Author Archives: Todd

Writers reading for Library Workers 1pm Wed, Thurs + beyond

Hi everybody. Here are the newest authors and writers to come to my
reading series for library workers and the public, at Library Square.
Past authors and writers have included Terry Glavin, Stand Persky,
Chuck Davis, Tom Sandborn, Daniel Gawthrop, Hiromi Goto and the World
Poetry collective.

Daniel Gawthrop comes…

Aug 24 Stan Persky

Aug 23 Chuck Davis visits

Aug 21 Tom Sandborn speaks…

Lined up this week are:

Wednesday, Sep 5th
Fiona Tinwei Lam
author of “Intimate Distance” poetry collection
finalist for the 2003 Vancouver Book Award
Fiona
was born in Scotland of Chinese ancestry, and came to Canada at an
early age. She has Her work has been published in The New Quarterly,
Descant, Event, Grain, The Malahat Review, Quarry, The Antigonish
Review, Contemporary Verse II, and Canadian Literature. Her poems have
also been anthologized in A Room at the Heart of Things (Vehicule, 1999), Swallowing Clouds, an anthology of Chinese Canadian poetry (Arsenal Pulp Press, 1999), and Vintage 2000 (Ronsdale 2000). Her debut book of poetry, Intimate Distances explores childhood, family death, relationships and
childbirth.

Thursday, Sep 6th
Rita Wong
author of “Monkey Puzzle”
winner of the Asian Canadian Writers' Workshop emerging artist award.
Rita is now an Assistant Professor in Critical and Cultural Studies at the Emily Carr Institute.
Her work investigates the intersections and relationships between
decolonization, social justice, gender, racialization, labour,
migration, and contemporary poetics.

(date to be confirmed)
George McWhirter??? (possible)
Author of Queen of the Sea :
Poems, Catalan Poems, Eyes to See Otherwise. He is also professor emeritus of the UBC Creative Writing Department where he was department head from 1983 until 1993. On March 8, 2007, Prof. McWhirter was named the inaugural Poet Laureate of the City of Vancouver – an
honourary two-year term, as a champion for poetry, language and the
arts, and create a unique artistic legacy through public readings and
civic interactions.

Gung Haggis Fat Choy dragon boat team grabs flag at Taiwanese Dragon Boat Races

Leave a reply

Gung Haggis Fat Choy dragon boat team grabs flag at Taiwanese Dragon Boat Races

Emilie Bourque-Quevillon grabs the flag for the Gung Haggis Fat Choy dragon boat team an instant before the Splash Test Dragons grab their flag. It was a tight race for 4th place. Drumming for Gung Haggis is coach Todd Wong, right side paddlers are (r-l) Wendy Lee, Hillary Wong, Julie Wong, Stephen Wong. left side paddlers (hidden r-l) are Marlene Chamberlain, Tzhe Lam and Georgia Thorburn.

Great team work on the weekend at the Vancouver International Taiwanese Dragon Boat Races.

It was good to see so many people working together, making new friends, renewing old friendships, and meeting new challenges.

BIG
Thank yous to Captains Marlene and Julie for helping lead us into the
races… and providing and making our new team hats (that were under
constant threat of being stolen, as a pirate bounty had been put on
them).

Thank you Deb and Dave Samis for steering races for us on Sat and Sun (steering is notoriously difficult in Taiwanese boats).

OUR RACES

We
competed well. It was a tough race field, with many comp and upper Rec
teams. As a lower end Rec team, we matched very well against other
teams in the Nogard race, and I don't think we ever crossed a finish
line last including the Nogard. And our barrel race was one of our
best ever!

We had good starts and grabbed our flag in our ONE
Taiwanese 500m race and although we demonstrated how challenging
steering backwards and forwards could be… there were other teams in
subsequent races, who NEVER grabbed their flag.

OUR ROSTER

A
special achievement is that our team did NOT borrow or supplement our
roster with paddlers from other teams. Every one of our racers on the
weekend was a bonafide Gung Haggis paddler in good standing. No drop
ins or substitutions. This shows the levels of depth and loyalty that
our team has. Hopefully next year, we can run two teams in the
Taiwanese Dragon Boat races.

TEAM SPORTING
ATTITUDE + TEAM BUILDING

Other
teams and DBA staff were friendly to us. DBA dock workers Wally and Francis helped us
load/unload our disabled drummer on the dock. And the race commentary
of Kim Tomkins gave good mention of our team.

On Sunday night,
many of us met at Doolin's Irish Pub for our FREE drink + 25% off
food. We were served by Rachelle, and also joined by dragon boat
friends from Fluid Motion and Calgary's Draco Stealth.

more photos at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/24064901@N00/sets/72157601815097689/

NEXT PRACTICE

No practice this Tuesday… stay at home and rest… I need to rest my back.

But if you are going to Penticton to race with GVRD – there is a practice with them on Tuesday Night and Thursday night.

Tzhe is organizing a social and cultural outing to the Vancouver Art Gallery to go see Monet to Dali
http://www.vanartgallery.bc.ca/the_exhibitions/exhibit_monet.html
It
sounds great!!! And if you ever come to race in San Francisco with
me… I will show you the Rodin sculture “The Thinker” and Monet
“Waterlilies” at the California Palace of the Legion of Honor.

Next Sunday's practice on Sep 9th is canceled because of “Paddle for Kids” – volunteers are welcome for this event.

Next official Gung Haggis practice is Tuesday Sept 11th. 6pm.

GUNG HAGGIS FAT CHOY DRAGON BOAT TEAM WRAP UP PARTY

Coming soon for September??? watch for details!!!
Awards for paddler achievements ?!?!?

volunteer organizers needed!!!

This
is the event where we created home-made haggis won-tons last year at
Dan's apartment. We will also teach people the words to Robbie Burns
immortal poem “Address to a Haggis.”

And begin planning for
the 2008 Gung Haggis Fat Choy: Toddish McWong's Robbie Burns Chinese
New Year Dinner, set for January 27th, 2008, Sunday.

NEXT RACE EVENTS

Sep 30 – UBC REC – Day of the Longboat

This is a fun but brutally competitive race that can be like contact
bumper boats. 2 km races from Jericho beach around a pylon, East to
grab a pylon from the beach, out to English Bay, around a pylon, then
west, turn left at the last pylon and race to the sand, send your
runner to bang the gong.

Oct 7 – Ft. Langley Cranberry Festival Canoe Regatta

This is a much friendlier version of the above race. Only about 16 to
20 teams. An oval to race around 2x that adds to about 1.75 km. Plus
an obstacle race that includes chasing and grabbing a pumpkin, turning
around pylons, dropping a paddler off to balance cranberry wine on a
paddle without spilling as they walk along the beach, picking up the
paddler, more turns around pylons, then a sprint to a finish!

Emilie grabs the flag for Gung Haggis a instant before Splash Test Dragons grab their flag! photo VFK

Pictures of Gung Haggis Fat Choy dragon boat team at the Taiwanese Cultural Festival dragon boat races

Leave a reply

Pictures of Gung Haggis Fat Choy dragon boat team at the Taiwanese Cultural Festival dragon boat races:

PICTURES FROM MY FRIEND VFK

Here's some images from the shore from my friend VFK at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/24064901@N00/sets/72157601815097689/

Those caps made it much easier for me to recognize
your team in my images. Hopefully they didn't blow off in the wind
and slow you all down in the race.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

VIDEO FROM IAN THE PIRATE
Enjoy

please pass the link to the team

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6inrPez5jI

Watch Out !! Pirates About!!!
www.piratepaddlers.co

Taiwanese Cultural Festival 2007 – lots of fun, food and frenzy

Leave a reply

Taiwanese Cultural Festival 2007 – lots of fun, food and frenzy

Lots of people down at the reconfigured Plaza of Nations for the Taiwanese Cultural Festival this year. The roof over the plaza was taken down so there are tents set up along the food and display concourse, but while the main stage has its own roof, the plaza does not. The site is also slightly smaller due to two reasons: construction along the West side to the old Mavericks/Aqua restaurant; and a gate set up for the seawalll – I guess TCF didn't want to pay extra money to close off the seawall. Some of our paddlers almost got hit by bicycles crossing over to the dragon boat marshalling area. It's certainly a sad reflection of the dragon boat boom times when the Alcan Dragon Boat Festival had the whole site throughout the 1990's. But the TCF has a very intense pedestrian and activity level with lots and lots of vendors.

After our way to our 2nd race of the day for the Gung Haggis dragon boat team, the opening ceremonies were just beginning. I bumped into Vancouver city councillor Raymond Louie, who is the honourary chair for the Taiwanese Cultural Festival. In 2003, Louie helped assist the Festival through Ports Vancouver, as 6 Taiwanese dragon boats were donated to the City of Vancouver, arriving only 10 days before the races were to begin. After unpacking, inspecting and assembling the boats… 2 boats were put in the water on Thursday night, and on Friday morning the first demonstration flag grabbing Taiwanese dragon boat race was held in Canada. Raymond Louie and Olympic gold medalist Lori Fung were the flag grabbers. Raymond expressed sympathy for the wheelie-walker that I am now using because of my strained back muscles, and gave words of support for our Gung Haggis Fat Choy dragon boat team.

After our races, the opening ceremonies had just finished. MLA Jenny Kwan saw me and came over to say hello. Her young daughter was jumping up and down, excited because she wanted to get some food at the festival. I talked with city councillors Kim Capri and BC Lee, and was able to suggest some mediation for the civic strike before Kim had to leave. I also suggested to BC that the NPA should start up a dragon boat team, after he said that he hopes the civic strike will end soon in the best way possible.

Mayor Sam Sullivan was there too. After explaining to him that my wheelie-walker was necessary after I had hurt my back while doing a water run on strike duty, he named me honourary disabled. We talked briefly about his injury and what kind of pain he still has, and we both hoped that the strike should end soon.

After our third race… the all harmonica band – Bossa Nova, was playing. Very cool sounds… I hadn't heard the bass harmonica before!

in the vendor area, I saw my friend Meena Wong (my honourary sister!) who had organized the booth for the Western Wilderness Committee, and also brought in the Formosa Farm – whose organic blueberry farm is threatened by highway development in Pitt Meadows.

Gung Haggis Fat Choy dragon boat team races well at Taiwanese Dragon boat Races on Saturday

Leave a reply

Gung Haggis Fat Choy dragon boat team races well at Taiwanese Dragon boat Races on Saturday

pictures from 2005 Vancouver International Taiwanese Dragon Boat Race – photos Ray Shum

It's a busy noisy culturally jam-packed Taiwanese Cultural Festival – with a side order of Taiwanese dragon boat racing.

Wow! 3 races… and we used the NOGARD race just as practice for the follow up Taiwanese boat race in the afternoon. The field is tough, the heats are
staggered, and we proved our worth against other boats of similar
abilities in the NOGARD race.

Our first race in a teak boat for the first race of the morning got all our jitters out. We finished 5th out of 6 boats. False Creek Mixed took the early lead and finished way ahead of everybody!

Our
second race – a just for fun NOGARD race (race past the flag, then back up to grab the flag) – helped settle us down in a
Taiwanese dragon boat. It took us a few tries before we grabbed the
flag… but we did it!

Our third race went neck and neck, then just ahead of our closest competitor, and we finished 4th – easily grabbing our flag.

Sunday race is set for 10:45 in a teak boat.
– paddle well and we will make a race final in a Taiwanese Boat for the afternoon.

otherwise it is destiny for another teak boat race in the consolation finals.

Advice to our paddlers:
Focus on the process….

Get your paddles deep, reach long, and paddle together!

Look after the little things and BIG THINGS will happen

Look after what is within your responsibility… and allow others to do their job.
paddlers paddle, drummers drum/call, steerers steer, and coaches coach!

Keep the chatter to minimal on the boat, so we can hear the steers and the drummer!

Enjoy your team mates…
There
have been so many compliments about how everybody looks after each
other, and how socialable the team is. This is our greatest
treasure… not the medals on the shelf… but developing good
friendships and last beyond the racing, the practices and the kilts
nights and the pub nights…

Go for lunch and snacks together, check out displays together, if you see somebody on their own – check on them.

After racing – we have a team fundraiser at Doolin's Irish Pub
$10 ($5 for Gung Haggis facebook members) for a free beer and 25% off food!!!
pick up your free beer before 8:30, live music starts 9pm, and food discount until 10pm

Taiwanese Cultural Festival and dragon boat race this weekend!

Leave a reply

Taiwanese Cultural Festival and dragon boat race this weekend!

The Taiwanese Cultural Festival is pretty cool… It is not the watered down Chinese and multicultural stuff you find at the Alcan Dragon Boat Festival. Taiwanese youth exploring Taiwanese pop culture is evidenced by the Taiwanese rock bands imported for this year's show.

Past years have seen a parade of Taiwan's aboriginal culture, that distinguishes themselves from the imported Chinese culture, and as a distinct country and culture from the People's Republic of China. And in Vancouver, the Taiwanese Cultural Festival have often brought in local Canadian aboriginal arts and culture. This is a good way to help assimilate Taiwanese ex-patriates to become more aware and understanding of Canadian aboriginal or First Nations culture. Wouldn't it be great to see a First Nations canoe team paddling in a Taiwanese dragon boat and a Taiwanese dragon boat team paddling in a First Nations war canoe?

This year's festival also promises a showcase of Taiwanese Hakka people.
Also check out:

Puppets and Me, a historical perspective of Taiwanese puppets
presented by the City of Kaohsiung, which will host the 2009 World
Games.

– 19th-century model steam train exhibit also hosted by Kaohsiung.

– Barbie and Me II, a new exhibit showcasing the dolls through a
series of historical perspectives, including Taiwanese aboriginal, the
Japanese occupation era and the Chinese era,

check out the Vancouver Sun story by Karen Gram:
http://www.canada.com/cityguides/vancouver/story.html?id=bb82c40a
-3b40-4aa7-9468-0c51ff9ef7e0&k=65469

For dragon boat action check out the race schedules on www.dragonboatassociation.ca

The Gung Haggis Fat Choy dragon boat team will race at 10am in the first heat, in a Hong Kong style teak boat. These are some of the re-conditioned dragonboats that were originally raced in 1986, when the Hong Kong Pavillion at Expo 86 donated 4 dragon boats to the city of Vancouver.

Our second race at 11:45am, is in a Taiwanese dragon boat, which was donated to City of Vancouver in 2003. These boats feature flag grabbing to determine the winner. But this is the NOGARD race (Dragon spelled backwards). Instead of paddling up to the flag and grabbing it, you have to paddle past the flag, then back the boat up for the flag grabber to get the flag. Many of the team simply turn around in the boat, and paddle forward while facing backwards in the boat… got it?

Our third race of the day will be a straight 500m race in a Taiwanese boat with a flag to grab before crossing the finish line. But the time of the race is dependent upon our placement in our first race… so look for us in the 1:30, 2:00 or 2:30pm Taiwanese dragon boat heats.

On Sunday, teams will be settled into A, B, C or D divisions. Semi-final races in the morning, and consolation and race finals in the afternoon.

Hip Hapa and Happening: Intercultural activities for Aug 31 to Sep

Leave a reply

Hip Hapa and Happening: Intercultural activities for Aug 31 to Sept

If my back wasn't bothering me today, I would be at the Dr. Sun Yat Sen Gardens on Friday night, as my friends Qiu Xia and Andre Thibault put on a very special music concert with their erhu playing friend Ji-Rong Huang.

Andre and Qiu Xia have a very special place in the world of Gung Haggis Fat Choy. Silk Road Music Ensemble performed in the CBC Vancouver television performance special, and Silk Road Music Duo have performed at Gung Haggis Fat Choy Robbie Burns Chinese New Year dinners over the years.

Enchanted Evenings

featuring Silk Road Music Duo

Dr. Sun Yat Sen Chinese Classical Gardens

Silk
Road Duo is a new music performance that introduces audiences to
different cultures through the experience, discoveries, and travels of
Qiu Xia He with her Pipa, accompanied by multi-instrumentalist Andre
Thibault. The pipa, a Chinese lute with a wide range of expression,
will be the focal point. This husband and wife team is well equipped
for this cultural mission. Both have lived passionately as professional
musicians. Their common bond and love of music have taken them on tours
all over the world.

Georgia Straight: Todd Wong 30 year library employee interviewed

Leave a reply

Georgia Straight: Todd Wong 30 year library employee interviewed

I arrived at the Library Square picket line just before noon today, as
I had spent the morning in a picket captains orientation meeting. Some
of my co-workers were wondering if there had been a misprint in the
Georgia Straight because I couldn't possibly have worked in the library
for 30 years. Todd couldn't be that old!

I explained that I had actually started working for the library in
uetero, while my mother was working in the library catalogue
department, before I was born. Officially, I joined the Vancouver
Public Library staff when I was 15 years old, back in 1975.

Today, the Georgia Straight published a news story, Boss and union tell different tales,
about the library strike containing an interview with me and a picture
from my website. The picture shows myself with fellow picket captain
Alexis Greenwood, smiling with city librarian Paul Whitney, while on
the picket line on Monday. We have the friendliest picket line – we
don't try to block anybody. I have known Paul for many many years…

Even though he is library management and our Union bargaining committee
has to talk tough with him and the library bargaining representatives,
I would prefer to get along with everybody. We still have to go back
to work with management when the strike is over – the city negotiating
team doesn't. Paul told me personally, “It's not about you and me,
there are bigger things at play.”

Hmmm… maybe this explains why our formal employer “Vancouver Public
Library Board” had an in-camera meeting last night but have been conspicuously absent from advocating for the library. Many of the CUPE 391 picketers are now
sporting picket signs that say “Where is the Library Board?”

see Boss and union tell different tales – Georgia Straight

Boss and union tell different tales

News Features By Charlie Smith

Publish Date: August 30, 2007

Todd
Wong, an accordion-playing library employee, picket captain Alexis
Greenwood, and city librarian Paul Whitney remain on friendly terms.

Read the entire article: Boss and union tell different tales – Georgia Straight

Here are the interview bits from me:

Todd
Wong, a 30-year employee, told the Straight in a phone interview that
the closure of the library will mean that fewer Vancouver residents
will learn about the 100th anniversary of the anti-Asian riots in
Vancouver in September. (See page 15 for more information.) He said
that people can't check e-mail at the library and they don't have
access to ESL programs in many of the branches.

“At the end of
July, I noticed that the Vancouver Intercultural Orchestra had to
cancel one of their programs,” Wong said. “They do incredible work.”

Wong,
a community and cultural activist, said public librarians are paid less
than their counterparts in the corporate and academic sectors, adding
that he can't understand why the City won't agree to mediation.
“Obviously, there seems to be a hidden agenda,” Wong claimed, noting
that the City has hired a public-relations company called the Wilcox
Group to handle communications during the strike.

“Library Square conceived of being a cultural heart of the city,” he added. “It
seems like City Management is trying to prolong the strike.”

Whitney
said the union “booked out of mediation” in July when it served strike
notice. “The City is our primary funder, so it's logical we would be
consulting closely with them on the movements in our negotiations,” he
said. “And the issue around mediation, I'm assuming, would be discussed
in the context of all three city locals.”

Here are the interview bits CUPE President Alex Youngberg:

Alex Youngberg, president of CUPE Local 391, described Whitney's
comment as “insane” and “downright outrageous” in a phone interview
with the Straight. “He's not giving librarians a very good reputation
as far as math goes,” she added.

Youngberg claimed that the
union's last offer, including provisions for pay equity, would work out
to a 29.5-percent increase in wages and benefits over a nine-year
period if the city granted every aspect of the package. She said that
the union has “trimmed back” its request for benefits, and is only
seeking coverage for eye examinations, laser surgery, and composite
dental fillings because of problems associated with mercury fillings.

She
claimed that the city has already saved more than $1.4 million by not
paying unionized staff during the strike. That contrasts with only one
percent of payroll, or about $200,000 per year, that she said would be
allocated for pay equity. In addition, Youngberg emphasized that this
$200,000 per year would only be forthcoming if the union could prove
that female workers were not being paid the same as male city employees
for work of equal value.

“In Burnaby, their council was actually
in favour of them having pay equity and they urged the employer to
comply with giving…internal equity,” she said.

City Councillor Raymond Louie meets CUPE 391 library workers

Leave a reply

City Councillor Raymond Louie meets CUPE 391 library workers

Picketers in Pink with Raymond
Louie:
Nancy, Sherry, Jean,
Margaret + Randy
at the Aug 29,
2007
Civic Strike rally at Vancouver City Hall – photo Todd Wong

It was a busy day at City Hall on Wednesday, Aug 29, as three civic unions marched from Science World to City Hall for a rally.

After the speeches were made, City Councillor Raymond Louie was seen talking to some of the city workers. One of my library co-workers suggested giving Councillor Louie one of our “My Civil City has Pay Equity” buttons. I walked over to Raymond, gave him a button, and offered to introduce him to CUPE 391 Vancouver Library workers, as I don't think he knew any of our library workers, nor was aware of the Vision-CUPE conspiracy that was earlier reported in the Georgia Straight: Vision using strike for political gain.

Raymond was pleased to be introduced, and shared that he was a union member with CEPUC, the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada, as he had worked for the Pacific Press Group for many years, and also endured many strikes.

Some of our members asked Councillor Louie what he was doing to end the civic strike, as last week Louie had called for a mediator to help bring the unions and city back to the bargaining tables. At that press conferience Louie had said:

“Enough is enough, it's time for the
city and the union leaders to sit down with a mediator and get this
strike resolved,” said Councillor Louie

“We're asking the parties to agree to a mediator, as negotiations
seem to be heading in a negative direction and the duration of this
strike is unacceptable…

“The buck stops with the mayor! He should be the one to make
the first move in terms of calling on a mediator.”

– but the City had still not responded days after the call, while the unions have said they would welcome a mediator. Louie also said that Mayor Sam Sullivan and the NPA caucus have been very locked into their thinking and difficult to budge.

Louie also asked me how important pay equity was to our union because it would be expensive. I explained that entry level librarians in Toronto are making $7 more than entry level librarians in Vancouver, and that library salaries were far below academic wages at UBC,

“Our former Human Resources Director left for the business sector, and one of the HR assistants went with her!” I explained as I pointed out that the corporate sector pays more for similar positions. Salaries for Vancouver Public Library employees have fallen behind for 30 years. Our union would accept the Burnaby contract, because it has pay equity. Can we please have the same contract as Burnaby?

Todd Wong with Raymond
Louie at the Aug 29,
2007
Civic Strike rally at Vancouver City Hall – photo Todd Wong