Which electoral system should British Columbia use to elect members to the Provincial Legislative Assembly?

• The existing electoral system (First-past-the-post)
• The single transferable vote system (BC-STV) proposed by the BC Citizen’s Assembly on Electoral Reform

Photocredit: BBaltimore

I think that anyone who believes in diversity, democracy and fairness will want to vote Yes for STV on May 12th.

Diversity and Fairness:

The current system (First past the post) only delivers fair results if everyone lives in a riding where they have the same political opinions as all their neighbours.  In a diverse society, we’re going to be living up next to people who are different beliefs from us. STV makes sure that we don’t lose our political representation when we do that.

The data on countries that have STV is that the popular vote (how many votes for each party in all the ridings) matches closely the number of people from each party who get elected. This is the definition of a fair system in my book.

In countries with STV, more women get elected than in countries with our system, and more lesbians and other minorities get elected. Both are good for lesbians.

For example, if little politically progressive me moved back to my home town of Prince George, currently I could kiss goodbye ever being represented by a politician that didn’t make me ill. There would be nobody to represent me. If STV gets passed, most of the elected folks in my district would be conservative, but there would be at least one I could support that got elected.

If I stay in my progressive East Vancouver riding, currently I have to split my conscience between a Green Party candidate who supports my hard core environmental values, and an NDP candidate, who also supports things I believe in but who has a prayer of being elected.

Under STV my voting could be more nuanced. I could have the luxury of voting for a Green Party candidate that supports my environmental values, as well as an NDP candidate.

Similarly, a conservative right-wing person living in my current riding would have some representation if STV is adopted that they wouldn’t have otherwise. We both get what’s fair. With STV every one still gets one vote. The ridings are larger, more like federal ridings, and there are more MLA’s elected in each riding. When you vote, instead of voting for just one person, you are allowed to indicate who your second, third and fourth choices are.

There’s a great little video online that does a good job of showing how the votes get counted. 

How my vote counts more with STV: When my favourite candidate has enough votes to get elected, the surplus votes gets assigned to our second choice. This means that I can vote for a Green candidate and an NDP candidate, knowing that my vote will go to where it does the most good, or even to support two candidates from the same party I like. I don’t ever again have to vote strategically to prevent a bad candidate from getting in. We can all vote our conscience.

How my political opposite’s vote counts more with STV: Although the majority of MLA’s representing their riding will be not to their taste, the conservative family down the street will be part of electing a small number of candidates whose values they agree with. When they need help from a MLA, they now have one with whom they feel comfortable.

So I hope you will vote to make this historic change to the way we elect people to represent us, and help spread the word about BC-STV.

John Cleese on Proportional Representation in England (STV is a type of PR. All of Western Europe uses some form of proportional representation except England)

While I think my own mother likes Mother’s Day as it is, it is interesting that the early mothers’ days were more about mothers as activists rather than individuals.  

While various holidays celebrating mothers have occurred through history, Mother’s Day as it is celebrated in North America has roots in feminist pacifism.  Julia Ward Howe is considered a founding mother of mother’s day and was reported to have proclaimed the first Mother’s Day in 1870 calling on mothers to:

“Arise then…women of this day!
Arise, all women who have hearts!…

Our sons shall not be taken from us to unlearn
All that we have been able to teach them of charity, mercy and patience.
We, the women of one country,
Will be too tender of those of another country
To allow our sons to be trained to injure theirs.

…From the voice of a devastated Earth a voice goes up with
Our own. It says: “Disarm! Disarm!”

you can find the full text at: http://womenshistory.about.com/od/howejwriting/a/mothers_day.htm
And more about the original meaning of Mother’s day at: ttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mother%27s_day

On a more lesbian note, I also found an interesting article on how to manage mother’s day in a family with two moms and a book of photos of lesbian moms and their children.

Hello:

Perhaps you are already aware that an education guide that encourages tolerance for gay/lesbian/transgendered diversity in the schools is being compaigned against being available in BC schools.

The article states that ‘This week the Catholic Civil Rights League, a lay group, urged parents to protest against the guide over its inclusion of gay issues including same-sex marriage.’

Please see the following link for the full article. http://www.365gay.com/Newscon08/03/032608school.htm

I would suggest that, since the CCRL is working to kill the guide, It would be helpful for us to send an email to the Education Minister to ensure the guide is used. Perhaps you could distribute this information if you have an elist and/or like minded friends and encourage everyone to send an email.

I’ve included below the email letter that I sent to Shirley if you would simply like to forward it with your own name.
Ms. Bond’s email address and website are as follows. Thank you for yor help.

http://www.leg.bc.ca/mla/38thparl/bond.htm

shirley.bond.mla.@leg.bc.ca

Dear Shirley Bond,

Public schools must be inclusive of all minorities. Gay and lesbian people make up 10 % of the population, including school children. Particularly in high school, gays. lesbians, bisexuals, and trnasgendered teens feel as if the whole system is created by and for people unlike them. Moreover, they are likely to suffer violence simply because they are gay – or are perceived to be gay.

Positive role models and an understanding of how gay culture has influenced and contributed to mainstream culture will help eliminate the discrimination suffered by GLBT youth in school. As Education Minister, I feel that you have a golden opportunity to help eliminate violence and discrimination in school – and in society by releasing the Education Guide, “Making Space, Giving Voice.”

Please help be part of the solution that brings compassion, knowledge and understanding into a culture that has suffered immeasurably by the ignorance of centuries of religious oppression and ignorance.

Please do so immediately and give it your full support. Thank you for your time.

Corea Ladner, Human Service Worker, BA

Hi Lesbians,

The Rhizome cafe is lesbian owned and provides amazing community building along with delicious food on Broadway street near Fraser in Vancouver. Help keep this great business going by having lunch there or attending one of their awesome events. I eat there a lot and really enjoy the atmosphere and community. My favourite regular events are the Board Games are So Gay, the Disco Baby! and the Women’s History Talks. They also have a meeting room for your community org to have a board meeting, talk or other event that can be booked. During the day especially it’s a good place for a meeting.

~LQ Editor

October 2009 at Rhizome Café * Arts Venue * Community Space 317 East Broadway, Vancouver

Dear friends of Rhizome-

Lots of events are coming up this month, and we’re excited to tell you about them.  But first, a fewAnnouncements

Rhizome’s third anniversary party is fast approaching, and we hope you’ll join us!  See the October 3^rd listing below for details.  In addition to coming to the party, there are a few other things you can do to help us celebrate.  All of these contributions will help keep Rhizome going strong into the future as a community space that supports social justice work, provides a forum for marginalized voices, and connects us all to each other.

1)    There’s still time to sign up to do a 60-second performance at the anniversary party.  Poetry, singing, skits, interpretive dance, videos…anything goes, as long as it lasts no longer than 1 minute and is related to the theme of rhizomes.  Email lisa(at)rhizomecafe(dot)ca if you’d like to perform.
2)    Our silent auction is going on now (bidding ends at 10pm on October 3) and includes an amazing array of items donated by members of our Rhizome community.  Thank you to all who have so generously donated their time, creativity and talents!  New items are being added throughout, but at the time of this mailing the auction includes:

• Original artwork (by Claudia Segovia, Vanessa Lowe, Sam Bradd, Lenka S., Pat Beaton, Laiwan, and Krisztina Kun)

• Integrative Energy Healing Treatment (by Denise Woodley, Ripple Wellness)

• A Transgender Day of Remembrance proclamation (donated by Tami Starlight)

• Handmade rhizome-themed notecards (by Dalia Vukmirovich)

• 2 kinesiology sessions (by Amy Ruth)

• Preparation of one simple will (by Tim Louis and co.)

• 2 hours of housecleaning (by Deb Ashcraft)

• A set of 3 handmade bowls (by Amanda Walker)

• A 2-hour blogging tutorial (by Karianne Blank)

• 2 pairs of handmade velour pants (by Niki Westman)

• A 3-hour soapstone carving workshop (by Michelle Sylliboy)

• An 8-session drawing class (by Bernadine Fox)

• Handmade earrings (by Kyla Bourgh)

• A women’s history walking tour (by Jolene Cumming)

• A 1-hour drum set lesson (by Lisa Lambert)

• 6-8 classes of Cuban salsa lessons (by Michael Gabriel Rosen, Mas Movement)

• Computer repair (by Martin Suchanek)

• And a handmade puppet named Ghostie (by Diana Jeffries, Flexible Theatre), begging for you to bid on it and escort it out on hallowe’en.

3)    There’s still time to contribute something to the silent auction.  Email lisa(at)rhizomecafe(dot)ca if you’d like to contribute.

In other news, our new expanded hours are listed at the end of this message.  We now open at 11am on Tuesdays, and close at 9pm on Sundays.

Please remember that we’re open for lunch, dinner, snacks, drinks and delicious weekend brunch.  [A side note: someone who regularly attends events here told us yesterday, "It just sunk in, after three years, that in addition to events I should also come here for lunch!"  Hence this reminder.]  Also, our Community Meeting Room is available for use by your community group.  Let us know if you’d like to use it.  Our contact information is listed at the end of this message.

Please note that we’ll be closed for Thanksgiving on Sunday, October 11.

We’re now on Facebook.  Join our group by searching for Rhizome Café.

Thanks for all you do to support this space!  We hope you’ll join us for some important and wonderful events this month.  Here’s what’s coming up:

Art on Our Walls

Prints of Resistance, by Angela Sterritt

On display through November

Remarkable Women: Honouring Women from our Vancouver Communities

On display October 6-27, 2009

The Arts and Culture Office of the Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation, Jolene Cumming, Tania Willard and Kamala Todd have developed a women’s history project that includes a set of 14 posters identifying 14 women from different areas, backgrounds, socio-economic and cultural groups who have formed part of Vancouver’s history.  The poster project will be on exhibit in our meeting room.  Join us on October 20 (see below for details) for an informal chat with Jolene Cumming.

Events

I Could Have Been a Spelling Bee Champ!

Thursday, October 1, registration at 6:30, bee at 7:00pm

Join us for Round 5 of this fundraiser for Towards Aboriginal Health and Healing.  Come spell your way to the top, or bring your spare change to support your favourite speller.  A trophy and prizes will be awarded to the top spellers!  Lucky audience members will win door prizes donated by local bookstores!  F-U-N for all, and a chance to support crucial community services.

$5-20 sliding scale, but no one turned away for lack of funds

Never Forget: Mexico, October 2, 1968 and the Social Movements of the 60s

Friday, October 2, 7:00pm

Building Bridges and New Noise present an evening to remember the October 2, 1968 massacre in Tlatelolco, Mexico; the wave of social movements in 1960s; and to talk about current times.

Free

Rhizome’s Third Anniversary Celebration

Saturday, October 3, 7:00pm to midnight

Join us for an evening of celebration including: tasty things to eat; Coast Salish welcome by Kat Norris; the world premiere performance of the Rhizome Café Bottle Orchestra; 60-second performances by Rhizome community members; presentation of the Third Annual Golden Root Awards; dancing to the tunes of DJ Su Comandante; bidding on our silent auction; an opportunity to socialize with friends, neighbours and co-conspirators; and more.  Please come to our party so we can thank you!  You’ve helped us create a community hub that supports social justice work and connects us all with each other.

$1-$100 sliding scale, all helps Rhizome keep on going.

Rhizome Free Store:  Adults’ Clothing

Sunday, October 4, 5:00-8:00pm

Share what you have!  Get what you need!  This is the second in a series of Free Store events at Rhizome.  Each month we’ll have a different theme, and will share our resources with each other.  This month, we’ll be sharing adults’ clothing.  If you have clothes you don’t want, bring them!  If you need something, come choose some new (to you) items.  Items must be clean and in good condition.  Anything left over at the end of the evening will be donated to the Battered Women’s Support Services stores.

Free

Board Games are So Gay

Friday, October 9, 7:00pm

We’re back with another round of queer-friendly board games!  Bring your favourite games or use ours.  Our house DJs will keep the tunes coming.

By donation, no one turned away.

Sister Spit: The Next Generation

Saturday, October 10, doors at 7:00, show at 8:00pm

Sister Spit, the legendary, raucous, rowdy performance gang from San Francisco, lands in Vancouver with a vanload of queertastic, female-centric brilliance! Don’t miss this multimedia literary explosion of zinesters, fashion plates, novelists, performance artists, poets and fancy scribblers. Featuring queer luminary Michelle Tea, hilarious literary force Beth Lisick, trans-licious performance artist Ben McCoy, graphic novelist extraordinaire Ariel Schrag, powerhouse poet Kirya Traber, photographer/myth-explorer Sara Seinberg, and world-traveling novelist Rhiannon Argo.

$12-$15 sliding scale

Closed for Thanksgiving

Sunday, October 11

Mas Movement Salsa Party for Queer Folks and Allies

Friday, October 16, 7:30pm

Whether you’ve only dreamed of Salsa or are already a pro, you are welcome here!  From 7:30 to 8:15 we’ll hang out, listen to some music, eat, and drink. At 8:15 we’ll learn some moves from Michael Gabriel Rosen of Más Movement. From 9:30 onward we´ll party to the sweet rhythms of Salsa, Merengue and Reggaeton. No partner necessary.

$5-$10 sliding scale, but no one turned away for lack of funds

Café for Chiapas & Report-back on Zapatista Corn Growing in Local Gardens

Sunday, October 18, 5:00-8:00pm

In the spirit of indigenous resistance and solidarity, local gardeners have been growing corn from seeds provided by autonomous Zapatista communities in southern Mexico.  Come see images of the corn and its harvest, and learn about how growing this corn in the Lower Mainland is an act of solidarity, resistance, hope and re-connection with our roots and our food. Defendamos Nuestra Tierra (Defend Our Land) Artesanias presents this report-back, and will also have Zapatista coffee and handmade creations for sale, including leather handbags and wallets, blouses, handbags, shawls, skirts, pants, cushion covers, earrings, and more.  Come hang out with old and new friends, and support Zapatista communities’ autonomy in education, justice, health, and local government.

Free

In our Meeting Room:  Celebrate Women’s History Month

Tuesday, October 20, 6:00-7:00pm

“Remarkable Women: Honouring women from our Vancouver Communities” Join historical interpreter Jolene Cumming from the Herstory Cafe for a casual discussion on the life and times of the 14 women featured on the poster series on exhibit at the Rhizome October 6-27. The women are from different areas, backgrounds, socio-economic and cultural groups and played significant roles in Vancouver’s history.

Free

Eyewitness Reports from Palestine:  The Ongoing Reality of Siege and Occupation

Thursday, October 22, 7:00pm

Local Palestine solidarity activists Joanna Zilsel and Greg Starr speak about and show photos of their recent trips to Gaza and the West Bank.  Presented by Jews for a Just Peace.

Free

Anti-Olympics Resistance

Friday, October 23, 6:30pm

No One is Illegal presents an evening of creative resistance to the 2010 Olympic Games.  From traditional Indigenous territories to urban ghettos, from migrant workers to low-income families, thousands are being evicted or pushed out.  Once displaced, many become cannon-fodder as precarious labour. Come join us in expressing our dissent with mega-corporate industries like the Olympics and the Tar Sands, and in raising our voices in creative expression against the 2010 Games!

$0-10, no one turned away

DTES Power of Women Storytelling Evening

Saturday, October 24, 6:30pm

The Power of Women (POW) Group is a group at the Downtown Eastside Women’s Centre dedicated to educating and raising awareness on social issues.  POW is made up of women from all walks of life who are living in extreme poverty.  Many are single mothers or have had children apprehended due to poverty.  Many have chronic health issues, have drug or alcohol addictions, and have experienced abuse.  Many are indigenous women affected by a history of colonization and racism.  These are women who are victims, but are also survivors.  They are oppressed but they are powerful.  They are frequently researched, but it is rare that their own voices are heard.  We hope you will join them on this evening to hear what they have to say about their experiences, struggles, and aspirations.

$0-$10, no one turned away

Disco, Baby!

Sunday, October 25, 4:30 to 7:00pm

Bring the kids for some disco dancing fun!  dj little d will be mixing the old school and the new.

By donation

Going against the Grain: 38 Years of Feminist Work, Joy and Struggle

Thursday, October 29, 7:00pm

Vancouver Status of Women invites you to join them for their AGM (at 7pm), to learn more about VSW’s exciting new programs, partnerships and initiatives, and then to enjoy live performances (from 7:30 onward) from local artists.

Free

Book Launch: Not A Conspiracy Theory: How Business Propaganda Jeopardizes Democracy,

Friday, October 30, 5:00-7:30pm

This book, by Donald Gutstein, is about one of the most important unreported stories of recent years. Conservative businessmen and their foundations have spent hundreds of millions of dollars to support so-called independent think tanks and advocacy organizations that argue for smaller government, deregulation and fewer social programs. This money has bought undue influence in reshaping our society and future. Simon Fraser University researcher Donald Gutstein will discuss the book and sign copies.  Presented by Key Porter Books, SFU School of Communication, and the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives.

Free

Board Games are Sooo Gay…Let’s Play Again!

Friday, October 30, 8:00pm

We’re back (for a second time in October) with another round of queer-friendly board games!  Bring your favourite games or use ours.  Our house DJs will keep the tunes coming.

By donation, no one turned away.

A Cozy Place to Hang out on Hallowe’en

Saturday, October 31, at night

Whether you want to get away from it all or come show off your costume, this will be a warm and cozy place to spend your hallowe’en evening.  Bring the kids by for treats!

Day of the Dead Celebration:  Pray for the Dead and Fight for the Living!

Sunday, November 1, 5:00-8:00pm

Join us for one of our most favourite annual Rhizome traditions.  We’ll celebrate the lives and legacies of those who have gone before us, and create a traditional Mexican Day of the Dead altar to commemorate our dead.  Bring photos of your loved ones and others who have inspired you, as well as offerings of flowers, candles, fruits, bread, etc.  We will create papel picado (paper cuttings) collectively. There will be Guatemalan hot chocolate, Zapatista handcrafts and coffee for sale, and more. Organized by Latina women together with their companeras at Rhizome.

Free (Donations welcome for materials)

Thanks!  See you soon!

Rhizome

Café * Arts Venue * Community Space

Where we are:

317 East Broadway

Vancouver, BC, Coast Salish Territory

For more information:

604-872-3166

www.rhizomecafe.ca

rhizome@rhizomecafe.ca

Our regular hours:

Tuesdays:       11am to 10pm  **NOTE: New opening time.

Wednesdays: 11am to 10pm

Thursdays:      11am to 10pm

Fridays:           11am to midnight

Saturdays:       10am to midnight (brunch from 10 to 3)

Sundays:         10am to 9pm (brunch from 10 to 3)  ***NOTE: New closing time.

We’re closed on Mondays.

A note on our name:

In the botanical sense, a rhizome is a root system that some plants (like lilies and orchids and ginger and bamboo) use to spread themselves about.  While the roots of most plants point generally downward, the rhizome is a horizontal root system that runs parallel to the surface of the ground.  The plant sends shoots up from nodes in the rhizome, creating what look like many separate plants.  These seemingly unrelated individuals are actually all connected, through a system that’s not immediately visible to the eye.