may 15, 2013, carnegie newsletter

24
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Page 1: May 15, 2013, carnegie newsletter

FREE. Do not pay for this paper.

NE!!T~~g· \tJoNJ)ER IF WE CAr/

ST,LL G£t -(fiAT ONE WAY TRIP TO MARS?

CRUNCH ~cites

MAY 15,2013

[email protected] cam [email protected]. ca www.car-nnews.or-e

" BY rilE TIM£ THIS CAATOON IS PU8LISHE]) TH£ P.ROVJNCIAL £"L£c·noN WILL 8£. OVER. AN!> D£PENPING­YOUA POLITICAL STAJPE ••• f'"

Page 2: May 15, 2013, carnegie newsletter

[As you see, stuff in this issue was written just before the provincial election. Odds are the NDP won but rigging results makes the call for revolution stronger. Witness the US having George Dubya for 8 years; a robo-call scam in Canada made Conservative wins in 7 ridings questionable in court; e lectronic voting has no paper trail. When questioned about the virtual abs­cence of democratic access to the terms of Free Trade deals, the CEO of the World Bank said, "Language is anti-democratic on purpose and terms of these deals are specifically not open to debate in public forums." ... wunnerful wunnerful wunnmer(ul.(!) Editor.]

' nj CHr•st~ IN woNderLaNd

A Balanced Budget, which is to say Debt or Defi­cit reduction and avoidance, has always been and is "a Central Value" for Christy Clark (her own words). She - and the BC Liberals- have failed miserably in the real economic world, in contrast to their imag­ined economic wonderland and/or fantasy world. In­deed, in the 2009 Budget released just before the last election, the Liberals stated that the "maximum" deficit i.e. more money spent than collected, would be only $425 million. However, when the books were made public a year later (after the election) it was found that the deficit was actually S I. 7 bill ion.

The BC Liberals won the 2009 e lection by 'cooking the books' - which is to say by criminally lying - and they're doing it again in 2013!

Since Christy took the Oath of Office in March 20 11 she -and the Liberals- have increased the pro­vincial debt $1 1 billion, from $45 billion to $56 bil­lion. Much of this went to capital projects such as the Port Mann Bridge. Now, in the 2013 budget, she and the Liberals p lan to spend $6 billion this year, $4 bil lion next year & $3 billion the following year. Much will be going to capital projects such as the BC Hy­dro network of dams, IPPs and transmission lines

and Kitimat projects, for an increased debt of $13 billion ... Grand Total: $69 billion!

As for balancing the 2013 budget Christy and her partners in crime used sleight-of-hand and 'out of sight, out of mind' hocus pocus. The Liberals built into their so-called balanced budget artificially low expenditure growth rates of .8% this year and 1.3% next year when the real growth rate has averaged 3.2% during their term. They have also magically banked on a $625 million tire sale of government assets such as a vacant lot near Victoria General Hospital, a former Health Care facility in East Van­couver, a vacant lot in Lions Bay in West Vancouver and a parking lot near the Legislative building in Victoria.

In June of2011 Christy and the Liberals gave ap­proval for the $3.5 billion modernization of the Al­can aluminum smelter in Kitimat along with the run­of-river generating facility to provide the plant with electricity. Also in far far away Kitimat, in October of 20 11 , Apache and Chevron were issued export permits which allow them to build a $4.5 billion liq­uid natural gas plant and marine terminal. August 2012 saw the Kitimat Clean Ltd. proposal to build a $15 billion oil refinery between Kitimat and Terrace.

On April 18 of20 13 an agreement was signed be­tween newspap~r publisher and head ofKitimat C lean project David Black and China's largest bank the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China.

As Russian revolutionary V.I. Lenin once wrote: "The capitalists will make and sell the rope that will be used to hang them." Take heed Mr. Black & Ms. Clark ...

In any event, if the previously mentioned creative bookkeeping is not sleight-of-hand and in fact not hypocritical - in that the Liberrals are now trying to accuse the NDP of potentially excessive expendi­tures if elected- then it is exceedingly difficult to find other instances oftrickery or hypocrisy. If the Kiti­mat projects are not examples of 'out of sight, out of mind' then projects at the North Pole certainly would be. As a result everything the BC Liberals say or do should be closely watched with either a telescope or a microscope and with a clear mind. Otherwise eve­ryone who is not wealthy -and in the loop- will ulti­mately suffer. This is the reason to vote NDP and not Liberal!

ByHARRYSCHORNECK

Page 3: May 15, 2013, carnegie newsletter

From the Library My name is Joanne and I am replacing Stephanie for

the next month at the Carnegie Library. lam thrilled to have been here a couple of days already, while enjoying the first long bout of sunny May weather. What a wonderful place to work and happily give away books on Friday afternoons. I feel blessed. Please drop by to visit us and to say hello.

We have some great new books in the glass display case in the library. Some ofthese are newly pub­lished books, while some are new to the Carnegie collection. If you are interested in reading any of these books, please come in and let us know. Enjoy! Here are a few examples of titles we've just added to the collection: All the Madmen: Barrett, Bowie, Drake, Pink Floyd, The Kinks, The Who, tmd a journey to the dark side of English rock (Clinton Heylin, 2012)

Enjoy this great romp through a pivotal and fonna­tive era of rock music. An examination of the impact of drugs on the central figures in the music industry at this time, this book is full of interesting and little known vignettes and stories about these rock giants and bands. Create Your Own Religion: how- to book wit/rout instructions (Daniele Borelli, 20 13) Borelli humorously, but thoughtfully, challenges the

values and beliefs central to the major religions of the world. He uses a philosophical lens to reveal dogma and misinformation no longer acceptable or useful in our society. While remaining optimistic, he considers the role religions play in our lives, particu­larly as they intersect with contemporary concerns about love, relationships, and death. As a professor of comparative religion, Borelli offers practical and optimistic guidance in living our lives honestly while navigating through the big issues of life. Eat Up: the inside scoop on rooftop agriculture (Lauren Mandel, 20 13) This book is topical and useful for anyone interested in using current and future urban space for small family, restaurant, entrepreneurial, and sustainable rooftop gardens. The author is a landscape architect who believes our ability to grow organic and healthy produce will depend on the development of green rooftop farming practices as our global population becomes more city-centred. Mandel offers guidelines

and checklists for the planning (from design to build­ings with rooftop gardens), design, and maintenance of rooftop gardens. While being useful for everyone from the novice home gardener to architects, Mandel's book is heavily researched (in Canada and the US), based on current rooftop garden practice, and offers useful tips for turning our urban environ­ment into farm and agricultural resources. Guinness World Records, 2013 (Bantam)

Those who love looking at the Guinness Book of World Records will be thrilled to browse the newest edition. Insider: the FBI's undercover 'wiseguy' goes public (Donald Goddard, 1992)

For those who enjoy books about organized crime, our book is the only library copy of this story about a man's 25 year undercover operation in a mob family. The Pow-Wow Trail: understanding and enjoying the native American pow-wow (Julia C. White, 1996) Full of beautiful drawings of dancing regalia cos­tume styles, this book explains, documents, and celebrates the experience of the Native American pow-wow trail ~ an important event that captures the interest & spirit of many during the summer months. Trauma Farm: a rebel history of rural life (Brian Brett, 2009) This beautiful and passionate story is written by a poet who deeply values the beauty, simplicity, and benefits of the food he produces and the life he and his family live. Although Brett's family have lived on their farm for eighteen years, it is written as a day in the life- a' Joycean' experience. Brett weaves humour, observation, meditation, irreverence, mem­oir, biology, and lots of natural history into his ar­gument for conservation and a return to the rural simplicity of life. His story, beautifully written, takes place in the rural paradise of Salt Spring Island, be­ginning in the early dawn still lit by the moon, with Brett surveying his 'world 'wearing only his gum­boots. This is a must read for those who believe in our capacity to be self-sustainable, who love lyrical prose and the beauty of a captured moment in time, and would dearly like to escape our busy city to a more idyllic place.

Page 4: May 15, 2013, carnegie newsletter

CARNEGIE C ENTRE COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION

ELECTION OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS \-VILL TAKE PLACE AT:

TilE ANNUAL GENERAl .. l\IIEE'"I'ING ON THURSDAY, JUNE 6'rH, 2013

IN THE THEATRE@ 5:30

IN ORDER TO VOTE AT TI-IIS ~IEETING YOU ~JUST HAVE A wiEMBERSHIP CARD WITH A DATE NO LATER THAN MAY 24'~'11 , 2013

Humanities 101 Please come and join us play "Where there's walls there's holes", a board game based on the theme of Humanities 10\ Community Programme's courses this year. To mobilize Hum patticipants' local DTES know­ledge and class subjects, players spin a dial , make a hole in the game wall by pushing out a brick, and then respond to intriguing questions, both solo and collectively.

Please join the Hum Steering Committee in Class­room 2 from 2:30 to 3:00 on Saturday, May 18.

Everyone is most welcome to play! I

• •• PACIFIC BLLJEGl=tASS & HERITAGE SOCIETY

A variety of bands playing Bluegrass, Folk

and Country Music!

Wednesday May 29th, 2013

7•9PID Carnegie Theatre

J')]J CITY OPERA VANCOUVER Singalong Opera Choruses at

Carnegie Friday 31 May I 7pm- 9pm

We will supply the words and music at the door and the audience will be the chorus in three a reat' opera choruses.

b

1) the Anvil Chorus, with real anvils! 2) Va, Pensiero 3) I Am The Very Model of a Modern Major General, with special guest Christopher Gaze

We are supplying four singers who will help every section of the chorus. They are:

• S: Chloe Hurst • A: Rose-Ellen Nichols • T: Mark Donnelly • B: Ed Moran

Piano: David Boothroyd Special Guest Singer: Christopher Gaze This event is sponsored by the SFU I Vancity Office of Community Engagement, and produced by City Opera Vancouver.

Page 5: May 15, 2013, carnegie newsletter

·· - ... -· ------- - -the Downtown Eastside & the city of Vancouver.

HELP tV'vtV1e

DOWNTOWN EASTSIDE

APRIL *46'k

2013

As 1 slowly slip out of unconsciousness, I feel the sun beaming on my face. It's been years s ince the pain has flowed through me. There's no more dope or addiction holding me together. Just me and my fresh new parts I built lng ago. l could never have imagined life could be thi s wonderful. I think bac~ to when the first thing my body would do when wakmg was cry; shortly after how l fixed things and p~t as much effort as I did into trying to numb my pam, into trying to fix it. I couldn't be more grateful for that choice, because today l can get out of bed and smile instead of frown. I can stretch instead of tense my whole body thinking it's the only way to keep everything in one piece. Today the only thing keep­ing me in one piece is the decision I ~ade to fi~, not to just accept. As long as my life contmues, I wtll ever look back and be sad. It's not all happiness I carry in my past but it's not all sadness and. for that,

l can wake. As I slip out of unconsciousness, the cold air hi~s

my skin. l don't get up yet because l know to watt for the hole in my chest to stop throbbing, but it doesn't come. As the years have passed the pain has lessened but I've developed a new kind o f pain. He

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doesn't hurt me anymore. The memories don't stab at the wound in my chest and my sheets don't soak in tears and sweat. Although I may appear all in one piece, l can assure you that's not the case. I was bro­ken ad sad before. I was lost and couldn't be found. Today I'm fixed \.tp with tape, but as the years passed it got less and less sticky, revea ling the broken parts of me I thought l fixed forever. The sadness is al­most unnoticeable until it's noticed and I'm not lost anymore, at least not completely. I think about the memories again but l push them away, knowing they're not the problem anymore. It's all going to be okay though, because this t ime I didn't replace the problem with a new problem. T his time l 'm fixing it. I deserve no more pain and I knew this all along. But li ttle did I know 1 was only causing more and more. ·I just learned how to deal with it. Dealing with it is good, but not in an unhealthy way. I taught myself. Today I'm working on fixing the broken pieces with the tools of finding who I am. T don't want to replace the broken parts with the old parts I lost long ago. I wi ll replace them with new parts and I'll keep them healthy forever. I sit up in bed and smile. My past will not tear me down any longer. Making the changes I am right now wi ll bring me to a future­something I never imagined me having.

Brooke Taylor Nielson

Page 6: May 15, 2013, carnegie newsletter

Stupid are the Poor When I say that the poor are stupid I do not mean

every poor person is stupid, just all the ones in this part of the word. I actually know an awful lot of the poor people in this part of the world, and when 1 say this what I m ean is that I know an awful lot of stupid

people. The first tell- tale sign that you're dealing with the

idiot poor are symptoms of chafing under poverty, that is to say, "it rubs them the wrong way". Of course, this immediately reveals that what they are a~tually doing by chafing under poverty is being de­s irous of more money! How obnoxious is that?

The rulers governing this neck of the woods, who undoubtedly used a team of expert researchers, have calculated the cost of surviving here to be somethino just under e ight thousand dollars per year, and most"" of the poor s urvi ve on somethi ng between that and twelve thousand dollars-a-year. Ask any of these people, any one of them, and they' ll tell you that they would rather have more. Double, triple, four, five, six times as much! Well, you'll notice th is starts add­ing up to annual income numbers of over twenty thousand dollars per year, which is double what it takes to survive, and then just keeps adding up and addi ng up till you get to the absurdist gazillions. diots!

What kind of fool would willingly embrace the sick level of selfishness required to personally consume the survival resources for themselves and one other individual? Certainly, that would be utterly disas­trous for the spirit. Someone with an annual income of twenty to thirty thousand dollars is eatin' for two or three! And that's nothing. If every poor person in this country had their way, they would almost all of them win millions of dollars in the lottery. Millions! Like it's o.k. for one person to consume enough re­sources to sustain an entire vi llage or town!!

Are we all infected with the human viral madness that drives us to consume more than we need? An income of twenty thousand dollars a year is the eco­nomic equivalent of being two inches tall, but in terms of absolute universal reality it is a vile abomi­nation of gluttonous excess. You might be the sweet­est person in your whole neighborhood, loved and respected by all, but if you're bri nging in over twenty grand-a-year, life itselfthinks you're viral scum, and

should be wiped out of existence. Before you think this sounds inappropriately hate­

full and extreme, I would ask you here to remember that human i.ndividuals who consume more than they need to survive (ten grand a year) are predicating global mass extinction of life. The sickness. the virus of humanity, is the lack of fulfillment in life from li fe itself, and the subsequent scouring of the planet to find it somehow somewhere beyond ourselves. A~yone .wh? is not elated with gratitude for simply bemg alive IS a traitor to life, and is thereby unde­serving of it. The only way, then, to be a human with a chance of being life-worthy, is to begin by limiting your annua l income to about ten thousand dollars per year, and enjoying your breath . ~oo~ folks do not flit about town poisoning the air

With mtemal combustion vehicles. Neither do they shred up the atmosphere jetting around the skies for their ~11-impo~ant little importance. The poor are not fevens~ly teanng up the earth for oil, or diamonds, o~ ur.amum, or for anything. When the poor do go d1ggmg around it is typically to reclaim from the garbage of others- easily one of the most honorable things a person can do these days. The poor arc not responsible for pouring toxins into oceans, rivers and streams, anq the poor do not go around exploiting the poverty of others for sex, for sweat, or for blood. Poor people do not raze forests to enable the unim­peded flight of the golf-ball. They're actually pre­vent~d from doing anything but survive. In doing nothmg the poor are absolved from responsibility for the doing: for the evil-doing. Who wouldn't want that??? The Stupid!

The universal title of nobility bestowed upon the P?Or by history's greatest teachers is truly of the h1ghest order. Siddhartha Gautama, Jesus Christ, Lao T.zu ... all.the greatest of the great, the biggest of the ?Ig~est Wise men to survive the human ages have Indtcated poverty as the only financial state condu­c.ivc to an individual finding transcendent happiness, ngh~eousness, sanctity, or wisdom, and the poor are stup1d when they don't embrace this teaching. Stupid are the poor because they can't fill their proper seat at the vanguard of society, and demonstrate to the "prospering" that they have hopelessly lost all the blis~, love a.nd self-actualization that can only be reahzed whlle surviving s imply.

fuckhead jones

Page 7: May 15, 2013, carnegie newsletter

l

Hope In Shadows

DOWNTOWN EASTSIDE PHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST

What: 3-day photo contest, free to enter, cameras provided. No photo experience necessary.

When: Saturday June 1, 10:30 am. Pick up an official contest camera {150 available). First come, first-served.

Where: Pivot Legal Society, 121 Heatley (between Powell & Alexander. Close to Strathcona welfare office and Triage)

Contest theme: What I value in my DTES cor.'lrnunity

Contest is open only to DTES community members living on low fixed incomes. Each

contestant will get a free single-use camera. Enter your photos by returning your camera

to the Pivot office (121 Heatley) on Tuesday June 4, 11 am to 4pm. Each contestant will

get $5 cash when they return their camera + copies of their photos.

Want more info? Come to a free info session at Carnegie (3rd floor classroom) on Tuesday,

May 21, 3:30pm to 4:30pm, call604-255-9701 or visit www.hopeinshadows.com

HOPE IN SHADOWS PI V OT /'(,rtru ih ,,[our Commuull)

Page 8: May 15, 2013, carnegie newsletter

First World Hunger (or)

Who Manufactures No Name?

l live nearby a large grocery store. It has the cheap­est prices in town. A year ago I started buying a No Name brand of Spam. It cost 89 cents then; 6 months ago the price rose to 96 cents but I kept buying it for sandwiches. About 4 months ago I went to this store and when I

came to the section where my cheap Spam usually was, J found the section empty, with a little sign that read Temporarily Out Of Stock. In a few weeks, this No Name brand ofSpam was back on the shelves, however, the price was now $ 1.16.

I wondered what this splurge of supply and demand was all about. I live in a fairly affluent area, yet this simple tin of meat was being gobbled up while the more expensive Spruns were constantly in supply. This evening my Ex drove me to this super store and I once again found the no name Spam shelf empty and temporarily out of stock .. again ... Alii can sunnise from this is that No Name Spam is adding addictive ingredients to its product, or many people in my neighborhood are going broke, or there is a famine coming to North America.

If the more expensive Spams have no shortage as of yet, then that rules out a food shortage. Most junk foods have addictive addictive properties, so, what's new? When 1 say that the No Name Spam section is filled, [' m talki ng about maybe 50 tins of meat. Now, l must tell you that because this pa11icular store is so cheap, because of bulk buying, many people from outside my immediate neighborhood come here to shop for groceries. So, the best guess is that more people are growing broke as each season passes, and when the cheap food is no longer available, what do they do? What if their credit cards are maxed out? Do they begin to steal in order to have at least a bloody sandwich to eat each day?

I' m not at th is point, only because I pay more than the minimum on my monthly credit card payments, which leaves me with less in-bank cash to spend on food, thus, I consume No Name Spam. But what if some people are cut off from their credit cards? What if they have children who need food? If they steal, and get caught, they' ll probably lose their minimum wage jobs, and then what?

Our North American capitalists' system is working out well for a small number of people, but for much many more people it is gaining a drastic revolution­ary force that has no other choice than to rise up ag­ainst a system that causes so much misery and suf­fering.

By Garry Gust

Lost Girl

I knew when I spotted her nothing J could do but I could tell at a glance here she was: alone, scared maybe the first time in a city took refuge on the church steps supposed to be safe

on church steps funny she just looked scared whatever comfort promised was never delivered I knew how she felt also knew there was

nothing I could do she'd have to face the terror being all alone

• in this cruel city where no-one talks to you 'xcept when they want something from you

how could I tell her? there was nothing to do except survive ... POPS

We Know

The enemy is here among us pretending to be us but we know they use the phrase gentrification but we know it's sti ll extermination but we remember the real agenda you can bullshit us all you like but we know

AI

My kid loves me, his "old man" only one who can call me that loves me 'cause I'm the only one who leaves waterfalls in his wake not something you necessarily want on your creating resume but hell who e lse has got a Dad who single-handedly creates a flood

in retaliation for the redneck bldg manager Cop just said "Act of God" -for once the cops got it right it was an act of God and I'm just another Son of God

Jess David Zho

Page 9: May 15, 2013, carnegie newsletter

Carnegie Community Action Project (CCAP)

Newsletter Read CCAP reports: http://ccapvancouver.wordpress.com Ma 15, 2013

Which would you choose: End homelessness or build a new art gallery? What's more important? A fancy new Art Palace or ending homelessness in Vancouver? That's a question that politicians at the city, province and federal governments are about to answer. The city has just agreed to provide land that could bring in about $200 million in revenue for a new art gallery if federal and provincial governments and private donors contribute an additional $300 million.

Downtown Eastsiders have been begging the city to buy land for housing for over 3 years but they haven't bought anything in the DTES. The city's contribution of $200 million worth of land and forgone taxes to a new art gallery would build at least 800 brand new self-contained social housing

units. It would be enough housing to close all the shelters in the DTES and get everyone into their own nice new home. It would save taxpayers millions of dollars in costs for hospitals, emergency services, shelters, etc.

Add in the $300 million from the other levels of government and donors and we could close all the shelters in the Lower Mainland and get everyone off the street into their own self-contained unit.

But then people who can afford to shell out $20 to visit a very fancy gallery would have to make do with the one we already have.

Homeless camp at BC Housing Hastings office during the first snow of winter 2012

Page 10: May 15, 2013, carnegie newsletter

Make the Downtown Eastside a Social Justice Zone for people not profit For over two years, low-income DTES resi­dents have been working with a City plan­ning process to define the most important issues and a shared vision for the future of the Downtown Eastside. This plan was sup­posed to be written through a partnership of community members and city planners but, after thousands of hours of work, it seems like the most important point of this plan will

order to keep low-income people from being pushed out of the DTES

Our biggest problem is the housing crisis

There is a housing crisis in BC and it is worst of all in the Downtown Eastside where gentrification is eroding the number of af­fordable rental homes. 5,000 people live in unhealthy, unsafe, and undignified SRO hotel

not stem from r-----------------------.rr=Tnr ......... .....-----. the needs of low-income committee members. The committee is now waiting to be served with a DTES

DOwntown EasU~i~ Oppenheimer District (DEQD) iS bordered by ..Hastings at ~ELL sr South, Alexander at the north, Heatley at the ~t, and~ at the '!est, with a~R sr Hastings to.Justtbefore Carrall. The DEOD is the heart of the DTEsSocialJustice Zone ----.

development plan by the City manager's office.

CCAP and low-income members of the City's Local Area Planning Process (LAPP) Committee are working on our own plan for the future of the DTES. We want to make sure the voices of low-income people, which shone so brilliantly throughout this planning process, are not lost in the maze of the City bureaucracy. We are calling ours a Social Justice Zone Plan, "dedicated to improving the lives of those who currently live in the area, particularly low-income people and those who are most vulnerable" just like the official terms of reference of the LAPP say.

Over the next month we will be campaigning for the main points of a Social Justice Zone. We must mobilize the whole community in

2

,-1

rooms. 850 sleep on the streets and in home­less shelters. We are losing rental housing faster than we are gaining social housing.

We are calling for emergency action to stop gentrification and displacement and replace all 5,000 SRO hotel units with self-contained social housing in the DTES for people on welfare and disability. With the new Social Justice Zone plan the city would:

• Use zoning bylaws to stop gentrifica­tion and hold property values in check in the Downtown Eastside Oppenheimer District by designating the sub-area for social housing accessible to people on welfare and pension. A 100% social housing zoning law would protect the

Page 11: May 15, 2013, carnegie newsletter

Oppenheimer area from gentrification un­til the communities and city together can win government funded social housing.

• Buy around 30 lots of land in the Oppen­heimer District to remove them from the real estate market and designate them for social housing and to negotiate with the federal and provincial governments for funding for housing.

• Use zoning bylaws to get high levels of social housing in areas around the Op­penheimer area that don't have existing housing plans; specifically the Hast-ings Corridor and Thornton Park areas. Thornton Park will be opened to major development after the city takes down the viaducts. Both areas could be zoned for 1/3 social housing at welfare and pension rate , 1/3 shallow subsidy social housing for workers and low-income families, and 1/3 market rentals .

• Buy 20 more lots of land in other parts of the DTES to remove them from the real estate market and designate them for social housing.

• Use all available bylaws to freeze rents in SRO hotels, charge and enforce fines on landlords for poor conditions, and support tenants to organize for justice in their buildings.

We also need protections against cultural and retail gentrification

The DTES has a fragile economy and many residents only survive on welfare and work like binning, street vending, volunteering, and sex work. The low-income community

needs higher welfare and pensions, which mostly depends on senior governments. In the meantime the city can protect low-in­come community assets and sense of belong­ing from cultural and retail gentrification. The new Social Justice Zone plan for the Downtown Eastside would:

• Implement development democracy. De­velop community control over retail and storefront development with resident­directed social impact assessments to approve or deny business applications.

• Improve the culture of policing and rela­tions between low-income residents and police in the DTES with a Police ombuds office to receive complaints and direct independent investigations of police harassment and brutality.

• Create low-barrier jobs for low-income residents who can work building the homes lowrincome people live in, not the condos that destroy the community.

All of Vancouver can learn from the DTES as a social justice zone where community is the greatest resource and where people who feel discriminated against everywhere else feel comfortable. While working to transform all of Vancouver into a more just place, the DTES can be a sanctuary for people who cannot access the services or supports they need or don't feel welcome anywhere else in Vancouver. As poet Sandy Cameron said, the DTES is the soul of Vancouver. We are in danger of losing that soul to short sighted development pressure. What would we be without a soul? - ID

3

Page 12: May 15, 2013, carnegie newsletter

"People don't deserve to be bullied and harassed;" Speaking out against private security in the DTES Three CCAP volunteers spoke out at a news conference organized by Pivot Legal Society to release their new card: Private Security Guards and Your Rights.

The news conference was held on April 17 in front of the Patricia Hotel near Dunlevy and E. Hastings. The Hotel site was chosen because security guards have harassed local residents near there.

Lulu Bordeaux, a sex trade worker and outreach worker told the media that private security guards "mock me and take my picture." She said once they "pulled up on the sidewalk" beside her. Another time they forced her into an alley. "I had to duke it out with a guy to get free."

"It would be nice to have someone to protect me. People in this neighbourhood don't deserve to be bullied and harassed," said Lulu.

Fraser Stuart, another CCAP volunteer who lives in an SRO

on Jackson St. said, "harassment from security guards is constant." He said he was told to "move along" when he pedaled up on his bike and took out his keys to get in the building. Sturut said some residents are approached by security guards "when they go outside the building to smoke." "I'm really glad Pivot has [released the card}," said Stuart.

"Women fear security guards and don't go to them when they need help ," said Jen Allen, an outreach worker for 10 years.

Pivot lawyer Doug King said the purpose of the rights card is to let people know what their 1ights are. "If people have interaction with a guard, they can show them the card." King said he hopes the government will get more complaints about private security guards because of the card.

The card says private security guards cannot: • Issue tickets • Demand that you move off public

property • Ban you from a neighbourhood, public

Page 13: May 15, 2013, carnegie newsletter

street or park • Take or destroy your belongings • Press criminal charges.

The card says private security guards must be licensed and carry ID and present it if someone asks them for it.

CCAP volunteers have met with the Strathcona Business Improvement Association which hires CSC in the Strathcona and Oppenheimer areas and with Mission Possible, a social enterprise

that hires local outreach workers to do patrols. The CCAP volunteers want the BIA to hire Mission Possible instead of esc. ~JS

Discrimination Against low-income Chinese People in the Downtown Eastside By: King-mong Chan

Since my last article on Chinese people in the Downtown Eastside community, there have been two more community meet­ings where Chinese people gathered at the Oppenheimer Park House to share their ex­periences living in the neighbourhood and to discuss issues in their community. With the discussions from all our community meetings and other conversations I've had with others in the community, we began drafting what a social justice zone for the Chinese people would look like.

There are not a lot of places that Chi­nese people ti·equent in the DTES. Some people only go to two or three different locations in the area; others stay at home until their family brings them out around town on the weekend. Some of the places

they frequented for social activities in­clude: Carnegie Centre, DTES Women's Centre, Vancouver Second Mile Society, Oppenheimer Park House, and Ray-Cam Community Centre. For food, many go to the food line-ups. There are also quite a few who, after purchasing their food from Sunrise Market and other grocery stores in Chinatown, cook themselves. In gen­eral, they do not shop at most of the stores in the Chinatown area, even for food; for their daily supplies like toothpaste, they go to Army & Navy.

Discrimination at the service agencies was a topic that came up at every one of our meetings in addition to conversations on the street. Chinese people receive less sup­plies and food than non-Chinese people in · food lines and sometimes get completely denied whatever is being given out by

5

Page 14: May 15, 2013, carnegie newsletter

staff and volunteers. Some spoke of being physically pushed out of a service organi­zation in the DTES. They also talked about how they were often sworn at by others in the community.

Businesses & Service Agencies • Respect Chinese people (i.e . no dis­

crimination); include Chinese people into the community; maintain a clean environment; translate signs and no­tices into Chinese; ensure that there

The language barrier is a severe part of are free and low-cost shops for food, the problem because many Chinese people grocery, daily supplies etc.; have more cannot understand or respond to what oth- places that are welcoming to Chinese ers in the community (including staff and people; ensure that no Chinese people volunteers) are saying or doing to them. are taken advantage of because of their Language ends up excluding and marginal- inability to speak English; Hire Can-izing Chinese people, many of whom are tonese and Mandarin speaking service seniors in their 80s and 90s; this is espe- workers and volunteers cially true how govern- l'm'1~~,...,.

ment services (i.e. immi­gration, social housing, police, social services) are inaccessible to them because such services are largely not provided in Chinese.

The City of Vancouver is nearing the conclu­sion of its neighbourhood planning process and so we need to clearly summarize our discussions into a vision for a social justice zone for Chinese people, regardless of the results of the City's process. We can break down the zone into the responsibilities of three groups: the businesses & service agencies; the government; and the commu­nity itself (grassroots

Notes for a Social Justice Zone Plan for Chinese people

6

Government • Continue to build social housing (in­

cluding specifically for seniors); ensure that no rents are raised without income (i.e. Old Age Security) increasing as well; increase health supports to pay for medication; provide funds for building maintenance and enforcement of stan­dards; fund social activities; make ser­vices available in Chinese (i.e. govern­ment services like immigration, social housing, and police); increase Old Age Security; continue to have convenient

Page 15: May 15, 2013, carnegie newsletter

transportation services for seniors

Community Members (Grassroots) • Respect Chinese people (i.e. no dis­

crimination); treat Chinese people equally; accept and include Chinese people into the DTES community; ensure the safety of everyone; maintain a clean environment

As a part-time community organizer with

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Carnegie Community Action Project now, I will be continuing meetings with and outreach to the Chinese community in the coming months as we develop our vision for the community and address the specific issues faced by the Chinese community, starting with the most prominent issue of discrimination. I hope you can join me in building an even stronger DTES communi­ty with all ethnic groups in the area stand­ing in solidarity with each other.

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Page 16: May 15, 2013, carnegie newsletter

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Town Hall meeting

What if we had a

Social Justice Zone in the heart of our community?

(foJCl.liSIO"A>f

ZoolJrJG

How would we manage our housing?

How would we tackle discrimination?

How would we end police and other violence?

(._1T"y'-'ll>f: AT WUFAU / o,4<.< R-.-r_/ 11'"""1\N'f w.-.4 r

Let's brainstorm some ideas to give to the city and our DTES groups• Maybe we' ll want to work on some of them ourselves.

Monday, May 20th 1 to 3 pm

Carnegie Theatre (Main & Hastings)

Snacks provided

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8

Vancity Support for this project does not necessarily

imply Vancityls endorsement of the findings or contents of this newsletter

Page 17: May 15, 2013, carnegie newsletter

END OF MESSAGE BEGIN

A wakened by a nightmare too horrific to ever want to go back to sleep my veins are ice my core tem­perature is setting records for its permafrostic cold, just the thought of Liberal misdealing and the NDP licking the bottom of every barrel & arse both are force-feeding their promise of a better future -do you have a sign on your back saying For Sale or worse SOLD, like asking a butcher for some "full weight of the law" with assault and vinegar on the side the lesser of two evils is no way to decide mine let alone your way of life; Saint Minus says anarchy used cor­rectly is the way so be it (he knows best) like having to choose between beaten to death with a loaf of bread what's left of the milkman is outside yes he's dead he was a Liberal the breadhead was NDP, their deaths predetermined and truly make things better for you and me and all the other individuals tired of '·civi I" unrest. Let it be known throughout this land the SatanGod­IceCream Family will provide safety for our anar­chist endeavours we are family and this is our land ­the energy we creat may just drag that Clark!Dix power struggle down a peg, they use variations of hate a powerful tool thicker than blood 'thinner than a ir' more common than poverty their attack ads are a imed at you and me but we don't scare & we don ' t beg, Get Out and Vote te ll them to screw off the Libs & NDP have no vis ion of our futures and hopes ... You will probably read this after it has happened but that's okay we will be here longer than the ir knd so take care and have a good day but vote, for every 8, 960 hours a year these are the best they can pro­duce Q uick-fix Jim and Fast Ferries Sam even your own God would eye the noose Almost all have tried obtaining letters of transit to ride faroe's Ferry here just are not any more shove boats, What you do with your Life should belong to the owner some get a couple of problems others get a ton of them Life will never ever be fai r, just older, Prove you' re up to it and vote now !leave you be, It's not easy being a freak - a punch up o breakdown every s ingle week I say vote l dare vote and I've never enjoyed society until next time we actually feel free!

By ROBERT McGILLIVRAY "Now that f have lost my anger I have nothing to live up to .. , -Howard Devoto

COMPO_sr _5Af_E: St. James' Church, corner of Gore and Cordova

Monday, June 17th Sam until 7pm or until all sold

$5.00: Large bags, approx 35 litres

All the proceeds go towards the greening of the DTES. (gardens at St. James' Church, St. Luke's Court and St. James' Place)

Generously donated by Harvest Power

Page 18: May 15, 2013, carnegie newsletter

The Graveyard Laugh

One might feel a chill when one walks past a graveyard and realizes that one's life on Earth is finite. Timor mortis conturbat me: fear of death disturbs me. Then one mentally shrugs off the chill and gives a nervous laugh: the graveyard laugh.

Ecocide-defined as total destruction of an area of the natural environment, especially by human agency- ·· by a thousand cuts" also elicits the graveyard laugh.

Among the ecocidal cuts are oil spills by pipeline ruptures. Of particular concern are ruptures of pipelines carrying bitumen crude. These types of oil spills are more difftcult to clean up than conventional ones. 1

Medical ailments contracted as a result of contact with oil spills include skin lesions and shortness of breath.2

Wildlife that has ingested oil has resultant maladies such as brain lesions, internal bleeding, damage to kidneys and other organs, stress, and pneumonia.3 One cou ld be easily forgiven for wondering if similar, or the same, sicknesses would either be passed on to or be contracted by humans.

A recent report-" Legacy of a half century of Athabasca oil sands development recorded by lake ecosystems"­makes associations between Oil Sands developments in Alberta and carcinogenic afflictions.4

The Alberta Oil Sands developments produce bitumen crude oil.5 It is corrosive and in order to transport it by pipeline, it must be heated to higher temperatures than conventional crude oil.6 Pipelines coming out of the Alberta Oi l Sands have ruptured 16 times more often than conventional crude oil pipelines.7

Because bitumen crude is heavy, a spill of it penetrates the ground right to the water table.8 Again, given the correlation bet\veen occurrences of cancers and contamination by bitumen-crude chemicals in the Oil Sands, one could be easily forgiven for wondering if bitumen crude pipeline ruptures also produce such s icknesses.

The proposed Keystone XL pipeline, if built, would be a bitumen crude pipeline.9 A scientist working from known data estimated that about 19 ruptures per decade would occur in it. 10 Enbridge's proposed Line 9, already the subject of protests, would transport bitumen crude and traverse Canada from Alberta to Quebec. 11 The Enbridge Northern Gateway line in BC also would be a bitumen crude pipeline. 12

Comparing oil resource deve lopment policy between the countries of Norway and Canada tell two very different stories.13 The Norwegian government carefully husbands its oil profits for Investment in the country in the future, for the benefit of its peoples. ln Canada, the Harper government-because it is oil-revenue dependent--caters to the oil-company greed and permits exploitation of oil resources to proceed as fast as poss ible, while the needs of the people are overlooked, glossed over with empty platitudes such as "jobs, jobs, jobs" and so on.

Because oil companies deem environmental regulations as being detrimental to their gluttonous, bloated profit margins, Harper et al quickly moved to relax or completely eliminate these. 14 Where more than a million lakes and rivers were once protected, now a mere handful are, clearing the way for pipelines and pipeline building. Agencies once act ing as environmental law enforcers no longer exist. First Nations peoples adversely affected by Oil Sands developments are ignominiously ignored.

Harper's environmental betrayal of Canada is complete. Harper' s laugh might be a graveyard laugh. However, Canadians will have the last laugh, at the polls. And, as the saying goes, "He who laughs last, laughs best."

1 http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/aswiftltop 5 things you should know a.html, 3 April2013 2 http://www.newswithviews.com/Howenstine/james185.htm, 11 October 2010 3fn Deep Water, Peter Lehner, 2010, p.125 4 http:/lthetyee.ca/News/2013/01/07/Report-Says-Bitumen-Mining-Pollutes/, 7 January 2013 5 http://www.nrdc.org/energy/files/tarsandssafetvrisks.pdf, February 2011, p.5 6 ibid, p.6 7 ibid, p.8 8 ibid, p.7 9 ibid, p.5

10 http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/eshope/keystone xl spill risk a reana.html, 24 April 2013 11 http:l/business.financialpost.com/2013/04/21/nicks-enbridge-article/? lsa=1 084-f541, 21 April 2013 12 http:l/thetyee.ca/Opinion/2012/01/12/HughesReport/, 12 January 2012 13 http://www.policyalternatives.ca/publications/monitor/april-2008-editorial-alberta-and-norway, April 2008

By Rolf Auer

Page 19: May 15, 2013, carnegie newsletter

Joe Blow- The Gospels According to Bozo

Bozo and Bubbles were clowns. They were very rei igious clowns.

One night after the show, Bozo and Bubbles sat before a mirror taking off their makeup, when the voice of God began to echo loudly in their heads.

"You, Bozo and Bubbles, are my beloved children. Why then do you dishounor me?"

They looked at each other in the mirror, until Bozo replied: "Oh, Lord, what do you mean? We go to church, we say our prayers, we give I 0% of our earnings to you."

"Yes, you do," God retorted, " But look at your underwear and shirts made by Joe. You know fully well that these garments were made with slave lobour, and yet you choose to still adorn your bodies with them."

" But Lord, we heard on the news that Joe was going to start treating the slaves better after the recent deaths when the factory collapsed."

"Bozo, do you really believe that Joe did not know that the work it had outso urced was not done by slave labour in an unsafe building?"

"Lord, I never really thought about it much, but only you could answer such a question. "

··so, now you are going to quibble with me, Bozo. Did I not give you intelligence with a conscience? Use these gifts I have given you and make this a better world."

At midnight, Bozo and Bubbles started a fire in a big barrel after they had stuffed it with all of their Joe clothes, oversized N ike shoes, and other dubious articles. Then they said their prayers and went to bed.

Garry Gust

DAVEHAMM

"The city is trying to be our fr iend, said Dave Hamm, 53, Downtown Eastside resident and mem­ber of VANDU (Vancouver area Network of Drug Users). Criteria for membership is that one be a drug user or a former drug user. lt was established in 1996 and is located at 380 Hastings. The organiza­tion is responsible for having public toilets on Hast­ings and Main street and Victory Square. It did a pedestrian safety project with the city. Also now from Princess Street to Abbot, the speed limit is now 30 from SOK. Dave has been associated with the organization for four years and is now current president. He spent four years as an activist protesting low welfare rates, need for shelter rate housing, housing needs to be self-contained: having your own to ilet and cooking facilities, in line with the city's 2005's plan tore­place single room occupancy. " We are very proud of these projects because they affect the whole •community, not just the drug com­munity. We want to help people who haven't a voice to be involved in these programs and services provided for them." Dave explained. The organiza­tion won the Kaiser A ward for excellence as a grass­roots organization. Born in Kelonowa, Dave went to school in nearby Winfield. He got his C.E.D. He worked in the oil and gas industry, sold vacuums door to door, was a bartender, worked 15 years in the film as a lighting technician and other odd jobs. Dave is single and has one brother and two sisters. "My li fe has had its ups and downs because of alco­hol and drug abuse in my younger years . I do every­thing in honour of my grandmother's values. She and her siblings were orphaned in World War One. She went out and found them. She never gave up and worked hard as a single mom to provide for them, Dave explained. " I am trying to make a dif­ference in the future of our community so that it maintains its uniqueness and sense."

By Nancy Hannum

Page 20: May 15, 2013, carnegie newsletter

"

Three Men and Canada's Social Programs Tommy Douglas was a short thin man who was both a boxer and a Baptist preacher. ln his youth, growing up

in Scotland he nearly lost one of his legs to a bone disease. But his leg was saved by a chance encounter with a doctor who came across Douglas in a hospital. This incident planted in Douglas's mind the need for a national medicare plan that would cover everybody.

In the end Douglas came to Saskatchewan. At the height of the Great Depression in the 1930's he joined the Co­operative Commonwealth Federation and became the leader of the Federation or 'CCF' in Saskatchewan.

"The CCF are Liberals in a hurry," someone, maybe longtime Liberal Prime Minister Mackenzie King was supposed to have said. But the CCF, unlike the Liberals or the Conservatives, was committed to social j ustice. There wasn't much social justice in 1930's Canada or for sometime afterwards.

In 1944 Douglas was elected premier of Saskatchewan. For the next twenty years or so, with Douglas at the helm, the CCF ran this landlocked province with its ferocious winters that seemed to last forever. Douglas and his government built a true welfare state that included a universal medicare plan.

In 1960 the federal Liberals held a conference at Kingston, Ontario. They were in opposition now, humbled by a massive defeat at the hands of the Conservative Prime Minister, John George Diefenbaker in 1958. The CCF were also wiped out by Diefenbaker. But they just changed their name to the New Democratic Party or 'NDP'.

The Liberals were looking for something new to put them back into power. So at Kingston in 1960, they adopted the CCF program including a Canada Assistance Plan that granted five rights to people on welfare. "The man had but one passion," Tommy Douglas once said of his long time Liberal rival Jimmy Gardiner, "and that was power itself." That was the Liberal Party has always been about: power itself. Once back in power in 1963 and headed up by Prime Minister Lester Pearson, the Liberals passed some good laws, including the Canada Assistance Plan and a national medicare plan that covered everybody. But some of the Liberal top people weren't committed completely to these new laws. For them the laws were just ways to win elections and stay in power.

Thirty years later came two more Liberal leaders. One came from a very humble background, the other from the citadels of power and privilege. Both men by the 1980's were rich lawyers. Jean Chretien came from the poor side of town. He was born into a fam ily of 19 children, ten of whom died in childhood. His mother was a very fertile, shortlived woman. His father was a millworker. The fami ly grew up in Shawinigan Quebec . • In 1993 Chretien became Canada's Prime Minister as he lead the Liberal Pru1y to a big win over the Conservatives who were just about wiped out. So was the NDP. But now Chretien faced two big problems. One was the federal deficit that just kept growing. The other was the rise of the Quebec sovereigntist movement that had a massive party in the federal Parliament.

Paul Martin thought he had the answer to the deficit. Martin came from a wealthy family. His father, also named Paul Martin, had been a Liberal cabinet minister in many past Liberal governments. Martin senior was a rich man due to his many investments.

His son Paul Martin Junior just cured the federal deficit by s lashing social programs to the bone and beyond. He eliminated completely the Canada Assistance Plan.

He shrunk the people getting unemployment insurance by fifty per cent. Medicare? It survived but in bad shape since Martin slashed transfer payments to the provinces by a massive forty per cent. Old age pensions? They survived but it was rumoured that Martin wanted to scrap them too.

Chretien was supposed to have said, "No Paul. You can't do that." So it became harder for some older Canadians to get old age pensions but they survived.

Government workers? They took a hit too as Martin fired over 45,000 of them. Now one provincial government after another jumped into the frey. Alberta's Ralph Klein, New Brunswick's

Frank Mckenna, Ontario's Mike Harris, B.C.'s Gordon Campbell and even in a small way some NDP premiers declared war on social programs, especially on welfare programs. As homeless people piled up in our steets and those too of the U.S.A., the U.S. Democratic president Bill Clinton declared, "The age of big government is over." For poor people in Canada this was true. The ideas of Tommy Douglas were dead and buried on the twin altars of deficit reduction and Liberal ambition.

But Jean Chretine was supposed to have said, "No Paul. You can't do that." by Dave Jaffe

Page 21: May 15, 2013, carnegie newsletter

Published on Monday, May 13, 2013 by Common Dreams Corporate Win: Supreme Court Says Monsanto Has 'Control Over Product of Life' Indiana farme1· must pay agribusiness giant $84,000 for patent infringement

-Jacob Chamberlain, staff writer

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Monday in favor of biotech giant Monsanto, ordering Indiana farmer Vernon Hugh Bowman, 75, to pay Monsanto more than $84,000 for patent infringement for using second generation Monsanto seeds purchased second hand- a ruling which will have broad implications for the ownership of 'life' and farmers' rights in the future. ln the case, Bowman had purchased soybean seeds from a grain elevator- where seeds are cheaper than freshly engineered Monsanto GE (genetically engineered) seeds and typically used for animal feed rather than for crops. The sources of the seeds Bowman purchased were mixed and were not labeled. However, some were "Roundup Ready" patented Monsanto seeds. The Supreme Court Justices, who gave Monsanto a warm reception from the start, ruled that Bowman had broken the law because he planted seeds which naturally yielded from the original patented seed products- Monsanto's policies prohibit farmers from saving or reusing seeds from Monsanto born crops. Farmers who use Monsanto's seeds are forced to buy the high priced new seeds every year. Bowman vs . Monsanto Co. was decided based on the court's interpretation of a complex web of seed and plant patent law, but the case also reflects something much more basic: Should anyone, or any corporation, control a product of life? [Monsanto's] logic is troubling to many who point out that it is the nature of seeds and all living things, whether patented or not, to replicate. Monsanto's claim that it has rights over a self-replicating natural product should raise concern. Seeds, unlike computer chips, for example, are essential to life . If people are denied a computer chip, they don't go hungry. If people are denied seeds, the potential consequences are much more threatening. Bowman had argued that he was respecting his contract with Monsanto, purchasing directly from them each year, but couldn't afford Monsanto's high prices for his riskier late season crops. Bow~an's defense argued that Mon­santo's patent was "exhausted" through the process of natural seed reproduction and no longer applied to Bow­man's second generation seeds. "If they don't want me to go to the elevator and buy that grain," Bowman had stated, "then Congress should pass a law saying you can't do it." The Center for Food Safety released a repot1 in February which shows three corporations control more than half of the global commercial seed market. As a result, from 1995-20 ll the average cost to plant l acre of soybeans rose 325%. As AP reports, more than 90 percent of American soybean fanns use Monsanto's "Ro undup Ready" seeds, wh ich first came on the market in 1996. Vandana Shiva, an expert on seed patents and their effects on farmers around the world, wrote recently : Monsanto's concentrated control over the seed sector in India as well as across the world is very worrying. This is what connects farmers' suicides in India to Monsanto vs Percy Schmeiser in Canada, to Monsanto vs Bowman in the US, and to farmers in Brazil suing Monsanto for $2 .2 billi on for unfair collection o f royalty. Through patents on seed, Monsanto has become the "Life Lord" of our planet, collecting rents for life's renewal from farmers , the original breeders.

Page 22: May 15, 2013, carnegie newsletter

Flamenco Dance Workshops with Kelty McKerracher at

Carnegie Community Centre!

Fridays May 3, 10, 17, 31 and

June 7, 14 2pm- 4:30pm

Carnegie Theatre

Want to move your body in a new way, build self-confidence, and stomp around a

bit? Come and learn Flamenco, the fiery dance from Southern Spain! We will learn to express ourselves through the exciting and proud tradition of flamenco music,

dance, and rhythm. No dance experience necessary, just c\lriosity and a desire to try something new. Open to all genders and ages. Look forward to seeing you there -

Ole!

2 - 3:15pm This will be an i.ntroductoty class in the art of Bulerias and Solea. Solea means 'solitude' and is a slow, deep and emotional dance, while Bulerias 'pot fiesta' is faster and usually danced 'for a parry'! These two forms are considered by many to be the heart of flamenco. We will focus on rhythm and palmas, postura, and worlcing towards dancing in the centre of the circle. New and experienced students welcome.

3:15 - 4:30pm In this class, we will create an ensemble flamenco choreography using movement that is i.nspired by the poetry of ow: own lives. Within the rhythm and tradition of Solea, participants will have a chance to help shape the piece that will evenntally be presented at Barrio Flamenco in 0lovember. Please note: participants who wish to be part of this process must be able to commit to all 6 of our

classes. Participants are i.nvited but not required to perform the choreography.

Thank you to Face the World Foundation for their generous donation.

Page 23: May 15, 2013, carnegie newsletter

Because of you I'm broken Drowning in words unspoken My heavy heart is frozen Infected with your poison.

We're dyi;1g every day With every breath we take Our life begins to change Hearts break As feelings fade away.

Mistakes made Are lessons learned Giving everything To only get burned Gave all my love With no love in return .

Sarah Foisy

DETOX Sometimes when I look up at the light I remember that these tough times will soon again be alr ight, Hidden from pain with regret and disgust. Take a look in the mirror is that even enough. You're worth so much more than what you really think, just be-

Of all the stuff, don't kno· lieve in yourself and you shall not sink. what this loneliness is all about? beats me why some folks be so empty whinin' and cryin' 'cause no-one will babysit me l just don't get it we are born a lone live alone die alone so what is the big deal about spending time by yourself?

seems only natural yet so many folks you see can' t stand to be alone they get "lonely" all the plastic shit they crowd the ir lives with and don't get it when they' re still empty as if"things" could fill up the cavernous ho le they let their lives become Believe me brother if toys 'n gadgets

about bliss d get some

but you know and I know all the pasticated crap plastic-wrapped crap never was anyt good why would it suffice to till up an empty life and why now? if not then then when? come on don't pretend no, you ain't got a fr iend 'cause you got to be a fr iend before you can even begin having a friend start being a friend ..

do you understand?

-bobo

Carissa Radii

~

+ QueStions

The Time has come, I say, and it has Been Said before That Pale rider on the Pale horse The fourth one. We bet on other horses hopeful and optimistic Chestnut, Bat, Palomino Appaloosa time now. Or maybe ol' quarter horse or Arabian

Betting on bitin' never been My style But you doQ bet you never can win You don ' t play you get played. Gentlemen: place your bets, Be you soldier, be you spy, be you rider

This old tale retold taking on new light

These colours in Brooklyn - wormwood bright Numbness in the j aw like novocaine Tension in the teeth Biting down hard on the crusty hard bread we ate with our spaghetti and sirloin steak

Who we were then who we are now Who brought us here, and why The same questions, seven stories telling Seven stories never been told Eight, huit perhaps, maybe turning back? Maybe not-Nine i propose -a nice number could be a six

other way 'round -And of course Ten- dix-Another one, another one, another one

Wilhelmina M

Page 24: May 15, 2013, carnegie newsletter

Coming Soon - Carnegie is going GREEN!

The City of Vancouver's Zero Waste Program is coming to Carnegie on June 26111• This program

will be implemented throughout the centre. Your enthusiastic participation in recycling, composting and diverting waste is needed! Your positive actions will keep waste out of landfill, conserve natural resources, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

What is Zero Waste? Zero Waste involves minimizing waste generation and maximizing reusing and recycling to achieve the greatest possible waste diversion. When the program launches at the Centre, we'll replace the waste containers throughout the building with Zero Waste Stations. Signage on the Waste Stations wi ll help guide you on "what' goes where!

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THIS NEWSLETIER IS A PUBLICATION OF THE CARNEGIE COMMUNITY CENTRE ASSOCIATION

Articles represent the views of individual contributors and not of the Association.

[email protected] email www.carnnews.org website

http://chodarr.org/taxonomy/term/3 Index

WANTED Artwork for the Carnegie newsletter

Small illustrations to accompany articles and poetry . Cover art- Max size: 17cm(6 ~:)wide x 15cm(6' )high. Subject matter pertaining to issues relevant to the Downtown Eastside, but all work considered . Black & White printing only . Size restrictions apply (i.e. if your piece is too large, it will be reduced and/or cropped to fit). All artists will receive credit for their work . Originals will be returned to the artist after being copied for publication Remuneration: Carnegie Volunteer Tickets

Please make submissions to Paul Taylor, Editor.

Thank you in advance for your cooperation Sharon Belli, Assistant Director

Never doubt that a smaU group of thoughtful 1 committed citizens can change the world. -:: Indeed, it is tbe only thing that ever has. ,1

-Margaret Meade 1

Vancouver's non-commercial, listener-supported, community station.

Next Issue: SUBMISSION DEADLINE

TUESDAY, MAY 28TH

DONATIONS 2013: (Money is always needed & welcome.) Sheila 8.-$100 Jenny K.-$25 Elsie McG.-$50 Terry & Savannah -$100 Robert McG.-$100 Leslie S -$25, Laila 8 -$20, Dave J -$8, Anon -$25