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Day 4 at the Globe and Mail: Surrey Sikh community to send second relief team to Haiti

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Aaron

on February 4, 2010

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Surrey Sikh community rallies for Haiti

Vancouver, B.C. — Globe and Mail updatePublished on Thursday, Feb. 04, 2010 6:13PM EST

Ramandeep Singh Khaira, a relief volunteer leaving for Haiti Thursday, has had trouble sleeping for the past few nights.

Mr. Khaira, a 29-year-old sales and marketing employee from Surrey, B.C., is part of Team Kitsilano - a group of five Sikh volunteers organized by the Surrey-based Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara Society. The GNSGS raised $1.5-million for Haiti in one week, through three radio campaigns and donations from individual Metro Vancouver Gurdwaras.

“I’m so excited!”, said Mr. Khaira. “To have this opportunity - this is just an amazing thing to be part of this special group.”

Travelling with Mr. Khaira is Karnail Singh Rai, the senior vice-president of the GNSGS, Surjit Singh, a chef at Jagga Sweets, an East-Indian food restaurant in Delta, Sukhwinder Singh a medical graduate, and Jasvir S. Chattha a board member of the GNSGS.

The team’s primary objective is to distribute food to the Haitian people and also to assist medical and relief personnel currently on the ground.

The GNSGS’s first relief team of six – Team Jericho – travelled to Haiti last week to assist with food distribution. Since their arrival, Team Jericho has been keeping the local community updated with their activities in Haiti through daily blog entries at haitiblog.ca. “We have a couple of hundred readers every day going onto the blog site and it’s increasing by the day,” said Sukhninder Sangha, vice president of the GNSGS.

In a Feb. 2 blog entry, Team Jericho described how they were abandoned by their security escort, but managed to cope with the chaos and served up meals until they ran out of food.

Volunteers are plentiful. “As of today, [we have] 40 people on our waiting list that want to go down to Haiti,” said Mr. Sangha. “They’re all motivated and they have the spirit and willpower to make a difference.”

Though Mr. Khaira believes that his contributions will be limited, this opportunity was one he could not miss.

“It’s not going to be a major impact but I think it will make a difference in one way or another at least for the time that we’re there, they have something to eat,” Mr. Khaira said.

Mr. Sangha explained how the people of Surrey have come together to help out with the relief efforts by contributing money, food, toys and school supplies.

“There’s not much that we can do without the help of the local community.”

Mr. Khaira agreed that people have reacted very passionately. He noted that it was also important to emphasize that these are long-term relief efforts.

“From what I learn [in Haiti], I can come back and tell people how it is and keep this relief going.”

Teams Kitsilano and Jericho, both named after Vancouver’s beaches, join other Sikh relief workers organized by the U.S.-based United Sikhs.

Story was published here

Mind the gap.

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Aaron

on July 10, 2009

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Afternoon nap in afternoon heat.

Rush hour at 1830 - People stuff themselves into subway cars.

Miniscule proportions.

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Aaron

on July 9, 2009

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I find that we (humans) are very small.

A tourist poses alongside a space shuttle

Posing with space shuttles is a daily occurrence at the Hong Kong Space Museum.

In other news, former U.S. astronaut Buzz Aldrin, the second man on the moon, payed Hong Kong a visit a while ago.

Children of Burmese refugees give parents better lives

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Aaron

on April 9, 2009

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The federal government offers many services to help immigrants and refugees adapt to life in Canada. But those services are only available during their first year here. When the clock runs out, many newcomers struggle to get by. They turn to their family members for help. Sometimes that means parents are taking care of their children, and children are taking care of their parents.

Produced by Aaron Tam and Brandi Cowen

More immigration stories from Vancouver can be viewed at theThunderbird.ca

Cantonese opera in Vancouver - A good show far away from home

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Aaron

on March 27, 2009

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Vancouver’s Chinese community enjoys a good show on a Saturday night, and the Vancouver Cantonese Opera troupe (VCO) provided just that.

To the audience it was an enjoyable and nostalgic night filled with drama and laughter. To the performers and workers of the troupe, this was their way in preserving a traditional art form thousands of miles from home.

The day started early. Preparations, make-up, rehearsals along with the performance itself lasted until midnight.

For artistic director and VCO founder Rosa Cheng, all this effort was worth it.

“We want to promote our art form to the younger generation in Vancouver,” Cheng said. Her ambition was shown by her attempt to recruit me into their troupe. Singing and dancing, however, is not my strong suit.

The comedic play, “A Joyous Wedding,” brought smiles and laughter to the audience members throughout its five hours of performance.

Layers and layers of make-up are applied in the afternoon.

The rehearsals, followed quickly by dinner.

The rehearsals were followed quickly by dinner.

Costumes were donned in the last half-hour before the performance.

Costumes were donned in the last half-hour prior to the performance.

The show began at 7pm.

The audience included members of the troupe.

Next up.

Rosa Cheng stars in the final act of the five hour play.

Hopes and fears

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Aaron

on February 21, 2009

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Hong Kong's chief executive Donald Tsang promised universal suffrage by the end of his term.

The fears of Hong Kong citizens lie within the hopes of the Chinese population.

I made this discovery when I was having dinner with a friend of mine, Junning from Kunming, China.

“Do you think that China will have universal suffrage within your lifetime?” I asked. Junning’s answer was completely unexpected: “Yes.”

To him, it was quite simple. The future changes in leadership will bring about new ideas and will provide for a natural departure from the country’s conservative past.

Junning argues that China’s modern history has progressed towards a more liberal society. “Look at the Cultural Revolution, that was Mao’s doing, Tiananmen was Deng Xiaoping. Now, the two latest presidents Jiang Zemin and Hu Jintao, they’re opening up China’s economy.”

According to Junning, the next generation of Chinese leaders will be a lot different than the ones preceding them. “They will be more liberal,” he said.

Ever since that conversation a week ago, I couldn’t get over the fact that he was that optimistic about the political situation in China.

My pessimism is derived from the Communist Party’s efforts to continually push back the date of universal suffrage in Hong Kong.

Having been pushed back from 2012 to 2017, the issue of Hong Kong’s universal suffrage will be the major political issue that will be dealt with by China’s future generation of leaders.

With pressure from Beijing, many in Hong Kong fear that universal suffrage will go unrealized even with new leadership.

However, if things in the political realm turn out the way Junning expect them to go, then Hong Kong will act as successful model for Chinese democracy.

In this scenario, the new generation of liberal leaders of China will speed up the process of political reforms in Hong Kong. The city would then translate into a test bed for Chinese democracy. Sooner or later, universal suffrage would be implemented in China.

There however, aren’t many signs pointing in this direction.

My greatest fear as a Hong Kong resident is that I won’t have a place to call home 38 years from now.

2047 is the year that marks the end of the ‘one country two systems’ arrangement. This treaty is the reason why pro-democracy advocates can still push for universal suffrage and for journalists, to be critical towards the government without the fear of prosecution. Without it, Hong Kong’s legal, political and economic qualities will be no different from any other large city in China.

The success of Hong Kong’s proposed 2017 vote will depend on the next chief executive’s ability to win over both the majority of the legislative council and future CCP leaders. Here is where I wish that Junning’s predictions would be realized.

For now, we can only wait and see.

A Green Paradigm

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Aaron

on October 30, 2008

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The economic crisis is good for green politics Severn Suzuki suggested at a talk to promote sustainability.

Green was a word used for everything in the time preceding the October financial crisis. It ranged from talk of a green economy to being one of the main issues for the candidates’ debate during the last Canadian federal election Suzuki stated at a talk held at the University of British Columbia as a part of the national Students for Sustainability Campus Tour.

“I couldn’t open a newspaper or magazine without reading some headline about climate change” said Suzuki. “There seemed to be a real momentum about attention and awareness and concern [for the environment].” This “recognition is really significant,” she added.

“All of a sudden, a crisis hits the other kind of green, the green of Wall Street, the bastion of 20th Century economics” Suzuki said.

Now with the economy as the main topic of conversation, Suzuki said she was “afraid and shocked” at how the language used in the media would be very “capitalist” and would be “very focused on the economy”

“I was worried that this new crisis would be subverted from the sustainable path we seem to be interested in heading towards.” Suzuki said.

However, at the same time the media is concentrated on the economy, “light is being shone on a faulty economic system,” Suzuki added. The media is talking about “[the economy’s] evolution through deregulation, through globalization which all of our current unsustainable systems are completely linked to.”

Suzuki suggested that there was a change in the language of media’s portrayal of the economy. “We’re actually seeing [the media] talk about the economy and using words like greed, and immoral and fallible, this is a new dialogue,” Suzuki said. “We are realizing that this aged economic system is out of date and is crumbling,” she added.

Suzuki believes the current economic turmoil presents a turning point in the way the economy is perceived. “Are we going to assess whether the economy is serving us and our values as a society?”

“We have to seize this opportunity when the cracks in the economic system are clear, to demand a new paradigm.” A paradigm, which she described as a system which values what we value and acts as “a better measure of wealth to actually measure and promote our quality of life.”

“The 21st Century economy absolutely must serve a sustainable way of life.”

There Was Beer Involved…

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Aaron

on October 28, 2008

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With 18 days away from the Vancouver Municipal Election, 9 candidates for mayor and city council gathered at the Biltmore Cabaret for an all-candidates debate.

Notable candidates such as Vision Vancouver mayoral candidate Gregor Robertson and B.C. Marijuana Party mayoral candidate Marc Emery made an appearance at the event and layed out their plans for the future.

Major issues which were discussed over the 2 hour debate included plans to deal with the ailing economy, and strategies on handling rising housing prices.

The 2010 Winter Olympics was also a topic of interest, especially for Emery. “The Olympics are going to be the peak of a disaster” Emery said. “[The world] is not coming here. Tourists are going to be weighed down in the middle of a recession, holding the Olympics is the worst possible thing that can happen” Emery added.

Organized by the non-partisan group Get Your Vote On, the debate was an effort to encourage political participation amongst young British Columbians and was the only debate with a focus on youth.

NPA mayoral candidate Peter Ladner did not show up.

People enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere of the debate

People enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere of the venue and the debate

9 candidates showed up at the municipal debate at the Biltmore Cabaret

9 candidates showed up at the Biltmore Cabaret municipal debate including Vision Vancouver's Gregor Robertson (Above)

Rising housing prices is a major problem for youths who are renting or are looking to buy their first house (Above, Vision Vancouver's Andrea Reimer)

Being held at the Biltmore Cabaret, the debate provided a chance to get personal with the candidates

A large portion of the crowd consisted of youths

"The Olympics are going to bankrupt us" said Emery

Provincial Economies to Lead the Way

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Aaron

on October 24, 2008

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Premier Gordon Campbell of British Columbia suggested that a shift of power from the federal government to the provincial government is necessary in saving the Canadian economy.

On a recent visit to UBC School of Journalism, Campbell said “there are things premiers can do without asking the federal government, without asking the international committee, that will make a difference in our economy.”

A day after the unveiling of his ten-point-plan to maintain B.C.’s economy, Campbell pushed for less inter-provincial trade barriers.

“We can take down the trade barriers between provinces. You know there’s more trade barriers between provinces in Canada than there are in countries in the European Union,” Campbell said.

Campbell went on to say that premiers should be more independent in their economic choices and “should do as much as we can to build our markets ourselves. Premiers can do that.”

Let’s stop pointing at [the federal government] and point at ourselves and say what responsibilities are we going to take.” Campbell added.

When asked if he would be interested in running for the leadership of the Liberal Party Campbell replied “I’m excited by what we can do for BC, I want to be re-elected as BC Premier. The good things we do here will affect change in the rest of the country.”

The upcoming B.C. provincial elections will be held on May 12, 2009.

Goodbye Bessa

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Aaron

on October 18, 2008

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I have parted ways with my Bessa.

The Voigtlander Bessa R2a is a rangefinder camera and was manufactured at a time when digital photography was booming. Hirofume Kobiyashi, the man behind the camera’s creation, based this decision on his belief that there was too much competition in digital photography.

Acquiring the rights to the Austrian camera company Voigtlander, Kobiyashi found a niche in the world of camera manufacturing when he improved upon the existing Voigtlander Bessa rangefinder concept and made it into a poor man’s Leica. What resulted was an affordable, hardy, and fantastical combination of tradition and technology.

A poor man's Leica

The rangefinder camera is excellent for shooting news events. Because of its size and portability, the rangefiinder less obtrusive than a conventional SLR camera and brings a certain spontaneity to its photographs.

Below are some of the works from my time with the Bessa R2a.