Photos: Platinum Blonde @ Surrey Canada Day 2013

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Photos: Vancouver Pride Parade 2012

Click on the newlywed puppets to view photos from last week's 34th annual Pride Parade.



See additional footage here.

Studio 58's Caesar with a twist

Cheyenne Maberley as a soothsayer in a promotional still for Studio 58's production of Julius Caesar.  In the actual play, Maberley is Caesar's wife.
Photo:  Studio 58

It starts with a literal knife in the back, and ends with the figurative kind as your best friend plunges a cold metal dagger into your chest.
         
That’s assuming your name is Julius Caesar and you have the misfortune of being a little too ambitious for your supposed friend Brutus’s liking.

But you can’t fault Brutus entirely.  You were just a little too arrogant, and Brutus felt conflicted the entire time.  It’s not that he loves you any less – he just loves Rome more.

In director Scott Bellis’s telling of the Shakespearean classic, the scene above happens just the same, barring one notable difference: both characters are female.

In the original version, there were only two female characters. In an unconventional twist, Bellis turned a blind eye to gender, instead opting to cast whomever was best suited for the role.  This led to a largely female cast, with 10 out of 16 characters played by women, including Brutus, Cassius and the titular role of Caesar.

Leslie Dos Remedios is the arrogant Caesar, reciting her lines with the kind of male bravado that would make the Bard himself proud.

Andrea Houssin is the noble Brutus, the “man” who eventually chooses his own sense of morality over the bonds of friendship he so strongly feels. 

In this world where women constantly wax poetic on what it is to be a man, a “man” is not a gender: it’s a code of honour.

Although all pronouns have been changed accordingly for female characters, traditionally male titles such as “Lord” and “Sir” have been kept. It’s an interesting concept, but sadly, and ironically, makes this telling as biased as the original.

On first appearances, this world seems to be one of gender equality. There are no traits that are decidedly male, and it seems that the qualities a person engenders makes gender a moot point.
           
Take a closer look, and you see that all of the powerful players in this story are female. All of the spouses are female, and they’re all same-sex couplings.

It’s quite literally a woman’s world, and the men in this play acknowledge it as well. No women are with men and even men don’t want to be with other men.  Gender roles are not so much reversed – there are still meek women in this play – societal values are.
   
Gender-bending added no additional value to this story, and I couldn’t help but think that many of the characters would have been stronger if played by the male actors in the company.

Though all actors were engaging during turbulent scenes, the male actors did a better job of “being” the character rather than just “acting.” Their tonations, inflections, body language, and facial expressions were completely congruent, with Kazz Leskard as Casca the star performer.
           
The costumes were also confusing. With women clothed from everything from miniskirts and blouses to peasant wear from the middle ages it was difficult to discern the time period represented. The men weren’t any easier to interpret, with their modern suits covered by half capelets.
           
As for the set, there were no backgrounds and props were used sparingly. Music and lighting were used quite effectively, conveying everything from weather to mood. The LCD stage was also incorporated into the story quite nicely, providing visuals and additional lighting.
           
Despite its flaws, Bellis’s Caesar manages to convey all of the emotions and drama of the original, was beautifully choreographed, and visually engaging – if you turn a blind eye to gender.

Meet Canada's fast food king: Yuri Fulmer

Australian-born Yuri Fulmer went from drive-through attendant to president of one of Canada's largest food and beverage companies.
Photo: theminervafoundation.com

“Trying hard” – that’s what Yuri Fulmer would say if asked to sum himself up in one sentence.

The 37-year-old entrepreneur has been living that philosophy since he was 19, when he bought his first A&W restaurant.

“I was really convinced I never wanted to work for somebody else again,” said Fulmer.

From drive-through attendant to manager

Fulmer had worked his way up from drive-through attendant to manager in three years, jumping on the opportunity to own the restaurant when offered the chance.

His job didn’t pay that well– it was a $220,000 loan from his mother that set Fulmer on this path.

“My mom was a pretty strong influence,” he said.

“She had a lot of trust and a lot of faith in me all the way along, and those things make you just want to fixate and try harder.”

Gambling man

Taking gambles wasn’t a new thing for Fulmer – at 16, he left his native Australia to explore the world, eventually ending up in Vancouver.

It paid off for Fulmer, a UBC and SFU dropout: He now owns 7 A&W’s, 27 Pizza Huts, and the entire Mr. Mikes Steakhouse and Bar franchise.

He’s also the founder and President of FDC Capital, one of Canada’s largest food and beverage businesses. According to Profit 100, it is one of the country’s fastest growing companies. Fulmer was also named one of Canada’s Top Forty under 40 a few years back.

Giving back to the community

But it’s not just Fulmer’s financial success that makes him one of this year’s Order of B.C. recipients: it’s his commitment to the community that sets him apart.

“I try to get up every day and do the right thing,” he said. “To take care of other people and try to make the community stronger and better.”

Fulmer is currently the board chair of the United Way – the youngest one ever since its inception.

He is also involved in the Vancouver Foundation, the Boys & Girls Clubs, the Vancouver Opera, and Kwantlen Polytechnic University.

In five years, Fulmer has raised more than $100 million for the various organizations he’s been involved in, including the personal donations he contributes each year.

Living by his philosophy

This all coincides with the philosophy Fulmer chooses to live his life by:

“We’re all here to do the best we can, to make this place the best for the people who live here.”

Fulmer will receive the Order of B.C. in Victoria tomorrow*. He considers the award his greatest achievement.

*Writing example only, date not factual at time of posting

10th annual Dastar competition

Two Sikh men sport colourful turbans, also known as dastars. The Dastar competition is meant to celebrate Sikh culture and dispel myths about the headwear.
Photo: Patrick Doheny (flickr commons)

Celebrate Sikh culture and see how you look in a turban at this year’s 10th annual Dastar competition.

The free event, held April 6 at the Grand Taj Banquet Hall in Surrey, is meant to dispel misconceptions about the dastar — also known as the turban — and to encourage younger Sikhs to don the traditional headwear.

Turban wearers misjudged

"We wanted to make people aware of the differences between the Sikhs [and others who wear turbans],” said contest organizer Gurdial Badh, director of Sher-E-Punjab Radio. “There’s a lot of misjudgment that we’re all Muslims.”

The 9/11 connection

Badh said that the event was inspired by 9/11, which led to widespread violence towards turban wearers.

Anyone wearing a turban was looked upon as someone they’re not,” said Badh, who mentioned that turban wearers were beaten and even shot after 9/11.

Positive impact in the community

Badh said that the contest has had positive impacts in the South Asian community, noticing that youth wear their turbans more proudly after the event. “It’s just confidence,” said Badh. “Once they see that it’s an acceptable form of uniform, part of your faith, people seem to embrace it, especially youth.”

The event will also feature local talent, including singers and bhangra dancers. Badh said that several popular artists got their start at past Dastar competitions, such as pop singer Jazzy B. “Probably at least 10 to 15 have been discovered here in the Lower Mainland and now they’re big stars back home and here,” said Badh.

Biggest turban tying competition in the world

The Dastar competition is one of the biggest in the world, and the “one that started it” according to Badh. Competitions have been held in such places as New York, Australia, and the UK.

This year’s competition features 20 categories based on age, gender, and turban styles. Badh said that most participants are in their late teens to mid 30’s, but all age ranges are represented in the contest, which normally has 25 to 30 participants in each category.

The event also features apparel-based contests, giving awards in such categories as “best cultural dressed child,” “most unique turban” and “most matching couple.” The latter is a new competition added this year.

Event for everyone

We’re always trying to come up with new ways to get others, especially non-Sikhs to come,” said Badh.

Badh said that many non-Sikhs come to the event and have turbans tied, but none have entered the contest.

But Badh said he welcomes anyone to try their hand at tying.

"[The event] is marketed toward everybody,” said Badh. “You could say it’s marketed toward non-Asians so they can understand the meaning of the dastar.”

"I want to encourage everybody, south Asian and non Asian to come out and partake.”

The end of chained dogs in Surrey?

An animal advocate group wants to make it illegal for dogs to be permanently chained or tethered in Surrey.
Photo: Jennifer Fong

Chaining dogs in your backyard may soon be a crime in Surrey, if Janet Olson has anything to say about it.

Olson’s request to speak to the city was approved at last week’s council meeting. Olson, the founder of A Better Life Dog Rescue, will be presenting her case on April 23. She is calling for a legislation to ban the chaining, tethering, and cruel confining of dogs.

“We want to see an end to permanent chaining,” said Olson. “We’re not concerned if they put a time limit on that, say two or three hours, or they put an amendment on it saying that they cannot be chained unattended.”

Anti-chaining legislations elsewhere

This kind of legislation isn’t new. Lion’s Bay, a community in Vancouver, and several states in the U.S. have anti-chaining legislations.

Olson said that communities who have implemented this change have seen a reduction in workload for animal welfare and animal control organizations, as well as a reduction in dog bites.

The danger of chained dogs

“Chained dogs who are unsocialized and don’t have the ability to run if they’re afraid respond with a fight or flight response,” said Olson. “The flight response is taken away from them, so their only other response is fight.”

“They are responsible for most of the dog bites, especially to children.”

Is the city liable?

One of Olson’s arguments will be about the city’s liability. “One of our comments to the city is going to be that . . . if a child or adult is bitten by a chained dog, could the city be held responsible?”

“Think about how at risk you are with liability, if people choose to decide that you should have been responsible for preventing it,” said Olson.

“There’s a whole bunch of issues that come along with it. If you’re not just concerned about how cruel it is, then think about how dangerous it is,” she added.

Animal cruelty

Olson will also be discussing the animal cruelty aspect before council.

“There’s probably nothing you can do to a dog that’s crueller than isolating it, it’s a highly social animal that you are now keeping alone.”

“A dog would prefer, probably, to be beaten every day for 5 minutes than to be alone on a chain 24 hours a day.”

Public misconception

Some critics believe that anti-chaining laws will lead to more out-of-control dogs, creating more harm than good. Olson calls these people “uninformed.”

“Nobody’s talking about letting your dogs run around on your property,” said Olson. “The city wouldn’t allow it, there are bylaws and everything to prevent that, so obviously that’s not going to be a consequence of an anti-chaining legislation.”

“If you want to have a dog then you build a fence around your yard, or you keep the dog in the house.”

“In fact, dogs running free, most commonly are dogs that slipped off their chain.”

Surrey just the first

This is the first time Olson has tried to get this legislated. If it is passed in Surrey, Olson will then go to other communities with the same request. Chilliwack and Abbotsford are next on her list.

“I can’t see it not going through because there’s nothing to lose, and everything to gain for a community,” said Olson.

“We wouldn’t have to investigate as many dog reports, wouldn’t have as many dog bites, and they’d actually save community money as well.”

A councillor's reaction

Coun. Linda Hepner agrees with Olson in principle, but is waiting to see the presentation before taking a definitive stance.

“It’s more of a question of what they ask and the examples they bring,” said Hepner. “But do I agree with a legislation that would not confine animals? Yeah, I do.”

“It’s hard to be unsympathetic to that.”

For alternative curriculum, move tantamount to closure

The colourful walls of Discovery Elementary School. The Surrey School Board is considering moving the program due to dwindling enrolment numbers.
Photo: Discovery Elementary School

The Surrey School Board is considering moving a nearly 40-year-old curriculum program, amidst fears that the move would decimate the already floundering program.

Discovery School on 109 Avenue is home to the Discovery Program, a system based on the Adlerian philosophy of learning. This philosophy promotes mutual respect, encouragement, positive discipline and cooperation. Since 1995, enrollment numbers have declined from 225 to 57, with further decline estimated in the future.

"It's a combination of the fact that it hasn't been proving successful in attracting new students and parents over the last 10 years in that location," said Doug Strachan, district communications manager for the Surrey School Board.

Building underutilized

"We're dealing with taxpayer dollars," said Strachan. "It isn't really fair to underuse or underutilize a building of that size in that way."

Due to the shortage of students, the building, which has a 200-student capacity, has been slated for what the board deems a more appropriate use. There is a shortage of Grade 10 to 12 classrooms in that area which may cause the building to be repurposed for that reason.

"The board has made it clear that it wants to see the program continue and is trying to find a way to help its success," said Strachan. The board says that its intent is not to close the program, but to relocate it to a more suitable place.

Possible solutions

One proposed solution the board has offered is to move the program to another elementary school and create a "dual-track" school.

"It's a school that has a couple of programs running in it," said Strachan. "It could be that it is a French immersion school with a traditional program, but more often it's a neighbourhood school that has also a district choice program such as the Discovery program."

Strachan also said that dual-track schools offer parents more choice and may increase enrollment by enticing students already in the existing school's community.

Parent feedback

But supporters of the Discovery program believe that moving it would mean the end of the program itself.

"Many of our parents feel that a move of the program into another larger school . . . will mean we will lose another significant percentage of our student body as people are unable or unwilling to make the commute," said Tricia Keith, in a letter to the Leader. "This would likely spell the end of the Discovery program no matter what."

Keith acknowledged that "drawing more attention and increasing enrollment" was needed to save the school, but believed that staying on location was a necessary part of the equation. Other parents echoed these sentiments on the school's official Facebook page and in letters to the Leader.

School board's stance

Strachan has heard these opinions but believes the results speak for itself.

"Well, the status quo clearly isn't going to save the program, so something needs to change in order for the program to survive," said Strachan.

The two locations proposed are Prince Charles Elementary on 100 Avenue or Royal Heights Elementary on 97 Avenue. "It would be the same program, just in a new location," said Strachan. "The same teachers, same staff ­­-- at least those who choose to move with it."

Outcome

The decision has not yet been finalized and there is a chance that the program may remain at its present location.

"It's the recommendation of staff that it be moved, but the board ultimately makes the decision, said Strachan. "It's possible the board may choose to move it, may choose not to, or based on the input, make some other decision or ask staff for more information."