-
Featured Stories
-
Vancouver Fashion Week Opening Gala Recap!
30 Mar 2012 by sarah veness / No Comments
Vancouver Fashion Week [VFW] Fall / Winter 2012 started off the year with a bang! The Opening Gala, that took place on March 20, 2012, hosted at the undeniably gorgeous and upscale Opus Hotel Vancouver, saw more than four hundred designers, models, media and VIPs come through the door into the one industry event any true fashionista would be sorry to miss.
-
Bill C-10: Here Comes the Omnibus
28 Mar 2012 by Justin Choi / No Comments
You might have heard that Bill C-10, otherwise known as Safe Streets and Communities Act or the Omnibus Crime bill, has just passed and become law. On the other hand, you might not have. Well, now you’ve heard it from me, and I tell you, there’s no going back because this is really important.
-
Scholarships 101
21 Mar 2012 by Min Young Hwang / No Comments
Rather than sitting around waiting for my parents to look after me, I decided to pick myself up and apply for scholarships. Not only does it allow me to help my parents take care of our financial needs, it also maintains my grip of motivation and the sense of moving towards a goal.
-
What Does the Insite Decision Mean? A Public Talk by Monique Pongracic-Speier
19 Mar 2012 by Justin Choi / No Comments
On Wednesday, March 14, I went to “What Does the Insite Decision Mean?”, a public talk by Monique Pongracic-Speier, the lawyer who led the court cases for keeping InSite open against challenges from the Conservative government.
-
A Rundown of Industry Training Programs
12 Mar 2012 by Phoebe Lim / No Comments
With course selections rearing its daunting head upon many high school students this month, many are contemplating which courses to choose and eventually which careers to practice. Industry training programs are a great option for those who know which career path they want to take, or those who wish to sample a career before deciding to pursue it. Only qualifiers: be at least grade 11 or 12, and have a good attitude and passion for what you love.
-
Your Digital Tattoo
10 Mar 2012 by Richelle Zheng / No Comments
Have you ever tried to look yourself up on Google? If you haven’t appeared in a viral video or you haven’t cured cancer, chances are, your named won’t pop up too many times on the search engine. However, this doesn’t mean that your information is not on the internet.
-
The Street Youth of Vancouver
06 Mar 2012 by Richelle Zheng / No Comments
On every given night in Vancouver, there are 500 to 1000 people between the ages of 16-24 living on the streets. They are in constant fear of being robbed, not having enough to eat, or wondering if they’ll be alive for another day.
These are the street-youth of Vancouver. And to know more about them, last week, I had the chance to meet with Michelle Clausius, Associate Director of Covenant House, to find out more about the situation.
-
How Outdated Are the Liquor Laws?
20 Feb 2012 by Richelle Zheng / No Comments
The recent Rio Theatre vs. B.C. Liquor Control debacle has caused widespread discontent among locals and the remaining supporters of single-screen movie theatres.
According to new liquor laws, theatres with liquor licenses are now able to both screen movies and serve alcohol–just not at the same time. Furthermore, showtimes would have to be scheduled in stone, which is difficult, as live performances at venues are subject to change. Owners are still unsatisfied with the latest concession; however, it doesn’t seem to be any new news. The frustration can be traced back to nearly a century ago.
1920- After aggressive waves of the Temperance Movement, provinces finally repealed prohibition laws and allowed government stores to sell liquor.
1921- Because of the Government Liquor Act, that deemed unlicensed public consumption of alcohol illegal, many Vancouver businesses converted to “private clubs.” Members of these clubs were then allowed to consume liquor.
1971- All liquor advertising (on TV, newsprint, etc.), were banned for a short period of time.
1976- Three types of venues are prohibited from selling alcohol: arcades, businesses which cater to youth, and movie theatres.
1987- Following Expo ’86, the government begins to loosen liquor laws, even moving toward privatizing liquor stores. However, the old “demon rum” attitude is not all gone, as people still did not trust the substance to be regulated by market forces.
A frequent movie-goer, Jacqueline, commented, “The only thing that concerns me about more lenient liquor laws is peoples’ behaviors during movies; however, I would encourage more lenient liquor laws.” It is, after all, an entertainment venue.
Even though liquor laws have been liberalized over the century and progress has been made, traces of an antiquated temperance movement still echo in our contemporary society. It seems like more could be done for progress to be applauded.
Photo from http://www.northhillsoap.com/
-
Asian signs: they have a purpose.
07 Feb 2012 by Richelle Zheng / 1 Comment
Recently, Vancouver Sun Op-Ed writer Douglas Todd sparked some controversy when he advocated for the abolition of foreign signs, namely Chinese, in Richmond. On the same day of the same paper, Harvey Enchin countered the topic by stating that to restrict Chinese signs would be ‘un-Canadian‘. A few days later, Todd then shared a few letters, of which he received from people of Chinese or Asian descent, who supported his view.
However, these letters are undoubtedly from residents who have already, if not fully, integrated themselves into the English-speaking community. In simplest terms, an immigrant who struggles at English would most likely not be adept at drafting a response in written English to an English article.
In context though, the ones who will be affected are the immigrants. Richmond’s Asian population sits around 60%. The most concentrated area of Asian signage in Richmond is without question ‘Golden Village,” the well-known commercial district that houses Aberdeen Center, Parker Place, etc. For new immigrants or the Asian-Canadian population in general, it’s a haven that’s better than Chinatown. The signs in Chinese are not put up so that immigrants do not have to learn English; they are put up to make daily life more convenient for the residents, the grocery shoppers. Reading signs in English will not help the average immigrant learn the language.
Then multiculturalism comes into view, as it always does. In its ideal form, it’s about proactively accepting people and their culture into a bigger whole. But it’s certainly not assimilation pretending to be acceptance.
Growing up with immigrant parents, I can say with certainty that they have not neglected the environment that they live in. My father is fairly fluent in English and translates for a monthly community newsletter. My mother regularly attends language classes at a church. However, sometimes what’s most important is still the bits and pieces of what they’d left behind. Even if it’s as small as being able to read a sign in their native language.
-
HMV closure: Do you care?
31 Jan 2012 by Eric Yip / 2 Comments
When was the last time you went out and bought a CD or a DVD? Yesterday? Last week? Last year even? I can’t even remember the last time I bought a CD. DVDs are a little different for me because there are some movies that I like having in my collection. That being said, I wouldn’t consider myself a DVD collector by any means. I, like many others, get my music or movies over the Internet, but with the downtown location, HMV, closing, I can’t help but feel a little sad that the store won’t be there anymore.
For those of you who don’t know, recently, the British-owned megastore, HMV, closed it doors at the downtown and the Richmond location. The President of HMV Canada says that they are shutting them down due to a lack of revenue and a high amount of debt. The Robson street location especially became too taxing (no pun intended) on the company’s finances because of the rent required to sustain a store of that size. Although HMV is closing its doors at two locations, there are still nine other HMV’s in British Columbia.
With the growth of online shopping and the increased accessibility to movies and music through legal and illegal downloading and streaming, more consumers are less inclined to go out and purchase the physical product. This begs the question, how many people out there really even care that HMV is closing? Itunes, for instance, has made it so easy for someone to purchase the songs or movies they want in the comfort of their own homes. Furthermore, as youth become more tech savvy, I truly believe there will be a time where CDs and DVDs will fall through the way-side like the cassettes and vinyl’s that preceded them. Don’t get me wrong, there will definitely be people out there who will still buy the physical product but they will become harder to find.
Though I haven’t purchased items from HMV very often over the years, walking by the Robson street location and not seeing the giant HMV sign was kind of depressing because it has been a landmark in the heart of the downtown core. If I ever needed to find a CD or DVD, I knew that the three-story location was bound to have it. However, don’t be sad my fellow consumers, downtown Vancouver is too big of a market for HMV to not have a store and the President of HMV Canada has said they will be opening up a small store soon. In the meantime, you will have to find your CD, DVD and other miscellaneous product fix somewhere else.
Photo from thegamershub.net
-
Are you employable? An interview with Tammy Tsang
26 Jan 2012 by Justin Choi / No Comments
Are you young and out of work? Are you worried about your future career prospects? Well, I can’t help you, but I know someone who can: Tammy Tsang.
Tammy is a fierce young entrepreneur who just successfully organized the XYBOOM Conference. Just in case you missed the buzz around town, XYBOOM was a conference about rising concerns of youth unemployment (Generation Y), as Baby Boomers begin to retire from the workforce while Generation X is reluctant to hire Gen Y’ers because of factors such as inexperience, and an inflated sense of entitlement. Many think that there aren’t enough Gen X’ers to fill the positions left open by the Baby Boomers, and the Gen Y’ers are not experienced enough to full those positions. This has already led to the highest rate of youth unemployment in 30 years, and left approximately 450,000 Canadian youth unemployed, which leads to a vicious cycle; since they cannot get jobs, they cannot build experience, which leads to even more diminishing prospects. In addition, many youth are reluctant to find employment in blue-collar jobs, and expect to find a high-paying white-collar job coming out of post secondary.
Employers are responding to this problem in various ways, such as finding immigrants to fill blue collar or managerial positions. However, many believe that such solutions are only makeshift, and that we need to find a more fundamental solution to this problem.
You might want to scream at this point: It’s not my fault! You are right, it isn’t. You are merely a tiny cog in the capitalist machine that is our society (no offence). However, there are steps you can take to pull yourself ahead of the race. First, experience is key. Do not think your employers will care about your grades. Start working, volunteering and doing internships while you are in school. Consider starting your own company, if you’re up for it.
You thought there would be a second, didn’t you? Well, I guess you can read up on the problem. Get educated, and be ready. It’s a tough world out there, kid.
Photo from www.xyboom.ca
-
Salon Series: Liberated Transparency
25 Jan 2012 by Justin Choi / No Comments
What have you done for at-risk youth lately? I don’t know about you, but I’ve just attended the Salon Series: Liberated Transparency, which makes me a better person than you. But I digress. Salon Series is a place where speakers are invited to talk about various issues around the city, and everyone is invited to share their ideas in an open, positive setting.
This Salon, titlted “Liberated Transparency”, was about mental health and youth at risk. It was organized by Sarah Jamieson, a self-described “sports philanthropreneur”, and one of the most vibrant, energetic people I have ever met (which is small wonder, seeing as how she has probably run enough marathons to go around the Earth once or twice). She started off with her own story about why she cares about this issue – an abusive stepfather, a broken childhood and a bipolar mother who committed suicide three years ago.
The first two guest speakers were Kristina Dixon from the Canadian Mental Health Association and three police officers from Odd Squad Productions. They spoke about their efforts at youth outreach, and about what we can do to help those at risk. The Odd Squad also focused on the issues of drug abuse and prevention.
However, the highlight of the night was Alana Stockford, a partially disabled teen who attends grade 11 at Heritage Woods Secondary School. She recounted her experiences as a “disabled” person growing up in Vancouver, telling a touching story of alienation, neglect, and lost friendship. However, it was just as much a story of hope and a brighter future, not only for her but for everyone affected by issues of mental health.
Overall, the Liberated Transparency Salon was a refreshing reminder of the realities of the often-neglected topic of mental health and youth at risk in our society. We still have a very limited understanding of what it is like to be afflicted by mental diseases, and if history has taught us anything, it’s that dialogue is an excellent way of getting to know each other.
Photo from www.sarahmjamieson.wordpress.com
-