‘Bridging the Gaps’ An Interview with Ph.D student Hana Al-Bannay By Trina Moran When it comes to improving the lives of fellow community members, the story of Hana Al-Bannay outshines the rest. Hailing from Qatif, Saudi Arabia, Hana is pursuing her Ph.D in rehabilitation sciences at the University of British Columbia. Her dissertation focuses on improving the health of Saudi Arabian Muslim women through education related to lifestyle conditions with special reference to type 2 diabetes mellitus. Hana began her academic career at King Saud University in Saudi Arabia’s capital city, Riyadh, and finished her first degree with a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in English Language. Shortly after finishing her English degree, Hana worked at a military based hospital as an interpreter. It is here that Hana became interested in the medical field. In addition, working with a large number of international employees inspired her to study abroad, leading her to Canada. In 2003 Hana completed a BA in Sociology at the University of Victoria and went on to pursue a master’s thesis at Royal Rhodes University focusing on the B.C. Arab community experiences with the Canadian health system. Aiming to finish her doctoral thesis by 2013, Hana hopes that the impact of her research at UBC will aid in designing health education programs suitable for the lifestyle of Muslim women in Saudi Arabia, empowering Saudi and Muslim women to pursue healthy living, and decreasing the prevalence of lifestyle conditions including type 2 diabetes mellitus in Saudi Arabia. A recent medical study notes that since the late 1980s there has been an increasing trend among adult Saudis of developing type 2 diabetes mellitus, the rate being one in five. Other studies have concluded that a rise in obesity, hypertension, and coronary artery disease are the most...

Through all these years that I have been living in Canada my work has evolved in different ways. Somtimes it resembles memories that identify me with my past, sometimes with ideas that come at random or words that fall out from a poem that has moved me, sometimes they are personal like my mother’s death. And how about nature as an inspiration: it always touches me, but more than emulating it, I embrace it. I have always believed that art is like life: to live life, one has to learn to live; when we cease to learn we begine to die.”   ~ Davide Merino    Volim te (“I love you”), oil on paper     Crosswords, oil on paper     Dream with Colors, oil on paper       About the artist: Originally from Mexico  , Davide merino works and lives  in Vancouver for the last 25 years , after  studying  architecture in Mexico city (UNAM) he study and graduated in fine arts  at the Emily Carr College of Art and Design  Vancouver BC. Read more…… For...

By Trina Moran Dr. Chan appears to be your average dentist. He is 5’5’’, dons the blue dentist uniform, and is ready to accommodate all of your dental needs. However, beyond the blue scrubs and the dentist’s drill (that most of us fear), is Alex the Aikido practitioner.   One year ago Alex began taking Aikido classes at the Kerrisdale Community Centre. Now, after much hard work and perseverance, Alex is now a practitioner of Aikido at KCC. Alex was inspired to take up Aikido because of his interest in mixed martial arts, UFC, to meet new people, and for stress release. After one year, Alex is proud of all that he has accomplished in Aikido and recommends it for people looking to take up a sport either for fun, fitness, or self-defense.   Aikido is a martial art that originates from Japan and was developed by Morihei Ueshiba as a synthesis of his personal martial arts studies, philosophy, and religious beliefs. Aikido is commonly translated as ‘the way of unifying with life energy’ or as ‘the way of the harmonious spirit’. Ueshiba’s goal with Aikido was to create an art that people could use to defend themselves while also protecting their attacker from injury. Overall, Aikido places emphasize on defense, not offense. Aikido is performed by blending with the motion of the attacked and redirecting the force of the attack rather than opposing it head-on. Therefore, little physical strength is used. In a fight, an aikido practitioner would ‘lead’ the attack’s momentum using entering and turning movements finishing with a throw or joint lock. Today, Aikido is found world-wide in a myriad of styles with broad ranges of interpretation and emphasis. However, all share techniques originating from Ueshiba.   Alex is a UBC...

The Secret to Being a Great Musician Kevin Olafsson, a master teacher of Japanese tradiational Koto and Shamisen music, revealed how cross-cultural experience was a great foundation to expand his art and to deepen his understanding of musical masterworks and tradition.  Being a native Japanese, I was not only blown away by his Japanese-like demeanor but also by his great soulful sounds. My hats off to him! ~ Editor-in-Chief About Kevin In 1988, Kevin left Canada for Japan and began koto and shamisen lessons as a member of the Souchiku Kai, a school under the direction of Takemura Aiyako.  In 2000, he left Tokyo for Honolulu to begin graduate studies in ethnomusicology at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. His research focused on the Iemoto Seido.  He was a Graduate Assistant in the University of Hawaii Music Department and taught the shamisen portion of the Koto Ensemble class.  He has been heard on Hawaii radio as a guest on Barbi Wong World Notes, and the late Glen Grant Japanese Ghost Stories as well as on TV KHON morning show.  He regularly taught and performed both koto and shamisen and guest lectured at the UH music department. Kevin is especially proud of the University Laboratory School Japanese music ensemble, which he founded in co-operation with the Kimono Culture Class.  Most recently he has performed in Vancouver for the Japan Canada Relief Fund and conducted a lecture workshop at Quest University. Photograph by Noriko Nasu BONUS!! Come Meet Kevin and Try His KOTO Workshop! Recommended for all ages! When: May 20, 2012, Sunday, 2pm-4pm Where: Kerrisdale Community Centre For Registration:  https://pbregister.vancouver.ca/adet.sdi?activity_id=354719   Complimentary coffee is donated by Bean Around The World...

About Paul Toolan I first got bitten by the acting bug when I was in secondary school in England.  The school put on a yearly production of a Shakespeare play and of course at first I was cast in supporting roles which gradually grew in size until I was cast as hylock in The Merchant of Venice.  I attended university where I became a very active member of the dramatic society. The society put on at leastone production a year and took a play and a late night revue to the Edinburgh Festival fringe. I particularly enjoyed one year at the fringe when I played a sizeable cameo in the play Antigone  by Jean Anouilh and then took part in the late night revue which had been written by a very talented graduate who was trying to make his way in the show business scene in London. For a while after I graduated I combined teaching and acting at The Mountview theatre club in north London which put on amateur theatre of a high quality. After I emigrated to Canada I continued to teach and took part in the amateur theatre scene in Winnipeg. Then I married and had a family and decided to commit myself fully to teaching. Only recently since I came to Vancouver as a retired teacher have I revisited my theatrical self. I¹ve taken part in several productions over the last few years and finally decided to put together a one person show which explores Shakespeare¹s life and times and how they are reflected in his plays. A Short Story by Paul Toolan Mrs. T It was the voice that struck him at first, high pitched and at the upper end of the register just a little quivery. Reminded him of...

Photographed by Rosanna Goncalves...

An Interview with Lori Wotherspoon BY Keiko Honda, Editor-in-Chief Videotaped by Rosanna Goncalvas   Visit: KJM Country...

Oliver Samonte “Dr. Recycle and the Art of Recycling” Interviewed and Written by Trina Moran Innovative, creative, and environmentally friendly, Dr. Recycle exhibits a pioneering way of educating the importance of recycling in a creative and interactive environment. With his self-invented ‘junkology’ anything is possible. From crocodiles to venus fly traps, Dr. Recycle can transform ordinary recyclable containers into charming works of art and children’s toys. Dr. Recycle’s workshops are filled with creative and amusing toys and projects that are age appropriate for pre-school children to grade 12 students. Dr. Recycle’s projects have been used by the GVRD for their educational programs for over the last ten years. In addition, a series of books have been published and a board game has also been developed all in the theme of recycling. Dr. Recycle, Oliver Samonte, hails from the Philippines where he learned the art of ‘creative recycling’ as a child. After studying electrical engineering at the Mapua Institute of Technology, he immigrated to Canada in 1991. He later enrolled in the Self-Employment program at Douglas College to take on a new career path after developing many of the recycled creations featured in his workshops as well as earning his nickname ‘Dr. Recycle’. Oliver also teaches Sunday school at the Bible Missionary Church in Surrey. When asked why recycling is important to him, Oliver remarks that it ‘makes sense that everything can be [recycled]’ and that these choices and decisions that we make at home impacts the world as a whole. Oliver developed and based his recycle program around children as he feels that they are more understanding and accepting of these global notions: they can see and understand the importance of it, how it impacts them both in the present and the future, what previous...

My passion        Written by Lindsay Gibson My name is Lindsay Gibson and I am from the Musqueam Nation in Vancouver BC. I am 28 years old and have lived in Vancouver on the Musqueam reserve since 1990. My family and friends are extremely important to me, as it is their love and support that has made me who I am today, I admire each and everyone of them. My number one goal in life is to positively contribute to other people’s lives, Aboriginal youth in particular. When I am not at work you can find me walking, reading, kayaking, enjoying a live show, and camping when I have the time. For the past three years I have been combining my passion of kayaking and helping by participating in Kayak for a Cure Vancouver. Where we paddle from Jericho to English Bay and back and donate the proceeds to the Canadian Cancer Society. I have done many things as I got my first job when I was thirteen years old, and had a summer jobs in Musqueam everyyear since. Before I even started to work my friends and I started a Creek Clean-Up Crew where we would clean up the local creek in Musqueam. One summer two other youth and I taught Musqueam’s traditional language to kindergartners to grade fours. I have done everything from Musqueam Bike Patrol, receptionist, treaty researcher, to landscaper. I was even hired as a youth carver to work on a totem pole outside the Musqueam Band Office. In 2005 I participated in a Haida Gwaii field studies course with Langara College, which started my interest in world culture, travel and experiential learning. The following year I went to Ecuador as a participant on an Aboriginal exchange project, called the...

An Interview with Mark Perry by Trina Moran     When you walk into Kerrisdale Lumber on West Boulevard and West 46th Avenue, you right away get caught up in its bustling atmosphere: exquisite garden ornaments, hanging fire places, BBQs, and cheerful employees who are delightful to talk to and eager to show you how one of their many intricate home furnishings work. I stumbled upon a decorative fireplace that emitted smoke. Did I mention it hangs on a wall? It hangs on a wall.   Overall, the store itself is an extraordinary home hardware store that has everything and anything you would possibly need to furnish, fix, re-decorate, re-model your home, or accentuate, your backyard, or garden. Amidst the liveliness of the store, is Mark Perry. Mark is the current President of Kerrisdale Lumber which his grandfather, Bert Perry, founded in 1921. Rich in history, pertaining to both Kerrisdale and Vancouver, Kerrisdale Lumber’s mandate is to provide the ultimate home hardware shopping experience; able to cater your home’s each and every need over time.   Kerrisdale Lumber was founded in 1921 by Bert Perry who started the business with a horse and wagon after migrating from England after World War I. Sidewalks and just about everything at that time were made of wood and was what allowed Bert’s business to thrive in the beginning. In the 1920’s, Bert did not restrict Kerrisdale Lumber to only Kerrisdale (part of the Municipality of Point Grey at the time). He had his eye on expanding the business and making a name for the company and sought business wherever he could. Much of the original wooden streets of Vancouver were built out of the pine supplied by Kerrisdale Lumber and contracted by Bert Perry. The story behind the wooden streets...

  Written and Photographed by Fitnat Fahrner   Markus Fahrner is a freelance Graphic Designer, writer, photographer and Book Artist. His passion for books and eye for all things design has been a lifelong love affair. He has been a fixture at the Frankfurt Book Fair (Frankfurt/Main Germany) since he was 9 years old and the London Book Fair (UK) since adulthood. Now that he is Vancouver based; the Codex Book Fair in San Francisco is one of the new arena’s for his work. A self professed ‘Mac Geek’ and letter press enthusiast Markus loves to share his enthusiasm for the arts with like minded individuals. Here is what he has to say about his craft: “I love the challenges and variety of graphic design. Typography is one of my favorite subjects. It has been a special honor to design the Alcuin Society Canadian Book Design Awards for the past two years. I am delighted to layout the catalogue again this year. The catalogues have been well received and have gained high praise from the public and industry alike.When not working on design projects I produce artist books for my own book art company called Fahrner & Fahrner. We specialize in limited edition books and individual graphic posters. Fahrner & Fahrner books have been acquired by the Library of Congress, Wash. DC, Victoria & Albert Museum, London, Meermanno Museum Den Haag and the Klingspor Museum, Offenbach to mention just a few. It was fun and a privilege to give a lecture about Fahrner&Fahrner at the Berkeley Museum of Art during the CODEX Book Fair. ”My goal is to bring excellent typography and innovative, fresh design to all my projects. I enjoy providing my clients with professional advice ranging from layout, paper, printing and publishing...

“Old Modern” In January of this year 2012, Gerry was show-cased in the initial launching of the E-Gallery section of the Kerrisdale Playbook Web-site displaying some of his completed etching artwork pieces.  Hopefully the E-Gallery did attract more than a few viewers and created some interest in etching artworks other than the more known artworks like, pencil / colored pastel sketches and colored oil / acrylic paintings.  Subsequent to Gerry’s January show-case on the E-Gallery, Our Kerrisdale Playbook Web-site has discovered that Gerry had another interesting past-time childhood passion with building model airplanes and exotic cars.  Gerry having an artistic creative side for the arts is also blessed with a very creative technical side, where building hobby model planes and cars was something he loved doing during his early teens.  Gerry has agreed to show-case in the E-Gallery two hobby models he has completed as an adult quite sometime ago.  The first hobby model kit is a 5-channel radio-controlled,  gas-motored, 6.5 lb. helicopter with a main rotor-blade of 36″ diameter span, which Gerry purchased in (1987)  and took over 2 two years to build.  The second hobby model kit is a 1:8 scale, Spider Touring Gran Sport (1932) Alfa Romeo Car (made up of over 2500-plus total connecting nuts, bolts, wires, car parts in different materials of special high resistance plastics, brass, stainless steel, iron, copper, rubber and leather).  Gerry purchase the hobby model car kit in (1975) at a hobby shop at Cambie & 41st Avenue and took over 1-1/2 years to build.  Both the completed helicopter and car show-cased on the E-Gallery are very complex, but interestingly, in particular the Alfa Romeo Car kit was designed in Italy and mass-produced into hobbist model kits at least 50 ++ years ago by hand...

Mary Dopson ‘Keep Moving Forward’ Written and Photographed by Trina Moran     An inspiring and warm-hearted woman, Mary Dopson sees the world as a race. A race she definitely is leading. At 93, she has seen the world evolve and values the importance of community and keeping up a healthy, positive attitude towards everyone and everything that comes her way. Originally from Scotland, Mary grew up in Winnipeg and resided there for sixty years. ‘It’s COLD.’ remarks Mary when I ask her what Winnipeg is like. A part from Winnipeg’s ice-like temperatures, Mary recalls her glory days of being an athletic runner in the late 1930’s. In 1936 she won 1st place in the Women’s Broad Jump and 2nd in the Women’s 100m, both ‘in the same day’, Mary boasts. That year she qualified for the 1936 Summer Olympic Games in Berlin. Unfortunately due to the Depression, Mary was informed that she would have to pay her own passage to Berlin, and could not attend. Nearly eighty years later, Mary seems just as excited about her accomplishments as she was when she was 18. Dopson smiles and remarks ‘I’m just an old has-been.’ I tell her, ‘It’s better to be a has-been than a never-been.’ Mary stopped running competitively in 1940 due to the outbreak of WWII and to start a family. Recently in 2009, Mary competed in the B.C. Senior’s Games in Richmond in the 100m dash against other seniors 90 and over. Proof that her sporting spirit thrives. She was also honoured during the 2009 B. C. Senior Games in Vancouver by being invited to march with the torch. In 1980 Mary moved to Vancouver to be closer to her sons and in search of ‘better weather.’ She has also resided in Kerrisdale...

Patricia Martinez   By Coco Bikadoroff Patricia Martinez taught Spanish in her home town in Mexico. She began teaching in Vancouver in 1997 and has since taught out of her Kerrisdale village office since 2000. She came upon her Kerrisdale location while she was pregnant with her first child and shopping for baby clothes! There was an infant store in an old office building on 41st called ‘Small Peas’ which she went to and found that the woman there was moving.  She grabbed the opportunity to rent the office and she is still there today. Patricia is a lovely, vibrant woman with a flare for life! She always has a smile to give. She loves being a part of the close knit community of the Kerrisdale village and how all the merchants and regulars know each other. She also loves that she can walk down the street and recognize her students from as far back as 12 years. She shares the space with other teachers, when there wasn’t enough room for all the classes, she would sometimes teach in the coffee shop (Legato) and also at the jungle cafe which the only Mexican restaurant in the village. She used to advertise in Georgia straight before the internet, but she likes the community concept of advertising better.  Along with her partner Nora, they would participate in the Kerrisdale carnival days by creating a huge rainbow balloon and raffle off free lessons. Patricia’s students range from 4-80 years old. She loves teaching and can’t see herself changing careers. Her biggest influence in her life came from her father who was her social science teacher in high school. Her Grandmother and Great Aunt were also teachers. You can tell she has had a loving bond with her family...

Interviewed and written by Queenie Lee Dylan Cramer has been teaching saxophone in Kerrisdale Community Centre for 19 years. He is also a recording artist who has received worldwide acclaim. What is the key for his success? It is his talent, but also his “honesty” with his students and “passion” for his job. Dylan’s success did not come easily. He had gone through difficult times when he was young. The death of his father when he was 13 was the reason he started connecting to his saxophone. “It was a way to escape.” Dylan recalled. However, his way of escape brought him two of the most influential people in his life. He went to LA to study with Sonny Criss who became like a second father to Dylan. “It was like finding my father again.” Dylan described. But heartbreakingly, his second father left him just like his biological father. They both committed suicides.  With his days filled with grief, Phil Sobel was the one who put Dylan back together. “Every death brought in a birth” Dylan told me. Yes, the death of his father gave birth to his passion for saxophone and his attachment with his second father Sonny and the death of Sonny brought in the birth of his other mentor Phil Sobel. “I am very fortunate. Some people never bump into anybody meaningful in their life.” Dylan said. Success never came easily. The success Dylan has today is credited to his hard work and talent, but to him, it is credited to all the meaningful people in his life. The influence his two mentors had on him transfers to how he sees his music career and education today. Being a teacher is not a job for Dylan Cramer. He specifically said to me “it’s...