i suppose i should mention that

culture spinnin

andreaah — Wed, 04 Jul 2007 16:17:56 GMT

folks, check out this video. it's a riot. (especially when all you CAN do is laugh..... .. .... . ) http://joinus.thetyee.ca/ in case you haven't heard of the tyee -- get acquainted. brilliant, brilliant online reporting.

town hall meeting TUESDAY, yep, June 19n :: ILLUMINARES LANTERN FESTIVAL -- yours, yo. ours.

andreaah — Tue, 19 Jun 2007 01:09:00 GMT

Hello Creative Community, Movers and Shakers! I'm sorry for the mad late notice -- but this is reeeeally important! Please see details below and join me and us at the Trout Lake Community Centre on Tuesday evening... ooh... sooo soon! The Vancouver Community has been attending Public Dreams Society's Illuminares Lantern Procession in Trout Lake Park for 19 years now. I know many of you remember it from it's grassroots. We need to hear from you! The Public Dreams coordinating team is working hard at keeping the creative community engaged and energized and we're especially keen about honoring tradition and culture creation. Not to say we won't unveil some really wonderful new ideas. Come and tell us what you think. We may even bribe you with hot chocolate and cookies Trout Lake Community Centre (Victoria Dr and 15th Ave), Tuesday June 19, 2007 7-9:30pm Onwards and upwards! Drives of Dreams! Love ya! Andrea

as well as you want

andreaah — Sun, 03 Jun 2007 12:02:53 GMT

i've been lying with an ear closer to the ground and skin a bit thinner.. uncovering stories that are closer to the surface than i'd imagined paying attention to -- and learning more about my friends and acquaintances lives, folks that i work with i've learned in the past week that one lost her brother and her father within three months last year another who is supporting her sister through a battle at the threshold one who's father is dying another who's sister lost her baby at childbirth one is working through a divorce someone's brother is handicapped, battling alchoholism i don't mean to overwhelm, but this was all in the last week. and this is no more than usual. only, i've been sensitive to it and listening. i am grieving for my baby cousin, 18 yrs, who is in the icu in calgary, in and out of a coma following life-threatening burns to face, neck, arms. and i'm paying attention to how we all sypathize and connect when life and death are the skin on the surface (and how to.. and what to.. given that we're all so much more comfortable talking about the weather.)

just encountered a terribly disheartening phrase in the globe and mail

andreaah — Fri, 04 May 2007 00:52:45 GMT

"the corporate womb" (not assuming all corporations are the devil.. but given the context of the article..) eeeeh.

you're going down the rabbit hole anyways...

andreaah — Wed, 21 Mar 2007 18:03:12 GMT

saturday, march 24 ... main and 3rd (casa del artista) why not volunteer? you get in for free, only commit a couple of hours and strengthen your already vibrant network by helping put on a really fab fundraisin party. oooh! the love! we still need 2 folks on door from 12-2am. help always needed for set-up and tear-down. (some set up will be done on friday, some tear down on sunday) a hand or two welcome for partying ambassadors who keep an eye out for stray cats and empties. email me at orangeandorange@gmail.com for more details and i'll hook you up. lovely! andrea on behalf of one fine fine in the house festival

for the muthah

andreaah — Sun, 11 Mar 2007 19:29:23 GMT

what would it look like if no one cared and we all worked together, celebrating an explosive GDP, plenty of resource and energy to export and land to occupy regardless of who's home or habitat we chew up? frightening, eh.... but it ain't the case, there are a lot of folks who care an awful lot. it's overwhelming! admit you don't know! love yerself! love em bros & sisters... and the insperable life support system! hola! _________________________________ lot's of politics. it ain't so bad. a small, interactive way to participate in democracy: http://www.letelizabethspeak.ca send the women to the front lines! they approach with dirt under their fingernails. click the link. send your word. by the way... in case you hadn't heard yet... we're anticipating a vote of non confidence if the federal budget isn't passed on the 19th of march. that means... good chance of FERDERAL ELECTION THIS SPRING. stay in the loop. we'll do some digging.

ten months.

andreaah — Tue, 06 Mar 2007 06:59:52 GMT

march 5 i got up early this morning. 15 minute bike ride downtown.. courthouse. probably only there for total of an hour. all brief. small time. before the crowds, soaked in rain, full of spirit, were all able to filter into the courtroom, the sentence had been spoken 10 months. they stalled us getting into the room through metal detectors and searches. { i hate to use 'them' and 'us' .... but folks, i was wondering out loud when we're going to admit that we're living in a police state. } "10 months!" we gasped "SHAME" SHAME" SHAME" we cried i had tears. we were so choked. from the pits of our stomachs and backs of our throats. ( worsened from biking downtown behind rush hour exhaust pipes) i knew that we couldn't yell -- we had to sing. i turned to the folks around me, looking at the wet cheeks and pale faces of the crowd in the court house lobby. heart pounding, kind of frantic, really... and i asked them all to sing. that we should sing. YES we NEED to use our VOICES. not to shout shame from our throats, but to cry in unison and harmony. nothing. no answers. no songs. and i realize, as if i'm lacking a language to communicate between our hearts, like there should be a tongue in my chest cavity -- that we share no songs. nothing appropriate. nothing but words to shout when we needed to be loud and to cry with one strong voice. i turned to the first nations women. i asked them to please lead us in song. they pulled their skin drums from bags hung on their shoulders and stood in doors between the outside and the courthouse and chanted. everyone raised their hands and their VOICES. they closed their eyes and turned their faces and palms to the spirit and sang their hearts' sadness together. betty krawczyk, 78 year old grandmother, mother of 9 children, fighter for a humanity that doesn't poison and destroy as we do, had been sentenced to 10 months in incarceration. i remind you that harriet nahanee, 71 year old grandmother and native elder, served a 14 day sentence for an injunction that cost her her life. in poor health she was put into a holding cell in surrey correctional and developed pneumonia. for the land. for life. brief. my commitment hasn't added up to much. my past experience with the issues has been limited. but, y'all.. it's added to the catalyst a lifetime of real work. politics and culture... observation, performance, growth, community, excitement, movement, fear, creation ... all very real. connected. and i commit, because i have no other choice, to promote and preserve and build around it all. for you and with you. in?

March 2nd until the 8th -- RIO THEATRE

andreaah — Sat, 03 Mar 2007 00:09:37 GMT

Ohboy! Controversy unleashed! HA! Check these films out... You'll want to know what the buzz is all about after these things hit the big screen and shake up the grassroots. RIO THEATRE (Broadway and Commercial) Friday, March 2 - Thursday, March 8 7:00pm Indecent Exposure to Cars – World Naked Bike Ride, The Movie 9:15pm Five Ring Circus – The Untold Story of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Games (see below for deets...) _____________________________________________________________________ Indecent Exposure to Cars – World Naked Bike Ride, The Movie (http://www.worldnakedbikeride.org/movie/movie.htm) I've met folks who think this is a joke. Ha! Nope…. In-the-flesh butts on bikes… And a lot of your asses on screen to prove it! Yep, this documentary was mostly filmed in Vancouver… a good chance you're in it. Heheeh. This is indeed one of the world's largest synchronized reclaim-the-streets style guerrilla demonstration to counter oil-dependancy. "Use your ass! Use less gas!" chanted in countless languages across the globe. See footage of the hoards of naked cyclists who took to the streets in Sydney, Barcelona, London, Portland, Aukland, Chicago, Brisbane, San Francisco… Click the link to see the trailer. Rio Theatre (Broadway & Commercial) March 2nd - 8th at 7:15pm Matinee on Sunday, March 4th at 2pm Advance tickets for the March 2nd premiere can be purchased from Pivot Legal Society (678 E Hastings), the Vegetarian Resource Center (2250 Commercial Drive), and Our Community bikes (3283 Main Street). Guest appearance from the bicycle dance group, the Dancebellies. Tickets, $7. The Five Ring Circus will be released at the same time. You'll want to see them both (details below) – The bill for both shows is $12. Yeeow! What a steal. _______________________________________________ Five Ring Circus – The Untold Story of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Games (www.TheFiveRingCircus.com) This is pretty important stuff, folks. The seedy underbelly of the Olympic corporate and enviro-crunching, pavement-pouring, home-stealing agenda exposed and on screen. Controversy unleashed. "Those who are genuinely concerned about Vancouver's plummeting status as Canada's most livable city should check out Conrad Schmidt's Five Ring Circus, a thoughtful documentary intended to expose Vancouver's much-vaunted day in the sun as a significant epicentre of these seismic tensions. In contradistinction to the shiny, happy PR disseminated by our government, in collusion with construction, real estate, and hospitality interests, the 2010 Olympics is already a colossal disaster, and Schmidt does a brilliant job of probing many of the most concerning contours and fault lines." (For the rest of this review, see: http://vancouvergo.com/Olympics2010/2007/02/16/five-ring-circus-by-local-filmmaker-conrad-schmidt/) See interviews with mayors Derek Corrigan, Richard Walton, and Pamela Goldsmith-Jones, University of Toronto Professor Helen Lenskyj, Christopher Shaw of 2010 Watch, Sara MacIntyre of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, Kim Kerr of DERA, David Eby of Pivot Legal, Betty Krawczyk and many others. Special appearances by Vancouver Mayor Sam Sullivan, Premier Gordon Campbell and members of the Vancouver police department. Find out what all these folks have to say about the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Games. Decided for yourself what Vancouver is doing to uphold the title of "The Greenest Games Ever!" What will these three weeks in 2010 do to the social, economic and environmental sustainability of our city and community? We have three years, but a lot of catching up to do. View the trailer: www.TheFiveRingCircus.com The film will hit the Rio Theatre (Broadway & Commercial) on March 2nd and run until the 8th at 9pm Matinee on Sunday, March 4th at 4:30pm Advance tickets for the March 2nd premiere can be purchased from Pivot Legal Society (678 E Hastings), the Vegetarian Resource Center (2250 Commercial Drive). Director Conrad Schmidt, Pivot Lawyer David Eby and Betty Krawzcyk will be in attendance to answer questions following the March 2nd screening. This will sell event will out. Tickets, $8. Indecent Exposure to Cars will be playing at the same time. Again, you'll want to see them both – The bill to see the two documentaries is $12.

your environment and your mothers

andreaah — Tue, 27 Feb 2007 17:28:27 GMT

Come to the Press Conference {Thursday March 1, 2007 from 10 am-noon, Aboriginal Friendship Center 1607 East Hastings St. (at Commercial)} Write a letter to the Editor Give Justice Brown a word from the grassroots Make enough noise that it will be impossible to send another one of our grandmothers, heros, friends -- Betty Krawczyk, to lock-up. {Her sentencing will take place Monday March 5th at 9 am at the Courthouse (206-800 Smithe Street)} ______________________________________________________________________. Harriet Nahanee, elder, warrior and supporter for the Eagleridge Bluff defenders passed away shortly after being tried and sentenced to l4 days in jail for not apologizing for her part in defending our land, our environment (Eagleridge Bluffs). The judge Madame "Justice" Brenda Brown sentenced Harriet to l4 days in lock-up despite being fully aware of Harriets frailty and health issues. There has been an outcry from not only supporters but from the community at large and from all across the country and down into the United States. Please post attached flyer and be sure to show your support for our elder and her supporters by attending the press conference on Thursday. in friendship and solidarity Kat Norris indigenousactiongroup@yahoo.ca PRAYERS: Date: Tuesday, Feb 27, 2007 Time: 7:00 pm Place: Squamish Nation Recreation Center (foot of Capilano Road and Welch Ave, N.Van) SERVICES: Date: Wednesday, Feb 28, 2007 Time: 10:30 am Place: Squamish Nation Recreational Center (foot of Capilano Road and Welch Ave, N.Van) Press Conference and Witnessing Thursday March 1, 2007 from 10 am-noon Aboriginal Friendship Center 1607 East Hastings St. (at Commercial) Bring Regalia, Drums, and your stories and memories of Harriet to share.

your environment and your mothers

andreaah — Mon, 26 Feb 2007 03:28:55 GMT

Harriet, 71 yr old first nations elder, has passed away following the 14 day sentence she served on accounts of not appologizing to an American construction company for her actions on the frontlines of Eagleridge Bluffs. Harriet had legal rights to protest under her first nations status. I don't have the words to express the sadness and injustice of this situation just now.. This is wrong for so many reasons. Aside from the details and events... regardless of what level you might feel involved in or touched by this situation.. we all have to understand that this is not a governing system that we support. We are all too powerful and informed to accept this treatment of our environment and our mothers. ____________________________________ I was in the court room when the judge sentenced Harriet. Harriet was a first time offender and was not one of the coalition organizers. The reason why she was the only one sentenced to jail time was because she refused to apologize to the construction company. The only other time she had been taken away by the police was when she was taken to residential school as a young girl. --- Conrad Schmidt ________________________________________________ EAGLERIDGE PROTESTER (Harriet Nahanee) DIES_* Some time after 7 pm on Saturday February 24, 2007, Native Elder and Eagleridge Protester Harriet Nahanee died from pneumonia (complicated by previously undiagnosed lung cancer) in St. Paul's Hospital. She was 71. On January 24, 2007, despite her frail health, Harriet was sentenced to 14 days in the Surrey Pretrial Centre, a men's prison and a notorious hell hole for women. It is believed she developed pneumonia during her incarceration and was admitted to St Paul's Hospital in Vancouver a week after her release. In a letter to Justice Brenda Brown prior to the sentencing of Ms. Nahanee, Betty Krawcyzk urged compassion: "I am very worried about Mrs. Harriet Nahanee. Mrs. Nahanee is not well. She has asthma and is suffering the after effects of a recent bout of flu that has left her very weak".(1) On February 23, 2007, The Indigenous Action Movement held a rally and prayer vigil for Harriet (photo's are available compliments of Isabelle Groc at: http://members.shaw.ca/idoumenc/harriet/ ). Approximately 80-100 people gathered at the Supreme Court Building for a ceremonial walk to and around St. Paul’s Hospital. A prayer vigil was held outside Harriets’ hospital room, with drumming and the Women’s Warrior Song to give Harriet support and strength. A large signed picture of the Larsen Creek Wetlands at Eagleridge Bluffs (as they were) was taken up to Harriet following the ceremony along with flowers and cards. *Further information about Harriet Nahanee’s struggle at Eagleridge Bluffs* can be found on at: __ German First Nations Website http://www.firstnations.de/development.htm_ http://www.firstnations.de/01-4-ecological-paragon.htm (1) http://www.firstnations.de/media/01-4-betty-letter.pdf Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN: Feb 23, 2007) http://www.aptn.ca/streaming

in solidarity with the grandmothers.

andreaah — Mon, 19 Feb 2007 08:22:39 GMT

by the way, all... thanks for your support and shakin at the rock the jailhouse velofusion. we raised a good chunk of penny to put towards the legal costs of betty krawczyk and harriet nahanee. unfortunately, some pretty shocking and disheartening news has been released --- harriet nahanee, 70 yr old Pacheenaht elder has been released from prison to land in critical condition in the hospital with pneumonia. please see below and links for more info. the court, our governing bodies, should be hearing from us. this is outrageous. address: The Honourable Madam Justice Brown, The Supreme Court or British Columbia, 800 Smithe St., Vancouver, BC V6Z 2E1 _____________________________ ELDER HARRIET NAHANEE IN HOSPITAL FOLLOWING RELEASE FROM JAIL FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Sunday,February 18th 2007 Monika Sheardown Harriet-Nahanee at Eagleridge Bluffs from Eagleridge Bluffs Coalition website Squamish Elder Harriet Nahanee is currently in critical condition at St. Paul's hospital. Doctors say she has fluid in her lungs and severe pneumonia, and that further hospital tests will determine her chance for recovery. Despite information of Nahanee's frail health and inability to withstand the rigours of Surrey Pre-Trial, on 24 January 2007 Madam Justice Brown sentenced Mrs Nahanee to 14 days in jail for asserting her indigenous rights as an Indian under the Canadian Constitution and for refusing to apologize to the BC court for her blockade action. Further information about Harriet Nahanee is available at http://www.firstnations.de/development.htm ______________________________________ BETTY K'S SENTENCING: FEBRUARY 19TH 1:30PM AT VANCOUVER SUPREME COURT Sue Rowan, Eagleridge Bluffs Coalition A gathering of supporters and media will take place ½ hour before entering the courthouse for sentencing. Please come out and show your support for Betty one last time. This has been an exhausting trial for a very courageous lady and she needs and deserves our support. Monday February 19th, 1:30 pm Supreme Court of BC 800 Smythe St. We will be meeting on the steps of the courthouse at the corner of Hornby and Nelson St’s. The court session has been scheduled for 1½ - 2 hours ... an unusually long sitting for sentencing. Who knows, there may be a few surprises in store yet! If you have any signs collecting dust in your garage, please bring them along. Also pass this message along to others who might wish to support Betty and her ongoing cause to save the remaining supernatural parts of BC. On February 8th, 2007, Betty Krawczyk was found guilty of criminal contempt of court by Justice Brenda Brown via phone from Victoria. Sentencing is set for 2 pm next Monday February 19, 2007. Betty has received jail sentences for previous acts of passive resistance in environmental disputes at Clayoquot Sound, the Walbran and Elaho valleys. We expect nothing less of the crown or the courts over her conviction while attempting to protect Eagleridge Bluffs. ______________________________ contact: betty_krawczyk@hotmail.com | 604.255.4427 For up to date news by betty, please see her blog: http://bettysearlyedition.blogspot.com

soooomeone has to make a valentines day blog post

andreaah — Thu, 15 Feb 2007 05:43:56 GMT

hey lufs! yaar... sweet sweet and happy happy. ah.. the apathy! i LOVE valentines day.. folks need structure; they need 9 to 5, they need opinions, they need to be told where to shit and they need vacations and designated celebration days. as a social unit, us canadianas need to realize the validity in celebration --- and for godsakes rise above the ashes of culture commodified and bastardized. sigh. what do ya expect from a capitalisto pseudo-democracy, eh?! hallmark! {and folks, this isn't what it's about. we know better than that. we can do better and still celebrate together.) my favorite part is seein all the middle aged men pouring into the streets with bouquets of flowers with big, goofy salivating smiles on their beards : "i done good!" c'mon, it's sweet. ah, and my heart goes out to my ten year old self that never got a candy gram in fourth grade and to all the other small folks who suffer such little heart aches when cards are being passed out to desk mail boxes. ah! we know how this works.. you give it out and it comes back and back and back. so love and love and love to ya'll! here is to cultural celebrations with integrity! muchos!

Volunteers Shall Wear Capes

andreaah — Wed, 24 Jan 2007 10:21:07 GMT

I had a fabulous job a little while ago (…there is always great work to do.) The title was "volunteer coordinator" -- now immediately that may suggest images of coordinating soup kitchens, students fulfilling program requirements, retirees... Yeh, sure, but most importantly, arranging schedules and conducting orientations for a group of folks putting forth their time and energies into something they choooose to spend their time doing – which is very rewarding and important work. Volunteer is a term we generally use for people working with intention, and doing work with integrity. The night of the festival that I had been coordinating volunteers for, one of the hard-workin Marketing students (who was fulfilling program req.s) came back to the green room after his 4 hour shift at the Info booth. He’d spent the evening watching the parade processions go by while answering questions about where the bathrooms were, how much hot dogs are, corralling lost children… y’know. So anyways, he tells me: “I have never volunteered for anything in my life. I had no idea I could be involved in something like this.” We’re standing in the middle of a frenzy of costume, food, make-up, instruments… he looks around the room and back at me, “this has completely warped my experience,” he says. Giving your time, energy, skill, intent.. is how you cast your role within the family or community you spend time in. Participating in the cycle of gift economics is giving momentum to a system of non-commodified interactions. A beautiful thing – I have a converted marketing student to prove it. Meanwhile… yep.. I have a few volunteer opportunities to offer. Velofusion every last Friday of the month. AND the super wild Stop the Highway Party at the Waldorf Sat, Feb 10th. So much.. ongoing and ongoing. And yes.. HWY Party volunteers get capes.

Anza Club! Velofusion! Jailhouse?

andreaah — Tue, 16 Jan 2007 23:18:27 GMT

ROCK THE JAILHOUSE: a Pre-trial benefit for Betty Krawzcyk When Betty Krawczyk goes to court this February to fight a charge of criminal contempt of court, the environmental activist will have the fiscal support and physical presence of the community behind her. That’s the intention of BC Work Less Party’s Conrad Schmidt, organizer of the "Rock the Jailhouse" Party, Friday, January 26th, 8pm at the Anza Club a benefit to cover Betty Krawczyk's legal expenses. “The thinking behind the event is to garner as much support for Betty as we can. We intend to fill that courtroom with people and let the judge really feel our presence,” says Schmidt. The event will feature well-known local activists and an all-star line-up of entertainers. Presenters include: environmental spokesperson and former Green Party candidate Damian Kettlewell; Squamish elder and longtime activist Harriet Nahanee and journalist and poet Marni Norwich. Entertainers include Little Woo, DJ Timothy Wisdom, and Fatty Fatty and the Roaches. Krawczyk faces charges of contempt of court for protesting the destruction of Eagleridge Bluffs. The 78 year-old great grandmother and writer has already spent more than two and a half years incarcerated for her activism. Krawczyk says her trial brings into relief both the destruction of an irreplaceable ecosystem and the erosion of democracy in Canada. Krawczyk will be representing herself at the week-long trial beginning January 29th. Her case will rest on the argument she be permitted to base her defense on the reason she was protesting rather than be tried for breaking a court injunction to forbid her to protest. She says corporations regularly use injunctions to prevent public protest. “The courts are supposed to represent the people,” says Krawczyk. “If instead of looking through the prism of pubic interest, courts are looking through the prism if corporate interest, we’re in very sad shape.” For further information or to arrange an interview please contact: Marni Norwich marni@inkcatmedia.com 604.450.5326 For up to date news by betty, please see her blog: http://bettysearlyedition.blogspot.com betty_krawczyk@hotmail.com

communautee choreography. callin movers and shakers.

andreaah — Mon, 15 Jan 2007 09:09:28 GMT

Find out more about the Work Less Party! On Tuesday, January 16th at the Britannia Community Centre (Library basement) we are presenting a community dialog and information session on how reducing the industrial work week can help reduce our environmental footprint and improve our quality of life. Presenters will include Conrad Schmidt, author of Workers Of The World Relax, and other shakers behind the Work Less Party, including Andrea Curtis (Volunteerism) and Chris Ross (The Church of Pointless Consumerism). This is also a great opportunity to get on board with some of this year’s upcoming projects or to find support for something you are working on! See www.WorkLessParty.org for more information. Coffee and delicious snacks will be provided. Cost: Free.

the revolution smells delicious

andreaah — Fri, 17 Nov 2006 09:22:11 GMT

As we come marching, marching in the beauty of the day, A million darkened kitchens, a thousand mill lofts gray, Are touched with all the radiance that a sudden sun discloses, For the people hear us singing: "Bread and roses! Bread and roses!" As we come marching, marching, we battle too for men, For they are women's children, and we mother them again. Our lives shall not be sweated from birth until life closes; Hearts starve as well as bodies; give us bread, but give us roses! As we come marching, marching, unnumbered women dead Go crying through our singing their ancient cry for bread. Small art and love and beauty their drudging spirits knew. Yes, it is bread we fight for -- but we fight for roses, too! As we come marching, marching, we bring the greater days. The rising of the women means the rising of the race. No more the drudge and idler -- ten that toil where one reposes, But a sharing of life's glories: Bread and roses! Bread and roses! James Oppenheim 1911