May 15, 1988, carnegie newsletter

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~ r t i s t sand p o e t s a r e g i f t e d i n $reac&ence the a b i l i t y t o f e e l / t h e c u r r e n t s of change and d i r e c I t i o n i n human a f f a i r s . They a c t : l i k e t h e p r o v e r b i a l 'Canary i n t h e 'Coal Mine', more s e n s i t i v e t o danlger than t h e mere humans working , t o o c l o s e t o l e t h a l , i n v i s i b l e gas.

On Sunday, May 8, Carnegie was , t h e medium f o r a n i n c r e d i b l e n i g h t of p o e t r y reading. Unknown p o e t s and 'recognized' a l i k e c o n t r i b u t e d t o make t h i s f i r s t i n a s e r i e s of theme r e a d i n g s h i g h l y e n j o y a b l e , An underlying f e e l i n g i n l i s t e n e r s w a s a s u b t l e astonishment; t h a t t h e a r t i s t s were "unknown" - t o e s t a b l i s h (edlment) media.

The h e a r t and depth g i v i n g e x i s t e n c e t o t h e p r e s e n t e d works made t h e e n t i r e ' * g a t h e r i n g pulse with rage, laughter and a growing awareness. The cynic a l o b s e r v a t i o n s i n much of t h e p o e t r y were r i g h t on t h e b e a t of the !

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neighbourhood.

T h i s first theme, Love, Sex and uman Contact, was chosen because of a growing consensus among r e s i d e n t s : t h a t we d o n ' t want o u r community t o c o n t i n u e a s t h e dumping ground f o r the play - perverse o r otherwise of t o u r i s t s . A t t h i s p o i n t , l e t ' s d e f i n e t o u r i s t a s anyone who f r e quents t h e b a r s and s e x shops and then r e t u r n s t o t h e i r r e s i d e n c e outs i d e the area.

The p o e t s made l i g h t of t h e mind--.L sets of many people caught i n s h e l l games; p r o j e c t i n g an o u t e r "image" t h a t f a i l s t o mask c a s u a l hypocrisy. ''Love i s sex" o r "sex i s human cont a c t " - b u t r e a l i t y g r i n d s o u t replacemehts f o r being human, where f a n t a s i e s a r e raped by t h e impossibly h o s p i t a b l e world of pornography t r y i n g t o mimic t h e pure l o v e a t t h e nucleus of c r e a t i o n .

Always b e i n g aware: aware t h a t t h e (Cont.back

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somebody g o t r i d of them 2 w i l d dogs o f t h e n i g h t n a t u r a l l y c o o p e r a t i v e c o n j u g a l companions (imagine) p u t on 24-hour emergency a l e r t locked i n a t i n y room with l u r i d red & blue l i g h t s a c o u p l e of r o c k s scattered grass & a few bones j ammed-up j a c k a l s

p a c i n g back & f o r t h & pissing on your c e n t r a l nervous system d r i v i n g you away towards a n i m a l s more l i k e pandas who g i v e i n t o extermination i n a n e n t e r t a i n i n g way not l i k e jackals or this fl-ea-bitten o l d pelican i t s w i t h e r e d b i l l b u r i e d b e n e a t h i t s wing s i t t i n g on a c a t a t o n i c p e r c h above a dry cement pond Bud Osborn

when council defeated a similar " motion a month ago, Caravetta who was absent at the time- said he .had been to school hungry "half my, life" and would support the grant if a . new vote was taken. The plan, which would have fed hundreds of needy ' children in schools across the city,-), needed only brie more vote to pass. , But to the dismay of some col- , leagues, Caraveita. switched sides , without a word and ioined three ';

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FROM THE EDITOR'S DESK One of the priviledges of being an editor is to say what you think in a printed medium. What is not permitted is libel. That means, among some other things, portraying a person in terms-that aren't factual. This legal restriction makes talking about the recent act (saying obscenity might be libel) of Ralph Caravetta at the City Council meeting very difficult, so you, the reader, will have to make your own judgement. (To call him a dismal excuse doesn't do justice to his true nature, so let's leave that one. To call him anything other than RALPH doesn't do justice to his performance as an Alderman over the last two years either.)

The most recent example appeared under a headline in The Province on Wednesday, May 11, that read: "Caravetta crushes food program for hungry kids" (or words to that effect) What the story stated was that Caravetta wasn't at the Council meeting when the issue of the City contributing $200,000 to a food program was before it. His excuse HP w a s was a srhpdnl i n g m i x - u p . eating dinner.

Money matters require eight of the eleven possible votes. When responding to questions about his intentions, Caravetta said that he wanted to vote for the program and the issue was brought before the Council again. He isn't extremely stupid, so probably figured that his was the deciding vote: he then "changed his mind" and voted no, killing the motion to feed hungry children.

Mayor Campbell tried to be polite and said that he didn't understand ~aravetta's reasons; Ald. Taylor

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voiced upset that Caravetta had changed his mind. What is not in the public's view is a previous act of ~aravetta'swhen the misdeeds of DEEDS were brought before Council.

Caravetta, on the day in question, had tried to make many pre-emptive motions to get a quick vote. No way. Then, after several reports on DEEDS were made, and because the Council had been in continuous session since 2 in the afternoon, Ald. Puil said that he would like to look at the entire issue of the grant in the cold light of day and get some dinner. Caravetta got up, put his hands on his hips, and in a disgusted voice, said that people in the Downtown Eastside didn't get to eat every day and Puil was delaying for no reason when a fine group of people were asking for money to create work for the disadvantaged poor in 'his' area.

The "'idiot savantness" (i. e. arrogance) could be cut with a knife.

When thousands of children need food he says no because he didn't get a IIchance" to ask a question or two to the head of the school board, yet when he is pushing a grant for his friends or suppuiiers he does everything to make them sound like saints (and then they pay themselves (four people) almost $375,000 over the next' 3 years while not giving a dime to anyone wanting to creat a job projectnot a dime for venture capital.)

And that ' s FAIR? ! !

By PAULR TAYLOR

By Pam Fleming So "the ladies" and children managed to get access to the Carnegie Theatre one night a month. Apparently this is a problem - a 'controversy' Apparently there is some fear that our "invasion" will escalate to gosh shucks - 2 nights per month. This, and other objections, are smoke screens for the real problems.

You all want to know WHY we feel so "priviledged" to have the theatre for 2-3 hours out of the 336 hours Carnegie is open per month,. Most important, you want to know what it is we do there!

Hey guys, this ain't no fairy tale.

This is a true story: there once was a community/city/planet ruled by and for an elite few. Those not in the ruling class were literally tl~epoorest in that world. They had little access to material wealth, property, education and financial independence. This was unfortunate, since in this world, a

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person's worth was based on these things. Those without them were regarded as low status people. But, even among the ranks of the 'low stats', there were 'no status' people. You see, a society based on top dog vs. underdog values always has to have yet another underdog.

In this world, it was deemed that all people under 18 & all people of a certain sex were to have less power than those of a certain other sex. These were called 'no status' people. This may seem like an arbitrary decision, but you have to remember ha^ chese young ones ana women were historically denied access to decide these things. You also have to remember that even 'low status' men need to identify with power in some way, It is part of their social indocrination.

So these male people were very threatened when even the slighest bit of their power/space was asked to be shared. It was easier to fear and even hate those trying to redistribute this power - than to consider the humane legitimacy of their plea.

BUT in this particular community there were good people, good men.

People who understood the injustice of their society; people who rejected the premises & values of their society. They understood that children & women were more threatened by violence - they understood that being a single mother was a formidable task - they understood the need for these 'no status' people to come together and relax for a change. These good people deigned the 'no stats' permission to do so LEGALLY but only for less than 1% of thc time that their community gates were open.

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Yet, some ot the people scoffed and ridiculed saying that "we are giving in to an "invasion" of women and children.

Such pettiness is hard to imagine.

At the children & women's cabaret we share poetry, song, music, dance; for the children - being around each other! facepainting, singing, puppet shows...a chance to perform!!!

(Oh. Wicked, eh?)

Don't be afraid, lads. We will not "invade" a space that is in all ways, most emphatically yours. we'll create-it. Just likewe always have.

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Editor

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From what I hear, the Carnegie Renovations Committee did a survey of Carnegie users, then compared the results to City surveys of how many different kinds of people live in the D.E. (old, young, Native, ethnic, etc. ) They found that the numbers (percentages) of these two surveys were different - & concluded that this shows Carnegie is not serving the neighbourhood efficbently.

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Frnm t h f s 5222, t h c z~iidtteeseeizs

to be developing a philosophy of changing Carnegie to try to attract more of the people that are "underrepresented" - & try to discourage others who are "over-represented".

With this kind of thinking, the needs of people who now use the Centre have become less important than the needs of those whb don't use it.

The committee seems to think the renovations should serve the needs ( 1 ,of people who presently do not come here, in the hopes that someday they might come here...if this happens, five or ten years down the line,

then the numbers on their user surveys might come closer to the numbers on i i ~ eC i i y surveys, , = & sar.eh~w this

will better serve "the needs of the community."

The fact that the percentages on the user survey clearly represent the demonstrated need of the community at the present time seems to have been overlooked by the committee.

In my opinion, if we renovate to satisfy user needs as they are now, we would be doing something real for the community - instead of doing something unreal & abstract that only relates to some future possibility on paper, that may never happen anyway.

TORA

Home Again "Life i s what happens t o you w h i l e you're busy doing something e l s e . " - John Lennon

"home, home a g a i n , I l i k e t o be t h e r e when I can" - Pink Floyd

Linger w i t h me awhile, my s i l e n c e , and l e t u s r a v e t o t h e n i g h t of t h e deep beauty of l i f e t i l l s l e e p , l i f e ' s k i n d e s t kindness, c a l l s u s t o peace once again.

How l o n g have we been dancing, s i l e n c e ? How l o n g have we shared each o t h e r ? How deeply a r e w e entwined? How much does t h e E a r t h p a r t a k e of o u r s e c r e t h e a r t - s t r e n g t h , gleaned from: - summer days; and t h e n i g h t s camping o u t by a f i r e ; and t h e s u n s e t s ; and t h e breezes; w i n d l e s s w i n t e r snowfalls; and t h e g e t t i n g warm a g a i n f e e l i n g , w i t h o r without h o t chocolate; and t h e walk home t o g e t t h e r e j u s t b e f o r e dark..

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f o r autumn) childhood r e v e r i e s over a dinky t o y , a bag of marbles o r a jigsaw; and what of t h e hours s p e n t contemplating and p e t t i n g t h e family c a t s ? o r t h e holy time s p e n t brooding, w i t h sisters o r alone, over t h e photos taken by and of a dead man c a l l e d "your f a t h e r " ? and what of t h e moments l o s t gazing a t t h e moon? and what of adolescence sweet b i t t e r e n d l e s s moments of s t a n d i n g s t i l l over a p r e c i p i c e of dreams?

HOW MUCH OF ME D I D I LEAVE BEHIND FOR YOU TO CHERISH FOR ME, my s i l e n c e ?

And i t seems I ' v e ached f o r aiwman & l o v e a l l my l i f e - and f e a r e d i t j u s t as long. And even now i t seems t h e r e would be n o t h i n g e l s e worth having, anyway, i f n o t f o r you my s i l e n c e .

And while I was busy t r y i n g t o impress p r e t t y women w i t h my harmlessness, you gathered o u r h a r v e s t alone, with t h e h e a l i n g earth-time as w i t n e s s , t o s h a r e w i t h me when I was hungry enough t o g i v e up wanting hunger.

I t ' s going t o be awhile, my s i l e n c e , b e f o r e I l o s e my a p p e t i t e f o r i t might even t a k e a l i f e t i m e , unless o u r p r i v a t e f e a s t i n g , now.

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Dedication:

Stephen Belkin To ~ l e n nShentag, who knows a l l my s e c r e t s , To Vinny Mohr, who knows a l l b u t one, To Tracey Braun, hho t a u g h t me when and how t o shrug, To Louie E t t l i n g , who i s n o t e a s i l y numbed, To Paula B u t l e r , who asked me t o t a k e c a r e of myself, To Vicki Swan, who w r i t e s a mean l e t t e r , To Marcia Barry, whose g e n t l e n e s s i s s t r e n g t h , and t o my physicians: To Joyce Williams, George T i l s e r , c o u n s e l l o r a t a c l i n i c ; Dorothy Kidd, t h r o a t s p e c i a l i s t AIL, my p o e t r y i s dedicated.

As f o r Tora, P a u l , Bob, Muggs, S h e i l a , Anita, B i l l , Norm, J a n c i s , Willy, p . j . various(whoever s h e i s ) , w e l l t h e y ' r e j u s t people who hang around a t Carnegie, s o what's t h e b i g d e a l ?

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PAST and PRESENT In a recent pair of news items which appeared in the April 15 edition of your newsletter, the general public received another set of statements regarding the lack of personal and public safety on our city's streets and by-ways, as well as local measures of our enforced North American poverty and neo-bread line situation so familiar and reminiscent of the 1930's.

It is the rather vivid memories of this writer born in the early 1930's; who is still able to remember the miseries of the world depression.

It is a very great pity that the miseries of general unemployment and the lack of adequate housing have begun to surface, despite the ballyhoo and tub thumping of the Second World War years about the future reve en ti on of inflation with its resultant deflation and depression crisis etc. The North American public has been lead into delusion and morass which, during the past few years, allows the Status Quo's hypnotic propaganda stunts to arrive in the hour of truth: disgusting ' x t s like t h e Xicister c: Sec%sl Services and Housing, Claude Richmond, who has "no time" to attend a forum on poverty at Britannia School.

Possibly the Minister does not remember the earlier times of extreme poverty when it was possible to be tear-gassed, clubbed over the head, cursed at and starved. It seems doubtful that these bureaucrats would have sufficient fortitude to have to face the good old days. And it isn't surprising that today there are the great examples of the socalled dynamic society - alcoholism, drug abuse, family violence, youth 1 1

prostitution and human degeneracy.

When one considers the reports of the miseries of neglected young girls like Rose Peters, who was recently murdered, one may be unaware of numerous such tradegies - in Vancouver - in the last 50 years. It is a great tragedy that the serious chisellors and boot lickers who mostly comprise our bureaucratic windbags cannot realize that it is impossible to mix oil and water. All the flaunted "Projects" and "future Developing" are just grey film when the everpresent social problems are only given lip-service.

A chap called Howard Scott proposed to permanently eliminate these social disruptive conditions within the framework of high tech/ high energy civilization - energy accounting. You are reimbursed for your output one-to-one. The late Rose Peters is a definite example of its necessity, but when it comes to the removal of enforced poverty it will never cease to be a hopeless proposition until such 11.u i s i r r ~ o l u i i u u s "af f ec tiilg everyone but their perpetrators are abandoned permanently.

Blanket belief in unbounded prosperity led to 78% of North American society being inoperable in 1929. Yet today this unidirectional spectre is again gaining momentum. As technological advances continue, the inner essence of society will cause more disruption and grow more unstable - speeding up during the next few years.

This will be a blessing to all citizens of North America in the long run.

SANDER

This poem is a parody of sex in the "Mew Age": Yuppies, AIDS, post-nuclear families, et a1 are all under fire...

New AIDS Age:HeteroSexOperation condom? check saran wrap? check rubber gloves? check cervical cap? check (-) HIV test? check champagne? check candlelight? check fireplace? check fantasy video? check man and womyn? check All systems go . , ' t " ""*C*.

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U I ' Y W .

You have ten minutes and ten seco 10 seconds to strip down 90 seconds to gear up (i.e. condom, rubber gloves, etc.)

3 minutes to discuss your past sexual histories 30 seconds for foreplay

3 minutes for hot sex And finally, 30 seconds for mutual admiration (i.e. "oh you're so good, oh baby, you're so good") AFTERWARDS You do not light up the proverbial cigarette, since both of you are non-smokers.

You and your new 'amour' chat amicably, gaining a "better understanding of where each other is coming from." and you "hope to do it again soon..next Thuzsday perhaps?

Apres sushi and avant aerobics class?"

You check your agendas. Yes, you can squeeze it in.

You seal your pact with an airbrushed kiss.

The door closes gently.

He/she goes off to play squash And you, to lysol the carpet.

You secretly know that you'll never see each other again.

You just didn't budget for a relationship this year.

Instead you spend the next six months discussing "this heavy relationship that I had one nightM(wifih your friends over Perrier and of course, with your analyst at $50 an hour. ) In the final analysis, the "bottom line" is: The cost of loving is just too high in the New Age. - p. j flaming -

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I hated t h e k i d s t h e y told me t o play with I h a t e d t h e cops & t h e d o c t o r s The lawyers, t h e judges the politicians & the fucking teachers I hated t h e s t u p i d j e r k s behind t h e c o u n t e r s trying t o sell me crap I h a t e d t h e c l e a n people t h e good people, t h e n i c e people The i n t e l l i g e n t people I h a t e d t h e h e a l t h y people The s i c k ones, t h e s u c c e s s f u l ones The handsome men The p r e t t y women The l i a r s , t h e m a n i p u l a t o r s The ones who make me g u i l t y The dead-ass j e r k s whose dreams have gone f o r s h i t I hated t h e voting majority I wanted t o k i l l a l l of them & t r i e d t o k i l l some of them I was a d i r t y k i d A d i r t y young man Now I ' m a d i r t y o l d man & I h a t e t h i s world The damn t h i n g deserves t o die.

I h a t e d my a n c e s t o r s My own goddamn e v i l a n c e s t o r s

I hated t h e happy p s y c h i a t r i s t The c u t e shock t r e a t m e n t s The c r a z y people, t h e sane people The smart people & t h e s t u p i d machos I ' m addicted t o i l l e g a l drugs, I l l e g a l thoughts, criminal i n t e n t i o n s , I ' m addicted t o d i r t y sex I t h i n k I want t o k i l l myself But r e a l l y i t ' s a l l t h o s e o t h e r people I want t o k i l l I ' m a d d i c t e d t o bad dreams, c i g a r e t t e s , l i v e i n poverty, go c r a z y , g e t l o n e l y D i e i n agony, scream bloody murder F a l l down on t h e sidewalk i n convulsions.

I ' v e been a v e g e t a b l e They had t o t a k e m e away 1 ' v e been t p r t u r e d t o d e a t h by l i f e I ' v e g o t bad I . D . , r o t t e n t e e t h , Maybe I ' l l c a t c h AIDS They put d i o x i n s i n my milk Aluminum s i l i c a t e i n my c o f f e e They ripped down my t r e e house Nice people who c a r e about me Who want me t o be n i c e t o o Qr. i f I don' t .be ,nice want t o g e t rid of m e somehow The f e e l i n g i s mutual.

TORA

I feel the Premier's new audacity on his refusal to believe and/or feed hungry school children is totally abominable! Obviously the teachers watching young Vancouver school children eating paste set out for art says it all. ~ l s ohis first stand - not to fund abortions for victims of rape and incest - was equally disgusting. I'm not sure if you, the readers, are d w i r r e rhar 2 i . i I

t h e c h z n g e ~I e g z l l j r

made by the Social Credit government are tax breaks for people like himself, in big business.

Next the ultimate insult: to decrease welfare against single mothers to "motivate" them to work!

Don't make me laugh. At present, before cutbacks, people on G.A.I.N. & Handicap pensions were living below the National Poverty Level.

VanderSlam was totally evasive on direct duestions like "Would he set up more daycare facilities if he was stopping payment of abortions in B.C.?

Naturally this slippery sleaze slid 6 slided and answered nothing.

Now, on just about all the local channels, we see his 'Right to Life' commercials: "...as a father and a in front of a firegrandfather place.

The Socred government is guilty of creating a double standard for Women in health care: haves & have nots. , Also, isn't it sexual discrimination not to cover under our B.C. medical system abortions for women yet vasectomies for men?

I for one am thoroughly disgusted with this government. As of April 1, everyone over 65 must pay the $6.00 dispensing fee for each Rx needed.

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What does this do? It prevents our elderly from seeking medical service because they can't afford the dispensing fee. Perhaps our Premier feels old age pensioners will all be dead by the time he calls the next election.

It seems to me with our former mayor, Mike Harcourt, as the head of the provincial NDP Party - with a class vote perhaps - we should all vote NDP. In the last provincial election, Nelson B.C. elected a majority NDP riding and the first thing Bill Bennett did was close the LInisrersi+,y.. .pet wz Fay $2.500.00 a month to heat & light the school and pay a janitor to clean it. Yet the students who had pre-paid their tuition didn't get back a dime.

Now VanderSlam denies that our school children are hungry, to fund a hot lunch program, even after teachers and Principals tell of great need.

Do we want a Premier who won't help feed our children and cuts single mothers' incomes, as he makes the elderly pay dispensing fees for prescriptions? I think not.

On a lighter note I would like to express my sincere admiration for Burnaby MLA Sven Robinson, for openly saying, on National news, that he's a "proud gay man."

You may remember that Mr. Robinson was arrested & charged with the Haida Indian Nation for refusing to move and allow loggers onto Haida land. Three times Mr. Robinson has won his Burnaby constituency by a landslide. ~ b m efeel that he' s committed '~oliticalsuicide." I think not.

His outstanding record in Burnaby speaks for itself. I'd like to thank the NDP federal & provincial caucus and Mr. Broadbent for being

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a s l e a z e . In my mind, he has about a s much i n t e g r i t y as a one-celled amoeba.

BV BEVERLY-JEANNE WHITNEY

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M C T O ~ Despite premier i l l reprint: van=SUn -..Vander Zalm's commitment, the He goes on tr ---government is not supporting fami- Law fit fihi,Awaw care has risen 30 per cent in a fiveyear from 2,454 in 1982 to r Andrew Armitage, who now 3,192period, in 1986. the number of teaches at the Udiversitv of Vic- children in B.C. But dropped by almost iive per cell! 2~ !he SLEX per:&.

"At this point it is difficult to understand except as a result of : He said that his detailed statisti- the 50-per-cent withdrawal of support services to families, and the increase in children in families in poverty.", take children away from their parNot only were almost all family ents and support them elsewhere. support worker positions eliminIn an article in the Communitv ated during the 1983 restraint push, but there was also a reduction in homemakers for families.

Taking everything into account, Armitage writes, there are only "The overall pattern is one of a large transfer of resources from about half as many hours of govsupporting families in their own ernment-paid help for families as there were in 1986.

Social Services Minister Claude Richmond could not be reached for dren in increasingly expensive comment. resources." a

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Danger signals

By PAULR

TAYLOR

The Downtown E a s t s i d e i s unique i n i t s c o l o u r and v i s t a and h i s t o r y . The r e c e n t completion of T e l l i e r Towers i s a j u s t i r o n y t o i t s h i s t o r y of once housing t h e o f f i c e s of Mayor McGeer , "Riot Act McGeer" who t r i e d t o s t o p t h e On To Attawa t r e k decades ago w i t h a t o t a l l y i g n o r a n t a c t : he read t h e r i o t a c t t o t h e hundreds of people who weren't going t o work f o r 2 0 ~a day d u r i n g t h e d e p r e s s i o n .

The i r o n y i s t h a t h i s contempt F n r these ~ c o p k ' ar i g h t s t u demons t r a t e has made them. t h e v e r y s o r t of people who now l i v e i n t h e b u i l d i n g where he launched h i s campaign t o d e s t r o y - t h e i r freedom.

n our minds' eyes A t a p u b l i c meeting h e l d i n Carnegie on Thursday morning, t h e words. of t h e people a t t e n d i n g t e l l t h e s t o r y : "THere should be no d e c i s i o n made u n t i l a f t e r t h e November C i v i c e l e c t i o n s . The p o l i t i c i a n s should p u t t h e i r c a r d s on t h e t a b l e and l e t u s d e c i d e whether t o support them."

"This e n t i r e p r o c e s s i s a f a r c e none of t h e p o l i t i c i a n s who w i l l make d e c i s i o n s even come h e r e b u t we a r e supposed t o make recommendat i o n s and j u s t t r u s t them."

"How much chance do poor people have i n making d e c i s i o n s when o n l y 3n'?/ Gf zrL3- D ---2-* Ju/O V C I ~ Ii ~ u u b i ~p~ mgj e c c The p o p u l a t i o n i s low-income? maximum recommended d e n s i t y i n any development p l a n f o r t h e Expo l a n d s

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Growing I

The community i s growing by l e a p s and bounds towards a r e n a i s s a n c e i n t h e l e v e l of awareness of i t s r e s i d e n t s . Committees and working coali t i o n s a r e formed w i t h almost l i g h t n i n g speed and a r e i n c r e d i b l y successf u l . Consider DERA, Crab Park, t h e Carnegie Centre, F i r s t United Church, DEYAS, Oppenheimer Park, Four S i s t e r s Co-op, Parks Planning, t h e women' s Centre and t h e Alex Centre and on and on. The B.C. C o a l i t i o n of t h e D i s a b l e d i s becoming more and more known h e r e a s t h e r i g h t s of handicapped persons a r e added t o t h e neighbourhood's consciousness.

This i s n o t an e x e r c i s e i n p a t t i n g each o t h e r on t h e back. The c u l t u r a l a c t i v i s m makes t h a t redundant. But what i s n e c e s s a r y i s t o be aware t h a t a l l t h i s and more i s needed t o make t h e obscenely r i c h - t h e m u l t i n a t i o n a l businesspeople - s t o p t h e i r s e c r e t d e a l i n g s over t h e f u t u r e u s e of t h e Exno l a n d s .

i s t h i s 30%, but t h e law o n l y r e q u i r e s 15%. What's obvious i s t h a t t h e o t h e r 70%+ w i l l b e non-poor and w i l l d e c i d e w i t h t h e rest having t o a c c e p t i t . " "How much impact w i l l t h i s i n c r e a s e d d e n s i t y have on surrounding communities: t h e s t r e e t s a r e overloaded now; t h e r e i s t o x i c l a n d f i l l a l l around F a l s e Creek."

"Hotel owners s e e i n g condos and h i g h r i s e s going up a c r o s s t h e street from t h e i r $250 a month rooms w i l l t r y f o r a p i e c e of t h e r i c h e r p i e . We'll be facing e v i c t i o n s again, but t h i s t i m e on a massive s c a l e . Land v a l u e s a l l around t h e Expo l a n d s have r i s e n L i Ka-shing became owner today. today "People h e r e spend t h e i r e n t i r e cheques i n t h e a r e a on housing, food, l a u n d r g , c l o t h e s - every month. They make s t e a d y and longterm c o n t r i b u t i o n s t o t h e economic h e a l t h of t h e b u s i n e s s e s i n t h e Downtown E a s t s i d e . " ea here a r e 2,000 people w i t h t h e i r names on w a i t i n g l i s t s f o r s o c i a l

*

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housing at DERA alone, and another been purchased by consortiums of 17,000 in the City of Vancouver. The these businesspeople and Vander Zalm Director of Social Planning says tries to play word games about how he that one to two thousand units will and his cronies are not "lobbying" probably be built over the next decade." Ottawa to loosen immigration restric* "The thousands who are desperately tions for the rich; they are "bargaintrying to gain access to affordable ing and negotiating". housing cannot accept being stigmatized It all comes back to the fact for having low incomes and will not that we, the residents of Vancouaccept being shunted into dark or ver and British Columbia, are bebleak areas of this development." ing excluded as much as possible ,k "The Socred government will not be from having any say in how the permitted to just give lip-service future of our city will be for us. to the lives and aspirations of the The number of rich is far smaller citizens of this province, while than the number living on low inselling it off in chunks and gobs to comes. This emphatically does anyone with the money to buy it."

NOT give them the right to usurp 9: "The politicians who are selling us our rights to help plan and direct out should be ashamed. They should our growth. At every public meetbe blushing right down to the roots ing, at every opportunity to speak, r hair !" we must be there in the hundreds & process is set up for us to thousands and make our voice heard make suggestions, complain about the and our hopes and dreams coherent. short-sightedness of the developers, and then have the ones responsible for making the decisions not state their positions or leave a wide opening for public INPUT."

gft1%kE$

1 li

in the near future The Expo land area is the most unique and promising for proper devp i opmer, i

dr~ades;. T h e

i l ~

P T G V ~ Z C ~ G ~

government has made all kinds of questionable moves in selling this land when the Lotteries are quite adequate to pay off the Expo debt. All of a sudden, it's sold in a secret deal (the details of the contract will remain confidential - Grace McC.) to a Hong Kong billionaire and the people here are just supposed to grin and bear it. In 1990 Hong Kong goes back to Mainland China and a mass exodus is already underway - of very rich and influential businessmen looking for new headquarters for their financial empires.

Much of downtown Vancouver has

The Coalition Against Free Trade is organizing, for Sunday, June 12 at 1:00 pm, a picnic and family day to take place at Brockton Oval in Stanley Park (near the totem pole).

If you need a ride to the picnic, please be at the Carnegie Centre by 11:45 a.m. A bus will leave Carnegie at noon.

The event will feature food, entartainment and some short speeches.

Bus fare, for those who need it, will ,be available from End Legislated Poye'rtg

.

reality for rent cheap & c l e a n i n t h e o l d woman's house hunched between l a r g e r houses l i k e s h e i s between people a t 81 gnome-like an a r t h r i t i c hump wrenching h e r back s h e l i v e s w i t h h e r ex-husband a p a r k i n s o n ' s v i c t i m s h e l e t move back i n when he got s i c k & she has t o r e n t a room t o almost make

i~ she has l a t c h e s c h a i n s b o l t s & b a r s a c r o s s t h e f r o n t door & says: " I ' m so a f r a i d always everyday 1 ' m so afraid!" a f r a i d i f I t u r n on a l i g h t I ' l l burn t h e house down a f r a i d i f i t snows t h e roof w i l l cave-in a f r a i d i f I u s e t h e phone I ' l l c a l l hong kong d i r e c t she's s o a f r a i d she can't s l e e p a f r a i d my kidneys a r e bad & 1'11 wear o u t t h e c a r p e t going back & f o r t h t o t h e bathroom a f r a i d i f I wash my f a c e t h e water b i l l will soar s h e ' s a f r a i d of a l l t h i s & more & t e l l s me about i t barging i n t o t h e room yelling: "I c a n ' t s t a n d it!" "uhat ?"

'I t h a t barking machine you g o t there!"

I

then she t e l l s me t o check t h e t r a f f i c and s e e i f any of t h e c a r s speeding o u t of c o n t r o l a r e about t o c r a s h i n t o t h e f r o n t room of h e r house Bud Osborn

M i n i s t r y of S o c i a l S e r v i c e s and Housing

" " *u

n o t received anything i n t h e mail by t h e middle of May, you s h o u l d check t o see where you w i l l g e t your cheque.

The "Family and C h i l d c a r e S e r v i c e s Offices" f o r f a m i l i e s with k i d s l i v i n g i n t h e Downtown E a s t s i d e w i l l b e a t 666 E.Hastings.

I f you l i v e west of Columbia S t . you go t o t h e 1st f l o o r ; i f you l i v e east of Columbia S t . you go t o t h e 2nd f l o o r .

I f your c u r r e n t S o c i a l Worker i s a t one of t h e o t h e r o f f i c e s i n t h e neighbourhood, t h e y won't b e t h e r e a f t e r May 1 5 t h . They w i l l b e t r a n s f e r r e d t o one of t h e "Family and It Childcare Services Offices". might b e one o u t of t h i s a r e a - i t c o u l d b e i n S o u t h Vancouver. I f your worker i s t r a n s f e r r e d o u t of t h e a r e a t h e y w i l l f i n d you a new worker withi n t h r e e o r f o u r weeks, who w i l l work a t 666 E.Hastings.

Remember though, t h i s i s n o t where you w i l l p i c k up your cheque. T h a t ' s one of t h e probl e m s w i t h t h e r e o r g a n i z a t i o n . Your cheque w i l l b e a t one of t h e "Income Assistance Offices".

T h e n t h ~ rbig t-he-g~ t h z t "~~12'i n g i n MSSH i s w i t h t h e Emergency S e r v i c e s on Drake S t . There a r e 3 Emergency O f f i c e s i n B.C. r i g h t now Drake S t . , New Westminster and Cloverd a l e . T h i s i n v o l v e s 35 j o b s . These j o b s are b e i n g " r a t i o n a l i z e d " .

This means t h e y a r e g o i n g t o be s p r e a d o u t o v e r t h e whole p r o v i n c e . The s e r v i c e s t h a t we g e t h e r e i n Vancouver, becauSe of o u r unique problems, are goi n g t o b e d r a s t i c a l l y reduced. There w i l l b e no more walk-ins a f t e r h o u r s , 4:30 pm - 8:30 am, a t Drake S t . Emergency S e r v i c e s . For p e o p l e who have no food o r s h e l t e r a f t e r 4:30 pm, t h e r e w i l l b e a r e s e r v a t i o n phone l i n e t o s e e which h o s t e l s have a bed.

The M i n i s t r y of S o c i a l S e r v i c e s and Housing (MSSH) i s i n t h e m i d d l e of b i g changes r i g h t now. I t ' s ' c a l l e d " r e o r g a n i z a t i o n " and i t may a f f e c t you. The MSSH i s changing t h e o r g a n i z a t i o n a l s t r u c t u r e of t h e Ministry.

R i g h t now t h e r e are F i n a n c i a l Aid Workers (FAWs) and S o c i a l Workers i n e v e r y one of t h e in is try's o f f i c e s . A s of May 1 5 t h , t h i s w i l l change. A f t e r t h a t day e a c h Minist r y O f f i c e w i l l d e a l w i t h one p a r t of t h e GAIN Act. S t a r t i n g n e x t month you may b e p i c k i n g up your cheque a t a d i f f e r e n t o f f i c e o r , i f you have k i d s o r have o t h e r d e a l i n g s w i t h a S o c i a l Worker, you may have a new o f f i c e t o go t o .

There w i l l b e "Income A s s i s t a n c e O f f i c e s " t h a t w i l l o n l y have FAWs and R e h a b i l i t a t i o n O f f i c e r s . T h e r e w i l l b e "Family and C h i l d c a r e Serv i c e s O f f i c e s " where t h e S o c i a l Workers w i l l work. There w i l l b e other o f f i c e s t o deal with t h e M e n t a l l y Handicapped and t h e S p e c i a l i z e d Teams (such as O u t r e a c h , Courtworkers, Family Maintenance).

The "Income A s s i s t a n c e O f f i c e s " w i l l i s s u e cheques and t e l l you a b o u t t h e M i n i s t r y ' s employment programs. hat's a l l . The Docks i d e and W a t e r f r o n t O f f i c e s , a t Main & Powell, and t h e Harbour Centre and Yaletown O f f i c e s , a t Nelson and Seymour, w i l l n o t b e changing.

The S t r a t h c o n a O f f i c e a t 666 E.Hast i n g s w i l l b e changing. P e o p l e who go t o t h a t o f f i c e w i l l now p i c k up t h e i r cheques a t e i t h e r 522 Alexander o r a t t h e Waterfront O f f i c e a t 205 Powell. The MSSH i s s e n d i n g a l e t t e r t o everyone t o t e l l you who w i l l b e your worker and what o f f i c e you w i l l be a t . I f you have -

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How this will be advertized is not known right now. People who know the system will be able to use it. For those that don't know the system, there won't be anyone on staff to explain it to them anymore. Also, this will be a privatized phone line. The hostels will be giving out food tickets as well.

Why, you may ask, is the Ministry doing this? Good question. The Ministry believes this will give supervisors greater knowledge about what's happening in their offices and will allow more specialization. However, i r may i i i s u iusr p e o ~ l eiii t h s s k i f f & .

It will probably make life more difficult for both the Ministry's employees as well as local residents who cget GAIN. With the balkanizing of the Ministry's services, it also raises the question of privatization.

City info staff can't accept donations for this Newsletter, so if you can help, find Paul Taylor and he'll give you a receipt.

DONATIONS: Nancy W. -$200, George B.-$9. Robert S.-$20, Louis P.-$20, Margaret S.-$10, Richard P.$l8,

...

Submitted by PETER GREENWELL (Editor's note: Perhaps the Newsletter should start a competition to see who can come up with the best reason for the Ministry's reorganization.)

Poets

i.n the Carnegie Group of 'unknown poets' REMINDER to have your 5 pages for the book in by the 24th of May. - on the 3rd floor, 4:OO-6:00!!!

C

If you haven't, you may miss the chance

to win $1000..:and your opportunity to vote.

N e w voting replations for the City of.

Vancouver!

N o w , in order to vote in civic elections, allvoters must first register.

Persons eligible to register must be Canadian citizens, nineteen years of age or older and have, immediately preceeding application for registration as an elector, resided in the City of Vancouver for 3 months, in British Columbia for 6 months and in Canada for 12 months.

wrong place, seniors say

By KIM BOLAN , Several senior citizens groups are concerned about a plan by the Chinese Freemasons to build a seniors' home on a busy east side street beside a firehall.

Russell Hunter, of the B.C.Old Age Pensioners Association, said the location of the proposed facility south of Prior near Heatley on the edge ofchinatown is totally inappropriate for seniors.

"The Chinese Freemasons should be looking at the Expo site - the North.Park area," Hunter said. "The trafic and the firehall are a problem."

The city-owned land was approved by Vancouver city council for the seniors' home, even though it will displace the Strathcona Community Gardens, a project where area residents, many of them seniors on fixed incomes, grow food to help stretch their budgets.

Now the proposal is before the B.C.Housing Management Commission, but seniorsand other area residents want it stopped. / '

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OLD SAM BROWN He started out strong and he started out kind, as many and most young men do. He worked in a dockyard did Old Sam Brown - started at the bottom, clawed to the top, fought for the people for wages and conditions, for working hours and s t a h l ~h n l i r l a y s l

But after a few years at the top of the mountain, people started to notice a severe change - so subtle at first (and to many who did not know him well, almost unnoticeable) Old Sam Brown didn't have time to talk any more. 'TOO preoccupied, too caught up in his responsibili-1 ties' - so everyone thought - and slowly, the folks who knew him from the start saw him drift farther & farther away until everyone realized that he was no longer their old buddy Sam Brown, but now a stranger by the name of Mr. Brown.

So the years went by and the sad-

"It's about as bad as putting seniors beside a cemetery," said Danny Korica, 62, of the Carnegie Seniors9 Support Croup. "Fire engines and ambulances going all the time will remind them of bad things. They deserve someplace quiet for their final years."

BCHMC social housing manager Ernest Roth said earlier this week that concerns of neighborhood residents will definitely be considered when deciding on the project, as well as "location, proximity to amenities, existing density and livability."

"What the community wants is very important.

There's no guarantee this project will be approved," Roth said.

Sixty-four-year-old Lois Fleming pluckeq a handful of weeds from her plot in the community gardens this week as she pondered losing her green space to seniors' housing.

"As far as I'm concerned, this garden is the best therapy I've got. It's like having the pioneer spirit, ness grew; and many a friend of Sam Brown tried to talk to him, but no one tried very hard. Everyone wondered what 'happened' - why did their old buddy Sam Brown betray them?

So in his final years, Old Sam Brown was alone - but no more so than he had been for many years .-.-A

ULLU

6

~

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;-J +L ~-.. - L ..-a LLLCY

UULICU

n

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n ? P-~ dalu U L U W L L .

Not many were there but a few old-timers, and a young man 6 a young woman. No one said very much, for everyone now knew what happened to Old Sam Brown. They put up a plaque near the old dockyard: 1I eke's to Old Sam Brown, our friend who taught us never to give up trying to reach out to someone. He taught us if we're a little less preoccupied with ourselves, we'll have a little more time for someone else; even if we don't understand our own weaknesses at the time".

By DAVE McCONNELL

The S t o r y on Tobacco N i c c o t i n e i s a chemical t h a t i s produced spontaneously by n a t u r e .

It i s c o n t a i n e d i n t h e j u i c e o f tobacco l e a v e s .

N i c c o t i n e i s considered t o be a drug because i t h a s a n e f f e c t on t h e c e n t r a l nervous system & b r a i n .

Before extreme s y n t h e t i c d r u g s 'were developed t o calm schizophren i c p a t i e n t s i n mental h o s p i t a l s , a n i n j e c t i o n of n i c o t i n e was used.

It was t h e o r i z e d by s c i e n t i s t s using t h e drug i n experiments t h a t I i t produced a tendency t o b r i n g j.nrn r'ncrir n r ' n ~ r wSP i i r a p e r l i irry thoughts, images, & e x p e r i e n c e s i n

counsciousness.

Tobacco was f i r s t r e c e i v e d a s a g i f t by o u r w h i t e European a n c e s t o r s according t o t h e Native u s e of i t a s a sharpener of consciousness d u r i n g times of stress. N o t i c i n g t h a t t h e white men seemed t o be a v e r y s t r e s s * •’111 group of people, t h e I n d i a n thought he would bestow a b l e s s i n g -

something t o h e l p him on h i s p a t h .

L i t t l e d i d he know t h a t t h e w h i t e man's p a t h would become more stressf u l than h i s d e e p e s t f e a r s . . . & he ( t h e w h i t e r a c e ) would t h r e a t e n everyone i n t h e world w i t h s p i r i t u a l distortion, physical d i s t o r t i o n & d e a t h . . . & t h a t he would do t h i s t o p r o t e c t something c a l l e d "money".

Of c o u r s e , w e s u p e r i o r w h i t e s took tobacco & used i t t o h e l p u s some g e t through o u r s t r e s s f u l day had more s t r e s s f u l days t h a n o t h e r s , according t o how aware t h e y were of t h e t e r r i b l e t h i n g s t h a t were going

...

nn around them

...these

people smcke6

a l o t of tobacco - which d o c t o r s s a i d g i v e s them l u n g cancer...

So t h e d o c t o r s (& t h o s e who f e a r e d l u n g c a n c e r ) decided t h a t smoking tobacco should be d i s c o u r aged - s o t h e y made smokers f e e l g u i l t y f o r u s i n g n i c o t i n e , & eventu a l l y drove them a l l crazy. . . t h a t w a s t h e end of t h e s t o r y on tobacco.

TORA

CARNEGIE Dear Carnegie, S i n c e I ' v e been i n Vancouver, I ' v e been t o Carnegie Centre s e v e r a l t i m e s and I have s e e n what you do f o r a l o t of people.

I would l i k e t o s e e , where I come from i n Hamilton, O n t a r i o , a c e n t r e l i k e Carnegie. You have t h e Learni n g Centre, Weight Room, Pool Room, K n i t t i n g , K a r a t e , t h e L i b r a r y , Music I n t h e T h e a t r e , a gym and t h e Kitchen.

You d o n ' t t u r n away anyone. You h e l p a l l you can when you can. The people a t Carnegie a r e f r i e n d l y and

l i k e t o make you f e e l a t home. When you walk i n t h e d o o r s , you g e t a warm f e e l i n g l i k e you are wanted.

Carnegie i s an open house t o a l l who need i t . A l o t of t h i n g s are f r e e , i f n o t i n c o s t , a t a low, low price.

Carnegie i s f o r r i c h o r poor; you won't be turned away because of your r a c e o r c o l o u r .

A l l i n a l l , I t h i n k a l o t more p l a c e s should have a Carnegie Centre in their city.

ROSE DEROUIN

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summertime Thoughts

portunity? * What does equality of opporttmity involve?

Is abortion a white man's ploy to control Native population? Is Vander Zalm actually the Native Indian's best friend?

Needless to say, these issues have meaning for all of us and we'll all be the wiser for examining them in careful detail.

In terms of a running debate on .issues in the Carnegie Newsletter as I mentioned in my last article, what I think might happen is that as the course progresses we'll provide an update in the Newsletter to generate criticism, suggestions, etc.

The course is FREE and will be quite LAID-BACK as you've likely gathered already. It will happen one or two (nights? afternoons?) a week at First United or Carnegie. We should be off by the end of ~ay/beginning of June - specific details to be announced just before then.

It's'going to be exciting and educational. COME AND JOIN US!

By TONY MARSHA

In the last Newsletter I introduced the course I will be teaching this summer - "What good is Thinking?" Since then I have explored various determinations as to how the course will go. Again, as I' pretty much implied, I am going to use the main concerns, ideas, opinions of the participants as my basic textbook. This should make the course relevant and entertaining. The idea, then, is that out of the rich web of such material (we all have strong, strong opinions) we'll try to construct theories as to how we can critically explore our opinions, argue for our views, argue against our views, etc.

I have made various very promising contacts with Native Indian organizations in order to get a sizeable Native participation. This will allow us to concentrate on a number of issues that particularly affect Natives: Can a Native Indian run IBM? * Do Natives have equality of op-

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E.

FOC'II \WXK I3WN MUFFINS

200 C (400 1;)

I

This recipe for batter will last in your refrigerator for 4 weeks; you can bake some muffins whenever you iike arid return the rest t o the refrigerator.

1 cup boiling water 1 cup bran

cup oil 1 cup brown sugar 2 eggs 2 cups buttermilk 1/2

'

2% cups flour 1% tsp. salt 2%tsp. baking soda 1 cup raisins 2 cups bran flakes

Pour boiling water over bran - let stand. Meanwhile, cream together oil and sugar and add the eggs.

Blend buttermilk into shortening mixture. Add the bran and water mixture. Sift together flour, salt, soda and stir into the above mixture. Add raisins and bran flakes. Store in the refrigerator in a container with a lid (a plastic ice cream pail works well; it can also be used to mix ingredients).

Refrigerate at least 24 hours before baking. When yo,u want some fresh baked muffins remove some of th.: batter without stirring. Bake in greased muffin tins or custard cups filling each cup two thirds full. Balic at 40O0F for 20-25'&inutes.

Starstruck

Hope: a poem

by Lloyd B. Fenton The summer folds Autumn blows I can hear the trees a'crying Lamenting woes No one knows That the birds are a'dying

~t'sa lie for me to be sitting in this cafe so stupidly happy talking politics and literary principles, one poppy in a vase between us - unless this white vase is some far pavilion and this poppy is the truth revealed: the tender violence of this crimson unfolding my thoughts to you, its dark central star celebrating the constellation between your thighs.

Your fingers absently caressing the lucky table set fires that r ~ n u l donly s p r e a d should you try to quench them with the blue rain of your eyes, your tongue's sweet water in my mouth Later, remembering a coffeespoon of meetings like this one, I'll burn in my single bed watching night opening a black poppy where stars fall like white ash or a pavilion gone up in smoke.

,..

The birds they sing upon gentle wings of the place they're a'leaving ~hey're flying high a dark dreary room, windowless to southward sighs airless and leave the sound of the plants a'grieving the door is closed.

The grass is down my eyes scan the ceiling turned dusty brown looking for a VENT a crack and the silver creek is a'drying something to give me AIR People that I really like are The wind blows cold in Classroom 2, 3rd floor, ~arnegi down in my soul I want to stay with them. for the winter is a'rising My lungs start to hurt, . but down in the ground ' ~ a t e rI'll have to use medicati hard and round to breathe. is a seed that's a'stewing I know this, but I stay. for spring's song Sheila Baxter won't be long and the seed will be a'growing, and the seed will be argrowing.

...

VICTORIA

HY DO I g e t t h e feeling t h a t I'm

s

watching t h e shell a n d t h e pea? See if you follow this better t h a n I do. $81 million, GO^ that? We'll call it a is JobTrac. Nah, you don't have to rmember the name - it went phhttt this week. The money? Yes, well fame of that's spent. How much? Lessee.. .how much?

Gee, no one really talks about how rmh They talk about how many, as in "how many Jobs" and "how many people were assisteta" Lessee . ..(shuffle,shuffle) - Its here someplace- Yes*14,000 jobs; 20,000 people assisted over the last fiscal year.

PARTON Of course some of those people assisted may well have got jobs, and I'm sure all those who got jobs also got assisted, but Stanley Hagen, minister of advanced education and job training, happily has not implied that the numbers should be added together.

Where to start? The minister in charge of job training is to some extent no longer in charge. Job training (and the money for it) have now been spread around. This gets complicated, because it was spread around before, among five ministries.

The difference is that, before, Hagen knew where it Was spread. He's not so certain, now. That's unusual for a chartered accountant, which Hagell is.

As he told a Sun reporter on Monday, JobTrac was r a n n n l h w a l w "It waq felt that with the decrease in the unempioyment raw - ampping by three to 5~ per ccnt around the provi~ice government assistance programs were not needed this year."

But that is a curious thing to say at a time when the government is slashing the cheques of 35,000 welfare mottiers to encourage them to join the labor force. If timing is everything, then I must say the timing of JobTrac's demise stinks, for it was exactly such disadvantaged people that the program was intended to help (and by iiagen's oivn figures, he!pcd in large numbers).

'Fhose figurcs change, of course, having been vririously r eportcd at 5,660 jobs to 12,000jobs to a hoped-for 17,000jobs for iW-88.

Does a dcclitllllg uneglp]oyi~;t.fitrate really ifiake

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JobTrac redundant? It doesn't take a genius to figure out that adding 14,000 short-term jobs to the economy will reduce the unemployment rate. The program may have got the axe because it was too successful.

I have another theory, which is really not so theoretical. When welfare recipients are placed in training or job-creation programs, their cheque is called something else. It is called a "training allowance" and, on paper at least, those people go off the welfare rolls and are considered employed. In March 1987,239,000 British Columbians were on welfare; a year later, there were 217,000. The difference between'those figures exactly corresponds to the 12,000 part-time jobs and 10,000 assists reported in JobTrac's 1986-87 year.

Does that mean JobTrac was sleight of hand? No, though Some New Democrats say it had little substance.

A JobTrac employee who loses his job after working' at least six full months is eligible for federally paid benefits rather lhan Uneemployment federally cost-shared welfare payments from provincial coffers, so the province shiffs some of the burden to the feds. Under which shell is the pea?

I would not for 2 moment suggest that when the government trashed JobTrac it lefl the disadvantaged But as NDP job training critic Anita Hagen suggests, there's $43 million missing that Stan Hagen (no relation to can$taccount for. I get a dinerent figure, though when federal cost-sharing is included in the equation, Anita Hagen may well bc right. sidr, iiagv,,. ,ni,,isiT -- - -rupi"pfi ----.-- <.; -..-miiiinn, while the ministry of sodat sewices has got P26.7 million. I make $54.7 million.

That is a shortfall of$26.3 million from the $81 ~ but Hagen ~ T he ~ ~ ~ million allotted J kllow where tile ha;gone.

Cutting one program and reallocating at least some of the money under different names ("Opportun~ties for Independence" in the ~0Ci2lservices mini~lry, "Employm'ent ~rograins"in advanced educstion) allows it to be rectr;nounccd as soincthing Rep, 50 i~h:, do I get the fceling some ef those dollars are h r ~ n g recycled? And where did the $26.3 million go?

Come to think or it, !!ow much is Premier Bil: V m h ' h i m ' s fXkliiy 1i:i: pr(>!?YXIlcostirig? $20 miliion?d T-_

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The Vancouver Sun, Wednesday, April 20,

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SONG OF THE ELECTRIC CHAIR

By J a n c i s Andrews Eyes only f o r you, c h i c i n my i r o n and l e a t h e r , I s t a n d b e f o r e you, r e q u e s t i n g t h e l a s t dance not a waltz but a l a s t , mad j i t t e r b u g unto d e a t h . Heart t o h e a r t , my arms c l o s e about you, your body r i s i n g i n t o t h e w h i t e f l a s h of a dream: an embrace s o h o t your blood b o i l s , I w i l l rock you, r o l l you, l o v e you w i t h such f e r o c i t y t h e y will have t n rrnsharkle us.

For t h i s moment w a s I born,

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There was a b o n e - c h i l l i n g photograph of a n e l e c t r i c c h a i r i n t h e Globe and Mail t h e o t h e r week; It looked l i k e a n o r d i n a r y , a l t h o u g h heavy, s q u a r e k i t c h e n wooden c h a i r , excepf f o r t h e s h a c k l e s around t h e l e g s and back.

It looked e v i l , t o me.

I understand t h a t when someone i s e l e c t r o c u t e d i n t h e c h a i r , t h e i n a g h a s t l y dance. c u r r e n t throws t h e body around

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PROBLEMS Wendy P e i l d e n $he s i t s a t t h e t a b l e t h e second f l o o r of Carnegie Centre crossed, t h e f r e e foot j i g g l i n g -Ghwmalan stmngman & t h hands d i s t r a c t e d l y fumbling ' &nerd Oscar Mejia V~CCOPCS gith coat buttons She has been s t a r i n g i n t o t h e same cup of c o f f e e .par t h e b e t t e r p a r t of two hours The men n e a r l y s t o p h e r grying t o b r i n g h e r s e l f When s h e t r i e s t o g e t i n t o fy g e t up and l e a v e t h e b u i l d i n g The Women's Cabaret t h e Sunday a f t e r e was i n h o s p i t a l a w h i l e back She meets some o l d f r i e n d s i n s i d e d since then That s h e h a s n ' t seen i n a long time 's been w a i t i n g l i s t s f o r c o u n s e l l o r s And they p u l l t h e i r c h a i r s i n t o a c i r c l e d p s y c h i a t r i s t ' s drugs And t a l k and g o s s i p over c o f f e e and cake e welfare o f f i c e And good music ill having d e c l a r e d h e r f i t f o r work And she feels more relaxed ' t give her the higher r a t e , Than she has been i n a long t i m e . d n o t h i n g t o do i n t h e meantime.

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$he thought s h e ' d go by t h e women's Centre f o r something t o e a t And an h o u r ' s worth of babble Too many men a t Carnegie Giving h e r s t a r e s and saying t h i n g s That s t i r t h e memories and make h e r a f r a i d

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Down t h e road we look 6 t h e r e comes Larry, Hair f a l l i n g o u t and walking b a r e l y .

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There was once a guy named John Who always came along, And c o l l e c t e d mines from m i n e f i e l d s .

If anyone had o n l y known I ' d s a y t h a t John was s l i g h t l y overblown...

That guy named John.

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(from cover) romance of books & movies & song i s i d e a l i z e d ; t h a t r e a l i t y p.resents k i n k s and s q u i r l s and off-the-wall s n a t c h e s of sometimes h o r r i f y i n g s c e n a r i o s ; t h a t s e x u a l p a s s i o n can t o o e a s i l y be mistaken f o r l o v e needing n u r t u r e ; t h a t human c o n t a c t measures everyo n e ' s degree of s p i r i t u a l e v o l u t i o n .

The c y n i c a l humour i n " t h e Anarchy of ~ o v e "and "Love, Sex and Human Contact Day" and (pardon t h e t i t l e ) "Yuppie Love" brought releases of wisdom and common s e n s e laughter a r e e a s i l y i d e n t i f i e d when you become aware of something w i t h t h e g u t f e e l i n g t h a t i t i s something you've always known.

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A f t e r t h e f i r s t hour of scheduled p r e s e n t a t i o n s , t h e microphone was opened t o anyone f o r comments, o p i n i o n s o r more p o e t r y . Only one person u p s e t l i s t e n e r s - a person s a y i n g t h a t sex should be enjoyed t o t h e max without any thought of r e l a t ing t o the partner. He f i n i s h e d with a "hooray f o r s a t a n " and one person applauding, a f t e r having h i s s e s and empty cups f l u n g a t him. The v e r y n e x t speaker expressed hope t h a t men and women a l i k e would form a c o a l i t i o n t o combat t h e s p r e a d of pornog r a p h i c o u t l e t s i n o u r neighbourhood.

T h i s m e t w i t h sound agreement and much a p p l a u s e a s t h e evening in drew t o a c l o s e .

Carnegie, a t l e a s t Viva POETRY!

By PAULR TAYLOR

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