A Langara instructor says comics are experiencing a rebirth. P4-5
Kombucha clamor
Local brewers spewing over possible sweet bubbly beverage sales tax. P7
Women speak out Langara students and an expert discuss living in a patriarchal society. langaravoice.ca
By DANAUCA DORYOne year after it was chopped down, a beloved centuryold Kerrisdale sequoia tree now sits in storage at Magee Secondary School to be transformed into community benches by shop students.
The tree, which was removed in front of Shopper’s Drug Mart at Vine Street and West 41 Avenue, has to dry out before it can be turned into benches.
Key figures in the community, Terri Clark, Andrew Robinson and Mark Perry want to make sure the tree remains into the Kerrisdale community and hatched a plan to turn it into benches they hope to install along the Arbutus Greenway.
Clark, the Executive Director of the Kerrisdale Business Association, started the project after trying to keep the tree alive. The tree was estimated to be between 90 and 110 years old.
“It’s sad but we tried to make the best of it,” Clark said of the tree’s death.
As part of the Magee Design and Fabrication program, students from Magee Secondary School will be making the benches once the wood is done drying, which will happen over the next few months.
“I think it's really, really exciting for them and holds a lot of value for them,” said Robinson the head of the shop department at Magee. “Especially when it comes to taking ownership of your neighbourhood in your community.”
Robinson and his class doesn't plan on painting the benches because they want to retain the tree's natural colour.
Although the benches are being made by students, the project has been a community effort, with Perry, the owner of Kerrisdale Lumber, helping with the transportation and milling of the wood.
Perry said knowing the Magee students will be creating the benches is “just a heart-warming thought.”
For Tarique Qayumi, childhood trauma and his experience as a refugee have been the fuel and inspiration for becoming a successful writer and filmmaker.
His storytelling has helped heal his own personal trauma and now he has a platform to tell the stories of others to help them.
“I want to go into writing. The only thing I wanted to do in my life was to become a writer,” Qayumi said.
Russia invaded Afghanistan when Qayumi was a young child in 1979. Constantly running away from danger, the family had to obtain fake passports from smugglers to travel to Demark and Portugal before settling in Vancouver.
Qayumi also had to overcome attention deficit disorder, a learning disability.
His disability and traumatic childhood made it hard for him to fit in.
“I was kind of a loner… kind of lived in my own magical world that I created,” he said.
Qayumi first enrolled in premed at UBC but switched to creative writing at Langara, where he learned to express his emotions before going back to UBC to finish his bachelor's degree. Then Qayumi earned a Master's in film and television at University of California, Los Angeles.
He met Langara instructor Aaron Bushkowsky more than 10 years ago.
“He stood out as the best writer and the most skilled in visually seeing a story,” Bushkowsky said.
Qayumi took a personal story and
tried to distance himself from the story by inventing a character to give it a distance from himself by inventing a character to fit into the story, Bushkowsky added.
In 2011, Qayumi received an opportunity to work for TOLO, a commercial television station in Afghanistan. His wife Tajana Prka, joined him from Germany and turned a business trip into the filming of Black Kite, an Afghan father risking death to fly kites for his daughter’s childhood.
“Everything we experienced from working in Afghanistan had an immediate impact on us,” Prka said.
“Both of us come from a different culture, we are always questioning about identity, who am I?”
“The only thing I wanted to do in my life was become a writer.”
— TARIQUE QAYUMI, WRITER & FILMMAKER
Afour-year journey to open and run a retro arcade game business in New Westminster has one more major hurdle to overcome.
Brad Eyres and his wife, Maryanne, spent four years talking to various city councils across Metro Vancouver before finally getting approval from the City of New Westminster for a two-year temporary permit in 2019 to open Capital City Arcade at 457 Columbia St. The arcade is currently under a rezoning application to cover later operating hours and the ability to serve alcohol with a family friendly endorsement, something Eyres said was requested constantly by his customers.
Their business permit expired March 1, but the arcade is permitted to remain open until the rezoning is decided.
Through the process of opening the arcade, Eyres said he has put $20,000 from his life savings into the arcade.
The problem at the creek started 20 years ago, according to Nick Kvenich, president of the Eagle Creek Streamkeepers.
from the city-owned Burnaby Mountain Golf Course, located along the creekside. Although he doesn’t believe they are a threat to the wildlife or fish, he’d prefer to see them cleaned up.
he asked council to investigate it further.
The arcade started as a hobby. Eyres said he and his wife initially got into arcade games for fun. He, a former professor from the Art Institute of Vancouver, and she, a genetic scientist, decided to turn their pastime of collecting arcade games into a full-time job.
“This was not in our future at all, this was a hobby,” Eyres said. Capital City Arcade is the only arcade of its kind in Metro Vancouver and offers 70 arcade games from the 1980s.
Eyres said the community that comes to the arcade has shown its full support for the owners. From regular customers, revisiting tourists, and a 91-year old pinball fanatic, Eyres said that the arcade has brought people together with a mutual love for nostalgia.
According to a city council rezoning handout provided by the city, applicants for rezoning must undergo several steps before getting considered for a rezoning. This includes public consultation, various meetings with council, and a public hearing.
Brandon Braun, a first-time visitor at the arcade, said that his interest in retro things and a desire to do something new brought him to the location.
“In a day and age where we’re consumed by big picture movies and entertainment, it’s nice to play simple games like this … plus there’s something so cool about old things.”
Kvenich said he noticed golf balls would wash down Eagle Creek and collect downstream at Burnaby Lake after a heavy rain.
“When I used to go into the creek, I had a superstition,” Kvenich said.
“If I found a golf ball every time I went in, I had a good day. There were extremely few days where I didn’t find a golf ball.”
Kvenich said the golf balls come
On Jan. 29, the City of Burnaby’s environmental committee reviewed a letter sent to city council by George Clulow, former president of the B.C. Field Ornithologists. The committee also reviewed a response submitted by David O’Connor, the City of Burnaby’s assistant director for golf services.
In his letter, Clulow says the creek “deposits literally hundreds of golf balls” into the lake each year, and
In an interview with The Voice, Clulow said the creek area is home to around 40-50 species of birds, while over 200 species can be seen using the whole of Burnaby Lake park today.
“It’s plastic pollution in a creek that is used by salmon and birds and all sorts of other invertebrates,” Clulow said. “It’s aesthetically ugly, and it’s a clear form of pollution that we can probably get rid of.”
O’Connor said city staff will be looking into upgrading and maintaining a screen system that is installed at a culvert near Broadway,
and would be open to working with the Eagle Creek Streamkeepers to ensure no harm is done to stream ecology.
“We would probably change the size of the [culvert] grill to a smaller size and do a weekly cleaning,” he said.
O’Connor said protecting and maintaining the environment around the golf course is a “continued priority.”
John Richardson, a professor in UBC’s department of forest and conservation sciences, said runoff from roads, containing heavy metals and other pollutants, is a bigger issue than the golf balls.
is what I try to tell the adults. It’s like trying to chase ants,” Holkestad said.
By LINA CHUNGStudents are getting stealthier at vaping in order to evade restrictions in Vancouver high schools, according to a district youth counsellor.
Ted Holkestad is part of a team of youth counsellors at the Vancouver School Board working directly with students and staff in Vancouver high schools. Vancouver School Board policy prohibits students from smoking or vaping on school property.
“These [vaping] devices are so stealth, you cannot catch kids. This
Holkestad said a new vaping practice he’s seeing among students is “zeroing,” when a vaper holds the aerosol in their lungs longer so no tell-tale plume of aerosol is released. Vaping cannabis is also virtually odourless with the increased usage of dab pens. Vape pens use oil or liquid cartridges, while dab pens use wax, known as a dab. Dabs have high concentrations of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main psychoactive compound in cannabis.
According to a 2018-19 Health Canada survey of youth, 34 per cent of students in grades 7-12 have tried a vaping product and 20 per cent have reported using them within the last 30 days.
Maria Hubinette, PAC co-chair of a Vancouver high school agrees, student vapers are getting smarter.
“I know vaping exists [here] just
like everywhere else because my kids tell me this,” Hubinette wrote in an email response to the Voice. “Whether [our school] has less of a problem than other schools … is it true or are kids just hiding it better from teachers and administration.”
Emilie Reyes, a Grade 10 student at Killarney high school, said vaping is an attempt to gain popularity. “Some people think it's cool or they want to fit in.”
Instead of ostracizing kids, Holkestad’s recommendation to school administrators is connection, prevention and education.
According to Holkestad, the key question to explore with youth is what actual need their vaping is fulfilling. Do they have social needs, mental health needs, or are they anxious about something that vaping helps them with?
“If we can get to that, then we can work with it,” Holkestad said.
“That’s where my passion is. I trust young people can make good choices. They just need support, information and trust. Don’t demonize them for things that everyone struggles with.”
» Grades 7-12
34% of students have tried a vaping product, with 28% using it with nicotine.
» Using cigarettes
Most students using vaping products have also tried out traditional cigarettes.
» Easy to access
54% of students feel it's easy to get hold of e-cigarettes with nicotine.
SOURCE: WWW.CANADA.CA
Counsellor says teachers are finding it difficult to catch vapers
“This was not in our future at all, this was a hobby.”
— BRAD EYRES, ARCADE OWNER
A 1980s video game business in New West is looking for a new lease on life
Langara president and CEO Lane Trotter, released a statement on March 4 regarding recent global responses to the COVID-19 outbreak.
Trotter said that the risk for spread of infections to residents in British Columbia is still considered to be low according to the BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC).
“Our priority is to take reasonable precautions as recommended by the health authorities to maintain a healthy environment,” wrote Trotter.
Dr. Trotter further mentioned in his statement that he is proud of the fact that Langara College is a vibrant international community with students and employees from around the world.
“I ask our community not to make assumptions about the risk of students, faculty, or staff based on
An estimated 60 students, faculty and others walked out of class Wednesday afternoon to take part in a demonstration in support of the Wet'suwet'en hereditary chiefs.
The walkout began at about 2:30 p.m. outside the T Building and the group marched to Cambie Street and 49th Avenue where demonstrators blocked traffic.
Langara was one of many schools across British Columbia and Canada where students marched out of class yesterday to draw attention to the Coastal GasLink pipeline being built through Indigenous lands.
See langaravoice.ca for full story.
Anew study suggests less than half of Canadians diagnosed with mental health conditions will enroll in post-secondary education by the age of 22.
Michele Bowers, head of counselling services at Langara College, isn’t surprised by the results, as postsecondary is already a difficult time for many people.
“It’s like the perfect storm in postsecondary for mental health and if you want to add in a neurodevelopmental issue. It just makes things
more complicated in terms of navigating stress and being able to keep up with the demands of school.”
The Statistics Canada study released in February found 77 per cent of people with no mental health conditions enrolled in post-secondary by age 21 or 22. Enrolment rates drop to 60 per cent for those with neurodevelopmental conditions, 48 per cent for those with mental health conditions, and 36 per cent for those with a combination of both.
There are a lot of factors that determine if someone will be able to
their ethnicity or travel history.”
BCCDC currently suggests that travelers returning from the Hubei province of China or from Iran should self-isolate for 14 days.
Federal health officials provided an update on COVID-19 on March 4. Deputy prime minister Chrystia Freeland, said that Canada has seen an increase of cases over the last several days.
“We are very aware that this situation is evolving rapidly,” said Freeland.
Chief public health officer Theresa Tam said that as of [March 4], there are 33 confirmed cases of COVID19 reported on a national level.
“Twenty in Ontario, 12 in British Columbia and one in Quebec. All cases are related to or close contacts of travellers that visited China, Iran and Egypt,” said Tam.
Meanwhile, global responses differ as COVID-19 cases continue to climb. Reports say that Italy has shut down all of its universities and schools in response to its rising amount of cases and deaths.
In the Feb. 13 edition, The Voice misstated that the COVID-19 death toll was 2016 when in fact that was the number of cases worldwide. As of publication March 5, the current death toll is 3,198, according to the World Health Organization.
attend post-secondary, be it income or their parents’ aspirations, but research on the subject has a gap in mental health’s effects said Rubab Arim, senior research analyst at Stats Canada and author of the study.
“The findings really show that youth with diagnosed neurodevelopmental or mental health conditions may face additional barriers to attending post secondary education that are really distinct from those challenging the general population of youth,” Arim said.
More research needs to be done to
understand the large gap in enrollment between those with no mental health conditions and those struggling with them, said Arim.
Stuart Morris, a senior analyst at Stats Canada who worked on the Canadian Survey on Disability, 2017, said a lot of mental health disabilities coincide with other disabilities.
Among those aged 15 to 24, the top three coinciding disability types were learning at 41 per cent, painrelated at 31 per cent, and memory at 22 per cent.
Indigenous students at Langara will find it easier transferring to SFU due to a new partnership between the schools, according to college officials.
The goal of the SFU-Langara Indigenous Transfer Pathway is to smooth the way for Indigenous students to transfer to the university to complete their degrees.
According to a 2011 Statistics Canada survey, adults over 25 years of age who identify as Indigenous, 9 per cent have a university degree, in comparison to the 26.5 per cent of nonIndigenous people.
Rick Ouellet, Langara’s director of Indigenous education and services, said he hopes that through this partnership, education opportunities will be increased for Indigenous people, especially the large proportion living in the school’s catchment area of East Vancouver.
Ouellet said he’s been interested in reaching an agreement with SFU since he witnessed the success of a similar program set up between UBC and Langara.
“We train people really well
and SFU recognizes that,” he said. “So it’s just another option for us to get Indigenous students into university.”
The partnership agreement, signed by Langara and SFU on Feb. 6, will take effect in September, according to a press release sent by Langara College.
Langara will help students through the transfer process by communicating information on available SFU courses, admission requirements and entrance awards.
Langara will also forward student names to SFU to flag in their admission process.
Ouellet has been working with Marcia Guno, director of SFU’s Indigenous Student Centre, to create the transfer pathway. He said SFU and UBC each have unique standalone programs and adding the SFU transfer pathway gives Indigenous students a choice of institution.
“We want to be known as the pathways college,” Ouellet said. “(We) in the Indigenous Gathering Space want to have pathways for our students. It’s really important.”
Mercutio Bosnjak, a Langara business management student, said he works with teens in the
Musqueam community, and likes how Langara participates in events like Musqueam days.
“I knew that Langara does a lot to recruit Indigenous students to Langara,” Bosnjak said. “It’s neat to hear they are continuing to provide services by creating the transfer program.”
Holly Desjarlais, an Ojibwe student studying arts at Langara College, is hoping to attend SFU to finish her degree through the transfer program.
“When you come to college you’re always wondering, what is the next step? This program provides an opportunity.”
By JESSICA A. FROUD“Our priority is to take reasonable precaution.”
— LANE TROTTER, PRESIDENT & CEO OF LANGARA COLLEGELangara and SFU reach new partnership in Indigenous transfer program that will benefit students. JESSICA A. FROUD PHOTO
Instructors of Langara’s new certificate program, Graphic Novel and Comix, say comics are experiencing a rebirth, and becoming increasingly popular and diverse.
Jonathon Dalton, who teaches in the certificate program, is also the president of Cloudscape Comics, a non-profit organization that works to bring together Vancouver’s comic artists and enthusiasts and provide opportunities for publishing.
“There are so many more people interested in comics now than there were before,” Dalton said. “There are so many different kinds of comics being made now, it’s really exciting.”
When Dalton was a child, he remembered comics being about typical superheroes and appealing to a narrow range of people. These days, he said, that’s no longer the
case. Comics are appealing to a broader population and have become more diverse in genres and characters.
As an example, Dalton’s current project is a science fiction comic titled Phobos and Deimos , referring to the two moons of Mars.
“The main character is a refugee from Mars who moves to Earth and goes to high school and has to adapt to a very different culture,” Dalton said.
His story was inspired by his travels, specifically the year he spent living in London working as a substitute teacher.
“All the people that I knew were from all over Europe and all over the world.”
His life felt very international.
Josu é Menjivar is a comic book artist, book designer and teaches in the same program at Langara. He also has his own illustration company called Fresh Brewed Illustration.
“More voices are being accepted
and being published,” he said “Now there are comics on just about everything, it’s not just action and adventure and superheroes.”
In addition, he said there are many women cartoonists that are telling their stories like never before.
“Comics are normal now but at one point it wasn’t.”
Menjivar said travel had influenced his art, too.
His project “ Speaks Softly ” was inspired by his trip to El Salvador where he saw an artist painting with coffee. This inspired Menjivar to make his own comic using coffee instead of his traditional or digital drawing mediums.
Cecil Williams, a comic artist and student at Langara currently in their first year of the Graphic Novel and Comix program, has definitely noticed comics and graphic novels on all mediums have been getting a lot of respect.
“It’s really awesome to see how the comics….are evolving,” said Williams who posts web-comics. Their “ Damaged Goods ” web-comic has just hit its one-year anniversary.
“I’m really proud."
“There are so many different kinds of comics being made now, it’s really exciting.”
— JONATHON DALTON, LANGARA COLLEGE GRAPHIC NOVEL AND COMIX INSTRUCTOR
Each artist has their own preferred technique when creating comics. Still, whether it’s pen to paper or using digital tools, a lot of similarities can be found, according to a Langara comic teacher who also heads a non-profit comic society.
Jonathon Dalton has made comics using the computer as well as sketching with pen and paper. Today, though digital comic drawing is thriving, he still prefers using traditional materials and finalizing everything on the computer.
In the first stage, Dalton writes a script. Because comics are a visual medium, he wants to have the drawing part happen as soon as possible.
“I’ll draw small thumbnails with stick figures,” he said. “And then I write the words underneath, just to figure out what’s going to happen in the story.”
The next step is a rough draft with the comics.
“I’ll take my script, and I’ll lay it out to decide what happens on each page,” he said. “I rewrite the dialogue to make it work better. I like to decide on the layout of the page.”
For colouring, Dalton uses Copic or Prismacolor markers.
“I photocopy it onto thinner paper because markers work better. They don’t work as well on Bristol [board],” Dalton said. “This way, if I mess up the markers, I can always re-photocopy it too.”
Dalton finalizes everything by scanning his completed piece and posting it as a webcomic or getting it ready for print.
Josué Menjivar, another comic book artist and comics instructor at Langara, sketches his comics and uses his iPad.
“Generally, [I] do pencil sketches and then I just finish them off with an ink brush, pen, and Pentel brush,” he said. “I will then scan it and then put it into Photoshop.”
» Camosun College
The college offers a Comics & Graphic Novels certificate program.
» UBC
Although no certification is currently offered from the university, students can enrol in a Comics and Graphic Media course.
» Langara College
Langara offers a certificate program. Students can take courses full time or part time.
SOURCE: COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY WEBSITES
Langara Indigenous students gain an advantage because of an SFU transfer partnership.
The SFU-Langara Indigenous Transfer Pathway is a great way to make it easier for Indigenous students to transition from college to university with specified admissions and entrance awards.
A similar partnership with UBC has already been established back in 2015 after a successful pilot program three years prior.
RYAN NG
This is all good news for the Indigenous students as it allows them options for their post-secondary education with two prestigious universities.
Additional options for schools for the students is beneficial as some may prefer one university to the other because the school may provide certain programs or specialties. The location may also be an additional factor for the student’s choice as not every student can live by UBC.
Hopefully, more universities in Canada will decide to support Indigenous students with their education and offer themselves as an alternative. More transferable options in other parts of Canada could also be nice as it can offer Indigenous students the experience of other Canadian Indigenous cultures in a different location.
However, this program can be seen as an unfair advantage given to Indigenous students because they might not have to work as hard to get into a university.
According to Statistics Canada, 9.8 per cent of Indigenous people aged 25 to 64 have a university degree compared to 26.5 per cent for non-Indigenous people in Canada and 28.9 per cent of Indigenous people aged 25 to 64 have no certificate, diploma or degree, compared to 12.1 per cent of non-Indigenous people.
Programs like this are important to help Indigenous students go above and beyond in their education and break down education barriers.
Attending post-secondary after graduating high school has become increasingly necessary to find stable careers in the modern world.
Unfortunately, this level of education remains restricted to those who can afford its high cost. Even for those who can afford it, people who struggle with mental health are statistically less likely to attend a post-secondary school.
Among the many strategies we as a society could take to help alleviate this discrepancy, one would be to provide institutional support systems for youth with mental health
struggles or neurodevelopmental conditions. For example, secondary schools could be expected to provide support councilors trained to help struggling youth with succeeding in their classes so that they can attend post-secondary school.
CHRISTOPHER MACMILLAN
Grants could be provided to help these students better afford some of, if not all of, the financial costs of a post-
secondary education.
There are already similar organizations for at-risk students in Canada, like the Council of Ministers of Education, so providing these kinds of support services to youth struggling with their mental health would help them better achieve their career goals.
Fundamentally, our educational system needs to recognize that more training is necessary when it comes to developmentally challenged youth.
Post-secondary education is challenging enough without the added pressure and stress of having a neurodevelopmental condition, or a mental-health related disability.
Another strategy we could adopt would be to provide financial support and education to the parents of youth with neurodevelopmental conditions. Parents whose child struggles with mental health often feel overwhelmed and uninformed when it comes to their child’s needs. Providing the necessary education and financial support to these parents could drastically improve their child’s chances of succeeding. Regardless of what we do to help youth with mental health struggles, the statistical evidence shows that unless we provide these youth the necessary help they need, they will continue to underachieve in their education and life.
The first time I had kombucha was on a Mohawk reserve in Ontario.
It was very sour and tasted like vinegar. The second time I had it was in a nicely labelled bottle that I had purchased from the Langara Students’ Union. It tasted delightful and much less sour. These were two very different drinking experiences. One was pure kombucha and the other had flavouring and sugar.
If the government of Canada
does not note the difference in the process of making kombucha in a pure form versus adding flavouring and whatever sugars may come with that process, it would be ridiculous. It’s the difference of eating a fresh
JESSICA A. FROUDorange versus a chocolate covered orange.
I hope the government has the time and resources to find a simple solution to differentiating these products and applying the 7 per cent tax to those who fall under sugary, less pure versions of the drink.
Kombucha with added flavouring that increases the sugar amounts drastically should have that information clearly stated on the label. The tax will come into effect on July
1 but there is ambiguity in whether kombucha will be part of it.
Many kombucha companies are small businesses and make small batches, unlike the majority of sugary carbonated drink makers. A seven per cent tax could be a significant hit to these small companies. If the government makes a black and white argument against kombucha, some companies may change the way they process kombucha to avoid the tax.
By RUI YANG XU
Dan Larsen believes in the health benefits of kombucha but worries that new government categorization of certain drinks is going to affect customers.
The government will implement a seven per cent sales tax July 1 on sweetened carbonated beverages. The goal is to encourage consumers to consider healthier alternatives, however it remains unclear whether beverages with purported health benefits like kombucha will fall under the categorization.
“It’s an insult to the industry,” said Larsen, owner of Vancouver-based Culture Craft Kombucha. “Our efforts are being negated by the government and aren’t being recognized.”
Larsen said kombucha is a tea beverage fermented with a symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast, also known as a SCOBY or mother.
’Booch Kombucha, said anywhere from a quarter to half a cup of sugar is used in the fermentation process. The end result is that the sugar effectively becomes healthy amino acids, trace vitamins and minerals.
There are also other health benefits to the drink, Zerbin said.
“Kombucha adds beneficial bacteria and enzymes to your overall intestinal flora.”
While there are many purported health benefits to kombucha, Tanya Choy, a registered dietitian at UBC, said there is no scientific evidence supporting these claims.
“All the studies that are relating to kombucha and improved health has been conducted in vitro [test-tube experiments] and it’s also on [nonhuman] animals.”
the brewer or flavor. Choy said while most of the sugar used in the fermentation process becomes something else, some kombucha brewers still sweeten drinks to counteract the acidity of the beverage.
“Some flavors contain enough sugar to make up for half a can of pop per cup,” Choy said.
Two brands sold on the Langara campus, Pure+ Kombucha and KeVita, range from six to 14 grams of sugar per 450 to 500 millilitre bottle. A 473 millilitre bottle of Fanta contains 49 grams of sugar.
If the seven per cent tax is applied kombucha sales, Larsen believes consumers will be the most upset.
COMPARING 500ML DRINKS
»
The pineapple peach flavour has 14 grams of sugar.This amount of sugar is equivalent to 3.5 regular size sugar cubes.
» Dr. Pepper
This soft drink contains about 47 grams of sugar. This is equivalent to 12 sugar cubes.
» Fanta
brewer,
The amount of sugar in a kombucha drink can vary depending on
“As a producer, I’m still going to get orders, people are still going to sell kombucha. This is something people value as part of their diet now.”
The orange flavour has 49 grams of sugar in a bottle. This amount is equivalent to 12.5 sugar cubes.
SOURCE: BRAND NUTRITION FACTS
ers called Shut Up & Write!, said the Wednesday night event hosted at the historic home helps writers get their work done.
By RYAN NGLocal writers are gathering each week at the Historic Joy Kogawa House in Marpole to write using a technique named after a plastic tomato timer.
Invented in the 1980s by Francesco Cirillo while he was a university student, the Pomodoro Technique is a time management method. Cirillo’s method has the user spend 25 minutes at a time of undivided attention on a task. An Italian, Cirillo named the method after his timer.
Ann-Marie Metten, an editor who facilitates the meet-up for writ-
“Before I was a disciplined editor, I used to procrastinate profoundly,” Metten said. “But then I learned, break it into smaller pieces. It’s just 25 minutes, and that gets you going.”
Alison Brierley, a short story writer who works nearby and spends her free time writing, said she goes to the weekly event because it’s a good place to focus.
“It motivates me because I know that it will happen once a week,”
Brierley said.
“It’s just nice to have a place to go with a dedicated time and space for something that I really enjoy.”
Anita Miettunen, who writes novels and picture books, finds the group to be supportive.
“A combination of the technique and the location encourages us to focus,” she said.
Kathryn Lee, who spends her time at the meet-up editing her young adult novel, said the technique is effective because she was worried about her back problems and being in an unnatural position for too long.
“I could sit there for two hours and write, but I don’t think that’s healthy mentally or physically,” Lee said. “[Pomodoro Technique] gives me a chance to get up and stretch.”
Cindy Hu, another group member, is currently working on a draft for a screenplay for animation.
“Knowing someone else is doing the same thing and having a project to work on, it’s really encouraging,” said Hu. She said she keeps this idea in mind as she writes on her own.
“I'm still going to get orders, people are still going to sell kombucha. This is something people value as part of their diet.”
— DAN LARSEN, OWNER, CULTURE CRAFT KOMBUCHAAnother Vancouver-based Kristin Zerbin, who owns Hoochy Kombucha sold in the A Building cafeteria. While it's still uncertain if the B.C. government's seven per cent tax on carbonated, sugary drinks will apply to these beverages, kombucha brewers say the health benefits of drinking kombucha should differentiate the brew from commercial soft drinks. PHOTO BY RUI YANG XU Writers meet on Wednesday nights at the Historic Joy Kogawa House to work on their projects . PHOTO BY RYAN NG
“A combination of the technique and the location encourages us to focus.”
— ANITA MIETTUNEN, WRITING GROUP MEMBER
Group uses a special technique to improve its productivity and keep focused
Proper sleep and nutrition key for young people competing in online video games
By MAX LECKIEBetween his schoolwork and his part-time job at Starbucks, one Langara student is finding time to coach an amateur esports team.
Lawrence “Trance” Amador, a firstyear business student, said his schedule is so crammed, he had to give up livestreaming his gameplay.
“I just try and find pockets of time where I’m able to fill my duties while still trying to find time for myself,” Amador said. “It’s definitely hard to balance.”
Competitive video game tournaments have existed since the 1980s, but have evolved into the million-dollar industry known more commonly today as esports.
Amador’s dedication to the sport and his over-loaded schedule are not uncommon among esports players, and more balance is needed, according to health experts.
Caitlin McGee, a physical therapist who works remotely at 1 Health Providence, or 1HP, said many of the players she works with are younger, so her work involves teaching them better sleeping and nutrition habits.
“It’s good for general overall health… also it’s going to make you play better,” McGee said. “That’s the kind of thing you’d get quite easily in traditional sports but that’s not necessarily something that’s been built into gaming and esports.”
Joshua Hafkin is the founder and CEO of Game Gym, a Marylandbased esports gym. He said that by providing structure for kids to learn about games, it can help them build healthier habits.
year he feels the team is in a position to grow and succeed for next season.
Disappointing losses for the Langara Falcons in the PacWest quarterfinals last weekend ended the season for both the women’s and the men’s basketball teams.
Both teams lost to their opponents from Camosun College in two tight playoff games at Capilano University. The men’s team was up four points going into the fourth quarter but allowed the opposing team to score key baskets that cost them the game.
Coach Paul Eberhardt said the team came close to getting a win, but he is excited for next season.
“It was very disappointing because we put ourselves in a position to win,” Eberhardt said.
Eberhardt said the team has a good base to build upon with the reigning team point leader Moeiz Athaya and second team all-star Luka Lizdek who are both expected to return next season.
Forward Devin Cvitanovich said that with so many close games this
“With a little bit of maturity, more practice playing together, and a little bit older guys, a couple of our games gotta change,” Cvitanovich said.
The women’s team played a tough game that was decided by only a few points after a lengthy tie in the final quarter.
Head coach Virginia Watson said the dressing room was quiet after the loss.
“Obviously they’re upset. It’s the last game of the year, it’s a loss and we can’t continue.”
She said the team is trying to keep their attention on the good rather than the disappointments.
“We focused a lot on the positives. We didn’t lose because of work ethic,” Watson said.
Watson said the plan for the off season is to get practice time in with open gyms and work on more tactical skills in September.
She added that as a young team, the number of experienced players who will be returning next season is a good place to build on.
“I kind of call us the middle school gym teachers of esports,” Hafkin said. “Our job is to introduce kids to these different esports and then teach them life skills along the way.
Amador’s goal is to eventually take on a managerial role in eSports when time permits, but for now he is happy passing on knowledge to his team.
“They know I have the experience that they need to be able to get to the next level,” Amador said, “I’m just trying to teach the next generation of League of Legends pro players to succeed.”
AMONG ESPORTS PLAYERS
» Tendon strain
Commonly found in the hands and wrists. Often caused by repetitive motion
» Posture issues
Inproper sitting positions can cause neck and back pain in players.
» Eye fatigue
Looking at a computer for long periods of time can cause Computer Vision Syndrome, a form of eye fatigue
SOURCE: WEPC.COM
Losses for both men's and women's teams at PacWest last weekendLangara Falcons' Moeiz Athaya jumps to pass the ball in the PacWest quarterfinals game. LUCAS JORNITZ PHOTO
“ We didn't lose because of work ethic.”
— VIRGINIA WATSON, FALCONS WOMEN'S BASKETBALL COACH
By LUCAS JORNITZ
