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NEWSLETTER 401 Main Strttt, Vancouver V6A 2T7 (604) 665-2289 Happy Mothers' Day

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MAY 1, 2006

camnews@vcn. bc.ca www.carnnews.org

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Mother Life Giver: You gave, you give So much, Right from the start Of my being; You shared your blood, Your breath, Your heartbeat. You gave me nourishment, warmth and lots of love It is no !wonder I cried When it was my time

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To enter this world. , My shock and fears

Were finally stilled Only when they placed me upon your breast, and once again Our breath, our heartbeat Was the same Your gentleness, your soft Reassur~ng voice, told me You love me And if I could only speak I Know I would have said Hold me, Mother Life giver Cause I love you too .

©Sam George December 25,2005

This was written for, and inspired by my daughter-in-law Leah and my yet to be born grandson Thomas.

It seems to me we can never give up longing and wishing while we are alive. There are certain things we feel to be beautiful and good, and we must hunger for them. - George Eliot

The soul and the spirit have resources that are astonishing. Like wolves and other creatures, the soul and spirit are able to thrive on very little, and sometimes for a long time on nothing. To me, it is the miracle of miracles that this is so. - Clarissa Pinko/a Estes

MOTHERS' DAY

1. My mother taught me TO APPRECLA TE A JOB WELL DONE. "If you're going to kill each other, do it outside. I just finished cleaning." .

2. My mother taught me RELIGION. "You better pray that wi II come out of the carpet."

3. My mother taught me about TIME TRAVEL. "If you don't straighten up, I'm going to knock you into the middle of next week!"

4. My mother taught me LOGIC. " Because I said so, that's why."

5. My mother taught me RESPONSIBILITY. "If you fall out of that swing and break your neck. you're not going to the store with me."

6. My mother taught me FASHION SENSE. "Make sure you wear clean underwear, in case you're in an accident."

7. My mother taught me IRONY. "Keep crying, and I'll give you something to cry about."

8. My mother taught me about OSMOSIS. "Shut your mouth and eat your supper."

9. My mother taught me about CONTORTION ISM. "Will you look at that dirt on the back of your neck!"

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I 0. My mother taught me about STAMINA. "You'll sit there until all that spinach is gone."

11. My mother taught me about WEATHER. "This room of yours looks as if a tornado went through it."

I 2. My mother taught me about HYPOCRISY. "If I told you once, I've told you a million times. _Don't exaggerate!"

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13. My mother taught me the CIRCLE OF LIFE.

"I brought you into this world, and I can take you out."

14. My mother taught me about BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION. "Stop acting like your father!"

15 My mother taught me about ENVY. "There are millions of less fortunate children in this world who don't have spinach.''

16. My mother taught me about FORESIGHT. "Just wait until we get home"

17. My mother taught me about RECEIVING "You are going to get it when you get home!"

18. My mother taught me MEDICAL SClENCE. "If you don't stop crossing your eyes, they are going to freeze that way."

19. My mother taught me ESP. " Put your sweater on; don't you think I know when you are cold?"

20. My mother taught me HUMOR. "When that lawn mower cuts off your toes, don't come running to me."

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21. My mother taught me HOW TO BECOME AN ADULT. · "If you don't eat your spinach, you'll never grow up."

22. My mother taught me GENETICS. "Stop acting like your father."

23. My mother taught me about my HERITAGE. "Shut that door behind you. Do you think you were born in a barn?"

24. My mother taught me WISDOM. "When you get to be my age, you'll understand."

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To Mayor and Councillors,

On April 5, Bruce Clarkson, a Gas town resident, and myself met with John Kamada (Fire & Rescue Services) and Kevin MeN aney (Central Area stafl) regarding dangerous goods being shipped by rail on the central waterfront.

Why would we want to put 15,000 extra people at risk of losing their lives by building a stadium over dangerous goods' railtracks?

Mr. Clarkson presented a DVD and hardcopy info in a well-documented report to your staff. He con­tinues to photograph 'new' dangerous cargoes, not­ing times and amounts, since the April meeting.

Evacuation is logistically impossible. There'd be less than 45 minutes to evacuate everyone within a one-mile radius. Also, how could an accident be accessed or contained underneath a block-long struc­ture? Why has not the C.P.R forwarded requested information - requested by your own staff- regard­ing the shipment of dangerous goods?

Truly, Don Larson

WATER FCR LIFE

Mother Earth

Our Mother Earth is suffering Rivers, lakes, oceans and air are being pollu~ed Humans are careless, no compassion Greed. Greed taking everything in sight. Animals are being pushed out, . Understandable as they are invaded by humans. Sooner or later, Mother Earth cannot defend Herself

C . "' ompass10n ... Nowhere to be seen.

... Wake up people.

All my Relations, Bonnie E. Stevens

HOT PANTS

The other nite while visiting my friend I felt a hot sensation on my left thigh. I was sitting on her chair and I suddenly jumped up saying I was on fire. Ear­lier I had put two batteries in my pocket along with some money. I guess the coins connected to the bat­tery terminals and science took over. It gave Mr. Mcbinner hot pants and hot flashes!

To Whom It May Concern;

Ada Marie Dennis was kind enough to volunteer her time to show myself and my friend throughout the entire Carnegie Centre.

We truly appreciated her sharing her knowledge and passion with us.

Donna Galbraith, Edward Pittner

a visual art exhibition exploring power qf ~ove an~ C:levotionRadha

the divine feminine force · action of compassion and strength

radha yoga & eatery 728 Main Street

(604) 605 0011

11:30 - 4 pm Mon - Fri

show runs to May 28

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.Mary Antionette, Professor Bob and Subcommandante fnsurgente Jean

Raise The Rates Road Show

Many people who aren' t poor believe those of us o·n welfare are getting a "free ride" and a generous monthly income. They have been turning a blind eye to our situation and blam­ing us for the government's policies. The plan is to make our situation understood outside of the DTES, and achieve a broad base of support for our demands. Hopefully we can create un­derstanding and solidarity for a campaign to raise the welfare rates and encourage others to take some action.

The plan is to create a leaflet and a poster we can use as tools to educate people who don't know how low the welfare rates are. We want to print up hundreds of posters, leaflets and possibly postcards, to give out at neigh­bourhood festivals. People can take the posters and put them up which will get our message out. Leaflets can contain the facts and figures. We are looking for images and words on how to get this information out. Help us figure out what kind of a package to put together to make our presence felt. What do you want us to say? And what would be the most effective way of saying it? We can make it like a quiz "Did you know .. . ?" How do we break through the bubble Mainstream

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Raise The Rates Road Show

c WE NEED: Actors willing to commit to every weekend

in July & August Volwtteers for our info table

A rap song A poster design

Ideas for the leaflet Pbotographs

WE WILL MEET on Thursday, May 11 from 12:30 - 2:30 · h rd m t e 3 fl. art gallery of the Carnegie

Media has created, for most people who live outside the DTES?

At all community events, there is a perfot m­ers' stage with a mike and P A. We will ask for time to do presentations to accompany our information tables. Should these be satiric "street theatre'' pieces, like Professor Bob at tbe Shoe-In? Interactive workshops? Poetry readings? Political speakers? Rap songs? What are your ideas? We have 6 ideas for a poster so far - ·

" 1994 was 12 years ago, Could you live on $510 a month?" ;

"With no roof over your head, you can' t wait 3 weeks and look for work"

"This woman (or man) needs a raise"

"CANADIANS VALUE FAIRNESS ... Bob receives only $510

a month to pay for rent and food DOES THAT SOUND FAIR?"

'BC's economy is booming .... but is yours?"

"Canadians care about those in need ... or do they?"

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Massive pollee effort in kidnapping case

raises disturbing questions

Where were the 300 officers

when 60 women went missing?

In the hunt for 23-year-old Graham McMynn, son of a Vancouver Southlands millionaire, the police left no stone untumed.. _

By their own admission, 300 officers, including help from the RCMP, the American FBI Scotland . ' Yard, and "others" the spokesperson was not at lib-erty to divulge, scoured the Lower Mainland "day and night"' to search out the victim. Fourteen houses in Vancouver, Surrey, and Nanaimo were put under round-the-clock surveillance. Finally, a week after the abduction, police barged into a house in Surrey and found McMynn, returning him to his family. And that's fantastic.

But where was the deployment of 300 officers working day and night with RCMP, when 60 or ' more women living in the Downtown Eastside went missing in just as mysterious and disturbing circum­stances as McMynn's abduction? Where is the over­whelming effort today in the north where several women ~ave gone missing on Highway 16, the so­called Htghway of Tears?

I'll grant that a dramatic day-time abduction in­v?lving cars blocking a road and guns being bran­dished makes for more immediate public interest ~d I ce~ainly don'~ think that McMynn's pedigr~e • nc~, white, West Stde -made 'anyone in authority dectde to make a greater effort to find him. But com­par~ ~o the reaction of authorities to missing poor, a~o~gmal~ Downtown Eastside women, or today's mtssmg ~tghway 16 women, police have exhibited a clearly different level of reaction.

Given what we now know about the missing women from .the Downtown Eastside, and what's been al~eged m the case against Robert Pickton, sus­~cted m the murders of most of them, there seems l~ttle doubt that lives could have been saved had po­hce reacted with more than the shrug they did back when unusual reports of missing women surfaced.

Surely no one would suggest that the life of a Southlands millionaire's ·university student-with-a­girlfriend son is worth more than a Downtown East­side Native woman doing tricks in the alley for hits of smack. But the media and political leaders, no less than the public and the police, sat all too easily with the excuses proffered for a lackadaisical inves­tigation: who knows where they live anyway, who keeps tabs on them, they've likely just gone off to do tricks in Calgary, they don't really have any families who care, and so on. No one in the media, the pub­lic, or in our political leadership would have allowed those kinds of excuses for a sub-standard investiga­tion of McMynn's kidnapping.

The good news is that, now we know that when so~ebody, anybody, disappears and could possibly be m trouble, there are at least 300 police, along with help from the RCMP, the FBI, and unnamed others, standing by ready to jump into action day and night to relentlessly search for the missing per­son, and try above all to return him or her to safety.

It should never make a difference how the missing person came to be missing-whether it was a brazen attack on a quiet street of rich houses or a routine solicitation on a street of single occupancy rooming hotels. It also shouldn't make a difference who the missing person ir-whether a rich white kid, or a poor aboriginal woman.

To the degree that the media, the police, our po­litical leaders, and we the public reacted so differ­ently to the case of McMynn's abduction compared to the 60 or more cases of the missing Downtown Eastside women, or the currently missing women of Hi~way 16, is a measure of how far we have yet to go to· achieve true justice and democracy .

(From The Republic) By KEVIN POTVIN

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'llffordable llousi1191" Reprinted from The Long Haul I

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WORLD URBAN FORUM: Living the Global City:

Tuesday May 9th, 6 Pm A Conversation with The Elders of the Downtown Eastside Women's Centre and Women of the D.E. UBC Robson Square Theatre, 800 Robson St. Elders Reta Blind, Harriet Nahanee, Leona Reid, and Phillapa Ryan together with Selina Barton, De­lano Gail Bowen, Carol Martin Skundaal will talk about violence against Aboriginal women in Van­couver, and the work of the Downtown Eastside Cu tural Centre.

Monday June 12th, 1:00-3:00 Pm LIVING ROOM Carnegie Community Centre Theatre, 401 Main With the Carnegie Community Centre Board and community members Et~el Whitty, Director of the Carnegie Community Centre, will join the Carnegie Community Centre Board in hosting a forum with community members on questions relating to public spaces in a densified urban environment.

Wednesday June 21st, 6 Pm THE INDIGENOUS Cfi'Y Multimedia Panel with Chief Leonard George, Kamala Todd, and Jeff Thomas UBC Robson Square Theatre, 800 Robson St. · Co-sponsored by the Aboriginal Media Lab. In celebration of National Aboriginal Day join Chit/ Leonard George, Aboriginal social planner and film maker Kamala Todd, and urban-Iroquois photogra­pher Jeff Thomas for a multimedia event that affirms that the Canadian city is an Indigenous City. As these leaders and artists illustrate, Aboriginal people offer much knowledge about how to live well on the land and with each other. Can our cities be trans­formed by the full recognition and inclusion of Abo­riginal people in planning and place making?

All events are free and open to the public with ad­vance registratio~ unless otherwise noted. All regis­tered seats will be released 10 minutes prior to the scheduled start time. For more information visit www.wuf3.ubc.ca

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A call for accountability at the Ministry of Employment and Income Assistance

The government has now been decisively called to account for its harmful policy choices at the Minis-­try of Children and Families. Justice Ted Hughes confmns that BC's child protection system has been "stretched beyond limits." Thankfully, with there­lease of Hughes' review last week, vital reforms should be on the way.

It is now time to turn equal attention towards an­other rillnistry responsible for vulnerable people -The Ministry of Employment and Income Assis­tance, which oversees welfare. The ~imilarities between the governmenf s handling

MCFD and MEIA are striking. Hughes found th~t the bi!dget cuts at MCFD "took the knife too far." The budget cuts at MEIA (then called the Ministry of Human Resources) went ever further (in 2002, a 30 per cent budget cut over three years was an­nounced, and the actual cut was even deeper). Both ministries have been subjected to sweeping policy changes. And at both Ministries, these changes were made without putting in place any measures to monitor or evaluate what impacts many of the new policies may have.

The Hughes review occurred because many coura­geous advocates and family members refused to be silent, the Opposition and the media took up their caH, and the government was left with no choice but to subject its record to independent scrutiny, and ­hopefully - to rethink its policy choices and ac­knowledge past mistakes.

But advocates, community service organizations across the province, and the BC Association of So­cial Workers have been consistently sounding a

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similar alarm with respect to people needing social assistance. And a growing chorus of community groups has been calling for an increase in the paltry benefit rates those on welfare receive.

Last month, we published a study called Denied Assistance: Closing the Front Door on Welfare in BC. The study sougl_tt to find out what has driven the

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dramatic decline in the number of people receiving social assistance in recent years, and to examine what has happened to some of those denied help. According to the government, the number of peo­

ple successfully applying for welfare has plummeted. because people are being "diverted to employment". The fact of the matter is, the government no idea what has happened to people who are turned away. It has never done a study that follows up with those who are denied or discouraged from applying for welfare. It has no measures whatsoever to account for their well-being or safety, let alone to know whether they have in fact found employment.

The study found that only about half the recent drop in the number of people on welfare can be ex­plained by the improved labour market. The balance was due to the government's policy changes, mainly changes that made it much harder to access welfare.

Among, the study's key findings: * BC' s welfare eligibility rules and the application

process have become so onerous and complicated to navigate that they are systematically excluding some of the very people most in need of help. Many of them are not employable. Too often, the more vul­nerable a person is - such as those with mental health issues or addictions - the more difficulty they have accessing the system. *Some people are being "diverted to employment"

(as the government presumes). But too many are instead being diverted to qomelessness, charities, survival sex and desperation. Some are living on virtually no income. The truth of this is evident on the streets to anyone with eyes to see, and is sup­ported by all the recent local studies into rising homelessness (and not just in Vancouver). * People in need who are eligible for welfare are

frequently unable to get it without the help of a knowledgeable advocate (and funding cuts mean there are fewer of such people, just as the need has grown) .

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The response to the study from Minister Claude Richmond was fundamentally unacceptable and in­appropriate. The Minister dismissed the study, as "the same report that comes out every year. It s got a different cover." Not so. This was the frrst study to undertake an in-depth evaluation of the new eligibil­ity rules and application system. It conducted inter­views with unsuccessful applicants, welfare advo­cates and Ministry workers. And it drew on Free­dom ~f Information data that the Ministry had never before released, and in some cases, that none of the recent Ministers responsible had ever cared to ask for. The Minister needs t<l stop attacking the mes-sengers and accept responsibility. · . .

BC's welfare application system ts not working. The Hughes report has shown the undeni_able bene­fits of an independent review. It's time MEIA was held to account.

By Bruce Wallace, Seth Klein, and Marge Reitsma-Street

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Vancouver Native Community Supports Six Nations with a Solidarity Rally

Over 100 concerned members of the Vancouver Native community met at the Vancouver Aboriginal Friendship Centre on Saturday, April 22nd , to show solidarity with the Six Nations in Caledonia. Vice President of the United Native Nations David Den­nis from the Nuu Chah Nulth states, "As a collec­tive we decided that in: order to ensure the safety for the Six Nations women, children and families, we will have a peaceful denionstration on Tuesday, April 25th, 2006 at 12:30 pm at the Vancouv~ Art Gallery. We will unite with our brothers and ststers all across Turtle Island." The Six Nations camp is unarmed and any police

violence against the clan mothers and youth is unac-

ceptable. On April20, 2006 at around 4:30AM, the camp was swarmed by 150 heavily armed police in cruisers and vans, using batons, tear gas cannons, and tasers with 16 arrests. One woman was brutally beaten by five OPP officers.

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Organirer Annita McPhee from the Tahltan Nation further states, "We want to send a clear message to the federal and provincial governments that they must stop criminalizing our people who are standing up for our land and against injustices that been brought upon by the colonizers. Canada must stop using guns to resolve its disputes with the indige­nous people." Simply because the Ontario and fed­eral governments have committed to negotiations, the threat of another police invasion is not over. The Six Nations have stated that the blockades will only end when the people at the camp decide for them­selves whether enough progress has been made in ensuring an end to the ongoing theft of Six Nations land.

. This rally in Vancouver is intended to serve as a deterrence to prevent any further police escalation against the Six Nations. We stand in support of the demands of the clan mothers for an immediate ces­sation of construction by Henco Industries on Six Nations territory which has never been surrendered and was formally recognized by the Crown as part of the 1784 Haldintand Deed and for peaceful resolu­tion to the .current standoff to be conducted on a na-tion-to-nation basis. .

Elders from the community encouraged everyone . , "to pray for the safety of the Clan mothers, children,

traditional teachers, and hereditary chiefs. This is a · time for all Nations to stand together."

No Longer Victims: Holocaust Survivors Take to the Streets

"Bishop Michael Ingham/ We know you're in there/ We have you IIWraUy su"oundedl Come out

with your hands up/" Protestor at the Second Annual Aboriginal Holocaust Re­

membrance Day, outside Christ Church Anglican Cathedral, · Vancower, April15, 2006

When he was five years old, Rick Lavallie watched as his older brother was tortured to death with elec­tric shocks by a priest at the Catholic Indian Resi­dential School in Portage La Prairie, Manitoba. Last Easter Sunday, Rick was spat upon by a churchgoer for daring to publicly remember how his brother had died, at a vigil outside Holy Rosary Catholic Church in downtown Vancouver.

The torture of aboriginal people in Canada never seems to stop; but neither does their memory of their

. fallen relatives, and the growing anger of many resi­dential school survivors at the refusal of Canada and its churches to admit and be tried for their mass

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murder of generations of children. That anger finally exploded in the streets of Van­

couver at the Second Annual Aborigipal Holocaust Remembrance Day, in the longest sustained public protest by residential school survivors in Canadian history. Or~anized by a local urban aboriginal group, the gathering spanned three full days during the Easter weekend, from April 14 to 16, and was ten times the size of last year's protest. Nearly one hun­dred people braved the rain and verbal assaults of church officials to ask a simple question to the Catholic, Anglican and United Churches of Canada: Where are the remains of more than 50,000 chil­dren who died in Indian Residential Schools?

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The churches that are responsible for their deaths have grotesquely refused to answer this question

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ever since it was frrst presented to them a year ago, and their criminal silence continued at this year's gathering. Church members and clergy alike scurried past the mostly aboriginal protestors or tried to sneak into their churches through back entrances. The only comment from church people came in the form of threats and insults to the protestors, like "You should all be locked up!" and "Get away from here!". One man at the Holy Rosary church made his 1

hand into the shape of a gun and pointed it at elder Dolly Pratt, just moments before his companion spat in the face of survivor Rick Lavallie as he stood qui­etly holding a sign ·saying "Where are the bodies?".· As Rita, a residential school survivor, commented, ''The same kind of hatred we went through in the school is here today in these church people. It's never stopped"

In contrast, the response of passersby was almost unanimously positive and supportive. Over twelve hundred leaflets were distributed by protestors, and only ~o copies ended up on the sidewalk. Even a policeman commented, "You guys keep this up. It's a good cause". Dozens of people stopped to join the protest or share in the free soup offered by the or­ganizers, and a homeless man nanied Miguel even gave me his umbrella to shield the leaflets I was distributing from the rain.

Since the gathering was aimed at all three of the churches that ran the Indian residential schools, the protestors conducted a mobile picket of the largest downtown catherals of the Catholic, Anglican and United churches. Aided by an imposing prop - a twelve foot-high cross regaled with the inscription "Cops plus priests equals evil" and ''Aboriginal Holocaust Remembrance Day" - the protestors drummed and sang as they distributed a "Pastoral Letter" to members of the churches. The letter was an appeal to the heart and a call for the churches to abide by their own beliefs and help aboriginal chil­dren receive a proper burial. Having attended both years' gatherings, it's apparent

to me how much angrier and more confident abo­riginal protestors are becoming, and how more seri­ously they are being taken by the general public. In a kind of resurrection miracle, men and women once crushed by their torture and incapable of speaking of the residential school crimes were able this Easter to finally name and face down their abusers, and call for justice.

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I will never forget the sight of a young aboriginal man standing fearlessly in front of a hundred angry Catholic church members and singing one of his family's ancestral songs as he invoked the memory of his dead father. That kind of courage stands in glowing contrast to the pathetic fear and evasion being displayed by the leaders and clergy of the churches that once so confidently tortured and killed aboriginal kids.

That contrast is being revealed to growing num­bers of Canadians, and to the world, the more that residential school survivors speak out and act out publicly. It was an honour for me to stand in the ranks of so many brave warriors, who are helping to rip away the mask of deception surrounding the "wolves in sheeps' clothing" churches that have done so much murder in the name of their "Prince of Peace". Perhaps that is ·the deeper purpose behind what we did last weekend.

This movement will continue, for it is spreading. The same weekend that we gathered, aboriginal pro­testors in Winnipeg, Prince Albert and Montreal rallied outside and even occupied churches to call for a return of the murdered residential school chil­dren. The government and churches may continue to evade and deny, but they have lost any moral credi­bility or initiative; that now lies in the hands of the once-victimized aboriginal people. ''I used to be a victim; now I'm a threat/" exclaimed

elder Harriett Nahanee to our gathering. May such a transformation touch each one of us. And may the spirit of the disappeared children continue to make us restless for justice and pushed by that fervour into the streets.

Kevin Annett (Eagle Strong Voice)

Council of Canadians joins Alberta communities to defend fresh water

:'midst g~o~ring concerns about freshwater scarcity m the Pratnes, the Council of Canadians' national water campaigner, Susan Howatt, will be touring Alberta and Saskatchewan to speak to local activists about water stewardship in Canada. "In Canada, there is no national strategy to address

urgent water issues and no government leadership to conserve and protect our water," says Howatt. ' 'The Federal Water Policy is over 20 years old and badly outdated. There is a growing list of crises facing our fresh water, including contamination, shortages and pressure to export water to the Unjted States through pipelines and diversions." Lyn Gorman, the Council of Canadians ' regional organizer for the Prairies, says the growing indus­trial and agricultural use of water in the region is unsustainable. " N full cumulative environmental impact assessment has been conducted to evaluate the impacts of current and proposed industrial activ­ity," says Gorman. "In the meantime, the expansion of Alberta's industrial heartland, the development of oil sands in both Saskatchewan and Alberta, and the drilling of coal bed methane wells will have detri­mental impacts on freshwater sources in the Prai­ries."Despite this, the Alberta govenltnent's provin­cial policy framework on water management docs not safeguard against de-regulation of the industrial use of water. Susan Howatt will hear from local communities about the growing concern to protect fresh water from industrial pollution and corporate control in Alberta and Saskatchewan. The Council of Canadi­ans is calling for a national water policy that wi11 address these urgent issues.

For more information, please contact: Meera Karunananthan, Media Officer, Council of Canadians : 613.233.4487 ext 234, 613.795.8685 (cell);

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Norma Jean Baptiste :.,( , . ;-

Volunteer ofthe Year

-I honour my adult babes Sheri, Jordan, Sherman, Ste­phen Shane, and Sheena; -I honour my angelic grand­children Brandon, Anthoi1y & Emily .. a new ba~y in Aug.!; -I honour my family: Doreen, Rocky, Helen, John & Lori;. -1 thank the volunteer coordi­nators Colleen and Sindy; -I thank the Seniors coffee sellers and Marlene Trick; -I thank the Lane Level and 2nd floor Reception; -1 thank the Carnegie staff, Security, front desk, kitchen, BSWs and Newsletter, -Pool room, Weight rpom, Learning Centre & Computers; -NA, AA meetings, Harbour Light recovery, foodlines -The Aboriginal Front Door;

"God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can,

and wisdom to know the difference."

I thank all Downtown Eastside residents who I proudly serve coffee to and who use the free phone.

-I honour Telkwa BC. It is my place of birth and the land where I grew up. I gratefully accept this award. Thanks to those who nominated me. I have love, honour, respect and compassion for all walks of life. I have pride and am living a clean, sober and positive life! · · -

"In the wondrously beautiful month of May----" and so goes the opening of Robert Schumann's great song cycle, the Dichterliebe ( A Poet's Love).

Join Cliff Ridley, baritone and Danielle Marcinek, piano for a performance of this work along with a fiery set of Argentinian Dances for piano by Alberto Ginestera and a little triptych of French songs by Gabriel Faure, Poeme D'un Jour (Poem of a Day) .

Friday May 12th at Jpm Carnegi.e Theatre ~~~~~- ,-·-_--,_-~-~~=~--~~~~-~-~------~

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The Fifth Noble Truth: Stay Alive

Increasing violence in southern Thailand has put Buddhist monks in peril. In response, several creative entrepreneurs have invented devices to keep them out of harm 's way, reports the blog "Eyeteeth" (Oct. 14, 2005). "Monkmobiles" - bulletproof motorcycle sidecars with special windows for receiving alms - and saffron-coloured bulletproof vests are some of the inventions meant to keep the monks safe in unsafe territory.

Did you graduate at Carnegie today?

Harold Asham was emcee of the Graduation party for Capitano College students at Carnegie Commu­nity Centre on Wednesday April 19. Bannock, Quiche, coffee, and juice and were served. After lunch 18 Students received their Certificates

of Completion in First Nations Journeys and Suc­cess Skills for Lifelong Learning courses. Les Nelson, Elaine Woodhall and Mike Read read

stories they composed for the Lifelong Learning course .. Sue Blue demonstrated Drum Making and Dream Catchers that she constructed to learn First Nation practices.

Students of The First Nations Journeys class par­ticipated in 5 field trips. Pictures of the trips are available on computers in the Learning Center on the 3 rd floor of Carnegie Community Centre.

Carnegie Community Centre is celebrating Volun­t~r Appreciation Week and Lucy Alderson recog­nized tutors for their help in keeping the Learning Center open. Lucy gave special recognition to two tutors: frrst was in memory of Joe Ray and second to Paul Cartewho will return when he recovers from his accident. The next enrollment will begin for classes in September 2006.

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Unforgetting 13 or what I got from one year of University.

As I sit here wondering what I might contribute to the Yearbook, I can' t help but look back on the past year and try to figure out what I got out of it and if it was worth the year (8 months) of my life. It has been quite an adventure to come to university at this time in my life. I have an urge to learn more and even a feeling that I would like to instruct others.

First I would like to thank all of those involved in HumlOl. From the coordinators to the mentors, in­structors and tutors, everyone did an exceptional job and made the year very exciting and enjoyable. I had my doubts when the year started but after the first night I could see that this course was gonna be spe­cial. The instructors were all volunteers and that meant they were there because they enjoyed what they were doing. Not an unusual situation, but I think one that is sometimes hard to find in a school­room setting. I knew we would have some very in­teresting evenings as long as the Profs were enjoying themselves and us as students. It's a pleasure to Jearn when everyone is so damned nice. They had to be because I woulda run out if they weren' t. The very first prof we had, Ana Harland, taught us criti­cal thinking and from then on I was captured in the web of learning again. One of her philosophies is "Truth is Relative". Another one "Pursue Truth and Wisdom. Let the fruits of Philosophy transform you".

One of the classes I took early in the year, Philoso­phy, with Jonathan Wender, who told us what Plato had said, something about how we are born with knowledge and as we go through life we, by learn­ing, bring this knowledge to the forefront of our consciousness. I believe this to be true. Our ances­tors learnt things and these things are infused in the genes that they pass on to us. We aren' t really learn­ing them for the first time, we are just remembering or un-forgetting (anamnesis) them. "Your soul, your desire to learn, pulls you to the truth." "A just soul has understanding of the truth." What else did I learn this year. University sure is a

lot of reading. I mean we get things to read about the things we have to read. It sure is intense and I'm sure if I was a student of this or any university then my life would really be crammed with reading and homework.

From Nicola we learnt the 7 Elements of Literature. We also read and discussed 2 interesting stories, "Pure Evil " and "The Painted door". Arthur Allen took us on a walking tour of downtown and then taught us something about Architecture.

Margot of" Semiotics" showed us that we are part of many cultures, sub-cultures and counter cultures. From Tomasz we learnt about Media Studies. Mich­ele taught about "Transformation" in children's lit­erature, another very interesting subject. Then Gen­der Studies with Chris was very interesting and in­formative. We also saw a feminist movie or maybe I should say a male bashing movie called "Tough Guise". The next week we had a couple of nights to spend at the UBC Asian Centre where we were en­ticed by a very smooth operating organization. Mi­chael lectured us on the US war machine but then we got to read the book and see the movie " Jar­head". I didn' t like either but it was a learning ex­perience. Mr. Cousland gave us some good lectures on the Dead Sea Scrolls and their impact on Christi­anity. I guess it fit in with the season as we were nearing our Christmas break.

I guess I should start a new paragraph to devote to our second half. Sarah gave us a couple of good readings, one on Earl Shorris and another by Paulo Friere. I apologize for not doing my homework but I had a family crisis at the time. I guess I coulda still done it but by the time I got back into class it was almost a month later and I missed all the 6 classes of First Nations Studies. Other classmates told me that it was a pretty interesting study. Maybe I'll go back next year for the classes I missed. The timing was fantastic for our next topic, which was Political Sci-

.. ence at about the time we had our national election. Gerald did an excellent job of keeping us interested. Christopher made a kinda boring subject LAW come alive in our minds and I think that this was one of

the livelier class discussions, although all the class discussions were pretty good. Next Lorraine came in and allowed us to learn about Social Theory and Censorship. "Truth is produced, is constructed as though it is essential." " Power is the ability to cause circumstances to affect your world".

A local famous person, Bruce Alexander came to delve into our minds on the subject of"Addiction". So tell me what is your addiction? Is it work or play or anything else that you think you need in your life? One of the defmitions of addiction is " the brains need for sustenance of a particular kind. It causes euphoria in the brain." Lou Parsons came in and gave us 2 good nights of Urban Planning. He is a former graduate of Humanities 10 1 and this was his first teaching assignment. I think he did a very good job and he gave us a, I think, presently relevant read­ing by Jane Jacobs. She wrote the thing in the early sixties and it is more relevant today then it was back j then. At least I think it is. Sally gave a brief history of politics and Geography. Then she made us walk ~ about False Creek. It was cold and wet but it was fun?? Karen, a Capilano College Prof., came in and renewed our interest in economics. She sure knows her stuff. Our final class of the year was Psychol-ogy. I asked what psychology was and was told that it is everything including the kitchen sink. Our classes were about vision and the seeing brain very interesting and a great way to end the year. He had us all sitting on the edges of our chairs. He made us sit up and take notice.

Thanks Jim and thanks to all the professors of HumlOl. I had a great year and I wouldn't take it back for anything. All the tutors did an especially good job. Thanks and I have a big thank-you to Davis and Maureen for their mentoring abilities. I would really like to send a special thanks to Peter, Stephanie and Brianna for all the help and encour­agement they supplied throughout the year. The cof­fee and cookies were pretty damn good each and every night. I'm glad you had the patience and per­severance to make it through the whole year. I wish all of you - students, teachers, tutors, staff and men­tors all the best in your future endeavours.

Well there it is people. One year of University in a couple of sentences. I know I can't really give it jus­tice unless I write a book but it should stir your imagination a bit. hal

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I For more information call 1-800-862-6381 I I-- --- --- ---- - ----- -- ---Max, they can not stop the spring!

This is just a story of science fiction .. or maybe not? They called him "A one man band". He was to be seen walking on Hastings, between Cambie and Princess. Sometimes on Cordova, sometimes on PowelL .. but in reality he never was a believer ... in boundaries. Destiny placed him here, in the heart of the city. Some said he was seventy, some others said in his late eighties ... it was hard to tell. Many be­lieved he was Hungarian or Czech, some others said he was Jewish, but many bet he was Arab, though he was fluent in German, Italian and Portuguese ... who cares. But for his friends, he was simply "Max". One of the UBC students in "our bunker" swears he once saw him solving a highly complex problem of Alge­bra for some high school students. Mikhail "the Rus­sian" said that Max was a scientist in Krakow -a PhD; but Pierre "the Quebecois" said Max used to play the guitar with Django Reinhart and Duke El­lington. One of the Sisters of Mercy, says one day she saw, in Max's little bag, his picture -maybe when he was flfteen or so- wearing the banner of the French resistance with a submachine gun in his hands (Yes, when you are fighting invaders, tortur­ers or guys who use concentration camps and cham-

hers of gas, all sort of oppressors, you are not an insurgent, but a member of The Resistance). Dusko "the Serbian" told me he saw how Max agreed to a draw with Bobby Fisher, one dark night near Blood Alley at Gastown in an incredible chess match -not ever to be seen on TV. And my friend Poncho -from Chiapas- said he saw Max playing for Milano Foot­ball Club in The Azteca Stadium, back in 1966. Also, Maureen told me that one night in 1980 at the Balmoral, a very old man, -a descendant of Bill Min­ner's guards- told Max about a map of Karnloops, where one haul was hidden.

Who was Max? Hard to tell, but furthermore, who cares? Max was Max, totally lucid in his madness. Was he mad? Not at all. Just lucid in his madness. At the reading room, my friend Scandinavian good friend Bjorn, told me he had seen how Max was reading books in many languages, some in ancient Mandarin.

Lately Max spent entire weeks without talking, sometimes sitting totally idle at the third floor, lis­tening how Mike was brilliantly playing the guitar. No one knows for sure how Max got that "factory of bubbles", some said a Child gave him one day last summer, near "four comers", but after careful re­hearsals he quickly became an extreme expertise

creating soap bubbles, for his own delight and hap­piness of the neighbors.

The day fmally came when Max was evicted 'cause someone had change the authorized use of the room Max shared with Marc and Peter - two other senior residents. He rejected totally the alternative of going to a shelter. So on that day, with his eyes on the sea and the stars Max came to Pigeon Park and he ' . opened some empty boxes and started creating bub-bles . . . the most beautiful bubbles! All shapes and colors: birds, flowers, read hearts ... people arow1d were amused by Max's Art. A police car stopped suddenly and contemplated the possibility to arrest

·Max for scandal on the public way, but they left for unknown reasons. One tourist was so impress and delighted by the free show that she even filmed it entirely, until the moment Max collapsed. He was pronounced dead at the scene by the para­

medics: a massive brain stroke, they said ... an . aneurism exploded, and in the fraction of a second, Max took off, for the stars and beyond. Free as a bird. No more phantoms of evictions ...

Who was Max? Where he was from? Who cares! Max was a friend, a good neighbor; a good will per­son among the nations. One day after lunch, Susanne told me that Max frequently quoted Hemingway: "A human being can be destroyed ... but not defeated!"

Eviction -or its sophisticated equivalentof "use " or "ownership " change- is nothing but a blatant de­monstrationof/ cruelty.

Max, they can break your guitar but they can not break your song. As the poets have said: "They may even try to destroy all the flowers, but they can not stop the spring".

Let's denounce all forms of evictions. A toast of coffee for Max! A toast to celebrate color, sound and diversity.

By Jorge Escolan-Suay (Acknowledgments: Vassil, thanks for the co !foe. Paolo, thanks for your song)

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' .J. .. • • I I • :U -Dear Mayor and Councillors,

The Carnegie Community Action Project is a project of the Carnegie Community Centre Association and accountable to the approximately 5000 members of the Carnegie Community Centre Association. We are alarmed about the impact of certain City of

Vancouver and Vancouver Agreement policies and programs that seem to be implemented in secr~y and without any consultation with the actual rest­dents mvolved. All too often, we only learn about them afterwards, through the media.

Project Haven is a recent example. From what we can tell, Project Haven, Phase II, is a project spon­sored by the Vancouver Agreement, where police, fire, and city inspectors are going through 54 hotels and rooming houses in our neighbourhood to inspect for health, safety, and criminal activity. While we need maintenance and other standards enforced in our community, we do not need buildings closed and tenants thrown out. Already the Pender Hotel (36 units) and Bums Block (18 units) have been closed. The Lucky Lodge (48 units) is scheduled for a busi­ness license hearing on May 2 and the Astoria Hotel (84 units) is due for a business license hearing that has not yet been scheduled. This means a total of 186 units and the residents who live in them are in jeopardy. We have no list of which places are tar-geted, no idea how many have been inspected, and no idea how many more will be closed. Neighbour­hood residents have not been consulted or informed about what is happening.

The CCAP completely agrees that SROs should be maintained in safe, clean and secure conditions. However, cracking down on SROs is only one half of a plan. The other half should be enforcing the Standards of Maintenance Bylaw by having the city do the work when landlords refuse, and implement­ing c!ty council's policy, since 1991, of replacing lost SROs 1 for 1 with new social housing. Unless this half is implemented Vancouver will have many

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more homeless people, and evicted residents will suffer needlessly. There is a range of actions the City could imple­

ment now to mitigate this suffering. In the Down­town Eastside Housing Plan and Homeless Action Plan, Cowtcil agreed to numerous recommendations to maintain SROs and replace those that are closed with new social housing. Some of these include: . Buying one building per year. No building was bought last year and none has been bought tllis year and it is April already. . Lobbying federal and provincial governments for money to build social housing. If this has been happening, it's not very visible. . Lobbying the province for higher welfare rates and an end to the barriers that keep people in need from accessing welfare. With higher welfare rates residents would be able to pay higher rents and support local retailers and landlords would have more money to upgrade buildings. The upcoming ,

~ UBCM convention would be an ideal place to make this point in unison with other councils.

The planning department has also been involved in a model of dealing with proper management at the Avalon and Silver Hotels. In this project, a building management course for hotel employees is coupled with RRAP grants and an agreement by the owner not to raise rents for 20 years. The city also has section 23.8 of the Standards of

Maintenance bylaw which allows the city to do re-' . pair and maintenance work in substandard rooming

houses when the owner refuses to. Although the city legal department is reluctant to use this section of the bylaw, people we talk to believe it can be used to maintain minimum standards.

Tite city could also build another building in the Downtown Eastside with the $12.4 million for hous­ing that was approved by voters in last year's

1 Capital Plan--yet no new building has been started. , The province has announced that it will be using

rent supplements instead of building new social housing. The city should tell them that rent supple­ments won't help people in the Downtown Eastside. Health and safety standards should be maintained in

SROs with ongoing inspections and ongoing en­forcement. When owners refuse to meet minimum standards, the city should do the work and charge

the owner. If management is a problem, the city · should implement its plan for management training. City Council should instruct staff to take these pro­active measures now. The province should also be told to restore the earn­ings exemption for all people on welfare, not just people with disabilities. So long as employees on welfare are not allowed to keep even one cent of their earnings, the only way they can get extra money is "under the table" or through illegal or questionable means. BC is the only province in Canada that does not have an earning exemption for people on welfare who are not disabled. This fact could be contributing to the criminalization of ·people in the Downtown Eastside as they strive to survive on $510 per month which everyone knows is not enough to pay for safe housing and nutritjous food.

We believe it is irresponsible to push one element of a plan (enforcing maintenance standards and deal­ing with criminal activity) without implementing the other element (building replacement housing).

One problem may be that people in the Vancouver Agreement or some of its partners do not agree with the 1 for 1 replacement goal that has been a Council priority since 1991. Some are saying that there is too much social housing in the Downtown Eastside. And Vancouver Agreement documents talk about giving people so-called "choices" of housing throughout the city. But the Downtown Eastside does not have too much social housing. Of the low income housing in the Downtown Eastside, about half is social hous­ing. This is the best housing in the neighbourhood. For the most part the privately owned SROs are the worst housing. Social housing gives residents secu­rity of tenure. Often it is the best housing they have even lived in. It gives them a secure base from which to contribute to their community as many of them do. We urge you to vigorously pursue these alternatives and to convince the Vancouver Agreement to be­come more transparent in its activities. If you have any questions or comments, please don't hesitate to get in touch with me at 604 729-2340, or 298-1614.

Yours truly, Jean Swanson, coordinator

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A Homeless Girl

A little figure sleeps on the steps of a building Like a discarded bundle in dirty wrapping, How old can she be? My own daughter, years ago, curled up in her bed, In clean sheets and wann blankets, Trustingly, peacefully and happily. The same posture of this small girl

brings tears to my eyes.

I used to place my hand softly on my daughter ' s little head,

Praying for her future, choking with Jove for her. Here sleeps this strange girl, alone and yet quietly. What does she dream of? Have her dreams any colours? Or is her mind blank and desolate

like a desert that stretches without end?

I want to place my hand upon her head, As I used to do to my daughter, and tell her that I love her. With aching heart I call on God.

Miriam M. Batts (Reprinted from The Street)

The Stranger In A Garbage Can

Jean and I were walking at Spanish Banks one fine rooming with the sea sighing softly and the moun­tains watching us like old friends. Down the path

was a garbage can, one of many used to collect the left-overs from numerous picnics.

As we approached the garbage can, a paper plate came flying out of it and rolled on the grass. We

stopped in surprise, and saw another paper plate sail into the air, do a graceful loop, and land a few feet

from the container. " Someone is binning this morning," I said. " He's

looking for a treasure where others see only trash." " He's trying to make some money so he won't

starve," Jean said, "and he must be very small to fit in that garbage can."

" Maybe he' s a child who got left behind after a pic­nic," I said.

" Maybe," Jean replied. We were about twenty feet from the garbage can, and we stopped to consider

the situation.

"A small bear could be in there,'' Jean said. "Bears don' t come to Spanish Banks," I replied.

"Yes they do," Jean said. " I heard that a bear tried to register in the Humanities 10 I course at UBC." Another paper plate flew out of the garbage can, along with a plastic fork and half a hamburger.

"Maybe he's a coyote," I said. "Coyotes live all over Vancouver."

" I think coyotes would push the garbage can over," Jean said.

Another paper cup, a paper towel, and a baby' s toy rattle shot over the edge of the container.

" A raccoon! That' s it. There' s a raccoon in that gar­bage can," I exclaimed.

"Good guess," Jean said. " Let's be careful because raccoons can be quite fierce."

We had moved closer to the garbage can, and we could hear something moving around inside it. That

noise had our full attention, and we were ready to back off should the creature in the can prove to be dangerous. A slice of pizza erupted out of the gar­bage can. Then silence. We waited in this ominous

silence with a mixture of fear and curiosity. Slowly a black, feathered head, with black beak and

eyes dark as midnight, appeared above the rim of the garbage can.

"A crow," Jean said in surprise. " The mother of all binners," I said.

The crow hopped up on the garbage can rim, and eyed us defiantly.

" He looks like a general defending his territory," Jean whispered.

" He sees us as a nuisance, not as a threat," I said. The crow dropped to the ground. He strutted among the delicacies he had rescued like a king among his

treasures. He took his time. He was completely aware of where he was, and where we were.

" Black-robed priest," Jean said. " Or black-robed gangster," I added. ·

"They stick together. They support each other," Jean said. "They do," I agreed. "They have much to teach

us about survival." The crow picked up a chunk of hamburger bun,

gave us a dismissive look, and flew away. We were left behind at Spanish Banks beside the garbage can.

" If we could see crows as crows really are," Jean said. "That could take a lifetime," I said.

Sandy Cameron

A FAILED SOCIAL EXPERIMENT .

We will be ovettun, for we have neither the energy nor the belief that we have the power to keep our community intact. I had that faith, but only for a moment. It's happening suddenly, those bastards in council, greedy and jobs-for-the-boys MLA's, they've sold us out. We're told it was a ' failed social experiment': Tell me, what power gave a shit before the Olympic bid, they have been dreaming of just such a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, while they allowed the decline of our places of residence,

j boarding up when told they'd have to make our rooms liveable. All over the signs are visible, per­mits have been applied for (and approved), folks are out on their asses, so many more to come: told they should become part of the larger community - the • places where we came from, [with] those who showed us we didn't belong; not to mention those who were raised here, their own community will no longer be theirs. I wouldn't suggest that we are entitled to our own

neighbourhood, but there really is so much space, surely those who desire wealth can give up this little hole in a vast city like ours. This is an opportunity for this city to show its hu­

manity and selflessness to the world: and those who have fallen through the [crack] in democracy, and become a false [errant] statistic of capitalism. With the assistance of various governmental agen­

cies, charities, philanthropic organizations and co cemed individuals, we have built a community.

Community: a group of people with a common char­acteristic or interest living together within a larger society (2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.)

Sharing, participation, and fellowship. {The American Heritage@Dictionaryofthe English Language, 4th ed)

This tells them who we are and what we can, and a wonderful number are, doing. What's left out of · these definitions is any judgement. If you are able to leave out any judgement,???? The day I finally ventured from my room, I stepped

off a sidewalk and came upon the people who [showed] me a community. The stairs were broad, for the welcome is wide.

Matthew

How many drinking places does the Downtown Eastside have?

Here's a good question: How many legal places are there in the Downtown Eastside where you can buy alcohol to drink? Guess!

Why does the answer to this question matter? Well, the people who are proposing to build a Whitecaps soccer stadium next to our neighbour­hood say that we qon't have to worry about the be­havior of soccer fans in our community before and after games. We don't have any problems at Swan­gard Stadium, they say. But how many liquor out­lets surround Swangard? · We already know from listening to sports talk ra­dio and checking out the Southsiders' blog on the intetnet that some soccer fans are disgusting poor bashers and bashers of the Downtown Eastside neighbourhood.

According to the city's 2004 Downtown Eastside Community Monitoring Report, there are 45liquor licensed premises accounting for 8225 seats in the Downtown Eastside. The report also says that the city has set a goal of reducing the total number of licensed seats in the area. Yet the Whitecaps plan to serve booze at their events.

Poor-bashing and neighbourhood bashing fans plus 8225 licensed liquor seats could equal a very toxic mix of drunken stadium fans getting rowdy in our neighbourhood, harassing local low income resi- , dents or who knows what else. It's another reason to say "no" to the Whitecaps stadium at the location proposed just over the tracks north of Gastown.

--Jean Swanson (CCAP)

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News from the Library New Books:

Ramblin, Man: The Life and Tunes of Wood:Y Guthrie by Ed Cray (781.57) is a thorough, honest and sympathetic look at the folk singer and political · activist. Cray packs the book full of information he gained from access to the Woody Guthrie archives.

Can' t find the off switch? Never sent an e-mail? No idea how to find information on the Interent? In It'~ Never Too Late to Love a Computer (004.16), Abby Stokes presentS a simple, easy-to-use guide "for late bloomers, older newbies & technophobes." It' s even printed in larger prip.t, for those whose eye­sight isn't what it once was. Bipolar Disorder Demystif~ed, by Lana R Castle (616.89) is a useful guide written by someone who has lived with depression and bipolar disorder_ for over forty years. Letters to a Young Artist by Anna Deavere Smith (70 1.15) is a series of letters to an imaginary friend just starting out in the Arts. The letters address ques­tions of confidence, discipline, fame, failure and fear.

also have a couple of beautiful First Nations art books: The Magic Leaves: A ITIStory of Haida Ar­gillite Ca'I'Ving by Peter L Macnair and Alan L Hoover (709.71) and Not'Val Mo"ls$eau: Retum to the House of Jnwmtion (759;21). Look fur these and other First Nations art books in our First Nations collection, just to the left of the library desk. Did you know that we have a list of our First Nations books & authors? So if you're looking for something specific, just ask!

Beth, your librarian

Review a Book & Win a Prize! Want to tell everyone about a book you've read? Did you hate it? Love it? Did it live up to the hype?

This is your chance to VENTI Fill in a book review form at the library and we'll

put it on our Book Review Board. An not only do you get to share your opinions with everyone at Car­negie, but each mont, we11 draw a name for a great prize. .

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Reader's Bill of Rights

1. The right not to read. 2. The right to skip pages. 3. The right not to finish. 4. The right to re-read. 5. The right to read anything. 6. The right to escapism.

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7. The right to read anywhere. 8. The right to read out loud. 9. The right to browse. ..

PALESTINE, ISRAEL & ME •

May 5th" 7th, 7:30pm Admission by donation Unitarian Church,. 949 W. 49th at Oak Forum Theatre about the struggle for peace and jus­tice in Palestine and Israel, and the effects of that struggle on people and communities in Canada.

Presented by Jews for a Just Peace and the Social Justice Committee of the Unitarian Church of Van­couver, working with Headines Theatre, endorsed by the Canada Palestine Association and the Palestine Community Centre of BC.

For more information: visit www .jewsforajustpeace.com and click the Forum Theatre link, or call604-220-0381

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11th Annual Stone Soup . Festival

'Our ll'h year will feature the theme - •a taste of the drive'. People are more and more aware of social, economic, and environmental benefits of 'local', and the 2006 Stone Soup Festival will feature local . farmers, prepared foods, and crafters, as well as local community groups to educate and engage. We haven't forgotten about · the fun either! As always, there will be live music, storytelling, crafty fun for kids, and of course, a Stone Soup. We invite you to participate in the fun. Saturday 11:30am- 5:00pm May 6th . ·Napier Greenway Britannia

My 2 Homelands

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Join Tuan Luu for the opening reception of his photo exhibit that includes images from his two homelands Vietnam and Canada.

Thursday, May 4th, 1 :00 PM 3rd Floor Art Gallery

Carnegie Community Centre The exhibit can be viewed from May 1st to 31st.

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Every Thursday is Aboriginal Day at Oppenheimer Park

COME AND JOIN US

11:00 am Pow Wow Drumming learn or teach drum songs together

1 :30 pm Bannock Making make bannock to be shared with participants in the afternoon circle

2:30pm Bannock Circle

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share bannock and woodland tea while we do talking circles, crafts and plan trips

Up Coming: We hope to go picking medicines and sage, and go to Pow Wows, Camping and more

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These stories were written by the students in the 2006 class of Success Skills for Lifelong Learning. This is a Capitano College course offered by the Learning Centre for peQple who w~t to improve their reading, writing and learning skills, and perhaps go back to school. If you are interested in taking the course next year, talk to Lucy or Debby in the Learn-

- ing Centre on the third floor. The writers reflect on their experience with the course and also on one of the topics we read about: Black History.

No More Procrastinating Les W. Nelson

I've had the privilege of taking the Success Skills course and I was fascinated by it. So if you are con­sidering educating yourself, I highly recommend any type of course that you like. Furthermore, there are excellent instructors· as well as very good tutors who are willing to help out with whatever they can. I have been going to the Native Education Centre, and I get tutoring at Carnegie that helps me with the courses. .. A mind is a terrible thing to waste." So procrastinate no more - you have all the wisdom and spirituality of knowledge, so you can upgrade.

To Procrastinators Les W. Nelson

PROCRASTINATE no more! Go to the third floor! Don't be surprised Y ou'lllearn more than you already know Betsy and Lucy are the best and so are all the rest.

:My Evaluation of the Success Skills Course Denis LeMaire

As springtime comes around, with a little sunshine in our lives, it comes to mind that in anything you do the most important thing is you and the person help­ing you. Success Skills has been a perfect opportunity for me to gather together subjects that I had left be­hind or that I thought was not worth studying, and itew possibilities that I will now take time to work at during the summer or during my life. Learning is of your own free will.

Strategies, multiple intelligences, methods for study­ing, multiple pathways - altogether a good insight. A rewarding experience with Betsy and everybody .

Life Denis LeMaire

Life awakes Bright eyes Tears fall Rain drops

Moon shadows Sun gleams Stars shine Life goes on!

BLACK HISTORY OF AMERICA

M. McCormack

For the longest time I didn't understand how the cap­tures, shipments and sales of so many people could be made. Through reading books in my late forties I learned about the enormous parties that were thrown in Africa to honour the African tribes' Kings by the whites, and when they had all passed out, they were taken captive, shackled and shanghaied aboard ships that weren't fit to support animals, let alone man. Then they were auctioned off to the highest bidder right off the loading dock in New York and San Francisco, probably the entire world. Once on the plantation they were made to work

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hours so long they dropped in the field, to be whipped and bedded for that night. Waking to a measly bowl of gruel and out to another day of cruel. Though always suffering, the underdog black would

relax (probably Saturday evenings), singing and playing to such with varioll$ instruments. I believe this is how the Underground Railway got

its beginning, to save many a "run away" from death. With Lincoln's reprieve they started heading north and south to Jamaica and other parts of the West In­dies. This also started the Civil War. When that mess cleared, the blacks could only get the most menial of tasks. The men and women got to the Mississippi area. Thus the roots of the Cajon Gospel and Night­time jazz were born. These people were now new stronger natives, and soon learned how to use the whites' 'Yeapons against them. Reading about Arkansas and Alabama was when I

realized there.was a difficulty between the people of the south, and didn't re~y believe until the assassi­nation of Martin Luther King.

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Somewhere the US Constitution says all men are to be treated equal no matter what colour, race or creed. The ·history stands something like that too. Should have been a lot better, but in my heart I feel even today there is still racial prejudice. Today when I watch the civilized law move, even

here in Vancouver, I hope to Christ that with time, knowledge, and education this cancerous racism may be stopped with all races of the world. And through knowledge, we the living could help

the entire life of all human beings become better.

BC Libs guilty of bad child welfare

Last year, battered by months of bad press and • endless BC NDP attacks, the BC Liberal govern­

ment created an inquiry into the functioning of the Ministry of Children and Family Development, now headed by Stan Hagan. The head of the investiga­tion, Ted Hughes, is a former ethics commissioner, who, 15 years ago, forced then-Premier Bill Vander Zalm to resign several hours after delivering a dif­ferent report investigating the wrongdoings of Vander Zalm' s government.

The venerable Hughes presented his 172 page re­port on April 7, roundly condemning the BC Liberal government and Premier Gordon Campbell for their mishandling of the ministry by forcing it to undergo massive budget cuts and at the same time to absorb reorganization costs.

Said Hughes bluntly of Campbell's denial that funding cutbacks were the cause of the misfortunes of the ministry, "He was wrong."

Wrote Vaughn Palmer, columnist for The Vancou­ver Sun, on April 8, " 'It is commonly understood that organizational change costs money, ' [Hughes] wrote, as if addressing an administration of dolts, as maybe he was" (thereby proving once again that Palmer can go after the BC Liberals just as fiercely as he did after the BC NDP when they were in power). Additional note: Hughes suggested to jour­nalists that they be "shit disturbers" in making sure his report was taken seriously.

The report made 62 recommendations, which Min­ister Hagan said later would all be adopted. The BC

NDP has stated it will cooperate with the BC Libs in every way possible to see that the report is imple­mented.

Getting tired of more-than-slightly-creepy neo-con politicians like Mayer Sam Sullivan, Premier · Gordon Campbell, Prime Minister Stephen Harper, and US President George W. Bush? You're not alone. I am, too. Why would I call Sam Sullivan slightly creepy? I don't know how else to describe someone who would slaver at the chance of throw­ing a two-week long party for the rich in 2010 at taxpayers' expense, while at the same time cutting back the social housing that would result from said event. Anyway, there' s more than just that reason to call him that.

On the same day that Hughes released his report­several hours before, in fact- the Sullivan-led, NPA-dominated City Council voted to axe the Van­couver Child and Youth Advocate Sheila Davidson, not even giving her notice throwing her out on the same day. Said Davidson, "The mayor says we do services, we don't do advocacy. But I think that the advocacy brings another perspective" to govern­ment. Particularly where the government's perspec­tive has gone so spectacularly wrong, I think.

But there's another issue below all this which is eating at me. Like Globe and Mail columnist Rick Salutin wrote one time of child poverty, "What are the parents, debris?" And my question is similar: Why is it right to give so much attention to child welfare, and yet not care a whit about adult welfare recipients?

The abysmal state of welfare policies in BC is well known. The average recipient is lucky to have $125 to spend on themself for the month, let alone obey the government requirement to in addition to pay­ing for food, transportation, communication, daily upkeep look for work, too. And that's if the re­cipient is even lucky (?) enough to get welfare in the frrst place. .

There is a campaign on now to raise the welfare rates 8nd change welfare policy into something less inhumane. The campaign is on from now until the provincial budget of2007. If you want to partici- . pate, or contribute ideas, or help somehow, contact Jean Swanson at The Carnegie Centre. Here's hop­ing the campaign is a success!

By Rolf Auer

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If s fwmy how so much information can be avail­able, yet 98 (well, let's say 95) percent is from the same point of view and that its basic ideology is be­hind in and ahead of almost everything that is

' deemed worthy of reporting, writing and talking about. · The disparity between those who have and the rest

of us is addressed as solvable or made palatable just by tweaking the elite capitalist system causing. such. Headlines or partisan reporting can fill many heads

with the illusion or delusion that something major is 'in the works', that 'things are turning out as nice people should hope', or most starkly 'there is no alternative'.

Remember that the victors write history books, decide what, if any, story/legend/myth carries on and how. With the speed of technology it becomes dis­turbing to see stories re-written on a daily basis, changing a premise, deleting words or adding phrases not present or inherent in the original.

It is mostly accomplished by a highly ~ophisticated system and network that has been functioning on a global level for decades. There are entire divisions of front-running governments and corporations that deal with propaganda, know how to influence and destabilize many sections and interests in our com­munity and society. There are many companies whose sole purpose and business is to break unions,

. stall or stop political movements and eradicate fi­nancial and supportive interests.

If s the wall that always seems to come up. A long time ago (20 years .. ) Tora did a Downtown Eastside ~·:

cartoon that just said, "Why can't they ever get it right?" The Woodwards development is a telling example, in that the hoped for social housing (both there and on South False Creek) are under a con­certed effort to diminish and/or eliminate. What is built very likely won' t house anyone who partici­pated in the months' -long squat; all housing starts are of the condo variety with hefty tags and much of the boarded up and empty space so visible will not rent to or be used by low-income ventures or ser­vices for current residents. The poor are generally seen as docile or finally defeated by money, money and more money. Stories are biased and very off-the-wall when it

comes to how much spin is put on conditions or pro­grams or events to make those most generally mar­ginal and/or despised - poor, single or single-parent families, anyone whose presence is unacceptable by dint of their race, creed, skin colour, sexual orienta­tion, economic situation, mental health and hopes -be portrayed as part of the problem - against mom, apple pie and the consumer way. "Everything is for sale in this community'' but any

desire for balance or just to be included as a stake­holder is not, apparently, even on the table of those making decisions. Right now, begun several months ago, both the police and fire departments are being used to spearhead a drive dressed in realistic sound­ing reasoning, that involves visiting and inspecting over 50 hotels in the area with a stated purpose to shut those deemed not habitable, not up to code (fire or building) or, apparently, too much trouble to make right. On the surface this is perfectly plausi­ble, except that no thought is being e~pressed that recognises the obvious consequences. There are rules, regulations and bylaws that, if a

new " immediate remedy" article was added, could deal with the lack of alternatives. Putting people on the streets - evicted 'for neutral reasons' - is the fttst step to making homelessness a crime ... or just an inevitable consequence of "progress".

Question everything and always ask "Who or what will this - whatever- serveT'

ByPAULR TAYLOR ·

DOWNTOWN. EASTSIDE YOUTII ACTIVITIES SOCIETY 49 W .Cordova 604-251-3310

FREE - Donaliona eccepted.

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NEWSLETTER THIS NEWSLEITER IS A PUBLICATION OF THE

CARNEGIE COMMUNITY CENTRE ASSOCIATION Artklca represent the views of individual oontributon and not of the Associati<n

Editor: PauiR Taylor; layout by Diane Wood. Cover art by Randy Mcivor

Submission Deadline fnr nPrl i~~, .. ~

DEY AS Needle Exchange Van Schedule Telephone (604) 657-6561 AM Van 7:00am- 5:00pm (on the road 8am-4pm) PM Van 4:00pm- 2:00am (on the road 5pm-lam) 7 Days /Week

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2oo6 ·ooN.A'fioi'is ·Libby o.~st oo aoir A.~$so Barry for Dave McC-$100 Christopher R.-$30 Margaret.D.-$40 Bruce J.-$15 The Edge-$200 Mary C-10$ Penny G.-$50 MP/Jelly Bean -$20 RayCam-30 Janice P.-$30 Wes K.-$ 30 Paddy -$60 Glen B.-$25 John S.-$60 Leslie S.-$20 Wm.B -$20 Michael C.-$80 HumanitieslOI-$100 Gram -$20 Sheila 8.-$20 Ben C.-$20 Brian $2 CEEDS -$50 Joanne H.-$20 Wilhelmina M.-$5 Anonymous -$

CCJFffi(Q) ll®~o 7IFJMI <C(Q).:,(Q)JP> IR?Jhll»li(\)2 M @ I 8 8 !& i f! I I I I 8

Carn~gie Community C~ntre

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Contributors are not pennittcd to malign or attack or relegate ' any person or group or class, including drug users and poor people. to a level refeued to or 'less than human' .

Working for You

Contact Jenny Wai Ching Kwan

MLA

1070-1641 Commercial Dr VSL JYJ Phone: 775-0790 Fas: 775-0881

Dowotown Eastside Residents Association 12 E. Hastings St, or caii682-09Jt

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SPRING FEVER DANCE ·

FRIDAY MAY 5

WITH DJ MIX AND FRIENDS

Doors Open at 7:00 '• ..

We all live in suspense, from day to day, from hour to hour; in other words, we are the hero of our own story. -Mary McCarthy

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WOMEN'S SEWING CIRCLE WITH DIANE EVERY SAT AY FROM 2:00- 4:00

STARTINGMAY6 .

AT THE DOWNTOWN EASTSIDE WOMEN'S CENTRE 302 COLUMBIA STREET

EMBROIDERY, APPLIQUE, QUILTING, FABRIC ART MATERIALS PROVIDED

·- . " - *"" --.c;. <: 7 "'! rr nobody here but us chicks!' •

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Women's Sewing Circle

For 2 years I have been leading a - a weekly sewing bee Thursday mornings at the Carnegie, which we called the Hen Party ­"nobody here but us chicks". This series of on-going lessons and workshops has produced incredible, unique fabric art. We ended up having 2 exhibitions, as part of the Heart Of The Community Festival in 2004 & 2005, and have sold many pieces. In January and Feb­ruary of the last 2 years we have also held community workshops so everyone could participate in creating the Valentines' Day March Memorial Quilt for our missing and murdered women. The group no longer meets at the Carnegie;

we've "flown the coop" and landed at the Downtown Eastside Women's Centre, with a new time, Saturday afternoons from 2 - 4, for the rest of this year. Everyone is welcome, you don' t even need to know how to sew. The imagination of each artist is given full expression. We often use images found on calendars, shopping bags, newspapers, greeting cards or library books. Diane Wood

A ·coLLABORATIVE APPROACH TO SERVING YOU'I'H AND FAMllJES

IN 'I'HE COMMUNITY

Saturday May 6, 2006, 11 am - 2 pm Strathcona Community Centre

601 Keefer Street

Join us for food & food for thought Childminding available

If you have any questions you can call Karen @ 604-254-6995

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THE ART STUDIO'S Annual Spring Sal~

Ma~ 12'\ 2 - 7pm 2005 E 44t Ave at Victoria

. 604-871-9788

"The Apology Act is designed to promote the early and mutually beneficial resolution of disputes by allowing parties to express honest regret or remorse." B.C Attorney-General Wally Oppal comments on new legisla­tion designed to allow people and organizations to apologize for ba_d behaviour without incurring legal liability.

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SUMMER•s COMING! Time to get in ·SHAPE! Come Play Soccer at

Oppenheimer Park, · 400 Powell, every

Saturday at 11 :OOam! Organized by

t,.e Latin Anierfcan SoCiety In Action (LASIA) In collaboration wfth

Oppenheimer Park

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rate ers '

with the (i)owntown r.East · e Cl'oets

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7:00 m

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401 :Main Street . . . '

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The Pacific Baroque Orchestra presents the last of its concerts in the 2005-2006 season.

"The Young R.omanticsn

is a tribute to youthful genius, featuring music by pre-teen geniuses Mendelssohn and Rossini. Also on the program is the Concerto No. 3 for Guitar and Orchestra by another young star Mauro Giuliani. Giuliani was in his twenties when he took Vienna by storm with his brilliant playing and tuneful virutosic compositions. Guitar soloist in this concert is Ale ander Dunn.

When: Friday, May 5th, 7:30 p.m. (Pre-concert talk at 6:45)

Where: StJames Church at Gore and E Cordova.

Admission is free.

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