SEPTEMBER 1 2012 car·n yforthispailie ~ '

N E W S LETTER www.carnnews.org website

401 Main, v ·an .6A 2T7 604-665-2289 carnnews@shaw.ca email [! index] ~!tp:f!c,hod_arr.org/taxonomy/term/3

6th ANNUAL WOMEN'S HOUSING MARCH

6th Annual Women's Housing March This year we continue to march for housing,

childcare, and healthcare for a ll low-income residents in the DTES. We want no more evictions, no more displacement, and no more gentrification in our neigh-bourhood. We know that the growing number of cops and condos in the DTES is part of a larger pattern to destroy and privatize neighbourhoods, communities, and the land. We want to live free: free from BC Housing controls, free from violence against women, and free from this system that is hurting and killing us. We invite groups to bring their banners and anything else for our festive march. All genders are welcome and celebrated. Please bring your drums and regalia. This march is child-friendly and there will be a rest­vehicle for elders. Spread the word!

Email: project@dewc.ca or Phone: 778 885 0040

The DTES Power of Women Group is a group of women (we are inclusive) at the Downtown Eastside Women's Center from all walks of life who are either on social assistance, working poor, or homeless; but we are all living in extreme poverty. Our aim is to empower ourselves through our experiences and to raise awareness from our own perspectives about the social issues affecting the neighbourhood. Many of us are single mothers or have had our children apprehen­ded due to poverty; most of us have chronic physical or mental health issues eg. HIV and Hepatitis C; many have drug or alcohol addictions; and a majority have experienced and survived sexual violence and mental, physical, spiritual, and emotional abuse. For indigenous women, we are affected by a legacy of the effects of residential schools and a history of colonization and racism.

*Homes for People, not Profit for Real Estate! *Homes not Jails! *Housing, Childcare, and Healthcare for All! *Homes not Pipelines! *Rent Control not Social Control! ·* No Evictions No Gentrification!

Saturday September 15 ® 1:30 pm Starts at Cordova and Columbia, DTES

Unceded Coast Salish Territories

WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION • AIDS • • • • •

POVERTY HOMELESSNESS VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN TOTALITARIAN CAPITALISM IGNORANCE and SUSTAINED FEAR

SAFE-HER - - ALC \VOl\111JN \\~LCOl\[1~ _

Self Defense Classes H<•J)t<'lltlK•r Hth & 22n<l 2pm-4pm

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liOHk'tl hy th<• Dowutown East.~id<• Won~Pu's ( 'Pnh't•

l•'A( ' lLI'l'.\'l'OH: Wc•nli1lo \V.KS.T. DF'Jl',\ ll .'l: http;,.~n• w.d<'Wl'.rn ('0:'\'L'.H.'l~ :\l<• li><.<wl at fJ()4.fiSL.SfiRO , tlc•\lc·.s.tfPiwl'(llll-(mail.c·om

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Coffeen' & Corner 1. ' Build Your Own Sundae' {all you can eat, yes its true), Monday September 10, 2pm in the Theatre. 2. Pool Challenge Carnegie Ballbreakers with our neighbours 'The Gathering Place' September ll'h @ llam Carnegie Pool Room 3. VolunTeers of the Month:

• Gary Hung, Kitchen Prep;

Terry DeWolf, Computer Lab

PLEASE NOTE FULL STAFF MEETING WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 26- BUILDING CLOSED UNTIL NOON

(from peak house) 3 I used to be scared but now I have faith I used to be empty but now I am whole I used to be broken but now I'm picking up the pieces I used to be lost but now I have found my way I used to hate but now I love

C.C.A.

Morning Prayer

Wake up every morning and thank the Great Spirit you've been given another chance to get it right, set it right live another day and give thanx for your loved ones whether present or gone we' ll all end up there before long So love the ones you still love Make sure they know you feel that life without them wouldn't be real­ten them how you feel and lastly thank the universe so infinite and real and all the people that you love and how beautiful their love makes you feel

Alistair Hardy

Morning on Keefer Wear a blue feather dangling from your ear they' ll call you a fag but you don't care you've been to places- they' ve never been there so if they can't understand why should yo~ care? sing in the morning as you watch the sunnse look at the life shining in the eyes of the old Chinese ladies lining up at dawn marvel at what keeps them going on it's a new day in Chinatown today many things to ponder but nothing to say and if you make it to nightfall . . be thankful and pray for another beautiful day

AI Lee

Anti-Unionism: The Last Legal Hate Fix

We live in a society where everyone from a single mother doing a tightrope act on the poverty line to Conrad Black say that they are part of the middle class. The single mother is just indulging in a little of the opiate of the masses she got hooked on in school. Conrad is selling crack. But the Big H when you need to feel better about yourself is still definitely Hate. Thank:fuUy we have managed to get our ruling class

to legislate, at least nominally, against the evils of racism, sexism, ageism, and discrimination because of disability or sexual orientation. These haven't disappeared, but like drunk driving, they are no longer anyone will admit to in polite company. However there is one hate that still dares speak it's

name: class hate, and because we are a classless society, this is manifested as union hate. Hating unions, and by extension, hating union members is not only acceptable in good company, it is encourag­ed. Racist jokes are generally now met with stony silence or a polite rebuke. But bring up those unions and everybody has a story to tell.

I spent today on the picket line with the cleaning staffofthe Toronto Dominion Centre. These work­ers, primarily immigrant women, are some ot tne poorest paid unionized employees in Canada, most grossing substantially less than $500/week. They

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were picketing in front of the Parking garage where the Masters of the Universe park cars that sell for five to ten times one of the full time strikers yearly gross. This picket was a unique viewpoint from which to view numerous incidents of union hate. The rules on this line were simple: we would block entrance while th~ picket captain said a few words to the driver and gave them strike literature. If they took the pamphlet we let them through.

Anybody who came by with a pamphlet on their dashboard went straight through. If they did not open their window or refused a pamphlet we held them up for one minute, then let them pass.

I was hit twice by cars. Once by a BMW and once by a Jaguar. Numerous times engines were revved ominously, like the cocking of a gun, so we would get the lethal message. Several cars drove through the line pushing picketers clear. After hitting me with his shiny new BMW, the driver laughed and called me: "Asshole". The driver of a Jaguar, when allowed to pass after serving his minute, rolled down his window to say: "What would you do if you couldn't clean toilets, go on Welfare?" After pinning me against a wall and then screaming off, the driver of a new Volvo gave me the finger. Although I didn't actually compile statistics, everyone on the picket line knew, in a way that you can only know when self preservation is at stake, that there was a correlation between the price of the car and the level

of hate displayed toward the strikers.These incidents were particularly chilling when you consider that a car is probably the only legal way to kill someone in Canada. With a good lawyer you can get off with nothing but an increase in your insurance rates. Earlier in the day officers from the Industrial Disp­

utes section of the Metropolitan Toronto Police had stopped by the picket line to explain the rules. A constable had kindly left his telephone number in case we had any problems. When I called after the BMW incident I got an answering machine.

Upset, I did the only thing I could do. I went for lunch. But for some reason my food court chicken teriyaki tasted like cardboard. It looked good. It smelled good. But it turned to sawdust in my mouth. Something like this had happened to me before and I recognized it in myself as a symptom of depression. I suddenly realized that my mood had suffered a serious negative alteration that morning. I felt depressed. But I couldn't fathom why.

I ditched my half eaten lunch and went outside for air. I was going to take a walk before returning to the picket line, but instead, 1 stopped and observed it from across the street.

The hostility and hate of the drivers crossing the picket line were palpable. In the heat of confronta­tion and the challenge of survival I hadn't really noticed that the drivers of most of the vehicles were seething with hate for unionized immigrant working women who didn't know enough to know they don't have the right to hold up a Master OfThe Universe from his Manifest Destiny for Even One Fucking Minute, Bitch. Last year, in a course about racism, we the partici­

pants did presentations about how racism had mani­fested itself against our communities. I did a presen­tation on the issues that early Portuguese immigrants had faced. But as an english speaking, university ed­ucated white boy, I had no personal experience of racial hate. But this afternoon, for one minute, just one lousy minute, I knew what it was to be hated.

And it wasn't because ofthe colour of my skin, or my sex, or my sexual orientation, or any disability. It was because my heart is on the left.

by Humberto da Silva

What a Difference a Day Makes!!

I attach the brief February 13 Provincial Throne Speech remarks from Mr Nettleton, now sitting as an Independent Liberal. (Some years ago, he was an LSS Staff Lawyer in the Fort StJames.)

P. Nettleton: What did the Speech from the Throne tell the people of British Columbia? In essence, it told them that the emperor has finaJiy found his clothes, or someone has found them for him. Hts new wardrobe consists of compassion, consultation, partnership, openness, balance and reconciliation. Wow. Does this mean government has finally locat­ed its heart? Let's have a look. The throne speech talked about not leaving any regions of the province behind. It talked about not marginali zing any seg­ment of society. The Speech from the Throne goes on about finding a balance between uncertainty and change for British Columbians. There's more. It states that the government will listen, learn and act accordingly, that in effect the earmuffs are finally • gone.

What a transformation. Overnight this is a govern­ment that is now open to debate, dialogue and cons­tructive criticism. Overnight this is a government that cares about those parts of B.C. geographically north of Hope. Overnight this is a government that feels for the disadvantaged of the province. This must be so, as it's all there in the throne speech. Wow. I stand in awe before such new-found mag­

nanimity, at this sudden moment of epiphany. According to this change of heart, my timing was sure off when l protested the breakup of B.C. Hydro. With hindsight, J should have waited until the throne speech. Had I waited, I'm certain that I would have been embraced and encouraged in my dissenting view as part of this government's new era of recon­ciliation policy announced in the throne speech. What a difference a day makes - or a night in Maui. Seriously, Mr. Premier, the handwriting is on the palm tree. Aloha. Goodbye.

paul. nettleton. rnla@leg. be. ca

ELDERS ARE ASKING FOR UNITY

NO TO PIPELINES

By Nancy Mclean

Aboriginal Garden and Kitchen Project Vancouver Native Health Society is an organization

whose mission is to improve the health of aboriginal people in the Vancouver area. The society has several different programs and over 120 employees. The Society provides services for a ll everyday at 449 East Hastings Street.

Dawn Morrison is coordinator for the Urban Aborig­inal Garden and Kitchen Project. "This project uses food as a framework for health and community devel­opment; we have several gardens where we grow food," Donna explained. "Our mission is to increase access to healthy, culturally adapted gardens in indig­enous communities. I am most proud of working with and learning from my aboriginal cultural leaders and elders." Many aboriginal people with cultural knowledge are not valued by society. Yet they carry a lot of wisdom and knowledge. They can teach us how to love nature in a more balanced way. Many are struggling with substance abuse, poverty and oppression. But this is work in freeing us from depending on the corporately controlled food system. "1 think it is more important to be interdependent

than independent. People can learn to work together in a healthy way. In order to change the world soc ial networking is an important tribal value in communities," Dawn observed. "I work really hard on this garden project. Some days are easier than others. I have worked with the project since January but have followed it since 2005 when I began participating and watching work being done. I was interested because it is a good model," she explained.

They have 6 gardens where they grow food & teach people gardening and food preparation. "We share food with participants." They a lso harvest indigenous foods and promote and restore cultural, food-related knowledge. Starting in 2005, they've also interested people in gathering wild plants (sage, sweetgrass) and in searching out available land and harvest sites in both urban and rural areas, such as around Chillwack.

Dawn Morrison prepared for her vocation by studying at various institutions and also took

' programs: Horticulture at University College of the~ Cariboo (now called Thompson Rivers university) University of Victory-Restoration Cultural Systems studies; Provincial Instructors Diploma-Teacher at Native Education Centre; and taught math and science. She studied with the elders in her own community in the Southern interior of B.C. "I moved back to Vancouver in September 2011 from my home community Shusway. I came to stay with my daughter who is 23. I landed this job. Looks like 1 will be staying for awhile, I really enjoy this job and plan to mobilize the community," she reflected. "I founded an indigenous systems network in the DE. I invite you to contact me on my cell: 6042304171; email <edno6842@gmail.com

Attention Musicians!

~J MUSIC IMPROVISATION

WORKSHOP

free coffee

free t\-~m1.55icm

ore.n mic

All instruments welcome. A 6 week workshop exploring the approaches to improvising on • different musical styles. A public performance opportunity at the end of the workshop. We

are seeking musicians who desire to improve their skills.

Basic principals of the quartile harmony, & scale tone chords. The 5 qualities, figured bass & scale chord relationships. Arpeggios, scales and various patterns, the basic tools for building motifs

Song styles and form. Popular, Latin, Jazz, Blues, Funk and others.

Choosing & preparing a song selection. Addressing various styles and approaches. Explanation of the rhythm section & accompaniment, the soloist.

Music selection. Preparation of solos, comping for the rhythm section, knowing each other's role.

Protocol for successful jam sessions. Enjoying the process.

This workshop is being tutored by Randy Doherty, a Canadian Jazz Pianist with extensive academic and performance experience. It is offered free of charge and only requires some basic ability on a musical instrument. However we expect a full commitment for the 6 weeks and it will require regular practice.

PLEASE SIGN UP IN 3rd FLOOR PROGRAM OFFICE BY SEPTEMBER 4th .

6 Week Improvisation Workshop Starting September 511L Every Wednesday evening,

7:00-9:00 PM; Classroom ll, 3rd Floor, Carnegie Community Centre, 401 Main Street.

For more info, contact Randy by phone: 604 375 1552 or email: ethos1music@yahoo.ca

BRILLIANCE 1lJRNING SOUR My shadows have left me all outcomes upset me & once again I hold the short end of the cigarette, my get up and go shook me off so many years ago I accomplish such feats by available light my legacy is to have none by being in no one else's debt; like people saying 'I'll never talk to you again' and I take these as bles~ings believe me the sentiment is the same happiness and enjoyment are my biggest shadows as l only see this world as coming undone like some guy spray-painting "FREE the SEVEN BILLION" on a soon-to-be renovicted wall... Unfortunately Officer Down is right behind and has been all along, before a baton lesson he shouts "better make it SEVEN BILLION & one" Dignity and its brilliance will not be tolerated any more that happiness thing you asked about.. well both have been shown and thrown thru the obsolete eli test door this evi I just keeps getting bigger every day it just grows and grows like a cage around my soul, Better Living Through Corruption - skim money off your charities for those all-important tax­deductions ... Officer Down and his clowns wrote us off like a parking ticket for a shopping cart with 3 wheels 4 owners and absolutely nowhere to go.

second for everything you've ever wanted to tip over 9 and sink .. please don't ask me why evil navigates this entire world it turns boys into roving sold ier murder­ers and prostitutes out of little girls Victim Impact Statements are the new nursery rhymes for a world so unbelievably out-of-step, elegance & sophistica-tion drip out of the mouths of these wireheads who stare blankly into space with or without stars in either case it hardly matters as they don't even notice the oncoming traincars; now how do you chalk out-line somebody like that I have no idea but every selfishist bookie is taking bets! I've been around the block eleventeen times or so things need to break down once in awhile just to remind mankind of its past and that that's the way things go everyday is a piece of a puzzle but we need every single piece, maybe just maybe the meaning of happiness is right beside me I can dream can't I I've got that, then again maybe not just let me and mine rest in peace.

By ROBERT McGILLIVRAY PS: After 15 months this insane city is still whining about a ONE-DAY riot! All the man-hours and tax­payers' money wasted but maybe the light at the end of the tunnel isn't selfish corrupt politicians' extreme­ly red faces but a new sense of sanity and enlighten­ment. The Court is postponing a 19 year-old case 'til the new year because they have something slightly more important on their plate for November & Dec­ember ... MURDER!!! For a city that was so cool did it really have to change into this 2 1 ' 1 century g lobal positioning leach ... or am I the fool I guess it's me and my disorder of priorities even ignorance can tum sour like Pipeline dreams and Anti-abortion schemes New Vancouver is just not my scene so I expect the worst and no matter what happens I am never disappointed. :-) I tried to write some happy stories at least once or

twice but reality and finality reared its ugly selfish head I got home invaded then later physically ass­aulted by real tough cops- then my life expectancy got downgraded isn't that really nice sometimes next to nothing isn't as bad as others think; black & white \ rainbows illuminate me and my shadows every step -(there are times l wonder if they ever get the urge to r walk out on me?) I mean they have ~eard .every pro-~ mise I have said and not kept happmess ts not money or drugs or booze it is our dreams - do not ever let those visions turn sour it only takes one

street sermon

(after hearing one too many preachers haranguing about hell-fire on granville street)

brothers and sister-; fellow \ow-life listen we are in luck one guy at least came just for us a tremendous low-life Jesus he didn't come down here to this blood-stew for no limousine riders no bible thumpers no hot~hot angle-shooters no came down here l believe it's the truth for me and you l mean junkies winos hookers cripples cra7ies thieves welfare bums and homeless freaks lowest of the low least of all

do your parents hate you? your friends hate you? everybody hated jesus too nowhere to hang your hat? and the birds of the air

your teachers hate you? po-lice hate you? you hate you" you're really in luck

you got nowhere to live? jesus said to a cat

got somewhere

nowhere to go? 'even the foxes of the field

to lay their weary ass down but not me oh no'

do people scorn you? put you down? tell stories about what a problem you are? a judge told me I was of no use to society the president of a university told me 1 was trash and obscene my own mother god bless her told me I was the world's biggest asshole but all that just makes me eligible lo hook up with jesus who got nailed up bleeding sweating balls-naked to a wooden cross all that bad bullshit off my back

jesus tells you out here

not to hate your own self running around like a fool

which is easy to do but just ask jesus

to take

he'll help you with that love somebody as

'love yourself he says unloved and unlovable

'so you can as you been'

I mean jesus didn't come all this way go through all that trouble to send you and me to hell no maybe these other soft successful types I don't know but not you and me bona fide losers you and I know this world is all the hell we're going to see jesus came to cool us out from this hell right here right now for real with love not handcuffs editorials or plastic gloves do you slash-up? overdose? drink lysol or some shit? stick rigs in your anns? or pull a knife on somebody else? well jesus is just for you he was the world's all -time biggest loser

the straight people he said lov.-hfe scum

the priests andjudgcs hated him because would get t0 heaven before they did

and at the end ""hen jesus needed his friends they all took off on him except for a hooker named magdalen but all his close friends split said 'no way I don't know him' except for his friend judas who turned jesus in to crirnestoppers his friends made him take the rap a ll alone you know how that feels and jesus kept his mouth shut when pontius pilate the chief of police~ wanted jesus to cop-out

with a plea 1!Jlll!T so if you feel misunderstood nobody know how you fed or what you talking about thafs jesus too he knovv about you he been through it and don't you allow these puffed-up self-righteous chumps sell you no goody-goody jesus shit no jesus got pissed off plenty times

when jesus was kept saying jesus told them your enemy money-grubbing give it up

wandering around no bus fare all his buddies 'what should we do? what should we do? we're scared'

' lay down your life for your friends and if rip-off your coat give him your shoes too give up this

power-tripping fantasy-acting ego bullshit and you won't be scared no nrore'

but jesus got nailed-up between 1\vo thieves just another criminal and everybody thought so little of jesus was down on him so bad they let a mad terrorist bomber go free instead of him but jesus told that thief hanging on the cross next door like he telling you and me right now today this very hour man 'I take you with me to paradise' jesus told a death-row thief he was going to take him to paradise

jesus didn't tell a stockbroker didn't tell a rock promoter he told the brokers and promoters 'you can't get to paradise the way you going' a young banker came up to jesus said 'I dig your rap what r gotta do?' and jesus told him ·give it up

brother' said ·give all your money to the poor the punks the drunks the bums give it up· and that banker did to jesus what most people do to you when you got your hand out he just walked away 'anything but my sports car'

in his ovvn homc-tovm they called jesus a crat:y motherfuckcr 1 been called cnv.y lots of time I 1 m my horne-town locked up in the nuthouse to prove it and jesus thev told him 'we know you boy

don't go pullin no fuckin miracles around here' and tried to brrab his ass L but he ran fast damn but you knmv

what thars like)_-------~-+---+~--:----:------·) and if you think you got trouble just keeping your name straight Jesus confused many fools with that 'are you god or what?' they were always asking him he said ·who do you say that lam?' a smart-ass jesus was always being told ·you can't do that ifs against the rules it's against the law' but jesus talking about the spirit body and soul I the whole deal real real life not just social insurance nu~bers I and fingerprints

and jesus believed in having a good time told those tight-ass ba~tards his kingdom was like a wedding reception and first thing jesus did ""'·as turn \vater into wine so they wouldn't run out and the authorities called him a drunkard I but jesus just kept saying 'help each other love each other no matter what it 's the only thing you can count on'

so fellow lowlife just know jesus loves you if nobody else does T know he loves me ( especially when I don'~ love myself or anybody else it's hard to believe in lovej in this cruel city in this nightmare time that everybody else pretends is just line but remember 1 no matter what kind of nasty shit you pull jesus loves you in fact you can't make Jesus not love you

but when you been an insult hut not with jesus out ofyour helped you make it

I kicked around since you were born love is like

'oh we Jove you so much we want to hurt you some more' when you suffering real bad just reach a hand

heart and he'll help you make it jesus has already you just didn't know it

I and the gospel te11 you the gospe1just the highlights of a 1owli fe jesus believed in the devil too the devil that runs around in him and her and me and you and all over everyplace el~.;e seems like jesus knew the devil personally but jesus didn't go on and on about some therapy-self-help-socialworker-shrink-headed-victim-disease-shit jesus knew we couldn't be this crazy this miserable this goddamned mean and vicious ""ithout a lot of help

from the devil jesus know<; we 'rc in this world

SO JCSUS

weal.. kick-bo,ed the devil right out of people

and easily po<;se<;sed by all the crap

JeSUS knows all this stuff

so the devil carne to see jesus one on one when jesus was strung-out from not eating and hanging-out in the desert near kamloops and the devil said to jesus 'if you're such a bigshot turn thi<; stone into a loafofbread and feed yourself and jesus said ·forget you I'd rather be hungry what you tell me to do' did you ever do that? refuse and have people say 'you don't know what's good for you?

than do

then the devil said to jesus 'look here r show you all the world cars drugs po\ver sex beer in the whole world I'll give you all that just say you're mine' but jesus could not be bought and the devil kept working on him the devil said 'okay you so stupid jump off this cliff and see i fyour big daddy save you like you always talking abouf jesus just laughed he knew better

l haven't always known better though those deals the devil offered jesus sound pretty good to me but I have been mostly fucked-up in my life so I ain't the best expert on my own life I do need help so all you nuts junkies freaks jesus is always by your side like a kind of no bullshit truth-talking guide always with you but not so close by he'll get on your nerves

I mean a lot of times you think he's not there at all cause he ain't doing what you think he ought to be doing for you,'·

\. but he's there knowing what you need better than you do "· knowing you better than you do just hke the devil do

but that's good and everything probably broke like me better to do has made us

because everything I know how to do you know how to do has got us both right here

maybe on dope no real hope listening to a lunatic because neither of us has figured out anything

with the mountain-moving love jesus all to be

Bud Osborn

September 11, 2001

We are grieving, and in our grieving we feel the tension between what is and what ought to be. In my view, the best way we can honour tile people wino died so tragically on September II , 200 I is by work­ing for peace and justice.

The internationally known economist, Barbara Ward, wrote Progress For A Small Planet in 1979. In that book she warned that it humankind is to survive,

some fundamental change in direction ofthe global economy, with its dynamic of accumulation, would be necessary.

In his book called Globalization, the sociologist Zygmunt Bauman said that one of the most import­ant services we citizens owe ourselves, and our fellow human beings, is to question the unquestion­able premises of our market-driven, consumer society. He saw corporate globalizing processes as powerfully exclusive (those with money are in; those without money are out), and he understood that strong neo-tribal and fundamentalist tendencies reflected the experience of people on the receiving end of"the new world order."

Richard Barnet and John Cavanagh said in their book, Global Dreams, that the major political con­flict in the opening decades of the 21st century would be between the forces of corporate globaliza­tion and land-based forces seeking to preserve and redefine community. In this respect, there are some similarities in background between the Oklahoma City bombing and the bombings in New lark City and Washington on September ll 1

h - dispossession ofland, threatened local cultures, disintegrating communities, enormous existential insecurity, and debilitating poverty. (1) In the world today 100 million refugees and immigrants are moving around, looking for a place to call home.

We know something about the threat to community in the Downtown Easts ide. The corporate develop­ment of downtown Vancouver is taking place on an enormous scale, and our community, Vancouver's oldest and now poorest, is under siege. The stress of gentrification is aggravated by a tidal wave of hate propaganda that denies the courage and caring of thle neighbourhood. When men of great power deny the humanity of human beings and the history of a community, they tend to think that they can destroy

both the people and the place without moral qualms. All peoples who have experienced colonialism have lived through that process.

Barbara Ward speaks healing words in her book Progress For A Small Planet. Dismayed by the tech­nological military overkill of industria l nations, she laments that "we have ... the barest counter image of working together to build up our capacities for co­existence, to create that community of feeling which can spring from common goals and common efforts, that dedication that can grow from working together with care and patience ... creating the common symb­ols and places and vistas of order and dignity .... No problem is insoluble in the creation of a balanced and conserving planet save humanity itself. Can it reach in time the vis ion of joint survival? Can its inescapable pbysical interdependence - the chief new insight of our century - induce that vision? We do not know. We have the duty to hope.' (2) We have the duty to hope even though President

Bush and the military/industrial complex is launch­ing one more campaign of imperial terror, especially against poor countries. This so-called war on terror­ism is ideologically driven, and is a strategy to strengthen the dominance of the corporate global economy. It wont end terrorism, it will just create the conditions for more terrorism. If President Bush really wanted to reduce terrorism in the world, he would listen to the words of Barbara Ward quoted above. The stewardship of the resources of our earth, driven by peace and justice, is the opposite of a cor porate global economy driven by maximum profit.

By SANDY CAMERON

( l) For tile background hi story of the Oklahoma City bombing, see Harvest OfRage. by Joel Dyer, Westview Press, 1997. (2) Progress For A Small Planet. by Barbara Ward, W.W. Norton & Co., N.Y, 1979, pages 273 & 277.

Please join us again this year for the Annual A/lev Health Fair. T his is the fifth anniversary of the fair which has grown in size and popularity over the years. It will take place in the alley behind Carnegie Centre on Thursday, September 6'"· 10 am to 2 pm. T here will be free haircuts, food, smoothies, massage, and acupuncture. We are also in need of volunteers to help us make this another successful year. Please see Megan in the library if you would like to assist.

Those of you who love cars and enjoy history will appreciate this interesting new book: Engines of Change: A History of the American Dream in Fifteen Cars (629.209 A 11 I54e) by Paul Ingrassia. The book is a cultural history that explores how cars have both propelled and reflected the American experience- from the Model T to the Prius . The author offers an interesting epic in fifteen automo­bi les, including the Corvette, the Beetle, and the Chevy Corvair, as well as the personalities and tales behind them: Robert McNamara's unlikely role in Lee Iacocca's Mustang, John Z. DeLorean's Pontiac GTO , Henry Ford's Model T, as well as Honda's Accord, the BMW 3 Series, and the Jeep, among others. Through these cars and these characters, Ino-rassia shows how the car has expressed the

0

particularly American tension between the lure of freedom and the obligations of utility. He also takes us through the rise of American manufacturing, the suburbanization of the country, the birth of the hippie and the yuppie, the emancipation of women, and many more fateful episodes and eras, including the car's unintended consequences: trial lawyers, energy crises, and urban sprawl. Narrative history of the highest caliber, Engines of Change is an entirely new way to look at the American story.

The authors' of the next book have a lofty goal which

is to teach us how to make our lives nothing less than exceptional-exceptional in its resiliency, in its experience of real happiness, and in its understanding of the human spirit. The Tools: Transform Your Problems into Courage, Confidence, and Creativity ( 158.1 S93t) co-authored by Phil Stutz and Barry Michels offers a solution to the biggest complaint patients have about therapy: the interminable wait for change to begin. The traditional therapeutic model sets its sights on the past, but Phil Stutz and Barry Michels employ an arsenal oftechniques-"the tools"-that allow patients to use their problems as levers that access the power of the unconscious and propel them into action. Suddenly, through this transformative approach, obstacles become opportu­nities to find courage, embrace discipline, develop self-expression, and deepen creativity. For years, Stutz and Michels taught these techniques to an exclusive patient base, but with The Tools, their revo lutionary, empowering practice becomes available to every reader interested in realizing the ful l range of their potential.

It's comforting to realize that anxiety is not our fault. In The Compqssionate-Mind Guide to Overcoming Anxiety: Using Compassion-Focused Therapy to Calm Worry, Panic, and Fear ( 152.46 T59c) the author, Dennis D. Tirch, discusses the many factors that contribute to developing a mind that is prone to intense anxiety. lfyou have such a mind, there are many things you can do to change the way it works. Research has shown that practicing kindness and compassion soothes experiences of fear, while self­critical thoughts tend to intensify them. If you become frustrated with your anxious reactions or consistently try to talk yourself out of your anxiety, it may be time to try a d ifferent approach. The compassion-based program in The Compassionate-Mind Guide to Overcoming Anxiety will help you learn to be kinder to yourself while you soothe your anxious impulses. Complete with worksheets, exercises, and meditation practices, this book includes everything you need to learn mindfulness and compassion-focused skills for redirecting your anxious thoughts and allowing yourself to enjoy a more peaceful life.

From Megan, your librarian

THE GUARANTEED ANNUAL INCOME (GAl) How Big Business is Using it to Trick Low Income People

Since the early 1960's low income people have worked for a Guaranteed Annual Income (GAl). We thought it would provide enough money for a decent life above the poverty line. We thought it would be given with dignity and no hassle. We also thought that, if we were able to work out- side the home, decent jobs at decent pay would be available.

Recently, quite a few big business groups jumped on the GAl bandwagon -groups not renowned for supporting low income people. They include the Fraser Institute representing over 400 large corporations; the Canadian Manufacturers' Association (CMA), a lobby group for Canada's largest manufacturers; the Financial Post, a weekly newspaper which represents big business thinking in Canada; and the Business Council on National Issues. (All involved in getting Harper & gutting environmental controls, "free" trade with the EU, pipelines and El cuts and a lot more). But big business doesn't want the same kind of GAl that low income people want. They don't want a GAl that will end poverty. They want a GAl that will: - guarantee poverty for people who can't work, and help pull down wages for people who do work; -help build a pool of cheap labour so that people on GAl compete with each other for low-paying jobs; - reduce employers' wage bills, leaving more for corporate profits. There are four parts to the big business version of · GAL: 1. Abolish what we have: The Financial Post calls our existing system a "morass of conflicting and confusing social programs" and notes (disapprovingly) the $60 billion annual cost. The MacDonald Commission lists the programs on the big business chopping block; family allowance, child tax credit, Guaranteed Income Supplement for seniors (this is the program responsible for almost getting seniors out of poverty), social housing, married and child tax exemptions, the federal share of welfare payments to provinces (About half of the money paid by provinces on this service) and unemployment insurance. Big business thinks these programs cost too much and contribute to the deficit. In fact, Canada's social

spending is already way below the average of industrial countries, As well, many economists say that the deficit is not too high, and, if it was, could be contained by reducing handouts to private corporations. 2.Low incomes for people who don't or can't work: The MacDonald Commission suggests $2750 per year in one option and $3825 in another. This'd be topped up at the whim of provincial governments, presumably. For comparison, the poverty line (at that time) was about $1 I ,000 per person per year. The CMA provides another clue to the level of

income that big business thinks people outside the paid labour force should have: they say the GAl should ensure that "recipients will be better off working and earning income." Why doesn't business want GAl rates above the poverty line? According to one report, some business leaders fear that people receiving adequate welfare or GAl will not work at "unsafe low paying jobs unless pay and working conditions are improved. Such improvements at the bottom of the employment ladder would push up the whole wage & working conditions scale."

3. End le2islation to maintain & increase wa2es: The Fraser Institute is famous for calling for an end to the minimum wage. The CMA told the MacDonald Commission the same; the govt. should loosen up on laws such as the min. wage laws. Business doesn't like minimum wages because, like welfare payments, they push up the bottom of the wage scale ladder, put­ting more money into workers hands rather than business profits.

Business is equally negative toward equal pay for equal value. Keep equal pay laws as they are, said the Commission, knowing full well that they are virtually useless. Fair wage laws are equally abhorrent to big business. The federal govt. abolished them. 4. Keep what-you earn: The Financi&l Post, MacD Commission & the BCNI argue that taking away earned income from people who receive GAl or even welfare creates a "poverty

trap" and destroys "incentives to work." This sounds exactly like what low income people have been saying for a long time too. We have wanted to be able to keep much more of what we earn without having it deducted from our monthly welfare payment. But we want wages to be adequate, above the poverty line at least, in the first place. Big business wants the GAl as a taxpayer top-up of inadequate wages. With a GAl not reduced as work earnings increase, business knows it can keep wages lower and have more money left over for profits. With the extra profits they can buy up their competitors, move to countries with cheaper labour, or do whatever they like. What would the effect of a Guaranteed Annual Income with these four ingredients be?

Imagine that big business gets its way.

Their tn ace and you're a e mom with two kids. You'll be getting a GAl that is way below the poverty line. Your provincial govt. will hesitate to add much to it because it won't be getting federal money for this purpose. You'll have no chance of getting into a co-op or non-profit housing. Those programs will be gone. Likewise you won't get a child tax credit or family allowance. Funding for childcare will be drastically cut back too, as the federal govt. will no longer pay half the costs. But because the GAl is so low, you're desperate to feed your kids. And, with the new GAl, you can keep what you earn. You scrounge around for a friend or relative to take care of the kids. McDonald's has an opening for $4/hr and you take it. Unemployment is high and all the better payingjobs are fu ll. You can't afford not to take the

McDonald's job even though you know you're worth more. So you struggle along, working at slave wages, still below the poverty line, feeling guilty that you have to depend on another woman to care for your kids, exhausted at the end ofthe day. You ask yourself: Is this new GAl really better than the old welfare?

For you the answer is "no." But for McDonald' s and other low wage employers, the new GAl will be better than the old welfare. With no legislation boosting minimum wages, without equal pay laws, and with hundreds of thousands more people forced to compete for low wage work by the low GAl rates, employers will have no trouble keeping wages low. The money that they paid for wages in the past can now go into acquiring more assets and more control over the economy- and over job creation & elimination. Much of the extra profit for multinational companies could even flow out of the country.

While business would continue to receive billions in tax exemptions, loopholes or a lower tax rate, resentment would build among middle income working people. Their own wages would fall due to pressure from a large group of people (like our single mom) forced to work because of low GAl rates. Yet taxes paid by midple income people would subsidize employers (with the GAl) to hire these people at low pay. "It's the old game of divide & conquer. In effect the regular wage earner is asked to give up some of his/her income so that some employers needn't pay a living wage." (Cy Gonick). This plan could easily split the poor from middle

income earners who might perceive that low income people, not an unjust economic system, are the main cause of their own falling income.

In short, this business version of the GA l is a scheme that lets business appear that it cares for the poor, but at the same time helps create a system that will, over the long term, reduce all wages, make people poorer, and increase control over our economy by large corporations.

The danger for low income people is this: It appears that the Tories could put forward a GAl plan, meaning the business GAl of guaranteed poverty and low wages. But low income people and others with a soci­

.al conscience may confuse this GAl with the GAl we've always hoped could end poverty.

Probably there's no single word or phrase that will describe what will really end poverty. Ifthere was, business would hire pollsters and public relations experts to take over that word or phrase and put their meaning to it, like they're taking over Guaranteed Annual Income.

We need to be sure that whatever phrase is used, the results will end poverty and increase democratic control of our economy and not the opposite. Anti­poverty groups are beginning to realise that our anti­poverty agenda should include a package of measures. We need: - full employment at decent wages; - legislation to improve wages. This means minimum wage above the poverty line; equal pay for work of equal value; fair wage laws; and laws which make it easier for low wage workers to form or join unions and bargain collectively for better wages & working conditions; -improved public insurance programs·(El, WCB. CPP) - maintenance and improvement of universal programs such as education, medicare, family allowance, childcare; -a tax system based on ability to pay which redistributes income from the rich to the poor; -income above the poverty line given with dignity to people not covered by the above programs; and with these conditions, we need an increased earnings exemption for people receiving welfare or GAl. Those of us working to end poverty have a big

education job ahead of us. We must ensure that voters see the big business GAl for what it is; a way to reverse the decades-old tendency for decent welfare rates to push up low wages; a way to deceive low income people into supporting a scheme that will increase rather than reduce poverty; a way to help concentrate even more wealth and decision making power in the ha nds of big business.

By JEAN SWANSON

Flamenco Dance Workshops at Carnegie! Saturdays: September 8, 15, 22 4 · 6 pm

Carnegie Theatre

Flamencos and flamencos of a) I ages, shapes and abilities:

Want to move your body in a new way, build self­confidence, and stomp around a bit? Come and join fun and exploratory Flamenco C lasses at Carnegie Community Centre! We will play with rhythms, move to flamenco music, and make some noise. No dance experience necessary, just curiosity and a des ire to try something new. Open to all genders and ages.

4- Spm This will be an introductory class in the art of Solea, a deep and emotional dance from Southern Spain. We will focus on arm work, rhythm and pal­mas. New and experienced students welcome.

5- 6pm The dance form of 'Sevillanas ', a traditional and faster-paced festival song and dance. We will practice the first and second verse that we learned in the spring. Newcomers are welcome - please be aware that the pace of this class is quicker, as some students have been learning Sevillanas for several months.

This workshop i:; part of an ongoing series of Flamenco, which is an exciting and fiery form of dance and music from Southern Spain. At these classes, expect to hear new kinds of music and learn percussive hand clapping (palmas). We w ill have occasional guest guitarists and singers join us as we explore this expressive art form. Get ready to shout 'Ole!'

Instructor Bio: Kelty has enjoyed sharing her love of flamenco with the Carnegie community for the last three years. She played a flamenco dancing Minotaur in Vancouver Moving Theatre's 20 I 0 production of The Minotaur Dreams: The Downtown Eastside Labyrinth Project. She is involved with the Heart of the City Festival, organizing the Barrio Flamenco concert series celebrating the power of artists and artisans in the Downtown Eastside. She has taught flamenco dance workshops at Enterprising Women Making Art, and most recently at Carnegie Community Centre. She studies at Mozaico Flamenco Dance Academy with Oscar Nieto and Kasandra La China.

T rn Commal1bmrnts For Decrnt People

Thou Shalt Not Rat Ot1 Th\f Neishbour It does not help you when others get investigated or charged with fraud; it actually harms you by giving the government more ammunition to do such things as cut benefits and fingerprint those receiving social assistance. All the research and studies have shown fraud to be about 3%. Tax fraud, on the other hand, is around 25%. Breaking the welfare ·'rules" usually means the person is trying to provide a little more for their family--they a re not ' ·vacationing in the Bahamas' with any additional money. We a re not suggesting it is a good idea to ' 'break"' the rules. We are suggesting to you that, instead of calling the fraud line on your neighbours, family or friends, that you talk to them to convince them that what they are doing could land them in jail. It would be to your benefit instead to help them fmd other ways of coping with their poverty.

Thou Shalt Not Covet Th\f Ndshbours· Material PossessiOHs People will sometimes call the fraud line because a neighbour has acquired new possessions or their children get new bicycles. We knm-v it is a difficult struggle to survive with such an inadequate income, we know it is difficult to see other people's children with the "cool" toys while having a hard time even feeding your own. The real villa ins, though, arc not your neighbours who might have more possessions than you; they are the corporate elite who take millions of dollars a year out of our economy in personal profit.

~

~ ,\\(( Thou Shalt Not £Hsase lt1 "Poor Das~s· Too often people will say, ''I'm on welfare, but I'm not one of those lazy welfare bums. I want to get a job and get off the system." Of course you dol You know what ifs like to survive on assistance. Can you honestly believe that anyone enjoys dealing with the welfare system: having their personal business open to a stranger; having no money by the middle of the month to buy the most basic necessities? The vast majority of people receiving welfare want employment with an adequate wage so they can eat well all month, pay the bills on time, and buy those ''extras" for their kids like Christmas and birthday presents. Those who want to oppress us, those corpo rate elite with the millions, have us fighting amongst ourselves, blaming each other for our situation instead of focusing on the inequity that they have created for their own financial gain.

Thou Shalt Not Blame Thlfself for Th\f £c0t1omic Situatiot1 Adequately paying jobs do not exist. That is not your fault. We may hear that we have come out of the recession as we did in the ·so·s. However, it was, again, a jobless recovery. This means that technology, such as automation. has replaced the need for \vorkers. This a lso means that big business makes more profit, as their labour costs are reduced due to the competition for fewer jobs.

Thou Shalt s~~k Kt1owl~bs~ Of Th'f Rishts Too many times people are not receiving assistance they should be eligible to receive, or don't know of additional benefits they may be entitled to. Additionally, people survive within this system without actually knowing what the rules are. It is difficult to access information about your rights and sometimes even harder t< understand them, but do some research and ask questions.

Thou Shalt Speak Out Asamst Thos~ Who Oppress Others As with any fight for social justice, it is important to speak out and have your voice heard. Do not let a situation go by where the oppressor's voice is heard but not your own.

Thou ShaltVt1iot1ise lfForceb To Participate lt1 Workfar~ People who are forced to participate in a workfare program should Unionise. Organising a collective provides the tool to ensure you have a voice and some power to resist the violation of your human rights . If the

municipality forces you to work for mininlllm wages that equal the amount of your assistance, they become your employer. You should demand the same employment standards and Health & Safety protections that are legal rights of all workers in Canada.

Thou Shalt Orsat1ise With Others To Resist Those Who S~ek To Oppress There is power in numbers. Only with the collective masses of people who are stereotyped, blamed, and kept in poverty fighting back will change occur and social justice be reached.

Thou Sl1alt Not Kt1ed. Thou Shalt A~al The social assistance system is complicated and confusing. Many of the ' ·rules" do not have specific defmitions .. they are most often 'open to interpretation .' If your benefits have been denied, cancelled, suspended or reduced you have the right to appeal. Use that right.

Thou Shalt Keep All Drismal Documet1ts SeMbms Ot11\i Copi~s To Thli Worker Each welfare office has over 12,000 active files. Family Benefits has about the same. AJI these people arc sending infom1ation into these offices, and of course some of these pieces of paper arc going to be lost or misplaced . Never send an original. If it gets lost it is your responsibility to replace it. This can often mean your benefits arc delayed.

---Produced by People for Economic Justice

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THIS NEWSLETIER IS A PUBLICATION OF THE CARNEGIE COMMUNITY CENTRE ASSOCIATION

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

WANTED Artwork for the Carnegie newsletter

Small illustrations to accompany artides and poetry. Cover art - Max size: 17cm(6 Y.")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 aopped to lit). 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.

carnnews@shaw.ca email www.carnnews.org website

·'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

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CRUNCH"'cltes

AuguSt was ·1:i me-off" Local Area Planning Process meetings have fallen off a bit over August but the before-and-after planning & strategizing goes on. The City of Vancouver's much touted and ballyhooed Strategy for the Downtown Eastside, also known as "cleaning it up" and "revitalization" and, looking at the actual administrative structure, "How we are going to beat you over the head and encourage you to smile while we do it! " Point: The people claiming to speak for Gastown and Chinatown sent an open letter to City Council stating that they will no longer engage in dialogue with those of us who are, by definition, not stakeholders. All government support or planning for development of social housing, detox, treatment, homeless shelters,

social solutions to drugs and violence ETC was to cease and desist immediately. A press conference was chaired by a prescription drug addict [I guess doctor­approved addictions don't eliminate one's worth] .. and signed onto by various vested interests in both Gastown and Chinatown. Point: A bureaucrat with the Ministry of Employment & Income Assistance was quoted saying "homeless­ness is a lifestyle choice" The 'president' of Gastown Homeowners sent off another open letter saying the obvious was now confirmed and therefore all prog­rams, emergency aid, shelters, food or clothing distribution ETC should cease & desist immediately. Point: The refusal of a City staff person to take a position on some off-the-wall rant by a gas bag at a

business improvement kangaroo court was met with such caustic derision and rabid e-mail within the hour to all city Councillors, the Mayor, the City Manager ETC that the rest of us ordinary mortals could only roll our eyes and sigh. Point: When the Mayor revealed the administrative structure ofthis "revitalization" scheme, it was met with a crystal clear analysis by Ian MacRae. He'd asked the City Manager to show how the community fit into the grand scheme of things. An historic sound byte followed and Ian said thanks for making it plain: "The community has no voice in this, you have no intention of including any local input or analysis or s uggestions, you are going to hire highly-paid consultants and experts to tell us, again, what the problems and issues are and not spend one dime on programs or workable ideas." Penny & Geoff and Kerry of course just didn't get it- guinea pigs can't question to what use they wi ll put. The city got$ I .I million a year for the next 5 years to fund a ll this administrative structure, so various experts & consultants are just panting at the prospect of getting one of the many 'positions' - but ... back to reality ••• the community will remain the victim, the guinea pig, the surveyed and studied, while the City sets up a suite of offices and gets the right people to speak for what they will accept as "community" and the underlying push to gentrify and displace and lock up and disperse and dis-empower local residents goes on full steam. Point: A media campaign to vilify Ivan Drury has a lready gotten olfactory responses. It began with A llen Garr repeating verbatim what a city staff person said - misrepresentations and personal opinions- to the news media, labeling Ivan as a thug accosting police defending the righteous at a sensitive meeting. Articles in the Vancouver Sun and Courier -based on these opinions- portray local volunteers and residents as obstacles to positive street programming. The LAPP project was conceived of and lobbied for by said volunteers and residents as a grassroots way to reclaim the Downtown Eastside from the condo & highrise building that now plague the area. The hope of the Gastown/Chinatown clique men­tioned above is to stamp their wet dream of making a street connecting the two shopping districts a no-go for anyone even vaguely reflecting poverty or substance use (no non-tourists or non-yuppies) with

the name of the local community centre- to deflect outrage over such forced evacuation onto a respected facility and, if you're really into conspiracy, onto the same volunteers and residents. The city staff person and boss are stepping one-two to the tune/agenda of the same Gastown clique mentioned in the first couple of points, people who also got copies of these articles while trashed volunteers still wait for an apology ... Point: With the appearance ofthe Vancouver Sun articles and the serious fallout of distrust, federal government types in Ottawa got all hot and bothered that "You (Vancouver) can't even get one little planning charade project going without it blowing up in your face ." (add sound effects of grunts and snorts). Point: The distribution of the infamous 'opinions' is being addressed through the proper channels, yet the action prompted a good show of solidarity from most community groups when it came time for the City to "announce" and subsequently respect all participants in the LAPP. The action was seen as seriously undermining any trust or even working relationship between community groups and the City of Vancouver, just when the city is set to invade the neighbourhood with this army of off-the-block nosewipes.

Welcome to the Downtown Eastside! PRT