AUGUST 15, 2009

carnnews@l'cn.bc.ca www.carnnews.org (373 hits perctay!)

http://hanesters.sru.ca/chodarr (INDEX)

Disordered Brilliance We can curb the dark s ide of genius, but should we?

Imagine yourself the chief curator of a futurist ic museum of brai ns, taking a stroll through your col­lection. On your left are row upon row of jars filled with the brains of the bri lliant writers, artists and composers who had bipolar disorder, a genetic illness characterized by alternating states of depression and mania. Sylvia Plath, Walt Whi tman Cole Porter Anne Sexton, Vincent Van Gogh, Gustav Mahle'r, Virginia Wolf, I [cnnann Hesse, Mark Rothko, Mark Twain. Charles Mingus and Georgia O'Keefe. In a smaller bottle are bits of Ernest l-lemmingway"s man­ic-depressive brain- all that"s left after he shot a bul­let through his skull. On your right arc the brains of the obsessive-comp­

ulsives, including many of the world"s great scien­tists. You reach for the one marked Isaac Newton open it, and drag your fingers over his grey-white ' frontal lobes. Might there be remnants of his genius preserved in his neuronal networks - perhaps the time he formulated the law of gravitation or studied the nature of light? Could some of his hatred toward his father and mother be buried within his brain's strata like an ancient ant trapped in amber?

The brain: about a kilogram and a halfofsofl matte3r that can freeze a second of experience forev­er in its cellular connections. Ten billion nerve cells are the architecture of our experience. Recent studies have shown that even human talents are retlected in the brain's structure. As just one exam pi, consider the dendrites - tiny branches that convey signals to nerve cells. It turns out that machinists have more dendrites in certain areas of their brains than sales­people, at least the ones less clever with their hands.

Next to Newton's jar arc the brains of other prom i­nent British scientists: William Harvey, the discover­er of blood circulation, who built dark subterranean chambers to think; Sir Francis Galton, a distinguishd 191h c . . . entury eugcn1c1st, known for his pioneering stud1es of human intell igence, who once resolved to ~aste everything in the hospital pharmacy in alphabet­Ical order. He got as far as C and swallowed castor oil before its laxat ive effects put an end to his gastro­nomical experiments.

You open the jar marked He nry Cavendish and hold his wet brain in your hands. Cavendish was an eminent 181

h Century scientist who made important discoveries in chemistry. electricity and physics, but he was so shy he ordered his female servants to stay out of sight or be fired. And to ensure his privacy, he developed an elaborate communication system of letter boxes and double doors in his house. You poke your finger into his spongy, convoluted

fissures. Cavendish never loved; nor was he fu lly human in many other ways. If a drug could have in­creased his capacity to love and reduced his shy-ness, who knows what experiments he would have fa iled to c~nduct? Instead he could have lived his wealthy l1 fe 111 manta! bliss in a lavish castle with li ttle time or will to carry out demanding, exacting experiments. If Ana.fi'anil, an antidepressant that curbs obsessive­compulsive tendencies, had been available in the 1700s, would the state of modern science be retarded a hundred years? Or would pharmaceutical inhibitors have freed all these geniuses from the prison of their minds, allowing them to soar to new heights? I low will future scienti fic development be affected when the obsessive-compulsive geniuses are el iminated from the world? Will we have made the individual happier at the expense of the planet?

/~~ / .... .... ...... - ~- -.::-~ -- -~- ------- -::::-. /

- --~ ~ ~ .... __ : - - -- ------~ ~------- --~ =IZ----?" -~~~~~~~~~&

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On your way out, you return Cavendish's brain to the shelf, pop a few Anaji-anils into your mouth, and lock the door. On the front of the museum, engraved on an oak plank, is a motto from an obscure 20111 Cen­tury eccentric:

"Blessed arc th e cr acked, For they shall let in the light."

By Cliff Pickovcr (taken from Utne Reader)

fit 's easy to think of all us "mental health consum­ers" and those whose brains were or still are swim­ming with really nifty (dangerous!?) drugs and chem­icals. Our experiments are valuable too. Ed.]

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This is our Learnmg rapponeur, llum. Adrienne wrote 2 line pieces about the Eastside Stories event and an email kerfuffle lost them: they were printed in the last issue but the paiming of the office had her photo in a box. An apology and a buck wi ll get a cup of coffee ... sorry kid!

~

one flaw In Wotnen .::>

Women have strengths that amaze men. They bear hardships and they carry burdens,

but they hold happiness, love and joy.

They smile when they want to scream. They sing when they want to cry.

They cry when they are happy and laugh when they are nervous.

They light for what they believe in. They stand up to injustice.

They don't take "no" for an answer when they believe there is a better solution.

They go without so their family can have. They go to the doctor with a frightened friend.

They love unconditionally. They cry when their children excel

and cheer when their friends get awards.

They are happy when they hear about a birth or a wedding.

Their hearts break when a friend dies. They grieve at the loss of a fami ly member,

yet they are strong when they think there is no strength lefl.

They know that a hug and a kiss can heal a broken hea11.

Women come in all shapes. sizes and colors.

They'll drive. Oy, walk, run or e-mail you to show how much they care about you.

The hean of a woman is what makes the world keep turning.

They bring joy, hope and love. They have compassion and ideas. They give moral suppon to their

fami ly and friends.

Women have vital things to say and everything to give.

IF THERE IS ONE FLAW IN WOMEN, IT IS TIIAT TilEY FORGET TH EIR WORT! I

Signs of the Times

Bud Osborn

across North America hand held pieces of cardboard

crudely lettered or painsrakingly printed

express the lived poetry of poverty

no home no job no money no food and name preventable diseases untreated because of inability to pay for relief or healing

signs

reaching from the Atlantic

to the Pacific

please help God bless you have a good day God bless please help

signs

call to us beg plead pray

for a meagre but heroic response

give to all who ask

but they want my money for alcohol they want my money for drugs

give to all who ask

but there's too many of these signs that disclose and subvert by their very underStatement the social extermination

of human beings

their sheer physical presence their faces their eyes their likeness pierce our entertainments pierce our wasrefulness our priorities

our conscience

a blind man homeless holds a sign and sees through us so deeply and clearly we can't srand it

and demand public space be made private and these living signs driven elsewhere

anywhere nowhere by inore bylaws by more police

these living signs anger they terrify because they refleCt our own possibilities in this anti-human economic sysrem

no food no job no money no home

so we need more zones of exclusion more censorship of human beings who hold these signs of the times

because they hold them for us all

It's the 2Jrd Birthday! With this issue, the Carnegie News/eller has been

alive for twenty-three years. It started out with 12 pages in 60 copies run off on a photocopier upstairs. Right now it's 16-28 pages in 1200 copies but always twice a month, 23 times a year. The first Newsletter Office was a storage closet in the basement. Now the Association Office is the port for both the newsletter and the Carnegie Community Action Project (CCAP) with Wendy Pedersen and Jean Swanson.

Inroads have been made at C ity Hall, with copies going to the Mayor and Council, Central and Social Planning, and several staff people who circulate extra copies as far as they' ll go.

A note to the gentrifiers who' ve got delusions of grandeur: the park at the comer of Carra II & Hastings is Pigeon Park, not Pioneer Place. The people who live in the Downtown Eastside have already named that space. Please remember this if you put up a sign in that park after the tourist-friendly greenway is complete. By the way, the green space on the CPR right-of-way adjacent to the Van Horne building that has been gated off to keep the public out, is in need of a name ....

PauiR Taylor, editor.

MAIN STREET STATION

• storytelling & kids activities each week r-------=~~~~~---. • high quality produce, meat & Cheese Downtown Eastside artists are invited to bring

• ready-to-eat food & coffee their work to Thornton Park at Main & Terminal on Wednesdays between 3 & 7pm (every week!)

• free grocery delivery by The Fanner's Market has agreed to give space for

b. 1 & b k the sale of art by the artist. Bring a couple of pieces ICYC e i e tune-ups of your best work to offer for sale and gather with

U D b•t d fellow artists having a fun afternoon. • Se your e I Car tO Oppenheimer Pa rk Arts Outreach will be provid ing

get Market Money*. the tables. Bring your own lawncha ir & come m ake a few bucks. For more info rmation fo to Oppenheimer

*$2 fee per transaction Outreach on Dunlevy Street.

CARNEGIE COMMUNITY CENTRE ASSOCIATION

• Education I Library Committee meets at 3pm in the Seminar Room on Wednesday. August 19'11

• Seniors Committee meets at 2pm in the Theatre on Thursday, August 20'" • Community Relations Committee meets at4pm in the Association Office on Thursday, August 27'" • Program Committee meets at 4pm in the Association Office on Tuesday. September I" • Finance Committee meets at 4pm in the Association Office on Wednesday, September 2"d • Board of Directors meets at 5:30pm in the Theatre on Thursday, September 3'd

' Dog Days' of CRAB Beach

August may be the dog days of summer; politics J slows down. Of course Crab Park at Portsidc still is .. there as a refreshing breeze on the past hot summer. . .-· ·· · Angry, Not Mad O ur July I" Fes~ i val at Crab Park came and went- "'~ .. ~· · .. _. !!"' ,

successfully feedmg 600 people & three live local Yeah, you rea cat music bands. And you may be all that

Lately we are trying to get the birdmarsh at the But I'm no mouse western edge of the park freshened up. It is full of And you're in my house green pond scum & invasive plant species, so the vanous types of birds can 't get a drink of water.

We have phoned the Vancouver Park Board and hope to see the birdmarsh g iving a drink to the vari­ety of waterfowl as soon as is possible.

The Crab - \.Vater for Life Society has a new Board elected July 26. 2009. & we will strongly oppose unnecessary billionaire stadiums bes ide the bird­

llli".a_.,.r.marsh and our local park.

You say you put a cap in h is ass Because his due-date was past

Shot 'n killed Because he'd been billed

For a five rock What a crock!

Like a man in a cage I'm in need of rage

I won't pretend lie was my friend ow time to mend!

I dream of a li fe Without the knife

With child and wife

Yeah that's rad You think you're that bad

You must be mad

I know it's wrong And yes, I go on

But that deep in the g round You won't be found

And yes I'm sad But angry, not mad!

Stanton J & friends

News from the Library

New Books A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of going to a

few local bookstores to purchase new material for the library shelves. As you might imagine, shopping with other people's money is quite enjoyable, but it' s not as easy as it sounds! Afier all, 1 am choosing books for you, not for me, and how can 1 know what you most want or need? We do have systems for tracking circulation slats, and to some extent we can observe what types of stuff go out the most, but we also need to hear directly from you. Please let us know what you would like to see more of in the library, either by talking with us directly or filling out the comment cards at the check-out desk. It's your library, so take part! On my recent shopping trip, I was hoping to till gaps in a number of areas, especially: language learning. new First ations-related titles, local history and na­ture guides, and alternative spirituality. We have had a number of recent requests for more books about Wicca, and here are a few of the titles we purchased: Raymond Buckland's Complete Book of Wilcflcraft (AKA ''The Big Blue Book") is a comprehensive sourcebook for all things Wicca. Practical. historical. and theoretica l. this text is considered to be a must­have for both experienced practitioners and those taking their tirst steps down the path. The Spells Bible by Ann-Marie Gallagher features

over !50 spells for all occasions, com(Ylete with de­tailed instructions and beautiful full-colour photo­graphs. Learn to work spells for success in romance, a better career, mental and physical health, bigger libraries Uk), and more.

The White Goddess, by Robert Graves. In this clas­sic work, the late British poet Graves explores the mythological roots of English poetry through the figure of the White Goddess, whose "nests ... lodged in rock-clefis or the branches of enormous hollow yews, are built of carefully chosen twigs. lined with white horse-hair and the plumage of prophetic birds and littered with the jaw-bones and entrai ls of poets".

In Animal Spirit Guides, Dr. Steven Farmer pro­vides concise details of more than 200 animals that may come to you in physical or symbolic form as guides and teachers. Which is your animal spirit guide?

Finally, former UCLA Archaeology professor Marija Gimbutas sketches the matrilineal village 7 culture that existed in southeastern Europe between 6500 and 3500 B.C .. before it was overwhelmed by the patriarchal Indo-Europeans, in The Goddesses and Gods of Old Europe. Check out amazing sculp­tures and figur ines discovered during archaeological digs, and follow along with Professor Gimbutas' en­gaging narrative as she describes the significance of each object. These are just a few of the titles that will be arriving on Carnegie shelves in the ncar future. Do you have your own wish list for new books/DVDs/CDs etc.? Come and let us know.

Aaron, your part-time librarian

Local Kid - rising star!?!

Look for Tire One Pol Cookbook. If you can't find it just yet don' t worry: more are being printed. The story behind this is pretty good. Diane Brown

works in Carnegie 's kitchen and has for a number of years. (Yes, we already had electricity and indoor plumbing before she got here!) Diane has been work­ing on putting together recipes that people can follow even with just a hotplate and a pot. The above-named book is the result and, best and most practical, the pages are laminated and held together with a wire ring binding, meaning you can open it at the dish you are concocting without having to continuously re­open the book with grubby hands to find out the next step. Talk about common sense.

For more information and to see how others in the ~ hood are raising awareness about food, go to this blog: dbrowncooks.wordprcss.com

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DEAR VOLUNTEERS Dear volunteers of your own volition don't start bitchin' you said Yes & signed on the chalked-out dotted line now fo you have your Ransom money for a Loved One Dance? Well, DO Y A?? Like "Infant Ultimate Fighting' or 'Think you can goosestep with the stars?' now someone has to win and it is now time for the Big Mop-Up to begin. The difference between experienced and inexperienced is Always send the INS in first so they can soak up and brush away the worst; now let's go to The Best Place on Earth licence plate factory- quitting after a day or rwo is a felony so onward to where we train our thugs er .. I mean Security. Why oh why is the only time the rich cry is when they're caught instead of full hearted & empty headed explanations, that tar­nished image begins as a bedsheet\and before you can yell FORE it's been torn into a noose knot. Oh well how about finding a cure for selfishistolyuosous It's like being as weak as your strongest golflink fence since one day this too will become a Capital Offense now don't count on me but don't count me out just yet; I'm the one with no hands nailed to the side of my head .. I'll probly end down in a dead end job like counting the surmounting amount of dead our daily bread amen.

ow all m en*women*kids & your dogs some of you I may have known have a nice fall face-first into a cop's fist, af1er wiping layers of blood & stuff off someone doing nothing at all except spitting up blood on said cop's shirt. I see a face guess what thug it's a girl you've been punching & kicking you don't care but !think she's really hurt(' Who doesn't!' days Mr. Pig) You wi ll swc4ar it was I on I contact but we say You Lie!! In a not so brutal world your badoe # will bring no more thunder 'cause me & others ':,ill be courtsidc to sec you tremble a Court Martial never felt so good ... loss of benefits & friends who have already begun their 'distance dance' finally you break apart & cry baby cry BUT what they want is what we get now which comes first? Ostracized* Victimized*Terrorized*Baptized*Spit in your eye! Bygones have gone bycbye when no one cares about anything or anyone I think we've just been priori­tized (&right in front of my better eye). You know I could never stand the sound of my own heart beating so beat on this heart that will not lie pardon me but I think I might give driving the sa­tan/god ice cream family truck a try. Good (no such

thing as) luck! Aurvoir*Aioha which I think is both q hello & goodbye Damn: did it again .. sigh bye I

By ROBERT McGILLIVRAY "Twice & thrice over as they say. good it is to repeat & review what is good" - Plato ..

FLASH! On the 2nd floor of Carnegie, the Association has had an

electronic screen mounted on the wall above the volunteer reception desk. The reasoning went like this: The wall space taken up by all the reduced covers of the

Carnegie Newsletter since August 15, 1986 was running out. In order to move all the panels up to the molding, the City would have to hire an approved scaffolding company and get it done professionally because of liability concerns. A brilliant idea came from one of the best and brightest in our Library- get into the 21 51 century, digitize images of each cover, burn them on a DVD and run it in slideshow mode on a large monitor. Other possibilities bubbled up ...

digitize images of each panel in the banner carried for the Annual Women's Memorial March. It's too big to display at eye level so everyone can appreciate the work and feelings stitched into each one, in memory of the women who have been murdered or are still missing. Perhaps prepare a digital piece to give information about the Heart of the City Festival or local plays ( eg. Bruce The Musica~ Opera (homelessness) Eastside Stories, Oppenheimer Park festivals and events throughout the Downtown Eastside; possibilities!!!

The Publications Committee has begun drafting a policy for the monitor's use and the nuts and bolts of procedure to get something put on. There will be criteria and there will be a curator to jury submissions. I.e. there are things that will not be accepted. All this is to inform everyone that the Screen is a plasma

component but it will not be used as a TV or to show movies. It won't be operating for a few weeks yet; look for it to go on in September.

PRT

Colleen's Corner

There comes a point in your life when you realize: Who matters Who never did Who won't anymore .... And who always will.

So don't worry about people from your past. There is a reason why they didn't make it to your future.

1. VOLUNTEE R DINNER BY THE SEA­CRA B PAJU< B Y THE GAZEBO

Wednesday, August 19th @ 4:00pm Sharp! Please pick up your ticket from the

Volunteer Program Office

2. DJ Mix & Fri ends ·with OJ Cody hosted by Colleen

Friday, August 2 1st, 2009 7- lOpm Carnegie Theatre

EVERYONE WELCOME!

3. Volun teers o f the Month for J ULY:

Marguerite T ., Kitchen Prep extraordinaire

Harold Melbourne, Computer Lab

4. Annual Picnic Volunteer/Seniors Cates Park, Deep Cove

T UESDAY AUGUST 25,2009- 9am - 5pm Canoeing, Kay~king, eating, walking, sight-seeing. eating, Adventure seeking, cards, Frisbee, singing, eating!!! Meet at Info desk at 9am Sharp!

Please sign up with Colleen. 3' Floor. Volunteer Program Office

5. CAMP QDADRA - PRE MEETING for OUR FALL CAMP

Volunteer Prog ram I Seniors P rogram Camp Description of new camp & Selection process

Fun, Games and recreational ideas Food preferences, allergic concerns

• When: T hursday, September 3, 2009 • Where: Carnegie T hea tre • Time: l Oam

CAR NEGIE

Carnegie Centre is the pillar of the needy I have witnessed your kindness and your knowledge You have the capacity to see good thi ngs in others.

Your true service. done with love, is amazing You give courage to the hopeless I have learned power. peace & joy in Carnegie.

The pain and sadness people have Carnegie knows how to handle that Our loneliness and our tears You turn that into happiness.

You arc the hope to the Downtown Eastside people

Ruth Matemolja

Go to Carnegie

When you're lonely go to Carnegie When you want to talk go lo Carnegie When hungry, Carnegie has reasonable prices When thirsty, come have a cool glass of water.

If you're upset come to Carnegie You fee l tired come to Carnegie You want news of government or information You want to volunteer come to Carnegie.

Come join the club We're a ll lonely and hungry We all need someone to talk to You're not alone; we are all in it.

Ruth Matemotia

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I

after homelessness Created and performed by people living issues of homelessness and mental health

We are excited to launch a Photo Contest seeking photographs that speak to the following:

"After Homelessness ... "

Guidelines: I) ONLY ONE entry per person 2) Accepted formats: Digital images. Please submit a low-resolution (72dpi) version. Please be aware that the winner of the F irst Prize will have to submit a high-resolution (300dpi) version as well. -Print photographs, 8 x 10 maximum size 3) Both Black & White OR Colour photos will be accepted 4) Please submit mate rials along with your name and full contact information. Please note that materials wi ll not be returned. 5) Submissions deadline: August 24,2009

Prizes: $500 First Place • Plus use in publicity materials $250 Second Place • Plus display on Headlines web site

The winning photograph will be used in all promotional materials for the after homelessness ... public ity campaign, including posters, flyers, bus shelter posters, web site and e lectronic communications. The top ten photographs will also be showcased in a gallery exhibition at the Gallery Gachet beginning December 2, 2009.

The photographe r wi ll be credited in all materials. The photographer will retain all rights to the photographic image, and will grant Headlines Theatre the rights to the image in perpetuity for the purposes of both the production and ongoing publicity in relation to Headlinesa€TM work, and to reproduce/adapt the image as we see fit in both print and electronic form.lf the winning images include a shot of a person who is identifiable, the photographer should have or be able to get a signed release form from that person to accompany the image.

Digital images can be submitted by email to: photocontest@headl inestheatre.com

Send print photographs to: After Homelessness Photo Contest Headlines Theatre

323-350 East 2nd Ave., Vancouver, BC • V5T 4R8

Olympic w atchdog group asks UN to monitor rights during 2010 Games

An Olympic watchdog group is asking the United Nations to send human rights observers to the 20 I 0 Winter Games. The Impact on Communities Coalition has also filed

two new complaints to the UN over civil rights and housing in the hopes of finding a way to hold organ­izers accountable for the way the Olympics affect those two areas.

While the complaints won't be heard until after the Games, group spokesperson Am .lohal says they could be used to open up a much-needed interna­tional dialogue.

"Our ultimate aim is to see a reform in the 01) mpic bid process. It's nawed from the front end and we tend to see a recurrence of the same pattern in the cities hosting these Games," he said in an interview from Geneva after filing the two complaints. The group is concerned that tenancy laws are not

strong enough to prevent people from being evicted from their homes to make way fo r Olympic tourists. While the city of Vancouver has established a permit system for Games-time rentals that could thwart some of the problem, critics say there's no way to police it. Meanwhi le, the group is also concerned that the con-nuence of Olympic-related city by Ia\~ sand ru les the

Games. The presence of observers could allow the Games to

be a true case study for how an Olympics affects a community, Johal said.

Vancouver's city counci l recently amended its <?lympic bylaws over concerns that language de­Signed toyrotcct the commercial rights of sponsors could be mte~preted as prohibiting political protest. At the same t1me, the securit) agency in charge of the Olympics continues to work with its civil rights adv1sory pane l and has prom ised not to interfere with legal protests. The IOCC was formed by a group of academics and

activists after Vancouver \\On the bid in an effort to create a community organization that could work with organizers and the city on how to avoid some of the historically negative social impacts of the Games. The organizi ng committee and government officials had ~i~1~cd a com 1~1 i tment to 14 areas, including ac­cesslbll ny, cducat1on and transportation, as well as housing and civil rights.n Activists say few of those guarantees have come to pass. "By filing a complaint. it doesn't change the situation on the ground but it docs take one small step in hold­ing to account (Vancouver and international Olympic organizers) and the different government partners in terms of how they are organizing the Games and what if any impacts there arc going to be on housing and civil liberties." said Johal.

Vancouver organizers poilll to a number of steps taken to try and mitigate the impact on the Games. including providing money for temporary housing to compensate for pressure on city shelters and support­ing job training programs for venue construct ion. A persistent issue is a concern that police are issu­

ing thousands of tickets in the Downtown Eastside for infractions such as jaywalking in order to be able to jail the people who can't pay the fine during the Games. City councillors promised to try and reverse some

of those tickets after activists disrupted a counci l meeting last week.

organizing committee has at venues will sharply cur­tail the right of free speech. Activists arc also cla im­ing they arc being harassed by police who are seek­ing to meet with them to discuss protest plans for the

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s ome

So there was this Said he was a god. One of Seven, called Scorpio he s A plumber An expert in explosives And our hotel manager.

A different Game Many different Games For each tenant All tidy and clever C heck 'em in, check 'em out.

Said to me, he said Your pen is at an end I never paid any mind Not really believing him Not really buying into that god shit Delusion was my guess Poet-trauma s tress from the Golan I I eights Blowing up stuff for Queen Lizzie.

My reali ty lessons came hard Revolutions social, protestations of existing orders Called for me Second nature Bom for the fray Love & Pain the only masters - oh I forgot Regret Regret for thopse unintentional times of callousness

So I go my careful way, passing as llappy, whole and blessed, because I am, I ever was a nd I will always be Me.

Wilhelmina

It Shall End ~rQ) Making love~~~~~ Means all the above ~ With the warmth ~{A We share, my dove. r When a kindred spi rit be near, il Neither heartache nor fear Can harm us here.

We are consumed by the light ~ Within the shadows of the night.

But at what cost, Do we lose the ones we've lost? Like water under a bridge We've come so close to the edge.

Because when it's wrong We must be strong. When it's gone, We must go on. When deep inside We know it's died.

We're caught up in a world of w ind , Only to find it shall end.

Stanton J & friends

Baldie, cue- bait, ~ receding hairline, skin i head, chrome dome, e Sir Hairnomore !

j b!lJ;;:=I!3!l ! I

H Main By Rick Nordal .----------. s .-----------,

---------------------. Little brother! We do t Facilitate English Conversation Classes not use those words

If you are fluent in English and willing to share your know- anymore. The politically i correct definition for n ledge of Canadian culture, volunteer at the UBC Learning g hair loss Is ... .. .

Exchange helping people practice speaking English. 5 The program is 12 weeks. You teach 3 hours per week

and attend a 3-hour workshop on Friday afternoons.

Mark Smith, UBC LE, 612 Main St; 604-408-5183

....

Pay Back

Pay Back will lay heavy on your back You'll be on your knees

Asking the good lord to alleviate your pain

God has socked it to ya And glory hallelujah

For all the pain you've inflicted on me

The chains are on you

/

,. And I am now free

I:'\ ' "'"-' . . • f ·- ;i VS. Stuck at Young

Erin Ryan

~~~ :1 ~I' When I was young and mostly naYve and lucky, , J ,-· ,,,.· ... / stardust, blessed, moonbeamed bri~hl~ned, f~rtunate ..

~ t1 ~ ~' ..:· Oh yes I had my ups, my downs, tnppmg wh1le

' I e-=-... ·"",..... " D y freefalling to the ground; with untangling shoelaces, j · A~ ~~ scraping knees, fist fighting bullies, bloodied noses,

L-~ ~ . :r- · .. . ' ,i,t! a;o/\ aching knuckles- didn't tell , didn't cry, played hide • t ' l /_ & seek from you for awhile. She wished, she prayed.

Addiction

A II of my life I've been flying And now I feel I've been dying. To save my soul I must start trying If I'm to stop all this crying.

A moment out, without a blowout. 1\ moment down, without being on the ground

I must stop .. all this time I'm losing. My life has become a loss Of bad choosing. By doing drugs and all th is boozing.

From bad advice and living in this vice. If I could only change the way I think With my life so close to the brink. Because soon I feel I'll need a drink And the drugs that make me think.

Now I feel the water in my eye, And I begin to cry. So now I have the need to ask why.

Only if I could fly. I could rise so high Just once again before I die.

Stanton J

.I l

she kissed me better. . imaginary princess maybe in my wildest dreams and naughty schemes, a longed for and loving Cinderella, although in the end she never did arrive; not once did this regal royal ever materialize in childhood. Oh yes this is true in point of fact and I am now much lesser for this. If you believe in "to th ine own self be true" however you ponder it that is somewhat of what I am about. Few, I know, feel that I am enti rely free of worries - past, present and future .. This all of you can truly believe within, without and way beyond a shadow of a doubt. Revealing somewhat stunning clues to you is not my usual tactic or rather frequent forte; most friend ly folk erect walls along with false confidence but I have no teary-eyed heartbreaking sadsack life-altering sorry secrets .. . uh huh, I know I've told you some superficial ones that have some­how formed and shaped me but I'm very lucky to have no pennanent scars compared to others for the most part Don't you think so? Do you not agree with me?? No matter I can take whatever come what may 'cause when I was young I played out the less than stellar marked deck and received the cards that were dealt/dumped on me from stars far away and beyond our realm. Can' t win, can' t lose, j ust trying to keep it steady as I go with my feet firmly planted, grounded at my ancient mariner helm. ROBYN LIVINGSTONE

A Multimedia, Outdoor, Visual Arts Market in Napier Square

(Napier at Commercial)

Every Sunday - August 9 to September 6. 2009

12:00 noon- 5:00pm

For more Information,

leave a message for

Katherine Polgrain at

604.718.5800

or e-mail her at

courage@vcn.bc.ca

· Britannia ./t~h.\A~~ft)o.~tUt C ommunity Sel\• ic~~ Cent1 c

1661 1\ a pier Street

Vancouve1 , B.C. VSL 4X4

www.britanniacentre.org

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In April 200 I a 3-day Free Trade Agreement of the Americas meeting took place in Quebec City. The leaders of 34 nations auended. To prevent protesters from disrupting the meeting a I 0 foot high 2 12mile long fence was erected. This poem is intended to convey the feel ings of a young Quebecer and his girl friend who lived in "Quebec's Old City."

The Storming of the Quebec Fence

I heed my mother's warning who states the golden rule Don't taunt the bull, disturb the cows on your way home from school.

For fences are for cows you know with bull safe-guarding there And yet I chose to risk my life in fields -just for a dare.

I see a fence erected I heed the great divide Familiar places taunt me

Quebec. my home and pride The old restraints of childhood are more than I can bear

I cannot take my eyes away from entrance so denied It haunts my dreams, it captures me A challenge to my pride. In one made moment I affirm that I will go inside.

I mount the fence with bold intent The evil I have done The bull is coming towards me I have nowhere to run.

And even as I walk in chains I see my girlfriend there I am a hero in her sight and that is all I care.

Velma Demerson*

[Velma, now in her 70's, was declared "feeble-minded" as a woman of 18 and institutionalized for several years. It was not a psychiatric assessment. She and a Chinese man had gotten pregnant and the racist, fascist eugenics ideology, shared by many of the so-called superior Aryan (white) race, separated her and several thousand other women and girls from society for the purpose of bettering the population. Velma took the government and medical professionals involved to court and,

The thought is running through my mind to take my chances there.

i.I:"" after several years, won compensation. She authored a book (<14tf'l tiUed Incorrigible.]

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Ask your library staff Don't Pull the Plug on Libraries! loans, and childrer;\ programs. In the last few years,

the money has also been used to buy literacy and Did you know ~hat public li brarie~ in_ British Colum- ] Aboriginal materials and fund _storytelling programs. bia are funded 111 part by the Provmc1al Government? What can you do? You can wn te to your local MLA, In 2009, libraries haven' t heard from the Province to the Minister of Education, Margaret MacDiarmid, what the funding will be for this year, even though and local newspapers tell ing them how important the year is well under way, and there are strong indi- , libraries are to you. You can send a postcard (avail-cations that funding will be cut for next year. able at the library) to Gordon Campbell demanding Libraries in rural areas will be particularly hard hit, I that the Provinciai·Government restore library fund­but the Vancouver Public Library also relies on this 'i,ig~For mo~ in formati~n, talk to us aii~bTa?y-;Qr money for things like online resources, Interlibrary visit www.stopbclibrarycuts.ca.

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