The iconic East Van cross at the corner of Great Northern Way and Clark Drive. Photo: Sera Akdogan

As Nick Hunnings gazes out the window and sees the liveliness of East Vancouver, he knows it’s going to be a great day for film production.

A trailer of Hunnings’ new web series The Drive will be shown at the #EastVanLove tweetup event at the Goldcorp Centre for the Arts on April 11.

The tweetup will also feature stories that make up East Vancouver’s historic legacy by inspiring guest speakers and slideshows, followed by a networking party.

For those not familiar with the term, a “tweetup” is an event where people can get together and meet each other, sharing their love of the community.

“Vancouver’s a huge social media community and this event is meant to take the offline and bring it online,” said Mike Despotovic, tweetup organizer.

Despotovic organizes #EastVanLove with founders Ajay Puri and Andriy Mishchenko.

The Broadway/Commercial SkyTrain station is the transit centre of the Drive. Photo: Sera Akdogan

Journey to Now #EastVanLove’s upcoming tweetup

“It’s a great coming together of minds,” said Jason Vanderhill, who will be one of the guest speakers at the event. “What I’m looking forward to is the great amount of knowledge that will be shared between everyone.”

Vanderhill will present a slideshow featuring a worldwide tour of the visual art history of East Vancouver, from its past to present.

“I will be speaking about artistic exploration and showing work from 100 years ago to today,” said Vanderhill. “I’m very honoured to be a part of it.”

EastVan’s own web series The Drive to start in fall

The web series The Drive will feature the lives of East Vancouver roommates as they struggle to find their way on Commercial Drive.

The series aims to be recognizable to viewers. “The businesses, entrepreneurs and artists are real people and are sort of built into the structure of the narratives, so they are part of the story,” explained producer Nick Hunnings. “What we wanted to do was showcase and reveal a lot of the hidden talent on Commercial Drive and the East Vancouver area.”

At the end of each webisode, Hunnings plans to have links and promotional tools representing everyone involved, from independent designers to local businesses and artists.

“We were lucky to have Dan Mangan and other independent artists who will have their work featured on the show,” said Hunnings, who plans on shooting in the fall. “Currently we are assembling our production team and we are amidst in rewrites as of right now.”

The Drive a story of makeshift EastVan family 

A man in one of East Van’s trendy coffee shops. Photo: Sera Akdogan

“We are ultimately telling the story of our experiences living here. What we’re trying to do is show that the neighbourhood has been such a huge part of our growth and we want to pay respect to it because it is a huge part of our own stories,” said Hunnings.

The Drive has received very positive reactions, said Hunnings.

“People really like the idea and have been very encouraging and calling and asking to be a part of the show. They have been offering us their venues and artists have been sending us music,” Hunnings said. “It’s been incredibly rewarding and really reinforces what the show’s about and what’s important about the show.”

Hunnings invites the community to share their readings and, in return, he even shares the script with people.

The promotional trailer will be the same clip that will be shown at #EastVanLove, despite recent cast changes.

“Since filing the trailer, casting is not accurate in terms of the people involved, but that’s an accurate depiction of what the show is about and what it will look like.” In the fall, the trailer will be replaced.

Hunnings and his production team will be at the tweetup and looks forward to meeting people in the community.

“It’s a celebration of the neighbourhood and there’s lots of people that are working hard to put that event together and share people’s stories and talents and that’s the most exciting part of it,“ he said. “That’s why we’re doing the show, to share stories, so it’s great to be a part of an event like that.”

Reported by Sera Akdogan

Watch the trailer of East Van’s upcoming web series The Drive

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Jacobson referred audience members’ questions about the Keystone XL pipeline to the president during his Thursday talk at the SFU Surrey campus. Photo: Ben Bulmer

“The greatest country in the history of the world.”

So said David Jacobson, the U.S. ambassador to Canada, as he gave a speech yesterday at Simon Fraser University’s Surrey campus.

Jacobson, a Chicago lawyer, previously worked for the Obama administration before becoming the ambassador in 2009 and described the position as, “the best job in the world.”

Comparing the North American nations

“Canada is properly the place in the world that is most like the United States,” he said.

Jacobson described the differences between the two nations as subtle, but said seeing a picture of George III in the Parliament buildings in Ottawa was the point where he realised the main historical differences between the U.S. and Canada.

“Standing there looking at that portrait [I realised] that every single thing about our system of government is designed so that that guy will never come back, and no one like him will ever come back.”

Jacobson said that these historical differences are some of the foundations which separate Canada from the U.S.

The four main priorities of Jacobson’s job were the basis of his talk. Those priorities were trade, energy and the environment, border issues and foreign policy.

“Canada and the United States have the largest trading relationship in the history of the world.”

Jacobson said that its supply chain was incredibly complicated. Whereas the U.S. trades with nearly all countries on earth, he said the relationship was different with Canada because, “We make stuff with Canada.”

The ambassador explained this was the fundamental difference between Canada U.S. trade relations and those it has with other countries.

With $1.2 trillion of bilateral trade between the two countries each year Jacobson stressed the importance of a free flowing border without compromising security.

A question period followed his speech and the 70 students and faculty, many of whom were from Western Washington University, had a chance to query the ambassador.

Keystone XL questions kicked to the curb

Throughout the period, the audience steered the conversation towards environmental issues, namely the Keystone XL pipeline.

The ambassador eluded many of the queries regarding the project.

“I’m not going to tell you what’s going to happen, that’s up to the President.”

SFU student Heather Sorenson wasn’t surprised Jacobson didn’t give a decision on the pipeline, adding that the question had to be asked but it would be shocking if he answered.

Western Washington student Johnny Alavez said trade was the most important issue facing him because of living so close to the border.

“Trade between Canada and the U.S. has benefitted Washington, specifically Whatcom County, which lies on the border with Canada, and that’s one of the reasons why Whatcom County has done so well in the recession, because of trade from Canada, because of the strong Canadian dollar.”

Western Washington student Christian de Minter said that the difference between Canadians and Americans was that Americans are too individual.

“We don’t care enough about each other. Some of us do, but as a whole, we’re about ourselves more than those around us. I feel we could do better if we came together and thought of [issues] not as each individual problems, but as problems as a whole. ”

Reported by Ben Bulmer

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Transit shelter at Alberta and 49th Ave. showcases a BUTCH photo.
Photo by Patrick Colvin

A new public art exhibition in Vancouver shows women expressing themselves in a way not usually seen on advertising space – it shows women expressing their inner masculinity.

The exhibition, titled BUTCH: Not like the other girls, is comprised of images taken by acclaimed Vancouver photographer SD Holman.  These images can be seen on 20 transit shelters throughout Vancouver, using space usually reserved for advertising.

“I think it’s incredible, I think women need to see other women in different lights,” said Theresa Wilson, creator of Dykeit.com.  According to Wilson, the images present “different ideas of what a woman can be, so that we can all make choices that feel good for us personally.”

BUTCH: Not like the other girls will be shown as a gallery exhibition at The Cultch performance space located at 1895 Venables Street between April 9 to 25.

Removing limitations on how a woman is defined 

The exhibition seeks to function as a resistance “to the limitations on the way women, gender, and sexuality are still defined,” according to Holman’s website.

“I think it’s appropriate and not surprising that this is something that is happening in Vancouver . . . change is happening, and it’s fantastic,” said Wilson.

Ross Johnstone, director of education for anti-bullying organization Out in Schools, understands the benefits of the public art exhibition.

“If it’s the first time someone is being confronted by an image that they absolutely not only feel comfortable with but relate to…that will have an impact on helping them feel more comfortable, ultimately helping to make them feel not alone,” said Johnstone.

Reported by Patrick Colvin 

Listen to a podcast on the interview with Theresa Wilson by Patrick Colvin here:

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Michelle Nguyen bouldering at the Hive Indoor Climbing Gym. Photo: Niall Shannon

Fred Villarosa grips onto the wall high in the air. He has no gear, no rope or harness to keep him secure so high above. With the utmost concentration, Villarosa looks left and right and gingerly reaches out for the nearest ledge.

Villarosa is in the middle of bouldering, a high action sport that involves rock climbing without a harness or ropes. While bouldering can be done outside, the sport is growing with a number of indoor climbing gyms, where boulderers climb with the luxury of safety pads.

“[Bouldering] is a lot of fun, you get to meet new people and get a good workout too. After an hour I’m exhausted,” said Villarosa, who has been bouldering for over a year alongside friend and spotting partner Michelle Nguyen.

Learning to fall an important skill 

Villarosa and Nguyen got into bouldering after a mutual friend who was into climbing told them about the thrill of bouldering. The pair frequent the Hive indoor climbing gym, which is the only bouldering gym in Vancouver. The Hive was started last March and is already at its 2,000 member limit.

“It can be dangerous, you know, you have nothing to secure you,” said Nguyen. “You need to know how to fall properly because otherwise you could pop out your shoulder.”

Though there is an element of risk, Nguyen said the benefits far outweigh the dangers. These include a good, fun workout with the chance to meet new people, according to Nguyen.

Climbers getting ready to boulder at the Hive Indoor Climbing Gym, Thursday April 6, 2013. Photo: Niall Shannon

Bouldering the best workout possible

“If I was single, I would go here to pick up people,” said Nguyen with a grin.

Scott Zacharias, a business consultant, loves the chance to do a sport with his daughter Brielle, and said it is the best kind of workout possible.

Zacharias is a decade-long fan of bouldering and climbs four to six hours a week at the Coastal Climbing Centre in Surrey.

Veteran climber and former member of the national bouldering team Celeste Wall said with bouldering gyms open in both Surrey and Vancouver, the sport is becoming more and more popular in B.C.

Reported by Niall Shannon

In this  video, a climber in The Hive showcases how to boulder at a charity event on Feb. 5, 2013

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Liquid natural gas, emissions targets and fracking were the main points of discussion during last night’s talk at the Rio Theatre. Photo: Ben Bulmer

Shouts of green-wash came from the audience when BC Liberal candidate Gabby Kalaw justified his party’s stance on Liquid Natural Gas at last night’s Bring Your Boomers Election Forum held at the Rio Theatre.

Over 400 people attended the talk on climate change, organised by The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives and Gen Why Media. A panel of five candidates in the upcoming B.C. Provincial Election answered questions from three prominent young environmentalists as well as questions from the audience.

Liquid natural gas, emissions targets and fracking the main points of contention

Liquefied nature gas (LNG) was one of the main topics of discussion, as well as B.C.’s 2020 emissions targets and fracking.

Fracking involves injecting a slurry of chemicals into rocks. The reaction breaks the stones open and releases petroleum, other natural gases and other resources.

“To me natural gas looks like hundreds of trucks full of sand, chemicals and water,” said Caleb Behn who added that it was his native territory in the North-East of B.C. which generated large amounts of B.C.’s income but bears the price of environmental destruction.

The documentary film maker continued to say that 95 per cent of Fort Nelson First Nations Territory has been sold for LNG production in the last five years.

Candidates’ stances on climate change questioned

Kalaw wouldn’t give a straight yes or no answer to his party’s stance on the Enbridge pipeline nor the Kinder Morgan pipeline expansion, referring several times to the B.C. Liberals policy of five environmental checks the party have proposed.

BC NDP environmental critic Rob Fleming was criticized by the panel for not giving a definite answer on his party’s stance on the Kinder Morgan pipeline expansion. The Victoria-Swan Lake MLA did add that if the energy industry couldn’t guarantee that water wouldn’t be contaminated and that human health put at risk, then the industry wouldn’t be given a social licence to do business.

Sixteen-year-old Sam Harrison from Kids for Climate Change received large amounts of support from the audience for his knowledgeable and direct questioning of the candidate’s. Harrison questioned the BC Liberals stance on LNG and accused the party of neglecting renewable energy development in favour of LNG.

The Green Party’s Jane Sterk said her party are committed to the 2020 emission’s target as well as opposing the Kinder Morgan expansion. Sterk also announced that if her party are successful it would increase the carbon tax from $10 to $50 a ton.

BC Conservative candidate Duane Nickull distanced his party several times from the federal conservatives and proposed investment into geothermal energy. The IT entrepreneur, standing against the premier Christy Clark in the Point Grey riding talked at length about B.C.’s geothermal possibilities and said that if he was successful he would change the Geothermal Resources Act. Nickull accused the current government to making it impossible for companies to invest in geothermal energy in B.C.

Independent MLA for Cariboo North Bob Simpson criticized the BC Liberals environmental record adding that economies can be created in different ways whereas the environment cannot.

“Bill Clinton ran an election on ‘It’s the economy stupid,’ we need an election run on ‘It’s the ecology stupid,’” said Simpson.

Reported by Ben Bulmer

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Students Diana Cuellar (left) and Becky Salmon (right) with acclaimed actor and writer Carmen Aguirre. Photo: Patrick Colvin

Not many students know what it is like to live under the reign of a brutal dictator – let alone take up arms as a revolutionary to fight against one – but honoured Langara alumna Carmen Aguirre does.

On Thursday she shared that experience in a presentation with Langara’s Latin American cultural perspectives class.

Carmen Aguirre, a Studio 58 graduate, is a celebrated theatre artist who has been involved in over twenty plays as well as multiple film and television productions.

Her award winning 2012 memoir, Something Fierce: Memoirs of a Revolutionary Daughter, outlines her experience in the Chilean resistance movement where she fought against the brutal regime of Augusto Pinochet.

Her presentation began with a reading from her memoir.

The section she chose to read centered around words repeated by a fellow resistance fighter during a turbulent train ride through Peru: “any experience is good.”

When asked what those words meant to her, Aguirre replied, “They mean everything happens for a reason, no matter what you go through, you were meant to go through it, and you will learn something from it.”

Students in praise of Aguirre’s book

Students not only learned a great deal from Aguirre’s book, they really enjoyed it.

“I’m from South America myself . . . I love it, I just loved the book,” said student Diana Cuellar.

Cuellar’s classmate Becky Salmon shared a similar sentiment.

“It was fantastic, I just hammered through it,“ said Salmon, adding, “it was so inspiring, it’s weird from reading the book, it was like meeting a movie star.”

Aguirre is currently busy writing a follow up to Something Fierce while continuing to work on television and theatre projects.

Honoured alumna still has soft spot for Langara College

“I’m always very inspired by young people, I feel energized whenever I do a presentation with young people,” said Aguirre.

“I have a soft spot for Langara because I did graduate from here, those were very important years of my life.”

When asked how she would define her experience at Langara, Aguirre replied with a laugh, “earth shattering.”

Reported by Patrick Colvin

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Save On Meats was one among several businesses to be at the receiving end of the past month’s wave of anti-gentrification activism. Photo: Raul P via flickr.com

DTES business owners and residents met last night to discuss safety measures following a recent wave of stolen sandwich boards and smashed windows.

The meeting was put together by the Hastings Crossing Business Improvement Association to address the past month’s spike of anti-gentrification vandalism.

Several businesses have been vandalized and robbed in the past month, including the high-profile theft of a sandwich board from the Save On Meats diner.

“The normal processes of development do put pressure on low income communities and can have negative consequences, but we can also leverage this for positive consequences,” said Wes Regan, executive director for Hastings Crossing Business Improvement Association.

A meeting was held last night at the Lost and Found café on West Hastings for residents, businesses and community organizations in the area to collaborate on ways to keep their streets safe. Discussions took place on community relations and the different partnerships that have emerged, such as the Pigeon Park Street Market.

Businesses reflect on the neighbourhood’s needs

Regan said the BIA understands there are issues in the area and that in running a pro-business organization, he understands housing is needed.

“This is a predominantly low income, but mixed community and we’re also concerned about displacement of residents and of existing businesses,” he said. “If we are going to have a diverse community where we have low income residents living alongside higher income earners, we also have to respect the fact that we should have a strategy in place to ensure that we have a range of business types that are able to accommodate, serve and employ a mixed community.”

Judy McGuire, executive director of Inner-City Safety Society, believes that community safety is about community development.

“It’s about working in a place that makes way from the ground up with everybody who’s in your community so that you can not only keep people safe but you can train them how to be safe,” she said.

Gentrification still a contentious issue between businesses and activists

But conflict remains between anti-gentrification activists and businesses in the DTES community.

“The biggest social problem in Vancouver does not have an elected official responsible for it,” said Jack Jardine, who works at the Pigeon Park Street Market.

Jardine said the conflict could start to be resolved when someone with political power is directly responsible for the area and for businesses to help the community by continuing to hire residents from the Downtown East Side.

Over the next year businesses and organizations, like Mission Possible and Hastings Crossing BIA, will be working on preventative safety measures in the area, creating a greater mix of low and high-income workers in businesses and greater support on the streets for immediate assistance.

Reported by Brenna Brooks

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Fans watch on as model, Susan Puno, walks the runway at the AWEAR charity fashion show put on at Langara, April 2. Photo: Deanna Cheng.

Langara College held its fourth annual charity fashion show last night, transforming the upper level of the library into a swanky boutique and runway.

The event, organized by the Special Events Planning and Marketing class and the Langara Business Association (LBA), donated all proceeds to the Battered Women’s Support Services (BWSS).

Event organizers have donated to a different charity for each of the previous three years.

LBA president Emma Leigha Munro was very happy with the turnout and said the show was a sell out. All 160 tickets were sold a week ago.

What’s more, the event was put together by a handful of dedicated individuals.

“It’s amazing what students can achieve with zero budget and volunteers. We completely transformed the space,” Munro said.

The agenda for the evening started with a silent auction, featuring items donated by the long list of sponsors and live entertainment with DJ Eric V and saxophonist Karla Sleightholme.

After guests enjoyed complimentary appetizers donated by Safeway, guest found their seat in one of the many silk-wrapped chairs surrounding the runway.

The hosts, actor Ron Wear and television presenter Alexia Fairbrother introduced each designer between sets and gave thanks to the list of over 30 sponsors that contributed to the event.

The designers included JC Studio, Francesca by Pamela Ordonez, Parisian Lady Custom Design, Avalon Rose, and a collaboration of designs from John Casablanca graduates and clothing from My Sister’s Closet, a social enterprise for the BWSS.

One of the board members of the BWSS, Jennifer Johnstone, gave a heartfelt thank you to all those that volunteered and contributed to the establishment, which has been around since 1979.

LBA member Virginia Millsap, who modeled for the show, was pleased that My Sister’s Closet “specifically asked for models of all ethnicities, shapes and sizes.”

Millsap also held auditions for the volunteer models, which they found through a Craigslist ad and by contacting modeling agencies and took measurements and sending off pictures to the designers for approval.

Reported by Kristen Harpula

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The Shit Harper Did comedy tour. Photo courtesy of Sarah Berman.

Apathy among young voters had always been a problem in Canada but the creators of shitharperdid.ca say they may have found a way to get young people interested in political issues.

Kevin Lee is one of the writers for the site, and his background in improv and stand-up comedy is one of the reasons he was chosen to help found the site.

“The political climate in Canada can be very boring,” Lee said.

“Politicians speak in repetition and dull tones and it can be a very unpersuasive method to get people engaged. Comedy circumvents all that and makes it funny and something you can identify with.”

Comedy as a means to an end

While the site may have an overt comedic tone it still strives to educate, and that the comedy is a means to an ends.

“It stems from reading [articles about the Harper government] and then wanting to get at the core of what is a bit absurd or unbelievable about what’s happening. That easily translates into comedy,” Lee said.

Essentially, those who run the site want to make Canadian politics less intimidating by providing a starting point and to also mitigate the feelings of alienation that can overwhelm someone interested in learning.

Marketing and social media approach

Another approach the founders of shitharperdid.ca are taking is to promote discussion on Canadian politics through the use of social media.

Jason Ho is an assistant professor at SFU, with a specialty in viral marketing, and said this is a good way to get youth interested.

“You need to treat the content created by any political party as a conversation to be passed along,” Ho said.

“It’s not like TV, where the brand talks to the audience. With viral content you can make the sender of the content feel like that can be a part of the conversation they can have with their friend.”

“That’s why humour works so well.”

According to Ho, the key part to making content viral is to make the consumer see an opportunity to connect with other consumers or another audience. That’s critical.

“Its not so much about the content putting forth persuasive content. If you want to get the content viral, you have to make sure the audience would pass that thing among themselves to have a conversation.”

Reported by Brian Horstead

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Tanille Geib is the author of Love + Cooking. Photo: Chena San Martin

Imagine taking your every experience with love and sex and sharing the intimate details with the world. Taking the heartbreak, joy and peaks of bliss of your relationships, breaking them down into every image and feeling, opening your heart and soul, pouring the writhing guts upon the floor and exposing yourself.

A trip into the pages of her book Love + Cooking is a trip into the soul of Tanille Geib.  Her experience in and out of love, lost in the intimacy of lovemaking and the passion of sex.

The pages are scattered with poetry, lyrics, recipes, paintings and letters.

“I classify myself a lover of humans,” Geib explains. “I’m kind of all over the place, but my main focus is connecting with humans and so whatever genre I find myself doing that, that’s kind of the goal.”

Short story Yogurt Cunt launches book idea

Her book was one of the projects that came out of the creative writing program last term at Langara College. After being awarded second place in the creative non-fiction category for her chapter Yogurt Cunt, she published it in W49 Literary magazine.

“It made me realize that I have a product that people are interested in,” said Geib. “That was sort of the jump off for this project.”

Beginning writing poetry at seven years old, Geib has filled her life with theatre, producing and art. She found inspiration in her relationships and the pages of her journal. The patterns became apparent when a common theme of sex and food emerged.  Everyone she meets inspire her to tell stories and share the world through her eyes.

Chena San Martin’s nod to Annie Leibovitz illustrates Geib’s brussels sprouts recipe in Love + Cooking.

“Even in the bedroom when people bring their flavours to it, I am so interested in connecting with people and seeing what makes them tick,” said Geib.

The relationship between food and sex in the book shows a documented evolution that took place over the last 10 years for Geib.

The focus on the importance of feeding our bodies and pleasuring all of our senses brings forth the connection between our mind and our how we interpret every sense.

Next book about gluten-free, penis-free life

After a diagnosis of celiac disease and the end of her relationship with Bryan, her lover in the book, Geib was inspired to begin her next writing project from a gluten-free, penis-free lifestyle.

With the book launch for Love + Cooking coming up on April 12 at the Beaumont Studios, Geib is excited for fun and exciting projects heading her way.

Love + Cooking has also been slated for production as an immersive play through the In the House Festival next June.

Reported by Angela Holubowich

Here’s two video previews of the erotic cookbook, as presented by Tanille Geib

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