!” She lived a life filled with cynicism and hatred, yet, she was ignorant to her own negativity. Her mother tried again and again to tame her attitude, but no punishment sufficed. Her father pleaded with her to take a step back, but she rebelled constantly, taking always two steps forward. Her parents remained silent and broken, hoping for someone to bring their daughter out of her pride and negativity.

She walked with confidence, at least on the exterior. Her hair flowed like a lion’s mane. Boys would watch as she paraded around in clothes that highlighted her best features, and she chose not to care. After all, it was not her job to prevent boys from staring, they needed to use their own self control.

She lived her life as a “free spirit,” with only a pinky promise tying her to a friend.

She was content, at least she thought she was, until one day a single boy flipped her world upside down. He called her beautiful, not hot or sexy, and he complimented her eyes, not her curves. He spoke to her intelligently not condescendingly, and all of a sudden, that pinky promise seemed ever so irrelevant. Her walls like Jericho crumbled down and suddenly she transformed from a lion into a lamb. Her “free spirit” felt naked and bare, and now she longed to be caged by someone who would be gentle and protect her. Her stubborn mind, however, refused to let her be reckless and it stood firm in its beliefs.

“I will not fall in love” she said. “That’s okay” he replied. “Together we can rise.” And suddenly she felt herself drawing closer to a person who at first she believed to be insignificant. Her barriers weakened as she learned more about life from this man. He never said he loved her, but his actions suggested he might. He let her open the door for herself and said the words she longed to hear. He was patient and kind. He always encouraged her to strive for greatness, and never pressured for perfection.

“I’m a living hell,” she pleaded, “you’re going to get burned.” She wanted him to stay away. She feared the emotions she felt were swelling within her heart.

“I’m a pyromaniac,” he grinned. In that moment she realized that she would never shake this man, so her mind stop resisting, and her heart began to rise, and together they flew to the galaxies beyond. Over time, she let him open the door for her, and she replied, “yes love?” when he said, “baby.” One day at a time this man was allowed to read the pages of her soul and slowly learn her secrets.

“I believe that words are insignificant,” she said, “it’s only actions that matter.”

“Is that why you write?” he smirked. With those words she was shaken to her core as she realized that he had spoken love into her life with every conversation, and that she had grown to love him because of his challenging questions and encouraging words. She realized that both words and actions mattered. So she began to show him that she loved him, through her actions and words. She let him hold her arm when they walked down the stairs, and traded in her mini skirts and makeup for jeans and pretty bows to place in her hair. She could not justify her feelings towards him, logic could not explain it. Yet, she did not fight it, she was tired, and broken, so instead of pushing him away, she let him put her pieces together. She had discovered a newer, deeper love, the love that her spirit had lusted after for so long.

Finally, her spirit matured, and she was at last prepared to settle. Soon he became the greatest part of her, and the place that she called home. As the barriers holding her back faded away, so did the memory of the pinky promise made long ago.

Author: Kayla Schut

Kayla: “I love writing! It’s the best way to make sense of my emotions and my experiences. It helps me figure out what’s important and what’s not. It’s a great way to vent, but also a great way to just have some fun!”

Wondering how you can be the next student feature? It’s easy! If you ever have anything you’d like to publish or want advertised all you need to do is shoot me an email (lokenny@upei.ca)

Nervous about putting yourself out there? There’s a solution! Come up with a pen name to use.
At the Cadre your voice matters! I look forward to receiving submission!

September 23, 2016 0

Introducing: An Introductory Checklist For Class Introductions

By: Alex MacBain

As another semester begins at UPEI, new classes with unfamiliar classrooms, professors, and students abound. In order for your new instructor to get to know you (in order to get those sweet, sweet class marks), he/she will likely go around the room, ask you to state your name, program, year, and something interesting about yourself. If you’re anything like me, you probably don’t have anything interesting worth being shared with the class. After facing this problem in each of my five classes this semester, I have compiled this list to help any boring, bumbling, moron introduce him/herself to his/her new class. At the start of each following semester, I advise you to refer to this list to get you through those first few days.

Start to stress out as soon as the instructor says the word “introduction”.

You have been in this world long enough to know that a “short and simple introduction” is anything but.

2. Laugh along with every other person’s introduction.

Maybe if the other people in your class notice that you laughed at everyone else’s introduction (even if every single other person is a one-lining genius clone of Bo Burnham), they won’t laugh as hard at yours.

3. Remember to be yourself…

…Unless “being yourself” involves anything you think could be perceived as annoying, stupid, boring, and/or obnoxious, among other things.

4. Increase your heart rate as it gets closer to your turn.

This is one of the keys of a class introduction. You do not perform well unless you can feel your heart bump against your chest, increase the frequencies of your already shallow breaths, and moisten the armpits of your favorite shirt that you handpicked specifically to wear for your first day so everyone can see how stylish you are.

5. Wait until your turn is next to think of the “interesting thing” about yourself.

Did you go on any trips this summer? Do you play any sports at a high level? Do you play the drums? This is the line of thinking you should be following. Figure out what really sets you apart from everyone else in the class and decide to share that thing.

6. Decide to share the most mundane thing about yourself.

You don’t really want to share the most interesting thing about yourself. You might have something pretty cool picked out, but don’t even bother with it, because by now, you probably have a pretty good idea that everyone else leads a much more interesting life than you do. Don’t even try it. Say something low-key, like, “I have two sisters”, or “I am from Charlottetown.”

7. Focus on how you speak.

Always start the introduction with a nervous laugh. This helps ease the tension that only exists in your head. It is also important to talk as quickly as possible in order to share the most information in the most efficient way. You must also speak quietly so you do not disturb those with sensitive ears. Make sure you include each piece of information the professor is asking for so you aren’t caught with having to think on your feet. We all know how that goes for you.

8. Relax and try to hide the relief.

As soon as the instructor has moved on to the next person, you are ready to relax. Sit back in your chair again. Stop sweating. Decrease your heart rate. Fold your arms. You made it through this introduction. Laugh at yourself for getting so worked up about a stupid fifteen-second introduction.
There you have it. Hopefully this checklist helps you get through your introduction. However, if you think that it is over once you have made it through the checklist, you are in for a rude awakening. In order for this list to be most effective, the cycle must continue in your next class’s introduction.

September 23, 2016 0

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