see ya in two weeks
plugging away at school, i can’t believe that i have five more days left!
this morning we had someone come into class and talk about museums. this video pretty much sums them up, have a chuckle along with me.
i’m in oregon right now attending a few language diversity/revitalization conferences and symposiums so i have not had any time to blog. i have, however, been trying to follow the human rights nightmare that the g8/g20 (in)security folks have created.
my heart aches at the blatant p.r. game that the state is trying to play with people’s lives. criminalization of dissent to cover up your own agenda is a slippery slope, my friends.
so from the university of oregon i watch the news and am filled with frustration and anger- i wish there is something i could do to show my solidarity for the people who are still illegally being held in “torontonamo” on serious charges. i feel so shocked that i am almost speechless.
how about some eloquent words from naomi klein?
much respect.
ps: read this CBC article for more evidence on the police’s attempt on a p.r. campaign. shame.
At long last, I have finally had the time to export, compress and upload the film that Emily, Jeremy and I did for ANTH478- Ethnographic Film. Making this film has been an incredibly challenging learning experience from pre-production all the way through production and it did not end at post-production!! Who knew that something as simple as getting your film on YouTube could be soooo difficult?? Needless to say I have learned a lot, thanks to the amazing people in my life (from professors to little brothers)!
Without further ado, here’s the film!!
Synopsis: In February 2010, the world converged on Vancouver, BC to experience the Winter Olympic Games. As aspiring film-makers we witnessed a different type of convergence; a celebration of human rights, social justice, community and political diversity. Activists from all walks of life and special interest groups (indigenous rights activists, environmentalists, anti-capitalists, housing activists and more) came together to voice their opposition to the 2010 games. What was it about 2010 that unified all these groups? Our film explores why three activists oppose the Olympic Games and show how they came together to resist the corporate circus. This is another school project of mine, this time a collaboration with two other students, Emilie Gladstone and Jeremy Withers, for Anthropology 478 (Ethnographic Film).
long time, no post. i’ve finally finished this long and painful semester- look for my film to be posted online in the next couple days!
in the meantime, here’s a video of the incredible Mr. Neil Young from 1971- eight years before my birth.
this video helps me keep on… gives me the giggles and the shivers at the same time. i hope you enjoy the harmonica fumbling and then the pure song as much as i do!
yesterday was world water day. or something like that. here’s another rad video brought to you by the people at the story of stuff:
well, it’s finally over. today i left the apartment and was greeted by the beautiful smell of spring blossoms and the realization that my bus had returned to it’s normal route.
i haven’t written much as i have been really busy with the film, but i have been thinking a lot about what our city has gone through in the last month. it’s crazy to think back about all of the different emotions and events that happened. it’s probably not fair to assume that all vancouverites will wake up and smell the rot that corporate greed leaves in it’s wake but i hope that a few of my fellow citizens were as enlightened as i was over the past month.
this piece of art is so inpsiring- created by local artist Tania Willard
some of the best quotes i have read:
“The days of single issue activism are over” - Yifan Li
“Fighting the government is a full time job” -Guillaume
“… the contested symbol that is now the Canadian flag may be returned, once again, to state control, where the Federal government shuts down safe injection sites, where the arts are cut 90% (and virtually eliminated altogether), where public celebrations are curtailed, where the Vancouver Police Department calls the shots in determining the collective responsibility of its citizens, where, in short, “No Fun City” expresses the true heart of patriotism.” - Fugitive Philosophy
“A mature form of patriotism, in Canada or anywhere else, would have a very different character. Much like being a parent responsible for one’s children compared to a 20-something with no responsibilities out clubbing on Saturday night, a mature society would take care of its duties before partying. A mature society, one to which true patriot love could adhere, would have found a way to address poverty in a comprehensive way, would have sought real solutions to 1st Nations aspirations, and would fund the arts as if they really mattered, not just as backdrops to a sports party. A mature society would see more value in putting millions into medical research than into Olympic opening ceremonies, ceremonies that are all circus and really have nothing to do with either sports or the needs of our daily lives.” -Dr. Chris Shaw
“One lingering critique is that those of us opposed to the Games tended to treat pro-Oly people like slow children who couldn’t do math. This was unfair of us: the pro side is made up of fully functional adults…who can’t do math.” -Dr. Chis Shaw
