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Hula Hoop Dancing ...................................8 Classes are being offered all over South Vancouver to get people of all ages into the groove
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PRODUCED BY LANGARA JOURNALISM STUDENTS
NOVEMBER 5, 2015 • VOL. 48 NO. 5• VANCOUVER, B.C.
Pedaling flour to empower
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A Langara graduate and his brother have embarked on a unique mission to help people in Africa By JAKE COSTELLO
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Langara College graduate and his brother are hoping to expand on an international aid project that brings pedal-powered agricultural technology to rural communities. In 2013, Chris and Josh Hergesheimer travelled to Panlang, South Sudan and built a grain mill out of bicycle parts. The brothers funded the project with donations collected on Indiegogo, and chronicled their adventure in the book The Flour Peddler. According to Josh, who graduated from Langara’s journalism program in 2009, the brothers hope to expand with one or two projects per year, and starting with a tentative partnership with the Kuwangisana Organization, an aid group in Mozambique that reached out to the brothers after their project in South Sudan. Though the Indiegogo campaign worked once, they may have exhausted that resource, said Chris, who’s in Ecuador working on his PhD through UBC’s Land and Food Systems program. “We really hit the crowdfunding curve at the right time,” he said via Skype. Chris said this time they’ve applied for funding through private sponsors, who have asked to remain anonymous. He said that with their experience the brothers are in a good place to help companies fulfill corporate social responsibility commitments, adding, “One of these mills can impact 40, or 60, or 100 people in a community.” Pedal-powered machines can boost the quality of life in rural communities according to Jesse Cooper, project coordinator with Pedal Energy Development Alternatives (PEDAL), a nonprofit group that runs a community bike shop in Vancouver. PEDAL funds Maya Pedal, an organization in Guatemala that makes waterpumps, grinders, blenders and more out of bicycle parts. Cooper said using machines to help with manual labour allow work to be “more efficiently, or more effectively or much faster, or all three together.” He added gaining independence from fossil fuels, or other expensive forms of energy is “super empowering.” If their funding applications are successful the brothers are hoping to be on the ground in Mozambique next April. “This is not work,” Chris said. “It’s just passion.” Printed on recycled paper
‘I was very lonesome’ KATE RICHARDSON photo
Charles Fleming joined the Legion after his wife passed away. Fleming used to serve in the military and RCMP.
The Royal Canadian Legion gives crucial support to vets By KATE RICHARDSON
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he Royal Canadian Legion has continued to play an important role for South Vancouver communities and their veterans, despite the dwindling number of its members. Legions provide support for aging veterans, especially those of the Korean War and Second World War. While younger veterans from conflicts like Afghanistan have stayed away, according to Legion Branch 30 vice-president Tom Johnson. “They’ve diminished a little bit,” he said. “We don’t seem to be able to attract them.”
Charles Fleming joined the military in 1954 and toured in Germany before eventually joining the RCMP, started coming to the Legion for companionship after his wife passed away. “I was very, very lonesome,” he said. Reluctance to talk to family is not unusual for returning veterans says Oliver Thorne, director of operations at the Veterans Transition Network. The VTN is a national program based in Vancouver for all members of the Canadian Force, which the Legion funds. “Our program helps identify and overcome barriers to transition to civilian life,” said Thorne. As the largest military fundraising
organization in Canada, the Legion has supported VTN since it’s beginning in 1997, donating $500,000 in 2012 to turn the 15-year-old UBC program into a national organization. Thorn also said that VTN provides counseling services for soldiers that may have troubles talking about their past. For veterans coming to terms with their experience, Remembrance Day can be especially difficult. “For us, it’s really to honour and give quiet respectful thanks,” Thorne said. “For them, it’s a reminder of the death of someone close to them.” On Nov. 11, Legions all over Canada will hold ceremonies and rituals of remembering.
For us, it’s really to honour and give quiet respectful thanks. For them, it’s a reminder of the death of someone close to them OLIVER THORNE VTN DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS
LEGION FACTS 1 2 3 4
Founded in 1926
One in three members of the Legion are veterans Recognized as Guardians of Remembrance in Canada Helps all vets in Canada directed toward family need
Source: Legion.ca
Killarney set to build badly needed seniors centre A long-awaited senior centre in Killarney is ready to be built after an agreement between the Vancouver board of parks and the Killarney Community Centre Society
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Soon they will have somewhere to come to share their memories, make friends MICH SOGA KILLARNEY SENIOR’S ASSOCIATION SECRETARY
By TESSA VIKANDER new agreement is bringing hope to South Vancouver seniors. The Vancouver board of parks and recreation has signed a deal with the Killarney Community Centre Society to build a new seniors centre, and is now seeking contractors to build it. The new centre won’t be completed for three years. Mich Soga, secretary for the Killarney Community Centre Senior’s Association (KCCSA) said “It’s a dream come true for the Killarney Community Centre. It’s really nice that the seniors will finally have their own space.” “Some of the seniors are very isolated,” Soga said. “Soon they will have somewhere to come to share their memories, make friends.” Soga said several of the neighbouring
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community centres don’t have a designated seniors’ programmer. As a result, many seniors come to Killarney from outside of the centre’s catchment MICH SOGA area. Secretary for She said once the the Killarney new centre is built, Senior’s Assocathere will be less tion strain for space at the community centre, adding if the KCCSA were to offer more programming right now, they would be taking space away from other centre users. “The new centre will offer luncheons
daily, (and) will be connected by a hallway to the fitness centre at Killarney,” she said. Nelson Didulo, South Vancouver resident and chair of the South Vancouver Seniors Hub, a seniors advocacy group, said if he wants to go for a seniors’ lunch he has to take three separate buses to the Kerrisdale Seniors Centre. “Once the Killarney Seniors Centre is built then it’s just one bus, only a 20 minute commute. That’s pretty good, so I will go more often,” he said. Park Board chair John Coupar said he heard from seniors during the consultation phase of the project that programming isn’t always in a convenient location. “[We need to do] some work on increasing seniors’ programs across the city,” he said.
Check out our web exclusives at http://langaravoice.ca/
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EDITOR BRYAN MC GOVERN
THE VOICE, THURSDAY, OCT. 5, 2015
At large
Childcare options fall flat B.C. receives C- in ‘Access to Childcare’ for women’s rights By SERENA PATTAR
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ccess to affordable childcare is a growing concern across the Lower Mainland, particularly here in South Vancouver, because of a lack of available spots. The province’s childcare ranking increased from a D in 2014, to a C- this year in the annual Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) report card, put forth by West Coast LEAF. Waitlists are a growing reality in B.C., said Susan Judge, principal of CEFA Early Learning Burnaby-Kingsway. “The waitlist for the infant/toddler [care] is almost two years long. If parents don’t apply literally the week they find out they are pregnant they will not get in,” Judge said. South Vancouver resident Rajwinder Basi has a son and daughter, aged nine and five respectively. Basi has never used a daycare due to the costs. “It’s ridiculous how much they
charge, and I don’t understand why the government lets it happen,” said Basi, whose parents babysit her children. Licensed childcare in Vancouver can reach up to $900 or more per month. Basi recognized not everyone is fortunate enough to her childcare It’s ridicu- share situation, and recognized the imporlous how of having afmuch they tance fordable options. “If I didn’t have charge, anyone to help me, and I don’t I don’t know how understand me and my husband could afford why the it,” Basi said. governWest Coast director of ment lets it LEAF’s law reform, Kendra happen Milne, said that B.C. “has [the] inRAJWINDER BASI ternational legal SOUTH VAN obligations to conRESIDENT tinue to take action
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to end discrimination against women.” The report card states “women disproportionately bear the work of raising children.” According to Milne, this can make access to education and employment difficult, because they have to stay at home with their kids. The increase in the grade is because of two programs: the newly introduced Early Childhood Tax Benefit, which provides extra funds to families with an income of up to $100,000, and the Provincial Childcare Subsidy Program aiming to support low-income parents. The CEDAW report card notes the maximum subsidy allowed has been frozen since 2005. Milne acknowledged the minor progress of both programs, but said there’s still plenty work to do. “The improvement is minimal because the benefit does not do anything to improve the number of licensed childcare spaces available or to cover the true costs of childcare,” Milne said. Check out langaravoice.ca for a map of all South Vancouver’s daycare centre options
SARA RABEY photo
Jeff, Danae and A.J. Myles climbing a jungle gym.
Traffic chaos for New West commuters Survey of local drivers reveals traffic complaints By ETHAN REYES
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SEYEDMOSTAFA RAZIEI photo
Vitor Castanheira teaches his class basic computer coding through video games at Under the GUI West Madrona off West Broadway.
Class offers computer coding for kids Local program is training youth ages seven to 15 basic tools to write and develop computer algorithm By SEYEDMOSTAFA RAZIEI
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hildren in South Vancouver can take their first steps into ‘university-level’ computer software coding skills with a class that puts them at the control of their favourite games. Under the GUI, which stands for graphical user interface, is a two year old program designed for children aged seven to 15. Students are placed into class groups based on their skill
level, not their age. Jamie Chang, managing director of Under the GUI, said some students first need to learn how to use a mouse and keyboard. “You cannot use abstract computer concepts for them to understand the mathematical models they need to know,” Chang JAIMIE CHANG said. Despite teach- Managing direcing ‘university-lev- tor of Under the el’ practices and GUI algorithms the program uses a familiar language for
children: video games. “The ultimate goal is to fire up these kids to do what they love to do,” Chang said. Ivan Le and Jerry Lin are in a level one class where they create their own versions of video games. At first the two kids appear to be playing a video game, when in fact instructor Dylan Jenken is teaching them basic coding techniques through the Game Maker Language (GML) program, which shows Le and Lin the scores on the video games they’ve created. Chang created the program after seeing the film Iron Man. He wished he had learned how to write general computer user interface code like the one displayed in the movie.
GUI locations
Vancouver. Key Admissions Strategy and Learning Enrichment. 5th Floor, 5750 Oak St.
North Vancouver Columbia Academic Preparatory School. #300-133 17th St. West
West Madrona. 2050 W 10th Ave Source: underthegui.com
anet Reid says she can’t even get from one side of tiny New Westminster to the other at rush hour because of the heavy traffic flow from neighbouring cities. Whether it’s the traffic jams or aging infrastructure, nearly half of all New West residents said in the city’s 2016 pre-budget survey that they are dissatisfied by what council is doing to address transportation issues. “You can’t get over on that side of town when traffic is backed up on the Pattullo Bridge,” said Reid, who isn’t alone in her frustration. Reid, a long-time New West resident, said that besides traffic congestion, another complaint she has is about the poorly maintained streets in the Queen’s Park neighbourhood. She didn’t think the city had “paved a road in 20 years.” The transportation issue is one that’s been a longstanding thorn for New West. The pre-budget survey, done every five years to help the city set priorities for spending, showed that transportation is the only issue “that has not seen any significant improvement over the past 12 years,” according to the report. Coun. Patrick Johnstone said that the city is now carrying out its master transportation plan. This year’s focus is on making sidewalks and bus stops more accessible. That plan outlines a future where New West will lobby to have the province reduce tolls for heavy trucks on the nearby Port Mann Bridge, as well as banning or restricting heavy trucks on the Pattullo Bridge. Truck traffic increased significantly on that bridge after the new Port Mann Bridge, which is tolled, opened in 2012. Johnstone admits that New West’s location was a huge benefit when the city was founded more than a century ago, but it is suffering now from its position as the heart of a region with over two million people. “We’re a small city with a small budget, but we’ve got 40,000 people driving through [the city] each day.”
Campus news
EDITOR ETHAN REYES
THE VOICE, THURSDAY, OCT. 5, 2015
Voice voted continent’s best Langara’s paper wins prestigious Pinnacle Award
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LSU prepares to retry vote Langara’s student government plans on restarting fall elections By SCOTT DRAKE and RUMANA DSOUZA
By BEN BENGTSON
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wo Langara College programs, journalism and publishing, are celebrating after big wins for their publications at the 2015 Pinnacle College Media Awards. Langara’s journalism program won best two-year weekly newspaper The Voice. The publishing program won best two-year feature magazine for it’s annual publication, Pacific Rim Magazine. The Pinnacle Awards honour the best college media organizations across North America. This year’s ceremony took place on Oct. 30 in Austin, Texas and received entries from 252 colleges and universities. Frances Bula, department chair of Langara’s journalism program, said it was “really an honour” to win. She credited the success to the faculty. “We have more [staff] who have really specific areas of expertise.” Bula stressed that Erica Bulman, journalism instructor and faculty managing editor of The Voice, also played a large role in the newspaper’s success. Alice D’Eon, a 2015 graduate who both reported and edited The Voice, agreed that Bulman helped make a great newspaper. “[Bulman] made everyone work really hard and held us to high standards,” D’Eon said. “She got us to work quickly and with attention to detail and deadlines.” Darren Bernaerdt, the program coordinator for the publishing program and publisher of the magazine, praised his fellow instructors for their exceptional work.
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he Langara Students’ Union (LSU) has announced it is restarting its fall election campaign — while still remaining silent about the “numerous irregularities” that caused the abrupt cancellation of last The LSU month’s voting. The official list does not of candidates re- plan to mains the same as last month, and make those none of the candi- irregularidates have been disqualified. Offi- ties public cial notice of the JARED BRAVER‘redo’ election apMAN peared on posters LSU COUNCILLOR around campus and on the LSU website. According to the website, the first attempt at the fall election was declared void because of “numerous irregularities,” found by the electoral committee. LSU councillor Jared Braverman said, “The LSU does not plan to make those irregularities public.” The campaign period restarts on Nov. 16 and voting will be held Nov. 23 to Nov. 26 in the Students’ Union Building. Braverman explained that to his knowledge “there is no plan to host another all-candidates forum,” meaning that students will have no additional opportunity to meet the candidates in one place prior to voting. According to the official notice of elections, any questions about the elections should be directed to the electoral committee at ec@lsu.bc.ca.
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Langara journalism students and journalism instructor Erica Bulman working on The Voice, winner of the 2015 Two-Year Weekly Newspaper of the Year award. BEN BENGTSON, ETHAN REYES photos
NOTABLE j-school grads 1
Simi Sara Radio host at CKNW
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George Affleck Vancouver city councillor
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Gary Mason Globe and Mail columnist
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Douglas Todd Vancouver Sun Columnist
Student gripe: meal areas ‘disgusting’
Workshop to help students destress
The state of eating areas around campus are distressing to students
November workshop to address stressors of life in a competitive academic environment
By BEN BENGTSON
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ome Langara College students say that they have been avoiding the cafeteria because it’s too messy. An anonymous post last month on the Facebook group Langara confessions sparked a discussion about the “often disgusting” SARAH DRAPER conditions in the Second-year psycafeteria. chology student Students com- at Langara plained that tables in places like the cafeteria were often covered in trash or sticky food I feel like it residue, and that it is our own was at its worst responsiaround lunch. “I see a lot of stu- bility to dents just leave their garbage on clean up the table,” said after ourSandra Waldun, a second year family selves studies student at Langara. “And then someone wants to sit there and they can’t real-
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ly.” Waldun, who was eating her lunch on the floor outside the cafeteria, said she chose not to eat inside. While Langara hires janitorial service providers, Waldun said that keeping the cafeteria and other common spaces clean “goes both ways,” and students have to take personal responsibility to ensure their cafeteria remains clean for all users. Sarah Draper, a second-year psychology student at Langara, agreed it’s up to students to keep common areas clean. “I feel like it is our own responsibility to clean up after ourselves,” said Draper. She added that the “bystander effect” contributes to apathy about cafeteria cleanliness. The Bystander effect refers to the tendency of onlookers to ignore things like garbage because they believe that others will throw it away for them. “Someone doesn’t pick up their garbage and then the rest don’t,” said Draper, about groups of friends that eat together on campus. In response to student complaints about consistent messiness in the cafeteria, Raymond Yeung, facilities services coordinator at Langara, said that his janitorial staff rely on students to keep the campus clean, especially with how high the traffic in the cafeteria has been this term. “Enrolment numbers are certainly up from last year,” said Yeung. There are 10,457 students enrolled at Langara this year compared to 9,649 enrolled in 2014.
By MURRAY B. HUNT
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Garbage left in most campus common areas is a big problem, but also easily avoidable according to some.
BEN BENGTSON photo
angara College is hosting a stress management workshop to help students deal with the pressures some college students may feel in school. Tim Charters, a counsellor at Langara, will host the one-hour Stress Management workshop for students who are feeling overwhelmed. Based on the model developed at Vancouver’s Changeways Clinic. “The workshop looks at what is causing the stressors, the physical reactions and how students interpret these reactions,” said Charters. Langara psychology instructor Dr. Antonia Henderson said college is one of the most stressful situations for students. “A major life change, living on your own, a new environment, lack of money, and loss of friends can cause many college students to suffer from depression,” added Henderson. The workshop will be held this Thursday, Nov. 5 between 2:30 p.m. and 3:20 p.m. in room L216. Langara’s counselling department offers short term counselling on managing anxiety and stress, dealing with depression, and those who have thoughts of suicide.
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THE VOICE, THURSDAY, NOV. 5, 2015
EDITOR JOCELYN ASPA
Entertainment
Diwali on in fading Punjabi Market Sweet shops in South Vancouver’s Punjabi Market are ready for the festival of lights celebrations By KATHRYN WU
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ndian sweet shops on Main Street are gearing up for Diwali despite the Punjabi Market gradually getting smaller. Diwali, also known as the “festival of lights,” is India’s biggest festival, and widely celebrated by Hindus, Sikhs and Jains around the world. Sweets are exchanged between friends and families as gifts, while fireworks and candles play an integral role in celebrations. Manjit Pabla, the owner of Himalaya Restaurant, remembers the Punjabi Market being a bustling and popular area 25 years ago. “It was like having a mini carnival almost every day,” he said. “Weekends were just crazy. Long weekends were even crazier. Summer holidays were a nightmare. We couldn’t even think of traveling.” Pabla said Main Street was the meeting point for celebrations on Diwali. Although Pabla anticipates the festival to be busy this year, he recounts when his father opened the restaurant on Main Street. “We used to have line-ups out the door,” he said, adding the shop used to dread Diwali because it would get so busy. “We would have incidents where people were playing around with fireworks.” Steve Ram, the owner of All India Sweets & STEVE RAM Restaurant, said All India Sweets Diwali is still & Restaurant their busiest day of the year. “It generally takes us a good month to prepare for it,” he said. Now, there are more options in the Metro Vancouver area for Diwali. Diwali Fest has organized two large celebrations this year: one at the Yaletown Roundhouse Community Arts & Recreation Centre, and the other at the Surrey City Hall. Kriti Dewan, vice chair of Diwali Fest for the Lower Mainland, estimates that yearly attendance for these events are 7,000 to 10,000 people. Diwali Fest will have 14 small events throughout the Lower Mainland.
METRO THEATRE submitted photos
Three staged episodes of John Cleese and Connie Booth’s Fawlty Towers are showing until Nov. 21, 2015.
No fawlt in this towering tale
Back by demand, a classic 1970s British show hits the Metro Theatre By KEVIN UNDERHILL
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n the early 1970s, John Cleese and Connie Booth visited a hotel in Torquay, Englad, and were inspired by the staff, or so the “Fawlty” tale goes. Forty years later, director Alison Schamberger has staged three episodes of Cleese and Booth’s Fawlty Towers at the Metro Theatre in Vancouver. Schamberger said Fawlty Towers stood the test of 40 years because of the show’s keen edge and combination of clever dialogue and physical humour. “I’ve always been a bit ambivalent of slapstick humour because it appeals to the lowest common denominator of intelligence,” Schamberger said.
Chris Dellinger, who plays the lead character Basil Fawlty, said he was raised on British humour and loves the layered aspect of the writing. “There’s a lot of subtle complexity to the writing and structure of the comedy that I think is unique to British comedy,” he said. Paul Matthew St. Pierre, an English professor at SFU, who has studied film and performance, said British humour remains popular in North America not only for its cultural ties to the United Kingdom but also for the humour’s absurdity. “Those shows were quite subversive in their comedic aesthetics and they struck North American audiences because they were really absurd,” he
said. This year marks the 40th anniversary of Fawlty Towers and St. Pierre said the strength of the writing has kept the show relevant and popular. “John Cleese and Connie Booth’s scripts read absolutely brilliantly,” he said. Taking the television scripts and adapting them for the live stage is a challenge that Schamberger said limits the number of episodes they can do. “Last year we did three episodes, this year three more,” she said. “We really can’t do any more after this because we’ve exhausted what we can do on the stage.” Approximately 100 people attended the Oct. 31 opening night at the Metro Theatre. The play runs until Nov. 21.
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There’s a lot of subtle complexity to the writing and structure of the comedy CHRIS DELLINGER LEAD CHARACTER BASIL FAWLTY
From tragedy to friendship: fifty years honoured The Norman Rothstein Theatre hosts a German and Jewish performance honouring their ties By ANNE-SOPHIE RODET
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chilling soprano-piano duo brought German and Jewish communities together to recognize and honour their strong ties in a celebration of 50 years of diplomacy. The Israel and Germany performance marked the anniversary since the first German ambassador was sent to Israel in 1965. The German consulate general of Vancouver selected the musicians for the Oct. 29 performance at the Norman Rothstein Theatre.
“Music is always a very good means to bring people together,” said Joseph Beck, consul general. Vocalist Johanna Krumin and pianist Markus Zugehör came from Berlin, Germany, for the show. “To have a chance to be invited is a gift for us,” said Krumin. At the event, members of both communities expressed how much they value the relationship they now have. Elke Porter, a German blogger from Vancouver, remembers being called a Nazi as a child even though she grew up in Canada after the war. “I like to see that there has been some healing,” she said. Janice Margolis, a former executive director of the Jewish Community Foundation of Greater Vancouver, said she has seen this partnership grow firsthand when she witnessed young
Germans coming to Israel. “It is a good model to show how people can move on,” she said. Celebrations of the 50 years of friendship have been happening throughout the year. In May, Israeli President Reuven Rivlin went to Berlin to mark the anniversary date on May 12. DJ Schneeweiss, consul general of Israel to Toronto and Western Canada, was born in Australia, but immigrated to Israel in 1987 and lived in Jerusalem. “This is a story we want to tell everywhere,” he said. Krumin and Zugehör said they wanted to show through the pieces they chose to interpret how much the German classical music shares its roots with the Jewish culture. “They are absolutely connected,” said Krumin.
ANNE-SOPHIE RODET photo
Markus Zugehör (left) playing the piano and Johanna Krumin (right) singing to recognize the friendship.
Lifestyles
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THE VOICE, THURSDAY, NOV. 5, 2015
EDITOR ERIN BOE
Adults who have autism need a Julia Sesame Street’s Julia teaches kids about autism Sesame Street muppets Abby, (left) and Elmo, (right) play with Julia (centre), who has autism. SESAME WORKSHOP submitted photo
5 CELEBS with ASD
Dan Aykroyd, actor
Susan Boyle, singer and Britain’s Got Talent finalist
Tim Burton, film director
James Durbin, finalist on the 10th season of American Idol
Temple Grandin, food animal handling systems designer and author Sources: babble.com, huffingtonpost.com
TM and © 2015 Sesame Workshop. All rights reserved.
By SCOTT DRAKE
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hile educational tools, such as books and websites, that help raise awareness about autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in children are becoming an increasingly prevalent. Adults living with ASD often suffer as a result of the lack of adult-specific mechanisms. ASD, a neuro-developmental disorder that causes impaired social interaction skills, affects one in 68 children in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. While the Canadian government is without national stats, Canadian organizations such as the Autism
Society of British Columbia (ASBC) currently use the same statistic as the United States. Recently, the iconic children’s television show, Sesame Street introduced Julia, a muppet with autism, to raise public awareness and prevent discrimination in children with ASD. Julia’s character has received praise from ASD organizations. “Anything like the Sesame Street initiative that builds broader community awareness, is a welcomed initiative,” Deborah Pugh, executive director of Autism Community Training said. Awareness is on the rise, according to Richard Stock, applied behaviour analysis - autism program coordinator
Crowdsourcing trend trims charities’ costs Movember, first to use the trend, laid foundation for ALS Ice Bucket Challenge By SEAN LEE
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here’s a growing trend of fundraising that gives organizations a way to spread their message further and quicker with little overhead cost. Crowdsourcing fundraisers use the Internet and social media rather than events to generate funds. The Movember Foundation, a charity movement that raises awareness for prostate cancer and men’s health, has been using this fundraising model since 2003. Movember takes place over the entire month of November. Men, called “Mo Bros”, are encouraged to grow out their moustaches throughout the month for pledges. This method of fundraising allows the organization to cut operation and administrative costs compared to traditional, event-based fundraisers such as the CIBC Run for the Cure for breast cancer. Last year, the ALS Association’s Ice Bucket Challenge fundraiser went viral using the crowdsourcing method. Due to its wide success and exposure for ALS (also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease), it has been established now as an annual event. It raised $115 million dollars last summer for the rare dis-
ease. Tyler Small, a representative from the Movember Foundation Canada, said social media is one of crowdsourcing’s advantages. “Movember is a technological digital campaign,” Small said. “We don’t spend money on advertising and anything we do is usually donated. So the biggest part is that everything is run through movember.com, and that is the biggest way we keep the costs low.” Last year, the Movember Foundation Canada raised $105.1 million, with 17.4 per cent allocated to administrative costs and future fundraisers. Comparatively, the 2015 audited financial statement for CIBC Run for the Cure showed that out of approximately $42.9 million, about 46 per cent went toward operations and administrative costs. Small said lowering costs isn’t the only advantage to using social media to crowdsource for fundraisers. “It starts conversations,” said Small. “For the whole month it is [raising awareness] about our goal, which is for men to live healthier and happier lives. We also see a higher level of engagement because people can really own their campaign. When you sign up you can really do what you want with the campaign, and have it be whatever you want it to be.” A representative from CIBC Run for the Cure couldn’t be reached for comment.
at Capilano University. He points to movies like Snow Flake, in which Sigourney Weaver plays an individual with ASD, and Sheldon Cooper from The Big Bang Theory to show that recent years have brought increased awareness. However, Stock thinks that this awareness could be broadened even further, especially in the areas of public education and employment. For instance, adults with ASD would have difficulties obtaining and retaining employment. They may have areas of deficit such as poorly developed social skills, in addition to employers not being well informed about ASD. “The fact is, many people with ASD
can do ‘real work for real pay’ and be tax payers,” Stock said. “They just need the supports to find jobs they enjoy, are good at, and support to get started. Employers need to be educated to see the value in employing people with ASD and understand it can be good for their bottom line … not just as a form of charity.” Stella Hui, a resource analyst for the ASBC, agrees. She says the ASBC often takes calls from employers trying to find out what types of accommodations are possible. Ultimately, she would like to see funded adult programs “for employers, so they are able to employ with support, which includes training and coaching.”
Karate black belt promoted to kendo president after 1 year in club Langara Kendo Club president Brandon Vernon had previous martial arts experience before joining the club last fall By JULIA WICKHAM
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randon Vernon had to start from the beginner’s level before becoming the president of the Langara Kendo Club despite his black belt in karate. The 19-year-old president of the Langara Kendo Club began practising karate at the age of five. He practised for 10 years before he decided to give kendo a try when he began studying at Langara College in the fall of last year. Vernon said that even though he has a background in martial arts, he still had to learn kendo from the basics, but became president in only a year. “I had to learn it from scratch just like my fellow classmates have,” he said. “But I did carry over my spirit of sparring and self control.” In his role as president, Vernon is in charge of recruiting new members, organizing events for the club to participate in, and keeping students up to date with all kendo-related news. Vernon’s kendo teammate, Wendy Chiu, who is new to the club this year, said that Vernon is dedicated and is always doing his best to ensure that practice runs smoothly. “He’s helpful and takes care of the
beginners when they need help,” she said. The Langara Kendo Club took part in the British Columbia Kendo Federation (BCKF)’s Mudansha Taikai (kendo tournament) at SFU on Oct. 24. They participated under the umbrella of UBC’s kendo club because the Langara Kendo Club isn’t officially affiliated with BCKF. “We did pretty good considering most of the people from Langara have only been
doing it for about two years,” Vernon said. “We thought we did pretty well for newbies.”
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We did pretty good considering most of the people from Langara have only been doing it for about two years BRANDON VERNON LANGARA KENDO CLUB PRESIDENT
JULIA WICKHAM photo
Langara Kendo Club president Brandon Vernon during kendo practice on Nov. 3. He has previous martial arts experience from practising karate for over two years.
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EDITOR FIRST MONA BUTLER
THE VOICE, THURSDAY, NOV. 05, 2015
Clean up like a grown-up I
f you spend time down in the cafeteria, especially after the lunch rush, you’ll notice a lack of clear table space. Instead, you come across a sea of garbage left over from sloppy people too lazy to carry their leftovers a few meters to the nearest trash bin. It’s hard to always be neat and tidy. At home, leaving dirty clothes on the floor or letting old dishes pile up until we absolutely cannot stand the sight of them isn’t a big deal. Some students who still live at home might even have a parent who cleans up after them, making it MONA BUTLER easier to be messy without consequence. Regardless of your situation, a little bit of a mess in your own space is fine. What some students obviously don’t realize is that there is a big difference between their own home and the school cafeteria. It’s not okay to leave garbage lying around in a public space where other people are going to want to sit. It is not up to the next person to clean up after. Someone eating later shouldn’t have to ferry garbage back and forth to the trash just to be able to sit and eat for five minutes. Sure, Langara College does have janitorial staff whose job is to clean up. It is not, however, up to As grown them to follow students around to adults, clean up the minstudents ute a piece of garbage is left behind. should be They are severely responsible outnumbered by enough to the amount of students who use the know not cafeteria and it’s to leave the not fair to make work for cafeteria a more them than necessary. mess Nothing is worse than when someone excuses their messiness by saying, “its ok, I’m keeping them employed” or “It’s okay, it’s their job.” As grown adults, students should be responsible enough to know not to leave the cafeteria a mess, whether or not you have someone who cleans up after you. We all share this school and students should show some pride in it by not being so sloppy.
viewpoints
Meninism just isn’t clear N
o one is certain about what the meninist movement stands for because it is teeming with contradictions. Nobody, not even meninists, can work out whether the movement is an effort to address the difficulties of being a man in the 21st century or an attempt to mock and undermine feminism. Those who oppose meninism say RUMANA DSOUZA there is a lack of understanding among men and people in general about what feminism
OPINION
stands for. Feminists have emphasized that feminism is about equality between genders. They say it’s about men and women having the freedom to be themselves without any backlash from society. But if feminism is about achieving social, political and economic equality between the sexes, do men really need a meninist movement? Not all meninists are out there airing legitimate grievances. It’s common for them to use language that is downright offensive and hateful against women, especially on Internet forums. One such forum is Return of Kings, a popular website that describes itself as, “a blog for heterosexual, masculine men.” Its creators claim that, “yesterday’s masculinity is todays misogyny.”
Here are men who believe that feminism is a grave threat to their masculinity and way of life, which needs to be shot down with an aggressive attack. The repungent nature of such protests invalidates the legitimacy of any men’s rights movement. But I also believe that meninism has successfully highlighted the unfortunate double standards that exist in our society. There’s no denying that men are vulnerable similar insecurities, injustices and threats as women. So if the meninist movement is a fight for achieving true gender equality, then I’m on board. But if it’s an attempt to empower and improve the lives of men at the expense of women then meninism is a juvenile cause that will further divide us.
Journalism instructor Erica Bulman oversees The Voice. Email her at ebulman@langara.bc.ca
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OPINION
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SEAN LEE comic
Buy a poppy from a veteran T
he Royal Canadian Legion does not get enough recognition for all they do for veterans, and their efforts are often understated. The legion’s membership is in decline as veterans from more recent conflicts chose not to join. SERENA PATTAR Lower membership numbers mean less revenue available for their services. The legion provides many vital ser-
OPINION
vices to veterans including helping them adjust to civilian life after their time in service is up. It can be difficult for veterans to discuss their experiences with family. Legion halls act as a safe space, where veterans can discuss their past with those who share similar experiences. The legion has been safeguarding the poppy as a symbol of remembrance since 1948. Its annual Poppy Campaign allows people to show their support while raising funds to provide financial assistance to veterans and their families, as well as grants for basic necessities such as food, clothing, and prescriptions The Canadian government cut $34.8
million from Veteran Affairs in 2014. This made the legion more integral to veterans than before. The poppy is not only a symbol of remembrance, but also one of support for the risks they have taken. It is important to ensure that the sacrifices of those veterans are not forgotten, and that future generations realize what those sacrifices still mean to Canadians. So when you’re coming out of the grocery store, or walking through the mall, and you see a legion member handing out poppies, take one. Make sure you know you’re not only remembering veterans’ sacrifices, but you’re continuing to support their well-being.
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Issues & ideas
THE VOICE, THURSDAY, NOV. 5, 2015
EDITOR TANYA COMMISSO
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Women’s lib in today’s world Media influence on feminism has spurred unique counter-movements and trends
White voices dominate pop culture When looking at famous feminist celebs, it’s hard to find diversity By NANCY PLECHATY
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VINCENT MATAK photo illustration
Men’s rights groups argue that feminism contributes to harmful male stereotypes that suggest men over-assert their strength.
Men’s issues are feminist issues Contrary to the meninist platform, feminism is not to blame for gender-based stereotyping By VINCENT MATAK
M
eninist issues have more in common with the feminist movement than meets the eye. #Meninism began trending on Twitter in 2013 as a satirical effort to “stop the objectification of men” in the media. However, over the last two years, meninism has become a platform for men who feel discriminated against as a result of the feminist movement. Modern feminism, according to National Coalition For Men president Harry Crouch, has allowed women to use male stereotypes, painting men as aggressive and stoic, to propagate female victimhood. “I can’t tell you how many calls I’ve had from how many [men] over the
years where they’ve been attacked, they call the police, the police show up, and they get arrested,” he said. Research presented on the NCFM website states that these stereotypes lead to higher rates of suicide, stricter sentencing for crimes and less support for domestic violence among men. But blaming these issues on feminism is just ignorant, according to Emma Lutz, an executive member of the UBC Feminist Club. “It comes from a fundamental misunderstanding of what feminism is,” she said, adding DAVID RYAN that issues related Langara publishto gender-based ing student stereotypes are rooted in our patriarchal society. “When feminists talk about destroying the patriarchy, it’s all about destroying these masculine and feminine ideas,” she said.
The club, and feminism as a whole, view men’s issues as integral to feminist discourse, she said. But the meninist way of dealing with these issues does more harm than good, according to Lutz. “There’s a huge misogynistic component,” she said. “It’s deliberately excluding women’s issues and acting like they aren’t there, and acting like men are more oppressed than women, which is something I believe we all can agree is not true.” David Ryan, a publishing student at Langara College, agreed – meninist groups are “deplorable” and akin to “Internet trolling,” he said. “What men are maybe too afraid to ask of our culture is helping deal with the emotional side of life through means other than the expression of anger and violence,” he said. This is something that can be achieved through feminism, he said. “Our society really needs to address the way it’s failed our men in their ability to deal with the natural emotions that come with being a human.”
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When feminists talk about destroying the patriarchy, it’s all about destroying these masculine and feminine ideas EMMA LUTZ UBC FEMINIST CLUB
n the media’s portrayal of feminism, the most privileged voices are pushed to the forefront. “White feminism” refers to making straight, white women the mouthpiece for feminist issues, and in doing so, excluding women of colour and other minorities. Though the feminist movement is designed to represent all women, the opposite becomes true when only one kind of feminist is presented to the public. “I think the media always perpetuates privilege and it’s not restricted to feminism, and so I think there are certain voices that have more privilege than others,” said Jennifer Marchbank, associate professor of the department of gender, sexuality and women’s studies at SFU. “As a white woman, my voice certainly is more privileged than that of some, and of women of colour.” Nancy Pollak, Langara College women’s studies instructor, stresses the importance of intersectionality. This concept connects people of all social backgrounds by acknowledging that each person will face different kinds of discrimination or disadvantage. Intersectionality also examines “the valuable insights that flow from looking at the complexity of female experience,” said Pollak. However, Pollak disagrees with the use of the term “white feminism”, saying it sounds like a “‘just plucked it off BuzzFeed’ concept,” she said. “Feminism is many things, but it’s not a piece of fluff. It’s not a lifestyle.” Gugandeep Gill, a second-year Langara kinesiology student, said race doesn’t always matter when talking about feminism. Comparing media icons Nicki Minaj and Taylor Swift, Gill said, “I don’t look at it as a colour difference. I look at the way they are representing themselves.” Marchbank said neither Minaj nor Swift are exemplary feminists. “Feminism is about inclusivity and equality and fighting for equality of all people.”
Icons in feminism: social impact trumps all When discussing what makes an icon, the smart vs. sexy debate marches on By MARK STUART
W
hile feminism is an established movement, what constitutes a feminist icon is still up for de-
bate. There is no set definition for what traits make a feminist icon. It can fall anywhere between a woman who owns her sexuality and speaks openly and unabashedly, to a woman who places more emphasis on academia and modesty.
Langara College English instructor Jill Goldberg, host of the Pop Stars and Feminists: Allies or Adversaries forum put on by the department of English, believes that reaching icon status as a feminist can sometimes indirectly fuel an already male-dominated society. “If a woman is using her body and her sexuality to gain power ... she is still trading on the idea ... that women’s bodies are a commodity, which is – in one sense – the antithesis of feminism because she’s still playing in the patriarchal marketplace that values certain women’s bodies more than others,” said Goldberg. “It’s complicated. Of course it can be fun, and pleasurable, and even seem empowering for both celebrity and reg-
ular woman to flaunt or embrace her sexuality, but is that because we’ve drank the patriarchal Kool-Aid?” she added. Female students at Langara have a less pointed stance. “For me, I think a feminist icon would be a more OOLA DIXSON outgoing person. Langara business Someone who is student okay with their sexuality, but then again, not somebody who just takes off all their clothes,” said business student Oola Dixson.
“Feminists who are more outgoing have a voice that can be heard more than that of an academic, who is someone that isn’t really heard, or as popular,” she added. While female students at Langara acknowledged the impact that professors and policymakers can have on the movement, having a dominant voice was the most important trait in their ideal feminist icon. “It’s definitely important to have the academics, they can influence laws and all that, said first-year general studies student Évangéline Lapalme. “But for changes in the social realm I think we would need someone more geared towards speaking out.”
POPSTAR icons
BEYONCÉ LENA DUNHAM JOAN JETT NICKI MINAJ ELLEN PAGE AMY POEHLER TAYLOR SWIFT EMMA WATSON Source: madamenoire.com
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THE VOICE, THURSDAY, NOV. 5, 2015
EDITOR XIAO XU
Hot Hula: A steamy fitness fad South Pacific dance brings a sexy, new fitness style for the masses By BRIDGETTE WATSON
D
ressed in floral skirts and swaying their hips like island dancers from the South Pacific, South Vancouver community members have caught the wave of the latest dance craze. Sunset Community Centre was the first to offer Hot Hula fitness, an intensive core workout inspired by Polynesian dancing. Now seven community centres, including Hillcrest and Marpole-Oakridge, are offering classes to participants of all ages. Instructors Kay Linan and Judy Mulder, who have both spent a substantial amount of their lives in Hawaii, are looking forward to sharing their passion for hula dancing with Vancouverites. “What better way to work on having the body you want than to do something fun and imagine you are on vacation,” said Linan. “Everything we do, we do with the utmost respect for the Polynesian culture.” Participants learn basic hula moves while warming up to traditional Poly-
nesian drumming. Instructors teach a choreographed routine that can then be performed to authentic hula music or modern hip-hop. Anna-Rita Sloss, the Californiabased founder of Hot Hula fitness, explained by phone from Orange County that the exercises are designed “for everyone and anyone.” “When you teach a class, it’s not about your front row people,” said Sloss, “It’s always about your back row people. It’s about everybody getting their groove back.” Mulder follows a similar philosophy when teaching in Vancouver. “It’s gentle motion and no-impact cardio, you can kick off your shoes and just go for it,” said Mulder, “Are you having a good time? Then you’re good at it.” Mélodie Chervin, 29, a student in Mulder’s class, said she is hooked. “It’s accessible to everyone and you don’t need to be a dancer to do it,” Chervin said. “I’m sad when class ends, it’s really a lot of fun.” According to Sloss, the
basics of Hot Hula fitness are simple: Rather than just moving side-to-side, draw a U with your hips, slowly lowering them, as you increase the tempo. “Look at yourself in the mirror and just pretend you’re having sex. The only thing moving is your lower body.” Sloss said.
PLACES to attend 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Sunset Community Centre Marpole-Oakridge Community Centre Killarney Community Centre Hillcrest Community Centre Creekside Community Centre
Roundhouse Community Centre
Kitsilano Community Centre Ponderosa Studio UBC
Source:Hot Hula fitness Facebook page
Instructors Kay Linan (left)and Judy Mulder BRIDGETTE WATSON photo
Top equestrian trainer leaps to coast Leda Degozzaldi rides horse Cece for practice at the Southlands Riding Club.
sports
B-ball men struggling out of the gates The new roster has suffered a series of tough losses By JASON HAMILTON
T
he Langara Falcons men’s basketball team got off to a rocky start this season. The team consisting of nine new players lost three consecutive games in the last week and suffered a scare when Gary Minhas, a first year guard, was injured in the initial game against the Quest University Kermodes. “Gary got a few stiches tonight, he cut his chin open and went to the hospital.” Ravi Basra, another guard on the team said. Minhas recovered enough to come back and compete in the tournament that was held in Oregon through PacWest. During the tournament, the Falcons lost 93-66 to Idaho College and then again to East Oregon University 93-39. Falcons head coach Paul Eberhardt, a two-time PacWest coach of the year winner, said it is a very strong tournament. “We’re playing to very strong teams, the reason I like to do this early in the year is to get on the road a little bit, get some bonding going with the guys but at the same time, to play some really tough competition and help prepare us when we get back.” In the first game against Kermodes, Falcons were down 12 points by the end of the second quarter. They managed to pick up in the third and fourth quarter, but lost with a score of 81-62. According to Eberhardt, the Falcons are going to work on their defence and taking better care of the ball. “Some of the turnovers were passes directly to the other team for layups and dunks and those will kill us every time,” Eberhardt said. With nine out of 14 players in their first year it may be hard to duplicate the success the Falcons have had in the past. The Falcons are coming off two PacWest provincial championships in the last three years.
ROSEMARY NEWTON photo
ALEXANDER GRAYTON Canadian equestrian show jumper and trainer
A talented horse trainer is coming to Vancouver to teach fellow riders By ROSEMARY NEWTON
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ne of Western Canada’s top equestrian show jumpers and trainers is coming to the Southlands Riding Club to raise the bar next weekend. Alexander Grayton, the 2007 National Talent Squad Champion, will run the clinic and offer one-on-one instruction on Nov. 14 and 15. Southlands Riding Club member Marta Modzelewska, who came up with the idea for the clinic, said the event is aimed at helping participants improve their skills. “[We want to] offer our riders an op-
portunity to ride with a top national rider and learn,” said Modzelewska. “Some of the riders ride for pleasure, but a lot of them are competitive.” The clinic will focus on flat work— the fundamental movement of the horse—and ‘gymnastics’, which refers to a series of training jumps, and course work. Modzelewska will also be participating in the clinic. “I’m eager to hear what pointers he will have for me and my wild beast to be a more harmonious duo,” she said. The clinic’s content will depend on the skills that participants want to work on, according to Grayton. “We’ll be able to focus on each horse and rider individually,” said Grayton. “We’ll start with the riders, talk about positions, the horse’s tendencies and
then it just expands from there. It’s very fluid.” Gill Winckler, interim general manager of the Southlands Riding Club, sees Grayton’s involvement as a good opportunity to keep club members engaged. “He’s apparently very good and a very nice guy,” Winckler said. “We try to bring opportunities to members to have clinics and then riders learn from different people.” The clinic has 16 participants who will be broken up into eight groups of two for hour-long ‘semi-private’ lessons. The clinic’s registration is open to the public; however, Modzelewska said all 16 spots have been scooped up by Southlands Riding Club members. Check out exclusive video at langaravoice.ca
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We’ll start with the riders, talk about positions, the horse’s tendencies and then it just expands from there
JASON HAMILTON photo
Kanwar Grewal takes a shot during practice.
Falcons’ Tally WOMEN’S BASKETBALL W-L
MEN’S BASKETBALL W-L
0-1 Ranked: 8th
0-1 Ranked: 7th