FREE. Do not pay lor this paper. • ~

~!!!J~g•e SEPTEMBER 1, 2014

carnnews@vcn.bc.ca ca rn newsl@sba w.ca ~w.carnnews.org

.tOl Main Stred. Vancouver BC' V6A lT7 604-665-2289

THE 7TH ANNUAL OPPENHEIMER PARK COMMUNITY ART SHOW

CROSSING BOUNDARIES

RUNS SEPTEMBEI< 12 UNTIL OCTOBER 26

OPENING RECEPTION FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 12, 6 - 9 PM JOIN THE PROCESSION FROM CARNEGIE CENTRE AT 5 PM

gallerygachet 188 E Cordova St I gachet.org 1604 687 2468 Gallery Gachet is wheelchair accessible. Our accesibil ity audit is online.

Homelessness Action Week

A_ 5

Ekam Sad viprah bahudha vadanti Truth is one, but wise people express it in many ways.

• .

tl

NEWS FROM OPPENHEIMER PARK DTES COMMUNITIES' BACK YARD

At Gallery Gachet (88 E Cordova) Opening Fri. Sept 12,2014 6-9pm Join the procession with Carnival Band at 5pm from the Carnegie! Exhibition: Sept 13 - Oct 26,2014

From September 13 through October 26, Oppenheimer Park and Gallery Gachet are pleased to present Crossing Boundaries at Gallery Gachet, an exhibition showcas ing artworks from Oppenheimer Park community. In­c luded are paintings, drawings, print, sculptures, carvings, mixed media & video works. Most artists will be pre­sent at the opening reception,

Art by James Furminger

Gallery hours are Wednesday to Sunday from noon to 6pm.

This year the exhibition takes "cross­ing boundaries" as its focus with a variety of interpretations. Over 35 artists will be featured in the show & many of the works showcase various interpretations of boundaries. ln addition, the exhibition will unveil petite Bonhomme (little fellow), dozens of small paper mac he dolls decorated & painted through communi­ty art workshops at Oppenheimer Park & Carnegie Community Centre. We look forward to meeting you there!

Additional Programming:

ScavARTger Hunt II Saturday, October 41

h

ScavARTger Hunt is back! Scour Vancouver to com­plete questions about art­works! Win prizes for right answers!

More information will be available closer to the date. Check bulletin brda at Carnegie or our Face­book page.

"Jewish Progressives and the History of "Political Zionism"

There can be no solidarity with the Netanyahu gov­ernment which has undermined moderate Palestini­ans, rejected offers of peace, and expanded settle­ments to make a two-state solution impossible. Political Zionism emerged as a liberation movement in response to anti-Semitism and nationalism. The

foundation of Israel included anti-colonial aspects. Yet the settlement of Palestine by European Jews was itself an act of colonization carried out with -and in opposition to- world powers. The project as it un­folded was based in ideas of Jewish supremacy & in a particular interpre tation of our traditions and history. It turned on the violent exclusion of the region's in­digenous population.

After 1967, Israel established an occupation in the West Bank and Gaza. After 2005, it initiated a siege of Gaza, designed to undermine Palestinian statehood. I therefore cannot remain silent when people portray this month's conflict in isolation from the context of forty-seven years of occupation, collective reprisal, settlement expansion, and siege. We can attribute each individual failure to achieve peace to one side the other, or both. But we cannot ignore that despite any rationalizations, Israel has occupied Palestine for nearly fifty years.

Ask what else Israel could've done from its position of strength to pursue peace. Consider what it means to accept so many deaths and the destruction of a city as collateral damage. No matter how we judge Hamas, the assault on Gaza, has demonstrated Israeli disregard for Arab life. This will not bring peace. The choices that may bring peace will present serious risks, but none more dangerous, physically and ethically, than preserving the status quo.

This does not mean that Palestinians lack the right to! equality in their native land. It does not mean aban- I doning our ties to that land. However, we must pay attention to how legacies of power make certain form~ of exclusion and subordination seem normal. We j must remain vigilant against our own chauvinism and listen to others. Do not believe that Israel lacks part- ' ners for peace and do not stand with those who dem­onstrate to Palestinians that they lack such partners.

Jewish progressives.can and do enjoy many ties to Israel, but Jewish progressives cannot value Jewish

lives and freedoms over the lives and freedoms of Palestinians. Our self-realization cannot come at the expense of millions without citizenship, rights, and the same prospects for their children as our own. Pro­gressives must stand against occupation, siege, and settlement expansion. There can be no progressive support for wars of choice. There can be no solidarity with the Netanyahu government or its representatives like the Israeli Consul, which has undermined moder­ate Palestinians, rejected offers of peace, & expanded settlements to make a two-state solution, if that is de­sirable, impossible. There can be no progressive part­nerships with organizations like AIPAC. Jewish unity cannot come at the expense of Jewish integrity. ' 'We made a mistake. There is a s ickness inside our community'-

Jacob Ari Labendz

Dirty, Damaged, Different

My father and mother became parents burdened with pain, loss, bitterness. To their graves they took their secrets. During life they'd each likely felt dirty, damaged, different.

Without ihtention they'd passed on their poisonous legacies by what is c learly defined abuse. I was not exempt from feeling dirty, damaged, different.

Throughout the years I've expressed sincere sorrow upon those whom I'd inflicted pain as a result of my feeling dirty, damaged, different.

As I focus on compassion and forgiveness from others, I feel the guilt and shame lift. I feel less and less dirty, damaged, different.

Nowadays, I am more at peace. I envision some day feeling more clean, whole, in sync. Over time I feel less dirty, damaged, different.

© J.Angharad Giles

I am a local. I have a hidden disability. lv been cleaning the outdoors for over 25 years. I found a sto­len purse with over $4000. It got back to the property owner. She' s the owner of the Whistler chocolate fac­tory; she has her million-&-a-half dollar home, my mom said she loves doing what she' s doing

then the lady said she worked with disabled people ­all they like to do is take and never give. Then she made $2.00 available which otherwise would not have happened?! That's a huge slap in the face; she's like a filthy greedy polotishion

because of people like her I'll never report stolen property again, from now on it will go in the trash bin lv found 4 wallets since: the one had 6 pieces of ld. the other had 5-6 keys; they all went into the trash bin lf l ever fi nd a pile of money again I wont tell enyone,

Ill just keep it. Louanne Bradshaw

rrorn the LibrarY In the morning we often have a rush of visitors for the newspapers, sudoku, crosswords, and also horo­scopes! To cater to the interest we're planning on posting your daily horoscope just to the right of the entrance near the DVDs- look for the celestial poster board and get aligned with the galaxy! On the topic of stars, signs, and wonder, here are a few interesting new titles ... Across a Star-Swept Sea by Diana Peterfreund (YA FIC)

The classic novel, The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baron­ness Emmuska Orczy is retold with a science fiction lens. The remake is set on the islands ofNewPacifica centuries after wars almost destroyed the earth. Two teenagers, Persis Blake and Justen Helo must fight for the future. Romance! Class warfare! Secret identities! And genetic engineering ... The Midas Touch: World mythology in bite-sized chunks by Mark Daniels (20 1.3 D 18m)

This book contains myths from around the world (Australia, Sumeria, Egypt, Greece, etc.) written in an accessible, concise manner. The reader will obtain a broad overview of epic stories throughout history and across cultures. Momstrology by Ophira and Tali Edut (133.5 E24m)

Moms need all the help they can get when raising kids and this book looks to the stars! Ophira and Tali (AKA 'The Astro Twins") offer a unique approach to parenting based on their charts, predictions, and inter pretations of astrological signs for both parent & child .

5 At long last, the Theatre Upgrade Project

will begin! The theatre renovation/upgrade project will begin the week of September 2nd . The in itial work will require the theatre to be closed & programming can­celled for that week only (Sept 2 - 7). Fingers X'd­the project will be completed by September 301

h and ready for fall /winter programming & festivals.

The renovation project includes the installation of: Audio/Visual System that provides simple operation for basic events

• A/V infrastructure • Booth Rack & Storage improvements • Equipment • Drapery replacement & extension

Thanks for your kind support and understanding while we are under construction, so to speak.

Sharon Belli, Assistant Director

Sunday at the Ovaltine Redux •

I gaze into the Vancouver summer rain. Scotch mist in Halifax, windless here

in La La Land Business on the Corner like the Post Office. All weather work. Pain and money go hand in hand. Makin' the world go round.

Later, the Empress opens her door. Sick Bay, Sick Parade. Kills the pain Daddy used to say. The day brightens. l play rock 'n' roll, Country and Western, Leonard Cohen and Dylan, Bonnie Raitt, Koko Taylor. Music and booze hath charms to

calm the savage breast.

Wi lhelmina M iles

. ..... 1-

. ~··<·':.~~· .'. ..... .:..~ ·:

Visit to th'e ,Mu~e~m The weight of the ancestors' pomposity

rests heavily on the shoulders

... ,,~:.c ••• _ .... ' 1.'<• . ,. ~ · ~, ,.

···.

of the daughters and sons down the generations

mistakes have been made that impact us still

concerning the necessary criteria required to create

civilization we have never been civil

to each other no or maybe just barely

the thinnest veneer holds us back from savagery

and so we vandalize what has preceded us

recycling the past with our own interpretations even time has sabotaged

the monuments built to outlast their gradual erosion

people forget who was important and why

and who is left to care or appreciate the appropriate correspondence

between these glorious ruins and the lessons we refuse to learn

'I'•• I ,, .

delanye

Art by James Funninger

7

The Camino World Peace Project

You surely have noticed that there is something terribly wrong with the way things are going, all over the world. lt is alarmingly obvious that the dominant systems held in place by a power structure that is crumbling, are inca­pable of providing for the people who rely on them. History reminds us ofthe pattern of c ivilizations.

At this stage of the cycle, we still have a few options. We can cling to the scant security offered us by the multinational and government corporations; we can continue

to engage in the fierce competition for resources, prestige and power; we can opt out & cobble a living from hand outs & leftovers; we can zombify ourselves; we can buy into the apocalypse being prepared for us by our friendly sponsors OR we can turn to each other with compassion, & begin to arrange a system that will honor the wisdom, dignity and individuality of our diverse world populations & our common interests. We have a window of oppor­tunity, a little time left to begin to reverse the unsustainable, idiotic policies of extinction that threaten us all. What we really need now is a way of bridging the gap between the precarious mess that we are in, and the vision-

ary dream of a new way of ordering things that is based not on hierarchy, fear & coercion, that does not condemn us to war, but designed to nurture & a llow each other to live in peace .

It's a big undertaking that we have been told is impossible, but it could be simple if we can take the time & care to determine our most urgent priorities. Without a shot being fired, we could transform the way we live, to create a world hospitable to all life, free of the terror & unbearable stresses that we have accepted as the way things are. Think about the way things could be.

Now is the time to begin to carefully dismantle the obsolete systems that have been hampering creative alterna­tives. We can start by stopping all harmful practices & doing away with the most obvious forms of oppression. We can learn from the mistakes of the past as we consult with those who are already devising sustainable prac­tices in their communities. Organic gardeners & permaculturists, architects & engineers, community activists and members of coops, squatters who fabricate homes in decaying structures from discarded materials rescued from scrap heaps, artisans & carpenters & healers, children & elders: everybody will be needed if we are to disengage ourselves from the traps that are choking us.

If we can see our way to dispense with artificial boundaries & the vagaries of monopoly capitalism, a lot of prob-1

I ems could begin to solve themselves. The accepted notion of private property needs adjustment. We know that real estate is not real. Our task now is to devise a way to live in harmony, not as owners but as caretakers of the land. Obviously, the mass production of weapons & the reliance on toxic chemicals must discontinue. Together, we need to decide, what we need & what we want to keep. Let the banks be redesigned to house the homeless, let those who have been displaced & dispersed lead the way in devising communities of mutual interest. Let the mu-sic of the world guide us as it already has linked us in imagination.

The Camino de Santiago in Spain is an ancient route of pilgrimage that connects people from all over the world. lts origins are controversial, but long before Christianity, people have walked this way & even farther to the wild coast. They thought it was the end of the world there. We know now that the world is round & the end of the world is not geographical. The Camino de Santiago was

built on prayers. But even the strength of prayers will not be enough to avert the consequences of our current tra­jectory. Here in the DTES, in spite of dedicated opposition, rampant gentrification is invading & scattering the volatile mix of our community. We know that all over the world there are others equally distressed by the same threat & worse. Iso lated, no matter how splendid our efforts, our chances to thrive are slim. Only by shifting our focus & finding ways to co-ordinate our efforts & work in concert, will we be able to begin to dismantle the toxic systems held in place with our apathetic consent.

The Camino World Peace Project began as a series of conversations amongst pilgrims, which is the name given to all those who walk the camino. We are not a group per se, but an idea whose time has come. The project is an evolving strategy to restore harmony to the world, a call out to see what we can do with our collective wisdom & creative intelligence. You are invited to take these ideas & expand.

Obviously, we need to shift from a war economy based on an adversarial, scarcity mentality to an economy of peace & abundance. To this end, The Camino World Peace Project is dedicated to the Declaration of World Peace,

ASAP. What are we waiting for? I) We start with ourselves, to cultivate peace and pass it around. Devise a role for yourself as ambassador.

musician, teacher, economist, carpenter or clown for peace. We are limited only by our imaginations. 2) We identifY our communities. Start working on your community play. Include everyone. What is your vi­

sion for community? How do you want to use your freedom? 3) We organize Camino Concetts for Peace: or we can have a Camino car wash, a bake sale, a treasure

hunt. We share the profits around & use some as seed money for a bigger event. The events are an en­dorsement & everyone who buys a ticket is endorsing the idea of world peace. We cover the world with our music.

4) We continue to discuss our alternatives globally. How long before we can make our declaration depends on the intensity of our indignation with the way things

are going & our desire for a world that is at peace. Our efforts now will determine our future. We cannot rely on our governments to fix things as they are clearly

part of the problem, ei'idorsing. policies of extinction. It is up to us to come up with a better way to deal with our common needs & our differences.

Perhaps the earth & the oceans can recover once we stop polluting. Perhaps we can transform our world to a place where ·we can all make the most of our potential & our love. [Delanye]

Contact: caminoworldpeaceproject@gmail .com; face book; http://caminopeaceproject. word press. com

SMILE! We could all be happy with this Cop-camera .. . In the pro-cop drama End of Watch, two studly LA police officers wear tiny sturdy cameras-w ith audio-attached to the ir uniform shirt pockets. They do it because they're proud and righteous and they want the world to know how great they are. Why don't

all cops do likewise? Is it because in real life there are few who have that kind of confidence when it comes to the quality of their work? The mere idea o f this kind of scrutiny is anathema to many police officers. Not the good cops I imagine-they want these body-mounted cameras; it's the bad cops who reject the idea. But so what if they bristle-make them do it! The vast majority of the NYPD doesn' t want the technology-but screw those thugs. If they don't want to wear the cameras, they can quit and become professiona l hitmen. Oh wait, they can't do that job-if caught killing someone, they might have to actually go to jail. Unlike James Peters, aka Officer Serial Killer, who shot seven people in ten years in Arizona, killing six, the last one went rig ht between the eyes of a man holding a baby, his v ictims' grandchild. Subsequently, Peters opted for an early retirement-in his thirties­he' ll get 5000 bucks a month for doing nothing, which considering what he was doing is money we ll spent I think. I can just see Peters now, sitting at home, cleaning his service revo lver,<weeping copiously over his forced early retirement. How unfair! Hang in there, Peters! Just leave your door open at night and some poor schnook will s tep in to your abode and you can kill him with impunity thanks to the Castle Doctrine! I'm sure even now former-Officer Pete rs is letting his mail pile up and has parked his car down the road in order to lure someone inside his house while he waits patiently on the sofa in the dark, a six pack by his s ide. Good times! So where was I? Oh yeah-the VPD desperately needs this techno logy. Presently, they carry pepper spray to blind us; tasers to electrocute us; night s ticks to bash our heads in; and, of course, guns to blow us away. Why not a little camera? Don't they always cry foul when a passerby pulls out a cell phone camera and catches them in the act of doing something shirty, claiming that what ends up being shown to the public misrepresents the inc ident in its entirety? I say it's imperative that every second of every po­liceman's shift be recorded. It'll benefit all. Such a thing will keep everybody honest; abusive citizens and abu­sive cops alike will tend to behave, don't you think (if it's a ll being recorded)?

And is this much to ask? The cops absolute ly love cameras, don't they? Cameras in the street, cameras in stores ... in some places cameras are on tbp of the dashboards of police cruis­

ers. Cops always say, hey, you have nothing to worry about if you're not up to something criminal. Well, right back at'cha. Put the cameras on and wear them all the time. If you take them off or they go missing, you don't get pa id, assholes! If anything goes awry, then we'll take at look at what happened from the police ojjicer's-precise point of view. Cops are a lways saying, you have to walk in our shoes to understand what we go through. You can't judge us. You're not allowed to judge us. Well, fine. Put the technology on your goddamn shirt and we will walk in your fuck ing shoes, okay? Otherwise they'll j ust keep mowing us down. Not only us, but our little dogs, too, to paraphrase Margaret Hamilton in The Wizard of Oz. (Listen to this: in C incinnati, two cops, tased and then shot four ti)Tles -one bullet for each pound that the pooch weighed , I guess- a Chihuahua on its own porch, leav ing a note saying that the animal made them fear for the ir safety. The officers were not d isc iplined.) So insist on these body mounted cameras. Lives are at stake. I think Paul Boyd would be alive .. or at least his killer, Officer Lee Chipperfield, would be in jail if the world had seen Boyd's death from Chipperfield' s POV. Anyway, here are the emai ls of several councilors. One of them I know personally, Andrea Reimer of the puta­tively leftwing Vision Party. When Andrea was a young woman in Ottawa, she often expressed to me a profound dubiety regarding the police. So maybe Councillor Re imer will be sympathetic to this idea and lead the charge. Go Andrea! (andrca.reimer@.vancouver.ca'; tim. stevenson @vancouver.ca; david.eby.mla@leg.bc.ca) Just write, "When will Vancouver cops have body mounted cameras? I want to know when I can safely leave my home."

Finally, I'll leave you with this excerpt from an article about northern Canada from Geist Maga=ine concern ing the crookedness of the RCMP and the impunity they apparently so enj oy up there. " ... They (the RCMP] will have taken the tape out of the security camera, contradictory testimony from the part­ner will avail noth ing, and you will always have been the one trying to do something violent to the un injured police officer when you yourself are dead .... "

[Submitledunsigned but a guess 1s] DAN PAGE

Stephanie Smith, Special to The Post This spring, I had the honour of being elected to lead BC's most diverse union. Over 67,000 women & men of the BC Government & Service Employees' Union (BCGEU) work throughout the province in a wide variety of roles, making a real difference in their communities.

From childcare to child protection, preventative health care to palliative care, social work to correc­tions, and so much more- what our members share is a dedication to working together for the benefit of all British Columbians. As the union that represents these remarkable work­

ers, we owe it to them to not only protect the vital public services they provide, but to continuously work for positive social change. BCGEU members want to belong to a movement that can make progres­sive new policies that BC needs a reality, such as $10 a day childcare.

That's why this Labour Day - my first as BCGEU president - as we celebrate the hard-fought gains the union movement has made for BC and Canada, I' d like to also look forward and talk about what we sti ll have left to do.

Our province & country are faced with growing in­come inequality- including a gender wage gap of26 per cent that is frankly embarrassing. Our young peo­ple have the distinction of being the first generation that will be worse off economically than the one that came before.

But the labour movement is in a unique position to change all of that. Hundreds of British Columbians lift themselves out of poverty each year by joining the BCGEU or other unions to achieve collective bargaining rights at their workplace. The wage in­creases they gain by working together go right back into their local economies, invigorating communities across the province. The increased tax revenues pro­vide funding for the public services that _we all rely

on. Just think of the e~citing things we could do if we all worked together to ensure that everyone, in all re­gions of the provinces- regardless of race, gender or socioeconomic status- had access to a job where they were paid a living wage and treated with respect. This is what the labour movement has to offer British Columbians: strong, united & dynamic communities full of people who care for one another.

When we all band together to demand that vital ser­vices be publicly avai I able to everyone - not just those who can afford them- we' ll have a whole new set of victories to celebrate each year at the end of August.

- Stephanie Smith, BCGEU President Stephanie Smith was elected president of the BC Gov­

ernment and Service Employees' Union (BCGEU) by dele­gates at the union's tri-annual convention in May 2014. Stemming from the Community Social Services sector, Stephanie had a long history of leadership and activism within the BCGEU before serving three years as the un­ion's Treasurer (2011-14). She is the first woman elected president of the BCGEU.

Red & White America Turning Blue Imagine god putting a gun to your head & whispering " If you were a serial killer what would be your trophy - hai r, a watch, rings ... ?'" they seem to have so much sharing just doesn't seem to be a tool in your bag of necessities, like a Dr Lector/Mr Hyde your god & Satan were best buddies but selfi shness destroyed a fr iendship then misplaced loyalty made people choose sides ever si nce Peace became a forgotten entity cuz someone lost the recipe, like a Red & White America think they have their very own god so it's alright to bring an Ebola doctor from Africa to Atlanta Georgia (talk about retroactive malpractice!) everyone just nods as I State becomes 2 then N America- how will your com icbook heroes curtail the outpouring of mass misery .. The States are a scary tragic land with guns for a ll & one of the few things most of the world can agree: Throw in the terrorist factor & the Fear Alarm System &the gust of rage with the Big Bang existence some say will set you free with horrificness happen­ing everyday global happiness is just an illusion, like a pop-out Agatha Christie mystery ... did you know that the first documented war was in 27,000 B.C.?!? That' s at least 30,000 years of mankind being unable to agree on anything whatever happened to 'natural causes'; if there is a Heaven do they have Pay TV what 's the most popular channel Planet Earth in HD with lots of recording rewinding & of course pauses, like a message in a broken bottle it sinks lower than cement why cannot mankind just be content to live their lives without destroying so many others, The Remote Area Safety Committee and Library (RASCaL) does what it can but in the end it is we who must stand either in shame & hate or hand in hand with all our fellow sisters and brothers, why can't America and Russia and the Middle East and this whole planet get themselves right maybe one day maybe one day m.a.y b.e o.n.e.d.a.y maybe .....

By ROB ERT McGILLIVRAY Q: "Diplomacy means the ar1 of nearly deceiving all your friends but not quite deceiving all your enemies''

-Kofi Busia

The Day I Got Stoned Literally

It was a sunny spring day in the West End. A gentle breeze was stirring the leaves on the tall oak trees near the tennis court. Sitting on a bench I had bread crumbs for the pigeons & crows, but especially for the crows. O ne in particular used to hop along the fence when I was walking thru the small park. My b. f. said, '·he wants to have a relationship with you" - it hap­pened more often than not.

This day I was alone with my bread crumbs, the breeze and the birds. Along came two teenage girls who should have actually been in school. They spoke to me casually and produced a videocam. They sat on an opposite bench and chatted quietly. the younger girl , a white girl , picked up a pebble & threw it near my feet. I ignored it. Soon they were both pitching stones (some larger) at me. I got up admonishing them. I had to pass them to get to the path back to my apartment. They started to film me escaping. Stones turned to large beach rocks that had been used in the landscaping. I hobbled faster as l had sustained a foot injury, a painful one, the day before.

I reached the door and fumbled for the key. Once inside I could breathe. I rushed to the elevator still fearful and fiqally got to my apartment on the I 01

h

floor. I securely locked the door and relaxed a li ttle. Some weeks later the two girls were on the Robson

bus. They were sitting at the front in the disabled area. I plopped down down, feeling secure as this was a public bus & other elderly persons were near.

I said, "Hi, how are you today?"' But they ignored me and got off at the next stop. My neighbours in the West End ...

I spoke to Paul Taylor at the Carnegie Newsletter about the inc ident. Apparently this was not an isolated incident; he was familiar with such happenings or had heard of them .. and we all had seen Tlze Fisher King. But that was j ust a movie, wasn't it?

Wilhelmina M iles

The Digital Revolution: Threat or Promise? Eric was a visionary and may still be one for all I

know. Just about 30 years ago he discovered the per­sonal computer, then in its infancy. On a warm sunny Sunday in 1984 we sat in a restaurant inside the IKEA warehouse in Richmond. Here Eric foretold the future and by & large, many of his predictions were spot-on.

"Warehouses like IKEA Eric said, "will be totally changed. People w ill soon be shopping for everything on their computer." And, Eric continued, department stores may soon vanish. Soon everybody will be shopping 'on-line' as they say now.

"Newspapers," Eric foretold, "will be changed be­cause news will be broadcast over the computer." As Eric wheeled out one change after another I wondered out loud about what would happen to many workers. Would they keep their jobs or would they end up job­less and poor?

Eric had no doubt that job loss would be massive, a fact he seemed to enjoy. "A huge new underclass would be created," he said in effect, "and this group would turn to revolutionary politics." Eric had taken patt in many sizable 'new left' demon­stration in the late 1960's and early 1970's in Vancou­ver. In fact when a commission of inquiry was held in 1971 into the reasons for the police-caused 'Gastown Riot', Eric was one of the star witnesses.

But back in 1984 I was a New Democrat who be­lieved in gradual progressive change. Eric's predic­ti ons threatened my view of the future. I looked south of the border where U.S. President Ronald Reagan's neo-conservatism was wrecking one American social program after another. "Soon Reagan's politics will come to Canada," I predicted. Massive job loss l wor­ried would only make things worse.

So who was right; Eric or me? ln fact, we both were. Eric's future forecasts have arrived. Shoppirig,

news gathering and dozens of other activities are now done by compute r. 15 years after Eric made his pre­dictions (in about I 999), I heard one person after an­other say, "I can't live without my personal com­puter." Another fifteen years later which is now 20 I 4, most people use their i-phones to do countless tasks and amuse themselves as well. The digital revolution is just a fact of life.

Yet my fears and Eric's celebration of job loss have come true too. Newspapers struggle to survive. Old department stores like Zeller's, Eaton's and even Sears struggle to survive or have disappeared. Re-

cently I read of how car selling will soon be done on­line. Car salesmen and especially used car salesmen were the shock troops of the now defunct ultra­conservative Social Credit Party. Should l worry if dozens of very conservative car salesmen and women lose their jobs? In fact I should .

Now the digital revolution has happened while many ultra right governments have come to power. Social programs have been cut to the bone across Europe and North America. This disturbing trend made even worse when combined with the Great Re­cession of2007 & 2008 has caused havoc in the lives of tens of millions of people.

"I'm living on $650 a month," a s ingle father with one child told a reporter in Spai n. In Spain, Greece, Portugal, Ireland and Italy massive job loss has forced millions of people to leave their country and move north to Germany and other countries. In Canada, the Great Recession has made tens of thousands of people living in Quebec, Ontario and Atlantic Canada to pick up their things and settle in Alberta & Saskatchewan.

What makes things even worse is that the new bar­ons of the digital revolution don't seem to care about this upheaval at al l. Bill Gates and his wife Belinda have given billions of dollars to projects in Africa and around the world. Yet in their U.S. homeland, mil­lions o f people can't find work and aren't even cov­ered by Obama's Medicare.

Jeff Bezos of Amazon, the late Steve Jobs of Ap­ple, Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook & other high tech billionaires don't even seem worried about poor peo­ple and working people who now j ust struggle to sur­vive. An advertising plan financed by some of these people ended up attacking President Obama's Medi­care plan. And the high tech millionaires that I've read about in Canada are what' s called libertarians; people hostile to government programs that help the poor.

"These people are like the robber barons of old" one observer of the high-tech elite remarked. "They remind of me ofthe multi-millionaires of late 19th or early 20th century U.S.A. like Andrew Carnegie, John D. Rockefeller and Henry Ford."

Eric has now left North America. The digital revolution he forecast has now come true. His fore­cast of job loss did and has occurred. His political forecasts were way off base- at least for now.

By Dave Jaffe

----------'~~ The fir-St Nietz.cheean f l " Don' t lean on me 'c·ausc you can't afford the ticket."

-David Bowie The first Nietzcheean did not

lose his mind - he gave it away. The first Nictzcheean lived and died in total obscurity; out of pique! The first Nietzcheean fell in love with you, Matriarchy.

Stephen Belkin

NOTICE OF APPLICATION

Would you risk your life to save a dying monster? Emptiness explodes into shrapnel when you inhale it. God is waitinQ for me on the other side,

where no one will find me.

My love is waiting, almost within reach, within a whisper.

I must be with my own ghosts, your ghosts.

Unforgiven, because there is nothing to forgive.

Thirsting. I will turn into a shriek that pierces your bones.

Ellis

The Downtown Eastside Street Market Society has appl ied to the C ity o f Vancouver requesting approval to use the eastern portion o f 58 West Hastings Street for a street market (DE418263). Please see the attached develop­ment application notification postcard for details. A special Community Forum on Street Vending and an Open House about this application will be held on

Thursday Sept. 4th. Open House drop-in starting at 5:00pm and Forum from 6:00 to 8:00pm at the Woodwards bui1ding (W2 room- 2nd fl., 111 W. Hastings St.) For more information, vis it vancouver.ca/devapps or call Claudia Hicks, Project Coordinator: 604.871.6083

\Vcslcy .Joe I DTES Neighbourhoods Group .uu\u ~ ..,u t:Ju , •. l. - ,(t:~

CITY OF VANCOUVER 1 604.873.7736 'a ncou\ cJ".c: d .e~pl.m

Love Life "My name is Ryan and I am a grateful recovering addict". These were words he used to introduce himself at an

award s dinner where he was one of the people honoured It is a story known all too well. A young man loses his way into the darkness and drugs. Addiction is a powerful

thing and conquering it is one of the most difficult things to do. Ryan Gillis spent part of his life living on the down­town eastside in Vancouver. He had lost friends and relatives as a result of overdoses. At times he thought his life would end that way. Ryan started using drugs at the age of 13 becoming an IV drug user by the age of 21. He moved around the country

spending years in and out of recovery houses and jail. At one point he weighed 118 lbs and very close to the end of his life. He had struggled with sobriety for I 0 years until October 5, 20 12 he couldn't do it anymore. He asked for help.

In October 2012, Ryan began a 12 step program and treatment for liver disease. At this time, a friend suggested he take up yoga. Ryan credited this practise in helping him get and stay healthy and sober. In this process, he grew stronger, not just physically, but mentally and spiritually. He found himself and in yoga found something that kept him grounded and focused. He began to live the life he was meant to live and more. His recovery wasn't just about himself. He wanted to help others. His family describes him as a fireball, determined to spread the message that "The lie is dead- We can recover". He shared his story, visiting youth in schools and talking about his near death while in the depths of drug addiction. He told them to talk openly about their problems, reach out for help and not to turn to drugs. He wanted to make a difference. He recently went to Africa to be of service to others. He planned to return.

Ryan became an advocate against drug abuse and an example of the powerful benefits of yoga. He dedicated his life to making a difference to the community, not only warning kids about the dangers of drugs but to the addicted community proving that as long as you are alive, it is never too late to find your way to sobriety and back to your life. He made a video about his experience in the fall of2013, saying that he would "use drugs to feel accepted and numb out". He described the disease of addiction as a disease of feelings. He said "!used to get a feeling or I used to take away a feeling". He attended a 12 step fellowship program and practised yoga every day. He wanted "to give back to life. I truly believe that you can only keep what you have by giving it away. You can only keep love by giv­ing love away and you can keep honesty by being honest, you can only pra£tise spiritual principals while living these spiritual principals." He wanted to tell his story and help people.

Ryan was honoured in January at the Courage to Give Back Awards when he was presented with the Brave !Ieart A ward. In his acceptance speech, Ryan said that we all have a purpose in this world and his gift was "to carry the message to the addict who sti ll suffers and I truly believe that's what I was put here to do because I have been brought down to that level of humility where I identify with those people." He was going to keep doing what he was doing and sharing the message to others.

He recently went to Africa to attend aNA convention and there he met a little girl named Ayesha who stole his heart. He sponsored her and had her mother's blessing to adopt Ayesha and bring her to Canada for a better life. On Tuesday, August 19u', 2014, Ryan Gillis was killed in a single vehicle accident in Alberta leaving behind devas­tated family, friends and a community of people who mourn the loss of a man who battled demons many could never understand and came out on top. He was a beacon of light for those in the darkness. He knew he would have to work very hard every day to remain victorious. He left betfind a message that will be carried on by those who cared about him. He left behind a legacy that Recovery is Possible. His brother Jeff talks of Ryan with fondness and pride. His mission is to carry on the work his brother started. He

hopes that others will continue to do the same. Keep talking and keep spreading the message that recovery is possi­ble and never stop talking about things that bother you or when you are hurting. Silence is not the answer. Jeff said that "it was a pleasure and privilege to have him as a brother." Without a doubt, Ryan Gillis has given more back in his 2 years of sobriety than most people do in a lifetime.

In loving memory of a brave man who didn't stay silent about his struggles and became the man he was always meant to be. (Ryan Gillis: 1 May 1984-19 August 2014) Love Life The lie is dead. We can recover.

Pamela Sheaves

40 I Main Street, Vancouver V6A 2T7 604-665-2289

THIS NEWSLETIER IS A PUBLICATION OF THE CARNEGIE COMMUNITY CENTRE ASSOCIATION

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

WANTED Artwork for the Carnegie Newsletter

Small illustrations to accompany articles and poetry. Cover art- Max size: 17cm(6.7")wide x 15cm(6")high. Subject matter pertaining to issues relevant to the Downtown Eastside, but all work considered. Black & White printing only. Size restrictions apply (i.e. If your piece is too large, it will be reduced and/or cropped to fi t). All artists will receive credit for their work. Originals will be returned to the artist after being copied for publication. Remuneration: Carnegie Volunteer Tickets.

Please make submissions to Paul Taylor, Editor.

COMPUTER ADVICE Vancouver Community Network Cost-effective computer & IT support for non-profits VCN Tech Team http:l/techteam.vcn.bc.ca Call778-724-0826 ext2. 705-333 Terminal Ave, Van

(Publication is possible only with now-necessary donations. )

DONATIONS 2014 Elsie McG.-$100 Robert McG.-$100 Terry & Savannah -$100 Margaret D.-$40 Leslie S.-$175 Dave J.-$19 Sharon J.-$35 Christopher R.-$100 Bob & Muggs -$300 Sharman W.-$76 Michele C.-$100 Carnegie Seniors S~port Group -$300 -Catherine C.-$100 Yukiko T.-$30 Vancouver Moving Theatre -$100 Downtown East Village Pride -$50 Maxine B -$21 to honour poet N Benson

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." -Margaret Meade

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

~ext issue: SUBMISSION DEADLINE

tHURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 11m

Jenny Wai Ching Kwan MLA Working for You

1070 - 1641 Commercial Dr, VSL 3Y3 Phone: 604-775-0790

WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION: -AIDS • -POVERTY -HOMELESSNESS -VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN -TOTALITARIAN CAPITALISM -IGNORANCE and SUSTAINED FEAR