June 15, 2006, carnegie newsletter

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NEWSLETTER 40 1 Main St, Vancouver ..Y6A 2T7 · 604-665-2289

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Come help us celebrate!

JUNE 21, 2006 •

Dunlevy and Cordova 11 :00-4:00 pm

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"t--& Crafts!

Face Pai

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Book

oBootbs!

Food Served: 11 :00-3:00 -·

To Help or Donate call Jim@ Oppenheimer (604) 665·2210 or Marlene@ Carnegie (604) 665-3005

NATIONAL ABORIGINAL DAY WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO US?

National Aboriginal Day came about in 1996 when we were recognized by the Crown who, represented

by Romeo LeBlanc, declared that we Aboriginal people should have a day of recognition to honour our Cultural Heritage, our accomplishments, and our uruqueness.

Why is it only one day? As Indigenous people to Turtle Island don't you think we deserve more than one day?

Even people who were kidnapped, enslaved and brought across the ocean to Turtle Island from t4e African Continent receive one month of recognition every year during Black History month in February.

We are recognized as having rights n The Charter of Rights and Freedoms but at what cost?

Many people think Aboriginal people get everything free and we don't pay taxes. This misconception is the furthest thing from the truth: We paid dearly for our medical, dental, education & homes.

We paid with every acre of our land taken from us We paid with every $$ of our resources taken from our land · We paid with our children being forced into Resi. dential schools •

We paid with the loss of our Culture and Heritage (many bands are fragmented) We paid with the our ceremonies being banned for many generations and almost lost We paid with the loss of our languages We paid with the restriction on our hunting and fishing rights We paid with our health being compromised by a diet filled with harmful additives and our people dying from heart disease and diabetes This is the price we paid for our so called " tax free status", so you see nothing is free.

Many of us still suffer the effects of the institution of Residential School. Many of us were not parented so we did not learn to parent our children. Many of us as a result have our children in care or permanently removed. Others are still locked in the institution of a prison cell or in the dependency on alcohol or drugs or both. We are locked in the institution of poverty in the white man' s economic structure.

Many of us are suffering because we are for various reasons displaced from our traditional ways, medicines, ceremonies, lands and people. The Downtown Eastside is known as the largest Indian Reservation in Canada. People come to this community to find a place to belong, a place they can relate

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to others like themselves. An unspoken knowledge that our people have in common when we see one another is that we know where we come from .. be it Cree, Ojibway, Mohawk, Coast Salish, Northwest Coast, Interior Salish, or Metis' .

Some of us are Medicine people, Visionaries and Shamans. We are not that far removed from our medicine teachings and sacred societies, a scant drop in the bucket of time. Medicine people, Shamans and Visionaries were once praised and embraced.

Now some of us fear the power of the Medicine people because we are not familiar with the old ways of our ancestors. Others have the gifts the Creator gave them but they too fear using them or do not understand why they have them. Some young people today do not know about the Medicine Wheel teachings or the balance of all things in our universe.

We are losing the respect for our Elders. Why? Because we are so displaced from our familial ties and cultural ways. We no longer grow up with our Elders in our household. Some of us had Elders that abused us or who were alcoholics. Some of us are removed from our territories and are not familiar with how ceremonies are done or we do not practice these ceremonies because of our addictions. When it is said that it takes a whole village to raise a child, this is no longer the way. We no longer correct youngsters who are misbehaving as was done in the old days. When an Elder was speaking you could hear a pin drop because that was the kind of respect that was afforded to them.

Today, Elders are ignored or not paid attention to.

Have you ever witnessed the abuse of Elders at Pow Wows? How the disrespect is shown by a youngster plowing past an Elder & not even saying excuse me.

Only we can correct this behaviour that is occurring in our midst. We have the fastest growing population of those under 25, we have the largest drop-out rate of any ethnic population in Canada. We have the highest suicide rates of our young people.

On National Aboriginal Day remember where we come from and the ways of our once proud people and strive to return to those ways in our daily living.

Treat our Elders with respect and correct our children when they are carrying themselves not in a good way.

Submitted by Marlene Trick,

Happy National Aboriginal Day. •

Every Thursday is Aboriginal Day

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at Oppenheimer Park t 1:00 am Pow Wow Drumming learn or teach drum songs together

I :30 pm Bannock Making make bannock to be shared with participants in the afternoon circle 2:30 pm Bannock Circle share bannock and woodland tea while we do talking circles, crafts and plan trips

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

SPECIAL EVENT: COMING TOGETHER FOR RECONCILIATION AND HEALING MONDAY JUNE 26, 2006 .

From 1 - 5 PM in the Carnegie theatre

Come join us and hear the words of Retired Bishop Don Samual Ruiz from Chiapas Mexico Opening prayer by Sam George from Squamish Nation Everyone Welcome

News from the Library New Books: Have you ever spent time looking at the neighbourhood crows? Two new books give a fascinating insight into the world of these " black-clad wise guys".

Crows: Encounters with the Wzse Guys ofthe Avian World (598) is Candace Savage' s sparky look at the biology, communication and social world of the crow, and includes beautiful illustrations, legends and poetry. In the Company of Crows and Ravens (John H Marzluff and Tony Angell, 598.86) looks at the crow family and their encounters with humans.

The book not only looks at how crows have influenced artists from Shakespeare to the cave painters at Lascaux, but on how humans have influenced the ecology, evolution and culture of crows.

Fort Yukon in Alaska is home to just 600 people, most of then Athabascan Gwich' in aboriginal people. The town's high school basketball team, the Fort Yukon Eagles, has won six consecutive regional championships. In Eagle Blue: A Team, A Tribe and A High School Basketball Season in Arctic Alaska (796.32) is Michael D 'Orso' s account of following the team through the season. One reviewer called it " the story of a basketball team that holds together a town, and the town that holds to gether a team."

UN Report on Poverty and Human Rights in Canada The UN Committee report that Jean Swanson mentioned in the June 1 newsletter (" The United Nations agrees with us! Poverty violates our human rights!" ) is available at the library. It' s at the front desk, in the DTES information box.

If you like watching CSI, you ' lllove Murderous Methods: Using Forensic Science to Solve Lethal Crimes by Mark Benecke (363.25). Read this book and find out how a piece of wood led investigators to the Lindbergh kidnappers, and how science, intuition and lucky breaks lead forensic scientists to find criminals.

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Anthony Bourdain isn' t known for holding back his opinions, and he' s not exactly your Martha Stewart cake-baking kind of chef. In The Nasty Bits ( 641 .09), Bourdain writes about seal hunting with the Inuit, scrounging for eel in the back streets of Hanoi, all in a rude, brutal, passionate look at food in all its forms.

For thousands and thousands of years, a massive herd of caribou has made the annual trek from the Yukon to their summer calving grounds in Alaska. . In 2003, Karsten Heuer and Leanne Allison followed them over mountain passes and dozens of rivers in an effort to show the world what is at stake if the US government drills for oil under their calving grounds. Being Caribou (599.65) is Heuer' s account of their adventure, the caribou themselves and the environmental disaster facing them. But it's also a story of two people' s growing understanding of the wild, and a different way of knowing.

Read a Good Book Recently?

Thanks to everyone who filled in a review of a book they read in May. Come down to the library and read about what other people reading on our book review board. We don' t need a long essay or fabulous spelling and grammar, just a sentence or two on your opinions about the book. And each month, there' s a prize draw for fabulous prizes! Congratulations to Lex, the winner of the May prize draw, who won one of the new VPL book bags and a selection of books.

Books by Joan Skogan Some of you will have met Joan Skogan, who is the writer/mentor for the Carnegie Opera Project. For those of you who haven't, I encourage you to check out any of Joan's many published books. The books we don't yet have at Carnegie will be coming here in the next few months. Here are just some of them: Mary of Canada: The Virgin Mary in Canadian Culture, Spirituality, History & Geography (232.9 SKO) is a gorgeous, meticulously researched look at how the idea of Mary has penetrated into every nook and cranny of Canada. This book was chosen as one of the Globe & Mail's top 100 books of 2004.

Voyages: At Sea with Strangers (Central Library, 921 S6286a) is a journalistic account of Joan Skogan's life at sea. Books in Canada described the beautifully written book as "woven together in a painterly fashion."

The Princess and the Sea Bear, and Other Tsimshian Stories (Central Library, Children's Folk & Fairy Tales) collects together timeless stories that depict the wholeness and the spiritual connection with nature of the traditional Tsimshian way of life .

Dear Carnegie, It was perfect! Thank you for a retirement tea to be remembered with pleasure forever.

Thank you to everyone who set up the Theatre. It looked beautiful. Thank you for the music. Thank you for the food.

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Don'tQuit

Thank you to everyone who came.

Working in this lovely old building has been a joy.

Thank you to everyone in the 3rd floor Administration Offices, in the Learning Centre, in the Programme Office and in the Seniors Centre (your coffee is still the best in the west). Thank you to everyone on the Security and Information Desks. Thank you to everyone in the Park and everyone doing Outreach on the streets. Thank you to the staff in the Library - you are the fmest coworkers anyone could wish for. Thank you to the patrons of the Libraryyou make it all worthwhile.

Thank you to the Board of Directors and members of the Carnegie Community Centre Association for your tremendous efforts to fight for what you believe in. Thank you to the Carnegie Newsletter. I read it from cover to cover every time.

Carnegie sets the standard for community service in Vancouver, and the DES community (deserving of the best) gets the best from all of you every day of

When things go wrong as they sometimes will When the road you' re trudging seems all uphill When the funds are low and the debts are high And you want to smile but you have to sigh When care is pressing you down a bit Rest if you must but don't you quit.

Success is failure turned inside out The silver tint of the clouds of doubt And you never can tell how close you are, It may be near when it seems afar.

So, stick to the fight when you're hardest hit It's when things go wrong that you mustn' t quit.

(Submitted by Elaine D)

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Farewell Laurie, Welcome Winnie

the year. Your dedication and determination to be there for people is awe-inspiring. .

Last, but not at all least, thank you to the staff and volunteers in the kitchen. You slave over incredibly hot stoves, go in and out of incredibly cold freezers, and you create incredibly delicious meals and cakes and cookies (and cheese & egg sandwiches): YOU RULE! I love you all, Laurie

In May, we said goodbye to Laurie Robertson, our much-loved library assistant who retired after wonderful years of service at Carnegie. We will miss Laurie's gentle manner, her humanity and compassion, her commitment to our community and her endless tales of Shakespeare and London. Thank . I you, L aune.

We' re delighted to welcome Winnie Trudel as our new library assistant. Winnie comes to us from the Renfrew branch, and speaks fluent Cantonese! Come in and say hi next time you're passing.

Beth, your librarian

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AN AD IN SUNm't'~ PAPER.

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Dlegal Guest Fees -_Understandably Frustrating Tenant to Hotel Clerk: You're kidding right? My friends have to pay money to come into my room? But I've already paid for the month and I 've lived here for a year. Oh. .. I see... they only have to pay if they come in before 8pm?

What? NO ONE can come into my room after 8pm?

So my cousin who is visiting from out of town can't spend the night at my place? Aaaah. .. you will make an exception for her ifshe pays a $30 overnight fee.

I get it- everyone pays $10 whether it's to grab me for lunch or visit for an hour, just as long as it is during the day. If it's in the evening we have to bribe y ou with more.

Sound familiar? Hotels in the Downtown Eastside have long been charging guest fees in various amounts, some restricting guests altogether. Particularly frustrating is that the law prohibits landlords from charging guest fe.es or restricting guests from seeing tenants. In fact, charging guest fees is an offence with a maximum fine of$5,000!

So why do we still have guest fees? It seems with a shortage of rooms, landlords can do as they please because no tenant wants to leave open the possibility of harassment. Most hotel tenants know the fees are illegal, but most are scared of the consequences if they refuse to pay. Fear of eviction, fear of the police, and fear of being targeted as a trouble-maker encourage tenants to simply accept the fees and keep quiet. And so the fees are continually charged.

Some hotel owners and tenants are advocates of guest fees because they claim the fees keep out drug dealers and keep noise levels down. It seems to me, however, that it's the drug dealers who can afford to pay guest fees. Additionally, many of the front desk clerks pocket the guest fees, some receiving only the wage that they collect from visitors. If my wages were dependant on the number of guests entering the hotel, clearly I would encourage more guests, inevitably increasing traffic and noise.

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Need some tips? *Tell your landlord you know guest fees are illegal.

(Note you can't be evicted for not paying guest fees) *Ask for a receipt with your name on it. If the hotel

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will give you a receipt (and not all of them will) check that it says "overnight fee", "guest charge", or something similar. *Try and have someone with you if you must pay so there is a witness to confirm the payment. *Jot down some details in a notebook for easy reference: date, time you paid, name of the guest, name of the hotel clerk, etc ...

This is a good time to start taking some action. If everyone works on this issue at one time, the process is much simpler. Visit DERA (12 East Hastings) with your information and ask for the guestfee advocate. DERA is working to stop the hotels from charging fees and restricting your guests, and we are making efforts to get your money back. We need your help!

Tracy Knight DERA Guest Fees Advocate

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Replacing Vancouver's Big 'W" with a Big "$" The real-estate market in East Vancouver just got a lot hotter owing in some part to the quick sell off of the new Woodward's condo project. It sold out in a day.

One question not many long time Vancouverites are asking is "who are the people buying these expensive condos?" The answer is that many of the people are rich, foreign nationals who want a piece of the touted Vancouver "Good Life"! Also some are â&#x20AC;˘ real estate speculators, both local and foreign, who buy up lots of quick selling condos and then they "flip" them at a later date for impressive profits. This ' "buy andflip" for quick profits scam rapidly pushes up the prices of all the available Vancouver and BC real estate: It .is way out of the reach of most wage earners!.

Other important questions people aren't asking is whether British Columbians in general are losing their intrinsic rights as Canadian citizens plus losing the ownership of their habitable resources! How and why is this happening? What follows is that the local and provincial B.C. governments are providing more and more of their time and services to take care of and cater to the needs and maintain the properties now owned by foreign nationals. Streets and vistas are changed, new condo towers go up in old neighbourhoods which disappear; then the sky-high prices drive out the wage earners. The old BC and its root neighbourhoods slip away into oblivion while Mayors and provincial politicians toast the new developers and their hundred million dollar projects, designed and built only for quick profits. Also, the quick sell off of these condo and housing properties indicates that even though they're too high priced for local wage earners to afford, they're actually a real "bargain" for the rich investors/buyers.

A real estate game is being played here that's fo .. the rich and by the rich and the poor are becoming its victims. Ifs like a pyramid scheme where the wage-earners make up 90 percent of the pyramid and the wealthy are the top I 0 percent The 90% provide all the services .. and labour that build and maintain the condos plus they also make and keep the city running - meanwhile the rich, who now own all the half decent property, get preferential treatment in all city services provided.

So what rights do the native poor and wage earning Vancouverites and B.C.'ers have left in this Rich Man's economy - maybe only their vote - that their ancestors fought for like they also fought for democracy over fascism in the Second World War. But country and the province that the early builders of Vancouver and B.C. fought and died for has been usurped and bought out by the greedy capitalists with lots of willing help from BC politicians! That rich, elite part of the world's population can easily speculate and capitalize on what they see as undervalued real estate and so cheaply add Vancouver and B.C. properties to their portfolios.

As far the old Woodwards sign goes, there' s no heritage left there to protect, except as maybe a curiosity bait for tourists. To be honest the "W" should be replaced with a more fitting "$" AK.Hawley

Smile a Little More; It Works It's very difficult for many people to be of good cheer these days in the midst of all the hellish activity going on in our world. Strange and freaky things are happening regarding weather, mass rioting, wars, terrorism, and so on putting people under profound stress - to the point where people are getting ill from weakened immune systems caused by this sustained stress.

It's not healthy to be in a state of depression and locked up in one's own head.

Did you know that you can make someone's day by just smiling at them?. Smiling can cause a release of endorphins or what you could call ' happy cells.' It's very healthy to let your soul blaze forth with an embracing, loving compassion.

Mike j Hughes

Apprecjation Week For Building Service Workers Tuesday, June 20th, marks the beginning of the appreciation week for the folks working as BSWs. You may bring presents, cards and/or fan mail for them to the 1st floor Info Desk. We will have a display area for them, hopefully with pictures and so forth, by the Library. BSW week is from June 20th to June 27th.

Carnegie's BSWs are: Jeff Madsen, Jai Prasad, Ruben Valdez,.Santiago Gelomio, Ram Chanan, Veli Mudaliar, and Oscar Sibayen. Thank you. . Moving On Up

Well we're movin on up, To the east side.

To a deluxe apartment in the sky" Movin on up To the east side.

We fmally got a piece of the pie.

Fish don't fry in the kitchen; Beans don't burn on the grill.

Took a whole Iotta tryin' Just to get up that hill.

Now we're up in teh big leagues Gettin' our turn at bat.

As long as we live, it's you and me baby There ain't nothin wrong with that.

Well we're movin on up, To the east side.

To a deluxe apartment in the sky. .Movin on up To the east side. 路 We finally got a piece of the pie.

New social housing tenants.

WAKE-UP PRAYER SO FAR TODAY, CREATOR, l'VE DONE ALRIGHT. I HAVEN'T GOSSIPED, HAVEN'T BEEN GREEDY, GRUMPY, NASTY, OR SELF-CENTERED. I'M REALLY GLAD ABOUT ALL THAT. BUT, IN A FEW MINUTES CREATOR, I'M GOING TO GET OUT OF BED; THEN I'LL NEED A LOT OF HELP.

ECOPSYCHOLOGY: PARKS vs. PROZAC Saturday, June I 7. 2-4pm, Gallery Gcx:het Hester Parr (Univ. of Dundee, Scotland), Shawn Kelley/Jason O'Brien (My Own Back Yard Comunity Assoc.), Cherlse aarlce (Gallery Gac.het Collective).

'To daim we have no ethical obligation to our planetary home is the epic psychosis of our time. A culture that can do so much damage to the planetary fabric that sustains it yet continues along its course unimpeded, is mad with the madness of a deadly compulsion." -Theodore Roszak Could reconnecting with our natural environment constitute a cutting-edge prescription for intelligent mental health care~ Join this afternoon discussion. Cherise Clarke will introduce Gachet's art and healing model, as well as delve into the concepts of Ecopsychology, presenting the work ofTheodore Roszak, and others.

Dr. Hester Parr of the University of Dundee, Scodand will present her research into the use of nature spaces to assist in mental health recovery in the UK. We will view highlights of her documentary film Recovering Lives: Mental Health, Gardening. and the Arts.

Shawn Kelley and Jason O'Brien of My Own BackYard Community Association (MOBY) will share the experiences of integrating mental illness with addiction and homelessness in the creation of a communal garden in the CommerciaVBroadway area.

COMMERCIAL DRIVE FEST

Sunday, June 18, 12-Spm Napier Street@ Commercial Dr. Visit our World Mad Pride arts display at the festival! It's free!

CRISIS CALL FILM + DISCUSSION Thursday, June .2.2, 7pm, Free Carnegie Community Centre Theatre, Directed by Laura Sky, (90 mins.)

Post-film discussion with Ron Ccrrten, Coordinator. Vancouver Richmond Mental Health Network In February 1997, EdmondYu (left), a psychiatric survivor who was experiencing a mental health crisis, was shot and killed by Toronto police following an altercation on a city transit bus. Awardwinning Toronto filmmaker, Laura Sky, created the documentary film Crisis Call on Yu's case.The film addresses the critical Issues facing police, legal experts, mental health workers, the public and psychiatric patients and poses the question:"What can be done to prevent a mental health crisis from escalating into violence?" For answers Sky talked to police, psychiatric survivors, and many others involved in crisis interventions. Crisis Call documents their candid, often compelling stories as they challenge the system and search for solutions.

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WE DON'T LIVE UNDER NORMAL CONDITIONS

MENTAL HEALTH, HUMAN RIGHTS, AND 9/11

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Sunday, June 25. 5-6:30,

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Gallery Gachet By donation Directed by Rhonda Collins., (7 I min) This event follows Rita Leistner Artist Talk & Reception

The day-long programming of june 25 • wraps up with a screening of this enlightening and empowering documentary film, described by The Oakland Tribune as "an extraordinary piece ~ •

of filmmaking."

Sunday, June 25, 3:45-5pm, Gallery Gachet Free Presentation by Zahra Rasul (UBC) and Alex Imperial (SIKLAB), and members of the World Mad Pride CommlttH. This event foiiONS the Rita Leistner Artist Talk & World Mad Pride artists' reception starting at 2pm.

This panel exposes how war, human rights, and health are interconnected. Psychiatry often narrows definitions of mental illness, by removing the social context. This panel and audience discussion will promote awareness of the many social determinants of mental health, linking the impacts of militarism, conflict. economic, and social insecurity.

The World Mad Pride Committee picks up on issues raised by Rita Leistner's images of women survivors in Baghdad.They remind us that the psychiatric system can be a problematic refuge, especially labelling as 'mad' in places with extreme stigmatization, and where women are surviving abuse and trauma. Closer to home, George Bush and the US psychiatric and pharmaceutical industries plan mandatory screening of all US school children.This will likely reinforce social exclusion by race and economic class. Mental health's social context is being ignored.

Alex Imperial has worked as a psychiatric worker, also with the Community Legal Assistance Society's Mental Health Law Program, and is an organizer with SIKLAB, an overseas Filipino worker's rights organization in the Downtown Eastside.

He will address the human impacts of economic policies on migrant workers worldwide.

Zahra Rasul is particularly interested in the ways in which Canadian nationbuilding is facilitated in the post 9/ I I world through discriminatory laws and policies. In the "War on Terror," moral panic has been incited by the state in an effort to delineate " us" and " them."

Her talk will, using Foucault's concept~on of madness, explore the construction of Muslim men as " crazed terrorists," "suicidal," and " homicidal."

There is a tendency afoot today to blame the epidemic sweep of depression in the US on bad genes or screwy brain chemistry. But what if the causes do not emanate from the lndividualr This artful documentary brings six people together for three days of emotional, and sometimes heated, discussion about the sources of their despair. Intermixed are hard-to-flnd facts which challenge the psychiatric Industry's claims that depression is a biological disorder. Fundamentally about empowerment and the resistance of the human spirit, this surprisingly inspirational film will change the way you think about 'normal.'

MAD PRIDE CABARET Friday, June 30, 7pm, Gallery Gachet By donation Complimentary snacks.

Live music, comedy, readings and performance with Stand Sl»>l))~t.efl)Lt£A,L11i Up for Mental Health (comedy). Sarah Griffin (Toronto graphic novelist show 'n tell), lrlt Shlmrat (music video from the frondines of the mad movement), Ron Carten (reading from his new book), Jan Derbyshire (Blue Head solo performance from her Firehall playwright residency), Cherlse Clarice (stage reading), AI Mader (Vancouver slam poet), and Barbara Phillips (Kamloops' performance poet).

Enjoy a whole hour of comedy at 8pm with Stand Up For Mental Health, a group founded by counsellor and stand-up comic David Granirer.The troupe teaches stand up comedy to people with mental health issues as a way of building confidence and fighting public stigma. A chance to laugh at surviving the mental health system! for more info: 'NW'N.Standupformentalhealth.com

ASYLUM SQUAD WORKSHOP

Sunday, July 2. I 2-4pm,

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Gallery Gachet By donation Sarah Griffin, Graphic Novelist

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Direct from Toronto, Sarah Griffin, creator of Asy1um Squad comics (left) with a hands-on workshop to express yourself and produce your own cartoon or zine! Pre-register for this workshop at madpride@gachetorg, or 604.687.2468.

Materials supplied.

Unless it has fallen out, you should find a photograph by Jayce Salloum inserted into this newsletter.

It is meant to be a gift of sorts, something you can tape on your fridge or roll a cigarette with. The photograph is one from a set of five inserts that were culled from pictures he has taken in the dtes and the general environs of Vancouver over the last 10 years. Other pictures from the complete group of thirty photographs in this project can be found over the next several weeks placed in local dtes storefronts (some in the windows of the original sites photographed), as transit shelter images, or downloadable from the web (www.presentationhousegall.com). There is also a booklet available at Artspeak gallery (233 Carrall St.) that you can use for a self-guided tour of the storefront sites. If you want a full set of the 5 inserts you can pick these up from the two sponsoring galleries, Artspeak or Presentation House inN. Vancouver (333 Chesterfield Ave.) This project is part of a visual art exhibition entitled Territory, June 10 - August 6. The exhibition is concerned with issues that affect the conditions and experiences in rapidly changing urban settings where civic space is a contested terrain. For more information contact Artspeak at 688-0051

li could do something with my life.;

I could fight tyranny and oppressiOn, help to create a new society where everyone is free and equal

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Neighbourhood Small Grants Program returns to the Downtown Eastside/Strathcona! presented by Strathcona, Carnegie and Ray-Cam Centres •

A~plication deadline: _J~Iy ?, ,2006

-projects to take place August to November Announcing the 2nd year of the Neighbourhood Small Grants program in the DTES/Strathcona area.

Funded by a grant from t~e Vancouver Foundation, this program offers up to $500 to groups of neighbours who want to work together on small projects that enhance their neighbourhoods. Residents can plant a neighbourhood garden, hold a community story & feast, organize an art fair or host a youth sports day - whatever a group of neighbours would like to create.

Those who live in the Downtown Eastside or Strathcona areas can qualify for up to $500 for a project that enhances their neighbourhood socially, physically or culturally. Projects must be led by two or more neighbours or small groups of residents and cannot be for profit; organizations are not eligible. A resident advisory committee reviews the applications and decides which projects will be funded.

Last year, some projects included. a drop-in centre BBQ . hanging-baskets beautification project, an organic food workshop. a neighbourhood house food program. an animation project with youth, shoes in Oppenheimer Park, a cookbook for hotplate users, planting berries, canine therapy, sports equipment and clean-up, Vietnamese language lessons, window murals at the women's centre, coffee time, Chinese mid-autumn festival, mother and child field trip, Union Street block party, historical mural of the dtes and a multicultural gathering and sports day .

Eligible residents will live within the area described to the north by the waterfront, east to Clark Drive, south to Great Northern Way, west to Quebec Street, north to Georgia Street, west to Cambie Street and north back to the waterfront.

Deadline for application is July 7, 2006 · ·. .Jplicants will be informed whether or not their proJect is approved by the end of July.

Look for brochures and application forms at Carnegie Community Centre (401 Main St.), Stathcona Community Centre ( 60 1 Keefer St.) or Ray-Cam Co-operative Centre (920 East Hastings.) For more information phone 604-713-1850 for DTES/Strathcona Neighbourhood Small Grants committee or email: teresa-nsgp@hotmail.com.

Contact: Teresa Vandertuin 604-255-9401

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Carnegie Community Action Project (CCAP)

Newsletter

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June 15, 2006

Housing meeting brings out good ideas If the various levels of government did their jobs we wouldn't have a housing crisis in the Downtown Eastside. That's what most of the panelists and local residents who spoke at a community meeting on June 5th said. The public meeting was held at Carnegie by the Carnegie Community Action Project (CCAP) to release its report, "Solving the Housing Crisis," to the community.

The meeting began with Andrew Yan, CCAP' s researcher, talking about his report and its recommendations to the provincial government: the province should build more affordable housing and raise welfare rates (see article on page 3).

Then lawyer David Eby of the Pivot Legal Society talked about what his group has been doing to try to get the city to take more responsibility for preserving single rooms in hotels and rooming houses. Eby said that residential hotels are splitting into 2 groups. One group is being renovated for students, and low wage workers and is still seen by the city as low rent housing. But people on welfare can't afford it. Another group, like the Burns Block and Pender Hotels, are being closed down by the city with little regard to tenants' rights. "If you're going to close these problem hotels, you (Continued on the next page) 1 .

Housing meeting ...

(Continued from previous page)

better have something to replace them," Eby said, noting that 415 units have been lost to low income people because of rent increases or conversion to student housing. Others, like the Lucky Lodge and Astoria Hotel, are in danger of being closed. Eby is representing tenants of some of these hotels and trying to ensure that their rights are not violated.

Sister Elizabeth Kelliher noted that the laws about hotel _maintenance are very clear. "There should be a yearly review and if the landlord doesn't do repairs, the city should. And why are thousands of people living in situations where the law is not being enforced," she asked? "The city and nation are violating the human rights of low income people."

Leslie Kemp of the Unitarian Church of Vancouver said that the lack of affordable housing affects all in the city.

The church has a social justice committee that is interested in working in partnership with others and speaking to "the outrage of a society that allows people to be homeless." Kemp introduced Laura Friedman of the Faithful Fools who are part of an interfaith street ministry ''to bear witness to poverty and oppression and how it affects everyone."

Jean Swanson of CCAP talked about how the Raise the Rates campaign is getting more and more support in a drive

to press politicians to raise welfare rates, end the barriers to getting on welfare, allow everyone a $500 earnings exemption and raise the minimum wage to at least $10 an hour. Leaflets and posters will be available soon to use in a public education campaign.

Community members who spoke at the open mike made many good points, like: "Why is it legal to evict people if they've paid their rents?"

"A lot of people have a very wrong view of the Downtown Eastside. We need to take the CBC on a tour."

"If you start talking about the human right to housing, people ask you if you're off your medication."

"Why are shelters closing just because it' s April?"

"What gives the Neighbourhood Integrated Services team the right to close hotels?"

Stephen Lytton said we need to use the coming Olympics to make sure that the situation in the Downtown Eastside is brought to the world's attention.

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"Solving the Housing Crisis" It would be cheaper to build new housing for all ofB.C.'s homeless people than to continue the province's current costly and inefficient housing policy, a new study released today indicates.

And the provincial government's contemplated changes to housing policy including expanded rent supplements will only make the situation worse and more expensive, says the study, entitled Solving The Housing Crisis, commissioned by the Carnegie Community Action Project (CCAP).

"Current provincial practices and proposed changes to housing policy and development trends threaten to aggravate what is already an affordable housing crisis for low to middle-income individuals and families," says the study, a wide-ranging review of findings by various agencies, written by Andrew Yan, CCAP research and policy coordinator.

"This is a crisis that has created a marked increase in homelessness across the region."

Citing the B.C. government's own statistics, Yan notes that the cost of providing services to homeless people ranges from $30,000 to $40,000 per year on average, compared to $22,000 to $28,000 per year to provide social housing for homeless individuals.

Yan takes specific aim at B.C. Housing minister Rich Coleman's recent expression of support for rental supplements over new social housing for low-income residents. .

Rent supplements have led to rent increases in the 90 largest metropolitan areas in the United States, while actually reducing the stock of privately-supplied affordable housing and not addressing the need for more social housing, he says.

"Rental allowances (supplements) give an illusion of residential choice, but when much of the housing problem is a supply issue, the choice is not real," says Yan. "Rental allowances do not increase the overall stock of affordable rental housing."

The CCAP study indicates two routes out of the housing crisis for low-income British Columbians: â&#x20AC;˘ To "invest in bricks and mortar social housing." The B.C. government has largely stopped building housing for the poor. Since the private housing market can't supply low-cost housing, continued public investment is required. â&#x20AC;˘ To raise welfare rates by at least 50 per cent. Welfare rates have lost about 30 percent of their purchasing power since they were last increased 12 years ago. Increased rates would â&#x20AC;˘ (Continued on next page) 3

Solving the Housing Crisis ... (Continued from previous

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page) allow low-income families to generate economic activity in their communities through consumer purchases, and help facilitate property maintenance by landlords.

"The affordable housing problem in Vancouver is not an issue of pricing, but supply," says Yan. "By pursuing a strategy that continues to build social housing units, stabilize and improve the SRO housing stock and increase income assistance rates, B.C. can finally begin to solve its affordable housing crisis."

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Say ''no'' to the Whitecaps Stadium in the Downtown Eastside The Whitecaps want to build a 15,000 to 30,000 seat stadium next to Gastown over the tracks. Council will hear members of the public speak about the stadium proposal on June 27th at 7:30 pm.

To get on the speakers' list, call Nicole Ludwig at 604

873-7276 •

For help figuring out what you'd like to say in your speech, come to the Carnegie Community Action Project (CCAP) office, open most mornings, or call Jean at 604-729-2380.

4

Langara College Continuing Studies:

Summer School on Building Community All are invited Nonprofits, community groups, government, bus ness, interested citizens, youth, seniors!!

Community Arts Tour with Sharon Kravitz June 21, 1 - 4pm

To ree;ister: Cost: $125 Call: 604-323-5322 and quote CRN: 60651 Discount: 50% for youth (25&under); 20% for 3+ from one group Low-income (pay as you can, contact Leslie for details) For more Information.

Leslie Kemp路 604-323-5981 Ikemp@langara.bc.ca

Stories of Challene;e and Possibility June 21, 7 - 9:30pm What is it that opens up the possibilities for change, for working towards a positive solution, in the midst of difficult circumstances? This question is at the crux of social change. Hear inspirational stories from three experienced community activists, people who have identified an issue and turned the problem into unique solutions. Featuring Ann Livingston, Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users, Lyndsay Poaps, former Park Board commissioner and social activist, John Talbot, community development co sultant.

Moderated by Michael Clague.

Movine; from Challene;es to Possibilities 路 June 22, 9 - Noon Moving from challenges to creating possibilities for change is at the heart of community work and social change. We explore this theme further with Michael Clague and then move into small group dialogues to explore with one another.

Workshops, June 22, 1-4 pm & June 23,9 am-4pm Advocating and Lobbying for Change. *Community Mapping *Raise the Rates: Communities Take Action to Reduce Poverty in BC . *Connecting with Local Government. *From the Global to the Personal: *Reconciliation from the Inside Out *Engaging Youth路Voice. *Learning to Ace Media Interviews ~ *Supporting Conflict in Workplaces. *Effective Social Change *Conversation Creates Community. *Un~erstan~g th~ Social Economy. *Sustainability Planrung. ~Dtalogumg our Way Forward *Learning to Lead *Ttps and Trends in Community Fundraising *Appreciative Inquiry *What is my Gift to the World? *Staying Sane: Self-Care for Leaders & Organizers

Rosy Picking up the broken pieces of my life that I lost the day before; Looking at the tears that I've dropped on the floor; Wondering how I lost my mind as I walk out the door; Feel the beat of my heart - I can't take this ache any more.

Walking down the street staring at all the faces I've had the pleasure to have known; Spending so much time in places where the sun has never shone - the past is gone.

Rosy, I didn' t mean to treat you the way I did; Baby I loved you but I was just a kid; Remember when I frrst saw you at the park sitting there alone? Right away I fell for you, then all the crazy loving you were shown ...

I can see the city lights, its getting dark and alone out here; Time is slipping through my fingers now and I don't know what to do. Rosy, if you're out ther~, I gave my all; All these phantom lovers, girl, they re bound to fail; Can you just hear the tears falling from my eyes? I STILL LOVE YOU but . ' .. . . am t It time we satd goodbye?

John Sison

Mother Dear I love you so More than you Will ever know There are not enough Words on Gods' Green earth that Can begin to express The feelings of love That I have for you I can not even Begin to think Of the challenges The sacrifices And not to mention The pain endured during The birth process Along with struggling to Make ends meet While raising other Siblings as a single parent but in words

shall I try Mother Dear You are my hero You gave the greatest Gift of all The gift of life Noone can Take that away From you Noone Mother Dear You are like The mountain strong A protector in the storms Of life, disregarding Your own safety Unlike the seasons' That change Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter

You' ve been steadfast You' ve swam life' s The river Calm and raging rivers And the streams Life' s joys and its sorrows Your courage is Never ending Mother Dear You are truly Mother Dear To be honoured â&#x20AC;˘ You are in â&#x20AC;˘ For your strengths My blood Your values And I am For you are: In yours Love, Patience We are one Courage In spite of all Anurturer You never broke A warrior You stayed To calm our fear The course Wipe our tears You' ve won and lost You are culture Many battles, but A teacher You never lost the war.

You pave the path I love you so Of a nation Stephen Lytton You are like

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t to Housin Now! On June 19, more than 8,000 delegates from around the planet will gather in Vancouver's Convention Centre for the United Nation's World Urban Forum. Despite strong global standards for a Right to Housing, governments, multinational corporations and investors have too often ignored them. Homelessness, speculation and massive forced evictions for "slum clearance" are on the rise, from Harare (Zimbabwe) to New Orleans, from Mumbai and Manila to Vancouver's Downtown Eastside.

Join tenants, homeless people, and housing rights activists from around the world for a Rally for the Right to Housing Now! Help make people's voices heard at the World Urban Forum!

Rally: Monday, June 19, 2006 12:30- 2:00pm Plaza at entrance of Vancouver Convention Centre Peoples Tribunal for Housing Rights: 1:00- 2:00pm

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The Riders I was sick and tired and lying in bed, lying in bed, I tell you, all day and all night listening to the silence and rocking with the pain.

And one night I heard soft hoof beats coming and I knew it was the riders and they were coming my way and I felt blessed.

1 know something about riding because I've been riding all my life; as a child riding a bicycle through the streets of Toronto; driving a tractor at harvest time on a farm, aged eleven, because too many men had gone to war; riding the hay wagon riding the big work horses through the Humber River the light shining on the water and on the children carrying lemonade to the men in the fields.

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Hitch-hiking to Vancouver and waiting for a day and a half for a ride on the open highway; riding across Canada by bus by car by train by airplane across the huge land under the wide sky.

Riding horses at Banff for a Brewster trail ride¡ ' company riding horses for a mining looking for asbestos; a grizzly smells the horses and comes closer for a look.

The old prospector reins in his frightened horse reaches for his rifle and tells me to drop the rope on the pack horse and gallop down the trail if the grizzly charges.

The grizzly doesn' t charge.

Riding a water taxi to Alert Bay from a logging camp that had finished its job.

The other loggers sent me to buy seventy cases of beer so we could celebrate.

Riding helicopters riding the old Norseman aircraft riding the Beaver bush plane, and one time our Beaver ' on pontoons, was forced to land on a northern lake with one pontoon badly slashed by a sharp rock.

The pilot said he would ride the plane right onto a beach

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so it wouldn' t flip over, and he did it, and we stepped out on dry land and the geologist said, "That was some flying," and the pilot, who flew bombers in the Second World War smiled and said nothing. ' And then Vancouver 1985 ' ' ano~her kind ofjourney, the JOurney to end poverty the journey to find justice the discovery of other riders in the Downtown Eastside who knew about the long road the cold nights the empty sky and about caring for each other.

I hear the riders coming in the night and I bless them.

We'll ride together into the beckoning sky like stars shining.

Sandy Cameron

Gore' s clear-eyed call to action.

An lnc:onvenient Truth - playing at 5tta Ave Cinemas THERE'S AN ELEGIAC TONE TO the opening sequence of this documentary, followed by a barrage of hard and unpleasant facts, yet An Inconvenient Truth still manages to carry a sense of urgency and hope. The man delivering the message about this planet' s imminent arrival at a tipping point -the one that leads to runaway environmental disaster- is AI Gore, an eminently rational, likeable and yes, statesmanlike figure. He doesn't pull punches, which is just what the world needs.

Using his time out of political life wisely and, above all, responsibly, he chooses to address the one crucial issue seemingly ignored by all current North American leaders. (Kyoto? What's that?) He gives us the facts and numbers that ought to be headlining our newspapers and newscasts. Simply put, he convinces us that, unless we do something quickly, life as we know it could end, and well within our lifetimes. I don't have kids, but if I did, this information would likely be even more chilling.

Imagine a 20-foot rise in ocean levels as a result of melting polar ice caps -a very real possibility already under way, and at a pace not even scientists had imagined possible. And what about those mega tornadoes of the past year? Nothing unusual for the foreseeable future??

â&#x20AC;˘

And as global warming continues as a result of C02 emissions, and those oceans get balmier, we can expect potentially catastrophic changes, with phenomena like the Gulf Stream perhaps, urn, just stopping. Droughts, floods, hugely destructive storms, even a new ice age -they're all in the picture. The nasty thing is, with forces this massive, nobody can predict how they will play out.

This documentary by filmmaker Davis Guggenheim is all message. It won't win points for creativity, but you can't beat it for lucidity. Smooth and dearly delivered, it gets its point across by simply focusing on Gore giving a speech, looking fit, relaxed, handsome and conveying just the right degree of passion. This, despite the fact that he's delivered the talk more than I ,000 times travelling the globe.

There's some effective interweaving of Gore's personal background, explaining what has driven him to this mindful focus . If these details are partly intended to help sell him to U.S. voters for the next round, I don't mind.

What really hits home is that the film's troubling scenarios are hardly far-out. To emphasize his report, Gore rides a lift to show C02 emissions going, literally, off the graph if we continue our current ways. And he certainly doesn't shirk the United States' significant contribution to the problem. (Of course Canada, per capita, is no better). The world needs a clear-eyed call to action, and this film does that. It galvanizes, it frightens.

By Gudrun Will (from the Courier) [This film cuts through the bullshit of bought-andpaid for hacks who deny everything. Go see it, you' ll be amazed! Ed.]

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UBC

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Do you want to study...

History Sociology Political Science Architecture Art Philosophy Logic & Critical Thinking Psychology First Nations Anthropology Canadian Literature Cultural Studies Gender Sexuality Urban Studies Poetry Religion & Theology Economics Geography ... even Children's Literature?

Classics

This is what you will do in Humanities 101, an 8-month non-credit course for people living in & around the Downtown Eastside who have a real passion for learning but who face financial and other barriers to education.

We provide students with books, school supplies, UBC library card, UBC e-mail account, bus fare, meals & child care if tbey need it, academic support, tutoring and mentoring. Free.

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University and College instructors lead classes Tutors lead small group discussions and Community Reading Groups (that meet at the Carnegie once every month)

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Mentors (people who have taken the course) are in class to help .

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If you are serious about learning ..... if you like intellectual challenge ..... if you can make a commitment to coming to UBC Tuesday & Thursday evenings, 7- 9:30pm, from September 2006 to April 2007, to study ... then you may want toattend our first info & application session where staff and graduates will answer your questions.

Saturday June 17th 12 noon Carnegie Centre, third floor Saturday June 24th 12 noon Carnegie Centre, third floor

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Applications also available on the third floor "Education" bulletin board at the Carnegie. Application. Deadline is July 22nd To find out more about the course, please call us at 604.822.0028, e-mail hum101@interchange.ubc.ca, or see our website: http://humanities101.arts.ubc.ca/

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M_y Kude Awakening:

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For most of my young life, I've lived in the Lower Mainland. After graduating from university earlier in the year, I felt I had gained a more nuanced, informed perspective of my city's culture, history and social issues. Indeed, after nearly five years of reading, writing, exploring and researching, I held the notion that I knew at least a little bit about most of the important issues facing the world.

Until now, that is.

For the past few months, I've been volunteering with a group of historical researchers. We're currently working on indexing and coding the last twenty years of the Carnegie Newsletter. Needless to say, the experience thus far has completely changed my perspective of the Downtown Eastside.

I'm amazed at the eloquence and beauty of Bud Osborn's poetry, the poverty described by various contributors and the tireless social activism of Paul Taylor and countless others.

So, you might be wondering, why would I classify all these revelations as a "rude" awakening? Well, unfortunately, they come in the context ofjointly realizing that public awareness of the Carnegie Centre, the Downtown Eastside and its issues is sadly quite low. To prove my point, I actually came down to visit Carnegie.

My friends thought I was crazy.

"You're going to get mugged!" " Be really careful down there!"

"Don't touch any of the door handles! If you do, make sure to wash your hands really carefully... " " Leave your wallet at home."

From the sounds of it, you would think they thought I was going into a war zone.

I got off the 135 and made my way down Hastings Street. A large group of people was gathered out-

side, so I navigated my way through and got into the lobby. The first thing that struck me was the beautiful ~chitecture. From the main foyer, I ventured into the hbrary. In more ways than one, it seemed like a sanctuary, completely separated from all the outside noise and traffic. From there, I explored the rest of Carnegie, finding things I never knew existed: a gymnasium, a cafeteria, numerous pieces of artwork ?ffices,. and a welcoming, understanding atmospher; m the arr. Contrary to what my friends may have initially thought, nobody mugged or attacked me.

My final destination was the Carnegie Newsletter o~~· I had the pleasure of meeting Paul Taylor and his wife. Paul was doing some office work when I walked in and his wife was on the computer. We all talked about the history of the building and the newsletter as well as some local politics. He also had some less than kind words to say about Brad Holme.

From what I've read, that didn't surprise me too much.

Paul asked me if I wrote at all. I said no at the time simply because I didn't know what I could contribute to the newsletter. I suppose this article has been germinating in my head ever since.

So, what is the point of this article? Well, it's simple. Through indexing the Carnegie Newsletter and coming to visit the Carnegie Centre, I think I've learned how truly vibrant and alive the Downtown Eastside community really is. And I think there's hope for others, if they would just take the time to open their mind, come down to Carnegie and see what the " problem" really looks like.

I'll admit that before reading the Carnegie Newsletter, Main and Hastings was that scary, unknown place that I always saw on the evening news, Da Vinci's Inquest or riding to downtown on the bus.

Unfortunately, I think a lot, if not the majority, of people still hold that misconception. The most important issue is to raise public awareness of the Carnegie Centre and the Downtown Eastside as a whole.

But it shouldn't stop there. No, social activists and politicians must be made more aware of the Downtown Eastside. No amount of urban development or gentrification is ever going to make the issue disappear.

Why are politicians so focused on issues like Darfur and Afghanistan when the Downtown Eastside is literally right in our own backyard?

Why ~an MPs in the House of Commons spend days debatmg the federal budget or foreign affairs, but issues like housing and poverty always seem to be on the backburner? ln the end, I've been rudely awakened to the fact

that the Downtown Eastside is largely ignored as an issue and I don't plan to go back to sleep anytime soon.

Michael McKim Make my day. It's amazing what a little effort can produce. Fairly steady streams of students, from high school through to doctoral candidates, come to the Downtown Eastside each year. Most go to one agency or public facility (DERA, Carnegie ... ) and want an A+ story or thesis to spill forth from the mouths of the great unwashed/poor/ignorant/stupid/ addicted/whomever/whatever and usually leave never to be seen or heard from again. Their incipient paranoia remains a steadfast companion.

Not to categorise, Michael, but you are one of the rare few who actually thought for himself before penning anything. It's especially sad when seem' ingly professional persons- i.e. Brad Holmes or a reporter for some national daily- come to the 'hood, walk around with two cops for a couple of hours at most, then write a series of 3 or more articles and refer to their own 'understanding' of the DE as if they've been here for 20 years. And they're just as blind and deaf as they were when first arriving.

Your article will be in the June 15 edition, available free here with the online version up by the 19th.

PRT PS: Tell your friends: I've been living here since 1981, working as a volunteer practically every day at Carnegie and on the Board of Directors of up to 6 organisations at the same time and have been robbed once. It cost me a pack of cigarettes, but the thieves put the pouch with my ID in a mailbox so I got it all back. The simple precaution of keeping money in a separate pocket and the paranoia a thief has when trying to find anything hard and square in pockets of a victim made the quick pat search unfruitful in cash terms. I'm more paranoid of being robbed in the West End by the various yuppie wannabees.

Hooray for the History Group! 'cause it's 2 months till the Carnegie Newsletter's 20th birthday!

Legacy ofa mother:

Rita- 1929-2006 Wits' end, land's end, A sailor lost at sea Treading upon an empty ocean As far as the eye can see.

Lights gone, life' s gone Upon the stark and threadbare stage, A cold dark cloud has hid my view Of the words upon my page.

Fortune' s lost and what a cost The price of a life held dear How can you replace the priceless When a love is no longer here?

Carry on, it won't be long Time is not all that it seems We all shall meet again Find another love to share And yes my cheri I'll see you in my dreams!

Robert E Lemx Dreams to Reality

Ohmy!

Here I am sitting in a room at Carnegie Centre. It is a place I read about, saw on television and here I am in it.

I am sitting with a group called the Creative Writing Group - writing. The overhead dome allows the natural light to flow in. I sit here pinching myself. Is this real or is this a dream?

Gosh I'm writing, listening and learning from each of the participants sitting around the square wooden tables.

I close and then open my eyes thinking that I'm so blessed as I didn't allow 'fear" of the media to prevent me from entering these gates. You see I have discovered the beauty of this historical building and also slowly learning about all the workings of this establishment.

I'm enjoying the pieces of orange, the company of ladies and men. Plus best of all, the entire book I read about Carnegie, has now come alive. It is no longer a dream but reality.

Isabel McCurdy

DEYAS Needle Exchange Van Schedule

DOWNTOWN EASTSIDE YOUTH ACTIVITIES SOCIETY 49 W .Cordova

Telephone (604) 6S7-6S61 AM Van 7:00am- S:OOpm (on the road 8am-4pm) PM Van 4:00pm- 2:00am (on the road ~pm-lam) 7 Days/Week .

2006 DONATIONS Libby D.-$100 Rolf A.-$50 Barry for Dave McC-$100 Christopher R.-$30 -Margaret D.-$40 Bruce J.-$15 The Edgc-$200 Mary C-10$ Penny G .-$50 MP/Jelly Bean -$20 RayCam-30 Janice P.-$30 Wes K .-$ 30 Paddy -$60 Glen B.-$25 John S.-S60 Leslie S.-$20 Wm.B -$20 Michael C .-$80 HumanitieslOl-$100 Gram -$20 Sheila 8.-$20 Ben C.-$20 Brian $2 CEEDS -$50 Joanne H.-$20 Wilhelmina M .-$10- Saman- $20

604-251 -3310 FREE - Donations accepted.

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

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Contributors may not malign, attack, or relegate any person, group or class, including drug users and economically poor people, to a level referred to or implying ' less than human' .

We -;~o;ied'g;that Cam~gie c~..;;;u~ity C;ntre, ~dih~

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HAS.BEEN LIBBABIAN, 3S SEEKS YOUTH AGED 13-24

Editor & Layout: PauiR Taylor

Submission Deadline for next issue: Tuesday, June 27

Carnegie Community Centre

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TO SHOP FOR BOOKS & OTHER STUFF & MAKE THE LIBRARY TOUTH·FPJENDLT

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PLEASE HELP, l'M DESPEBATE! SEE BETH AT THE LJBW!

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DB B-M4JL C4BUSE@VPL.C4

Contact

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Jenny

Wal Citing fi·~~~EE~-~~~~~~~~~~il• (tvan NEW CONCESSION HOURS: MLA

9am-11:15am; 12pm-4pm; 5pm-8pm ~

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Working for You •

1070-1641 Commercial Dr V5L JVJ Phone: 775-0790 Fax: 775-0881 Downtown Eastside Residents Association 12 E. Hastings St, or call682-0931

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DO YOU HAVE A LEGAL ,f»ROBLEM?'r{~ Come to our Free Clinic on Carnegie's 3rd floor :" ::~C ~~w St~,d~nts Leg~I Ad~ce Program '" Tues., 9am-8pm; Wed & Thor, 9am-5pm ,,

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What is the Canadian Government Doing for Peace?

Libby Davies, MP (Vancouver East) and former City Councillor Ellen Woodsworth of the World Peace Forum are hosting this public discussion,

Special guests include Dawn Black, MP (New Westminster-Coquitlam), NDP Spokesperson for Defence & Peace Advocacy; and Alexa McDonough MP (Halifax), NDP Spokesperson for Foreign Affairs & International Development and Cooperation.

WHEN: Friday, June 23rd /12noon -1:30pm WHERE: 2120 Commercial Drive . Feel free to bring a brown bag lunch

3 Lg tanks helium 3 boxes plastic gloves power washer I 0 garbage cans 50 large garbage bags for garbage cans 100 large clear garbage bags for balloon storage 6 brooms 6 shovels/dustpans 4-6ladders tools: hammers, plyers nails masking tape duct tape 20 plastic table cloths- for venders: red, blue, green, yellow, orange 2 X spools ribbon - any color 10 scissors 16 rolls toilet paper 8 handi-wipes/hand sanitizer face paint 1 mirror 16 rolls paper towel 50 volunteer T-Shirts or badges tons! candy or small toys for kids prizes

12 coolers 100 bags ice 1500 paper bags wax paper,tin foil, saran wrap 15 00 napkins 1500 labels: listing what is in lunchbag 4 stamps: red, blue, yellow, green 4 plastic table clothes: red, blue, yellow, green Matching signage/balloons 1500 helium balloons

Hello DTES and Gastown neighbours, Can you believe we changed the date again? The real and fin,al date for the Alexander Street Block Party will be: Saturday, June 17 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Please mark it in your calendar! I will send you an e-vite for wide circulation soon.

To date, Four Sisters has over 40 volunteers contributing to the day. Others from our street are volunteering too. We still have a few more shifts to fill. See the attached list.¡ Not every job is onerous!

Below is our list of supplies that you may want to lend, give or buy for us .... we're trying to stretch the precious dollars that we have.

Lastly, if you have a special talent to share or know someone who would like to perform on stage, let me know. Community tables and vending opportunities are available as well.

Cheers, Wendy 604-602-0379

Yol -Balloon banner making and decorations hung from balconies:- Friday, June 16 at 6 p.m. (need 3 more volunteers) -Take down and clean up- Saturday, June 17 at 4 p.m. (need 5 more volunteers) -Awards - prep ahead of time (1 volunteer) -Posters up- DTES and Gastown (2 volunteers) -Kids Zone- Saturday, June 17 10-4 p.m. shifts craft centre and kids cafe (4 volunteers) -Event Hosts (security)- Saturday, June 17 10-4 p.m. shifts (4 volunteers) -Stage management assistants- 2 volunteers

(On Alexander Street between Columbia & Main St)

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Saturday.

June 17,2006 10AM-4PM

Featuring: Food www.foursisters.ca Local music To share your Talent or Community tables Volunteer, please call Alexander Street history our info line Loca I venders 604·602·0379 Magic, stiltwalkers, jugglers.•.

Entertainment: Face painting ...., DTES Women Centre Drummers Raffles ...., The International Award Winning Awards Magic of Rod Chow and Company Games ...., The Legion of the Flying Monkeys **KIDS ZONE** Horn Orchestra

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...., Shotgun Hippies ...., Straze ...., OJ Loxley ...., The Awkward Stage ...., Rhythm in Action Arts ...., and many more•••

Special Thanks to:

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The City of Vancouver Planning Department, The Alibi Room, Griffiths Milne Corporate Projects, Vancity Chinatown Branch, Gastown BIA, Reliance Holdings, lncendio Pizzeria, The Irish Heather, Carnegie Community Centre, Alexander Row, Alexander Court, Rod Chow The Captain French, Chaise Interiors, Koret Development, The West Hotel, Vancouver Urban Arts, Ted Harris Paint, Loomis Art Supplies

Prizes from: The Michelle's Import Plus, lncendio Pizzeria, Karen Barnaby, The YWCA, Jewel of India, Sip Resto/ Lounge