INSIDE W2 Olympics hangout for independent media offers tools, discussions and dance blowouts

"Look," says Mark Smith, who is in Vancouver from Toronto to experience the Olympics. "It's cauliflowering."

Smith is pointing to his computer screen, showing me an unfolding analysis of Twitter activity during the opening ceremonies. An online application on his laptop maps the tweets of, among others, VANOC and W2 Community Media Arts, the social media hub in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside where Smith and I are standing.

One way to read the data on the Smith's screen is that VANOC, for all its money and power, can't keep up with W2's Twitter-tech savvy. Tweets launched from W2 are far outstripping those with VANOC hashtags, and the various 140-character angles on the Games clearly are more diverse.

Complete with a computer lab, a legal observers station and a gallery space/conference room, W2 is a red-hot node of influence and information, providing a space for non-accredited journalists, writers, tweeters and bloggers to expand the Olympics overview past the corporate hype.

Splicing and dicing

Placards dot the minimalist, white-walled space, announcing W2 participants like Fearless City Mobile, CJSF, Momentum, or Jonah B Lewis. I find my way to the centre's tiny editing room, fully wired for splicing and dicing, and am pleasantly surprised to find no hard glares while peering at the screen of Paloma Friedman from Maisonneuve Magazine.

Friedman explains that every visit has given her an opportunity to meet someone interesting and get a tip on what stories need covering. She describes it as an "interactive community" primarily employing Twitter to find audiences for "unpolished, on-the-ground" journalism.

On my way downstairs to the gallery, where one of the many daily conferences are being held, I run into Olivia Brennan, who is working for Kinney Tang and the GoldenFilmstrip Entertainment Group Ltd. She is taking some of her first steps into video production and eagerly recounts a tale about residents of the tent village dancing late into the morning the night before. Brennan speaks of being struck by the contrast between the privileged celebrations of the Cultural Olympiad and the raw spontaneity of a homeless shuffle.

She is just getting warmed up, literally. The editing room is too hot, she says, and in need of a big fan. But Brennan is impressed by the supportive community at W2 and the resources available.

Critical debate on arts and society

Running downstairs, late for the conference on the state of the arts in B.C., I arrive in time for a synopsis about the 90 per cent budget cuts by a panel that includes Irwin Oostindie (executive director of W2), Amir Ali Alibhai (Alliance for Arts), Jennifer Pickering (React 2010.com), Jonathan Middleton (Artist-Run Centres and Collectives Conference), and Greg Younging (UBC, formerly of the B.C. Arts Council).

The attendance is sparse, with only about 15 people in the room, tweeting and tapping on their Apples and Blackberries. Lianne Payne, administrative director at W2, mentions that they are facing some challenges with these conference programs as the journalists, busy with the myriad of happenings, have been less than reliable in signing up.

Some highlights in the discussions: The contradictions between a projected one-night cost for the opening ceremonies ($38-40 million) and B.C.'s dwindling arts budget ($3.5 million); B.C.'s lack of a cultural policy; the idea that the arts are considered frivolity; and the fact that arts are an investment which yield a return of $1.36 per each dollar spent, according the B.C. government.

The discussants are highly critical of branding of First Nation's issues, like the commodification of the Cowichan sweaters or the Inukshuk logo (now a trendy tattoo request at Adrenaline on Granville Street), and the lack of attention given to the Stolen Sister's campaign.

The United Nations initiative to protect the intellectual property of indigenous groups hasn't achieved what it might, notes Younging, and the selective use of First Nations artwork and imagery during the Olympics give an incomplete picture." A facade is created by showing individuals art without showing the reality of peoples living conditions."

'There's a community upsurge, unfunded'

Isis Benevolent, communication coordinator for CJSM, finds the information-hungry atmosphere at W2 intense, but also inspiring. She wants more people to be aware of grassroots artists and to see them sharply juxtaposed to high-profile Olympic performers, and W2, she says, is helping that to happen. "The Cultural Olympiad has triggered a huge explosion of arts and culture ... there's a community upsurge, unfunded."

W2 is also organizing a barrage of local and international poets, story tellers and artists to collaborate in evening readings and performances, and hosts evening music and dance parties fairly often in the 24-hour-a-day space to provide an outlet from the onslaught of Olympic stimulation.

Lianne Payne mentions that these events are an important part of the fund-raising support process, making up one aspect of the grant subsidies that have been driving W2 up to this point. There has been a show nearly every night during the Olympics, from world music, to DJ dance parties, to spoken word poetry nights. Many events are streaming directly from the website. The programming has been relentless and will continue past the you-know-what, so stay tuned.

Ghost of McLuhan

As I'm writing this, I catch a few moments of poet Sonnet L'Abbe's reading on the broadcast feed of the W2 site. She is the author of Killarnoe.

"Organelles dwell in the light of consciousness, in the light of consciousness, organelles... you are the organistic unfolding..." I look around at the various people in the room interacting with machines creatively, and wonder what Vancouver's resident sci-fi cyberpunk William Gibson would have to say about these energized cyborgs.

Another famous name comes to mind. When Marshall McLuhan coined the "global theatre" in the early 1970's, an update from "global village," he anticipated the death of individualistic, print media and the rise of what he called "electronic interdependence" and tribal collectivity. His spirit surely inhabits W2 and its resident cybertribe.

// Kevin Murray

editor

POST-OLYMPIC DEPRESSION What was the big deal?

Are you all Olympic'd out yet? In case you haven't noticed, the Courier hasn't put out a paper during the Olympics due to Cap's closing, but it may have been redundant to do so anyway. Because for those two weeks, if you were social and participatory enough, it felt as though we had the luxury of receiving a lot of our news face to face, and by word of mouth from many parts of the world.

And for a few moments, we were the news. At the protest march on Friday I noticed it was the largest protest attendance I've ever witnessed in Vancouver. I ran into the CBC media and asked what attendance numbers they planned to report: “Around 3,000. It's hard to say, though, because so many people are coming and going and some people are just observing.” The BBC reporters took a look around themselves and came up with a ballpark figure of “1,300 people.” But the best estimate came from a tourist I met from Nashville, Tennessee who summed up the crowd as such: “I've been to Mardi Gras, to New York during rush hour, and other events, but I've never seen a place this crowded full of people.” He was a fan of worldly entertainment and gatherings; he bought scalped tickets for his family members and came off as a 'professional-tourist' who had attended other mass events. I asked myself why should I care for CBC's or the BBC's second hand information when I had the primary source of information right here in front of me?

I've met athletes and even families of athletes and listened to them share their stories. A little girl dressed in a puffy Alaskan snow suit pillowed her teddy-bear's tummy as she slept on the bus seat beside me. “She's been at it all day,” her mother explained. The mother, daughter and sixteen other family members of Kerry Weiland came here to watch her win a silver medal for USA's hockey team. I didn't need the media's heartwarming exposés – It was happening right there on the 246 Highland bus.

Nor did I need CTV's media montages, with their “I Believe” soundtrack; I have it all stored in memory. Besides, not all the images are as pleasant as they made out – “Everyone says Americans are rude, but Canadians are obnoxious,” a woman yells from deep inside a crowd who were upset over the Canadian men's hockey team's loss to the Americans. Nearby a group was yelling “USA sucks!” and one guy even offered to “kick anyone's ass who is wearing a USA sweatshirt.” Olympic tough guys. An obnoxious high-school freshman pushed his friend in a bit of horseplay and while they were both clearly laughing, a bulky police officer grabbed the 100 pound skinny teenager's arm firmly: “My boss tells me that if I see people acting rowdy I have to arrest them. So what do you think I should do when you're pulling that stunt in front of me?” Although there were two minutes of unnecessary force and an embarrassed kid, the cop opened his hand to free the kid from his kung-fu grip.

And then there was the economic perspective from the commercial retailer. Park Royal had become a ghost-mall. “All the locals, our regular customers, have left for the Olympics. It's been dead all week. And the tourists don't want to visit here. Who wants to come to Vancouver for glasses? If I wasn't working right now, I'd be downtown too, not at a mall,” said Megan, the Iris glasswear sales rep.

The feeling was mutual to Matt, a red-toqued Canadian Olympic enthusiast, who also worked the graveyard shift up on Grouse mountain. Matt makes a living skiing Grouse, sometimes until 2 am, in an emergency response unit. As Grouse was open for 24 hours every day of the Olympics, Matt  experienced a few red-eyed dawns. He told me the level of body deterioration is equivalent to smoking two packs a day. It's also a great synecdoche for the city. With the extra push by entertainers and the entertained, we'll most likely be feeling a large void once the Olympics are gone and we're left with the hang-over. Matt predicted that everyone, even the locals, will want to just stay home during that time. Indeed, reports show that after the summer Olympics, Beijing's markets, especially restaurants and tourist locations, hit a lull and experienced some of the lowest sales of the year. The same effect happened to Turin after the 2006 Winter Olympics. And, of course, there's all the news on civic pride – except that I observed mostly national pride, what with all the Canadian flags. The latest Ipsos Reid survey found that about 75% of Canadians believe the Olympics are a Canadian event over a Vancouver one.

Although I did experience some of that devout national patriotism, part of me sided with little Tyler's observation: “What's the big deal?” The four-year old inside Waves Cafe said after Canada's hockey team beat the Russians 7-3. “What's the big deal, Tyler? What's the big deal with lemon pie? If you don't care then we might as well not enjoy lemon pie tonight,” his mom teased. “You don't think it's a big deal, Tyler?” his father chimed in. Tyler broke down, “Noooo! It is a big deal!”

Students of Capilano, consider this post-Olympic issue a piece of your lemon pie. A sweet and sour slice of compensation as we all try to figure out “what's the big deal,” now that the games are finally over.

//Alamir Novin

editorialist

THE VOICEBOX

“There's this guy at Cap that looks exactly like Zac Efron. Get ahold of me.

Email ilovecuties29@hotmail.com.

[Second voice] The thing is, that email is so ridiculous. I don't even-

[First voice] Well, it's actually my email. So.

“I'm excited to roam. Roam around the city, during the Olympics, I'm excited.”

[Hope you had fun. -Giles]

“Well, okay, so I just went to therapy because, um, and I was talking to my therapist and –

whaaat? And – and she thinks – she thinks that, um, thinks that I should love myself more –
but really what we're talking about is how all people are just full of shit. Like legit, and I
was like, so I should probably stop trying to talk to people who don't want to talk to me,
right? and she was like, 'Yeah... you're right.'”

“Canada's Patriotism is heartwarming as fuck. And, like, the Canadian flag. Especially

the leaf. And the colour.”

“Denny's is awesome.”

“I am wearing a banana hammock right now. Hot.”

[I disagree. -Rachelle]

“Our transit system is actually going to get slammed by the Olympics. We're not going to

have enough SeaBusses, we're not going to have enough busses, and everyone is going
to be getting on the busses and its going to be raining.”

“Once at my high school, someone put dog poo in the microwave.”

[Second voice] Oh yeah, well someone put a dead squirrel in the vending machine at my school.

[First voice] Dog poo's worse.

[It's a tie. -Rachelle]

Yeah, the lineup to get on the 239 bus makes me feel like a sheep and I fucking hate sheep. Seriously.

[Second voice] I often am left feeling disgruntled by it.

[First voice] Do you know, like, what that means even?

[Second voice] Whatever, man, that lineup is a douche.

Look for our Voicebox team on Tuesday afternoons in the Birch cafeteria, to get your publishable opinion on.

DON'T BOOK 'EM University of Manitoba approves Facebook-free elections

WINNIPEG (CUP) — The University of Manitoba Students’ Union has prohibited candidates from using Facebook to gain support for their general election campaigns.

The supplementary rule were approved by the UMSU this month at a council meeting, where a handful of members expressed their dissatisfaction with the decision.

Some thought that election campaign methods should reflect the growing and changing methods of media, which includes social online networking. Others expressed that the use of Facebook would not give any party an unfair advantage, as all candidates have access to computers on campus.

The supplementary rules were first drafted by the election’s chief returning officer (CRO), Jason van Rooy. After discussion and amendments, the union’s campaigning committee agreed upon them, and they were then ratified by the UMSU council members.

Despite concerns by a number of councillors during the meeting, the motion to accept the supplementary rules package was passed.

Van Rooy said the main reason he proposed the Facebook-campaigning ban is because its privacy settings make it so that his office is unable to ensure that only approved materials are being used in campaigning.

The students’ union’s bylaws state that the school’s elections need to be “fair and safe, and free of slander, racism and homophobia,” said van Rooy.

“There is a distinct possibility that rules would easily be broken without anyone responsible for monitoring the election finding out until significant damage had already been done to another campaign.”

The question of candidates taking advantage of loopholes has come up, though the CRO said that this is the case with any rule that could be put into place.

“I have endeavoured to make these rules as comprehensive as possible, so that candidates and sides are as well informed as to what is acceptable and what is not as they possibly can be.”

However, he hopes that candidates will not try to “manipulate the system,” and will campaign fairly.

Last year, similar rules were set in place banning the use of Facebook. However, according to Van Rooy, a supposed third party had created a Facebook page, which resulted in the then-CRO allowing Facebook usage for both sides for the last several days of the election.

Adam Cousins, who ran for UMSU president last year, said, “if last year’s campaign proved anything, it’s that the CRO cannot effectively control the use of the Internet.”

Facebook and other social networking websites, said Cousins, “are too powerful to see use in UMSU elections.”

He said he filed many complaints to the then-CRO about another campaign group using Facebook so that the CRO would take action against it.

“What (the previous CRO) did was open Facebook to all sides instead of penalizing the eventual winners. Their prior Facebook use was something that my side could never recover from,” said Cousins.

Sid Rashid, current UMSU president, said that last year, Facebook was off-limits until the day before voting, when the CRO determined that a third-party Facebook page was being used as a front group in support of a slate, leading to a ruling that it would be open to all candidates in the election.

In last year’s election, Rashid said he advocated for Facebook to be used because he felt it was a good way to encourage students to get involved in their campus community.

“Personally, I still believe that Facebook is a good tool for communicating with students, and in theory it would be an asset to elections of any kind,” said Rashid. “That being said, I do understand the reasoning behind this decision and I respect the ruling of the CRO.”

The use of other online methods to reach a mass amount of people, such as sending mass emails, is also being monitored this year.



// Samantha Lockhart

The Manitoban

CANADIANS THANKFUL Olympics were not overshadowed by Parliament

According to MP Stockwell Day, “With the Olympics on, we’ve made the decision to delay the opening of Parliament by 20 days. That gives us the time to do what’s necessary surrounding the Olympics”. This delay allows MP's to participate in Olympic ceremonies and gives citizens the opportunity to wrap themselves in Canadian flags and Olympic warmth rather than be distracted by parliamentary politics.

“I'm so grateful that the federal government decided to take a vacation during the Games. They take up so much of my attention normally, I don't think I could have focused so well on the Games, if they hadn't prorogued.” explains Alyssa Jameson, a real estate agent from Surrey.

MP's have been getting quite involved in the Olympics, even tweeting about the events. Hedy Fry in particular has been tweeting up a storm in support of Canadian athletes. One tweet reads: “Spoke to more of the Sochi delegation yesterday: they're going to have a great Games, but we're still going to beat them on the ice tonight!”

Stephen Harper was able to have “Chatted about mens' hockey with Ivan Gašparovič, President of Slovakia”. Jack Layton had time to show Rick Mercer around his house for the Mercer Report on CBC.  Michael Ignatieff spent time in Vancouver and was able to watch the Canadian women's hockey team win gold. It is unlikely that this level of MP involvement could have occurred had Parliament been in session.

// Sarah Vitet

assistant arts editor

NEWS BRIEFS

CSU Elections

During the week prior to the Olympic break, nothing changed in the CSU. During the Spring elections that took place during the first week of February, both the Social Justice Coordinator Richard McCrae and International Students Liaison Shanky Gondal were re-elected to their positions. McCrae ran unopposed, but Gondal had competition from newcomer Gary Zhou. Compared to the Fall semester’s relatively high voter turnout (with approximately 15% of the student population casting ballots), this election had a very low turnout. CSU Executive Board Chair Trevor Page attributes the low turnout “to the [small] amount of candidates.”

CSU SAGM

The CSU will hold its second General Meeting of the year on March 23. This Semi-Annual General meeting is the spring semester's complement to the Fall annual general meeting. The CSU requires forty members or five percent of the student population to be in attendance in order to pass motions. All students are encouraged to come to attend the meeting and vote.

OLYMPICS END

In an unexpected turn of events, the Olympic Winter Games ended on Sunday, February 28. Vancouver residents awoke to discover that the sidewalks were swimming in discarded red woolen mittens and tears. Only a few stray Russian athletes were found aimlessly wandering the streets and harassing locals for directions to the Rusky Dom.

The only other life found in the post-apocalyptic streets of downtown was a group of black balaclava-clad revelers merrily celebrating their victory by dancing around a bonfire that appeared to be fueled by red mittens and the Vancouver Sun.

Students returning to school admit that they are “shocked it all ended so quickly … where did all the beer go? Where did it go?”

EATING DISORDER AWARENESS

In commemoration of eating disorder awareness week, the Womens Collective covered the mirrors in both of the library bathrooms on Thursday February 18 with posters displaying facts about eating disorders and an explanation of why the mirrors were covered. By noon, three of the four posters in the mens bathroom, and one of five posters in the womens bathroom had been ripped down. According to Women's Liaison Sarah Vitet, the posters were meant to “emphasize the importance that society places on appearance by taking away the ability for people to impulsively check their appearance.” The presence of the posters had been approved by the Facilities department, and were only placed in the main library bathrooms. Vitet is disappointed that “the campaign could not be respected for the one day” but she felt that the reaction of students “emphasized the point” of the campaign.

PRESIDENTIAL SEARCH UPDATE

Starting this month, the Presidential Search Committee (PSC) will begin conducting interviews of potential presidential candidates. The interview process was intentionally delayed in order to avoid forcing candidates to travel to Vancouver during the Olympics. The shortlisted candidates, as selected by the PSC, presented to the Senate and faculty members in an open meeting. Candidate names are currently confidential, and have not been released yet.

VOTE OR DIE P. Diddy promotes CAP elections

Elections for student positions on the Senate and Board of Governors begin today. Despite last year's student concerns about the integrity and logistics of electronic voting, the elections will be held online this year. In order to quell concerns, the Senate issused a list of recommendations including advising students and faculty to change their passwords during election time, researching other institutions experiences with electronic voting, and having the IT department address student concerns about how the system works.

There are four positions to be filled on the Senate, and two on the Board of Governors. The student representataives provide the student voice to these major institutional governing bodies. The nominees for Senate are Bahiyyih Galloway, David Clarkson, Ghazal Tohidi, Gregory Smith and Ngaio Schiml. The elected candidates will serve a one-year term beginning on August 31, 2010. The nominees for Board of Governors are the same, with the addition of Christopher Nichols.

Candidate statements can be found online at the Capilano University website. Links to the information have been sent to all students Capilano email addresses from the registrar.

Voting opens on Monday, March 1, and closes Sunday, March 7 at midnight. The results will be announced on Tuesday, March 9.

// Natalie Corbo
news editor

VANCOUVER 2010 “WORST GAMES EVER” …And it’s all Mukmuk’s fault

On February 15, The Guardian, a United Kingdom news source, published an article that warned of the Vancouver Olympics’ potential to be referred to as the “worst Games ever”.

Teresa Grant, a Global Stewardship student at Capilano, said of the article, “they only made that comment so that the soon-to-be London 2012 ‘mistake free’ Olympics are portrayed better.”

The article cites incidents such as the lack of snow, the failure of hydraulics at the Opening Ceremonies, and it questions the safety of a luge track, following the tragic death of Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili. The article did not address the aspects of the Games that were not sports-related.

But is this an accurate representation of the Olympics? The Courier asked you to find out.

NO-FUN VANCOUVER NO-MORE

With multiple Livecities, an O-Zone and a Celebration Site in Surrey, VANOC worked hard to make sure there no one was bored during the two weeks of the Olympics. The Canadian music scene benefited from these events, as the industry received nightly showcases of talent.

Richard McCrae, Social Justice Coordinator for the Capilano Students’ Union, attended Sam Roberts’ performance at LiveCity Yaletown. “The music was great, but the crowd clearly wasn’t entirely Sam Roberts’ fans,” he said. “It seemed like a lot of people were there because it was a free show.”

“They sure decorated the city. Everyone in Vancouver definitely knew the Olympics were happening,” said Sarah Vitet, another student at Capilano, before adding, “then again, everyone in Vancouver already knew the Olympics were happening.”

However, McCrae says that he doesn’t think that “any organization should have cultural monopoly over a city, there’s ... a lot of different ways that people can express themselves that don’t necessarily fit with VANOC’s idea of how Vancouver should be presented to the world.”

There were multiple opportunities to support non-VANOC endorsed events, including the well-attended Made in Vancouver Festival. Put on by I Heart Van Art, the festival was an opportunity for people to experience local talent in different areas, including music, dance, and visual arts. Supported by local artists, the festival aimed to “ensure that visitors get to have a true Vancouver experience,” according to their Facebook page.

COKE SELLS GREEN STYROFOAM

Mayor Gregor Robertson has been quoted as saying that he wanted Vancouver 2010 to be the greenest games in history. CocaCola, as well, advertised their green initiatives in their pavilion in LiveCity Yaletown. Visitors to LiveCity did question the authenticity of the Olympics’ green initiatives, particularly as CocaCola was distributing glowing Coke bottles made from Styrofoam, which is well-known to be bad for the environment.

“I think it’d be nice [for Vancouver to be the Green Capital],” says McCrae. “I think Vancouver has the potential but I’d be surprised if it happened.”

PATRIOTISM: ENDANGERED BUT NOT EXTINCT

Grant said something the Olympics did well was inspire and encourage patriotism in “even the most Olympic pessimistic people.”

Beside the influx of red clothing and other Canadian merchandise throughout the city, the appearances of Vancouver’s Hug Squad, “an ever-expanding group of ‘Love-Activists’” who offer “free hugs to anyone who passes by at any one of our events,” also encouraged optimism.

“I think that there has been some shocking realizations about our commitment to equality and social justice and what we can do for the minority and marginalized people in the country,” McCrae said of the Olympics, “There’s also just going down the street and seeing someone wearing a Canada flag as a cape.”

VANOC DISCRIMINATES AGAINST MINORITIES

Vancouver 2010 had three official mascots: Sumi, Miga, and Quatchi. VANOC declared Mukmuk to be a ‘mascot sidekick’, yet he is the only real (and also endangered) animal of all the 2010 mascots. Mukmuk is a Vancouver Island marmot, and a species that had less than 75 members in 2001. On February 24, Mukmuk supporters gathered at the Vancouver Art Gallery and rallied to help get Mukmuk official mascot status. Such status had not yet been obtained as of press time.

McCrae said he is indifferent on Mukmuk’s mascot status. “I think that if you’re going to have a rally during the Olympics there are a lot more important things to rally, than MukMuk.”

Vitet diagrees. “Mukmuk is the smallest and the cutest and the only one I would consider supporting in any way. Mukmuk is the only one that isn’t super ugly.”

Vancouver 2010 made history as the hosts of the first Opening Ceremonies to be held indoors at the Olympics. Canada also won its first gold medal on home soil. Vancouver 2010 was the first Olympics to have a Legal Observer Program – a program created by Pivot Legal Society and the BC Civil Liberties Association – where volunteers attended protests and events and ensured that the police were not abusing their authority and overstepping civil liberties.

There are other aspects of the Olympics to be covered – for example, the anti-Olympic movement had a fairly negative portrayal in the media, despite a successfully executed “Tent-City” sit-in where citizens occupied an empty lot for more than a week, living in tents to bring attention to the pressing issue of homelessness in Vancouver.

“What kind of event of this scale would not come with flaws?” asked Grant. “I think the simple fact that people rushed to the buy every piece of red clothing within a hundred mile radius is evidence enough that these Olympics did not suck.”

“The Olympics were inescapable, I basically just let myself get washed away in the whole thing and observed what happened,” said Vitet.

To each their own – the Olympics happened... and now we’re back in class.

//Samantha Thompson

assistant news editor

TACO! BURRITO! WHAT'S COMING OUT OF YOUR SPEEDO? The beauty of the Mexican Taqueria

The thought of two weeks off in February or being house-bound due to Olympic Madness and transit nightmares was incentive enough to start pinching pennies back in September. With visions of tropical beaches and tequila-induced euphoria, I bought the cheapest ticket to Mexico I could find.

The next challenge for this budget-minded student traveler was to find cheap lodging, and cheaper food. Well, with a little pavement pounding, I got lucky with the hotel, and as far as cheap eats go, a definite contender for the gold medal in Olympic Street Food is the Taco Stand (It’s not an actual event).

Taquerias are a ubiquitous mainstay of the Mexican diet, and they range from little more than hot dog stands, where you stand to devour the little buggers as they are handed to you, to full on sit-down restaurants, with tablecloths, even. Although you tend to pay more at the sit down places, I never spent more than 20 pesos (roughly $1.50) per taco, and that was for fresh mahi mahi, where I watched the senoritas make my corn tortillas by hand. The flip side is that I could also get 5 tacos for 30 pesos at a street vendor stall I frequented daily, and that was a good meal for $2.50.

Some people balk at the idea of eating street food abroad, what with the diarrhea and all, but I like the idea of seeing your meal prepared right in front of you. If it looks sketchy, just go to the next Taqueria. And the experience doubles as a free Mexican cooking class.

I have taken the liberty of jotting down some tips so you can make great tacos without leaving your cocina, but really, everything tastes great when you’re shittered on Tequila.

Taqueria Tips

Corn tortillas (soft) – The linchpin of any good taco. Hard tacos are for gringos, much like bad sunburns and beads braided into your hair. Once a specialty food item, corn tortillas are available at pretty much every large supermarket these days.

Salsa – There are as many different salsas in Mexico as colours of the rainbow, but the easiest to make at home is salsa fresca. Just chop some tomatoes, white onion, cilantro, jalapeno, and squeeze some lime juice over it.

Adobada – Grilled pork marinated in red chili sauce. An easy way to fake this is with chorizo sausage.

Carne Asada – Literally grilled meat. I prefer flank steak marinated in dark beer, salt and pepper. Mexican style usually means very thin cuts of beef, lightly seasoned and grilled medium.

Al Pastor – Pork loin marinated in spices and herbs, then grilled on a vertical spit. A pineapple chunk atop the meat drips sweet juice over the pork, basting the piggy as it slow cooks.

Fish Tacos – Just like the name says, grill your seafood of choice, and stick it in a tortilla with some chopped cabbage.

Warm the tortillas on a heavy pan, or simply char them slightly on a greased grill. Stack two tortillas on each other, and shovel the roughly chopped meat on top. The true beauty of the taco is that pretty much any filling will work. Garnish with minced white onion, cilantro, and lime wedges. Serve with salsa, hot sauce, grilled onions, and cold beer. Viva Mexico!

To experience the authenticity of a Mexican Taqueria in Vancouver, hit Dona Cata’s on Victoria at 35th Ave.

//Mike Kennedy

arts editor

STREET PERFORMERS VERSUS TRANSIT MUSICIANS Who had to jump through the most Olympic rings?

During the last couple of weeks, it's been hard to go downtown without encountering at least a half-dozen buskers. With several musicians to each block, you'd think the market would have been fierce. The Olympic crowds, of course, inspired the influx of performers, and it wasn't only buskers reaping the benefits. Translink musicians saw a fast and heavy flow of people at skytrain stations as driving downtown became unrealistic. But weren't there special permits that they had to get during the two weeks of the Olympics? And who really had the best deal during the time period- street buskers, or transit musicians?

Tyler Hotti, busking with an electric guitar on Granville Street, discreetly wore a street performer permit around his neck when he was playing. He says he got if for free by "going into a building and asking for one", though he admits that nobody official has ever asked to see it. Matthew Lennox, busking with a 12-string guitar in an even more open part of Granville Street reports that he made over $200 in fewer than two hours. He doesn't have a permit, and nobody has ever asked him for one. "I think it's probably because I'm decent," he laughs. "If I was really bad they may have asked me to show a license." Both performers also explain that nobody has ever asked them to leave for playing too long, and that typically they will play for at least two hours, if not twice that long.

Translink musicians are only allowed to play for an hour and a half, and must follow a schedule that gets made up for them. They also had to purchase a $50 winter musician license, which they could only obtain after performing in front of a panel of Translink judges and fellow musicians. Scott Wallace, a musician at Waterfront station, explains that the process was actually quite fun. He displays his winter musician license when he plays, though it's never been examined closer than that. "I imagine that if I didn't display it [the transit security] would ask me about it pretty quick," he says. Wallace reports making about $20-50 an hour during the Olympics, which isn't quite as good as Lennox on Granville st, but not too shabby either.

According to Ward Clapham, Chief Officer of Translink security, "There hasn't been any trouble that I've seen." Another officer at Waterfront explained, "Usually what happens is we walk around and if we see somebody we don't recognize we'll ask for their license and then ask them to leave." Both officers reported that they'd never personally had to kick anyone out of a station, and that the musicians tended to regulate themselves.

The benefits to being a transit musician are obvious as well. You get the whole station to yourself, a steady flow of people around you (Translink moved 1.5 million people a day during the Olympics) and security guards to help you if anything goes wrong. With their legitimate licensing and scheduling system, being a transit musician seems like the more professional approach to busking. For people who just want to go out every once in a while to make some extra cash, street busking is probably the answer.

Particularly during the Olympics, it seemed like Granville Street was the best spot for street performers to make a lot of money without getting hassled. Granville Street, as well as several other locations around the city, are free to busk on without a license but, as Tyler Hotti observed, “I guess for the Olympics they just wanted some kind of organization.” The licensing idea may have deterred a few people, but evidently it shouldn’t have. Downtown during the Olympics was a huge party, and what’s a party without music?

//Sarah Vitet

assistant arts editor

THE ARTS AND CULTURE EXPLOSION IS OVER But do we really care?

In the toxic haze of the Olympics aftermath, we are picking up the pieces of our politics, pride and public funding. We're also trying to find a place to put our arts priorities.

A recent conference at W2 Media Arts gave a concise rundown of the problems facing BC in the wake of the Olympics occupation.

“This is a very embarrassing time to have arts cuts,” said Johnathan Middleton, President of Artist-Run Centres and Collectives Conference. He called it a “symbolic black eye” on the province's public face. With the intensity of the Cultural Olympiad slowly diminishing, he asked what will become of the arts culture and how can we accept such drastic cuts, currently estimated at 92%. The glaring contradiction between a provincial arts budget that rests at around 3.5 million and an Opening Ceremonies price tag of around $38 million says it all.

Amir Ali Alibhai iof the Alliance for Arts agreed, stating that “BC does not have a cultural policy ... it would be a good start.” In large urban centres there is a glut of media, visual artforms, music and theatre, so it becomes hard to understand the true societal value of a healthy artistic culture, but Alibhai pointed out that “in small communities it is very clear” exactly how these expressions support the community. “The whole issue that the arts are frill has to be addressed.”

He mentioned that BC could look at arts as an investment, since they provide a return of between $1.04 and $1.36 for each dollar spent, according to a government report. Once more, the Ministry of Tourism Arts and Culture Service Plans points out that the Arts and Culture sector in BC generates 80,000 jobs and $5.2 billion annually.

Greg Younging, a professor at UBC and also formerly of the BC Arts council, brought up a compelling example of how the government is misunderstanding the issues and undervaluing the roles of creative expression, especially in regards to the First Nations artists.

“Aborginal artists are just coming to the national regime right now,” he said, referring to the spectacle of dancing Natives in the Opening Ceremonies. Younging explained that in most cases, the Aboriginal artists with faces to the media and the public are high-profile, but that a “facade is created by showing individuals art without showing the reality of peoples living conditions,” such as the alleys of the Downtown Eastside and the Reservations. “You can't celebrate one aspect of the people ... without politcal and economic aspects [represented as well],” he stated.

He is calling for an end to artistic and cultural appropriation, as evidenced with the Cowichan sweaters and the Inukshuk emblem, asking for adherence to a UN initiative that aims to protect the intellectual property rights of artists, Aboriginal and otherwise.

With the Olympics over, there are plenty of new possibilities emerging for the public to reevaluate the role of arts in our collective culture. A panel discussion like this one simply points out the holes in our current models, and shows us that we are simply looking at art forms as corporate commodities, rather than as necessary components of a healthy, expressive society.

The next development may come immediately after the Olympics, while the great explosion of arts and culture that was the Cultural Olympiad is still spreading shrapnel through the minds of the public. But will it translate into policy? Will people demand an upgraded arts funding and a stronger cultural policy and priority? You decide.

//Kevin Murray

Editor

GIANT SPIDER TAKES OVER THE CITY Olympic event CODE Live exhibits the Mondo Spider

 

There was no shortage of art and culture to take in during the Olympic break. From jamming yourself into one of the free Cultural Olympiad shows to simply walking downtown on Granville and seeing all the sculptures that had been erected, the art was everywhere. Slightly more out of the way, but no less interesting (and no less free) was the CODE Live 1 site on the Great Northern Way Campus of BCIT. A giant warehouse filled with interactive art pieces relating to technology, the space was a conceptually minded adult’s version of Science World.

In addition to potted plants that would sing when you touched them, a jungle of light bulbs and a half-dozen other exhibits, eatART's Mondo Spider was certainly an intriguing exhibition to gawk at. An eight-legged walking vehicle, the spider was originally powered by gasoline and internal combustion engines. Participation in CODE Live, however, made it possible for the Mondo Spider to be converted into the world's first zero-emission walking machine.

"Converting the Spider to electric had been a goal of ours for a long time," says engineer and eatART director Leigh Christie. "But it was going to be very expensive to convert...so we submitted a budget and they responded by giving us $5000." They raised the rest of the money themselves and managed turned the Mondo Spider into an indoor, electrically powered exhibition. 

The first time the Mondo Spider was conceived, in fact, it was actually made out of wood. Less an art project and more of a friendly competition to create a walking machine, Leigh Christie and a group of his friends entered the Vancouver Junkyard Wars in 2005. Their wooden Mondo Spider only made it 12 steps before breaking, but the group resolved that they were going to build a real version of the spider, "Something [that] could actually walk, that was going to look nice and was going to be a work of art." says Christie. They came together and formed the Mondo Spider crew, and set out to build what they call a kinetic sculpture.

The Mondo Spider is a partner project with eatART (Energy Awareness Through Art), a Vancouver-based non-profit art lab that focuses on trying to rethink energy through kinetic sculptures and other forms of art as well as educating people about the role energy plays in our lives. They don't specify sustainable energy, though the Spider leaves no carbon footprint. "It's not our job to tell people how to live their lives. We simply want to show the world what is possible." Leigh Christie explains.

As the Mondo Spider was part of the ECO ART section of CODE Live, the sustainable energy source was certainly emphasized in that setting, though Christie appreciates that "It gives people the opportunity to think about energy in a non-preachy environment without an environmentalist telling them what to do". Also in the ECO ART section of CODE Live was a miniature indoor greenhouse hosting an orchid, an interactive installation piece about water consumption, and the above-mentioned singing plants.

In addition to the funding from CODE Live, the Mondo Spider team also received a sponsorship from Day4 Energy so that the Spider could be run on solar power. They haven't finished all the panels yet, but they're about 50% complete.

That’s right. Eventually there will be a walking spider machine that eats sunlight.

//Sarah Vitet

assistant arts editor

For more information, go to mondospider.com or eatart.org.

NOT EVERYBODY LOVES CANADA Canada’s Involvement in Haiti... before the earthquake?

In a country as geographically large as Canada, it takes a lot for Canadians to truly come together as one nation. Often, patriotism is revealed through a game of hockey, one of those Heritage Minute commercials, or a friendly round of America-bashing. More noteworthy, however, is Canada’s ability to unite in the face of a disaster. In 2004, an earthquake and tsunami occurred in the Indian Ocean, hitting Indonesia the hardest. Canada rallied together to give aid to Indonesia and other affected areas, and the Canadian Government committed $425 million to the cause.

Over the last month, Canadians have come together again as a nation to assist Haiti, a country in trouble after a massive earthquake. Inordinate numbers of people were killed, injured, and left homeless. Yet through it all, Canada has once again been painted a hero, sending hundreds of millions of dollars of aid to help in the tragedy.

But countries that are now rushing to assist Haiti post-earthquake are the same nations that have been giving Haitians grief for decades. A closer look at Haiti pre-earthquake shows that the country's current predicament is as bad as it is because of everything it was dealing with. Haiti had issues with poverty, political coups, and gangs – issues that were made all the worse by excessive foreign involvement.

Canada has been an integral part of Haiti, officially establishing diplomatic relations in 1954. It is only through speaking with people who have been to Haiti, the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, not as aid but instead as members of human rights delegations, that the entwined pictures of Haiti and Canada become increasingly clear – and it’s not the picture that we as Canadians necessarily want to see.

Stuart Hammond went down to Haiti as part of a human rights delegation, and arrived home just four days before the 7.0 earthquake hit the Caribbean country. It was his first time in Haiti, and he described the things that he saw as being “very useful for understanding the scope of the catastrophe, why things are so bad.”

He is a member of Haiti Solidarity BC, as well as a PhD student at Simon Fraser University. Earlier this year he spoke at a forum that Haiti Solidarity BC was hosting, where he detailed his experiences in his recent trip to Haiti.

“Here in Canada we often treat Haiti like it’s a French country, and that’s actually very, very misleading – only maybe 15-20% speak French, the elite speak French very well,” he said. Haiti’s other official language is Creole.

While he was in Haiti, a country also referred to as the Pearl of the Antilles, he became good friends with a woman and her daughter, who lived in Cité-Soleil, a slum in Port-au-Prince-which received most of the damage from the earthquake.

“Our delegation ... had gone up to the mountains in Pétionville to look down on Port-au-Prince,” said Hammond at the forum, “ [the family] came along with us, and it was their first time ... they had lived in the city their whole life and they’d never been able to go up there. [It] tells you something about how wealth is distributed in Haiti ... they’d never had the opportunity to see this part of their city. It really is something to think that they got to see this before their city was ripped apart.”

Poverty plays a huge role in Haiti, maintaining such a significant presence in part because of its complicated and colonized history. Originally, Haiti was a French colony. In 1804, however, African slaves overthrew the French and Haiti was declared a republic. France later would claim that Haiti had ‘stolen’ property from it, and demand money payments for the lost property. As a result, Haiti has constantly been in debt to European nations, only being relieved of it shortly after the earthquake. The United States of America also refused to acknowledge the new republic’s existence until 1862.

“You can imagine for yourself, here’s Haiti, 1804, a powerful black slave army has just won independence from the European powers. Meanwhile, you have a new republic, not too far away, with its own slaves. You can think for yourself what the relations between the United States and Haiti would be,” said Hammond.

In the 1990s, there was a democracy movement called the Lavalas Political Organization. The popular movement supported investments in things like education and healthcare. It is led by a former Haitian President, Jean-Bertrand Aristide. There were two political coups against this government, the first being in 1991 and the second, in 2004. In addition to American assistance, the 2004 coup also occurred with the help of Canada. Ever since then, the popular movement Lavalas has been forbidden from running in almost all of the elections. Hammond refers to Canada as a ‘junior partner’ in this coup.

Haiti has long been Canada’s largest foreign involvement-only recently falling second to the Afghan war. Hammond questioned why, despite such a significant level of involvement, Haiti was only appearing in most media outlets now, after the earthquake disaster.

The history of Haiti is not the sole contributor to the issue of Haitian poverty. Haiti does not have a lot of infrastructure, and the population of slums grows at an alarming rate. According to Hammond, part of this has to do with, oddly enough, foreign ‘aid’. For example, Californian rice may be sent to Haiti in the form of aid, but when it is just dumped in the country the local farmers are unable to compete. Daily wages range anywhere from $.75 to $2.00CDN a day, but, said Hammond, “The cost of living there is actually quite high; it is almost comparable to Canada.” There are many Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) in Haiti working on projects, but an issue arises when NGOs are unwilling to work with grassroots organizations coming out of Haiti. It is important to remember that Canadians working in a Haitian NGO still get paid international-level wages, meaning donated money goes a shorter distance than if you work with Haitians at the grassroots level.

There is also a concern with gangs in Haiti. While Hammond was visiting the country, he had the opportunity to talk with some of the victims of raided areas, like Cité-Soleil. He shared a story about a woman he had met, who had been pregnant at the time of the gang raid. She was shot in the stomach, and likely the only reason she survived the gunshot was because of the baby. It is a “terrible, terrible situation,” said Hammond.

Canadians have a responsibility to Haiti, and it does not only come in the form of foreign aid. Gildan, an affluent clothing manufacturer, runs many sweatshops out of Haiti. Canada has been pouring funding into “democratic” elections in Haiti – but these elections do not allow the popular movement group to run. It seems strange that citizens of another country know Canada’s foreign involvement and our foreign policy better than we know it ourselves.

According to the Government of Canada, Canada is working to reduce the level of poverty in Haiti, specifically by focusing efforts on increasing access to health and education. They are trying to create a “more secure environment” in Haiti, by “helping to improve security throughout the country by deploying police officers, military personnel and corrections experts to the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH),” says a portion of the Government’s website, dedicated to Canada’s efforts in Haiti. The website also says that Canada “is supporting the implementation of a responsible and effective political system.”

Elaine Brière, a documentary photographer/filmmaker of such documentaries as Bitter Paradise: the Sell-out of East Timor, called Haiti the “worst abuses of Capitalism. ... It’s like a refugee camp, [but] without the water”. There is no water except off of water trucks, and there is not enough diesel in the country to fuel the water trucks.

“The Haitian people have an incredible resilience ... despite all that they have faced,” said Hammond.  The earthquake is not a disaster because it was a 7.0 on the Richter Scale. It is a disaster because of problems the Haitians have been dealing with for years, which have been made worse by unnecessary Canadian involvement.

Although many of the decisions to have a role in Haiti prior to the earthquake were made by the Canadian Government, the fact that Canadians have rallied together to raise money for Haiti demonstrates the enormous power of civilians.

Canada has taken a step in the right direction. It is important to realize the consequences of our decisions in the past, so that we can make responsible choices for a brighter future.

But as esteemed American psychologist Abraham Maslow once said, "I can feel guilty about the past, apprehensive about the future, but only in the present can I act. The ability to be in the present moment is a major component of mental wellness."

For more information, check out www.canadainternational.gc.ca/haiti/ or canadahaitiaction.ca.

// Samantha Thompson

assistant news editor

“Our Priorities: Prosperity, Security, and Democratic Governance”

The Government of Canada states the following four goals are a result of our involvement in Haiti:

1) Better Living Conditions: “Efforts are particularly aimed at improving access to health and education services, and at developing basic infrastructure, such as roads, and electricity.”

2) A More Secure Environment: “Canada is playing a crucial role in reforming the police force and prison system, reducing violence in communities and enhancing border management.”

3) Sounder Democratic Structures: “Canada is helping strengthen Haiti's executive and legislative branches, public service and civil society so that each can play its rightful role in a modern nation. Canada is also working to strengthen electoral structures to ensure the success of future political transitions in the country.”

4)  Strengthened Rule of Law: “Canada is working with the Government of Haiti to strengthen and modernize Haiti's justice system so it can better protect the rights of all its citizens.”

THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS OF EATING DISORDERS A treatment centre inspires change in a Capilano student

She timidly stepped into the bathroom at Capilano U, just like she did every day after her Philosophy class, ready to stare her biggest fears in the face. Yet today was not like every other day. Instead of seeing the reflection of herself in the mirror, one she was never satisfied with, she was faced with something even harder to deal with – the reflection of her disease. The mirrors were covered up with brown cardboard paper with harrowing statistics written across them, statistics that were all too real for this young woman –  “In B.C. alone, 60,000 females and 6,000 males suffer from eating disorders ... 1 out of 5 people who have an eating disorder will die from it, or from side effects ... DON’T WAIT TO GET HELP”. The reality of her situation bulldozed into her, breaking down the walls she had spent so long building up. I need help, she thought, tears filling her eyes.

For Alison Ensworth, a former student at Capilano, eating disorders aren’t something far off or unheard of, but rather a reality that she faced every day. Ensworth suffered from anorexia nervosa, and she recognizes that winning the battle against eating disorders goes far beyond finding a doctor to prescribe medicine.

Much of the battle is fought in the mind, something that the Looking Glass Foundation of BC helped her to realize. The Looking Glass is a local Vancouver treatment centre that provides counseling services, community programs, and summer camps to uplift and encourage youth suffering from eating disorders. According to Ensworth, the workers and volunteers at the Looking glass all have a direct connection with eating disorders, whether it is through friends, family, or their own personal experience, so they truly understand the difficulty in trying to overcome them. “Honestly, it’s more like a family than a treatment centre,” Ensworth said.

The Looking Glass made a huge impact on Ensworth’s life after she attended a summer camp in 2006. She said that unlike many treatment options, the camp was not institutional or impersonal, but instead, it helped her put her own life into perspective. “It gave me motivation to get better,” Ensworth said. “I didn’t have life or leisure before that camp, and I had lost a sense of a normal life.”

Although much of the camp is based on fun activities and leisure time to renew the campers love of life, there are also workshops every day to help them take the first steps to recovery. Physicians and nurses are present to ensure that campers are eating well and staying healthy, something that Ensworth said helped immensely. “It gave me a safe place to challenge myself, because I was surrounded with people I trusted.” The camps helped Ensworth immensely, and the bonds she created with other girls who were going through the same things grounded her. More than anything, the summer camp helped her feel good and not concentrate on her illness. “I experienced happiness again, and it gave me a positive attitude I’d been struggling to find for a long time,” Ensworth said.

The impact the Looking Glass is making does not stop at summer camps, though. They have just finished building a non-profit residence treatment centre that will be open all year round, offering a much more positive alternative than hospital care or expensive private facilities. Yet perhaps the most inspiring impact they have made is in the lives they have changed. Ensworth is now dedicated to volunteering with the Looking Glass, fundraising and helping in any way she can. “Service is a huge part of my own recovery,” Ensworth says, and it is clear that she speaks the truth. She is never seen without a glowing smile when she is helping others, whether through talking to people about her experience, or presenting with the Looking Glass about eating disorders, as she will be doing in March at Hansworth High School. Ensworth’s enthusiasm is contagious, and her positive attitude radiates through all she does – a sign that what we see happening through the Looking Glass is real, powerful change.

For more information, see www.lookingglassbc.com.

// Krissi Bucholtz

columnist

LOVE, DANGEROUSLY Episode VI: Out of Bloom.

In my last column I wrote about Adam, the long-distance dream guy I met on the Internet and flew to Indiana to spend time with. A few weeks is a long time, particularly without touching a person you've become accustomed to having around. Now, being able to give a first hand opinion, I can safely say it is harder to go without something after knowing what it's like to have it in your life. This was the case for my separation from Adam.

After my blissful week being in the company of someone I had lusted and dreamed about for so long, leaving that quick familiarity brought a tough emotion that was hard to shake. It was like a quick pulse of emotion that surged at full force before instantly being taken away from me before I had a chance to grasp for one last go. Never good at goodbyes, leaving was rough - I had never spilled so many tears over such a quick romance.

When my flight landed in Seattle, I had spent hours trying to sleep, but I’d only been able to cry. My friends picked me up at the airport, and I ended up staying in Seattle for a few days before heading home. I supposed at least if I couldn't spend my time with him, I had a reassurance that we were in the same country. The moments were hard, and although I spent my time well, shopping, going for meals with friends, and taking drunken trips to karaoke bars, Adam was on my mind. The day I left for Vancouver, I spoke with him for the first time since I'd left Bloomington, over Skype. Seeing him, and knowing how far away he was, felt like my heart was trying to escape my chest and fly right back. Our conversation would reflect much of what we'd talk about over the next few weeks.

Despite intense feelings for each other, we decided to 'let it be', and go back to the way things were before I'd gone on my trip. But you can never really go back to something once it's gone to a certain level, and although we've tried, the struggle has been hard. Finding a balance in knowing you feel a certain way for someone but that you can't commit and can't be together is probably the most insane feeling in the world. As I stepped off my bus into the already increasingly pre-Olympic traffic downtown, I wondered why and wished that any one of the thousands of people meandering around me could trade places with Adam. The fact that that they couldn't felt crushing and unfair.

Communication got hazy, and I found myself frustrated and confused. I would hear nothing from him for two days, and tell myself that it was time to move on, and then check my mail to find a card saying that I was his "true Valentine" and how hard it would be to spend that Hallmark holiday alone. I spent a good week being frustrated and angry and sad, before talking things out with my best friends, and also coming to a lot of realizations myself. The age old adage really is true: If you love something, you must let it be free. Although my heart yearns and pains for something it can't have, I know that we have a connection, and that will have to be enough for now. Adam and I had a very mature, albeit painful, conversation last week explaining the reality and the truths that lay between us, and how the daunting concept of distance is really the only thing holding us back. But that 'one little thing' is enough to give us a reality check and let us both pursue 'real life'. We intend to keep in touch, and obviously these feelings do not just fade away, but at this point, nothing more can be done.

//JJ Brewis

columnist


[Editor’s Note: Actually JJ, something can be done! Because here at the Courier we’re all about making people happy! That said, as you may know, the paper has set JJ up on a date with a reader, and maybe this is the exact “reality check” he needs (his words, not mine!). Please tune in next week, when he'll give you an account of this encounter.]

WET COAST LOVING How to give great head

So you want to know how to give good head, eh? How to inhale the oyster? Worship at the altar? Have a box lunch? Set sail with Captain Winkie? Well, you have obviously picked up the right newspaper. Here is a super duper professional column on how to give good oral sex.

First of all, stop complaining. Nobody likes a partner who grudgingly goes down. Get in there, already. If you don’t know what to do, ask some questions, communication is always key with sex.

A good trick to start is making slow circles around her clit with your tongue. She may like more direct stimulation, but make sure to watch her reactions. Some girls are super sensitive and won't enjoy direct stimulation. In fact, if you overstimulate her clitoris before she is fully aroused, it's possible to make her clit numb. You can amp up the intensity as she gets more and more worked up. A girl who may not be able to take fast licks at first may be begging for it right before she climaxes. If you're not sure what to do with your tongue, the good ol' alphabet game usually works. Trace the letters of the alphabet over her clit with your tongue. If you want to get romantic about it you can trace messages over her clit, such as “I love you” or “Cum soon please I am getting tired”.

Also, use your hands. To hit her G-spot properly make sure your palm is toward her body, in the “come hither” motion. Insert your pointer finger first, then work in more fingers. Not everyone can take this, so read her reaction. Also, make sure she is lubricated enough. If she isn't, you can use spit, as long as you keep it flowing, or a water-based lube.

In terms of blowjob technique, it isn't necessary to be a master deepthroater. As long as you make sure your hand is super wet you can twist the base of the shaft and your mouth can gently stimulate the head. Most of the nerve endings are on the head and the front of the shaft below the head, so that's where you want to focus your efforts. Don't be afraid to shake it up, though. Try using your tongue in different ways and look up at his face to gauge his reactions.

Also, don't scrape with your teeth. Nobody enjoys that.

According to a boy I know, “It’s way better when they swallow.” Thank you, boy. It’s so much messier if you don’t. Avoid treating their splooge like poison, even if it's super salty because they don't eat anything but red meat. Alternatively, having a towel or a tissue at hand could help the squeamish.

My female friend warns, “Don’t make any stupid jerky movements ... Don’t just shove your dick in my face.” Try to respond to what your partner wants as much as you are responding to what your penis wants.

And for the girls, please don't mash your man's face with your happy place. Many guys have reported that being able to breathe helps the process. If you reach your hands down and spread your own pussy lips, it will help your partner get a good face-full while maintaining airways. Also this helps to keep your pubic hair a lot further from their mouths.

In terms of safe sex, both the guy and the girl I talked to say they never use condoms while giving or receiving oral sex. As you can contract herpes, hepatitis B, gonorrhea and even (though rarely) HIV, it is a good idea to consider condoms or dental dams. Sure, dental dams are funny sounding, but the consequences are anything but.

Also remember, you aren’t porn stars. Unless your girlfriend/ boyfriend has no gag reflex, don’t shove your cock down their throat so far they cry – not without talking about it beforehand, anyway. And in regards to cunnilingus (hot word), jaws get sore. Until you build up the jaw stamina of Violet Beauregard from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, you’ll probably have to take breaks from pussy eating every ten minutes or so to prevent jaw cramps.

Anyway, beautiful readers, have fun figuring it out (fingering it out).

Email sex@capilanocourier.com for advice or whatever. It’s a great e-mail address to have in your contacts. Just send me an e-mail, seriously.

// Sarah Vitet

sex robot

A REALLY, REALLY GREEN GAMES And other greenwashing schemes

That’s it, it has been decided – these Olympics will go down in history as by far the greenest on record. This isn’t necessarily a reference to an unprecedented dedication to limiting the environmental impact of the games. It refers to grass, yet not to British Columbia’s notorious fondness for marijuana.

It is essential to differentiate between acute weather patterns, such as the already-infamous warm spell of Olympic proportions that Vancouver has been experiencing, and global climate patterns that continue to trend towards hotter summers and warmer winters. However, the amount of (admittedly thriving) grass and other assorted greenery in Vancouver raises a few questions.

I can’t stress strongly enough my resentment for those willing to link each unusually balmy winter or blistering hot summer’s day to climate change. Weather will vary day-by-day and year-to-year. However, these sweaty Olympics do pose an opportunity to ponder a few subjects of utmost importance. Where we draw the line between simply seasonally scorching weather and dangerous warming climate trends is a key question.

Even if Vancouver doesn’t receive a snowflake until next winter, yes, it’s always possible to argue that this winter is a blip on the weather radar. Now, at which point do we stop accepting that argument? Whether a decade of warm weather is acceptable evidence or not, depends on who you ask. Various global warming deniers will argue that it is not. Some will go as far as claiming evidence of global cooling.

While El Nino was a term virtually unknown amongst our grandparents’ generation, it seems to now be a nearly bi-annual occurrence. Traditionally, El Nino conditions were seen once every five years. In the last two decade its perspiring head popped up nearly four times every ten years. Publications in various scientific journals have linked the increase in El Nino occurrences to global warming, while others refuse to rule out the possibility (Science 2000, 2006 and Geophysical Research Letters 1999).

We must also ask ourselves continually, now that mega-marketers and corporations have realized the land mine that ‘environmentally responsible’ products are, to what extent are each product, each business, and yes, each Olympic games sustainable.

The David Suzuki Foundation issued the Vancouver Olympics a bronze medal for VANOC’s environmental efforts. This may have been a little enthusiastic, and the Foundation received criticism for various reasons – for both being too lenient on the games’ massive carbon footprint, and for linking the grassy slopes of Cyprus to climate change. The collective impact of thousands of attendees flights, trucking snow in from Manning Park, and the overall energy requirements of entertaining such a large influx of people could not possibly be off-set by a few hydrogen-fuelled buses and encouraging the masses to take public transit. These are among the examples of ‘green’ initiatives that VANOC seems to have adopted more for optics sake than the environment.

However, VANOC has not been the most blatant example of greenwashing in Vancouver these past two weeks.

Coca-Cola unleashed its much-hyped PlantBottle for its water and sparkling beverages during the games, made from 30% ultra-refined Brazilian sugar cane. When compared to the baseline of a completely petroleum-derived plastic bottle, perhaps this is an improvement. However, compared to tap water, these bottles become 30% unnecessarily potentially cleared Amazonian rainforest and water-intensive sugar cane, and 70% unnecessarily consumed petroleum. Of course, that doesn’t even begin to address the environmental costs of shipping the sugar-cane products from Brazil, and then the finished product from a bottling facility to Vancouver. In a world where even such seemingly enviro-proof materials such as bamboo textiles have been recently questioned for requiring such chemicals as caustic soda, carbon disulfide and diluted sulfuric acid in the production process, it pays, environmentally, to do your homework.

Hopefully, as individuals and consumers, that means that we won’t end up paying too much in the future, or as suckers to a green marketing campaign, be it for t-shirts, water bottles or a really big sporting event.

// Jens Ourom

environmental columnist