July 15, 2015 carnegie newsletter

NEW S LE TT ER·· 401 Main Street, Vancouver V6A2T7 604-665·2289

g

_Index earn •• ienewsl etter.org Websi •• carnnews@Sbaw.ca entail "2rnoewS@vco.bc.ca

FATE AWAITS

Councillors who pretend they cannot see, hear or understand simple truths which are self-evident.

•

Scumbag Renovicting slumlords

LEND YOUR HEART, SPEAK YOUR MIND We're writing & emailing this to you to try to get you to come to a Vancouver City Council meeting on July 22 when the council will hear speakers on the issue of homelessness and changes to the Single Room Accommodation (SRA) Bylaw. We're convinced that, unless all levels of government take immediate action, homelessness will start climbing dramatically next year and for years afterwards.

On July 7th Council heard a report on homelessness in Vancouver & on proposed changes to the SRA bylaw that are supposed to reduce the number of residential hotels that throw out low income tenants, do some minor repairs and raise the rents hundreds of dollars so low income people can't afford to live in the hotels.

This is really important because the SRO hotels are the last stop before homelessness & we're losing them to high rents. The city says we lost 300 last year. The Camegie Action Project says 9 hotels have rents over $700 a month last year, for a room with a shared bathroom down the hall. Over 50 more hotels are at risk for the same thing.

To make matters worse, the last of the 14 social housing sites that we fought for before the Olympics is opening this month (there may be one more but it is in limbo and certainly won't be ready next year). Unfortunately the homeless count this year is not that much better than last year (1803 to 1746) & next year the city is only expecting 45 new units for homeless people to open up.

The city opened up 157 units at the Quality Inn to house homeless campers from Oppenheimer Tent City, but it will be closing next year. In other words the homeless situation for next year looks like: 157 units at Quality Inn lost; +300 SRO rooms lost =457 rooms lost With no new buildings opening up and only 45 welfare rate units, it looks like we could have 457 minus 45 or 412 more homeless people next year if no one else becomes homeless except from SRO renovictions & Quality Inn. The city seems to think their SRO plan will slow down renovictions. Their "solution" is to change the SRA bylaw so that: If owners want to make a repair that requires the tenant to move, they will have to get a permit. Before, the city interpreted their bylaw so that owners only needed a permit if they made a major repair like removing a wall & combining two rooms. To get a permit, under the amended bylaw, they would have to negotiate with the city about a relocation plan for tenants, affordable rents & the tenants right to return at an affordable rent after renovations, but only if the repair required the tenant to move.

The fee that council *may* charge for taking a unit out of jurisdiction of the SRA路bylaw has been increased from $15,000 to $125,000. But most renovictors don't take units out of the SRA bylaw.

Wendy and I think this program is too weak to stop private owners like Steven Lippman or Abol Abdullahi who have renovicted lots of people. We think it's too weak because most people are evicted before the renovations begin. In our experience landlords use a variety of ways to get low income people out of their building. They can simply ask tenant to move, tell them they have to, threaten them with evictions, evict them illegally, and even pay them to leave. A Vancouver Sun article (July 2, 2015) says that Geoffrey Howes, who manages Lippman's Living Balance company, said that the increased fee doesn't affect his buildings because they have no plans to take the rooms out of the SRO stock.

The city is also talking about a deal with Vancity to give grants to both profit and nonprofit owners in exchange for fixing up their hotel rooms. this could be ok if keeping rents affordable to people on welfare and disability were part of the deal. We are afraid that the city may allow hotels to keep only a portion of the rooms covered by rent control with these deals.

Although the council seems frustrated that they haven't been able to end street homelessness, approving this plan on July 22, will show they aren't taking the situation seriously enough. *What needs to be done?* # 1. Council needs to begin talking about the urgency of the situation. When they act like homelessness is under control it takes away from the urgency & the political will needed to end homelessness. These elements create the

3

urgency: #a. Welfare rates aren't high enough to pay rent & buy nutritious food and welfare management practices are making it hard for people in need to get what they need; #b. Low income people are losing 300 SRO units a year to high rents; #c. There is no federal or provincial housing program that is building new social housing; #d. The city's lease on the Quality Inn (157 rooms) expires next year; #e. No new federal or provincially funded social housing buildingsare set to open next year or any year in the . future (may be one exception, the 14th site that is in limbo now). #f. People continue to become homeless due to all of the above factors and more. #g. The vacancy rate in Vancouver is half a percent while a healthy vacancy rate is 3-5%. This means that there is a huge demand for housing, especially low cost housing. #2. Council should keep section e of the conversion definition in the SRA bylaw and interpret it to mean that a conversion is a repair, improvement, or replacement that has a material effect on the enjoyment by permanent residents (which is what is says). DJ Larkin, a lawyer at Pivot, says the law could be interpreted this way but so far the city has refused. In other words the city could charge the owners the conversion penaly fee of $125,000 per unit for "renovictions." #3. The province has a fund for social housing with $144 million for this year, $90 M for next year & $39 million for the year after. At the Council meeting on Tuesday, housing staff admitted that they haven't made any formal proposals to the province to get this money!!! The city should buy enough lots, many of them in the DTES, to build housing with all this money. It could fund almost 1400 units on city owned land. It's taken 8 years to build some of the social housing that was announced in 2007. The city should get a proposal in now, to have housing 3 to 8 years from now. , #4. The city should put together a strong lobby case for more federal/provincial funding of social housing using contractors & developers who would build it and lobby the feds & province for more money to keep up a stream of thousands of units of social housing a year in BC. #5. The city should continue & step up its lobby for higher welfare rate~. #6. The city should acknowledge that its definition of social housing (one-third of units have to be at HILS, or about $912 a month for a bachelor unit, with two-thirds at market rents and none at welfare rates that homeless people can afford) won't serve over one fifth of Vancouver's population who live in poverty. It's crucial that the city change its definition of social housing so it actually meets the needs of people who live here. #7. The city should put together a strong lobby case for more social housing using contractors and developers who would build it and lobby the feds and province for more money to keep up a stream of 1000s of units of social housing a year in BC. #8. One way th t hotel owners get away with kicking people out and raising rents is by letting places deteriorate until the city demands substantial work that would require tenants to get out. If the city enforced its maintenance bylaws more strictly, with more than one inspection a year, this would be less likely to happen. #9. The city should ensure that if it goes ahead with the deal with Vancity to give grants to hotel owners, that no owner gets a grant unless people on welfare and disability can afford all of the renovated units. /

This is why we are urging you to come to Council on July 22 We need to tell Council that there is a homelessness crisis and we need these urgent actions above to end the crisis. We're hoping you can come. The Council meeting starts at 9:30 but we don't know when they will deal with this agenda item. We'll know more when the agenda comes out on July 17th. *To get on the speakers list:* Email *Iori.isfeld@vancouver.ca<lori.isfeld@vancouver.ca>** .* Tell her you'd like to speak to council on the issue of the homeless count and the SRA bylaw. *Want help writing your speech?* Come to Carnegie Action Project office at Carnegie Centre at 2 pm on July 21. *Let us know if you plan to speak*. When we find out where we are on the agenda we can plan to go up to coun-

cil together, maybe with some rides or on the bus together. Email jean.swanson(aigmail.com *Check out the city's powerpoint* on homelessness and the proposed SRA bylaw amendments attached. *A side note on rent supplements: * Both provincial and federal governments are pushing the idea that poor people should live in privately owned housing with rent supplements. Citystaff said on July 7th that rent supplements are "not a very transparent process," and that it's "hard to deliver rent supplements in a very tight rental market." US studies have shown that when governments use rent supplements to replace social housing, the long term cost to taxpayers in higher.

Worse rent supplements, especially in a tight rental market, have the impact of increasing rents for all renters, even people who don't get supplements. The key to solving the housing crisis is to havemore non-market housing, not to rely on the very market that is causing the crisis.

That said, there may be a place for rent supplements in the interim, until we can get some good social housing, to keep people in SROs and keep the SROs well maintained if they are owned or managed by non profit owners.

--

-

Sincerely, Wendy and Jean Jean Swanson 6047292380 jean.swanson@gmail.com

Never T?Ought 'I would live to see A Holy War again Never thought 1would live to see Some recognition of blame From the Powers-that-Be Never thought I ould see Harold David die before me or Greta from the Empress A combo holy terror & teacher herself.

" -, '\

~~

Interesting times n'est-ce pas?

Too bloody, too interesting But we adapt a little hurt too much Wisest maybe Diminished everybody Hope? Expectation. ;.

Qui sao Wilhelmina

.â&#x20AC;˘.:"

/\

/

(

5

CCAP Job posting: administrator and community organizer The Camegie Community Action Project (CCAP) is looking for an administrator and community organizer to work with their volunteers to help low-income Downtown Eastside residents implement their Community Vision for Change and to ensure that decisions about the future of the community build on community assets, This includes working for more and better housing, higher welfare rates and to stop gentrification. This is a two day per week position through December, 2015 with the possibility of extension,

. Administration • • •

Manage and track budget with support from accountant Manage funding and year-end funder reports Coordinate CCAP employee and volunteer team

•

Raise funds

Maintain CCAP web site and Facebook page Publishing & speaking (In collaboration with experienced volunteers) • •

Speak and support others to speak at meetings, events, classes, city hall, news events Write bulletins & newsletter articles and layout newsletter Community meetings & actions (In collaboration with experienced volunteers) • Track actions of city hall, province and federal governments and coordinate response statements with other staff and volunteers • Support volunteers to act and speak out for their community, developing leadership capacities.

• Organizing low-income residents to attend rezoning and development application hearings and to speak out through other venues like news conferences.

• Attend weekly CCAP volunteer meetings

I

Research: Help with producing CCAP's annual hotel and housing report Support: Help low income volunteers get what they need to keep volunteering Desired experience: • •

I• • • • • • • • • •

Excellent verbal and written communication skills Ability to use computer for research, emails, formatting flyers, posters, etc.

Web or blog design skills Good people skills Grant writing and reporting Facilitating workshops Media/communications Developing campaigns for social justice with community groups Ability to work in a team and on own, and with a community board Research on housing, income, and/or planning issues Knowledge of city planning processes Experience working in the DTES

Applicants are encouraged to check out these websites before applying: http://ccapvancouver .wordpress.com/ http://raisetherates.org/ Pay is $21 an hour gross. Only people who are to be interviewed will candidate is available. Keep the entire application, including covering Please submit resumes by email with a half-page essay on the causes familiar with your work by July 21 to; Jean Swanson, CCAP, email: People who are Indigenous and residents or community members of speak Cantonese/Mandarin are encouraged to apply.

be contacted. The job will start when the letter, in one email file. of homelessness and two references who are jean.swanson(i:l{gmail.com the Downtown Eastside and people who can

C••

saMln'

. la' IHt.

Worltt AIDS Co nferenee, Affiliated. Event 5aturdaY,JulY 18 -, 5:00 tiN to 10:00 PM ~:

st

The CamegieCommunity Centre 401 Main Street. Vancouver, BC

EVERYONE IS WELCOME!

Sponsored b¥; 'D'ES HIIIIDUConsumers' Board "ane. leisll oumood Small Grants 'PosNwe Lwins B.C. ' ••erek Canada "aneouyer luiye Health 'Riehmond Foodbank 'Carnesie Comm. Centre 'AIDS 'aneoRYer *Indjyor Pharmaceuticals

ItDDDU: 5:00 PM Dinner Opening Prayer 5:20 PM Drumming Circle 5:35 PM Marc Emmery, "AIDS & Marijuana" 6:10 PM Shelley Tognazinni & Mark Haggarty, "Getting Older & Living Longer with HIV" 6:40 PM Paul Taylor, "Carnegie Newsletter & Brochure" 6:50 PM Native Hoop Dancer 7:00 PM Indivor, Kathleen MacDonald, "Suboxone" 7:30 PM Henry Hiebert, Ojibwa Potter, Slide Show 7:40 PM Backlane Harm Reduction Team, Tom Reemsbothom & Chris Slater 7:50 PM Red Road mv Network, Paul a Tate & Gina August 8:15 PM Peers, Vane. Native Health "Street Drug Jeopardy" 8:45 PM Lookout, Michelle Leitner & Monica Verma, "AIDS Services" 9:15 PM Megaphone Magazine 9:30 PM John Cameron, "Footiong or Regular?"

9:40 PM Pop, Cake & Door p•.izes

.

.

7...

DOWNTOWN E.A5T5IDE. CE.NTRE.FORTHE.ART5

.

Pr

"ding community members opportunities for creative experience. exploration, & creative expression through art programming

My Puppy Punched Me in the Eye My puppy punched me in the eye My rabbit whacked my ear My ferret gave a frightful cry And round house kicked my rear

creative

.

LOGO DESIGN COMfET I'TI6~ My lizard flipped me upside down HELP RE BRAND DECA WITH A NEW LOGO

My kitten licked my head My hamster slammed me to the ground And left me nearly dead.

$200

Gih Certificate to Opus Art Supplies LNTRiES DUE. jul:J :> I 20 15 LMAll_ TO 5KAFUR.DLCA@CMAILC J

DM

SUBMISSIONS CAN BE EMAILED OR DROPPED OFF AT THE CARNEGIE COMMUNITY CENTRE Front Desk SKAPUR.DECA@GMAIL.COM

-()""-r~" .. i\A '\ ~,I\.!' /-)C- ') <, '\ c \./O( .â&#x20AC;˘1 L)i\;1i i f ,,'J I \hl" T L,~,. _le ,j r'\,) 1.

.~.

CONTACT US FOR MORE INF~

So my advice: Avoid regrets; no matter what you do Don't ever let your family pets take lessons in kung-fu Digna

hi tI f '\

The Petrified Forest

SKAPURDECA@GMAILCOM

Gentrification strangles our 'hood like a mindless god wringing an,obese neck dollar-values ever rule real estate vultures drool as shitty hall sucks up to them like a frog-prince sucking phlegm condo towers go up like weeds like unholy heartless deeds no room for street folk no space for dreams, hope gods of gentrification: be happy now it's a soul-less 'hood small dogs, pigeons & folk must go away for good john alan douglas We need to open our eyes so we can see what is not always visible to the human eyes.

Maria Those suffering from disabilities have more courage and strength than those who are abled.

Maria Teixeira

Xbo)(, XbO)( Xbox, Xbox you're the one for me I also love my 3Ds and my Nintendo wii Game Cube, Game Boy Appli iPod Touch I never thought that I would ever be in love this much Pac Man, Sonic Mario and Link Your names are etched inside my mind in everlasting ink.

Run, jump, flip, hang, double-jump and climb thaqt's all I want to do with every second of my time This is truelove Yes! It's plain to me XboxXbos WiIJ youmarry me?

Digna

BASEBALL GAME Camegie Centre

@~W .••:.+ .:••

'''Ball 13reakers"

versus

"Bear 'Pirates' Monday, July 27 . 1:00 @ Oppenheimer Oppenheimer Park

•• :.+ .:•• ~ ,

Carnegie Theatre Workshop

I

•.. July & August •..

Fridays 1pm-3pm

Of course we will need Cheerleaders, so those of you who love the game & would love to cheer for your team are more than welcome.

Friday July 17 ....1pm-3pm J

Please sign up in the Volunteer Program Office

BEADS, BEADS & MORE BEADS with STAR Everyone welcome! !

When: Every Sunday 1 pm - Spm WHERE: 3RD Floor Galiery CANADA-WIDE ELDER DEBASEMENT Our present generation is probably the first one that didn't receive the knowledge of their grassroots elders. Due to the new technology and lack of computer savvy by thousands of older persons their experience became irrelevant.

Furthermore, the older generation was deprived of i delving into their experience, the places where they worked and the changes that occurred during their lifetime. For instance, in Toronto where the Archives of Ontario was located, seniors could browse through books covering every past government activity in the province. One could refer to information in a bo~k and speak to a person sitting at a desk. The Archives was closed down and transferred to a distant university and all information put on a computer.

In Vancouver the Archives of British Columbia is located in Victoria. The history of the larger population homes for women and places where most person~ worked was on the mainland. The Archives should be relocated to Vancouver Velma Demerson

-VD ICE

with Trish Alien

EXPRESSIONof Self, FREEINGthe Voice Unlock the body, the sound, the ear, the emotions and the imagination

Fridays July 24, 31, Aug 14, 21

Acti n g basics of tragedy read King Oedipus by Sophocles

Fate,free will or humanjlaw? First performed in 429 BC, this classic Greek tragedy tells the mythical story of a man who becomes king, fulfilling a tragic prophecy..

Plus ... Friday Aug 7 speciaL guest teacher

... Nathan Slattery ...

Watch for more details

All classes in the Carnegie Theatre No experience necessary Everyone welcome, Free!

For more in/a: Teresa 604-255-9401 thirteenojhearts@hotmail.com

HERE COMES THE

12th Annual Downtown

Eastside Heart of the City Festival

October 28 to Sunday November 8, 2015

Wednesday

(I-r) Muriel Marjorie

Williams,

Robyn Livingston, Karenza Wall, Sandra Pronteau,

Khari McClelland, Joan Morelli, Tom Quirk, Mike Richter, Yvon Chartrand, Elwin Xie, Priscillia Tait, Beverly Dobrinsky, Swallow Zhou. Photo: David Cooper

The Festival team is working on the 2015 Festival, and by September the programs will be in place. This year's theme is Nourished by Community. If you have an idea, project or activity for this or future festivals, please contact Teresa Vandertuin (Associate Artistic Producer) at 604-255-9401 or thirteenofhearts@hotmail.com.

Come learn and eat with us!

Wednesday, July 22, 1- 3pm Oppenheimer Park

DUMPLING

MAKING

Sign up with Gloria

The Downtown Eastside Heart of the Festival is produced by Vancouver Moving Theatre with the Carnegie Community Centre & Association of United Ukrainian Canadians working with a host of community partners.

SHAKESPEARE CLASSES WITH THE HONEST FISHMONGERS

From the LibrarY The summer heat has arrived & it's time to get learn- i ing! This year VPL is partnering with local organiza- I tions in a project called "The Summer of Learning" with lots of great prizes & inspiration, to help us discover features of our city. If you register at Camegie (or any VPL branch) you can receive a personal journal, along with four prize ballots. Or, you can register direct with your email at: http://www.vancouverlearningcity.ca/ If you are a photographer there are special prizes for submitting images on lnstagram (please ask if you would like to learn how to set up an account)! For the next two months there will be different themes. Right now the theme is "Out of Your Comfort Zone." For example, How Not to Suck at Public Speaking by Jim Francis.

Essentially, Francis will guide you in getting over your fears and become an awesome presenter!

Latin Dancing by Dessi Ohanians. Do you have two left feet? Well, this book claims you will soon be a "dance champ" stepping out with Salsa, Lambada, and Merengue if you follow these visual directions.

Say Yes to your Spirit: A personal journey for developing spirituality recovery & healing by Leo Booth.

When you "say yes" to change you are taking a risk, and this book eases you through the transition with daily affirmations for the year.

Likeable Social Media by Dave Kerpen. For some of us, the thought of participating on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram (etc.) makes us cringe. This book aims to convert the Luddites showcasing the benefits of social media as a tool to connect and promote one's cause or business.

Beauty is Embarrassing (DVD), with Wayne White.

Most people shun embarrassing moments or try to erase them from memory, but for 30 years Wayne White pursued it as a designer, puppeteer, sculptor & musician. Check out this fun documentary / performance and get weird.

Your librarian, Natalie

Kevin Bennett has just returned from working at Shakespeare's Globe Theatre in London England and will be teaching Shakespearean classes for any age and all experience levels. It will run every Sunday evening in the upstairs classroom from 7:30-9:30pm. for the next three months.

No previous experience or commitment to multiple classes required. Be prepared to get on your feet with Shakespeare's beautiful words even if you have never read a Shakespeare play before! All are welcome!

Starts Sunday, July 5th Ends Sunday, September 27th Any questions: Email kevinbennett88@gmail.com

WHO CAN VOTE? Voter identification has been increased, why? Were there discrepancies in the past that need to be rectified? The government had to be aware that noncitizens were voting. Until 2009, women who married aliens, (generally non-white persons) lost their citizen -ship -the women were not advised and didn't know they were no longer citizens and obviously voted in elections. In England women were notified at time of marriage they would lose their citizenship. This wasn't done in Canada. The new voter identification increase is being challenged as unnecessary. Is there , some past guilt behind the demand for additional proof of citizenship before being allowed to vote??

By Velma Demerson

t-INEWS

FROMOPPENHEIMER PARK

NEW HOURS! Monday to Sunday: 9:15am - 5:00pm PRACTICUM NURSING STUDENTS Oppenheimer Park is excited to welcome Amanda & Mary Ann from VCC Nursing Program. They will be working Monday - Wednesday. Come & bother them!

REGISTER FOR KIDS SUMMER SOCCER CUNICS

(FREE)

Every Monday lOam - 12pm, July 6 - August 24 Ages 5-12 years, for both boys & girls We are still accepting registrations! Each kid will receive a T-shirt ; Call 604-253-8830

& soccer ball!

or drop by at the Park office to register.

Dumpling Making Workshop Wednesday, July 22' lpm - sign up with Oppenheimer Park staff Baseball Game - Oppenheimer Park Pirates vs. Carnegie Ball Breakers - Monday July 27th at lpm.

Sign up with Park staff

(Pirates)

- Volunteer Office

(Ball Breakers)

NEW PROGRAM: BLACK JACK CLUB Every Monday 1-3PM Starting July 20 Come and try your luck at Oppenheimer Park. . receive tickets placed into draw for winning prizes.

I

ARTWORK FROM OPPEN-ARTS

STUDIO

If you participated

Studio workshops at the Carnegie

in Oppen-Arts

(printmaking/collage/painting/

21'ers will

SUMMER 2014

drawing) in Summer 2014, we may still have your artworks. If you

would like to pick them up, please visit the Park and see Kay on Thursday between llam - 4pm. We will keep them until early-August.

THE 8TH ANNUAL

OPPENHEIMER PARK COMMUNITY

ART SHOW:

IN BETWEEN!

The application period closes on Thursday, July 16 at 4pm. You will be notified regarding your participation

in the show. This year's theme is "In Between!"

UGM BBQ at Oppenheimer Park - July 18th

in early-August

, CRUNCH~oltes

'~:.

~

~~,~~j~,~:;;~:\~~,

.1

'.

What Poverty Does to the Young Brain

BY MADELINE OSTRANDER The brain's foundation, frame, and walls are built in the womb. As an embryo grows into a fetus, some of its dividing cells .turn into neurons, arranging themselves into layers and forming the first synapses, the organ's electrical wiring. Four or five months into gestation, the brain's outermost layer, the cerebral cortex, begins to develop its characteristic wrinkles, which deepen further after birth. It isn't until a child's infant and toddler years that the structures underlying higher-level cognitionwill power, emotional self-control, decision-making-begin to flourish; some of them continue to be fine-tuned throughout adolescence and into the first decade of adulthood.

Pat Levitt, a developmental neuroscientist at Children's Hospital Los Angeles, has spent much of his career studying the setbacks and accidents that can make this construction process go awry. In the nineteen-nineties, during the media panic over "crack babies," he was among a number of scientists who questioned whether the danger of cocaine exposure in utero was being overstated. (Levitt spent two decades examining the brains of rabbit mothers and their offspring that were dosed with the drug, and says that the alarm was "an exaggeration.") More recently, as the science director of the National Scientific Council on the Developing Child, he has become interested in another sort of neurotoxin: poverty.

As it turns out, the conditions that attend poverty-what a National Scientific Council report summarized as "overcrowding, noise, substandard housing, separation from parent(s), exposure to violence, family turmoil," and other forms of extreme stress--can be toxic to the developing brain, just like drug or alcohol abuse. These conditions provoke the body to release hormones such as cortisol, which is produced in the adrenal cortex. Brief bursts of cortisol can help a person manage difficult situations, but high stress over the long term can be disastrous. In a pregnant woman, the hormone can "get through the placenta into the fetus," Levitt told me, potentially influencing her baby's brain and tampering with its circuitry. Later, as the same child grows up, cortisol from his own body may continue to sabotage the development of his brain. .

In March, in the journal Nature Neuroscience, a group of researchers from nine hospitals and universities published a major "" study of more than a thousand children. They took DNA samples, made MRI scans of the children's brains, collected data on their families' income level and educational background, and gave them a series of tests for skills like reading and memory. â&#x20AC;˘â&#x20AC;˘ The DNA samples allowed the scientists to factor out the influence of genetic heritage and look more closely at how socioeconomic status affects a growing brain. The scans focussed on over-all brain surface area, determined partly from the depth of the folds on the cortex, and the size of the hippocampus, a lumpy, curled structure nestled in the middle of the brain that stores memories. As might be expected, more educated families produced children with greater brain surface area and a more voluminous hippocampus. But income had its own distinct effect: living in the lowest bracket left children with up to six per cent less brain surface area than children from high-income families. At the lowest end of the income spectrum, little increases in family earnings could mean larger differences in the brain. At the middle and upper income levels, though, the money-brain curve flattened. In other words, wealth can't necessarily buy a better brain, but deprivation can result in a weakened one.

A person whose brain has been undermined in this way can suffer long-term behavioral and cognitive difficulties. In March, a study appeared in tt-lejournalActa Paediatrica showing eerie ultrasound images of fetuses that more frequently moved their mouths and touched their faces when their mothers were either stressed out or, even more so, when they smoked cigarettes-likely a sign of delayed nervous-system development. In a longer-term study published two years ago, neuroscientists at four universities scanned the brains of a group of twenty-four-year-olds and found that, in those who had lived in poverty at age nine, the brain's centers of negative emotion were more frequently buzzing with activity, whereas the areas that could rein in such emotions were quieter. Elsewhere, stress in childhood has been shown to make people prone to depression, heart disease, and addiction in adulthood. .

Over the past decade, the scientific consensus has become clear: poverty perpetuates poverty, generation after generation, by acting on the brain. The National Scientific Council has been working directly with policymakers to support measures that break this cycle, including better prenatal and pediatric care and more accessible preschool education. Levitt and his colleagues have also been advocating for changing laws that criminalize drug abuse during pregnancy, since, as they pointed out in a review paper, arrest and incarceration can also trigger the "maternal stress response system." The story that science is now telling rearranges the morality of parenting and poverty, making it harder to blame problem children on problem parents.

Build~a healthy brain, it seems, is an actof barn raising.

The Day The Sky Disappeared I woke up last Saturday July 4, 2015 & found a solid sheet of pale gray up above. It was smoke from multiple forest fires hundreds of kilometers away.

It was 8:30 on a July morning, & it looked as though a thin fog had swallowed the North Shore mountains, blanked out Buzzard Inlet, & made Vancouver appear like a faint silhouette in the far distance.

"It will pass," I optimistically said to myself.

I woke up Sunday & saw the same flat sheet of gray, except Grouse mountain had completely disappeared.

"It will pass ..."

Then Sunday night hit me like a kick to the groin.

There were no stars! No far-off blinking of airplanes flying by to the airport, which was the usual bill of fare from my ih floor balcony.

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday came and

went. I tried to remember what the blue sky looked like during the day. How wonderful the stars that once blessed my eyes in the darkness of night were.

"Is this the future?" I asked myself. "Has global warming passed the Rubicon to a point where tinder dry forests will ignite ever-early & earlier each Summer until we have a permanent gray presence above us from Spring till Winter?"

If only we were not so stupidly resilient to UN Natural disasters, we might have a fighting chance to prevent such a scenario.

But we're a busy people, who need to protect our jobs in order to pay our bills & mortgages, & fix our cars, & have some bucks left over to take a good vacation.

Why should we risk all this and take to the streets to force our leaders to save and sustain our existence?

39th Annual Powell Street Festival â&#x20AC;˘ When: Saturday, August 1st & Sunday, August 2nd, 2015 11:30am to 7:00pm Where: Oppenheimer Park (400 bloc:k of Powell Street) Firehall Arts Centre (280 E. Street) Vanc:ouver Japanese Language Sc:hool and Japanese Hall (475 Alexander Street) Vanc:ouver Buddhist Temple (220 Jac:kson Avenue) Centre A (229 E. Georgia Street) Ming Sun - Uc:hida Building (439 Powell Street) Cost: free

www.powellstreetfestival.c:om

Garry Gust

a greater war I try to watch my language but can't afford a microscope I know it has anger colour despair. I also try to watch my money but it simply isn't there - us poor people must really be a drag on the rich. Like Officer Down all bulked up taking on an Aboriginal man whose body has been fine-tuned by poverty, racial abuse & living on the streets he already can barely stand this will last a couple seconds while those that bought tickets will bitch, like selling bleach at a KKK convention teaching people how to brush their teeth with Iyme or staying out of the Sun 'cause white skin tends to run red & that is a racial crime but as Oscar Wilde kind of said 'Compliments & complaints are all we can afford', be it the First Eleventh or 21 si century the lightbulbs above our heads get stolen then people with anything to sell have no takers as the poor somehow set the fists in motion the SS Nowhere is about to launch to a watery grave will the poor get aboard, when bags full of bottles and pockets full of butts are your answer to financial security you are despised by everyone who throw their empties away like trash ...

We are deemed worthless like broken beer bottle glass if only I could tear down every penthouse in this god-mistaken over-rated skyscraperish booze-swilling maggots from our sky -when was it ever given to 'em I do not recall - we shall guzzle their champaign borrow their alternate wings destroy the fabric of their pathetic power-hungry lives & that's not all we will burn them to the ground & to the ones who survive why 'hello there' Our concern for affordable housing basks in the dor- , mant mind of those who have none & wish us away as hard as you try t make our housing & money dis- _. appear we are here to stay while you are free to take the longest walk into the ocean (trust me the coast is clear -) We are worth all the perjured testimony ever given in a court of laws when cops continue to get away with murder the jury acquits than applauds this farce of life or death flaws as they take the murderer( cop) out for a beer, like planting munitions plants in your garden of holy horrors they radiate very nicely this time of century invite all your friends mostly the hoarders my pen like my pockets are beginning to empty but I really must rest, instead of a $700 SRO I'll use a field this time of year the Sun is so warm so to the shade I'll go just one last thing you ,3: may fuck right off you gutless soulless ditch-scum

rubbish kings&queens while I slumber you can create even more poverty fests, like a camouflage nun's habit or a magician pulling human babies out of rabbits people have become walking credit cards like if you have to ask how many floors are in that new building you probably can't afford it, Whether you have 5 million or 5 thousand or owe 5 hundred the poor are unnecessary ornaments as Mother Nature begins setting her tectonic plates+ knives+forks+spoons then cmes the thundering sound from the uber-rich who shall celebrate our eradication now airi't life & its death a bitch!!?

By ROBERT McG1LLIVRA Y "Jobless millions whisked away, at last we have more room to play; all systems to go to kill the poor tonight!

-Jello (Biafra)

Gentle Readers Funding for the remainder of 20 15 is now assured the money is in the credit union. ["Bank" goes with Banksters and it couldn't be the nice people/person "I" know! !?] â&#x20AC;˘ The Carnegie Newsletter came up short in 2014 by about $1600. Thankfully that didn't carry over to 2015 but that red ink ate into the Association's small surplus. A fundraiser in January netted about $300, then the Gaming Commission approved us using $4K (of our own money). Individual donations kept hope alive (well, hope is always here), the death of a dear friend had a silver lining as he left instructions that any money for flowers, epitaphs, eulogies, memorials etc go to the Newsletter, and a generous donation from a volunteer made the total enough.

Help in the Downtown Eastside, used by literally thousands of residents and scores of agencies, dropins and services in Vancouver came out and was paid for after the fact: there was just $1000 on hand for a $3000+ printing cost but it had to come out. The last donation settled that account nicely, and there is now enough money to get the Newsletter through December this year. THANK YOU ONE & ALL!!!

PaulR Taylor, volunteer editor.

"..• "

' :-. :. ,.

<, ~ .

We acknowledge that Camegie Community Centre, and this Newsletter, are occurring on Coast Salish Territory . . :,. ..;

. THIS NEWSLETIER IS A PUBLICATION OF THE CARNEGIE COMMUNITY CENTRE ASSOCIATION Articles represent the views of individual contributors and not of the Association ..

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." -MargaretMeade Next issue: SUBMISSION

WANTED Artwork for the Carnegie Newsletter

• •

• • • • •

THt

Please make submissions to Paul Taylor, Editor.

The edilor can edit for clarity, formal & brevity, but not al the expense of the writer's message.

COMPUTER ADVICE lIancouver Community Network :ost-effectiy~.computer & n support for non-profits {eN Teen Team http://techteam.vcn.bc.ca :;all 778-724-0826 ext2. 705-333 Terminal Ave, Van. '.?<'

DEAnUNE

TUESDAY, JULY 28_

Small illustrations to accompany articles and poetry.

Cover art - Max size: 17ctn(6 '/..")wide x 15cm(6')high.

Subject matter pertaining to issues relevant to the Downtown Easlside, 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: Camegie Volunteer Tickets

DONATIONS 2015

/;.

Jel1l1Y Wai Ching Kwan MLA ,,' Working for Y.ou 1070 -1641 Commercial Dr, V5L 3Y3 ,;-l~"';' Phone: 604-775-0790 ti '\;

WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTIO~ • • • • •

-<"S~!:1~d1!j

AIDS POVERTY HOMELESSNESS VIOLtNCE AGAINST WOMEN ABORIGINAL GENOCIDE .TOTALITARIAN CAPITALISM IGNORANCE and SUSTAINED FEAR

Terry & Savannah -$150 Michele C.-$100 Or Kevin -$50 Leslie 5.-$125 Bob & Muggs -$100 Leslie K -$50 Catherine C.-$100 Glenn B.-$200 Sheila B.$50 Vancouver Moving Theatre -$200 Pat 0.$50 Harold & Sharron 0.-$100 Michael C.-$100 Eleanor B.-$25 Elaine & Oavid -$40 Margaret M.-$50 Ruth McG -$50 Jenny K -$100 Jacqueline L -$75 Robert McG.-$110 Christopher R.-$100 ) Penny C.-$50 in memory of Miriam Stuart Skateboarders -$50 Wilhelmina M.-$25 .

Jackie W.-$50 George H.$60 Ruth L-$100 .

Barry M.-$250 Anonymous -$110 In Memory of Harold David - WiII/Sharon C.,$50 Barbara M.-$200 Gina F.-$100 Lori 1B0rys -$100 Catherine B.-$50 Yukiko T.-$50 taylor s.,$20 Solidarity Notes Labour Choir -$25 Kevin & Richard 0.-$100 CHIPS -$500 Radiation Therapy Clerks -$40 Jacki 5.-$15 Roger C.-$100 Den~e_DJ60 Lydla McK.-liQQ Laila B.-$5O Aiden S.-$25 Aideen McK -$10

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

Catherine H.$50 Yasushi K.-$50+ Kerry F.-$25 in memory of Bud Osbom