Monthly Archives: August 2007

News from Scotland… SFU bagpipes place 2nd at Worlds + deciding Scotland's future

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News from Scotland…  SFU bagpipes place 2nd at Worlds
+ deciding Scotland's future

Every now and again, I receive news from the Scottish diaspora about the Scottish diaspora, and even from good old Scotland itself. 

The following information is from Ron Macleod – chair of SFU Scottish Cultural Studies, and Russell Walker from the Govt. of Scotland – who is a big Gung Haggis Fat Choy fan.

Here are today's (Saturday's) results at the 2007 World Pipe Band Championships, Glasgow.
Regards, the other Ron
1st Field Marshal Montgomery (Northern Ireland) 
2nd Simon Fraser University (Canada) 
3rd House of Edgar-Shotts & Dykehead (Scotland) 
4th Scottish Lion-78th Fraser Highlanders (Canada) 
5th Strathclyde Police (Scotland)

Choosing Scotland's Future

Scotland's First Minister, Alex
Salmond MSP launched a White Paper today inviting the people of
Scotland to join in a national conversation on the nation’s
constitutional future.The First Minister values the engagement of
Scotland's diaspora in this conversation. The paper has been published
as part of the Government's fulfilment of its manifesto commitments and
100 days undertakings, and to ensure competent government.

The paper sets out three principal choices.

· Small extension of devolved powers

· Radical redesign of devolution and greatly enhanced powers

· Independence

A new website – http://www.scotland.gov.uk/topics/a-national-conversation
– has been launched to attract comments from all shades of opinion.
Anyone interested in contributing to the discussion, can do so by
e-mailing joinin@anationalconversation.com.

Greetings, an interesting BBC website, courtesy Norman Calder. regards, the other Ron

Scots 'mither tongue' goes online 

 An archive of the Scots language is now available all over the world thanks to a comprehensive new website.

Researchers
at Glasgow University have completed work on the online resource, which
contains more than four million words in Scots and Scottish English.

 As well as meaning and usage, the project also has audio links, allowing people to hear words being spoken.

 The site, funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council, can be accessed at www.scottishcorpus.ac.uk

 People
from the US, Australia, China, Japan and South America have already
logged on to use the service, as well as people in Scotland.

  It is one aspect of a long and flourishing cultural heritage.

 Dr Wendy Anderson

Project researcher

 The website currently includes text from 1945 up to the present day, with researchers working on expanding it.

 They are building up a new resource for older varieties of language, dating from 1700 to 1945.

 Once completed this should allow people to trace the development of features of Scots and Scottish English over time.

 Project
researcher, Dr Wendy Anderson, said: “The Scots language is a source of
interest across the world as it is one aspect of a long and flourishing
cultural heritage.The website will be a useful language resource for
academic researchers and students, language learners and teachers,
dictionary writers and secondary school language teachers, not to
mention for the large number of general users who just want to satisfy
a curiosity about the Scots language.”


Scripting Aloud Summer Sipper… Monday August 13

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Scripting Aloud Summer Sipper… Monday August 13

Scripting Aloud is organized by film-maker Kathy Leung and writer/actor Grace Chin, two friends that originally met in my dragonboat and Ricepaper circles.  It is a fun event that encourages both writers to bring developing scripts and actors to come help read them… a fine collaboration that helps build community.

This event really helped to develop Twisting Fortunes, the play that Grace wrote with fellow writer Charlie Cho.  I reviewed it and really enjoyed attending the performance.

The following is the latest message from Kathy and Grace:

Hi All,

It's getting a little too hot…not! But summer's still
got some post-Celebration of Light sparkle with a few events in August.
VAFF's Mighty Asian Moviemaking Marathon (the evocatively abbreviated
MAMM) returns for a threepeat, this time with a new genre requirement.
As always, the winning teams share $5,000 in prize money
(mmmm…money).


Put your scripting hat on, crew up and find your cast for MAMM 2007, if you haven't already, at the Scripting Aloud Summer Sipper
this coming Monday! Or show up just for an excuse to party on a weekday
– yes, the cafe is licensed. 🙂
Snoozers lose – this year there's a MAMM registration cutoff of 15
teams, and to date seven have already confirmed participation.

WHAT: Summer Sipper
WHEN: Monday, August 13, 2007, 6:30 pm – 9 pm
WHERE: Our Town Café, 245 E. Broadway (at Kingsway) in Vancouver


Scripting Aloud is now on Facebook!
Rather than spam everyone with Facebook invites, and knowing many of
you may already be on – we thought we'd build it and let y'all come. 🙂
Find us and join the group today!


This weekend's Chinatown Festival features two sketch groups
from SKETCHOFF!#$%!! in May – prepare to be disorientaled and licked.
And if a Vietnamese accent is in your voice repertoire – there may be a
gig for you.

Kathy & Grace
Producers, Scripting Aloud

CUPE 391: Vancouver Library workers still on strike

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CUPE 391: Vancouver Library workers still on strike


Todd Wong is thanked by Donald Law – photo Sam King

Yesterday I met Donald Law while I was playing my accordion on the picket line.  Donald came up to me and asked “Are you Todd Wong?”

He said I had been instrumental in helping direct him to the information to help his family apply for the Chinese Head Tax ex-gratia payments.  I had directed Donald to the history division which holds a micro-fiche collection of Chinese head tax registrations, of which the Vancouver Public Library is one of the few institutions in Canada to have.

It’s people like Donald who understand how important having access to information is, and how the information that we provide helps their lives, that make working at the library so satisfying.  We are proud of the jobs that we do at the library.  I have worked for VPL for over thirty years… I love it.

Meanwhile…

We are disappointed with the labour negotiations for the library.  Our union has told us that the library board finally presented us with their “opening offer” – 9 months after CUPE 391 submitted an offer back in Nov. ’06.  In all the months since, they kept saying make something “more reasonable” without constructive guidelines.


Fellow Library Workers of CUPE 391, + CUPE 15 and 1004 city inside and
outside workers cheer on speakers at Friday’s rally at City Hall –
photo Todd Wong

Alex Youngberg speaking at the Friday August 10th rally at City Hall for Fairness for Civic Workers – photo Todd Wong

from www.cupe391.ca

Friday, August 10, 2007

Back on the Line with 391

Bargaining Committee wrote this in the late afternoon:

Today, the Bargaining Committee returned to the picket lines frustrated,
exhausted, but more resolved than ever to get a fair settlement. We are
extremely angry and frankly a bit horrified that the Employer and City
of Vancouver thinks that it is perfectly fine to waste thousands of tax
payers’ dollars on hotel rooms and countless hours of our time waiting
to finally start meaningful negotiations while our members are stuck on
the picket line and the public is unable to access library and city
services.

Needless to say, after our return we were met with the most amazing
show of support yet for both our bargaining team and our key issues.
Everyone has been so amazing and we cannot thank you enough for the
warm welcome home and the incredible show support. As long as you are
behind us willing to fight for what is right, we will always be able to
find the strength to carry on.

Later today, we joined hundreds of members from CUPE 15, 391, 1004,
the HEU, and the Vancouver Fight Fighters Union, Local 18 at a rally at
City Hall to show our support and let everyone know that we want a fair
collective agreement.

With so much solidarity out there from our members, other unions,
and the public it is unfathomable why the City is still continuing to
behave in such a non-constructive manner. Around the region
municipalities and unions are reaching fair agreements:

Richmond contract – ratified July 26
Delta contract – ratified August 1
Burnaby contact – ratified August 2
North Van contract – ratified August 4
Surrey contract – ratified August 7

So, what is the problem with our Employer and the City of Vancouver?
And where exactly does City Council and our Library Board stand on
getting a fair settlement?

The only thing that has been made clear to us is that the Employer
and the City have no interest in negotiating a fair collective
agreement at this time.

So, if we are to get a fair settlement any time soon we must more
than ever continue to be strong and encourage the public to contact
City Council to demand that a fair deal be reached immediately with all
civic workers.

When the City of Vancouver and Vancouver Public Library Board are
prepared to seriously address our issues, then CUPE 391 is prepared to
bargain anytime.

Early next week the Bargaining Committee with be meeting to
strategize the next steps. In the meantime, stay strong and check the
blog for more information.

Again you are heart, soul, and will behind us. Thank you for doing the right thing.

– Your Bargaining Committee

CALL FOR POEMS: “SEVEN FOR '07”

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CALL FOR
POEMS: “SEVEN FOR '07“

Chris Lee of the UBC English Department is heading up the call for poems to help recognize the Anniversaries of Change project that is drawing attention to significant events in Asian Canadian history from 1907, 1947, 1967 and 1997.  The catalyst for these historic events is the 100th anniversary of the September 8th, Chinatown Riots by the Anti-Asiatic League.

Vancouver has come a long way from a small pioneer town on the edge of civilization, to become a bustling global city that celebrates ethnic and cultural diversity that no other city in Canada can match.  Vancouver was one of the entry points for Asian immigration to Canada, and thus was also a lightning rod for Anti-Asian or anti-immigration sentiment.

A call for poetry to celebrate the historic event, and to recognize how far we have come, is a worthy project that will help bring contemporary insight to historical hindsight, combined with artistic creativity.  Okay… I admit… I had a hand  (or rather some brain cells) in helping to spark this creative project.  Hope you can help out… write a poem… tell you poet friends…

CALL FOR POEMS: “SEVEN FOR '07”

2007
Anniversaries of Change is a broad-based coalition of
institutions and
organizations that have come together to mark 2007 as
an anniversary year in
the quest for equality and justice in
Canada.
The years 1907, 1947, 1967, and 1997 each mark a watershed moment
in
the history of Asian migrants in Canada and their struggles to
fight
discrimination and oppression. These anniversaries not only call for
historical reflection, but also offer
opportunities to renew ongoing
efforts in anti-racism.

On September 8,
2007, there will be an all-day public event at the
Vancouver Public Library
Central Branch that will include panels,
displays, multimedia, and performing
arts. We are currently soliciting
short poems (maximum 20 lines) from local
writers addressing the
themes of this year of anniversaries. Please note:
Writers do not have
be of Asian descent and submissions do not have to
directly address
the historical events being commemorated. We are seeking
entries that
can, in conjunction with other community events, creatively
provoke
reflection on the current state of diversity and justice in
Vancouver
and British Columbia.

Seven poems will be chosen and circulated in the following
ways: (1)
large wall-size posters of each poem will be produced and displayed
in
the VPL atrium on September 8; (2) smaller posters with all seven
poems will be printed and widely distributed as
part of commemorative
activities in the fall. We will extend a token
honorarium to each
writer chosen to participate in Seven for '07.

Please email entries to
instrcc.events@gmail.com by August 9,
2007.
Please attach entries in either .pdf or .rtf formats and ensure
that
no identifying notes or markers are included in the file. In the
body
of the email, please provide the following information: name,
address,
telephone number, contact email, and a short (maximum 40 words)
biographical
statement. After a blind review process, chosen writers
will be contacted in
order to arrange publication details.

For more information about Seven for '
07 please contact Chris Lee (UBC
Department of
English) at leechr@interchange.ubc.ca. More
information
about the Anniversaries of Change can be found on
www.anniversaries07.ca.
Thank you for your interest!


Toddish McWong in Vancouver's Pride Parade

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Toddish McWong in Vancouver's Pride Parade



Toddish McWong finds a fellow kilt wearer at the Vancouver Pride Parade – photo E. Harris/T. Wong collection

I had never ever before attended Vancouver's Pride Parade, let alone actually be in the parade. 

But I admit… I'd thought about it before. 

Each year Vancouver Library Workers union CUPE 391 participates in the Pride parade.  This year, I thought it would be good to go out and join fellow co-workers – especially during the strike.

While I am straight… I have supported Gay-Lesbian issues on a number of community fronts, especially in my past  roles with student newspapers, when I once was a regional human rights coordinator for Western Region, Canadian University Press.



CUPE 391 Pride parade participants… Janis (front), Ross, Catherine, Todd and Electra – photo T. Wong collection

It was good fun walking with fellow Vancouver library workers, some I have known for years and years, and some whom I met brand new.  One librarian had only worked four shifts with VPL, before we went on strike, and yet she still came out to join the CUPE 391 delegation for the Pride Parade.

We met on Robson Street, with other CUPE locals and other unions.  Our parade number was 31, just behind the official City of Vancouver delegation with the mayor and other city councillors at number 27.



CUPE 391: Ross with cowboy hat, Janis with child in stroller, Electra with tutu, Sophie with hand bag – photo T. Wong

While past library participants had created the now legendary “book buggy brigade” in which they took book trucks and wheeled them in formations similar to the RCMP musical ride… we simply walked along with the group flow.  Ross danced along waving the CUPE BC flag.  Electra held out bubbles for children to blow.  It was a parade.  It was a happy time.  And it was good to be able to participate.

Afterwards, somebody asked me if I was afraid that people who saw me in the parade might think that I was gay.  I said I wasn't.  The parade is about celebrating diversity… well more sexual diversity rather than ethnic or cultural diversity.  But is still about diversity, human rights and respect. 



Pride parade '07… Does this guy think he is supposed to be Chinese? He isn't short enough! photo T. Wong

Maybe next year will see an official Gung Haggis Fat Choy parade entry.  I have put a Gung Haggis Fat Choy dragon boat float in the first three years of Vancouver's St. Patrick's parade, since the Celtic Fest Vancouver people originally asked me to be involved as a way of helping the parade be multicultural.  Hmmm… a dragon boat float in the Pride parade?  Since 1997, I have coached gay paddlers and lesbian paddlers on my teams.  Do you think Vancouver is ready to handle a parade entry full of “Dragon Boat Queens?”



Toddish McWong carrying a CUPE flag in the Pride Parade – photo E. Harris for T.Wong collection

see my Pride pictures at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/53803790@N00/sets/72157601262211104/