It was pissin' down rain late yesterday afternoon as this pedestrian walked across the Georgia Viaduct toward Main St.
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Pouring Rain
It was pissin' down rain late yesterday afternoon as this pedestrian walked across the Georgia Viaduct toward Main St.
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Just Desserts at the Downtown Community Court
Usually when a Downtown Eastsider walks into a courthouse, they expect to be served something other than jumbo chocolate chip cookies. But that's what they got this afternoon at the opening lunch of the new Community Court on Gore St. near Cordova, beside the Sunrise Market.
The Community Court, which began operating earlier this month and is modeled on one in New York City, will offer a quick, "integrated" response to people nabbed for petty crime in downtown Vancouver. There will be a welfare worker, a housing worker, a forensic psychiatrist, to name a few, in the court house to connect people pleading guilty with services that might help them. The idea is that helping people with some of their underlying problems such as being broke, addicted, homeless, might diminish their temptation to break into your car and mine. Sentences will often involve community service such as cleaning alleys or working in kitchens.
Today, sheriffs standing at the front door of the Community Court were calling out to people walking by on Gore St., "Come on in! Have a burger!" Inside the building, a corridor led past the closed door of a court room and on to an outdoor court yard. Some Downtown Eastsiders recognized it as the courtyard of the old pre-trail jail. Today, it was the site of a lunch catered by the Bread Garden: hamburgers with lettuce, onions, tomatoes, pickles, etc., hot dogs, potato salad, caesar salad with large croutons, bags of potato chips, cans of pop and bottles of water. For dessert, there were assorted fresh jumbo-size chocolate chip cookies with huge chunks of chocolate in them. There were other varieties of jumbo cookies too, like chocolate with almond slivers sprinkled on top.
The guy in the off-white suit and green shirt just left of center in the above photo is a judge in the Community Court. A guy walked up to him and said, "You look sober, you must be the judge." The judge laughed and said, "It's early in the day."
Photo above: Guests mingle in the outdoor court yard where the lunch was held inside the Community Court building.
Photo above: A sheriff in dress uniform stands at the back of the food line up in the outdoor courtyard.
Here a sheriff chats with people lined up for food. Early on, the crowd was made up largely of people who worked in the neighbourhood, with just a smattering of the low income population. But word soon got out that there was a free lunch at the community court -- somebody yelled it out at Main & Hastings -- and a crowd of poor people showed up. The food quickly ran out as they had catered for just 300.
The Community Court, which began operating earlier this month and is modeled on one in New York City, will offer a quick, "integrated" response to people nabbed for petty crime in downtown Vancouver. There will be a welfare worker, a housing worker, a forensic psychiatrist, to name a few, in the court house to connect people pleading guilty with services that might help them. The idea is that helping people with some of their underlying problems such as being broke, addicted, homeless, might diminish their temptation to break into your car and mine. Sentences will often involve community service such as cleaning alleys or working in kitchens.
Today, sheriffs standing at the front door of the Community Court were calling out to people walking by on Gore St., "Come on in! Have a burger!" Inside the building, a corridor led past the closed door of a court room and on to an outdoor court yard. Some Downtown Eastsiders recognized it as the courtyard of the old pre-trail jail. Today, it was the site of a lunch catered by the Bread Garden: hamburgers with lettuce, onions, tomatoes, pickles, etc., hot dogs, potato salad, caesar salad with large croutons, bags of potato chips, cans of pop and bottles of water. For dessert, there were assorted fresh jumbo-size chocolate chip cookies with huge chunks of chocolate in them. There were other varieties of jumbo cookies too, like chocolate with almond slivers sprinkled on top.
The guy in the off-white suit and green shirt just left of center in the above photo is a judge in the Community Court. A guy walked up to him and said, "You look sober, you must be the judge." The judge laughed and said, "It's early in the day."
Photo above: Guests mingle in the outdoor court yard where the lunch was held inside the Community Court building.
Photo above: A sheriff in dress uniform stands at the back of the food line up in the outdoor courtyard.
Here a sheriff chats with people lined up for food. Early on, the crowd was made up largely of people who worked in the neighbourhood, with just a smattering of the low income population. But word soon got out that there was a free lunch at the community court -- somebody yelled it out at Main & Hastings -- and a crowd of poor people showed up. The food quickly ran out as they had catered for just 300.
Another Two Million Dollars from Michael Audain Can't Paper Over his Devaluing of Women
Condo developer and philanthropist Michael Audain, ducking criticism for giving the Audain Lifetime Achievement Award to Jeff Wall who allegedly operated a sexual harassment ring while head of the Simon Fraser University Visual Arts Department, has given more money to a cause he has named after ....himself.
Audain has slapped down $2 million for The Audain Emerging Artists Aquisition Fund at the Vancouver Art Gallery. The Fund will allow the Art Gallery to purchase art works from British Columbia artists, 35 years old and under, considered promising.
Who would be considered promising? Young artists who spread their legs for Jeff Wall or his underling professors Greg Snider, or David McWilliam, and zipped their lips? To a survivor of advanced sexual harassment by both Wall and Snider at SFU, this is no joke: "I doubt Audain could afford to see an artist as promising if she's been talking about what went on at SFU. He and Wall are friends."
The survivor sees Kathleen Bartels, Director of the Vancouver Art Gallery, as part of the problem too. As long as Audain is throwing money at the VAG, Bartels seems willing to allow boys to be boys. Bartels allowed Audain, Chairman of the Vancouver Art Gallery Foundation, to hold a party on VAG premises to present Wall with his Lifetime Achievement Award while he remained uninvestigated for the sexual harassment ring he allegedly operated. Just two weeks ago, Bartels told the Globe & Mail, “If we only had five more Michael Audains, we'd be in a more significant place.”
"All I've asked for is an investigation", says a survivor, adding that it's difficult to get one when Audain and Bartels are essentially covering for Wall. Never once has Audain called for an investigation in the sexual harassment environment at the SFU Centre for the Contemporary Arts under Wall. [Audain also donated money to a Gallery to be named after himself at the soon-to-be-opened SFU Centre for the Contemporary Arts which has been accused of attempting to bury their sexual harassment history in the foundation, like the mafia buried the corpse of Jimmy Hoffa.] Bartels is certainly not in the dark about the allegations against Wall. A survivor briefed her assistant after she took the job as Director of the VAG.
Bottom line: All the money Audain throws at the new Audain Emerging Artists Acquisition Fund can't paper over his devaluing of young women.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Raise-A-Reader
September 24th is Raise-A-Reader Day.
This reader was snapped today on the 6th floor of the Vancouver Public Library Central Branch on Robson St.
Who's he reading? Karl Popper, who wrote that Plato was the first fascist.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Former Premier Glen Clark's Teenage Daughter, Layne, Lands Newspaper Column
The last time I saw Layne Clark, it was years ago on the evening news. Her father NDP Premier Glen Clark was in the middle of a scandal so a Vancouver news crew went to the airport to meet him. Layne was just a kid and when she saw her father get off the plane, she ran into his arms.
I remember the reporter saying her name was "Layne"; the name stuck in my mind because I thought it was unusual but I liked it.
Well, Layne has grown up faster than a fast ferry. She's just started her first year at Simon Fraser University. I noticed yesterday that she's started writing a Monday column for 24 Hours newspaper called "Campus Life".
This week, Layne wrote about her battle with procrastination. "...I still like to come home and, instead of researching for that essay thesis due next week, I'm more interested in, say, going to McDonalds to eat with my friends before sitting down and watching the newest episode of So You Think You Can Dance."
Layne is no doubt benefiting from her father's connections. When Glen Clark stepped down as Premier, billionaire businessman Jimmy Pattison hired him. When the Pattison Group and Sun Media started 24 Hours as a joint venture, Clark had the job of managing it. Pattison sold his share of the Vancouver edition in 2007.
I remember the reporter saying her name was "Layne"; the name stuck in my mind because I thought it was unusual but I liked it.
Well, Layne has grown up faster than a fast ferry. She's just started her first year at Simon Fraser University. I noticed yesterday that she's started writing a Monday column for 24 Hours newspaper called "Campus Life".
This week, Layne wrote about her battle with procrastination. "...I still like to come home and, instead of researching for that essay thesis due next week, I'm more interested in, say, going to McDonalds to eat with my friends before sitting down and watching the newest episode of So You Think You Can Dance."
Layne is no doubt benefiting from her father's connections. When Glen Clark stepped down as Premier, billionaire businessman Jimmy Pattison hired him. When the Pattison Group and Sun Media started 24 Hours as a joint venture, Clark had the job of managing it. Pattison sold his share of the Vancouver edition in 2007.
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Puppet Board Members Not Showing Up for Meetings
Remember the puppet Board that Jean Swanson and Paul Taylor installed at Carnegie in June, as a strategy for ensuring that pro-democracy incumbent Rachel Davis would not get elected? At the Sept. 4th Board meeting at Carnegie, President Matthew Matthew announced that this new Board couldn’t get things done because too few of them were showing up at Committee meetings to get a quorum. The front page of both the August and September Board meeting hand-outs shows just how lax the new Board is:
September Board Meeting
Program Committee Report – No Report
Community Relations Report – No Report
Oppenheimer Park Committee Report – No Report
Seniors’ Support Group Report – No Report
Volunteer Committee Report – No Report
Education/Library Committee Report – No Report
Publications Committee Report – No Report
Finance Committee Report – No Report
Just two Committee Reports were available to members at the September Board meeting: the Program Committee Report, and Community Relations Committee Report.
August Board meeting
Program Committee Report – No Report
Community Relations Committee Report – No Report
Oppenheimer Park Committee Report – No Report
Seniors’ Support Group Report – No Report
Volunteer Committee Report – No Report
Education/Library Committee Report – No Report
Publications Committee Report – No Report
At the August Board meeting, only the Finance Committee had a report for members .
Not only Committee meetings but the monthly Board meetings have not proven to be magnets for the puppet Board. One onlooker reported that “quite a few of them” were no shows at the September 4th meeting.
At the September Board meeting, President Matthew asked for feedback on what to do about too few Board members showing up for committee meetings. He was described as "patient" by a witness. There was some discussion, with Board member Stephen Lytton stating that Board members had an obligation to the membership to make an effort to show up at committee meetings.
At one point during the discussion, the contentious issue of Roberts Rules surfaced. Carnegie Director Ethel Whitty noted that Matthew Matthew, in his role as Chair, was allowed to vote at meetings when a tie vote needed to be broken. As she spoke, Matthew Matthew offered to check a point in Roberts Rules. He put his hand on his copy of Roberts Rules and was about to open it when Whitty interjected, “No. No.” That elicited laughter from Board and audience members.
The laughter stemmed from the fact that it was well known that when Rachel Davis was on the Board, she wanted Roberts Rules followed. Wilf Reimer and other members also insisted that Roberts Rules be followed so that people could speak at meetings without being cut off. Jeff Sommers, a Board member at the time, did not agree. “Do you need a rule to piss?”, Sommers asked at two separate meetings. Finally, after a meeting in which Paul Taylor responded to a question by Rachel Davis with "Shut Up!" and to Wilf Reimer with, "Up your ass!", the City of Vancouver sent three copies of Roberts Rules to Carnegie. You can bet that Whitty, who is the City’s representative on the Board, has not mentioned to her bosses at the City that she is discouraging the Chair from opening that book.
Now that there aren't quorums at committee meetings, it seems that the committee process is simply being skipped. Despite the fact that there was “No Report” from the Volunteer Committee for August and September, a major decision to prohibit tipping of kitchen volunteers has been made. On Sept. 5th, I noticed a sign on the cash register in the cafeteria stating something to the effect, “Tipping of concession workers is prohibited. Management” The tip jar had been removed. “That’s why there’s no volunteer today,” a staff person said, referring to the fact that the cashier was working alone with no helper to dish up food and keep the line-up of hungry customers moving fast. The kitchen volunteers are dirt poor, usually getting welfare, and count on tips. But Whitty, who gets $104,000 salary -- and presumably she was included in the huge raise City managers got a few months back -- has stated openly to members that she does not believe volunteers should get tips.
The failure to get quorums at meetings is no doubt working out nicely for Whitty. She likes meetings to be short. At an important election recount meeting this summer, despite members being clearly upset, Whitty sneaked out early. She just disappeared. Poof!! Like 'I Dream of Jeannie'. Members also recall a Community Relations meeting last year when Whitty had to answer for the undemocratic barring of elected Board member William Simpson from Board meetings. Whitty was upset that she had been inconvenienced. "I can't do" long meetings, she insisted twice.
September Board Meeting
Program Committee Report – No Report
Community Relations Report – No Report
Oppenheimer Park Committee Report – No Report
Seniors’ Support Group Report – No Report
Volunteer Committee Report – No Report
Education/Library Committee Report – No Report
Publications Committee Report – No Report
Finance Committee Report – No Report
Just two Committee Reports were available to members at the September Board meeting: the Program Committee Report, and Community Relations Committee Report.
August Board meeting
Program Committee Report – No Report
Community Relations Committee Report – No Report
Oppenheimer Park Committee Report – No Report
Seniors’ Support Group Report – No Report
Volunteer Committee Report – No Report
Education/Library Committee Report – No Report
Publications Committee Report – No Report
At the August Board meeting, only the Finance Committee had a report for members .
Not only Committee meetings but the monthly Board meetings have not proven to be magnets for the puppet Board. One onlooker reported that “quite a few of them” were no shows at the September 4th meeting.
At the September Board meeting, President Matthew asked for feedback on what to do about too few Board members showing up for committee meetings. He was described as "patient" by a witness. There was some discussion, with Board member Stephen Lytton stating that Board members had an obligation to the membership to make an effort to show up at committee meetings.
At one point during the discussion, the contentious issue of Roberts Rules surfaced. Carnegie Director Ethel Whitty noted that Matthew Matthew, in his role as Chair, was allowed to vote at meetings when a tie vote needed to be broken. As she spoke, Matthew Matthew offered to check a point in Roberts Rules. He put his hand on his copy of Roberts Rules and was about to open it when Whitty interjected, “No. No.” That elicited laughter from Board and audience members.
The laughter stemmed from the fact that it was well known that when Rachel Davis was on the Board, she wanted Roberts Rules followed. Wilf Reimer and other members also insisted that Roberts Rules be followed so that people could speak at meetings without being cut off. Jeff Sommers, a Board member at the time, did not agree. “Do you need a rule to piss?”, Sommers asked at two separate meetings. Finally, after a meeting in which Paul Taylor responded to a question by Rachel Davis with "Shut Up!" and to Wilf Reimer with, "Up your ass!", the City of Vancouver sent three copies of Roberts Rules to Carnegie. You can bet that Whitty, who is the City’s representative on the Board, has not mentioned to her bosses at the City that she is discouraging the Chair from opening that book.
Now that there aren't quorums at committee meetings, it seems that the committee process is simply being skipped. Despite the fact that there was “No Report” from the Volunteer Committee for August and September, a major decision to prohibit tipping of kitchen volunteers has been made. On Sept. 5th, I noticed a sign on the cash register in the cafeteria stating something to the effect, “Tipping of concession workers is prohibited. Management” The tip jar had been removed. “That’s why there’s no volunteer today,” a staff person said, referring to the fact that the cashier was working alone with no helper to dish up food and keep the line-up of hungry customers moving fast. The kitchen volunteers are dirt poor, usually getting welfare, and count on tips. But Whitty, who gets $104,000 salary -- and presumably she was included in the huge raise City managers got a few months back -- has stated openly to members that she does not believe volunteers should get tips.
The failure to get quorums at meetings is no doubt working out nicely for Whitty. She likes meetings to be short. At an important election recount meeting this summer, despite members being clearly upset, Whitty sneaked out early. She just disappeared. Poof!! Like 'I Dream of Jeannie'. Members also recall a Community Relations meeting last year when Whitty had to answer for the undemocratic barring of elected Board member William Simpson from Board meetings. Whitty was upset that she had been inconvenienced. "I can't do" long meetings, she insisted twice.
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