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the warehouse

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the thewareh{ wareh{ }use }use BREATHING

LIFE

INTO

IMAGINATION

{February/March 2009 – {Issue III, Volume I}

- FOUNDER’S NOTE {the soapbox} -

the {WEIGHT} of expectations

5

- LETTER FROM THE EDITOR -

The Great Leap 7

- POPPING CULTURE {lifestyle} -

Bond Revolution? {Remaking a Franchise} 9 It’s Chinese to Me {The New Lingua Franca} 14 The {Life} Blood 22 THE CRANK BUNKER {bad guy on the hill} 24

- FLASHPOINT {world affairs} - {Gambling On A More Perfect Union} Single-Party Democracy: Learnings from {CUBA}

20 27

- ERGONOMICS {wellness} -

{Check Your Baggage}

The Good, The Bad & The Naughty 10 {From Rags to Riches to Recession}

The rise and fall of Lobster 15 Follow the {Food} 16 Don’t Blame Ronald

{the convenience of apathy} 28

- UNDERCURRENTS {the arts} -

The Great {Fashion} Leap

9 {Roots/This is the Time} 11 Urban Reflection

12 {Comics} 29

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founder’s note

Kondwani Mwase {the stock boy}

Before we measure progress, we must define expectations. What lies beneath is an exercise in building the {weight} of expectation.

It is a blueprint whose burden is simultaneously the mobilization of shame and the birth of imagination.

Did I just say mobilization of shame? Indeed I did. The concept is one I learned when reading The Mobilization of Shame by Robert F. Drinan. In it, he talks of the shameful inaction and the inspirational catalyst that it can spawn. The birth of imagination needn’t require much explanation save for a reminder to {our} community that progress is born from creativity and collaboration. This cocktail is what we call {imagination} and it is the engine that powers progress.

On the heels of these concepts, the wareh{o}use is compelled to champion humanitarian efforts in support of refugees across the globe. The {refugee} is created – nurtured by lethal ingredients like poverty, violence and persecution. The {refugee} flees in headlines – like those in war-torn Sudan. The {refugee} flees on back pages – like those in Chechnya. And yet all too often, the {refugee} flees under cover of silence. Take, for instance, the silent suffering of Burmese citizens, whose numbers range from five hundred thousand to one million. Many of them have been displaced under threat of violence and landed in the filthy Thai sex trade. Another manifestation of the crisis are the circumstances brought on by what’s puzzlingly become a “continental pandemic”. In the case of Malawi, some say as much as 20% of the population is infected by AIDS – that’s one in every five people carrying a death sentence.

Look deeper still, and you are faced with the naked truth that these ‘untold stories’ are far closer to home than most are willing to admit. Hurricane Katrina brought 3rd World images to us from the 1st World’s bastion and, in doing so, shattered clichéd portraits of the foreign refugee. What was once unfamiliar became uncomfortably recognizable. And so, whether inspiration hails from the shame of watching far away tales unfold or through the unease of seeing the {?} American refugee {?} up close, we are compelled to act. {Our} response is to create a movement that confronts this global crisis next door.

So where do we grow from here? First, we mobilize - using historical paralysis as our shame & inspiration. Next, we allow imagination to take hold. That means meeting the problem{s} in creative ways. Our journey begins with these upcoming {a}warehouse events: Early Summer 2009 * be {a}ware affair II - our spring issue launch party will feature a unique way to combine a night of celebration with a night of fundraising Mid-Summer 2009 * Donation Drives – Starting in the summer of 2009, the wareh{o}use will host several drives collecting food, clothing and funds for refugees both locally and abroad.

Fall 2009 * {a}wareness Information Sessions – where recent Montreal refugees can get basic information about the city and what services are available to them {i.e. financial aid & advising, placement agencies and recreational services} And so, this message is a {call to arms} to participate in the struggle to help refugees. Whether that call manifests into efforts to help a Montreal family or extends to the havoc abroad, we shall embrace our burden.

Because we can change the world by engaging it… because we shape the world by shaking the world… and because we build tomorrow by standing today. be {a}ware Kondwani Mwase {the stock boy} 5

the warehouse began {8/9/10}...

be {a}ware affair

6

letter from the editor

Kevin Wilson {the monk}

the warehouse

is a voice. It is an avenue for expression. It is a social conscience. Reminiscent of the counterculture movements of the turbulent sixties or the beat poets who inspired a generation, our soul is rooted in a dedication to social activism and cultural awareness.

the great leap forward.

Our third issue is a pivotal one. In touching upon the themes of evolution and progress, the great leap forward speaks to our responsibility as a catalyst for social activism and cultural awareness within the community. Our cause discovers its voice in the plentiful content explored within these pages.

On 20 January, the U.S. inaugurated its first black president.

This monumental moment in world history is certainly a fitting introduction to an issue devoted to communal advancement.

Sounding a resounding clamour for “change we can believe in”, Barack Obama has managed to commandeer the world’s imagination through his extraordinary charisma and sheer ability to inspire hope.

Obama’s worldwide popularity, from Belize to Berlin, underlines the interwoven nature of our global village. We are all refugees, in a sense, and this uplifting story about the election of a truly unlikely candidate is a brilliant illustration of how profoundly compelling a single voice can become when it expands our conceptions of ‘possibility’.

The time has come for change. Whether we are debating the initiatives necessary to tackle North America’s rampant obesity epidemic or profiling the fundamental principles a community must embrace to become an eco-active community, we must hold ourselves accountable for the change we want to see in the world. Great leaps are made as a collective. But the vital first steps are made by the individuals who, together, form the foundation of the community.

Mao Zedong once said that through the energy of the masses, ‘it is possible to accomplish any task whatsoever’. And while there is no disputing the sobering potential that a dose of reality can bring to the most optimistic of undertakings, we hope, through the pages that follow, to inspire our community to confront the convenience of apathy and cause them to explore what is often the undiscovered.

Our march is forward bound, step by step, one foot and one feat at a time.

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The Great {Fashion} Leap

Models Leigh Casbourne Delvida Douglas Sarah Loubiri Cecilia Malazdrewicz Mikey Sapienza

Photographed by Katie Malazdrewicz

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Hair, make-up and styling was done collaboratively between the models and our photographer {Katie}

A BOND REVOLUTION? {Remaking a Franchise}

by Michaela Di Cesare It was my boyfriend’s birthday last week; so in celebration of the day I did that special thing with him all men would love to do on their birthdays. I went to see James Bond with him. Needless to say, Quantum of Solace, the twenty-second Bond film, was chock full of testosterone, and little else. The plot was flimsy, the characters baffling and way too many things blew up for me to keep track of.

I am well aware I should probably have been more familiar with the celebrated anthology, or at least the prequel to this movie, to better find my footing in this latest chapter of the Hollywood blockbuster. I was, however, struggling to hold on to the plot from the outset and desperately searching for something human in the character of James Bond.

Admittedly, the two recent instalments starring Daniel Craig were about Bond having his heart broken and, subsequently, slaking his thirst for revenge by, well, being Bond. I am just not sold on the idea that his overt displays of machismo are actually devices masking his pain and sensitivity.

Bond is simply too incredible, on the fringe I’m sure there might be many Bond fans to some kind of time-release device statement, I don’t understand why identify with Bond in the same The character clearly needs to emotional development. He is a In Quantum of Solace, Bond to the chagrin of his supeDame Judi Dench, warns and must learn to control his part of Bond’s super cool his emotions extremely well; Don’t humans fundamentally with the purpose of expressing shaken, not...completely miss-

of fantastic, to be in any way realistic. While eager to plot my demise by tying me up above a shark tank after reading this a multitude of grown men seem to way little boys idolize their fathers. be allotted a few pages for some secret agent after all, not a robot. goes on a killing spree much rior. M, a character played by Bond he is acting on anger feelings. Yes, I am fully aware spy persona is he can control but where’s the fun in that? engage in the dramatic arts emotion? I enjoy my catharsis ing from the film.

There has been much discussion about the blatant chauvinism of the Bond franchise, the scantily clad women, and the overuse of euphemistic guns. The U.S. election and Barack Obama’s presidential victory seems to have sparked a new discussion. Is it absurd that this historical moment is also being touted as an opportunity for a call to change the future face of James Bond? Maybe, but here it goes anyhow. Many entertainment media sources are claiming the time has arrived for a black Bond.

According to reports, Sean “P. Diddy” Combs has already started his campaign to snag the role, spending three quarters of a million dollars on his audition tape. He has been quoted as saying: “there is a black president and it’s time for there to be a black Bond”. I think Mr. Combs might not realise there has never been an American Bond either (Barry Nelson’s ‘Jimmy Bond’ respectfully notwithstanding of course!).

Although this talk about the possibility of a black Bond is justified, given the history and nature of the Bond character there is another prospect to ponder. The change being demanded at this juncture should not be for the next incarnation of Bond to be ethnic, but homosexual.

I thought I was being clever. I really did…until a quick Google search delivered quite a surprise. It seems Daniel Craig, who has already broken down barriers by being the first blonde Bond, thinks the producers of the series should consent to a homosexual affair for Agent 007. Craig made his {indecent} proposal before production began on Quantum of Solace so it is safe to say his wish was not granted.

Unfortunately, the film makes use of the same old brand of machismo Sean Connery seems to have perfected during that classic poolside scene in the 1964 flick Goldfinger. Poor Craig honestly thought a gay Bond was just the kind of modernizing the series needed.

“Why not?” Craig told reporters; “I think in this day and age fans would have accepted it.”

Alright, so I’m not too sure how serious Craig was being and I might have been a little tongue-in-cheek myself. In all sincerity, however, I think a gay Bond is a great idea. For one, a gay secret agent would challenge the gender stereotypes that have run rampant in these films since the sixties; and we could finally see a Bond Boy emerge from the sea in a glistening swimsuit rather than a Bond Girl. Or maybe they could stop objectifying people altogether and no one emerges from the sea in a swimsuit. Wait, did I just ask for too much change? Yes, I did.

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{Check Your Baggage}

The Good, The Bad & The Naughty

by Avery Person

He walked me to the car. He pulled my hair. Her lips were

amazing and knew exactly what to do. She never complained about anything I wanted to do to her. He had the perfect ass. He was a jerk. She was always jealous. He never paid for anything. She always thought the world revolved around her. The way his clothes hung off his perfect body made me want to tear mine off. I don’t want another girl like that. I can’t have another selfish guy. This one looks like she could be different, but who knows. He looks better, but he’s so good looking he’s probably just as bad, or worse, as the last one.

Yes, we all do all these things and when we begin a new relationship of one kind or another, we bring all of this with us. It’s called baggage and we all have it. Baggage is nothing more than the sum of our experiences – the good, the bad, and sometimes the naughty. It is unavoidable and certainly nothing to be ashamed of. All too often it seems having said ‘baggage’ is a taboo or somehow abnormal, when really the only abnormal part is not admitting to having it.

Life would be so much easier if in the early stages of a new dalliance, people had the fortitude to just lay it out there: I like it rough.

I like it slow. I have a foot fetish. I like it in public places. I like anal. Brace yourself - I like fecal matter involved. Okay, maybe those last two might take some preparation, or at least some jelly, but still.

I once kept comparing sex with my new guy to sex with my old guy, so much so that it was getting in the way of me appreciating the new guy. It almost ruined the whole thing, until I decided to embrace my baggage and inform him that, occasionally, I like being tied up. At first, I thought I’d made a mistake, but my honesty was rewarded by a twinkle in his eye that was followed by a whole new verve between us.

10

Photos by miss_rougue {flickr.com}

Does any of this sound familiar? It should, it’s only natural. After all, we all compare our old cell phones, TVs, and cars to the new ones. We observe the difference in performance, speed, options, deals and so on; so why not contrast our past loves and lovers with our new ones? As humans, we can’t seem to help ourselves. You consider the approach this guy used when he bent you over that made you feel dirty, kinky and excited all at the same time. You think about the way her lips wrapped themselves so warmly and the style of her stroke that drove you nuts. You also remember the way she called in the middle of the night freaking out that she heard you were with some other girl, or the way he always ditched date night to hang out with his friends or watch hockey.

{Roots/This is the time}

Ngi`nguban` Ke tswa kae Kwenze njan` Ndanyala Ibizo lami ngelam, angekhe ngilitsintshe nge nxa yendoda SO NO…NO master..

“Aida! AIDA!!! ANSWER TO YOUR NAME!!”

Binta My name is Binta, A Fulani woman, Fulani mother From the village of Sofara Hear me now: I am worth gold Kwottenai kanye, Filigree pendants and amber beads that adorn my hair like a crown.

My man holds in his clenched fist the dust of my footprint So I will return home “Johnson! JOHNSON!! ANSWER TO YOUR NAME SLAVE!” Lamin, Zina langu ndi Lamin A Mandinka teacher From the Juffure village Hear me now: My knowledge stretches From the Niger River bank To the Atlantic Ocean’s depth So your neck rings, wrist shackles and ankle chains Will not confine me Killer man Slave driver Toubob Who am I? Ngi`nguban` Where am I? Ke tswa kae What is this?

Kwenze njan` Can’t take this Ndanyala

by Zodwa Nyoni

This is the time The seas are restless The air is ripe The Golden land is opening Stolen sons and daughters This is the time We must shave off the indoctrination Set formations to re- form nations Find our own dignity, reclaim our own heritage End the orbiting cycle of self- hate.

This is the time We must find our own self Speak our mother tongues Free our lips as slave masters of foreign words This is the time We must take it back to the origin; Tell our own native stories, not of the conqueror Tell our own culture, our own pride, Call out our own names This is the time The African mans time Take back what belongs to us Today, this / the / present ,day Each one must teach one To liberate one To unite one To educate one In the new day Of the African mans time This is the time to rise.

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URBAN REFlection

photographer Edouard Plante Frechette

‌a note on {Urban Inspiration} This is a montage that showcases the streets of Montreal through the lens of Edouard Plante-Frechette. These images of are reflections of landscapes and people shown through rain puddles. They have not been doctored. The puddle is clichÊ. The most interesting thing is when you focus behind the puddle, close to the edge and then everything becomes clear and sharp.

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It’s Chinese to Me {The New Lingua Franca}

by Jacqueline Soobramanie

There are more people learning English as a foreign language in China

than there are residents of the United States – and estimates from July 2007 put this number at over 300 million. This does not necessarily come as a surprise when one considers just how powerful the U.S. (in addition to other primarily English speaking countries) is in the global market and that communication in a common language is vital to be able to compete or deal on the same playing field. English has thus become the accepted lingua franca of the business world – some have even gone so far as to say that all well educated individuals have some communicative competence in English.

A lingua franca, as defined by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), is “a language that is used habitually by people whose mother tongues are different in order to facilitate communication between them”. Linguas franca have been seen all over the world throughout history – vulgar Latin around the Mediterranean in the Ancient World, Swahili in East Africa, Hausa in West Africa and Plains Sign Language (not to be confused with American Sign Language) used by the aboriginal peoples of North America, just to name a few.

With the ever changing face of the global economy and the emergence of new technological innovators, the question must be asked: as the world becomes “flattened” and the playing field evens out, is there room for another lingua franca to emerge and – possibly – challenge English as “the” language of international business?

If so, Mandarin seems to be the frontrunner for this merger and possible takeover. Both Japanese and Hindi have been posited respectively due to Japan’s strength in the fields of computer technology and gaming, and India’s growing presence in business and its role in North American outsourcing. While Asia a hotbed for technological innovation and economic growth, China outranks both Japan and India by sheer numbers – China’s per capita GDP has on average grown 8% annually for the last thirty years. On the same dimension, India and Japan have grown approximately 4-6% and North America averages less than 2%. While there are myriad factors to consider in determining how these numbers reflect on standard of living and quality of life, China’s unparalleled expansion and increasing strength in global commerce is making Mandarin a language to contend with for those wishing to conduct business internationally.

For every supporter of this theory, though, there is a naysayer.

Some say that English’s rise to its status as a global language was caused by a particular set of historical circumstances that will never be duplicated, thus negating the possibility of a lingua franca with reaches that are as far and as deep. Others say that Mandarin’s character based non-phonetic writing system make it too complex a language to easily traverse the international (and, some say, virtual) stage. While both are valid points, I’d still say that if English is to be dethroned in the next few decades or so, Mandarin will be the reigning monarch. At worst, learning some Mandarin will reduce cultural ignorance in business dealings and at best? Well, ChinesePod may just become the hottest thing going…

{language}

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{From Rags to Riches to Recession} The rise and fall of Lobster

by Joanna Fox

I usually indulge in lobster once a year. I like to classify this time under the theme ‘lobster fest’, where I try to devour as much of it as I can over a short period. It occurs sometime in the summer months, and perhaps has something to do with a trip to Maine, where each person in the car is legally allowed to cross the border with two luscious lobsters on their return.

But something strange happened this year. I found myself eating lobster again in the fall, and even this winter. With prices ridiculously low, lobster had become my new steak, when it was supposed to be my caviar. Was this yet another unsavory consequence of the current global economy or something else altogether?

Lobster has not always been such a coveted food. The clawed crustacean was actually seen as the cockroach of the sea in the early 19th century. But lobster has risen to a position of prestige and stands as one of Canada’s most lucrative exports, annually contributing about a billion sales dollars to the Canadian economy. The hefty price tag is at least partially due to the fact that the King of Seafood is best eaten fresh and transported all over the world alive and kicking, or snapping. In recent months though, lobster prices have hit an all time low, dropping more than a quarter of their original price and forcing many fishermen to tie up their boats on the shore. While in the short term this is a fantastic deal for all lovers of this crustacean treat, there are genuine long-term socio-economic consequences that must be considered as we muse about the lobster’s demise.

When Europeans first came to North America, lobster was in abundance, often washing up on the shore in huge piles. Because it was such an accessible food source, lobster was associated with the poor. Lobster meat was used as bait, lobsters were crushed and used as fertilizer for the fields, schoolchildren along the coastal towns were fed free lobster lunches, and lobster was even a staple mealtime provision for prisoners. When lobster shells were seen outside a home, townspeople knew the family had fallen on hard times.

Lobster eventually shook off its bottom feeder reputation as people caught on to the elitism associated with the dish in Europe. With improved packing and shipping methods, the lobster industry began to thrive in the early 1900s. It prospered so much so, in fact, that North America’s resources depleted and restrictions had to be enforced on unchecked lobster fishing. While these measures no doubt saved the lobster population, they also drove prices higher and pretty much made lobster the culinary treasure we now recognized it to be. That is, until the market tanked.

There is much speculation as to why the lobster industry is being so hard hit. The obvious answer is that in times of economic decline, people immediately cut back on unnecessary indulgence. No money, no lobster. Trevor Corson, author of The Secret Life of Lobsters, argues lobster fishermen have become victims of their own success.

Because of record catches and because lobster fisheries are so sustainable, there are simply too many lobsters and not enough demand. To make matters worse, the global banking crisis is forcing the closure of many Canadian lobster plants, leaving a whole lot of lobster with nowhere to go.

The lobster industry’s all time low is not only affecting fishermen and their families, but entire coastal towns in the Maritimes whose local economies are dependent on the strength of this industry. With the costs of operating lobster boats mounting and the return on investment declining, fishermen are tying up their boats earlier in the season and heading inland to look for other work.

Although lobster has not returned to the penitentiary dinner plate just yet, it does not look like prices will rise anytime soon, nor does it look like the economy is on a quick mend. So foodies can rejoice, at least for a little bit longer; but the taste is bittersweet, as a lobster lover’s rise in this case is a lobster man’s fall.

sur vousmangezici.com

15

Follow the {Food}

by Laurence Miall

Reason for the Revival of Little Burgundy? It’s Alimentary

“I don’t think I would have lived here four years ago,” says Toby Lyle, looking out the window at rue Notre Dame, one of the main arteries of Little Burgundy. It’s a late-September afternoon, and in the watery sun, the business strip of this once-moribund quarter emanates a glow of quiet confidence.

Little Burgundy is a neighbourhood that’s going places, thanks, in part, to establishments like The Burgundy Lion, an English-style pub that Lyle opened with his business partner earlier this year. On a Friday or Saturday night, the pub draws a small crowd of revellers to an area that was previously desolate after the dinner hour. But don’t expect a scene like on St. Laurent or Crescent Street.

“If we can avoid that, it’s for the best,” Lyle jokes.

For a neighbourhood accustomed to changes, the most recent developments have been nothing short of dramatic. Lyle reports that only five or six years ago, between Notre Dame and the Lachine Canal to the south, “it was abandoned warehouses and undeveloped land.” To walk in this area today is to witness in full force the effects of that much-maligned phenomenon, gentrification, which Lyle himself employs with reluctance and a bit of a grimace. He’s proud to work as well as live here.

Little Burgundy began life as the village of Delisle, down the hill just a couple of kilometres from downtown Montreal. In 1875, it was incorporated as the town of Saint-Cunégonde, separated from the neighbouring Saint-Henri by rue Atwater. In the early twentieth century, the growing town attracted immigrants – most of them black – from American cities such as New York and Washington. In 1905, Montreal annexed the town, it was thereafter Little Burgundy; by the 1930s and 1940s, it became the most swinging place

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“Markets have, in a way, taken the role of churches,” - Isabelle Létourneau {atwater market communication manager} in town, taking centre stage in Montreal’s flourishing jazz scene. Oscar Peterson, perhaps the country’s most famous jazz pianist, was born on Delisle Street.

In Little Burgundy, you’re never far from reminders of the past. Walking down rue Coursol, surely one of Montreal’s prettiest streets, it’s still possible to see numerous examples of the earliest local buildings. The row houses, replete with well-tended balconies and ornate gabled roofs, were mainly occupied by the workers of the local factories. Thanks to the nearby Lachine Canal and extensive rail tracks, the area became Canada’s industrial heartland.

But the boom didn’t last. The decline and eventual c But the boom didn’t last. The decline and eventual closure of the canal had a depressive effect on the immediate area.

Between the 1960s and the turn of the century, it would have been fair to say that Little Burgundy’s best days were behind it. Today, however, there is new hope for this Montreal gem.

According to Toby Lyle, the current revival is a direct result of Atwater Market and the new condominium developments popping up like mushrooms on either side. Atwater’s distinctive brick tower is a beacon to food-worshippers from all over Montreal, not to mention a big plus to developers looking to sell property to a burgeoning professional class.

On Monday – ostensibly a workday – the fromageries and boucheries and stalls of eggplants, tomatoes and pumpkins are a hive of commerce and conversation. To behold the vibrant mosaic of reds, yellows, greens and orange is to see the raw beauty of food. In the main hall, families and young professionals gather at tables, enjoying a coffee or a pastry. Well away from the hubbub, in her third floor office, the market’s communications manager, Isabelle Létourneau, explains how the market has helped revive the fortunes of the surrounding area.

“Markets have, in a way, taken the role of churches,” she says.

Opening in 1933, Atwater enjoyed decades of activity – even selling live animals up until the 1960s. But under Mayor Drapeau, at a time when, according to Létourneau, “markets didn’t have any cachet,” Atwater was threatened with closure.

Area residents rallied to its defence and saved it. By the 1980s, the city administration acknowledged its importance and invested over a million dollars in renovations.

Atwater is now a pillar of the community, fuelling the growth not only of condo developments, but of new businesses that can cater to residents and numerous visitors. The first new business that took a chance on Notre Dame was Joe Beef.

When partners David McMillan, Frédéric Morin and Allison Cunningham opened the restaurant in 2004, the immediate vicinity boasted numerous antique stores (so many that it had earned the nickname rue des antiquaires) but almost all other business activity was dormant.

rent location.

“I used to come here all the time,” says the burly, tattooed chef. “It was a coffee shop... Sometimes I’d sit here and I’d see my former customers shopping for antiques.”

Still, it must have taken a bit of imagination to picture a neighbourhood renaissance – or even the success of one upscale restaurant – in an area that was home to junkies and drug deals conducted behind the local Couche-Tard.

Chuckling, McMillan says, “There was a lot of free parking.”

His trip down memory lane is interrupted every few minutes by calls for reservations, as well as a call about an article published in the Journal de Montréal that day. The article sought to kick up some controversy for McMillan and other restaurant-owners who have chosen English names for their establishments.

“I’m already getting bookings from that article,” McMillan tells the caller, enthusiastically. “It’s a registered trademark. Come after me!”

When the subject returns to food, McMillan’s enthusiasm only grows. He lauds the merits of grass-fed beef – so much healthier than the corn-fed alternative – and celebrates the continuation of Montreal’s traditional “chophouse” style evoked by Joe Beef and its sister restaurants, Liverpool House and McKiernan’s. Aficionados of fine dining can feast on oysters, lobster, beef tartar, sole – not to mention the best Burgundy wines.

Little Burgundy offers those with a disposable income (a lot of disposable income in the case of Joe Beef) a full evening of entertainment. You could sip a $100 bottle of wine at any of McMillan’s restaurants, or spend an evening in the English vibe of The Burgundy Lion, where the menu includes traditional English fare like scotch egg, Yorkshire Pudding, Shepherd’s Pie, even Sunday Roast, as well as English beers like Bass, Boddington’s, and Tetley’s.

The neighbourhood is even witnessing a comeback of the music scene that kept it swinging through the 30s and 40s, with the revival of the historic Théâtre Corona. First opened in 1912, the theatre was closed for decades, but in recent years has been lovingly restored, and now plays host to cabaret and musicals.

Food even enters the equation here: on Friday and Saturday nights, the theatre offers patrons a full dinner, catered by none other than Toby Lyle’s Burgundy Lion. In the corporate world they’d call it synergy. In Little Burgundy, it’s the recipe for a satisfying night out.

David McMillan, who built a reputation and clientele working on St. Laurent, describes how he came to settle on the cur17

Single-Party Democracy: Learnings from Cuba

by Mohsen al Attar and Kate Peirse-O’Byrne

There hasn’t been a day in my life in which I haven’t learned something.

- Fidel Castro Since the Cuban Revolution thundered onto the world stage in 1959, successive American administrations have predicted (and conspired to incite) its collapse. Yet, on the eve of its golden anniversary, the Revolution marches on showing no signs of abating.

Despite sustained American hostility, Cuban society has persisted in the quest to build a just system, consistently outscoring many First World nations (and clobbering the US) in the most relevant UN statistics, including the provision of healthcare, education, social security benefits, food subsidies, and housing. As to the final element, it should be noted that 85% of Cubans fully own their homes, a figure that dwarfs home ownership in Canada and other Western nations. {we should get ownership figures for the context blurbs – along with how much average debt we have in Canada and NA} The success of the small island begs many questions. Heeding cues from corporate bosses, mainstream media obsesses over the succession of Fidel Castro – which has already taken place without a hitch – and the future of the nation following his inevitable passing. Moving beyond the superficiality of Mickey Mouse journalists {journalism}, we ask a more important question: in the face of such animosity, how has Cuba succeeded in this formidable feat?

Cubans won their independence in 1959. Without wasting a breath, they began the arduous task of rebuilding their society under the banners of social equality and human solidarity. One of their first acts was to launch a national literacy campaign. Over 100,000 Cubans, mostly high school students, volunteered to relocate to the countryside to teach peasants and labourers to read and write. In just one year, illiteracy was reduced from 42% to 4% as over a million people were taught to read.

The literacy campaign quickly morphed into a public education campaign. Since the Revolution and until today all levels of education, from primary to university, are fully subsidised by the state. {The state has fully subsidised all levels of education, from primary to university, since the Revolution – a policy maintained even today.} Next, Cubans tackled the corrupt political institutions established during the colonial era to disenfranchise the masses. To avoid the divisive power of party politics, they developed a single-party system.

Slammed as a sham of democracy by Western officials, this framework focuses not on party power but on Poder Popular or People’s Power.

Poder Popular transformed the system of representative government by giving each citizen the right to select, elect, and be elected to the municipal, provincial, and national assemblies. By vesting authority to nominate and elect representatives with the people, the reformed political system empowered all citizens to identify and support candidates of their choosing.

This system means that most Cuban officials are not career politicians but genuine representatives of the people. In fact, almost half of the representatives in Cuba’s national assembly are not even members of the Communist Party (the only party) but independents, a proportion that appears to mimic the national climate. This staggering number of independents is possible for Cuban candidates, unlike in Western democracies, need neither party support nor donor largesse to run for office.

The single-party system had the immediate effect of stamping out petty and fictitious party rivalries.

In Canada for instance, the Liberal party has been instrumental in keeping its rival, the Conservative party, in power, repeatedly voting in favour of Conservative sponsored bills. Stephane Dion 18 18

may wax poetically about the repugnancy of Stephen Harper’s policies but his party’s support of its opponent’s agenda speaks volumes about the affinity between the supposed rivals. Similar politics exist in the US and the UK where the illusion of rivalry may boil our blood but, ultimately, disempowers us through manufactured division and diversion.

Another benefit of the single-party system was the curtailment of the power of oligopolies and corporations in the political process. No longer could the corporate class lavish wealth upon candidates for electoral campaigns, effectively undermining their ability to shape public policy in their favour. Indeed, being members of either the same party or no party at all means that officials are not bound by party diktat – drafted by corporate lobbies – and can thus vote for their constituents and with their consciences.

Though Westerners casually describe the Cuban system as dictatorial, Cubans have created a democracy with more popular participation, wider social representation, and greater institutional accountability than what many Westerners experience. Voter turnout figures confirm this. As voter turnout in Canada and the US hovers at 60% and 50% respectively, since 1976, 95% of registered Cuban voters have gone to the ballots. Combined with Poder Popular, this level of participation helps explain the diversity of elected officials, who range from lawyers and economists to nurses and engineers, and are comprised of 42% women and 36% of black or mixed ethnicities.

Following political reform, Cubans implemented land reform to break up the oligopolistic power of wealthy landlords. A limit was placed on the amount of land any one person could own and compensation provided to the few affected (including the Castro family!). Land recovered was distributed to landless peasants or parcelled into a series of communitycontrolled cooperatives. In three years, the number of land-owning peasants quintupled from 40,000 to 200,000.

By distributing land and nurturing feelings of ownership and belonging, Cubans were able to increase food production to unprecedented levels and strengthen communal solidarity.

Until today, these measures ensure that every citizen has adequate shelter, nourishment, and healthcare. We may criticise Cuba for its civil rights record – sometimes justifiably – but we must applaud the nation’s commitment to social equity.

Cuba’s commitment to social and economic justice extends far beyond its borders. During the American war against Vietnam, Cuba sent food and blood supplies and trained workers to assist the suffering Vietnamese. In 1988, Cuban troops in Angola helped to defeat the colonial forces of the US and South Africa. This was a catalyst for the collapse of apartheid, a fact recognised by Nelson Mandela who thanked Cubans declaring “you made this possible.” Finally, with more doctors per capita than any other country (in the world), Cuba sends tens of thousands of doctors every year to the poorest barrios in Latin America, Africa, and Asia to provide free medical care.

The airtight safety net Cubans enjoy {?} and their solidarity with the world’s poorest is evidence of the strength of a collaborationist culture. Though Western political discourse surrounding Cuba ignores these advantages, a different picture exists outside the West as Third World nations – Venezuela, Bolivia, Paraguay, Angola, and Tanzania – see this equitable model as a goal to strive for.

First World countries, too, have much to learn from Cuba. Despite scarce resources, principles of social equality and human solidarity have helped propel the tiny island to the front of the Human Development Index where the compassion of community trumps the self-interest of the market. Such are the benefits of single-party democracy when practiced by a highly educated and politically active populace.

Regrettably, in the West, these values only elicit condemnation and this despite the catastrophes – human and financial – that advanced capitalism has produced globally (lest we disregard the banking, insurance, and financial meltdowns of 2008).

Neoliberalism has failed. Best we accept this and look for alternatives. Cuba is a good place to start.

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{gambling on a more perfect union} thoughts on barack obama’s ascension to the white house and the current landscape of his presidency

by Adam Panetta

the stuff of legends?

Eight years ago he was denied entry to the Democratic convention in Los Angeles; four years ago, he forged his star as the event’s keynote speaker; and this past year, Barack Obama raised the stakes once more by winning his party’s nomination and engineering a successful bid at the presidency.

While he isn’t exactly an unsung hero, Obama’s road to the oval office was an improbable one that strayed far from the most obvious of paths. Many people have already begun to mythologize the United States’ 44th President. Was Barack Hussein Obama, like Achilles or Romulus, destined for lasting fame and greatness? Probably not, but his election – to borrow a turn of phrase from Obama himself – marked the most recent chapter in the unlikely story that is America. Myth, destiny and ideals aside, hope abounds far beyond America’s borders that Barack Obama’s presidency will bring about lasting substantial change the world over.

a personal genealogy & early history The offspring of an unlikely union, Obama’s childhood was spent mostly in Indonesia and Hawaii – far removed from the typical upbringings of any of his presidential predecessors.

After graduating from Columbia University at the age of 23, Obama worked for a year at the Business International Corporation. In a risky career move, a young Barack ditched the trappings and lucrative prospects of Wall Street to head up the Developing Communities Project, a church-based community organization operating out of Chicago’s South Side. After several years at the helm of the DCP, during which he helped secure better living conditions, job opportunities, political representation and access to education for the community, he entered Harvard Law School in 1988. Obama would go on to serve as the first black president of the Harvard Law Review and graduated magna cum laude in 1991.

Over the next few years, Obama worked on voter registration campaigns, taught at the University of Chicago Law School, practiced civil rights litigation and stepped into the sphere of public service with his election to the Illinois Senate in 1996.

at the table with some heavy hitters Evoking the iconic legacy of Abraham Lincoln beneath the backdrop of Illinois’ Old State Capitol, Obama renewed the call for a more perfect union in announcing his candidacy for the 2008 presidential election. Sowing the seeds of a nationwide clamour for change, a creed that would come to single-handedly define his campaign over the next two years, Obama called for an end to divisive politics and the special interest groups strangling Washington. Underscored by the crowd’s chant of “O-ba-ma!”, he called for economic revitalization to meet the new parameters of a digital age, a more affordable and improved education system, universal healthcare in America, a shift away from oil dependence, an end to the war in Iraq and a public relations campaign to radically improve America’s image across the globe.

Ever the gambler, Obama stacked his presidential chips high – maybe too high. Where does one find the financing and public support for universal healthcare and education systems amid the worst economic crisis the West has faced in decades? How can a president aggressively encourage green technologies and the pioneering of a digital age when millions of jobs in manufacturing and other ‘outdated’ industries hang in the balance? And the challenge of rebuilding America’s reputation as a bastion of freedom and hope across the globe in a peaceful effort to combat terrorism has escalated far beyond Rubik’s cube status considering the recent spat of violence in the Middle East, murmurings of nuclear hostilities between India and Pakistan and Russia’s reinvigorated presence in Eastern Europe. No, Obama’s vision of a better America was never seen an easy achievement, not two years ago when he launched his campaign to a deafening chorus of optimism and certainly not now, during the gloomy days of economic calamity and tenuous international relations.

hope & the gambler Even as the pessimists and naysayers fret over his lack of experience in Washington or capacity to deal with a complex economic crisis, hope abounds throughout the U.S. and radiates across the globe that Barack Obama will personify the great leadership America so desperately needs. From Belize to Berlin they have chanted his name and fervently adopted his creed of hope and change.

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In his first round of cabinet appointments, we find a mixed bag of outcomes and reactions. While Hillary Clinton was an exemplary candidate and no-brainer for Secretary of State, criticisms have been waged against Leon Panetta’s appointment as CIA Director.

A distinguished academic, Clinton’s former Chief of Staff has led an illustrious career in Washington, though some have called into question his lack of formal Intelligence experience and have argued Obama’s decision was a political move. By picking outside the litter of noted American intelligence experts, some say Obama is distancing his office ideologically from the cast of post 9/11 Bushite counterterrorism supporters.

Then came the Bill Richardson scandal. The New Mexico Governor withdrew his nomination for commerce secretary amid swirling allegations of improper business dealings in his home state. And lastly, in what some might see as a strategic step to curb accusations his initial cabinet appointments showed nothing of the change and fresh blood he built his campaign on, Obama selected CNN rockstar correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta as America’s next surgeon general. The dapper Gupta is, and probably forever will be, the only neurosurgeon to boast a People magazine’s “Sexiest Men Alive” nomination in his collection of career accolades.

No, the road won’t be an easy one as the touted saviour of American politics resumes his fabled trek, having experienced a few of the bumps and scrapes of public office early on and proving he is, after all, only human. And in the eye of doubt, hope abounds in the remotest corners of the union, crisscrossing over state and party lines, hurdling over international borders and oceans. Maybe this hope persists precisely because Obama is more man than myth, a breathing, eating, cursing, erring father rather than a carved marble president. He has engaged the nation to aid him on a heroic quest toward the most fundamental of political ideals. A rhetorical tactic it may be, but Barack Obama has shaken the world with inspiration, and for many of his fellow citizens, he has recast the noblest principles of the founding documents in a raw and honest 21st century mould.

“You came here because you believe in what this country can be. In the face of war, you believe there can be peace. In the face of despair, you believe there can be hope.”

- Barack Obama, Presidential Campaign Launch

{February 10, 2007} 2121

THE {LIFE}BLOOD

by Geoffrey Lansdell photographed by Edouard Plante-Fréchette

“Welcome to the world. Wake up. You’re not alone. We’re all of us. We share the same planet. We breathe the same air. We eat the same food. Most of us anyway.” -Isaac Augiak “Can I use your phone? I wanna call 9-1-1…I’m dying.”

-Isaac Augiak, to a passer-by while lying on the street

Isaac Augiak is an old man with the eyes of a child. Born in Cape Smith, a tiny Inuit fishing village on the shores of Hudson’s Bay, Isaac led a typical Inuit way of life in his childhood. As a kid, he spent the bulk of his time in northwestern Nunavik—in Akulivik and Puvirnituq—hunting and fishing with his father. On most days, he would wake at dawn and crawl out of his family’s igloo. His mother, who worked as a manna (i.e. cook) at The Bay, left the boys for work while Isaac and his father were busy hitching their 14 huskies to the dog-sled.

When the season came for hunting fox, their method was straightforward. They would plant fox traps and wait for a fox to go sniffing at the trap. Once its snout was caught, Isaac or his father would use a small club to hit the fox’s nose and knock it unconscious.

The next step was the kill, which they did by slowly stepping on its lungs and suffocating the animal. After skinning the fox, its fur was sold to The Bay for the tidy sum of $25.

These stories are Isaac’s memories. He also likes to tell about his dirt-bike prowess: “I used to play Honda,” he says, “all day long.

Nobody can beat me in those two villages [Akulivik and Puvirnituq].” When Isaac tells stories like these, his big angular face lights up, a warm smile full of the memory of innocence. In many ways, however, Isaac remains trapped in that child-like state. Today, along with the 10% Labatt Blue tall cans that fuel his nostalgia, stories are his lifeblood. As he puts it, “When I’m happy, I’m so happy. But the life is hard sometimes.”

20 years ago, when Isaac moved to Montreal, he came for the easy access to booze. But after finding the booze, he also found Thomas Weetaltuk, a gentle man Isaac calls by his real name, Baru. Since both men lived on the street at the time, they met on Sherbrooke, on a bench outside a church. Since then, they have been life partners, having lived together on the street, in a crack house, and, during their better days, in apartments, where legitimacy and alcohol struggle to co-exist.

Like his friend Isaac, Thomas grew up in Nunavik, but as a young man questioning his sexual identity, Nunavik wasn’t the ideal place to be. From the time he was very young, his parents drank, which left The Church as his default refuge. Of course, Christians aren’t all saints, a fact that Thomas has come to realize. Looking back, Thomas takes particular issue with the rigid moral guidance he received; with homosexual ideas dancing in his young head, The Church preached self-discipline rather than self-exploration. The central message he received was that transgression was evil. But, as Thomas philosophically points out, “How do you forgive if mistakes are evil? I’ve forgiven him [Isaac] so many times. But they don’t want to forgive.”

The story of Isaac and Thomas is not one of will power or personal triumph.

This is not a fairy tale where salvation saves the day and demons are conquered. Their story, though, is beautifully human. In December 2007, Isaac suffered a stroke that put him in a coma for four days. But while recovering in hospital, his faithful friend Thomas climbed back on the wagon in an effort to provide stability and comfort for himself and his life partner. His first step was to find work at Makivik, a development corporation that is mandated to manage heritage funds the Inuit of Nunavik receive as part of the James Bay and Northern Québec Agreement (JBNQA). In effect, Makivik’s mandate is to foster economic development and the Inuit way of life throughout Nunavik.

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With Isaac now out of the hospital, Thomas manages both their money and their substance abuse. Having greatly reduced his own consumption of alcohol, Thomas administers Isaac’s booze like the caring friend and nurse he is. Isaac manages his own cigarettes by smoking half-butts. And for the first time in a long time, they live in an apartment that is their own private space.

Over the years, Isaac and Thomas have told their stories to countless caring souls who have taken the time to go beyond sympathy, offering empathy or even genuine friendship. A year and a half ago, while Isaac was bundled up and begging in the middle of a fierce February snowstorm, freelance photographer Edouard Plante-Fréchette happened across the man with the warm smile.

At that time, Edouard had just returned from Tibet, where a singular experience with a whirling dervish had pushed him towards documentary photography. In Tibet, while observing an old man, the man turned, looked at Edouard, and then unleashed a radiant smile that planted itself in Edouard’s mind. Upon returning to Québec City where he had grown up, Edouard enrolled in the Commercial Photography program at Dawson College and moved to Montreal.

It was during his first year at Dawson that Edouard met and took an interest in Isaac.

Naturally, the first step in their friendship was for Edouard to hand Isaac a little money while snapping photos of Isaac smiling through the snowstorm. An hour later, though, when Edouard came back to see that Isaac had turned the money into beer, Isaac was even friendlier, and so the two new acquaintances walked back to Isaac’s room on Tupper. Since then, Edouard has been everything from a visitor and a photographer to a drinking buddy, a life line, and a friend. The following photographs document his friendship with Isaac Augiak and Thomas Weetaltuk.

“I love my son. I see him. I talk to him. He looks like me, only younger…and more gorgeous…and more beautiful.”

-Thomas Weetaltuk

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DEM HYP OCRACY {november revealed}

by Sean Bower

Strange times indeed…

The voting public in the United States of America, it seems, has come to its senses and dispensed with its Republican-led government. Barack Obama will soon govern with the support of a Democratic congress and senate. Sweet sanity has prevailed and eight years of utter nonsense has been swept away in favour of Obama’s ‘Real Change’. The progressive nature that seems so prevalent in the rest of the Western world has finally taken hold in the good ol’ US of A! Or has it?

The change that has taken place is nothing more than cosmetic. Let me clarify, I don’t mean to say Obama is simply some sort of figurehead or puppet. I think (and hope) he’ll make a lasting impression on the economic front as well as in the theatre of foreign policy. What I am referring to as cosmetic change is how the American people are viewed by the rest of the world (in contrast to its tangible record on matters of social policy). Now to be fair, I can’t really speak to the depth in coverage of news outlets outside of North America; but I’m guessing that the coverage elsewhere on the planet is relatively akin to the coverage that we give other countries (save for our neighbours to the south of course…), a cursory glance at who will be the leader and what the parliament/senate/ congress/whatever will be made up of. That said, I am left with the impression the rest of the world is thinking warm, happy thoughts about the new, progressive American attitude being broadcast via their election of Obama. There’s a bit more to it than that.

Tolerance is not necessarily a term often applied to departing President Bush or his party. Since he was ‘elected’ democratically (I’ll leave it at that for now…), people looking at the U.S. from the outside would most likely believed the American voting public thought as Bush does; why would they elect him otherwise? Similarly, foreigners could be inclined to view Obama’s election as evidence of a change in thought in the American voting public. Perhaps having seen the error of their ways, their collective conscious had spoken?

Were philosophies of tolerance sweeping through the minds of U.S. voters? Possibly…possibly not!

A more sinister, okay, cynical point of view would suggest they were just in need of a fresh face, not {real} change. Why would I say that? Look beyond the hype of the November election headlines, into the murky depths of U.S. social culture and you will discover things called Arkansas’ “Initiative 1” (a vote on whether to ban gay couples from adopting) or California’s “Proposition 8”, Arizona’s “Proposition 102” and Florida’s “Amendment 2” (all proposals to ban gay marriage) or California’s “Proposition 4” (a measure limiting abortion). Needless to say, all of these ‘proposals’ and ‘initiatives’ were passed. How much {real} change is the American voting public truly interested in? Even California, a state I would think would be progressive, voted to ban gay marriage and put restrictions on abortions. I thought the abortion debate (legally speaking anyways…) had been settled in 1973 thanks to Roe vs. Wade. Thirty-five years after the fact and people are voting against the right to choose? Where is the change in mentality Obama spoke so passionately to?

The U.S.’ true colours (yes, with a ‘U’…) were on display on 4 November 2008. They hedged their bets and picked change where it was convenient and on full display to the rest of the world. On the matters that truly matter, in so far as they have direct and immediate consequences, they have not impressed; rather, they are maintaining the status quo and have even reversed some of the progressive steps taken over the last decade: no gay marriage, limits on abortion, no gay adoption…

Democracy allows for choice and it would seem the choice for many Americans on that day was hypocrisy.

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DON’T BLAME RONALD { th e c o n v e n i e n c e o f a p ath y }

North American children are at risk of dying at a

younger average age than their parents’ generation. It seems odd, considering the advances in medicine and health awareness; yet, many children today are overweight, too many dangerously so.

According to the Canadian Heart and Stroke Foundation, obesity rates have increased dramatically among children between the ages of 2 and 17. In 1979, for instance, 3% of children were obese. By 2004, this figure had almost tripled, while an additional 18% were deemed ‘simply’ overweight. Taken together, more than a quarter of Canadian children – one in four – are either overweight or obese.

The National Association of Children’s Hospitals claims 30% of boys and 40% of girls born in 2000 are at risk of developing Type 2 diabetes as a direct result of being overweight. There are more and more cases every year of children developing high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes, all due to obesity. These diseases were previously almost unknown to pediatricians.

The usual suspects we identify in a police lineup range from the World Wide Web and video games to fast food supersizers like McDonald’s. While these have all contributed to this seemingly insatiable crisis, they are not the root cause of childhood obesity in North America today.

The problem begins and ends with parents.

While an eight year old doesn’t have the resources to buy a Big Mac and super-sized soda, he or she does have access to the people {or enablers} with the money, transportation and, most importantly, the willingness to do so.

Why do they do it? Why do parents continue to en-

able once {not so} little Timmy reaches his tenth birthday and celebrates by remembering not to mix grapefruit juice with his cholesterol medication? Why do they permit him to sit around all day playing video games when he could be doing something active? Why do they opt for convenience over their child’s wellbeing?

While parents bear the burden of responsibility, the ‘family’ is more burdened today than ever before. Children from wealthier families are less likely to be obese than children from lower-income families. The reasons for this are many, and range from the fact that wealthier families have more disposable income to spend on fitness memberships and organic provisions (usually more expensive than generic food) to the fact that modest-income families tend to work more hours per week and have less disposable time to devote to soccer practice or swim meets.

While the Heart and Stroke Foundation encourages parents to ‘schedule family outings that are active such as hiking a provincial park trail’, these luxuries are not always practical for a growing number of overburdened families, especially single-parent units, struggling to make ends meet.

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by Marco Barone

“I wash myself with a rag on a stick.”

- Bart Simpson

How can we solve this problem? If the current generation does end up dying at a younger average age than their parents, it will be entirely due to a preventable and treatable cause. We can chalk it up to our failure as a community.

The solution must begin with responsible government and a shift in mindset.

Government must take the lead in the fight against obesity. A luxury tax on the price of junk food, like tobacco, would provide the monetary resources necessary for government to act, while also reducing the amount of money consumers spend on unhealthy foodstuff.

Taxing junk food and redistributing the dollars to families in the form of fitness subsidies would help parents afford the hefty budget burden often associated with healthy and well-balanced lifestyles.

This would permit more parents the luxury of enrolling their children in team sports, for instance, or perhaps encourage them to enroll in health-oriented cooking courses.

A stroll through any typical neighbourhood would show that fewer children spend their time outdoors playing street hockey than before.

Physical education is critical if we are going to stem the tide and governments need to make exercise an integral part of the core curriculum across all school boards. According to NACH, Illinois is the only state that mandates daily physical education in all state-run schools.

In Canada, the overwhelming majority of schools allot no more than one to two hours of phys-ed per week. Simply put, this is not enough.

We must be accountable. The time has come for us to stop blaming McDonald’s and deflecting responsibility for raising a generation of fat kids on some intangible culprit called the media or society.

Humanity has fallen very far indeed when the current crisis facing the Western world can be solved through responsible eating habits while there are millions who die every year from malnutrition and starvation.

The time has come for us to take ownership of the obesity epidemic and implement the steps necessary to ensure we don’t abandon our community to heart attacks and diabetes. We must take a stance against the convenience of apathy or risk facing a dismal future.

{comics}

by Mia Koning

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Created with www.wordle.net using the articles in this issue.

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the warehouse would like to thank our greater community of readers, writers and photographers.

In particular, a special thanks goes to the following inspirational individuals

{WRITING ROOM CONTRIBUTORS} Cristina Rosu Jacqueline Soobramanie Mohsen Ahmed Michaela Di Cesare Tracy Lyall Zodwa Nyoni {CONTRIBUTORS} Angela Wilson Bram Levinson Christine McIntyre Corey Ramirez Dom Brizzi Eliza Struthers-Jobin Elizabeth Darlington Emil Niec Eric Hatch Geoffrey Lansdell Jason Hopkins Joanna Fox Katie Peirse-O’Byrne Laurence Miall

Laura Kneale Livia Perini Marco Barone Michelle Franklin Miriam Hakim Natasha Soobramanie Peter McDougall Robert Fortin Rodney Ramsey Sam Labrier Sean Bower Sean Keogh Tu Tram

{THE STOCK ADVANTAGE TEAM} Lisa Chan {Magazine Layout, Design & Illustration} Stephanie Pipicello {Graphics & Design} Daryl Deskin {Magazine Covers} {THE LENS - PHOTOGRAPHY} Katie Malazdrewicz {Fashion As Art} Edouard Plante-Frechette {Urban Reflections} Jane Hedge {Cover & Support Photography}

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