@prefix ns0: . @prefix edm: . @prefix dcterms: . @prefix dc: . @prefix skos: . ns0:identifierAIP "0cd0e02d-b3cc-427a-8591-9200dc380101"@en ; edm:dataProvider "CONTENTdm"@en ; dcterms:isReferencedBy "http://resolve.library.ubc.ca/cgi-bin/catsearch?bid=1213576"@en ; dcterms:isPartOf "Kinesis"@en ; dcterms:issued "2013-08-15"@en, "1989-02-01"@en ; edm:aggregatedCHO "https://open.library.ubc.ca/collections/kinesis/items/1.0045726/source.json"@en ; dc:format "application/pdf"@en ; skos:note " FEBRUARY 1989 Lookina at VIEW Kinesis welcomes volunteers to work on all aspects of the paper. Call us at 255-5499. Our next News Group is Mon. Feb. 6 at 1:30 pm at Kinesis, #301-1720 Grant St. All women welcome even if you don't have experience. PRODUCTION THIS ISSUE: Shelley Anderson, Marsha Arbour, Colette Beaulieu, Barbara Binns, Gwen Bird, Donna Butorac, Sonia Marino, Honey Maser, Allisa McDonald, Joni Miller, Lucy Moreira, Janice Nelson, Sarah Orlowski, Morgan Rea, Noreen Shanahan. FRONT COVER: Artwork by Debbie Bryant EDITORIAL BOARD: Marsha Arbour, Gwen Bird, Allisa McDonald, Nancy Pollak, Noreen Shanahan, Esther Shannon, Michele Valiquette. CIRCULATION AND DISTRIBUTION: Gwen Bird, Susan Lash, Cat L'Hirondelle. ADVERTISING: Marsha Arbour. OFFICE: Cat L'Hirondelle. Kinesis Is published 10 times a year by the Vancouver Status of Women. Its objectives are to be a non-sectarian feminist voice for women and to work actively for social change, specifically combatting sexism, racism, homophobia and imperialism. Views expressed in Kinesis are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect VSW policy. All unsigned material is the responsibility of the Kinesis Editorial Board. SUBSCRIPTIONS: Individual subscriptions to Kinesis are $17.50 per year or what you can afford. Membership in the Vancouver Status of Women is $25.50 or what you can afford, includes subscription to Kinesis. SUBMISSIONS: All submissions are welcome. We reserve the right to edit and submission does not guarantee publication. All submissions should be typed double spaced and must be signed and include an address and phone number. Please note Kinesis does not accept poetry or fiction contributions. For material to be ^turned, a SASE must be included. Editorial guidelines are available on request. ADVERTISING: For information about display advertising rates, please contact Kinesis. For information about classifieds, please see the classified page in this issue. DEADLINE: For features and reviews the 10th of the month preceding publication; news copy, 15th; letters and Bulletin Board listings 18th. Display advertising: camera ready, 18th; design required, 12th. Kinesis is a member of the Canadian Periodical Publishers Association and is indexed in the Alternative Press Index. CORRESPONDENCE: Kinesis, Vancouver Status of Women, 301-1720 Grant St., Vancouver, B.C. V5L 2Y6 Kinesis is produced on an Amdex PC using WordPerfect and PC TeX software and an in-house laser printer. Additional laser printing by East- side Data Graphics. Camera work by Northwest Graphics. Printing by Web Press Graph- NL News About Women That's Not In The Dailies 0$ 0E0T i A*$F** Karate and the power of women 9 Something for every woman at the VIEW festival JjjjjjB 9ST ft ill 'ñ† lil m Operation Rescue: plotting oppression .... 3 Protestors finally arrested 3 Refugee women still at risk 3 UBC plans pay equity 4 Welfare Appeals: Getting help 5 Report slams government games 7 Karate: Stereotypes shatter 9 by Joni Miller Abortion: The stories women must tell 10 by Alice Starr Women and Architecture 12 by Hinda Avery ARTS AYA: Moving mind barriers 15 by DONIMO Women In View: Eclectic festival smashing hit 16 Barbara Smith: Truths echoing myths 18 by Eunice Brooks Movement Matters 2 What's News? ...6 by Gwen Bird Natural Causes 14 by Heather Herrlngton Periodicals in Review.... 19 by Michele Valiquette Commentary 20 by Katherine Quayle Letters 21 Bulletin Board 22 compiled by Lucy Moreira Second class mail #6426 ISSN 0317-9095 KINESIS Movement Matters ovement M batters listings Information Movement Matters is designed to be a network of news, updates and information of special interest to the women's £ ovement. Submissions to Movement Mat- rs should be no more than 500 words, typed, double-spaced on eight and a half by eleven paper. Submissions may be edited for 'jiength. Deadline is the 18th of the month preceding publication. Lesbian meeting Women involved in changing the conditions and images of women in general, or lesbians in particular, are invited to a Seattle Regional Lesbian Feminist Conference which will bring together all aspects of our political, artistic and spiritual world and is open to all women. The conference will focus on why we do the work we do and how this work fits into the larger picture of power relationships and social change. The conference will also focus on the major issues of lesbian-feminism in the 80's and 90's and consider how to develop and sustain a radical movement. We welcome lesbians active in all different communities to become involved in the organizing process. For further information about the conference, or for an opportunity to deliver your perspectives to the conference organizers on aspects such as outreach, financing, workshops, poUtical focus and organizational structure write: RFLC, c/o Gay Community Social Services, P.O. Box 22061, Seattle, Wa 98122. Racism and art LOCATIONS is an exciting and important collection of work by Canadian women artists and writers which began as a response to issues of racism, regional differences and feminist theory raised during the Feminism and Art Conference organized by the Women's Art Resource Centre (WARC) in Toronto in 1987. Its collection of seven articles discuss issues from theoretical and feminist points of view, racism within the feminist movement and the cultural community, cultural concerns in regions outside of major urban centres, feminist art the- UPRISING BREADS BAKERY presents MEXICAN WEEK Jan. 30-Feb. 4 -recipes -specials -new products 1697 Venables Street Vancouver 254-5635 A part of CRS Workers' Co-op ory and practice, among other topics. The collection also includes visual artworks by women. LOCATIONS is a one time only publication which will be included as an insert in the Spring 1989 issue of Paral- lelogramme magazine, a contemporary art news magazine. LOCATIONS will be fully english/french bilingual. Additional copies will be bound separately and distributed by WARC. For more information about LOCATIONS, or its publisher WARC write the Women's Art Resource Centre, 394 Euclid Ave, #309, Toronto, Ont. or call (416) 324- 8910. Health conference Health care workers from all sectors should attend the 5th annual Oxfam-Global Health Conference, Feb. 24 and 25 at the UBC School of Theology. Last year's conference was a tremenrfeus success with close to two hundred people in attendance. The success of the conference is due to the high quality of the presentations and the highly informative discussions in the workshops. This years conference theme is \"Primary Health Care in Action\" and discussion topics include: women's health projects, the effects of militarism on health care in Third World countries and pharmaceutical concerns throughout the world community. To register or for more information call 738- 2116 or drop in at Oxfam-Global Health Project, 2524 Cypress Street, Vancouver. See Bulletin Board for times of conference. Hurricane House of Commons, Ottawa, Ontario, KlA 0A6 (postage-free). Contributions for disaster relief for Nicaragua can be earmarked \"Hurricane Joan Relief\" and sent to Oxfam Canada, 2524 Cypress St., Vancouver, B.C. V6J 3N2. Access project Plan A for access, a project of the British Columbia Coalition of the Disabled, has launched a sticker campaign that is aimed at barrier-free design in the marketplace. The intent of the sticker campaign is to make building owners and designers more aware of the importance of barrier-free design. According to the Plan A, all too often people think of disabled people as only the mobility impaired but, barrier-free design should in- relief A coalition of Canadian non-governmental organizations has launched a co-operative effort to raise funds for relief and reconstruction in Nicaragua and Costa Rica, which were devastated by Hurricane Joan in late October. Hurricane Joan has left a trail of destruction and floods along Nicaragua's Atlantic Coast. The death toll is over a hundred and 200,000 people have been left homeless, including 65,000 children under the age of five. Stores of many of the country's staple items and almost half the coffee crop have been destroyed. Meanwhile, the Canadian government, which originally offered a paltry $250,000 in relief, bowed to public pressure and raised the figure to $1.6 million in emergency aid. The Coalition, which includes organizations such as Oxfam, CUSO, Inter Pares, etc., is asking people to write or call the federal government to demand more relief be sent to Nicaragua. Kinesis readers are urgently requested to contact the Rt Hon. Joe Clark, Minister of External Affairs, elude all disabilities such as mobility, hearing and visually impaired as well as seniors and children. The BCCD campaign is urging supporters to assist in the campaign by using the stickers which are available with a A+ Well Done message, or a D- Needs Work message, above a \"Disabled Access\" statement. The stickers are designed for use on specific objects: doors, elevators, handles, ramps, stairs, telephones etc. and the Coalition urges that they be used only with property owners' permission. To find out more about the sticker campaign, and to get your stickers, contact Plan A staff at BCCD, telephone (604) 875-9227 Gay rights March 4 marks the third anniversary of the Progressive Conservative government's committment to amend the Canadian Human Rights Act to prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. EGALE, an Ottawa based lobbying organization has been building support to pressure the Mulroney government to hve up to its committment to introduce this amendment. EGALE is urging gays and lesbians, and their supporters, to write their members of Parfiament, the Prime Minister and both leaders of the Opposition and demand that the government respect its committment to full human rights protection for gays and lesbians. EGALE also suggests that individuals and groups can stage events to mark the third anniversary and so contribute to support building for the amendment's inclusion. Labour unions, religious and social groups are urged to issue press releases or write letters to the editor to promote community awareness of the issue. Members of Parfiament can be written c/o the House of Commons, Ottawa, Ontario, KlA 0A6. No postage is required. Please send copies of your correspondence to: EGALE, P.O. Box 2891, Station D, Ottawa, Ontario, KIP 5W9. Request a copy of the EGALE petition when you send copies of your letter. Lesbians on video Creating Lesbian Meaning: a video of excerpts from anglophone lesbians speaking at the Third International Feminist Book Fair, held in Montreal in 1988 is available as three separate works, Memory, Power, and/or Strategies of feminist and lesbian thought or in a four hour global version. The videos are VHS, one half inch and in colour, directed by Suzanne Vertue and produced by Reseau Vide-Elle and are available on a purchase or rental basis. For further information contact Reseau Vide-Elle, 4013 des Erables, Montreal, P.Q., H2E 3V7. Breast cancer books The YM-YWCA of Winnipeg has produced \"The Canadian Breast Cancer Series,\" a set of five books written for people who want information about breast cancer, and especially to help women who have been diagnosed with breast cancer gain greater knowledge about the disease and the recovery period. The books are entitled Understanding Breast Cancer, Diagnosis and Treatment, After Breast Cancer, A Time for Sharing and Glossary and Resources and can be ordered as a set for $15 or separately for $5 per book. To order send a cheque payable to the YM-YWCA of Winnipeg, to YM-YWCA, Downtown Branch, Women's Resource Centre, 100- 290 Vaughan St., Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3B 2N8. 1146Commercial* 253-0913 151 Slater, Suite 408 Ottawa, Ontario KIP 5H3 (613) 563 0681 IWD radio Any woman or women's groups who want to be involved in this year's annual IWD Radio at CFRO (Co-op Radio) should contact: 684-8494 (Corrine), or 873-3403 (Elaine) Display Advertising: Ask us about discounts. Phone 255-5499 Press Gang Printers 603 Powell Street Vancouver, B.C. V6A 1H2 253-1224 SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL WOMEN'fj PRESS KINESIS //////////////////^^^^^ //////////////////^^^^^ News Rally set for Mar, 5 Clinic blasts blockade by Terrie Hamazaki and Esther Shannon \"The evidence shows persistent, concerted, collective attempts to vandalism, obstruction, verbal and physical abuse by crowds of 150 protestors, calling themselves Operation Rescue, to intimidate the persons who appear to be lawfully operating or using or dealing with this abortion clinic to the point where its functions will be impossible to continue.\" B.C. Supreme Court Justice Lloyd McKenzie, Jan. 21, in his summary remarks prior to issuing a civil court injunction against anti- choice protesters at the Everywoman's Health Centre in Vancouver. Plain speech is sometimes a rarity in legal circles, but recent events in Vancouver show even forthright judicial censure isn't always enough to get quick action from law enforcement institutions when it comes to policing the extremist anti-choice faction in the abortion struggle. Despite a civil court injunction gained by Everywoman's Health Centre, Operation Rescue (O.R.), a U.S. based anti-choice group, (see box) staged a 15-hour illegal blockade of B.C.'s only freestanding abortion clinic in late January. One hundred and fifty O.R. protesters, initially ignoring police orders to clear the chnic entrance, dispersed only after pohce returned with an enforcement order backing up injunction provisions. They succeeded in halting clinic operations for 15 hours while harassing, threatening and chasing women from the clinic entrance while Vancouver pohce officers watched. Joy Thompson, spokesperson for Everywoman's Health Centre, blames this law enforcement impasse on the provincial government. \"Clearly the Attorney General's responsibility is to protect the legal rights of B.C. citizens,\" said Thompson. \"The reluctance to charge individuals in December, Refugee women still at risk by Noreen Shanahan A recent Canada Immigration program intended to loosen entry requirements for refugee women and their children is a failure, according to Vancouver refugee advocacy groups. The 'Women at Risk' program, launched in February 1988, is barely a drop in the bucket both in terms of bringing women into Canada (less than fifty women have so far been sponsored) and meeting their needs once they arrive, critics say. The program runs under 'joint- sponsorship' meaning a private sponsor integrates her into Canadian society and looks after her emotional needs while the government pays her bills for one year. No ESL (English as a Second Language) or job training allowances are provided, and the women are expected to immediately become self-sufficient. Dr. Jamie Wallin, chair of Vancouver's Christ Church Cathedral Sponsorship Committee, calls the program \"much ado about nothing,\" attacking the unreahstically severe demands put on these trau- matised women. One Ethiopian woman sponsored by his church, who has a grade eight education and no English, was recently told she and her children would be deported if she couldn't show proof of 20 places she had applied for work. Make no mistake about it, the 'vision' behind Operation Rescue is male. after O.R.'s first illegal demonstration, has fostered a climate where these individuals beheve they're above the law and can breach the Criminal Code with impunity. The whole situation has left the pohce completely paralysed.\" The week following the O.R protest, Betty Green and Lane Walker, two O.R. leaders who participated in the demonstration were arrested; a third, Vincent John Hawkswell, a Catholic priest, turned himself in. All were charged with suspicion of being in contempt of an injunction and ordered away from the clinic until their February court date. Green and Walker agreed to the restriction while Hawkswell refused; they were released on their own recognizance. See Protestors p. 5 \" ... (Immigration) doesn't take into account these women's special cases,\" said Wallin. \"They were accepted as 'women at risk' precisely because they were at risk in their countries, as abused and tortured people.\" See Refugee p. 5 Operation rescue: preaching hate Founded in 1986 by 29 year old Randall Terry in New York state, Operation Rescue's conservative agenda includes control of women, discrimination against gays, acceptance of ADDS as God's punishment and violent opposition to abortion. Details of financial support for the organization are not clear, but it is assumed that OR, whose membership is primarily fundamentalist Christians, is self-supporting. OR first attracted media attention in Atlanta, Georgia last year, where, for nine weeks they attempted, unsuccessfully, to shut down all the clinics in the city. Hundreds of OR members were arrested in that attack because of their illegal tactics. They are instructed by their male leadership to block doors to clinics and prevent clients from entering, supposedly by using non-violent civil disobedience. However, many OR protests have been marked by violence. Their tactics have included kicking at the backs of knees and throwing themselves backwards at chnic defenders. Their manipulation of language resembles the ways Nazis used degrading terms for the Jews and others to make them seem inhuman and therefore easier to attack. Pro-choice defenders are called \"pro-aborts,\" chnics are called \"abortion mills\" or \"abortuaries.\" OR protesters \"fighting to save pre-born children\" remain anonymous, only identifying themselves by wearing badges saying \"Baby Jane/John Doe, Operation Rescue.\" OR members attacked the Everywoman's Health Chnic in mid-December and again in Jaunuary and have been staging protests in Toronto for the past month. Pohce action ended the OR protest in Vancouver. Over a hundred OR protesters have been arrested at Toronto clinics. Revised refugee restrictions Refugees who have sought sanctuary in Canada over the past two years have come to the end of a bruising period of uncertainty and anxiety and will finally learn whether they have found a refuge in this country. Amendments to the Immigration Act that took effect Jan. 1 are aimed at stemming the tide of \"bogus\" refugees into Canada. In addition a new system announced last month is aimed at clearing away the backlog of 85,000 refugee claimants during the next two years. Under the new program, two person panels evaluate whether a claimant does indeed face danger in the country she has left. H they decide she doesn't, they have the power to order her deported within 72 hours. The panels consist of one Immigration Canada adjudicator and one representative of the newly created Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, which is independent of the department. Under the new process claimants may only appeal panel decisions to the Federal Court of Appeal on the limited grounds of points of law. On rejected claims, the Immigration department will review whether there are humanitarian and compassionate considerations (such as whether the claimant has a spouse or children in Canada) before taking action to deport anyone. According to Frances McQueen, of Amnesty International in Vancouver, \"The new system will be a godsend, if it works smoothly. Genuine refugees need to be able to tell their stories. It's cathartic.\" McQueen is concerned, however, that while the process may expedite the claims of people already in Canada, it may also deal with new refugees so swiftly that no one will have even heard that they tried to enter Canada. She also warns that \"...humanitarian and compassionate grounds have been interpreted very narrowly in the past,\" and cites her concern that appointments to the review panel should be watched closely since they are pohtical appointments. She is especially disappointed that appeal grounds for refugee claimants are so limited. \"In such an appeal process\" she said, \"what you have is two lawyers arguing before three old men about points of law. It has nothing to do with the refugees, they don't even get to tell their story in court.\" In the March Kinesis we will feature an indepth examination of the effects on refugee claimants of Canada's new immigration policy. IN MEMORIAM Ana Maria Espinoza, formerly of Vancouver, a long time political organizer for the concerns of women and her companeros— other Chileans in exile—died tragically in Toronto on January 24th. A mass will be held for her Tuesday 31st. Call (604) 521- 3900 or 430-0423 for time and location. KINESIS ACROSS B.C. UBC plans pay equity by Kinesis Staff Writer The University of British Col- umbia(UBC), a major Vancouver employer, is moving to implement an employment equity program as required under recent federal legislation. Under the Federal Contractors Program all organizations that receive federal government contracts and employ over 100 people must develop equal opportunity application criteria The program targets four groups, women, disabled people, Native people and visible minorities, all of whom are histori cally victims of systemic discrimination in terms of employment opportunities and career advancement. UBC's efforts, however, may be hampered by a lack of government support for start-up costs associated with the program. Currently, the university has no available data on how the target groups are represented in the UBC job pool. According to the university's personnel director, Eileen Stewart, collecting such information will be costly. \"I would suspect to even develop a questionnaire (to get the information) the direct cost would be $25 to 50,000,\" Stewart said, noting that UBC processes, \"...20,000 applicants for staff per year.\" The questionnaire, which would be voluntary, would include questions on whether job applicants consider themselves to be a minority. Usually such questions are forbidden in employment applications because of fears about confidentiality, privacy and possible discrimination, however, they are permitted for the purposes of positive action programs such as the federal initiative. Sharon Kahn, UBC's newly appointed Director of Employment Equity acknowledges that the program will be expensive but says \"it will make the university a better place. Systemic barriers have created a situation where the skills of the targeted groups have been under-represented in the past.\" A budget for the program is under consideration and it is expected that a process will be ready by April, the beginning of the fiscal year. Employment equity programming has been cited as one reason for UBC budget deficit. According to Kahn the university will \"go after matching funds from the provincial and federal government to help us accommodate the program.\" In Ontario, where there is actual employment equity legislation, the provincial government provides start-up money for programs. Neither the B.C. nor the federal government has committed start-up funding to employers that fall under the regulations of the Federal Contractors Program. Team Vancouver by Pat Pitsula Vancouver: Garbage country bound by Shelley Anderson The Cache Creek-Ashcroft area is being targeted for another environmental assault. Having fought and defeated the placement of a proposed toxic waste dump, a toxic waste incinerator and a B.C. Hydro coal-burning, electricity- generating plant at Hat Creek, the people of the region now face the prospect of the stench and contamination of a garbage dump servicing the entire Greater Vancouver Regional District (GVRD). The site is located on land under claim by the Bonaparte Indian Band, land considered sacred and of a claim not yet resolved. Two streams running through the site have had to be diverted. Experts say there is not even enough land to adequately cover the landfill, and even now, excavators are running into bedrock. Groundwater, scarce in this region, will be contaminated by leachate. These major environmental hazards have been down played by the Cache Creek council and the private contractor involved, who wish to make this a model \"dump.\" History shows that other such \"model dumps\" are far from safe or trouble free. The GVRD produces almost one milhon tons of garbage per year, an estimated 95 percent of which is recyclable. Only token efforts are being made to recycle in most municipalities. Instead the lower mainland is about to ship its garbage headache to another less fortunate community. The current landfill proposal was pushed through by the council of Cache Creek and the GVRD without public input. Over a thousand signed ballots, sent in by the people of the Cache Creek- Ashcroft region rejecting the landfill proposal, were ignored. The contract for the servicing of the landfill and the shipping of the garbage, due to begin towards the end of February, has been awarded to Wastech Services Ltd. Complex agreements between many parties have made Wastech's proposal economically viable, but also lock the economies of communities involved into the proposed arrangement. An elaborate system of transfer stations has also been created Co-alition cites crisis by Kinesis Staff Writer The newly formed Lower Mainland Native and Ecology Coalition has charged that the oil spUl on the west coast of Vancouver Island has reached crisis proportions and is calling for a \"declaration of a disaster area.\" The Co-alition, which consists of 14 lower mainland Native and ecology groups, is helping to coordinate a volunteer effort to assist with the clean-up of more than 150 miles of Vancouver Island coastline, fouled by a December oil spill caused by a collision between a tugboat and an oil barge off the coast of Washington state. The Co-alition is calling for: an immediate moratorium on offshore to transfer waste from municipal garbage trucks to highway vehicles, costing the GVRD millions of dollars. The more invested by a community in the landfill method of waste disposal, the less open it will be to environmentally sensible options such as recycling. For more information on what you can do to stop the landfill and promote environmentally sound waste disposal practices contact The Lower Mainland Waste Management Coalition, Hilda Bechler 521- 8052 or Shelley Anderson 255- 200 J,. With Team Vancouver well into its second year, the organization is now beginning to reach into the community to fulfil its two- part mandate: to connect individuals interested in specific sports with participating social and/or competitive clubs accepting new members; and to organize Vancouver's athletes for Gay Games III - Celebration 90, slated for August of 1990. Last October three members of Team Vancouver attended the Celebration 90 — \"Two for the Show\" Conference. Connections were made with major cities in Canada, the United States, and as far away as France. The conference meetings, both formal and informal, generated an update about how preparations for Celebration 90 are progressing, as well as helpful information about how Team Vancouver can best prepare local athletes for this incredible event. One of the first items of news for Vancouver athletes is that early registration for Celebration 90 begins this summer. The job of preparing for Celebration 90 is not an easy one. We extend our hand to anyone who would hke to volunteer. Team Vancouver needs help in a variety of areas: communication, outfitting Team Vancouver for Opening and Closing ceremonies, marketing, and lots more. For those who might not have the time but still want to support Team Vancouver in some way, t-shirts, sweatshirts, tank- tops, etc., printed with the Team Vancouver logo, are for sale to individual and groups. We would love to see you at Team Vancouver's next organizing meeting, scheduled for Feb. 9, 7 pm at the Gay and Lesbian Community Cen- tre,(GLCC) 1170 Bute St., Vancouver. To volunteer, buy a t-shirt, or for information about sports included in Celebration 90 contact Pat at 734- 0709 or write Team Vancouver, c/o GLCC, 1170 Bute St., Vancouver, B.C. V6E 1Z6. exploration; a public review process on the transportation of oil along the West Coast; the start of a conversion program from fossil fuels to clean-burning fuels such as solar and hydrogen. According to a Co-alition press release, \"Three weeks after the spill, there is still httle committment from any level of government to help with the work of saving birds, animals, sea-hfe and beaches — not to mention the disastrous impact on the livelihood of the native and non-native local people.\" Some weeks after the spill the federal government announced a series of fishing closures to crab grounds in areas contaminated by the spill. Recently, Premier William Vander Zalm was unwilling to pledge his support for a moratorium on off-shore drilling. In response to questions at a business lunch, Vander Zalm avoided any committment to a moratorium saying that, \"... whenever we talk about environmental issues or concerns or how environmental situations may be addressed, hopefully we can at the same time consider the impact or the effect on the economy.\" The Co-alition charging that \"the crisis shows that present spill clean-up technology is inadequate in rough seas\" is asking for volunteers to assist in the clean-up. It has called on the B.C. government to provide free bus and ferry fares to volunteers who want to go to Vancouver Island to offer cleanup assistance. To date such assistance has been refused and government support to the volunteers has been hmited to providing one meal a day. Volunteers are desperately needed along with donations of shovels, rakes, garbage bags, machetes, rubber and wool gloves, money and food. For further information on volunteering or donations to the clean up contact: Tofino Coordinating Centre at (l)-725- 3365 or in the Lower Mainland contact: Lavina White, Council of the Haida Nation at 251- 4949 or Sunee Yuuho, Sierra Club, 875-6765, 872-4358 4 KINESIS Across B.C. Welfare appeals: Getting help is the best remedy by Jennifer Bradley \"The squeaky wheel still gets the grease in dealing with B.C.'s Ministry of Social Services and Housing (MSSH)\" according to Jean Swanson of End Legislated Poverty and as shown in the following stories. Rosa, with her two children left her abusive husband and found a place to hve that she could afford. MSSH agreed to pay her moving costs if she provided three estimates from different movers. This she did and her Financial Aid Worker (FAW) authorized the lowest bidder to effect the move. On moving day, both children were sick so Rosa had to get a neighbour to look after them until noon when the neighbour had to be elsewhere. When, by 10 am, the movers had not appeared, Rosa became anxious. Not having a phone, she walked several blocks in the rain to a booth and received a taped message at the movers' number. After a couple of these trips, she phoned the Better Business Bureau and was told that they had received, complaints that these movers were unreliable and sometimes \"unpleasant.\" Rosa tried to contact her FAW. Told that she was \"in a meeting until lunch time,\" Rosa, now very worried about getting her things out and the place tidied up before the new tenants moved in, phoned one of the other movers from whom she had got estimates. Luckily he and his helper were able to come right away and Rosa was successful in cleaning up and retrieving her children in the allotted time. Rosa felt good about how resourceful she had been and did not expect the lecture she got next day when she phoned her FAW to explain what had happened. The FAW questioned her closely about her change of movers and told Rosa that she should have continued to try to reach her on moving day and reluctantly agreed to pay the emergency mover. After leaving her husband, Rosa had applied for welfare in her own name and was told that her medical card would arrive in about six weeks. Her children were subject to frequent ear infections for which the doctor usually prescribed medication. Each time she got a prescription, she had to make an appointment to see her FAW who then made out a form for Rosa to take to the drugstore. The trip to welfare involved waiting for two buses, waiting for the worker, a bus to the drugstore and two buses to get home. Rosa, who often didn't feel too well herself, had to take the kids with her when she couldn't get her neighbour to babysit. The pharmacist finally suggested she ask for Form HR 430 which she could keep with her and show whenever she needed medication, thus avoiding the trips to the welfare office. The next time, she asked her worker about it. The worker admitted that such a form existed, but said that she felt it would be \"better\" if Rosa came in each time. Now Rosa has her medical card and just hopes she will be lucky and not have to approach her worker with any more requests. Swanson and her colleagues at End Legislated Poverty, an umbrella organization representing provincial groups which lobby for changes in the social welfare system, stress that assertion is a key element in getting needs met by MSSH. She cites figures showing that as of August 1988, over 36,000 one-parent families in B.C. were on welfare, most headed by women. \"Many women,\" she says, \"are afraid to ask for what they want, fearing that assertion will get them into trouble with their worker.\" \"The best way,\" Swanson emphasizes, \"is to let your worker know that you have contacted an organized and recognized advocacy group.\" Julia, single mother of three young children, did just that. After separating from her boyfriend, Julia was under a lot of stress from the effort of trying to manage on a minimal income, always owing money, dealing with an abusive landlord and helping her kids adjust to the changes. She found her- Freda MacLellan of the Downtown East- side Residents' Association (DERA) agrees that negotiation and mediation is usually effective. She says that cases in which she is involved get to the appeal stage. She often bases her overtures to Ministry officials on the provision of the Guaranteed Avail- self crying a lot and becoming irritable with her kids, all preschoolers. She approached her worker to request a homemaker twice a week to give her a break. Her request was turned down because the MSSH office had used up their allotment for homemaker services. Her FAW suggested that Julia talk with a social worker about putting her children into care for a few weeks. Of course Julia withdrew her request. Acting on a friend's suggestion, she contacted an advocacy group. There she was hstened to and, accompanied by the group's representative, re-approached her worker. She quickly got the homemaker relief she needed. able Income for Need (GAIN) Act defining the Ministry's responsibility to provide \"Aid that is necessary for the purpose of relieving poverty, neglect or suffering.\" She approaches supervisors, area managers and writes to Ministry officials in Victoria She stresses that DERA will not handle fraudulent claims, but adds that on \"reasonably based claims for need as defined by the GAIN Act, someone, somewhere along the hne will give.\" MacLellan adds that persistence is necessary and often more persistence than one person alone has. Both advocates agree that securing support from an experienced group is impor tant for those experiencing problems getting benefits such as bus fare, daycare and training allowances. A good advocate, they say, knows the ropes and how to approach Ministry representatives on the basis of law rather than compassion or ordinary common sense. When persistence, reason and reference to the GAIN Act fail, what can a welfare recipient hope for? The next step is to ask for an Appeal Kit which the FAW must provide. It consists of forms and copies of the GAIN Act and regulations. The chent must ask the worker to write her decision the reasons for it on the form. The chent then writes down her reasons for requesting an Administrative Review of her case and files it at that office within 30 days of the worker's written decision. Her case is reviewed by the Area Manager or his/her designate who has 10 days to give her the decision. (Thirty days if handicapped status is the issue.) If the chent is unhappy with the Administrative Review, she can, within seven days, request a Tribunal Hearing. An appeal tribunal consists of three members, one representing the chent, and one representing the MSSH (who must not be a provincial or municipal employee). The panel members choose a third as Chairperson, and must schedule the hearing within 14 days. At the hearing, both sides present their evidence and reasoning. A majority decision by the three is considered binding on the Ministry. Sometimes the decision of a tribunal may be appealed in a court of law. The detailed strategy necessary is not included in this summary of the Appeal process, which is why it is so important to contact an advocacy group which will have both experience and copies of useful publications by B.C.'s Legal Services Society. Obviously the process is time consuming, one more reason, state both Swanson and MacLellan, why mediation is usually preferable. Women needing help with welfare appeals can contact End Legislated Poverty at (604) 821-1202 or Downtown Eastside Residents' Association at (604) 682-0931. Protestors from page 3 Pohce have outstanding warrants for at least eight other protesters whose identities are known, and \"other persons unknown.\" Pohce are hampered by protesters remaining anonymous, identifying themselves simply by their Baby Jane Doe and Baby John Doe name tags. Thompson calls O.R. blockades \"only the most visible part of O.R. strategy. They're effective because they involve chnic staff and organizers in endless meetings with pohce and with lawyers, appearances in court as witnesses, and just generally trying to figure out the next step. \"And despite lofty declarations of willingness to go to jail for the sake of 'preborn children,' when the pohce returned with arrest warrants O.R. people just scampered away from the chnic hke naughty children,\" Thompson said. Thompson denied media reports that pro-choice supporters will counter-demonstrate if there are further O.R. protests. \"The chnic is a medical facility not a battleground,\" she said. \"Now that the injunction process is fully established, and there are outstanding arrest warrants, we sincerely hope there will never be a need for volunteers to protect chnic access.\" Despite the 15 hour blockade women were still able to have their abortions, she said. \"And we'll continue (performing abortions) regardless of blockades, in the spirit of last years' Supreme Court ruhng which gives women freedom of choice in Canada.\" Thompson said legal battles with O.R. have generated increased chnic support. \"Supporters' outrage convinced us to call an emergency rally for January 28,\" she added, the anniversary date of the Supreme Court ruhng. \"We're planning a mass mobilization for March 5 to coincide with International Women's Day celebrations. We beheve it's essential to tell the federal government, and other levels of government, that they have a responsibility to represent their constituents, and that constituency is overwhelmingly pro-choice. We must ensure that zealots will not set the pohtical agenda on the abortion issue.\". Emergency Rally for Pro-choice, noon, Jan. 28, Robson Square. Watch for more information about the March 5 Mass Mobilization for Abortion Rights. To make an appointment at the clinic call 322-6692. For more information about the upcoming rallies, to volunteer or make donations call 322-6692. Refugee from page 3 Merely by their definition as single mothers, he added, they should be regarded as having special needs. Leslie Anderson of Vancouver's YWCA (sponsors of two women) criticizes the program saying no daycare allowance is provided yet women are told to leave their homes each morning and look for work. \"It's as though the government brings these women into Canada and then conveniently forgets them.\" Initially discouraged by the low numbers of women entering Canada under this program, sponsors are becoming increasingly frustrated with misinformation from Ottawa. Wallin says several congregations have applied to sponsor women but the bureau cratic wheels have barely been set in motion. He's also been told joint sponsorship opportunities will decrease. \"When we say we're now willing to take another woman at risk they say 'we'll try to find you one, but it won't be government sponsored, you'll have to pick up the full tab.'\" Anderson also beheves this change of policy is happening, calling it a ploy by Immigration to throw responsibility for these women entirely into the hands of private sponsors. Adrian French, Vancouver Settlement Officer for 'Women At Risk' denies knowledge of this pohcy change, adding since the program is still In it's early stages, \"... it's success can't be measured.\" KINESIS Across Canada WHAT' S NEWS? by Gwen Bird Poor and ignored For the past 22 years single parent families in Canada have been increasing at a faster rate than two-parent families, according to a report from the University of New Brunswick. Prepared for Canada Housing and Mortgage Corporation, the report fo- cusses on Atlantic Canada and finds that most single-parent families in the region are headed by a woman who lacks adequate housing and whose only income is social assistance. The study said the majority of women who head single-parent families are aged 25 to 44, while most male single parents are from 45 to 64. Furthermore, the highest incidence of single parent families occurs in small communities and rural areas where housing options are limited, employment is scarcer and services hke daycare are not as available as in urban centres. Rural single parents were found to have lower levels of education than their urban counterparts, particularly post-secondary and job training. The study urges a closer look at the service gaps in rural areas so that government pohcy can be developed. It also recommends that levels of social assistance be re-evaluated and that the question of equal access to education for single parents be ad- uity Act (EEA) and to call on the government to take concrete action. In response to a motion by NDP MP Lynn Hunter that the government introduce legislation to force employers to pay equally for work of equal value, employment minister Barbara McDougall stated such legislation \"creates resentment\" and doesn't work because rules are difficult to Mow. Restrict , arms trade The Canadian peace group Project Ploughshares has urged the federal government to place stricter controls on sales of Canadian arms components. The group points out that billions of dollars worth of weapons containing Canadian parts are sold to countries that consistently violate human rights or are at war. Wage gap unchanged A December report released by Statistics Canada showed the wage gap between women and men is not being improved by federal government programs. The report stated that women earn an average of 65.9 percent what men do. Women employed full time made an average of $21,012 in 1987, while men earned $31,865, leaving the ratio unchanged from 1986 figures. Opposition MP's took the opportunity to point out the failure of the Employment Eq- Recently released data from the disarmament network of Canadian churches traced some weapons with Canadian-made components. They included Pratt and Whitney engines in helicopters sold to Honduras by the United States, and aircraft parts sold to the Libyan air force by Brazil, and sold to the military dictatorship in Paraguay by Israel. In related news recent opinion polls show the Canadian public wants the $11.8 billion defense budget decreased in favour of issues hke the environment, health care, literacy campaigns and housing. Defense spending over the past five years has grown by 34.6 percent, making it the highest growth category in the federal budget after debt carrying charges. Building a New Society within the Shell of the Old 1460 Commercial Dr. . - 'J \"jt? DESKTOP PUBLISHING ■ STATIONERY ■ ARTISTS' MATERIALS ■ COPIES Business give & take Despite tax reforms intended to increase the corporate share of the tax burden, Finance Department figures show that businesses have been paying increasingly less of the nation's taxes over the last 15 years. Corporate income taxes now amount to 15.6 percent of total federal tax revenue, while in the mid-70's they accounted for 26 percent. In response, Finance Department officials say that current tax reforms should raise the percentage to 17.2 percent after five years. At the same time, federal subsidy and assistance payments to business have grown faster than the share given to social program spending. A Library of Parfiament study shows the percentage of the Gross Domestic Product devoted to business has risen, while the share given to social programs has decreased. Abortion policy challenged February 14th has been set for the New Brunswick Court of Queen's Bench to hear Dr. Henry Morgentaler's legal challenge of provincial abortion policy. Morgentaler is asking the court to force provincial medicare to pay for abortions he performed for three N.B. women at his Montreal clinic. Under current N.B. policy the province will only pay for abortions in accredited provincial hospitals and after two doctors state the procedure is medically necessary. Morgentaler has also said that he will set up an abortion chnic in N.B.; the provincial government plans to fight it. Student victims A survey at the University of Manitoba found that one in six female graduate students had altered study plans to avoid sexual harassment. Respondents said they had avoided taking a class from someone or choosing a thesis supervisor because they \"knew or had heard\" that person was a harasses The survey was co-written by Marilyn MacKenzie, the university's investigation officer, and Thelma Lussier, the director of institutional analysis. Lussier commented, \"We feel that this has a potential for a real limitation for women's educational oppor tunities,\" and stated that Mackenzie would work with the university to find possible solutions. U. of M. policy established in 1984 defines sexual harassment as ranging from unwanted sexual attention to sexual bribery. The questionnaire was distributed among students, staff and faculty. Forty-five percent of people responding said they beheved anyone who complained about sexual harassment would \"suffer in some way.\" Sixteen percent of women and four percent of men reported having been sexually harassed. Wardair woman censored The Canada Labour Relations Board has upheld Wardair's decision to suspend flight attendant Senka Dukovich for comments she made to the media about her company. In March 1987 Dukovich criticized Wardair's treatment of women flight attendants, stating they were treated as sexual objects and used as window dressing in advertising. Dukovich filed complaints with the Canadian Human Rights Commission on behalf of the Canadian Union of Pubhc Employees (CUPE), but the case has not yet been heard. In at least two newspaper articles, Dukovich was quoted as saying Wardair applied pressure on women to shave their legs and underarms and wear an approved bra, while others were warned about being overweight and having \"unsuitable\" hairstyles. She also stated that older flight attendants were pressed to quit. In response, Wardair suspended Dukovich —a 15 year employee—for two weeks without pay. CUPE asked the labour board to investigate unfair labour practice. In its decision, the labour board stated that Dukovich had not overstepped her bounds as a union representative by going to the media with her concerns, as Wardair claimed. However, finding \"no evidence\" to back up some of her complaints, they ruled that Wardair was justified in its suspension. Nancy Steele Res. (604) 254-0941 Champlain Realty Ltd. Bus. (604)438-7117 m REALTY WORLDTM Res. (604) 255-5027 We'll help you make a good move. KINESIS Feb. 89 Across Canada Report slams government games by Noreen Shanahan Illustrating the Canadian federal government's grossly ineffective early attempts at women's equality in the workplace, Nicole Morgan writes: \" ... it was as though the government had knocked at the door of a private club and said: 'Gentlemen, allow me to introduce these charming ladies. Part of my electorate (especially the female part) thinks that you've been doing wrong not to allow them into your club and I hope you'll do your best to set things right. 'So please share your power, your salaries, your jobs, and your territories with them. And now I really must run, I've a million things to do.' \" In The Equality Game: Women in the Federal Public Service, published by the Canadian Advisory Council on the Status of Women, Morgan argues that as the largest employer of Canadian women, the government has both the power and responsibility to create a model workplace. Instead, 1987 statistics show women constitute only 8.7 percent of the Executives and 13.2 percent of Senior Management while 82.8 percent are employed in the traditional female job ghetto of Administrative Support. Morgan's research traces the years of struggle in establishing the affirmative action programs of which the present government boasts. She also exposes numerous examples of rampant discrimination, harassment and intimidation directed at women—particularly evident during the present day 'downsizing' of the civil service, when jobs are tough to get and even tougher to keep. In 1961, parfiament voted a new Civil Service Act expressly prohibiting discrimination on the grounds of race, national origin, colour or religion. Gender discrimination wasn't mentioned. The following year the Glassco Report, which revolutionized management in the civil service, devoted one page out of 1,198 to women, saying \"while there was no official discrimination against women in recruitment, selection, classification or pay—in practice, a number of differences in the treatment of men and women could be considered discriminatory-\" (emphasis added). It was another ten years before women were seen as \"a political issue\" and faltering steps were taken by the government to clean up their own house. Deputy Ministers were sent a declaration of intent (called a directive) asking them to promote women's advancement to middle and upper management positions; Morgan calls this \"A directive without direction,\" freeing the government to posture but enforcing no change. \"That the directive was merely a motherhood statement was painfully obvious,\" she writes. \"The law had not been changed and no directive for compliance had been set forth. It was inevitable that the public service would continue blithely on its way.\" The following eight years, leading up to the 1983 application of so-called affirmative action programs, women desiring more responsible and better paid positions met tremendous barriers, almost entirely from 'threatened' male coworkers. Some women were promoted into 'trash-can jobs' where they'd be equipped with incompetent staff; others got 'vacuum jobs,' where they'd be expected to be glorified secretaries to male assistants. Other women were promoted to 'booby-trap jobs' and threatened by particularly impossible bosses; or 're-arranged jobs' where their tasks were altered little by little. One woman Morgan interviewed described her experience in a rearranged job: \"I landed in a management job and a few weeks later, they took away all the management part. I found out from a secretary in the washroom.\" Morgan also describes cruder methods of intimidation at the application-stage: female candidates were pre-selected from files containing their photographs. \"In addition to thinly veiled contempt,\" she writes, \"women experienced ostracism, isolation, punishment, physical intimidation, the formation of cliques, rumours, intellectual intimidation, and sexual harassment.\" She also learned about the unofficial practice of circulating lists of 'suitable' and 'unsuitable' (also termed 'difficult') women for man- \"It was a stroke of genius,\" said one woman. \"Even if the fists don't exist, everyone talks about them. It makes us toe the fine.\" In 1976 there were 89 female and 4,140 male executives. This imbalance seemed strange, writes Morgan, considering between 1972 and 1975 the number of women in the public service increased by 30.5 percent and only 13.3 percent for men. With the advent of International Women's Year (1975) and federal elections that promised to be a close race, \"Women would have to be courted more persuasively,\" said Morgan. \"The public service, whether it wanted to or not, would have to do better.\" That year Jean Cretian, President of the Treasury Board, out- fined equal opportunity objectives: within a reasonable time frame, men and women should be equally represented in all departments and at all levels. \"... it is more than a polite suggestion that something be done. First, although no specific date was mentioned, the phrase 'time frame' was there, with the word 'reasonable' added, implying that the excuse 'these things take time' would not be so readily accepted,\" said Morgan. It wasn't until 1983 that the government established an affirmative action program in the entire federal public service for women, the disabled and aboriginal people. Due to the lack of quotas, however, Morgan says this wasn't affirmative action. \"... there is a big difference between an affirmative action program and an equal opportunity program. The difference is that the former actually seeks to remove discriminatory barriers, whereas the latter less ambitiously tries to redress inequalities by setting targets.\" 'Quota' was an ugly word to bureaucrats who feared that the run ning of affairs would fall into hands of incompetent women. \"Tokenism had to be avoided at all costs. To meet this objective, an affirmative action program was initiated which enshrined the merit principle, ie. to select and promote only qualified individuals,\" said Morgan. She points ou4 that the merit principle had conveniently just come back into vogue. It was rarely discussed during the years corresponding to the veterans' return from two world wars, when the public service became what Morgan calls \"the largest reserve army in the country.\" The Veterans' Preference Clause, said Morgan, was the longest and most powerful affirmative action program ever applied in the federal service, as well as being the least contested. The merit principle also tended to be forgotten towards the end of the 1960's during the wave of bilin- gualization, she added. Although some women are slowly creeping into the upper echelons of federal public service, Morgan predicts the \"bottom of the ladder\" will always be reserved for women. H this is so, she notes, one might question whether this is really progress. Free trade Workers to pay the piper by Kinesis Staff Writer Amidst growing concern from anti poverty groups about the long term effects of free trade, two federal government appointed groups have fined up with the Progressive Conservative government's stance that adjustment programs are not needed for workers negatively affected by free trade. In December testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, the Economic Council of Canada, supposedly an independent economic analysis organization, said it was opposed to special aid for those who are unemployed as a result of the free trade agreement. The Senate committee's report concluded the parliamentary process for approval of the Canada-U.S. Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and the bill implementing the agreement received royal assent in late December. According to Council Director Judith Maxwell, a Mulroney appointee, it would be unfair to give special treatment to workers who lose their jobs as a result of the deal. Existing programs which provide assistance for training, counselling and moving assistance, if workers must relocate to find jobs, represent sufficient government sponsored initiatives for workers affected by free trade. Saying that it would, in any case be impossible to identify specific workers who have been disadvantaged specifically by the trade agreement, Maxwell told the committee that management and labour, not government, must assume most of the responsibility for adjustment programs. Government assistance, she said, should be limited to assisting older workers and those who work in remote areas of the country. The Economic Council's perspective on adjustment was echoed by the federal government's Advisory Committee on Adjustment, which is to produce a report on adjustment needs by the end of March. Such advice ignores recent reports from the Canadian Advisory Council on Women that federal government job training and job creation programs (known collectively as the Canadian Jobs Strategy) are seriously inadequate. According to the Advisory Council, government employment programs serve women poorly since they concentrate on providing only short term employment and almost exclusively offer women training in low paying, entry level positions which provide little opportunity for advancement. In the face of such strong appeals for government inaction on free trade as it affects the average worker, it is httle wonder that social pohcy advocates are bracing themselves to defend social security programs from business groups clamouring for a review of social program spending. According to Havi Echenberg, executive director of the National Anti-Poverty Organization, \"The corporate sector has been engaged in a ten year war on social spending and the free trade agreement gives them a nuclear weapon.\" Echenberg, and others, fear that business, citing a need to be competitive and reduce Canada's deficit, will use the trade deal as a big lever with government to bring social programs in fine with less generous U.S. programs. While some beheve the Mulroney government will not dare tinker with social security programs in the face of election promises to protect them, others are not convinced that the Conservatives have any such good intentions. According to the National Council on Welfare, millions of dollars have already been whittled from social spending since the Conservatives first took power in 1984. KINESIS International XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX^^ China Individual happiness goal of student elite by Lenna Jones When I asked my fourth year university students to write on their predictions about fife in the year 2020,1 was curious to see the results. Teaching at one of China's nine foreign language universities, in Chongqing, the third largest city in China, I am meeting students who are more sophisticated, better educated and more influenced by foreign ideas than all but a very small percentage of the Chinese people. (Of course, a very small percentage of over one billion people is still a large number!) The fourth year students are 20 to 22 years old. To get into university, they had to pass a number of stiff exams at different points in their primary and secondary education. So only those with the highest motivation, who studied virtually all their waking hours when they were children and teenagers, even got to attend university. Nevertheless, these young women, while they certainly hope to k at interesting jobs, see their futures within the traditional family. In the compositions of the 16 women in my fourth year class, husbands figured prominently in the descriptions of eight of them, when talking about their lives in the year 2020. Eight mentioned a child, of whom five specified a son. None specifically mentioned a daughter. In discussions with young women at my university, both students and teachers, I have yet to find one who does not support the one family-one child policy. While they disagree with many aspects of government policy, this is one policy they support wholeheartedly. Most mention two reasons: the impossibility of raising China's standard of living to first world levels unless the population is stabilized; and the difficulties for women if their family burdens are too great. I have been told that in the countryside, where 80 percent of the population lives, most people would not so readily support the one-child limit. Eleven students described ways in which technology would make all work, especially household tasks, easier and swifter. They have actually seen many such improvements in the past five to 10 years, which do, in fact, lighten the load of household work. More and more urban families have refrigerators, semi-automatic washing machines, gas stoves and gas hot- water heaters. Each such change improves the quality of women's lives in a country in which each household task takes a quantity of time and energy unknown to most of us in developed countries. Interestingly enough, not one student mentioned her husband sharing the household work as a way of easing her burden. Perhaps more advanced technology seems more likely than more cooperative husbands. One student did specifically mention that there would be sexual equality in the year 2020, but Fetal deaths linked to gas by Kinesis Staff Writer The pesticide that escaped from a chemical plant in Bhopal, India more than four years ago has been finked to a high incidence of stillbirths and spontaneous abortions among pregnant women who were exposed to the gas. In a study of 850 Bhopal women who were pregnant at the time of the gas leak, Doctor Daya Varma of Montreal has found that, more than 40 percent subsequently lost their babies. Almost 3,329 people were killed as a result of the leak and more that 200,000 were injured. Twenty thousand people in Bhopal still suffer lingering health problems because of exposure to the leaking gas. According to Varma, the research provides strong evidence that the poisonous gas got directly to the fetus. Methyl isocyanate, the toxic chemical in the gas leak, is still widely used in diluted forms in many parts of the world to prevent insects from destroying agricultural crops. Varma's accompanying labora tory studies on mice showed that methyl isocyanate can poison laboratory mice without having an effect on the mother. The chemical spreads very rapidly to the fetus across the placenta. she gave no details as to what she meant by this. Nine described their jobs, virtually all of which were as managers of some kind or another. Given their educational level, this is probably quite realistic. A woman must be better qualified than a man to get a given job, but these students are members of an educated elite whose talents and skills are desperately needed to modernize the country. Although there is a real interest in getting good jobs, many of my students take it for granted that, if her boyfriend gets a job in another city, she will try to move to where he is located and get a job there. In most cases their own jobs, and even the part of the country they hve in, is clearly secondary to their boyfriend's careers. Many expressed hopes in their compositions for the improvement of hfe for the Chinese people as a whole, but these hopes were less central than their personal dreams. This result seems quite typical of this generation, all of whom were born during the Cultural Revolution. Many of the older generation see both good and bad in the Cultural Revolution. The impact on young people, however, has been to make them quite cynical about pohtical involvement, and to think that a great interest in society only leads to excess and fanaticism. There is discussion of this in the press, as it bodes ill for the future if a whole generation rejects pohtical involvement. In fact, the one political idea that excites many of the young women I know is Women's Liberation. This is the one social movement—or hope—that they are prepared to talk about at length. Most see it in terms of jobs and educational opportunities. Only a few can even imagine great changes in personal relations. A handful, who see that women are quite oppressed within marriage, say they will never marry. Given the realities of Chinese life, however, in which marriage is the rite of passage into adulthood, it is doubtful that they will maintain this position. In short, then, I see a group of young women who are optimistic about the future, which they generally envision in personal terms. Most believe they will be prosperous, have interesting jobs, and be happy with their husbands and children. I too beheve their future is hopeful. But I also believe that more struggles on a personal level and more involvement on a social level will be necessary in order to realize this improved future for the women of China. Groups curtailed: South Africa by Kinesis Staff Writer The South African government restricted the pohtical activity of 32 organizations in 1988, according to the Human Rights Commission, a private monitoring group based in Johannesburg. By comparison the government curtailed only 24 organizations between 1950, after the first apartheid legislation was enacted, and 1987. All but one of the 32 restricted groups were identified with the struggle against apartheid. The single exception was a small far- right group of white die-hards called the White Liberation Movement. The latest restrictions were imposed in late December against four organizations: the National Detainee Forum, the Democratic Teachers Union, the Western Cape Students Congress and the Western Cape Teachers Union. They are forbidden to engage in any political activity, though they have not been declared illegal as are many other groups, including the African National Congress, which is seen by the great majority of black Africans as the legitimate representative of the African people. Families top arms budget by Kinesis StafT Writer Japanese women fight name law by Kinesis Staff Writer : women are organizing against a century old law which requires married couples to use the same name. Article 705 of Japan's Civil Code requires couples to use one surname—either the wife's or the husband's. Over 97 percent of couples choose the husband's name. Reiko SeMguchi, a university researcher, is suing the government and her university charging that the impact of the law limits her ability to build her reputation as a researcher. SeMguchi, who publishes her research under her own name, must be listed in her university's directory under her married name, one which none of her academic colleagues recognize. When SeMguchi applied for a grant the university turned it down because she applied in her own name. The university refuses to issue her a paycheck in her name, claiming that since it is supported by state funds it must uphold the law. Over 500 Japanese women have joined groups opposed to the law. Over half of the married women in Japan work, and women make up nearly 37 percent of the workforce. Surveys conducted on the issue find that while unmarried women often want to change their names when they marry, many change their minds later. Swedish parents have won 18 months of paid parental leave after the birth of a child as a result of recent changes in Swedish law. Both mothers and fathers are eligible for the benefits which see the state compensating 90 percent of lost income to the parent who remains at home. Sweden's Social Ministry estimates that in the current year the cost of parental insurance will be the equivalent of $2.5 billion. The proposals, together with Sweden's other generous family support measures, earmark more for family support than is allocated for the country's defense budget. A total of $7.9 billion is allocated for family support, compared with 5.7 billion for defense. Some of the benefits that flow to Swedish families from the state include a monthly child allowance of $107 and heavily subsidized daycare services. Parents pay one-fifth of the $9,500 annual cost of keeping a child in daycare. Eighty-five percent of Swedish women with pre-school children work. KINESIS Feb. 89 yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy /////////////////////^^^^ Sports Karate: Stereotypes shatter by Joni Miller Dulce Oikawa spends a lot of time yelling, punching and Mcking at the air. She's been at it for 11 years; the enemies are imaginary. Dulce is part of a respected and even mystified elite, the karate black belt. Only one student in 1,000 makes it. In all of Canada, there are a few hundred at this level—a tenth of them are female. Like most women who pursue the martial arts, Dulce had some very practical reasons for learning how to fight. She was raped at knife point and appalled by her inability to defend herself. \"Before karate,\" she says, \"my body was unknown territory. Now it's a powerful tool. My whole presence has changed. Everything that I learn in the training hall carries over into the rest of my fife.\" To become accomplished in the art of karate involves a serious committment. Although anyone can learn the basic moves in a few lessons, it takes hundreds of hours to perfect them. Progress is measured by belt levels from white to black, with up to ten degrees of black. Formal tests are mandatory to pass from one level to the next. Students spend many hours worMng on kata, which are a series of fighting techniques strung to gether in ritualized forms. After a certain degree of proficiency is achieved, the student can move into free sparring—worMng with a partner. \"The effects of training are very profound,\" Dulce says. \"Nothing else challenges me so thoroughly on all three levels— physical, mental and spiritual.\" Women who train are up against an additional challenge—society's stereotype of women as nurturers, not fighters. Karate is a heavily male dominated art. In most classes, women are outnumbered by men ten to one or more. The odds can be intimidating, especially if you're out of shape and are expected to perform 100 situps and 50 pushups on your first night. \"I've been lucky,\" Dulce says, \"the men I trained with have been very supportive, but some women have been given a hard time.\" Mai Hamaguichi is a third degree black belt, holder of the All-Japan Shitoryu women's kata championship. WMle visiting Canada last year, she picked up first place at the B.C. Winter Games. In her school in Tokyo, however, she was expected to launder the men's training uniforms. Other women have been ridiculed in their attempts, or subtly pressured to \"not be so Members of the Shito-ryu Karate club emerging from English Bay after the annual mid-January beach practice. \"We're reluctant to give you the black belt,\" said an instructor, \"you'll probably just have babies and stop training.\" The woman he was addressing, Cathy Nodan, had been called into the school office for a consultation with tMs man and the Sensei (chief instructor). She had just been informed that she failed her first attempt at black belt. Later, she overheard the assistant talMng with another male black belt. \"If we give the black belt to girls, we might as well give it to children,\" he said. The steady influx of women into karate over the last 10 years has forced some of the patriarchs of the art to re-evaluate their positions. Five years after the incident in the office, Cathy Nodan had the pleasure of watching a black belt presentation to a woman four months pregnant. \"Sensei has learned a few things,\" she remarked. Most women who persevere, report encouragement and comaraderie from men they train with. \"They have to respect you,\" one woman said, \"you're worMng out just as hard as they are.\" Over the years, Dulce watched too many women quit in frustration. She saw the need for a supportive environment, to ease into the rigours of training, and established West Coast Women in Karate, an all-women's club. \"It was very successful,\" she says. \"The club spirit was high and my students did well, in training and in competition.\" Women were encouraged to start gradually, building up their stamina. Discussion times were scheduled, to allow for an airing of fears and difficulties. The women were also offered the opportunity to train once a week with men. One of B.C.'s best kept secrets is its reputation for producing some of the top female karate competitors in Canada. Women like Sarah Satow, Norma Foster, Molly Hand, Ingrid Bischoff, Tanya and Rassama Ling are unknown outside of karate circles, but have been bringing home medals from national tournaments for years. Some have been successful in international meets. In 1984 Norma Foster became the Commonwealth women's karate champion. Because karate is not an Olympic sport, the fierce competitions held regularly receive little publicity. Some women, like Sarah Satow, seem to thrive on competition. Sarah is a stern looking woman who is all business in the ring. It is said that \"she fights hke a man,\" and it's meant as a compliment. She has also THE ENGLISH BAY SWIM CLUB cordially invites you to participate in the 1989 INTERNATIONAL GAY AND LESBIAN AQUATIC CHAMPIONSHIPS SWIMMING, DIVING, WATER POLO EASTER WEEKEND MARCH 24-26 All events to be held at the Vancouver Aquatic Centre Entry deadline Feb. 20 $25 entry fee For info and registration call: John 689-0334 or Dirk 669-2382 Sarah Satow been described as \"one woman who could compete in the men's division and probably win.\" This year, she's not training much because she's in her second year of dentistry and on a schedule of classes, studying and virtually nothing else. For a break, Sarah flew down to Calgary on the Remembrance Day weekend to compete in the Western Canadian championships. \"I'm almost at the end of my competing career,\" she says, \"but I want to compete at the world level at least once before I quit.\" Although Sarah has been successful competitively, she insists that it is a small part of her involvement in karate. She rates her involvement with teaching and the personal challenge that karate offers as much more important. Also, she says, \"I have a bad temper. Training really helps it. It's like a battery to draw energy from. I need it.\" Sarah was attracted to karate by chance. As a teenager, this natural athlete was a sM racer on Canada's National SM team. That career ended after she was badly hurt in a sM accident. Among other things, her injuries negatively affected her balance. She was recuperating in Kelowna by worMng out in a community centre. One day, she happened to see a karate class in progress. \"The instructor was standing there on one foot for about five minutes,\" she said. \"I was very impressed. I went into karate looMng for balance.\" For some women, competition is like taking medicine. \"I never look forward to it,\" one woman said. \"It scares me more than anything, but I always learn something, and have a good enough time that I'm willing to try it again.\" While the concept of women fighters may seem like a new idea, it is in fact centuries old. The martial arts spring from a common source—the Shaolin temple in the Hunan Province of China in the sixth century. In this and other Buddhist communities, women and men lived together and developed the unique combination of breathing, philosophy and deadly fighting arts. There are many folk tales of women warriors, including the story of Fa Mulan, a Chinese woman whose heroism in battle is still celebrated. Women are credited with founding several styles of kung fu. Japanese women born into the samurai class were once trained to use a full range of weapons. Maxine Hong Kingston, the author of The Woman Warrior suggests that perhaps women's feet were later bound \"because they had been so dangerous.\" Today's female karate-ka describe an addictive quality to the practice. They are proud of the strength and confidence karate has brought them. Ans Steenman, a blue belt, summed it up by saying, \"People who know me now can't believe that I used to be a total wimp. They think I've always been strong.\" KINESIS Abortion xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx^ ^x>SS^^x^xx^^ The stories women must tell... by Alice Starr The year was 1968. If my experience had occurred in 1969, I might not have this \"story\" to tell and yet perhaps in 1989 it again could be commonplace for thousands of women in Canada. Abortion: the grim reaper patiently awaits the peripatetic decisions of men who hold court over the hves of invisible women. I did not want to be pregnant and knew that to carry a baby to term would kill me. Mentally I was completely incapable of surviving nine months of pregnancy and delivering a baby. Perhaps these appear to be insufficient reasons and nothing that a good dose of backbone and a stern lecture couldn't straighten up. However, the complexities of my particular fife had brought me to tMs point unprepared and totally desperate. (A doctor had assured me that I was sterile as the result of another gynaecological gar- roting.) To deliver and keep a baby created a mass of implications for a basically unskilled, single young woman. To imagine delivering a baby into the arms of a waiting couple was impossible to even conjure as mentally I knew that I could not survive either the nine month period or aftermath. There were significant personal reasons then, and never have I regretted my decision. Although, I regret the incredible ordeal of physical and emotional pain I had to endure. First I tried the legal route. I visited two general practitioners and one psychiatrist. I had to have been raped (ideally by a brother or a father or maybe 50 bikers) or totally insane and most preferably a combination of all before a legal abortion would even be considered. Actually, at the time, I had never heard of anyone ever having a legal abortion. All the doctors furtively warned me against an illegal abortion. I res- ...never have I regretted my decision. Although I regret the ordeal of physical and emotional pain I endured. olutely expressed that there was no doubt I wouldn't obtain an illegal abortion if I had no alternative. (For women in this state of mind, indeed, there is no alternative.) One of the doctors, a woman and also a Catholic, impressed on me the importance of bringing the foetus to the hospital after I had the abortion. It was a given that \"they\" would be patching me up and then there could be no suspicion that they had performed the abortion at the hospital. She reiterated the fact that they wouldn't touch me unless I brought the foetus in. They could lose their license while I only had my hfe to lose. There was rumour of a doctor up near the University of British Columbia who \"did\" abortions but my grapevine lacked access to this elitist knowledge. (Later I learned of a doctor who performed very safe abortions in an office on West Tenth Avenue.) After exploring every avenue of information available I heard through a friend of a friend that a phone call to a pharmacist Ed at a drugstore down on \"SMd Row\" would provide a source. This was all very \"cloak and dagger\" with code words and finally an appointment time to meet the pharmacist. I had to meet him in the back room of tMs dusty dreary drugstore located almost directly under Vancouver's Georgia Viaduct. He was surprisingly young and very edgy but we managed to arrange a plan once he determined that I was not an undercover cop. I felt dirty and naked as he eyed me suspiciously and I feared being sexually attacked in this room remote from public scrutiny. After all, he knew I was \"easy.\" I sweated profusely and prayed to leave there alive. The abortion cost 250 dollars in 1968. It would be the equivalent of me trying to obtain perhaps 1000 dollars today. (TMs is my estimate and relative to my personal financial state.) Desperation can produce miracles. I obtained the 250 dollars, a large amount of it by deception and dishonesty. To tMs day I understand and forgive myself for what I was forced to do. The next stage involved sitting by the phone day and night waiting for the call from \"Mike,\" a taxi driver whose mobile occupation was a convenient cover for his more lucrative job as an abortion middleman. He finally called me from a phone booth and told me the address to go to and the time. My friend, Roberta, my support throughout tMs whole experience, came with me and waited in the car. I was not allowed to bring anyone in with me. An apartment in a high-rise in the West End contained the underground clinic. Two middle-aged women with beeliive hair-dos were running tMs operation like a doctor's office although the apartment was just an ordinary suite. For some reason, I had assumed that I would be the only one there for an abortion, whereas there were four or five other women sitting around the living room. My first impression was that none of these women were hke me and I was surprised, but back then I thought only young \"liberated\" women \"get caught.\" There were women of all reproductive ages and colours, including married housewives, prostitutes and others. We were all sorts but there was a sense of steely unity amongst us women who would meet only under such adverse and unusual circumstances. There was an unspoken recognition that we were women who would not be dictated to, would not be herded into hospitals to have babies that we would despise or deliver hke surrogate baby-machines for faceless others. I wish now that I could remember more clearly but after 20 years of trying to forget there remains but images and feelings. Then my turn came and I was shown into the bedroom wMch served as the \"operating\" room. I removed my underpants and placed myself on a towel on the bed. A towel that had no doubt been used by others. A catheter was inserted into my vagina up to my cervix or maybe further by one of the beeMved women. I have no memory of her personally—I did not hke or dislike her as she was just the anonymous abortionist and yet I was impelled to trust her with my fife. I was told to put on a sanitary pad to hold the catheter in place (it was quite uncomfortable). She gave me a quantity of quinine tablets to take with me and ingest at regular intervals. Supposedly tMs would \"weaken\" my system and in combination with the irritating and now somewhat painful catheter, I would abort. Roberta and I went back to my home where my mother was waiting. She knew what I was doing and although she could not condone my action as she feared for my life, she was supportive emotionally and tacitly understood my decision. I spoke to my mother recently, who is now 80 years old, and we opened up tMs wound of a memory. (TMs is a shared experience that has remained unspoken until now ... the silences in our hves.) Her most immediate reaction was one of anger—at the whole ugly situation personified by the male doctor who first treated me at the hospital. (The husband of the woman doctor who had stressed the importance of \"bringing in the foetus.\") Roberta, my mother and I went without sleep as we nervously waited for \"some- tMng\" to happen. I paced and sweated and popped more quinine pills. Approximately 24 hours later the pain started. Searing, cutting pain that prevented me from lying down or standing up. I remember being hunched over like some timeless woman in a field with secretive intent to dispel tMs imposition to my very existence. septicemia was claiming my hfe. The clock ticks quickly when septicemia starts to rampage the body. (TMs gruesome condition is often the partner of back-street abortionists.) Both my arms were hooked to the I.V. lifelines sending in the modern medicine to fight tMs scourge. Medical people whirl around me with the business of creating miracles out of massacred flesh. My journal reads: # A room, a cross on the wall, maybe there is a God! No one cares but I had fooled myself up to tMs point. Silence and loneliness is preferable to lies ... A nurse sits with me all night taking my blood pressure constantly. They aren't going to let me slip away on them now. I live. Doctors come en masse to see me. I am a special case where whole medical classes surround my bed to peer intrusively into my vagina and examine the wonder that the modern day abortionist creates. They actually wait a day to do surgery on me when the \"head\" gynaecologist can be available to perform. I can hear again but ...I start to get crazy. Perhaps now I would be judged insane enough for a legal abortion. I start to scream and scream and they bring out the pills, 25 mg. of librium three times a day. In the journal I kept at the time I read: • ... Pain and nausea—Nausea to the point where death would be an easier relief. Violent gasping, pushing, contractions then finally the result. More pain not as intense for a short time. Then extreme frightening feehngs. No, I really didn't want to die with nausea for it passes. Shock, hysteria, calmness? ... Deafness ... Ringing and crying out \"I can't hear you, I can't hear you!\" Will I never be able to hear people talMng again, sounds that now seem unbearable to five without. Blood, blood, blood ... My memory is a flash of incredible pain, flowing blood and the clot that was the foetus saved for the posterity of doctors to examine. Meanwhile, I had gone totally deaf— my world was not only one of impossible pain but also deatMy silent confusion. (Today I read in medical texts that quinine can inflict permanent injury upon the auditory Roberta and I caught a taxi to the hospital. I was swathed in towels beneath my clothes to stem the bleeding. My mother phoned the doctor to tell Mm I had gone to the hospital as directed and he warned her to bring in the foetus or else. The one small bit of humour in tMs whole morbid scenario was that my mother went to the wrong hospital with the clot in the jar. At that time Roberta was serving as my translator at the Emergency ward. It was frightening not to be able to communicate but my deafness had rendered me mute. Then everything became hazy as I started to drift into a different world, perhaps a safer one. Fragments of the initial hospital scene remain. The doctor leaning over me shaking his head. I interpreted the shaMng as anger—he was disgusted by my act. Roberta told me later that he was not sure that I was going to make it. The poison of my humiliation is such that I almost wish the silence would once more engulf me. I am a medical mannequin to be prodded, poked and penetrated with instruments and stares. Never was so much interest shown in my state of health prior to the abortion but after it I have become an exciting \"case\" for everyone to examine. No one counsels or soothes me that I can remember except my girlfriends. I turn 21 years old in the hospital puke green cell of a room. \"One friend listens and I cry and cry. Soon I am hysterical.\" There is talk of police coming to the hospital, after all, I have committed a criminal offense. I am so angry and hurt and sad—I start to get crazy. (Perhaps now I would be judged insane enough for a legal abortion.) I start to scream and scream and they bring out the pills (25 mg. of librium three times a day): • PUls subdue me so that I can't fake being a maniac. I wanted to go out in a straight- jacket but instead I quieten down. Lights dim and I become paranoid for I can't remember where I am. Finally sleep. A week later I was released from the hospital. A month later I was unknowingly addicted to hbrium, very anemic and still dripping green pus from my vagina. Twenty years later as I write tMs it is difficult to suppress the tears. I have never had the \"heart\" to make my voice heard on the abortion issue from a truly personal perspective. Now is the time—when the neo- conservative tide sweeps over society with their emotional pleas for only the unborn. In B.C. the answer is proposed in an unrealistic plan for family support which the Social Credit government espouses in defense of their fundamentalist views. I feel like screaming—women will always seek abortions no matter what pohcies and planmng are introduced. Therefore, in the name of humamty, make them legal and clean. KINESIS 'yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy/y////y/yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy/y/yyyyyyyyy/yyyyy/yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy. ///////////////////^^^^^ //////////////////////^^^^ Abortion Choice: regardless by Alice Starr The abortion issue has created a division not only in the femimst movement but also between friends and family. My premise is simple—the right of self-determination as documented in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the United Nations should be an inherent part of Canadian society. Therefore women would not have to go begging an abortion if that is what they choose. When abortion is discussed, inevitably the question of birth control is raised. If women used birth control properly, carefully and responsibly there would be no need for abortion. Then the ultimate admonishment: some women actually use abortion as a method of birth control! Generally people shrink and collectively mouth diatribes at these women who express such truly immoral behaviour. It is not my purpose to explain away or justify women who have had to resort to multiple abortions. An examination of the society which created the need in these women would provide a more definitive explanation. Therefore in telling my personal story, I believe that in focussing on how tMs situation could have been prevented is to cloud the issue. Pregnant women should have the right to choose abortion if they wish regardless of the circumstances surrounding conception. Historically women have always found ways to interrupt a pregnancy. My own grandmother had to have an abortion for reasons that were valid to her—and that is the issue that has to be addressed; women should have the right to determine their destiny as it is intrinsically hnked with their reproductive system. This is never an easy situation for any woman although the moralists would have us beheve that it is for bad and recalcitrant types who resort to abortions. As Carol Gilfigan in In A Different Voice explained, \"morality lies in recognizing connection, taMng responsibility for the abortion decision or taMng responsibility for the care of the child.\" Religion, which is one of the strong arms of the patriarchy, has always found it easy and efficient to extol an absolutist philosophy in relation to women's reproductive rights. The implications of women having the freedom to determine whether they will bear babies are deeply threatening to the foundation of the nuclear family and ultimately society. Pregnant single women are a big part of tMs picture if everything runs according to plan—they should be encouraged to give up their babies for adoption to supply the empty nests of traditional nuclear families. H these pregnant single women decide to keep their babies, society is sure not going to make it easy for them by providing sufficient support and funds to maintain a comfortable standard of living. Therefore these women better get busy and find husbands if they know what's good for them and return to the family flock. Abortion is not an easy decision especially when the law makes a crime of the act. As Gilfigan states, \"the concern is pragmatic and the issue is survival. The woman focuses on taking care of herself because she feels that she is all alone.\" In GHligan's book she writes of a college student who felt her only chance of \"saving her fife\" was to have an abortion. This was my experience and obviously the experience of most women who have known the paradox of risMng their fife to save their fife when abortion is illegal. A feminist perspective focussing on the intra-psychic forces and interpersonal relationships in a woman's life could be used to rationally explain the need for abortion. Unfortunately the political system that was present in 1968 constrained any justifiable logic for abortion. At that time there was even less economic support for single women than now and I had no access to information which would have made any other choice possible. The many appendages of the patriarchal hierarchy expressed their displeasure at my \"crime.\" History records the Mdden acts of women and they are always punished whether it be by death or \"merely\" emotional and physical scars. The political system which writes the law of the land admonished me. The medical establishment with its male dominated authority refused me, reprimanded me and in the end cMvalrously saved me to again exploit my body and soul. The police system didn't pursue me to the extent they searched for the abortionists but I was made very aware of their presence. The abortion \"ring\" was a deviant patriarchy in and of itself, one that threatened the larger structure and therefore more important to destroy. These systems all still exist except for the illegal abortion system wMch would emerge instantly if the powers that be disallowed the right for women to obtain legal abortions. Political pressure by women changed the law therefore it is essential that the pressure be continued because laws can always be overturned. The survivors of the dark ages of just 20 years ago have to speak out, no matter how painful, or else our younger sisters will come to know the shame of reproductive slavery. KINESIS Feb.89 11 |-iif t ?l\"I -; \"- The concept of a \"non-sexist androg- (uvXjLynous city,\" where all of women's archi-i [j$0jis$£i&m tectural and environmental needs are met,. i . »Ei*0** jis one that has been given considerable V ;jj i|ft.f!t J thought by a number of femimst arcMtects ^ ;j,.P '' n 'TlSri Iwr^ an^ w\"ters> ^ \"Wflat Would a Non-Sexist r, • j | And this one as recently as 1955: \"I can- !, ?^^|HjKCity Be Like?\" in Signs, Dolores Hayden- f,o not in whole conscience recommend archill- Pf [ffidftspeculates that in a non-sexist city the con-J ;;*| tecture as a profession for girls. It takes an ' f exceptional girl to make a go of it. H she in- male architects abound. From 1857: \"Therej * can be no doubt that the study of domes-! \\i tic arcMtecture is well suited to a feminine| taste, for if we even allow the objection i «... such as the necessity of their climbingkLg ■ ladders, mingling with the mechanics andLjj| 1 labourers during the progress of the worksl I... we must, nevertheless, see at once that k there is nothing in the world, except want| _ of inclination and opportunity, to prevent] TM many of them from being thoroughly expert P in arcMtectural drawing, or from designing excellent furniture ...\" I Building Women's Inequality IA growing body of research shows how the I urban environment contributes to women's ■ inequality. For example, a project carried I out in Toronto in 1985, called \"Women Plan I Toronto\" by Reggie Modfich, encouraged 1 women to examine all aspects of arcMtec- I ture and urban planmng and its relationsMp J to their fives. Women stated that a shortage I of decent affordable housing, lack of available child care, inadequate transportation systems and lack of personal safety in public places makes fife difficult for them. Several studies have added additional factors that discriminate against women: isolation in the suburbs, poorly designed homes (where males often get the priority spaces!), lack of public spaces that accommodate women with children (for example there are no spaces where infants can be breast fed), male intimidation in public spaces and lack of access to environmental decisions. Gerda Wekerle, who teaches Environmental Studies at Toronto's York University argues that two aspects of existing urban policy particularly oppress women—transportation planmng and residential zoning by-laws. She points out how women's dependence on public transportation affects their ability to take paid work. Mothers are generally responsible for taMng children to child care and picMng them up. As a result, women tend to confine themselves to a much smaller work-preference area than men do, and tMs either diminishes women's chances of competing in the job market or limits them to lower-paying local jobs. - £^L Wekerle also shows how zoning requires! the segregation of home and work: it ( eludes home-based businesses in residential-\" neighbourhoods, thereby making it moreg difficult for women to combine work and! family roles. Zomng limits the location of child care facilities and often forces* women to travel out of their neighbour-F hoods. Finally among zoning ordinances^ wMch require the construction of single-■ family homes on large lots and exclude mod-^ erate and low-cost multifamily units dis-d criminate against women, who comprise ap large proportion of the low-income population. Another Canadian writer, Glenda Jow-r\" sey, writing in Herizons, deals with public space. She says that \"urban public space is a fearful place where women are at risk.\" She argues that convincing \"women they are always unwanted and at risk in urban public space not only deprives them of the pleasures of the 'street' but, by discouraging their presence, increases or creates the danger and the inhospitality of the 'street' to them as well.\" Wekerle argues that \"Canadian cities are planned by men for men.\" Not only are there few women in the arcMtectural and planmng professions, \"but when we look at how houses are designed, how neighbourhoods are laid out, how transportation systems are organized—they are still planned as if most women were in the home full time and as if the predominant family were the nuclear family.\" Other recent studies show how \"the design professions are male dominated and inherently sexist in their view of the world,\" and how \"this results in sexist environments.\" \"Architects, hke developers are profit-motivated and prestige-hungry,\" and government, private developers and architects are \"dragging their feet\" when it comes to designing for women's special needs. ¥ rchitect, I would try Jfl sisted on becoming an a j| to dissuade her.\" ■j A tremendous barrier preventing women speculates that in a non-sexist city the con- ■£\"{ ventional home serves the employed woman) J and her family because it is not removed : ' i - • S £ I from shared community space and commu- f n Looking At Women S Space ,« \\. ik r~,TM o\"j jj\"]\" ' nmm ol,^,\" ,;jri gr°uPs °i women and men. She calls tMs or- fafiV pendent on worMng their way up through his environ-, §1 tflfprogram must mvolvemen in the unp^d HX der the conditions which male students and i services, decent paying jobs and accessible *3T ,. , . public transportation, For low-income elderly women, from a given service was the sin; ists that i on-site locations are needed for senior cen- f) tres and laundromats; a one-block radius |' is needed for public transportation and al, three-block radius for outdoor areas. Basic j services such as shops and banks, etc. are all '_ recommended to have a maximum distance j from three to six blocks. Another study stresses that zoning by- ' laws should require child care spaces in all housing developments and public buildings. Still more studies point out that the environmental needs of women in crisis are not being met: rape crisis centres, abortion chnics, midwife-run birth centres, women's health chnics, storefront legal services, battered women's shelters, emergency housing for victims of rape, and halfway houses for women prostitutes, alcoholics, addicts and prisoners. Finally, women need political and social spaces, such as women's resource centres, women's presses, femimst credit unions, lesbian centres and femimst schools. According to L.K. Weisman, in Heresies, \"These places and spaces represent new architectural settings wMch reflect both radical changes in our society as well as glaring evidence of women's oppression and disenfranchisement.\" J^ design will also be necessary. These cen- -j&S tMs fact has been sup n, distance litres could be created through the renova- JD* cently. The author of ingle most jfca tion of existing neighbourhoods or through||£| after 20 years of stu new construction. f She follows tMs up by giving some con-' .j| vincing examples of what a HOMES group I 1 could create: a commumty consisting of pri- f I vate dwelling units and private gardens to-1 1gether with common space and facilities, I £ and the necessary paid or volunteer collec- f ■ tive services. Most employed women, says I J Hayden, desire supportive community ser- T vices and solutions which reinforce their economic and social independence and maximize their personal choices about child rearing. Who Runs the Sandbox Sexual inequalities have always existed within the architectural profession. Carolyn Johnson in her annotated bibliography on women in architecture, states that: \"Women have always represented a small percentage of the number of practicing architects ... This representation has been based on the premise that architecture is a 'man's profession'.\" Traditionally it has been assumed that \"a woman lacks the technical intelligence, the stamina and the practicality in business matters necessary to become a competent architect.\" Is it any wonder that in 1988 only nine percent of the total registered architects in Canada are women? whole other side to tMs itudy showed that architecture was once primarily a women's field and that suppressed until very re- * tMs study stated that years of studying and practicing arcMtecture, she discovered only two years ago that in nearly all the early civilizations women were the original builders, and that they sti^ fulfill this role in many developing countries. And in my own research, I have also just discovered many early woman architects. I Women's Structures, ■ Women's Visions Do women architects design and conceptualize space differently than men? Margrit Kennedy, an architect, argues that the shape architecture might take in response to female priorities and values cannot be described with the same certainty as the traits of the arcMtecture dominated by male values. However, says Kennedy, there are some examples of so-called anonymous architecture, remnants of settlements of matriarchies, and built examples from female architects that suggest that there would be a significant difference between an environment shaped mainly by women and female values and one shaped by men and male values. She continues to say that although it is impossible to define clear and exclusive categories for female and male architecture, it may be possible to distinguish female and male priorities in architecture. For example, she sees the female princi-l pie as being more user-oriented and moreH socially-oriented, whereas the male prin-.T ciple is more designer-oriented and morel profit-oriented. She also argues that women! are better prepared to be architects \"byB I virtue of having been trained in childhood*\" to be person-oriented, emotional, and later having been formally trained to be rational, logical and abstract.\" In From Tipi to Skyscraper: A History of Woman in Architecture, Doris Cole, also an architect, claims that because women have rarely been part of the organized arcMtectural profession, they have used their arcMtectural skills indirectly toward improving the social and physical character of the environment. Ellen Perry Berkeley, a prolific writer on the subject of women and arcMtecture, shares similar views to Cole's. In New Spaces for Women, she argues that many women beheve the profession is not doing its best for the users of buildings, and some of these women are bringing a femimst perspective to this critique. For example, one arcMtecture student investigated the physical barriers to women with children; she found that stairs and doors do not permit a baby carriage to pass. As well, there is a growing awareness that many public and private buildings, and public space generally, is inaccessible and unsafe for people with disabilities. But socialist femimsts have a somewhat different view. One such architect, N. Ron- danim, writing in Heresies, claims that it is not possible to derive an exclusively female architectural style, and that women do not have a different architectural sensibility, but that they have a common history of oppression. She stresses that women arcMtects should not assume that their imagination is free until their condition is also free. She believes the goal of arcMtects should be to seek an alternative to a capitalist, racist and sexist use of architecture and tMs would require a radical economic and political change. A British femimst design collective called Matrix argues that arcMtects who are women and/or come from a worMng class background, are forced to acquire an outlook similar to that of middle class male architects. In Making Space: Women and the Man-made Environment they say, \"we shouldn't expect buildings designed by women to have any qualities distinct from those designed by men.\" They state that: \"The possibility of women architects adopting a different attitude depends in part on the existence of a femimst movement ... The consciousness of women architects in the past has partly reflected the state of the women's movement at large, so that recent growth in awareness of femimst issues may offer a new potential for femimst design.\" What is not clear about these arguments is whether a femimst analysis of building can only come from women outside the profession, or whether a femimst perspective emerges through the struggle and is conse- , quently limited in scope by the traimng pro- Feminist Architectural Activism Several femimst critics argue that more femimsts must become arcMtects and more architects must become femimsts. There are a number of possible strategies for tMs: • Feminist arcMtects should try to encourage more women to enter the arcMtectural and building professions, and to ensure that more young girls receive career advice in schools on future employment v in the arcMtectural, planmng and build- ing professions. • Female arcMtects should promote a \"fem- j inist analysis of how urban environmental decisions typically occur and how the results adversely affect women.\" Theyl' should raise these environmental de-j sign and planmng issues within exist-1 ing women's movement groups; and they * should also promote built environment is- 3||fj sues in women's studies programs. • Women arcMtects should try to estab- m lish all-female schools of arcMtecture; and m they • should try to encourage a femi- S! nist historical perspective in all exist- ?£ ing schools of arcMtecture and planning. Reclamation work needs to be done on women arcMtects because much of their work has been credited to their male colleagues. • Women architects should establish independent group practices that cater to community groups and grass-roots women's organizations; and they should set up women's networks to share job information and expertise. Fortunately, all of tMs is beginmng to happen: To encourage tMs femimst activism among arcMtectural students, some faculty members in the Environmental Studies program at Ontario's York University have developed entire courses on issues important to women. The necessity of an all-women's academic institution was a view shared by the group of American women who started the Women's School of Planmng and Architecture (WSPA), the first school to be completely founded, financed, and run by 1 WOMEN & ARCHITECTURE Women in/and Planning, is a Toronto based group that pro- - motes the modification of urban environments to better meet women's needs. A goal of tMs association is to organize a series of exMbits and competitions to popularize the presence of women in arcMtecture. On a more general note: Lobbying ef- forts among women are crucial, and one J focus for future lobbying efforts might be 8 the inclusion of the socio-economic needs of j women and their children as a prerequisite « for approval of new development projects. & For such projects, writer and arcMtect, Do-1 lores Hayden suggests a coalition of design- J ers, planners and citizen groups. In New Space for Women, a group of 2 femimst writers and planners suggests the I following additional strategies for increasing d women's roles in creating environments to 1 meet our needs: First, \"the modification of Jt existing design and planmng decision pro- j cesses to include more input and control by 3 women users,\" and second, \"strengthening I the economic base and sMlls of women so 1 that they have the resources as chent groups 1 to create their own environments with the i assistance of women's environmental design I and planmng professionals.\" As Weisman says, \"women must act con- j I sciously and politically\"—we must become y environmental activists, and work collec- 5, ! tively for change. We have the strength of |J [ numbers and we could be a powerful voice j towards creating a more humamzed envi-' ronment. Further Reading • Cole, D. (1973). From Tipi to Sky Scraper: A History of Women in Architecture. Boston, Mass: i press. • Hayden, D. (1984). Redesigning the American Dream: The Future of Housing, Work and Family Life. New York and London: W.W. Norton k Co. • Johnson, CR. (1974). An Annotated Bibliography and Guide to Sources of Information. Monticello, Illinois: Council of Planning Librarians. • Matrix. (1984). Making Space: Women and the Man-made Environment. London: Pluto Press. • Modfich, R. (1987). Women Plan Toronto: Shared Experiences & Dreams. Women Plan Toronto: Implications for City Planning. Toronto: Reggie Modlich. • Wekerle, G., Peterson, R, Morley, D. (Eds.). New Space for Women. Boulder, Colorado: Westview Press. • WEB Newsletter of Women in the Built Environment. Women's Design Services, 62 Beechwood Rd., London, England E 83 13 Y. .KINESIS KINESIS Health XXXXXNXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Nxxx^^xx3xx<$N^^ Building immunity £?nnm iCausesi ULJUU by Heather Herrington N.D. The body's capacity to resist disease, whether it be a simple cold or life- threatening AIDS, depends on a simple strategy—the ability of certain wMte blood cells to guard against unwanted organisms. H our body Ms to do tMs for whatever reason then undesirables such as viruses, bacteria or fungus can multiply causing tissue and possibly organ damage. In order to resist tMs possibility our bodies need to be given the tools to maintain a healthy immune system. A healthy diet is essential. Vegetables (orgamc if possible), whole grains and beans (as free as possible from pesticides and additives) are necessary as well as letting go of highly refined foods, sugar and caffeine. Two foods that have immune- stimulating properties include the sMtake and ganoderma mushroom and garlic. Also dark green and orange coloured vegetables are important for their carotene levels. B-carotene is the precursor to vitamin A wMch is essential for proper immune function. Contrary to popular belief fruit juices are not a good idea in treating acute infections. Orange juice especially has been shown to inMbit the production of the much desired white blood cells. Stick to herbal teas and/or vegetable juices. Limit your intake of tomatoes, beef, potatoes, pork and peanuts. These contain ei ther high levels of pesticides if not organic, hormones or as in the case of peanuts, an aflatoxin that can cause allergies. Eating regularly with smaller more frequent meals helps to stabilize the body. It's also very important to determine if you have any food or environmental allergies. Unusual susceptibility to environmental toxins or foods may be a result of an overworked immune system. Candidiasis (overgrowth of yeast) can also wreak havoc so be aware of overcon- sumption of antibiotics and other drugs which prime you for tMs. Vitamins and minerals necessary are: B- carotene or Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, all B Vitamins including Folic acid, Zinc, Manganese, Selemum. Iron can be used in chronic infections but it is not recommended for acute infections as supplemental iron can aggravate the condition. There Display Advertising: This space is yours for only $23. Ask us about discounts. Phone 255-5499 are various herbal medicines that support the body's natural defense mechanisms and increase immunological activity including EcMnacea (cone flower), Hydrastis (goldenseal), GlycyrrMza (licorice root) and As- tragulus. It's best to consult a naturopatMc doctor, or herbalist for type and dosage re- qmred. Massage and hydrotherapy are also useful especially since they encourage the lymph system to eliminate waste. Colon therapy aids in the removal of toxic by-products of the digestive system. Increasing fluid consumption helps decrease mucus and aids the kidney in their eliminative function. Psychoneuroimmunology (mind-brain- immune system) is the effect of thoughts and behaviour on our immune system. New research is showing that imagining yourself healthy really does have an effect. Cultivating a positive attitude, loving yourself, getting the support you need to manage stress well, spending time close to those that love you, getting hugs all play into tMs. It's also important to cut out recreational drugs and alcohol, and to practice safe sex. Remember by nourisMng yourself physically, emotionally and mentally you will find yourself a healthier and happier person. Maureen McEvoy ba ma (Cand.) Counselling Psychology 732-3227 Areas of expertise: sexual abuse, relationships, sexuality, depression, ACOA Helen Cash Smith & LeolaCWorsfold are pleased to announce the opening of their registered massage therapy clinic Vancouver Massage Therapy Centre Suite 201 -8041 Granville Street Vancouver, British Columbia V6P 4Z5 Telephone 266-7109 INTERESTED IN LEARNING MORE ABOUT ISSUES AFFECTING CANADIAN WOMEN? NEEDING TO GET MORE INVOLVED BUT NOT SURE WHERETO BEGIN? Our phone-line volunteer training program is starting soon. The training will include: an overview of women's issues, advocacy and counselling skills, resources and referrals. Registration is necessary. For further information or to register, please call: 255-5511. (Registration deadline is February 16th) Retreats for Women Only Therapeutic Body & Mind Techniques Home Cooked Meals Comfortable. Safe. Loving Setting Cozy Fireside &. Bedroom Nature & Ocean Nearby LAYNE HEALING CENTRE 133 Spinnaker Drive C 14. RR1 Mariner's Way Mayne Island, B.C. V0N2J0 1-604-539-5888 JflNESlS yyy////^/^//^//////y/y^^///yy^/-^yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy/yy//yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy/yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy ///////////////////^^^^^ /////////////////////////^^^^ Arts AYA: Moving mind barriers by DONiMO In an east-side flat stand three womyn. They look into each other's eyes pause and begin barking. If you listen closely, they're barking in tune. Aya's canine vocal tricks allow their voices to loosen- up and enable them to present the listener with unstrained warm vibrant pleasing sounds. Aya's members, MicM McCune, Norma Jean McLaren and Uschi Schnell, have voices that together, create some of the most radiant and compelling a cappella pieces i've ever heard. And they've just released a solo cassette ... AYA: (of Indian origin) a \"nanny\" or loving child minder. Like a mother who nurtures and helps her children grow, Aya sings us songs that lift the spirit and strengthen our resolve to move on/hold on in the world. On a basic level, their songs give the hstener, in MicM's words, \"support, sustenance and celebration.\" The hfe force that moves through these womyn's bodies into sound into harmony into our ears into our bodies surges in easy waves. Personally, after a difficult day, Aya's music nourished and encouraged me. Also, hke a loving minder, Aya sees every human's struggle for social and economic justice as a struggle for all; hence, they pour out their words songs and caring for those who struggle. The new Aya! tape is a benefit for AIDS Vancouver. i must admit that the emotional impact experienced during a hve performance is rarely achieved on tMs tape; namely, some songs sound a bit hollow or lacking in textu- ral depth. There's a slight hiss on the tape— i find tMs distracting. Not to fear—several songs are beautifully mixed and the over- dubbing expands the sound creating an aural landscape that Aya can't reproduce on stage. \"The Digger's Song,\" \"Trouble\" and \"Briget Evans\" are powerful and haunting, they lose nothing on tape. Aya: a Celtic goddess; mother of all things. In the Centre, there is a mother of all tMngs, in our centres, there is spirit and emotion. Empassioned with the struggle for freedom, their songs commumcate in a direct manner: Aya sings with heart to our hearts. Norma Jean feels that \"music is very effective and moving. You can get whole groups of people doing something they wouldn't normally do.\" Both Uschi and MicM agree, saying that music gets past mind barriers, slipping in where spoken ideology might not. During five performances by Aya, i have been moved to tears. Listening to the tape, i often smile, sigh or sliiver. Aya wants to expand their political/emotional message and sing to wider audiences—the tape is allowing them to do that. School Mds and coworkers alike are letting Aya's songs inside, letting the music touch them. Aya: the fern as a symbol of defiance in an African culture. For Aya, singing is a political act. As ^ Uschi so eloquently put it, \"I will not sing a airhead lyrics.\" Seriously, with songs about 1 peace activists, witches, bad bills, and bad \\ deals, these womyn are not just a choir— c their singing is activism. The songs are not only enjoyable, they're educational as well. \"Witch Hunt\" engages the hstener with its layering and luxurious harmonies and demonstrates the relatedness of all oppressed people's struggles. Aya sings about striving angry dreaming people. Though there are some problems in production and a few stumbling moments on tMs first solo release, Hold On to tMs tape, i guarantee it will delight your ears and warm your centres. Custody book timely by Lea Dawson IN THE NAME OF THE FATHERS The Story Behind Child Custody by Susan Crean Toronto: Amanita Publications, 1988 Canadian women are losing their children, and it is a bitter and heart-breaMng loss. These are children women are capable of raising and, furthermore, are more than prepared to continue to raise. Only recently has it dawned on femimsts that the new battle with the patriarchy is being fought over child custody. Men argue that the courts are biased against them and that \"the women's movement has gone too far.\" Politicians are listening. Susan Crean has written a book about the Canadian experience. She documents the history of child custody decisions in tMs country, and lays to rest the myth of maternal preference. She describes the unnerving rise in popularity and influence of a vindictive minority—the father's rights advocates. She develops a critical analysis of mental health professionals and their role in custody decisions. She exposes the faulty and simplistic tMnMng behind enforced joint custody and mandatory mediation. And, she reviews the American experiment in custody reform, as a lesson for us. Crean is generous with women's stories, stories that are mostly anonymous but tell us about poor and affluent women, immigrant women, lesbians and women who •don't fulfill the romantic \"ideal\" of motherhood (i.e. deserve to lose their kids). In two famous cases, she gives us undis- gmsed details: the story of Gail Bezaire, a SUSAN CBEAI IN THE mm OF THE THE STORY BEHIND CHILD CUSTODY Aya members (counter-clockwise) Micki McCum Schnell. lesbian mother who kidnaps her two children from their abusive father and fives underground in the U.S.; and the case of JoAnn Wilson, who is murdered by her husband Colin Thatcher, MLA. These are also stories of white, middle class male power, of legislators blinded by a misplaced sense of \"fairness.\" As an example, Crean cites the whirlwind adoption of access enforcement legislation in Ontario in contrast to the fifteen year lobby for maintenance enforcement by women. All tMs, despite the evidence that access is a problem in only 15 percent of cases, whereas maintenance default applies in 85 percent. Crean also describes the reluctance of politicians and policymakers to accept the widespread incidence of child sexual abuse, and the bias of the legal profession to doubt the testimony of women and children. Finding popular support from the newspaper and magazine articles about false accusations, laws are being proposed that \"would enshrine the belief that access denial-by women is a more urgent and worrisome social problem than the violence and sexual abuse perpetrated by men within the fam- ily.\" Crean's femimst analysis reaches full force in her discussion of joint custody. She confirms that enforced joint custody has been a disaster for women locked in unresolved disputes with former husbands, and that battered women and abused children are particularly vulnerable. She reminds us that men are already using threats of joint custody as a bargaining tool to reduce maintenance and property division claims during divorce settlements, and that there is little evidence that joint custody, when enacted, makes them more forthcoming with the bucks. Susan Crean has offered us tMs book as a rallying cry. Few femimsts will read it without being moved, or without identifying the need to be alert to what is happening. Norma Jean McLaren and Uschi KINESIS S*aS**^:SSSS**S^^^ Arts Arts ^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Women In View Eclectic festival Smashing hit As early as Saturday afternoon it was plainly evident that Women In View was a success. With many sold-out houses, audience support far exceeded the 50 percent mark organizers had expected for tliis fledgling event. Also, performers and audiences were clearly enjoying themselves, which was one of the major goals of the festival As well as scheduled performances of theatre, music, dance, storytelling and readings, there were art installations in the stairwell and washroom, \"ambient\" theatre and improvisations in the lobby, and a gigantic mask created by Evelyn Roth draped around the corner of the Firehall Theatre, with eyes inspired by Benazir Bhutto. The festival, in the works since 1986 when the View society was formed, did not have the marginalized feel of so many women's events. Its support and impetus seems to be broadly based in the arts commumty, and their description of the festival as \"the human experience from the perspective of the female artist\" reflects tMs attitude. Organizers are accepting applications now for next year's festival, wMch may have to be longer or in a larger venue if tMs year's crowds are any indication. Throughout the coming year VIEW will hold workshops; and, every second Tuesday beginning in March there will be play readings. MembersMp is $10. For more information call 875-6210. by Maura Volante I Wasn't Born Here One woman tells her wrenching story of leaving El Salvador, living illegally in the United States, and finally arriving in Canada to confusing new reality of cold wMte faces and the omnipotent English language. The audience cries. Another woman gets locked out of her apartment while collecting her milk, unable to commumcate with various anonymous voices on the intercom. The audience laughs. Amazingly, none of the performers except director Lina de Guevara had any theatre experience when they started work on the project. Lina obtained funding from the Job Development Program of Canada Employment Centre, and worked with the cast for six months before opening the show in Victoria in July of 1988. In addition to performing all the parts, the women also collectively wrote the script, based on true experiences of their own and of others in the immigrant community. At the end of the piece, they invited everyone onto the stage to share bread and talk, forming the bridge (puente) they have taken for a name. of gospel, after years of struggling with the Christian content. However, tMs production just didn't have it. Granted, the four singers (Lovie Eli, Lovena Fox, Sibel Thrasher and Marcus Mosely) had to struggle to be heard, but I am not convinced that they could have carried it off even with better amplification. The four, who are best known from the Arts Club revues, Ain't Misbehavin' and the Black and Gold Revue, are primarily musical theatre and pop singers. They have not dedicated themselves to the gospel form, even if they did grow up with it. The nuances of the gospel style were missing here—the wild leaps of voice and phrasing, the driving, trance-inducing repetition of certain phrases, and the drawn-out, reprised endings. Instead, we were left with beautiful songs, sung in polished and sincere manner, but without that overwhelming passion brought to the music by those who live and breathe it. M.V. Tell Me Another Story, Sing Me a Song Tell Me Another Story, Sing Me a Song was brought to the VIEW festival all the way from the Yukon, by the Dawson City Drama Club, and one of the two actors is well know in the Vancouver femimst community. So, I really wanted to hke tMs production, and I did ... sort of. Diane Freed and Ane Braga did well with the material, altering voice and movement mannerisms convincingly as they represented forty years of a mother/daughter relationsMp. The use of large blocks to create walls and connections at least gave them something to do, even if the symbolism was rather obvious. But I found the play to be too full of cliches and pat progressions, as they dealt with the night fears of a five-year-old, the struggles of adolescence, and finally the night fears of the aging mother. Of course, cliches are so cliche because they are true, and the struggles are familiar to mothers and daughters alike. But the language in tMs script by Jean Lennox Todie distanced me from the feelings, leaving me less moved at the end than I had hoped to be. M.V. by Jeannie Lochrie Puente Theatre Project Still another woman, overcome by nervous tremors, finally confesses to the priest her intention to take her own hfe in the desperation of isolation. The audience is chilled in horror. In a succession of scenes and monologues, Victoria's Puente Theatre Project takes the audience on a journey from the death squads of Latin America, through confusion, frustration, isolation and finally empowerment. It's Time to Sing It's Time to Sing was a big disappointment. Perhaps my expectations were too high, as most of my experience with gospel music has been in the form of choirs with instrumental accompaniment, which naturally have more energy than four unaccompanied voices. It is tMs energy, tMs driving power which finally turned me into a fan Reading Writers Reading from an intensely female-centered vision literary luminaries Angela Hrymuk, Paulette Jiles, Lee Maracle, Daphne Marlatt and Caroline Woodward read to a solidly packed room. Topics usually not heard at hterary readings were heralded loud and clear from these fine women writ- Together the readings spanned the spectrum of female existence. Hryniuk read poignant works centering on incest and healing; on mother-daughter demal/disclo- sure of sexual abuse. Jiles moved the listeners to metaphysical heights with her piece on the Arctic calling the hsteners of Shaman Radio to Wake up! Wake up! to the angels who travel in and through the aurora bore- alis. Maracle spoke powerfully of Native experience; of the untimely deaths of friends and family; of love of daughters and lovers. She moved us all with an anti-police violence chant in her native tongue. Much to the audience's pleasure Marlatt transgressed boundaries with her selection describing menstruation: \"Writing the period with no full stop.\" Caroline Woodward wooed the audience with her hilarious short stories centering on the rural fife of young women. Her last piece, a cautionary tale, urged young girls to act like a Comanche warrior in the face of male sexual predators. Like most of the hsteners I could have stayed for more. Medusa Unfortunately, not all was hght. Medusa, written by Audrey Thomas, was deadly dark and dreadful. On a completely dark, unlit stage Thomas poses as a reporter for a woman's magazine, with Martha Miller who gave a fine performance as Medusa. Thomas' Medusa is a stereotypical witch. However, some scholars, femimsts among them, beheve that originally Medusa was the Muse; she inspired artists to create; she was the guardian of the alphabet. Her look turned male trespassers into stone. The snakes on her head and around her waist symbolize wisdom; the snake being the oldest symbol of female wisdom. You would never know tMs from Thomas' interpretation. Her Medusa is jealous and spiteful, she is truly a monster. Sadly, the Muse is reduced to a woman who places personal ads for bhnd men (so they can't see her monstrous looks); and, she passes away eternity \"zapping\" at random whomever she chooses, turmng victims into stone \"garden ornaments\" out of boredom. The mercifully short 15 minute work ends with Medusa-Mrs. Gorgon screaming the gods are gone. Kill the goddesses! Kill the goddesses! Presenting patriarchy's version of Medusa is overkill; surely women writers have a duty to present a more enhghtened vision of our symbols instead of validating the witch as hysteric stereotype. This is history, not herstory. J.L. The Oldest Living A definite highlight was the reading of Pat Smith's play The Oldest Living to a sold out room. The two actresses playing lead roles sank their teeth into their respective juicy roles as a lesbian couple in their 70's and 80's. Muriel becomes the recipient of $10,000 when she becomes the oldest hving resident of Ebbings, Sask., but the play is really a tribute to their 35 years together. The Oldest Living brims over with good humour, puns and wonderful scenarios, and, of course, much poignancy. The reading by the fabulous cast assembled and directed by VIEW's originator Jane Heyman was like being soothed and nurtured before a blazing fire. The audience was ecstatic about the work. The Oldest Living surely deserves to be staged and toured. J.L. by Yvonne Van Ruskenveld Four by Eight These four independently created dance pieces came together beautifully in a collage of sound and movement. The opening \"Moments of Laughter\" by Hildegard Westerkamp was an interplay of sounds between a taped child's voice (the composer's daughter) and Debbie Boyko. Boyko's strong voice sMllfully wove the woman's sounds, songs and poetry in among the cries and words of the child. \"Eole et Cendrillouse\" began as a more conventional piece but soon challenged us with its use of sound (taped instrumental and voice), movement (often grotesque) and string. Taut strings crisscrossing the stage at neck level strained to contain the performers. My appreciation of Monique Leger and Sook-Yin Lee was hampered, however, because the narrative and dialogue were all in French. A few program notes would have helped me to appreciate their interpretive talents as well as their technical skills. Kerry McLaren—Search Barbara Bouget's \"37\" began slowly and darkly with tightly controlled floor movements. Gradually she flowed with the music upwards towards a fighter energy. But she seemed out of control in the final flapping and leaping and some of the impact of the piece was lost. The classical music for the \"Search\" by Gisa Cole was startling after the unconventional sound and music in the earlier pieces. Susan Elliott, Jean Kwan and Kerry McLaren moved strongly and with feehng through almost a parody of conventional ballet. The choreography was intriguing and fun to watch. This was the best of the dance pieces. Clowns Hold Up Half the Sky Theatre Energy from Nelson was hilarious, original and exuberant in Clowns Hold Up Half the Sky. They \"explored female stereotypes and archetypes\" through a series of vignettes and sMts that ranged from outrageously satirical to touching. Nothing was safe: angels were first up—it was only a matter of time until the madonna got it. My favorite piece was \"The Waiter and the Lady\" where an abusive waiter and a vindictive customer try to best one another in strange ways. \"The Doctor\" attempting self-examination was obviously a hit with the woman in front of me; she was crying with laughter. The expressiveness of the cast in everything from broad parody to silent mime was a joy to watch. No character was out of place. The images throughout showed strongly the absurdity of the many female stereotypes and archetypes we're constantly exposed to. Y. V.R. Single Mindedness Marlane O'Brien has a great voice and the right kind of sassiness and vulnerability for tMs character. The production was slick, witty and entertaining with catchy tunes cleverly linked together. The subject was the old stereotype of the lonely woman, \"single, female and surrounded by image of happy-coupledness,\" struggling to make hfe without a man meamngful. And a tough job it is, involving everything from what she looks hke to where she hves. \"A Man Wants to Know ...\" was the least successful song. It's the typical male's lament, wondering what today's woman really wants. How can he be expected to buy flowers for a woman who knows how to fix her own car? How can he find the happy medium between being the strong silent type and the sensitive sharing type? That was the one problem with tMs show: it was just about types. Y.V.R. by Bonnie Waterstone Cargo of Crinolines Cargo of Crinolines, a reading, combined women's herstory and futuristic vision in an ambitious script by Barbara Kar- mazyn and Gina Stockdale. The play begins with the one male ac- I tor reading from an actual speech given by f the Bishop of Oxford to the Columbia Mis- ; sion Society in London in 1861. The Bishop '<■ pompously pleads support for an immigration scheme to sMp \"excess\" females from Britain to British Columbia, where white women are needed to provide a \"healing blessing\" to British men in the gold fields. The action begins in the steerage of a sMp bound for British Columbia in 1862, with the cast of five women, three bible- reading, two card-playing, bickering together. Through the lively dialogue, the audience learns that these women are headed to an unknown land because \"there's no place for us back there,\" that they're kept in steerage for 90 days, and that during the passage they're given lessons in deportment. They are young women, women from workhouses, prostitutes, or unemployed governesses—women without the protection of a man, women the state doesn't want. They are not told they're be- Theatre Energy ing sMpped to B.C. for the men. They believe they're going to a land of new opportunity. The scene changes from the past to the future. The five women are still \"imprisoned\" together, only tMs time they are in the \"Green Section\" of a huge breeding centre. They are all surrogate mothers, numbers 981, 982, 983, 984 and 985. Once again they aren't aware how they're being used. They believe they are helping the \"childless couple crisis\" or that tMs is the best (only?) job they can get. The action leaps from past to future to past to future again. It is to the credit of tMs fascinating script that the audience listening in the present, easily fills in the gap. The parallels between excess females sMpped to the colony of B.C. and breeders for the state of the not too distant future are clear. Women, defined by men for men, are suitable for two functions: marriage and motherhood. As a staged reading, the performance had some flaws. It will be much more interesting as a full scale production, wMch Barbara Karmazyn says is planned for tMs spring. Mavis Tells the Story of Marlene and the Chicken Yard When Nora Randall was on stage, it was time to sit back, get comfortable, and let the words of Mavis Tells the Story of Marlene and the Chicken Yard roll on over you. Within a few sentences, Randall had the audience chuckling and laugMng and waiting for what was next. Sitting down with Mavis is hke sitting down in your own Mtchen, or maybe your sister's or your best friend's Mtchen. Marlene is Mavis' sister and the story Mavis tells is about two women who know each other very well, who love each other, and who get exasperated and hurt and upset with each other. Mavis and Marlene drive school buses. They've been driving buses for years. The bane of their existence the tiny yard, right next to a poultry processing plant, in wMch all the buses have to park. When Marlene is promoted to assistant manager, the sisters' solidarity is shaken. Story telling is performance art, very different from reading a story to an audience. Randall occasionally falls into the reading mode, losing the character of Mavis and becoming the author saying Mavis' words instead. This hardly hinders the audience's enjoyment, however. The words are colourful, creating visual images as clear as the sMny red sweatsMrt Randall wears. Randall is not afraid to repeat, to say the same tMng several ways. She has a comic's sense of timing, that emphatic pause, as she leans over and lets you in on the gossip. She speaks especially to women, as when Mavis visits Marlene's house and finds those \"international distress signals:\" a spotlessly clean oven, freshly fined cupboard shelves, and all her spices in alphabetical order. But who can foretell wMch sister will become the worMng class heroine of the chicken yard? JacMe Crossland, director of Mavis Tells ..., is booMng Mavis through Random Acts Productions. H you missed it at Women In View, you may have another chance for a guaranteed good laugh with Nora Randall. B.W. One view of the rapt audience .KINESIS KINESIS Feb. 89 17 .^?^^5S^^^^^^^5^;^5^^^^^^^^^^^ Arts Barbara Smith: Truths echoing myths by Eunice Brooks She has chosen the name Corn Woman, person of the Earth. Of course, she knows of the labels that stick to her such as: Cherokee, student, educator, novelist, anthropologist, healer, counsellor, disabled mother, and even philosopher. She has lived in many places, but she is presently centered in Victoria That's where I interviewed Barbara Smith, and where she showed me her home, and some of her favorite places including a shop that sells wiccan products. We met first within the context of a healing, at Squamish last March, at the DAWN B.C. Disabled Women's Network Conference. Barbara, a mother is one of the founders of DAWN. She was taMng a summer course at the University of British Columbia in the summer of 1985, when she was asked to represent Native issues at a Secretary of State meeting called to bring attention to issues important to disabled women such as isolation, difficulty in mothering, shortcomings in fife sMlls, inadequate education and others. At the time she was working in Yellowkmfe, as a teacher of nutrition, drug and alcohol awareness and parenting sMlls. Her first two novels, in the Renewal Series, The Prophecy of Manu, and Teoni's Give Away are available in local women's stores, and the tMrd book, From the Moon Lodge will be released next September. Her fiction tells of the Anisom people, who live in perfect harmony with their world. These people are the keepers of the Medicine. She tells me that the stories came to her in dreams—for years—before it dawned on her to write them down. Barbara is much like one of her own characters, believing that spiritual growth comes slowly, through prayer and a desire for change. Life and death have perfect balance in her fiction. photos by Eunice Brooks \"It wasn't so much that I'm almost blind that I didn't sit down to write,\" she says, in a voice that is both qmet and vibrant. \"I was a widow with three sons to raise and I had a demanding job. At the same time I was investigating the truths in myths of people who follow the old ways. Maybe I didn't know than how much I was capable of doing.\" Barbara's mother taught her to fight to get all the education available, and not to settle for second best. When Barbara was 18 and away at college, her mother died. They had had a good relationsMp and she tMnks Mndly of her childhood now. Her family practiced traditional Christianity^ but Barbara found her interest pulled to the teach ings of the grandmothers, when the family visited reserves. In Cumberland, Tennessee she first learned herb lore, and is still seeking knowledge of natural medicines. It was in the 70's, in the political uproar of native revival, when she was hving in a back-tc-the-land commune that her husband died. Even then she was searching for universality, rather than tribalism. \"I'm a citizen of the world!\" she states, in a tone that asks for no argument. When I asked her how she manages to get around to so many places, she says, \"inner sight,\" no smile. She dabbled in politics long enough to realize it wasn't where she could be of most value. Politics and labels go together, and she doesn't like labels. She lives, nowadays, with a quiet acceptance of tMngs that cannot be changed, and a determination to make the best of tMngs changeable. This is also the way of hfe for the central character in her fiction: Teom. Teoni has the Medicine. A book, Seven Arrows, by Hyemey- ohsts, was a strong road sign for Barbara From her tall shelf she lifts the book, now showing its age, and reads aloud: \"To touch and feel, is to experience. Many people hve out their lives, without ever really touching, or being touched by anything.\" Reading about wiccan hfe, rituals, and women's spirit in Starhawk's books focused Barbara's inner sight. (Starhawk is a well known femimst witch and writer.) Meditations, assertions, healing music, New Age teaching, became her hfe. She learned to deal with her anger, with her short comings. Rituals helped. It was the beginmng of her healing. A new energy lifted her. \"I wanted to give something back to Starhawk, so I mailed her a letter and one of my paintings. (Barbara paints as a hobby.) She sent me back a scholarsMp to come down to her place and study. I went. We still keep in touch.\" I notice that she doesn't preach. She tells me about her growth, without indicating I should grow the same way. \"I know what I've experienced,\" she says. We talk about changes in women in recorded history. She says that women at one time held all the wisdom, but in today's patriarchal society we are almost powerless. She says that poor women, with children, hve at society's mercy. Mothering, Barbara says, is sometmng children either allow or not. If a child removes permission to parent, there is nothing a mother can do. The label of bad mother is the most shameful in our society. When a woman has four sons, and is almost blind, she occasionally has to ask for help. The only help left to women is the system. Barbara has requested a short time of respite care, and for a housekeeper in the future. Now, will the system remove her children from her care, or will they do what has to be done for the good of the family? Jessie, her son who has been on and off her lap while we talk, is seven. He has both learning and behavioural problems and demands constant care. Loving him, she accepts tMs. Clearly he loves her also, but he has not learned that she cannot always cope with Mm. The question of what is best for both Jessie and herself is as yet unanswered. If Jessie was a fictional character, I ask, what would the Anishoni, her fictional people, do with him? In her fiction, Teoni also has a special child, and Teoni has to give over the care of her child, Shona, to the elders. Shona is educated and yet still within the nurturing of Teoni. There is help for an Anishoni mom who needs it within the community. People look for the good in a special child, not the bad. In the novels there are women who go out to hunt, wise women who keep the Medicine, and other mothers who make meals ready for those who have been out on watch. But, in the fiction, all the people are Barbara Smith considers herself a citizen equal, all Ufe is valued. The Anishoni do not kill, except for food, and then they ask the ammal to give up its fife voluntarily so they can live. Barbara demands help from the system, and she counsels other women who need help to demand it. \"It was the patriarchal system that took away the power of women, and now that same patriarchal system will have to be responsible for our powerlessness.\" Barbara needs a housekeeper, and she knows that without special education, Jessie could suffer. \"Disabled parents have special needs that able bodied social workers fail to recogmze,\" she tells me. That brings us back to our common interest, DAWN B.C., and the upcoming conference on family hfe. \"One of the tMngs I want to research is the difference in attitudes that children have toward the disabilities that their mothers have.\" She tells me that she has already begun compiling information. The conference will be a place of meeting for disabled mothers, and much knowledge can be pooled. DAWN is a women's network where individual stories are validated, that strives to ensure that each woman holds the same status. The DAWN philosophy hasn't qmte reached that of the fictional Anishoni, but the group is heading in the right direction. Barbara sees the group as a communication network, knowledge and wisdom in the circle. Some people won't ever accept her belief of the goddess within. To me she says: \"All we need is in here,\" she pats a belly almost as round as the tiny goddess rephca she has in her soft hand. \"I don't tMnk women must of the world. be Amazons—as some myths portray—just people who do what has to be done, as well as they can.\" Barbara hkes herself, without flaunting, without gaudy decoration, and without shame. She tells me that we, all of us hving today, need wisdom if we are to survive as a species. Teoni, in her fiction, has the wisdom that brings the ecosystem back to good health. I ask her if she tMnks women will have to save the world. She smirks: \"It's a dirty job, but someone has to do it.\" This is the closest she has come to making a joke all day, and I relax with her. It's dark in the room now, and I've stopped taking notes. Barbara sits with the tiny goddess in hand. Her serenity seems to sMne hke an aura. I know I'm imagining it, but I want to hold that memory. I have noticed a wall hanging in another room. I ask her if she also weaves. She brings out her loom. Barbara weaves in many ways too. She weaves her truths into her fiction, and her everyday life as well. She creates not only children, but stories, paintings, tapestry, music and wellbeing. As I leave the house I trip over a tree trunk. I remember that Barbara walks in the constant dark of blindness. She trusts her inner vision. What was it she said as I was leaving? \"Eunice, we are not just being—we're becoming.\" .KINESIS Arts /////////////////////^^^^^ .» iaaxis-^ ^xtare- WOMAN DEBEL giSSS; » -^*, .j» race «iJW 3aCaru dafc ^ « 3SSSSS Dr?cai. »?oafrttta3l !«•!*«» ^ ia< No gods, no masters by Michele Valiquette In May 1970 I turned 18, graduated from Mgfi school ... and got pregnant. That same month the fledgling Canadian women's movement organized one of its first public actions. An Abortion Caravan left Vancouver for Ottawa, and was greeted along the way by rallies and demonstrations where women from across the country added their voices to the demand for legalized abortion. Ii. the capital, Caravan members drew on the tactics of turn-of- the-century suffragists: 36 women chained themselves to the chairs in the visitors' gallery and forced parliament to listen to their message. Meanwhile, I traded university plans for marriage and motherhood. It was a few years before I caught up with the movement, but when I did the significance of choice and of reproductive rights was crystal clear to me, and to thousands of other Canadian women. This month, my daughter will turn 18. After almost two decades of feminist struggle, choice is closer to being a reality for her. Section 251 of the Criminal Code was struck down a year ago, and it's been several months now since Everywoman's Health Centre—Vancouver's first free-standing abortion clinic—opened its doors. Both are monumental victories. But with the federal government threatening to introduce new laws restricting availability of abortion and with anti-choice groups continuing their campaign of harassment, it'll take more hard work, and the combined efforts of two generations of femimsts, to hold on to these gains. So I tell my daughter about my situation in 1970 and about the Abortion Caravan—because I want her to enter the struggle inspired by a sense of its history. The events of the early seventies are documented in the pages of The Pedestal, forerunner of Kinesis. And recently I came across a fascinating periodical from an earlier wave of femimst organizing that adds still another dimension to our understanding of the work we are building on: Margaret Sanger's Woman Rebel. Sanger was an obstetrical nurse and in the years just prior to the first world war she assisted in home births on New York's poverty-stricken lower eastside. In the course of her work she witnessed the extreme hardsMp—physical, emotional and financial—that successive unwanted pregnancies forced on women. And, she faced one desperate woman after another, who begged her to tell the \"secret\" of contraception. But Sanger didn't know tMs \"secret\" and even if she had she'd have been prevented— officially at least—from passing it on. Federal legislation made it a crime to import or to distribute not only contraceptive drugs or devices but information about them. Similar laws prevailed in both Canada and Great Britain. Inspired by Emma Goldman's speeches about voluntary parenthood, and not one to be daunted by the regulations of the state, Sanger gradually resolved to take action. In October 1913 she went to France where she'd heard she could find practical details of birth control techniques. Two months later she returned to the States, armed with concrete information and determined that it should be made available to the women who needed it. And that's where the Woman Rebel came in. From the first issue in March of 1914 through to the last in October of the same year, the fiery journal refused to pull any punches. The spirit of the opening editorial is typical of the entire run. Here Sanger decried the state of sexual ignorance young women were kept in and asserted their right to knowledge and pleasure. She scoffed at the double standard that allowed a man to enter into a sexual relationsMp with a woman only to turn around and denounce her for it. She rejected the fallacy of the \"wayward woman\" and asserted that prostitution was a social and economic issue—not a moral one. And she called upon women to \"tMnk for themselves,\" to \"build up a conscious fighting character.\" In each of the seven issues of Woman Rebel, birth control—a phrase Sanger coined—was examined in the same broad context. Contributors stripped marriage and motherhood of the romantic myths surrounding them and got at the abysmal poverty of many large families and the degeneracy of an institution that put a woman in a slave relationship to her husband. Without access to contraception, they argued, companionate marriage was impossible. More than one article accused the state of encouraging large families for its own ends: to provide soldiers for its \"war machine\" and cheap labour for its factories. Often, discussions of women's worMng conditions and the philosophy of family planmng ran side by side. The first issue included the International Workers of the World preamble calling for abolition of the wage system. Explicit directions for preventing conception did not appear in the Woman Rebel's pages but boxed notices throughout advised readers of booMets that could be obtained for a low price: \"What Every Girl Should Know,\" \"What Every Mother Should Know.\" Readers were encouraged to organize regional Malthus—or planned parenthood—leagues. Their letters are revealing: \"Woman Rebel: Enclosed find ten cents, for information on how to prevent conception. If you cannot send it to me on account of the Post Office please send me the names of some books where I can find it. I am nearly crazy with worry from month to month. Mother of Four, Eureka, Calif.\" Sanger's editorial in Number 4 expressed the conviction that rang through every issue of the Woman Rebel: \"A woman's body belongs to herself alone. It is her body. It does not belong to the Church. It does not belong to the United States of America or to any other government on the face of the earth ... Enforced motherhood is the most complete demal of a woman's right to fife and liberty.\" Sanger had set out dehberately to challenge the law. And the authorities were quick to respond. Following the first number of the journal she received a letter from the Postmaster General advising her that the Woman Rebel was unmailable under the Criminal Code. That earned him a defiant notice in the Number 2: \"The Woman Rebel feels proud the Post Office Authorities did not approve of her. She shall blush with shame if ever she be approved by officialism ...\" Sanger managed to put out seven issues of the Woman Rebel in all before she was indicted for producing a pamphlet \"of obscene, lewd and lascivious character.\" Among the articles the court found offensive were \"Can You Afford to Have a Large Family?\" and \"Are Preventative Means Injurious?\" Also cited was one straightforward call for safe, legal abortion. Less surprising, perhaps, is the court's objection to \"A Defense of Assassination\" from the July issue. On the eve of her trial Sanger fled to Canada and from there to England. The Woman Rebel never re-emerged. But three days after her hurried departure she sent a cable instructing supporters to release a pamphlet she'd written, had printed and secretly stored not long before. With tMs signal 100,000 addressed copies of Family Limitation, a compilation of the information she'd gathered in France, flooded into the United States mail. The Woman Rebel is available on microform in the University of British Columbia library. And the New York Archives of Social History reprinted the journal's full run in a 1976 volume of the same name edited by Alex Baskin. Watch Baskin's introduction, though. While lauding Sanger's lifelong battle for birth control, he chastises her for leaving her husband, \"neglecting\" her children and espousing \"immature\" left-wing politics. COMBAT COMPUTER MISERABLISM VANCOUVER ^Desktop publishing 1/CentreLTD ESTABLISHED 1986 The Desktop Solution Tel: (604) 681-9161 #100—1062 Homer St. Vancouver BC V6B2W9 KINESIS Feb. 89 19 Commentary Parks may be paradise lost by Katherine Quayle When environmentalists set out to protect a piece of the earth in Canada one of the first avenues they take is to have it made into a provincial or national park. In B.C. many areas are being proposed as provincial parks but a B.C. Parks classification doesn't necessarily mean that the area will be safe from exploitation. One of the major reasons why a parks designation is not a guarantee of safety for the natural environment is our own love of nature and the explosion of outdoor recreation pastimes. The provincial parks are governed by the Parks Act and a mandate. The mandate has a dual purpose to support both recreation and conservation. In the federal park system it is clearly specified that any conflict of interest between recreation and conservation will be settled in conservation's favour. There is no such provision in the B.C. Parks' mandate which means that recreation interests can take precedence over conservation. In 1988 the Parks Branch published \"StriMng the Balance—B.C. Parks Policy\" (available from B.C. Parks, 4000 Seymour Place, Victoria, B.C.). Its aim was to make public their overall commitment to park management. In it there is an attempt to address the inconsistencies in the park mandate and park classifications. Basically there are two main park classifications: Class A parks wMch are dedicated to the recreational enjoyment of all and Recreation Areas which have resource commitments within their boundaries (eg. mines). One section of \"StriMng the Balance\" describes the different types of \"park zones,\" designating park areas for pure conservation, wilderness experiences, natural environment activities, intensive recreation and integrated resource areas. It appears that areas can be protected under these classifications but, in truth the zones are only management objectives and can be altered at any time by government. The Ecological Reserves program, managed by B.C. Parks, is a fairly secure classification for conservation but even here we humans have been having an impact because of our \"love\" of the environment. A good example is at the Robson Bight ecological reserve where commercial whale watching ventures are reportedly beginmng to disrupt the very whales the area was set aside to protect. The bottom hne in all tMs is that the government of the day has the power to decide in any conflict and can let short term interests outweigh long term management goals if it so chooses. As tourism in the province increases so do the demands for recreation opportunities in the provincial parks and we all know that money does have a tendency to talk. Compounding all the confusion around the mandate is the onslaught of privatization (alias contracting out). Beginning in the 1980's the provincial park system began to undergo profound changes. Some of the first \"privatization\" initiatives by the Bennett government were enacted in provincial parks. In 1983, for example, the sM \"Women are losing their livelihoods, their savings their health, their self- esteem, their children, and sometimes their lives, in custody battles with men.\" VANCOUVER STATUS OF WOMEN SPONSORS AN EVENING ON CHILD CUSTODY WITH GUEST SPEAKER SUSAN CREAN author of IfiTHE MM OF THE MONDAY, FEBRUARY 27 7:30 PM AT LA QUENA 1111 COMMERCIAL DRIVE $2 DONATION CHILDCARE REIMBURSED ' CALL 255-5511 for information . hills located in Manning, Cypress and Seymour provincial parks were transferred from government ownership to private long term leases as park concessions. A park concession is a private business operating inside of a park. It must conform to the Park Act or apply for park use permits to contravene any part of it. It is considered autonomous from the rest of the park. There are also park contractors working in the parks but these work for the parks branch directly. A provision has been made in the Park Act for concessions so that can run sM hills, rent canoes, etc. Class C Park (0.02 million hectares) Nearly all park lands fit within 2 classifications. The problems arise when recreation interests promoted by the general public or private business ventures clash with sound ecological planmng. How many sM runs are too many sM runs? Does hehcopter sMing disrupt wildlife in remote areas? What's the impact of one in every ten people stepping off the trail in a fragile subalpine habitat? How many seashells can be collected before the beach begins to erode? Each develop ment in a park impacts that ecosystem. It is not a question of \"Does our presence impact the environment?\" It is a question of how much. And, can we sustain the balance that allows us to co-exist in an area pursuing our hobbies? The park system needs unbiased staff, secure in their jobs, who feel safe making decisions that may counter any particular lobby group bent. The current Social Credit government has stated that it would hke to contract out all provincial government employees or have them on part time status within the next ten years. Any concerned person must ask, who will be left in park management who feels secure enough to manage a park properly without fear of reprisals for an unpopular but sound decision? The one element in tMs picture that is free of government adjustments is the general public. Public watchdogs are needed now more than ever. Currently, outside interest groups monitor B.C. parks from Wells Grey to Fort Steele. Many of them call themselves Friends of... (the most famous of these being Friends of Strathcona), others are just small groups of concerned persons who keep in touch with the park and its decision makers. Some do volunteer trail work, others do flora and fauna studies, most just explore and relax there. They all know the park well and so they are available for public input and action when conflicts of interest arise. This is a tumultuous time for any piece of the earth. To be designated a park is only half of the battle. To be thought of and managed as one is the other. CCEC Credit Union RRSP's An Investment in Your Future, An Investment in Your Community >■ Excellent rates on fixed & variable terms >- Instant tax receipts, no user fees >• RRSP Loans available 33 EAST BROADWAY VANCOUVER, B.C. V5T 1V4 MON. & WED. 11 am-5 pm FRIDAY 1 pm-7 pm 876-2123 \"Transfer your RRSP to CCEC and keep your money working in your community\" 10-80off Sat., Feb. 18 to Sat., 25,1989 ^ feminism, anarchism, socialism, environment, lesbian, gay, film, art, labour, history, economics, literature 311 West Hastings Street, Vancouver 688-6138 AINESIS yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy/s //////////////////^^^^^ /////////////////^^^^ Letters Appeal for funds Kinesis: AIDS and Female Genital Mutilation Campaign—2nd Anmversary Two years ago, we launched an educational campaign against AIDS, female genital mutilation and other traditional practices that endanger the lives of women. We launch tMs campaign to forestall the myths often associated with some of those cultural practices in order to induce women to refrain from them. Some societies believe that if the clitoris is not excised it will harm the male organ during intercourse. Others believe that if the clitoris touches the baby's head the baby will die. Just de-mystifying or giving information can contribute a lot to change these ideas. Moreover, the campaign was prompted by the fact that unlike Europe and America where AIDS has occurred mostly in homosexual men, the opposite is the case in Africa where women are noted carriers. In addition, it is the sexual aspects of AIDS that has riveted public attention over the disease and it is not without good cause, but in Africa recent research has shown the sexual aspects coupled with female genital mutilation is the cause of the present spread of AIDS. Uli Linke of the University of Califorma, Berkeley, has associated the spread of the disease in sub-Saharan and Central Africa countries to the practice. She said in a letter to the professional Science journal in January 1986: \"infibulation is associated not only with chronic pain, but with lesions in the vaginal tissue and bleeding leading to the presence of blood during intercourse. In some cases full penetration can take up to nine months during wMch time anal intercourse is a common alternative. It is noteworthy that the recent outbreak of AIDS in Africa corresponds geographically to those regions in which female genital mutilation is still pronounced.\" We have also attested to tMs fact, for since the mutilation is performed with special unsterilized kmves and blades often gummed with strata of blood victims, the AIDS virus is easily transmitted from one woman to another. Since the launching of tMs educational campaign two years ago, we have met with failures and successes. Some traditionalists have labelled us traitors to our own people for exposing the shameful practices of women to the pubHc. Government agencies have considered the subject too sensitive to assist the educational programme with funding and we have therefore been thrown into serious financial difficulties and were forced to cut our budget by 49 percent. Nevertheless, our gains during the period have been very rewarding and encouraging. Our field workers have covered over 150,000 square kilometers of our sub-continent and have met with seven million rural women and school girls to dissuade them from the practice. As we mark tMs occasion, tMs educational programme is being launched in The Repubhc of Equatorial Guinea, Central Africa, for the rural women of that region. This is another milestone in our struggle for freedom from age-long traditional and cultural practices which have become instruments of oppression; and another bold step in fulfilling our ultimate aim of maMng tMs programme a continental one. I wish on my behalf and that of women here to express our sincere gratitude to you for your moral and financial support to the programmes of our centre through wMch we were able to make such gains. We earnestly appeal to you for your continuous support as our task is such that it cannot be accomplished overnight. As a non-governmental women's organization we depend mostly on donations from our friends and supporters for the runmng of our programmes and services, our success so far is made possible by your support. Once again, thank you for your support and solidarity in these difficult times of our struggle. We believe that many little steps of many little people can change the face of the world. Send donations or inquiries to: Hannah Edemikpong, Women's Centre, Box 185, Eket, Akwalbom State, Nigeria, West Africa. In Sisterhood, Hannah Edemikpong (Women's Contact Person) Thinking white Kinesis: Faith Nolan smiling at us from the pages of Kinesis makes it clear that women of colour singer songwriters exist. Why were they not included in the book Born a Woman reviewed in the December/ January issue of Kinesisl There is an interview by Sadie Kuehn with singer songwriter Faith Nolan, a Canadian black woman. On the same page there is a book review by Louise Allen of Ellen Schwartz' book Born a Woman: Seven Canadian Singer Songwriters. There is no mention that all seven singer songwriters are white. Did Ellen Schwartz decide consciously to write about wMte women exclusively? Did Louise Allen notice that it was a book about white women? I tliink not. If they did, why did Louise Allen fail to mention it? Louise Allen wrote: \"We're given a variety of women whose talent spans three decades creating an appreciation for the historical growth of women's music\" (emphasis mine). they call pay equity \"sex pay\" they say \"rape is not rape\" they want child custody ..MEN'S RIGHTS GROUPS If you are alarmed by men's rights activists and the feminist backlash JOIN THE FAMILY POLITICS GROUP a working committee of Vancouver Status of Women call 255-5511 for information WMte women's music does not equal a variety of women's music. Nor does it by itself give us a Mstory of the growth of women's music. Schwartz and Allen make the same mistake most of us wMte people make. We tMnk wMte, we act wMte, and we assume that if it is wMte it represents humanity. It is important for wMte women to know about white women's history. But wMte women must not make the mistake of assuming that it is the history of all women. As Faith Nolan said, \"The problem with femimsm is that the people with the resources to put out what they have to say have been predominantly white middle class women. They only talked about issues that were important to them—tmnMng they were able to speak knowingly on issues of all women, across race and class hnes.\" Dorrie Brannock Keremos kudos Kinesis: As chrome mystery readers and Helen Keremos fans, we'd like to take issue with your recent review of Beyond Hope by Eve Zaremba. We realize hterary criticism is sacrosanct, and we won't argue with the reviewer's right to hate a book. But we tMnk Kinesis readers should give Beyond Hope a second look. Read it and judge for yourselves. Yes the plot is fuzzy. By the end of the book it's hard to tell who is chasing whom and why. And some of the characters are one-dimensional. That's OK by us. Lots of real people are that way too. And as far as Ms. Keremos is concerned, we love the way she talks in cliches and manages to get in and out of ridiculous scrapes with a shrug and a chucMe. This is dyke dick stuff after all, not Great Feminist Literature. Over the course of only three books, Ms. Zaremba has managed to create a lesbian folk heroine with a very complex and endearing personality. She's tough and funny and almost invincible, with a heart of gold. What more can a mystery fan ask for? She's a modern Beebo Brinker with a Canadian flavour. She's Philip Marlowe in drag. She's the first dame WE'D call if the bad guys were after us! Bravo, Eve. And let's have more of Helen Keremos. Judith Quinlan and Jacqueline Frewin Thinking english Kinesis: In \"Learning to ride sometMng dangerous ... \" Jeannie Lochrie brings up the very real conflict between ecriture femimne and concrete action. The near hieroglyphics produced by tMs form of expression are a graphic representation of the traps laid within language, and by extension, culture. Ecriture femimne means something to me because I've been through university and exposed to it and the structures it is based on. H not, I would probably easily dismiss it all as mental gymnastics. As it is, the conflict, for me, exists in being able to appreciate much of it as an interesting intellectual exercise, but not beyond that into pohtical practice. Jeannie Lochrie asks 'how do we share our discoveries' yet the questions are posed in one direction: how do 'hterary sisters' share with others (those that are perhaps less fortunate?) The concept of 'sharing' doesn't seem to extend in the other direction. More importantly, I have real trouble with Jeannie Lochrie stretcMng the issue of accessibihty into the realm of french/engfish language pohtics. Spending three or four years in university to learn a structure to expose/subvert it is a luxury and privilege for a few women, clearly not available for all. (f.)Lip (and Kinesis, for that matter) both emerge from a bilingual country and commumcating with millions of its inhabitants should not be put on the same level. Being able to understand any language but that of the ruling majority is not a position to defend. Instead of being concerned with the 'elitism' of not translating a few quotes into english, I am offended by the imperialism of demanding that all words be translated into the ruling tongue. Nowhere is it suggested that the rest of (f.)Lip's text be translated into french. Are francophone women expected to understand english? Or are the costs involved reason enough to dismiss the possibihty without mention? Maybe it's unreasonable for me to expect west coast women to have easy access to french courses. But it is not unreasonable to expect these same women to address tMs gap; instead of expecting others to continue to account for it. Language is indeed power. Before we leap into how intellectual variations can n into revolution, we should take the first steps toward ensuring that we all understand each other. Karen Herland Montreal, Quebec Farewell Kinesis: We are announcing that Dykes for Dykedom will no longer be in existence after November 23rd, 1988. We appreciate everyone who has supported, struggled and worked with us over the past three years. We are proud of the work that we have done in the lesbian, gay, womyn's and other communities. We are also appreciative of all that we have learned while doing tMs work in alliance with others. All of us look forward to continued exciting and radical political activity in Vancouver and elsewhere. In Solidarity, Dykes for Dykedom Facts questioned Kinesis: Thanks for telling us the sMl saw was invented by a woman. Now, for those of us who qmckly turned to page nine to find out what her name was—please let us know! My friend George, an electrician who is very welcoming of the idea of women in the trades, is very curious as to who tMs woman inventor was or is. Apart from that: interesting article. It was nice to see a picture of Kate Braid looMng well and happy. (I used to know her years ago when she was taking a framing course.) At my volunteer job at the Sunshine Coast Action Centre we get copies of \"On the Level,\" a newsletter for carpenters, and I am very impressed by their (on the whole) nonsexist editorial pohcy. As a Green Party member I enjoyed the group of articles on ecofeminism and the environment. I'd welcome more on ecofeminism in future issues. Keep up the good work in 1989. In Sisterhood, Anne Miles Editor's Note: Kate Braid tells us she saw a reference in Tradeswomen magazine, a U.S. publication, that a Shaker woman, Amy Babitt was the saw's inventor. We have been unable to contact Tradeswomen to confirm or expand on this information. The search continues KINESIS Bulletin Board ^xxxxSSSS^vSSS^^ Read this All listings must be received no later than the 18th of the month preceding publication. Listings are limited to 75 words and should include a contact name and telephone number for any clarification that may be required. Listings should be typed or neatly handwritten, double-spaced on 8 ^ by 11 paper. Listings will not be accepted over the telephone. Groups, organizations and individuals eligible for free space in the Bulletin Board must be, or have, non-profit objectives. Other free notices will be items of general public interest and will appear at the discretion of Kinesis. Classified are $6 for the first 75 words or portion thereof, $2 for each additional 25 words or portion thereot Deadline for classifieds is the 18th of the month preceding publication. Kinesis will not accept classifieds over the telephone. All classifieds must be prepaid. For Bulletin Board submissions send copy to Kinesis Attn: Bulletin Board, 301- 1720 Grant Street, Vancouver, B.C. V5L 2Y6. For more information call 255-5499. EVENTS NATIONAL CONFERENCE Beyond Survival: Women, Addiction and Identity will explore the intersecting dimensions of early childhood trauma, violence against women and addictive coping mechanisms. Mar 31, April 1,2,3. For registration info contact Ani Arnott, Registration Co-ordinator, Community Re- ces and Initiatives, 150 A Winona Dr., Toronto, M5G 3S9. Phone: (416) 658-1752 EVENT SIE V E M T SIE VENTS PEREL GALLERY \"Collected Views: Women's Perspectives\" will be showing Feb. 8-18 at the Perel Gallery, 112 W. Hastings. Gallery hours: Wed.-Fri. 2-6 pm and Sat. 12-4 pm WOMEN WITH DIABETES A conference for Women with Diabetes will be held Feb. 18, 8 am-4:30 pm at the Delta River Inn, 3500 Cessna Dr., Richmond. Cost $20, which includes nutrition breaks and lunch. For further info and registration forms contact the Canadian Diabetes Association at 732-1331 VALENTINES DANCE The VLC's annual Valentines Dance will be held Feb. 10, 8 pm at 3925 Fraser St. Tix $4-$6 at the door, advance tix at VLC. Wheelchair accessible, child care off site. GLOBAL HEALTH CONFERENCE \"Primary Health Care in Action,\" a weekend symposium for Health Care Professionals Feb. 24-25 at Van School of Theology, UBC. Fee$35 employed, $20 students. Childcare subsidy available (please pre-register). Billeting available on request. For pre- registration and more info call Global Health Project 738-2116 CO-OP RADIO Presents \"From the Heart of the Drive,\" an eclectic Valentine's evening line-up of some of the best performers and artists Van has to offer Feb. 14, 7:30 pm at the VECC, 1895 Venables. Tix $7 at usual outlets, $8.50 at door. Reservation at the VECC 254-9578. All proceeds to Co-op Radio. \\^NCOUVER StATUS 0F W^MEN presents AYA, JUDY SMALL, Feb. 20 WIVES TALES, Door Prize from BECKWOMAN Raffle Draw Doors open at 7:30 pm. Entertainment at 8 $3-5 f Dessert and snacks available ADVANCE TICKETS ARIEL, VANCOUVER WOMEN'S BOOKSTORE, OCTOPUS CHILDCARE Pre-register before Feb. 16—255-5511 BENEFIT DANCE Nicaragua needs help to rebuild after the devastating hurricane. A benefit dance is being held, with the tentative line-up being Lillian Allen, Santiago and Mango Dub, Feb. 11, 8 pm at the Maritime Labour Centre 1880 Triumph St. Tix $10 at all alternative outlets. For further info call Murray Reiss 879-7216 or Miriam Palacios 736-7678 OPEN HOUSE The Van Women's Health Collective will be having its open house Feb. 21, 4-8 pm at 302-1720 Grant St. Raffle draw and door prizes. Refreshments will be served. WOMEN'S HEALTH COLLECTIVE The Van Women's Health Collective will be doing a spring training for new volunteers. This is an opportunity to be active in women's health issues and to learn more. Please phone or come in for an application by Feb. 28. 302-1720 Grant St., 255-8285 ARTIST'S TALK Wendy Lewington talks about her quilt- making as a vehicle for self-expression and social comment. At the Van. Museum, 1100 Chestnut St., Feb. 14. 736-4431 LEAF BENEFIT CONCERT The Women's Legal Education and Action Fund is presenting a concert Feb. 8, at the Orpheum featuring Connie Kaldor, Lillian Allen, Gloria Steinem and others. Tix range from $30-$75, which includes a reception, at VTC or contact Leaf Roadshow '89 at 301-207 W. Hastings FREE LAW CLASSES The Public Legal Education Society will be holding free law classes. \"Women, Money and Relationships\" Feb. 7, 7:30- 9:30 pm at Marpole-Oakridge Community Centre, 990 W. 59 Ave. (pre-register 327-8371) or Feb 22, 1-3 pm at Hastings Community Centre, 3096 E. Hastings (pre-register or child care 255-2606); \"Tenants' Rights\" Feb 23, 7-9 pm at Britannia Secondary School, 1001 Cotton Dr., (pre-register 255-9371 local 36 or 41); \"Landlord and Tenant Law\" Feb 7, 7-9 pm at Fraserview Library, 1950 Ar- gyle Dr., (pre-register 325-4522); \"Custody and Access\" Feb 15, 7:30-9:30 pm at Thunderbird Community Centre, 2311 Cassiar St., (pre-register 254-0427). For more info on these and other classes call Joanne Taylor 688-2565 JUDY SMALL Performing at the VECC, 1895 Venables St., Feb. 19, Tix $10 VANCOUVER WOMEN'S BOOKSTORE 315 Cambie Street Vancouver, B.C. V6B 2N4 (604) 684-0523 Hours: Monday - Saturday 11:00-5:30 pm 7\\ WOMEN'S CENTRE The Capilano College Women's Centre offers free films, lectures and workshops. For calendar of events call Lisa at 984- 4941 local 2941 WOMEN'S BASKETBALL Dust off your sneakers and spend Saturday mornings playing basketball. Emphasis on fun, recreation and participation. Begins Jan. 21 to Mar. 25 (Mar. 18 cancelled), 10:30-12:30 in Gym A, Britannia School, 1001 Cotton Dr. Registration $10/9 sessions or $2 per drop in. Contact 254-9963 or 255-5499 for more info. WORKSHOPS SHIATSU WORKSHOP Learn the basic Shiatsu techniques and self-shiatsu Feb. 25-26 at the Float Centre, 1661 W. 8th Ave. Registration fees before Feb. 10, $35 Sat. only, $60 both days. After Feb. 10, $45 Sat. only, $80 both days. Call Astarte 251-5409 for more info or to register. CLERICAL WORKERS Four session courses will look at the health hazards particular to women in office work, Thursdays, Feb. 23-Mar. 16, 5-7 pm at the Women's Centre, Douglas College, 700 Royal Ave., New West. Fee: $10. For further info call 430-0458 HiJ:ffllKHMflB CORRESPONDENCE With lesbian couples who have had a ceremony of bonding/commitment wanted for upcoming book. Please write Conant, Box 744, Buffalo, N.Y., 14209 WRITINGS AND ARTICLES I am collecting materials for an anthology , that will explore issues of pregnancy and childbirth among survivors (of all types of childhood abuse). I'm interested in women's stories either through interviews of through autobiographical and/or creative writing. If you have any suggestions or questions or would like to contribute please write: Laura Davis, Anthology, PO Box 460190, San Francisco, CA 94146 GROUPS LESBIAN INTEREST GROUP Lesbian women meet monthly in Port Coquitlam area for discussions, videos and monthly support. Contact 941-6311 for info. FILMS FILM AFRICA FILM/VIDEO FEST Screenings will take place every second Sat., Jan. 28-Mar. 11 at Pacific Cinematheque, 1131 Howe St. For advance tix or further info contact IDERA at 732- 1496 or 732-8815 X1NESIS yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyys //////////////////^^^^^^ /////////////////^^^^ BULLETIN BOARD MISC. FILM/VIDEO FESTIVAL Preparations are underway for IN VISIBLE COLOURS: An International Women of Colour and Third World Women Film/Video Festival and Symposium. Festival organizers invite other women of colour and Third World women to join in and take part in organizing this event. Volunteer members will be able to learn and share skills in a number of areas, including fundraising, researching, publicity and even co-ordination. For more info or to volunteer call Lorraine Chan 666-7761 or Zainub Verjee 872-2250 CLASS F EDI GOLDEN THREADS A contact publication for lesbians over 50 and women who love older women. Canada and U.S. Confidential, warm, reliable. For free info send self-addressed envelope (U.S. residents please stamp it). Sample copy mailed discreetly. $5 (U.S.) Golden Threads, PO Box 3177, Burlington VT, 05401. WOMEN, ADDICTION & HEALING Conference Mar. 18th, 8:30-4:30, $50, lunch included. Co-sponsored by Feminist Counselling Assoc, and Justice Institute. Location: Blake Hall, Justice Institute. For program brochure call 228-9771 local 285. Send registration to Western Canadian Feminist Counselling Association, c/o #405-2150 W. Broadway, Vancouver, V6K 4L9 SITKA HOUSING CO-OP Sitka Housing Co-op, a 2-year old, 26 suite complex for women and children, is creating a waiting pool for future vacancies (1-4 bedroom suites and town- houses). Priority will be given to sole- support women, single mothers, women with environmental allergies. Call Belle 255-0046 for info. OFFICE FOR RENT One office for rent with the Van Women's Health Collective. Quiet, non-smoking. Use of office equipment including computer and printer negotiable. Short term rental okay. $200/month or negotiable. Phone Leah at 255-8284 or drop by. Suite 302-1720 Grant St. [Keyboard player wanteds!! Dynamic and versatile all women's band is seeking an experienced keyboard player. Composing and arranging skills an asset. Must have previous experience with a band and good equipment. Audition information: 682-3109 LOCO CONTEST LOGO CONTEST We have a Herstory Now we want a Symbol Vancouver Status of Women 17 years of Working for Equality Women: Win 4 nights & 5 days accomodation for 2 Alcheringa Resort Saltspring Island iOCO CONTEST LOCO LOCO CONTEST Co-op Radio presents \"From the Heart of the Drive,\" an eclectic Valentine's evening line-up including Key Change (pictured above), Hot House, Maxine Gadd and Gerry Gilbert, the IT Girls and much more. Tickets: $7 in advance. $8.50 at the door. Reservations 254-9578. * CLASS IFIEDiCLASSIFIEDICLASSIFIED ALCHERINGA This unique housekeeping accommodation for women on Salt Spring Island is the perfect place for that romantic weekend and/or for that retreat week you have been promising yourself. Winter rates are $25 single. $35 double, and a flat $125 per week. Treat yourself to the stillness of the country. Call Phyllis at 537-4315 for info. WOMEN'S COUNSELLING My specializations include depression, sexuality, sexual and emotional abuse, adult women survivors of childhood sexual abuse, identity issues, self-awareness, relationship issues, decision-making and career explorations. I work using verbal and expressive therapies, gestalt and guided imagery. Sliding fee scale. Janet Lichty. B.A., M.Ed. Counselling Psychology. 874-2593. FABRIC ART Artwork by Elizabeth Shefrin at the Alma St. Cafe until Feb. 12th. Alma & B'way WANTED TO RENT I would like to rent a room in a communal house with other women in the Commercial Drive/East End area. Feb. 1 or Mar. 1. If interested please call Evangeline at 734-8165 SUITE FOR RENT One bedroom basement suite currently available at 63rd and Ontario, near Langara for a non-smoker, $350 including utilities. Feminist landlady, Cheryl. 325- 8436 from 9 am-10 am or 9 pm-10 pm WAXING MOON HEALING FAIR To celebrate IWD the Waxing Moon Healing Village Society will be holding a womyn's healing fair on Mar. 4 at the Native Education Centre, 285 E. 5th Ave., between noon and 9 pm. Admission is $2-4. All womyn welcome. Womyn doing work in psychic reading, Tarot, bodywork, herbology, crafts, art, etc. who are interested in participating call 251-5034 HAWAIIAN BED AND BREAKFAST Currently the only Bed and Breakfast in the islands exclusively for women. Comfortable, healing environment with steam house, hot tub, crystal energy and licensed massage therapist on call. Near Hilo and Volcano National Park on the Big Island of Hawaii. Where magical times await you. The Butterfly Inn, P.O Box J, Kurtistown, Hawaii, 96760. {{'\" 966-7936. BILLETS NEEDED Thirty homes needed to billet female swimmers for the International Gay and Lesbian Aquatics Meet to be held in Vancouver Mar. 24 and 25. Anyone interested please contact Emma at 873-6905 OCEANFRONT RETREAT On Gabriola Island. $330 per week or $50 per night. Sleeps six. Available year round. Lots of space and privacy. Phone 248-5742 evenings for reservations and information. KINESIS LIBRARY PROCESSING CENTRE-SERIAI 2206 EAST MALL, U.B.C. VANCOUVER , B.C. VST 1Z8 INV-E 8904 Published 10 times a year by Vancouver Status of Women #301-172(TGrant St, Vancouver, B.C. V5L 2Y6 □ VSW Membership-$25.50 (or what you can afford)-includes Kinesis subscriptionj D Kinesis subscriptior D Institutions - $45 □ Here's my cheque D Bill me D Sustainers - $75 DNew □ Renewal □ Gift subscription for a friend"@en, "Preceding title: Vancouver Status of Women. Newsletter.

Date of publication: 1974-2001.

Frequency: Monthly."@en ; edm:hasType "Periodicals"@en, "Newspapers"@en ; dcterms:identifier "HQ1101.V24 N49"@en, "HQ1101_V24_N49_1989_02"@en ; edm:isShownAt "10.14288/1.0045726"@en ; dcterms:language "English"@en ; edm:provider "Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library"@en ; dcterms:publisher "Vancouver : Vancouver Status of Women"@en ; dcterms:rights "Images provided for research and reference use only. Permission to publish, copy, or otherwise use these images must be obtained from the Digitization Centre: digitization.centre@ubc.ca"@en ; dcterms:source "Original Format: University of British Columbia. Library. Rare Books and Special Collections. HQ1101.V24 N49"@en ; dcterms:subject "Women--Social and moral questions"@en, "Feminism--Periodicals"@en ; dcterms:title "Kinesis"@en ; dcterms:type "Text"@en ; dcterms:description ""@en .