Got this message from my friend Jim Wong-Chu

If you get a chance, you should see this photo display. Its totally awesome. Its at Crystal Mall, 2nd floor, straight ahead when you come off the escalator – by Food Court and ends October 10th. The era is early 1900’s -1950’s or so…….maybe you know of some of the families like I did ……………the churches included in the display from that era are Chinese United, Chinese Presbyterian, Good Shepherd Mission, and Chinese Anglican…………wonderful display that also features some well known Chinese Canadians from that era……great pics…….lots of reading too……..

Our accordionists: front row – Alan, Todd, Elena; back row – Barbara, Rowan, Caroline, Carney, Richard – photo Deb Martin

It was the first time performance of the Vancouver Squeezebox Circle at the Word on the Street Book & Magazine Fair, and we wanted to make it literary!  In between our solo and group songs, our co-MC’s Barbara Adler and Todd Wong read/described books that featured accordions – both adult fiction and children’s books.

We read 2 stanzas from the Robert Service poem “Accordion”, we showed pictures from Jamie Lee Curtis’ children’s book “Is There Really A Human Race”, as well as “Mendel’s Accordion”, and “When Cats Go Wrong.” We closed by briefly describing the Annie Proulx novel “Accordion Crimes”, in which an Italian-made accordion travels across the Atlantic, lands in New Orleans, and soon finds itself playing Zydeco music, then German folk music, as it exchanges hands and cultural groups.

Our repetoire opened with a Sousa March titled “The Liberty Bell” which is more known as “The Monty Python Song”.   I performed the first solo, playing J.S. Bach’s Toccata in D Minor.  Next we played the “Col. Bogey March” from the movie Bridge Over the River Kwai.

Alan Zisman played a Klezmer song, Barbara sang an original song she wrote, and we all played the Can Can from Orpheus in the Underworld to close.

Hapa Palooza is back!

Hapa-Palooza Book Readings and lively discussion tonight at Library Square – with my friends Ruth Ozeki who was one of the first readers at Kogawa House, and Wayde Compton, whom we hope to have as a special guest at the next Gung Haggis Fat Choy dinner! https://www.facebook.com/events/322342784526190/

Hapa-palooza in the Strathcona Park will start with family yoga, have music by hapa DJ CRad, a super pro face-painter, a slackline exhibition, colouring sheets for kids to explore their roots and there are a whole host of kids activities right in the park: a playground, climbing boulder, big climbing diamond, and if you feel up for it there are tennis courts, basketball court, baseball diamond and soccer field.

Bring your family, friends, and community.

https://www.facebook.com/events/532240936791218/

Female image on $100 plastic bill – is “Too Asian” for the Bank of Canada

Bank of Canada bans image of Asian-looking woman from new $100 banknotes

ca.news.yahoo.com

OTTAWA – The Bank of Canada purged the image of an Asian-looking woman from its new $100 banknotes after focus groups raised questions about her ethnicity.

Earlier in August, a great debate started… and I commented lots on Facebook:

I posted the article on a few Facebook walls, as well as my own with the comment:

Todd Wong “I am thinking of Asian Canadian women who are valid and important scientists… and Dr. Hilda Ching was the Ruth Woodwyn Chair of SFU Women’s Studies – click this link to see her final report http://www.sfu.ca/gsws/RuthWynnWoodwardProfessorship/documents/1991_FinalReportRWWP-HildaChing.pdf“

Feds muzzle scientist over salmon study  margaretmunro.wordpress.com

Yes… sadly… I had learned that the Canadian Conservative government was muzzing federally paid scientists.  This was all revealed during the Cohen Inquiry concerning the missing salmon in the Fraser River.  Federal scientists were told NOT to speak to the media or “others”.  What kind of country or society, would try to suppress information and knowledge?

But then I got a FB reply from Dr. Hilda Ching:

“This is Hilda Ching responding from Hawaii. Thanks Todd for your comments. I am amazed that the Woodward report is available. Since 6 of us founded SCWIST (Society for Canadian Women in Science and Technology) in 1983, the profile of women scientists has changed considerably. The women are young professionals with Asian, Indo-Asian and European origins. We value their diversity, complexity of backgrounds and images. The change of the woman’s complexion to ‘white’ on the banknote reinforces the image that science as a white male and female’s elitist community. The white guy in a lab coat is history; so it would have been appropriate to have kept that image on the bank note as a ‘typical’ Canadian woman in science. In other words, ‘white’ is not ‘typical’ in the science community anymore.”

This issue of the new Canadian $100 bill is much deeper than physical representation of white or asian.  It’s also not an issue of whether Banting or Best should be pictured with insulin.  What has been more revealing is all the racism that has filled the comment sections of the news media that discount the equal representation of women of colour, that was nixed by the so-called focus groups of the Bank of Canada.  This is what makes the comments by Dr. Hilda Ching so insightful. 

Todd Wong But what if the original picture was of a woman who was only “Half-Asian” like environmental scientist Severn Cullis-Suzuki, the daughter of David Suzuki, finalist for CBC’s tv show “The Greatest Canadian” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F26UqJaOUEQ

Severn Cullis-Suzuki Keynote Address

www.youtube.comDaughter of famed Canadian scientist, David Suzuki, Severn Cullis-Suzuki develop…See more

Steveston Dragon Boat Festival report:

Great racing on Saturday Aug 25

Congratulations on winning the C Consolation Final.

Deb Martin steers the boat back to the dock following a thrilling 1st place victory in the C Consolation  Final. Anne and Karl are lead strokes with drummer Debbie Poon.-  photo by Caroline Ng

But wait…. we won a little Chinese drum for 1st place in Consolation C. Several of us had stayed for the medal ceremonies: Deb, Todd, Anne-Cecile, Anne D, Robyn, Diana and Nicolas all stood on the ceremonies stage with our drum !!!

next races:

soon – canoe paddle on Burnaby Lake for beaver spotting!!!

Sept 22 – Paddle North Shore (new race)
Oct 6 – Ft. Langley Cranberry Festival Canoe Regatta