The Speaker News Journal

NDP Leader Tom Mulcair opposes “dangerous, vague, and ineffective” anti-terror bill

February 18, 2015 by Milad Doroudian

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NDP Leader Tom Mulcair has adamantly restated his opposition to Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s anti-terror bill, which is set to be reviewed this Wednesday in the House of Commons. He is hoping the Liberals will do the same.

Mulcair has called Bill C-51, which has been proposed as a tool in the fight against terrorism at home and abroad, “dangerous, vague, and ineffective.” In fact, he reiterated Wednesday that, “The truth is we cannot protect our freedoms by combating them.”

If the bill passes it will give the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) greater powers to combat terrorism by disrupting and intercepting information flow in regards to terrorism through the entire country and from external sources.

However, it will also give more powers to other law enforcement agencies across Canada. It will give the RCMP more leeway in obtaining peace bonds, thus being able to hold suspects if they are suspected of being involved in terrorist-related activities.

“Experts warn that broad measures in this bill could lump legal dissent together with terrorism,” Mulcair said. “And the bill would give significant new powers to CSIS without addressing serious deficiencies in oversight.” said Mulcair.

The main fear behind the bill, as expressed by Mulclair, is that it will interfere with the freedoms of Canadians, and possibly make the situation worse.

“We cannot protect our freedoms by sacrificing. New Democrats have a different vision. Freedom and public safety have to go hand-in-hand. We will hold true to our principles and oppose this dangerous, over-reaching legislation.” he said.

Mulclair is not alone in opposing the bill, as Elizabeth May, Leader of the Green Party has also disproved of the content and aims of the bill.

Justin Trudeau, Leader of the Liberal Party made it clear that his party will vote for the bill, although he expressed concern about the powers it will give CSIS.

Bill C-51 was reviewed for the second time in the House of Commons today.

By Milad Doroudian

Image by Jonathan Allard

Child of Holocaust survivors, Jeanne Beker, to lead book launch

February 17, 2015 by Milad Doroudian

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VANCOUVER, British Columbia — Jeanne Beker, a child of holocaust survivors, will lead the Azrieli Foundation Book Launch, with a reading of her parents’ memoir, “Joy Runs Deeper,” at the Museum of Vancouver on Thursday, Feb. 19.

“Joy Runs Deeper,” by Bronia and Joseph Beker, is an important literary view of the way life was in Poland, precisely in Kozowa, a small town in the east, after the 1939 invasion by Nazi Germany. The memoir is a rich tale of luck, kindness, but most importantly, it is filled with the narratives of two people that survived hell.

The Bekers, who were both born in a small shtetl in Eastern Poland, managed to survive the war, through horrible circumstances, yet the most important moral of the story is that they did it together.

In a statement released by the Museum of Vancouver, Jeanne Beker said, “As a child of [Holocaust] survivors, I’m keenly aware that I have been left with a legacy that’s as powerfully daunting as it is inspiring.

“Now I realize it was [my parents’] storytelling [about their experiences during the Holocaust] that made me who I am, colouring my personal philosophies, imparting a sense of resilience and instilling in me a precious instinct for survival,” said Beker.

This will be the first time the book will be launched on the West Coast. The entire experience will be enriched by the Museum of Vancouver, who will put on an exhibition that features rare examples of haute couture and Vancouver-made clothing and accessories that reflect how WWII changed society as a whole.

In a CBC interview last year, Jeanne Beker expressed,”Most Holocaust survivors do not want to tell their stories. They do not want to openly talk about it because it is so painful.”

The reading will be an important experience for those who are interested in learning more about the Shoah, as well as the Second World War.

The reading has been organized by the Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre in partnership with the Azrieli Foundation and the Museum of Vancouver.

The Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre is the leading institution in British Columbia that is dedicated to teaching Holocaust education, with a particular focus on Canada.

The Museum of Vancouver holds numerous exhibitions on Vancouver’s past, but also aims to connect Vancouver to the world.

The Azrieli Foundation pledged $5 million to to the Birthright Israel Foundation of Canada at the beginning of February.

By Milad Doroudian

Image by Daniele Dalledonne

Kosovo, still fragile after seven years of independence

February 17, 2015February 17, 2015 by Miroslav Velimirovic

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BELGRADE, Serbia — Kosovo is well known for the war and consequent NATO campaign against Serbia. Armed conflict ended in 1999, and the forces of the Western alliance took control of the Serbian province, where they maintain a fragile peace over the area.

Tuesday, the young state celebrated seven years of independence, but a fancy and expensive ceremony is not going to be seen this year. Spend Ahmeti, mayor of Pristina, explained that due to a lack of money there has been a massive exodus of Kosovar citizens, an event that started in the beginning of 2015.

Albanians from Kosovars are often seen all over Western Europe. Most of them are hard working and stay away from crime, but some are notorious for organized control of drug trafficking, human trafficking,and other illicit activities.

For many years, poverty and instability drove them, just like members of many other nations, towards the West. And this flow was constant and balanced, legal or illegal. But from December last year, numbers have dramatically increased, topping up to 18,000 immigrants from Kosovo registered in Germany in January alone.

Every night, dozens of busses are packed with people carrying light luggage only. A 50-seat bus often takes 150 people on board. Whole families, with children and bare essentials, are starting the trip to the unknown. Dramatic pictures have waved through the world, photos and videos showing masses of Balkans on their way to Europe.

And, of course, many theories have been offered, many reasons given for the exodus. As someone who was in the country for 15 years, working with UN and EU missions, I see this as the only way toward a brighter future for those involved, fully aware that such a future is not waiting for them in Kosovo.

The United Nations maintained peace and showed presence, but failed to fight corruption and some UN officials were even found to be involved in it. The EU came in with great ideas and an even greater budget, but results were hardly visible. A system has been built, but corrupted. Many laws and regulations passed the Assembly; however, their implementation is yet to be seen. The highest local officials are involved in a series of illegal activities. Low-scale corruption is widely present and is an everyday experience.

There is now a proven record of a much higher rate of cancer in the region, often explained with regards to the bombing campaigns and the usage of depleted uranium for anti-armor ammunition.

On top of everything, a full day’s wage on a construction site (10 to 12 hours) is five to six Euros. And those that get such a job are happy; there is a long queue of people waiting for one.

Kosovo is now poorer for hundreds of thousands of Serbs; they all fled to Serbia proper, having safety as a priority in life. Pristina, the capital of Kosovo, had a pre-war population of 40,000 Serbs — counting few dozen these days.

This sudden and massive outbreak of immigrants is obviously organized, since there is no war conflict now. Poverty was there last summer as well. Most likely, organized crime has a huge interest in this. They are the ones trafficking people across borders and away from police patrols. Those that can’t pay will be in debt and pay later, but more. There are established prices for safe passage through certain critical areas. The rumour is borders are to be closed; a new war in Macedonia and a possible conflict with the Serbian minority, etc, initiated the exodus. Many of them reported intimidation, suffered from Wahabi activists recruiting fighters for Syria. And if people have nothing to lose, they will resort to desperate measures.

European countries are facing the problem with great concern; these numbers are too high, especially when combined with those coming from Syria, Africa and other places. Austria has organized direct flights for repatriation purposes only. Hungarian and Serbian police are working together, trying to prevent thousands of illegal crossing attempts every single night.

A stable economy and personal prosperity in a safe environment are the only conditions required for people of any nation to stay put and abandon any idea of risky change.

Analysis by Miroslav Velimirovic

Wixarika Holy Week – Photojournal by David Cordova

April 3, 2015February 16, 2015 by David Cordova

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For centuries the Wixarika people have occupied the lands of Western Mexico. This indigenous group, directly related to the Yuto-Azteca tribes, has lived an independent life away from the big empires of Mesoamerica, encouraging the development of a solid and unique identity in the region. At the time of the conquests, the Wixarika people found refuge in the mountains of the Sierra Madre Occidental range, which permitted them to remain unnoticed by the Spanish due to the difficulty of access, and safeguarded their identity and their traditions in utmost purity.

It was not until years later that the Wixarika people allowed the presence of Franciscan friars in the area, which resulted in the integration of Christian ceremonies and a religious syncretism between Christianity and the Wixarika worldview.

Each year different festivities related to the Wixarika cosmovision of life are celebrated in the main ceremonial center of the Wixarika people. One of the most important festivities is the celebration of the Wixarika’s Holy Week, marked by the return of pilgrims from the holy land: Wirikuta. According to the Wixarika cosmovision, it is believed that the sun rises up for the very first time in Wirikuta and it is the place where all deities and ancestral spirits inhabit. And for this reason, every living creature in Wirikuta is considered to be equally sacred. Initially, the Wirarika pilgrimage began at the Pacific coast, in the state of Nayarit, formerly known as Tatéi Haramara (Our Mother, the Sea) and ended at the point where the sun rises up for the first time (Reunax), the current Burned Hill, located in the San Luis Potosi plateau.

Nowadays, the pilgrimage is done with the support of different means of transportation in order to recreate the mythic walk. On the way, rituals are carried out with the help of Maraka’ames (Shamans), ending with the picking of Hikuri (Peyote), brought back to their communities in order to regenerate the cosmogenic cycle of life.

I had the chance to attend the Wixarika Holy Week, which took place at the ceremonial center of Tateikie, also known as San Andrés Cohamiata. This small community is located in the mountains of the Sierra Madre Occidental. Getting to the location is not an easy task. When the second day begins, the town closes its doors to all foreigners. Those who had the chance to arrive on the first day are allowed to stay until the end of the sixth day, when the town’s doors are open again.

When I first arrived, the unbreakable rules of the festivities were explained to me, which included the prohibition of taking any pictures of rituals and ceremonies during the third, fourth and fifth day, under threat of ending up in the local jail (Cepo). However, I was allowed to attend all ceremonies and cultural events in town.

For a week, the ceremonial center of Tateikie fills with a mystic feeling. Each passing day new ceremonies and rituals are performed, and, every night, Tetewari (Our Grandfather, the Fire) must be watched. For those who need to work on themselves, Peyote sessions take place under the supervision of a Maraka’ame. For the Maraka’ame, heavy consumption of Peyote helps them as a way to reach a high conscious state of mind and also allows them to perform different rituals, ceremonies and healing sessions.

Everyday processions around town are carried out, the figure of the Hikuri, the Deer and the Corncob can be seen everywhere: on Wixarika clothes as well as on their outstanding and unique jewelry. Some Maraka’ames even carry with them deer horns and corncobs while eating Peyote. Those three iconic figures are the main symbols of Wixarika life. The Deer represents faith; the mythical animal that raised the sun in the sky with its horns became the most iconic animal in the Wixarika wordview. The Corn primarily portrays agricultural development, food and livelihood. Finally, the Hikuri is a teacher and a guide. The whole cosmovision of the Wixarika people is based on this psychotropical cactus.

When the sun goes down on the fifth day, the whole town gets ready to spend the night awake and on watch. Cows and goats are tied to wooden posts that have been placed in the main square of Tateikie. During the night the animals are blessed and watched over by the Maraka’ames. At the end of the night more than 30 cows and 15 goats are ready to be sacrificed as an offering to deities in exchange of goods and wealth; the ceremony officially begins with the first sunlight.

A week has passed and the communities who came to take part and witness the festivities of Wixarika Holy Week get ready to start the journey of their way back home. Most of them came to Tateikie by foot and by foot they will return. It will be from a one- to a three-day walk in the mountains to reach their own communities.

For me, witnessing the Wixarika Holy Week was a whole new experience and a true demonstration of how indigenous tribes have such a complex and unique culture, a completely different lifestyle and a perspective of life that is not always appreciated or even understood. The Wirrarika culture is the closest we can get to a time capsule from pre-Columbian times, that shows us what really matters is not found in materialism and consumerism, but rather in our inner world.

By David Cordova

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Indonesia’s floods – The forgotten victims

February 16, 2015 by Paul Ballans

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JAKARTA, Indonesia — Indonesia is currently experiencing many floods, as is common at this time of year. The country’s emergency services and relief groups are well known for helping many people, but many more go almost unnoticed, slipping through the net of helpers so often seen on TV screens here.

Mister Udi, who this reporter met on his travels through the flood-soaked area of Cileduk Indah Pedurenan, between the cities of Tangerang and Jakarta, explained how his family had lived in that area since the year 2000 and had experienced floods every year, but the land was unable to be sold and, even if they could sell it, they’d be unable to buy anything else, so they have to stay. Mister Udi now lives in Wellington, New Zealand, but his family remains, being forced to move out every time the house floods.

The government, explained mister Udi, had just built a new flood defence, but the water simply went around it, making it useless.

He went on to say, “My mother has to move into my cousin’s house for a few days every year, she returns home and tries to clean up, but it’s a big job, and the floods could return at any time.”

Mister Udi’s mother gets no help from local officials, but at least she has help from family who provide a safe place to stay. This isn’t the case for everyone.

Mister Tatang, a 51-year-old rubbish collector from central Java, lives in a small, illegally built shack at the side of the local river. This year saw his few simple possessions badly damaged by flood waters that came up to chest height.

As he is there illegally, with no chance of earning enough money to move away, he has to pray that the floods spare his life as he sleeps on his raised bed.

Mister Tatang explained that he lived there because no one else wanted the land, so he could stay there for nothing. He continued, saying, “I’m just trying to earn enough to feed my wife and family.”

Because Mister Tatang resides there illegally and can’t get an identity card, there’s no one to help him, so he just hopes the waters will go away quickly, allowing him to resume his tiny business.

The floods have gone from that area now, but the forecast of heavy rains could see a return at any time, condemning these people to another forced move — or far worse for the poorest members of the community.

The next floods could easily see Mister Tatang drown, leaving his already poor family with nothing.

By Paul Ballans

Photos by Paul Ballans

300 Jewish graves desecrated in France

February 16, 2015 by Esther Hervy

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SARRE-UNION, France – It’s Sunday shortly before 5 p.m. and the police have been advised of the desecration of a Jewish cemetery in eastern France. According to initial reports, 300 graves have been degraded. It’s just a huge fields of rubble that the perpetrators have left behind them. No statements, no claims –the steles were just broken.

A huge monument honoring the victims of the Holocaust was completely destroyed as well.

This is not the first time that the Jewish cemetery in Sarre-Union has been desecrated. Indeed, in 1988 and 2001 several graves had also been degraded there.

The news has come as a big shock to French political and religious figures.

“A feeling of disgust” was the reaction confessed by Manuel Valls, the French prime minister, who promised that “everything will be done to find those responsible.” The president of the republic, François Hollande, said that, “French Jews have their place in Europe and in France in particular,” despite the words of Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, who has called “all the Jews of Europe to join the Hebrew state. ”

The French Council of the Muslim Faith also “strongly condemns these inhumane desecrations,” and made statements about the sadness and grief of those affected by the heinous acts.

The news came one day after a deadly shooting at a Denmark synagogue and one month after the kosher supermarket incident in Paris.

“I am fed up of all these anti-Semitic acts, which we have seen in their different forms on January 9 in France, yesterday in Copenhagen, and today in Alsace,” said Roger Cukierman, president of the Representative Council of Jewish Institutions of France.

The number of anti-Semitic acts in France doubled in 2014 compared to the previous year. According to the Protection of the Jewish Community Service (SPCJ), an organization working in conjunction with the Ministry of Interior, 851 anti-Semitic acts (actions and threats) were registered last year against 423 in 2013, an increase of 101 percent.

France is home to western Europe’s biggest Jewish community.

French President François Hollande called the national community “to wake up.”

By Esther Hervy

The undeniable truth about Vancouver’s housing market

February 12, 2015 by Milad Doroudian

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Prices keep getting steeper, and people’s tempers are rising almost at the same rate. That is the best manner in which the current situation of the Vancouver housing market, which has stirred debate in the last few years, can be described.

Yet, there is an underlying issue which most are not willing to discuss. Every time we hear of individuals complaining of the money which has been pouring in from Hong Kong over the last decade, we start to feel that in a way they are right, and perhaps something should be done about it, i.e. government intervention. However, to go down that path is to go against a right that Canadians enjoy with totality, one which has defined the freedoms that have given shape to this country: property rights. In this case the right to sell our property to whomever we wish.

Consider you want to sell your car for the best price possible. Your neighbor will give you $600 for your beater, yet the man two streets down is willing to buy it for $800. Who are you going to sell it to? You know very well that like any normal human being that you want to get the most you can for it. That in essence is the Vancouver housing market. If individuals or large real estate firms can get the best prices overseas, they will, and to deny that from them is a gross infringement of their rights, regardless of how it affects the housing market.

Although the situation is far more complicated than mere wealthy individuals from overseas buying these properties, we also have to consider the lack of livable space in Vancouver, as well as speculation on the part of a great deal of Vancouverites themselves. We do need to understand that the housing market needs to be let alone and to run its course. If the government steps in in any manner, it would constitute as a violation of the Constitution. More precisely, coercion — the kind that you see in despotic states.

A common problem that people voice is that having so much Vancouver real estate in foreign hands is not a good thing, especially when many of the lots and houses remain unoccupied. My question is: Why? They will answer that it destroys communities and relationships with people. Yes, something which is true, however you cannot expect property owners to sell their property for less to locals, just so you can say “Hi” to a neighbor over your fence once in a while. Individual property is a cornerstone of Western civilization and a reason why we live in prosperity.

However, there is another austere problem in the backstage of the whole situation: xenophobia. Many have resorted to a prime collective racism, believing that allowing Hong Kong money — in other words Asian investors — to come to Vancouver and take over real estate is somehow wrong. What these ignorant individuals forget, however, is that the irrelevance of where people come from is so minuscule that it is sincerely ridiculous. This is not about ethnicity, rather about money, which never discriminates in any situation. The money pouring into Vancouver might as well have been from Bulgaria, it does not matter. In fact no one cares, which is the beauty of the entire situation in the first place — what matters is profit.

Analysis by Milad Doroudian

Image By Graham King

AENA’s privatisation complete – global potential and global problems

February 12, 2015 by The Speaker Editors

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MADRID, Spain — AENA, the world’s largest airport operator, has been floated on the stock market in Madrid. Josè Manuel Vargas, the company’s CEO, indicated in an interview with the Financial Times that the company’s entry onto the stock market preceded a wider move towards a more global reach for the company. However, while the privatisation and expansion of the operator reflects the demands of a more globalised world, it also is testament to the global nature of protests against austerity politics and conservative governments.

These movements, despite being diverse, are interconnected through public pronouncements of support for one another in spite of the fact governments from Greece, Ireland, Spain, and elsewhere try to push the idea that economy is recovering. Ireland is no long under the yoke of the IMF and much has been made of that by the ruling Fine Gael party there. In Spain, Mr. Vargas, in the aforementioned Financial Times article, held AENA up as the symbol of new economic growth in the country. In other words, the end of a very long economic crisis.

Spain and Greece are both countries with a political mood torn between the entrenched divisions between Left and Right. The Pablo Iglesias-led Podemos — the Obamaesque ‘We Can’ is how it translates — and Greece’s Syriza are sister organizations that are radically Left and united in a shared political ethos. The Greek party won power on January 25th and a few days later in the centre of Madrid, during a Podemos rally, spectators could be seen holding Greek flags. Podemos, preparing for the Spanish elections this year, also have parallels with Latin American movements also. What is more, they seek to nationalize key institutions. There are fears that, should Podemos win, that AENA’s privatization could be rolled back; such a move would be difficult but not impossible.

Syriza have also been making noise recently. They have come out in support of the water protests in Ireland and the party, speaking in Dublin, have declared that opposition to the privatization of water was ‘inspirational’ before attacking the mainstream media for failing to cover the protests fairly and ended by saying that grassroots movements had to stick together as ‘Greek people and Irish people face the same challenges from capitalism’. Podemos also share the sentiment that the main stream media do not adequately cover alternative views and Mr. Iglesias has his own YouTube show to compensate for what he perceives as inadequate coverage.

While the executives in AENA toasted the privatisation process with a cocktail reception in the stock market and talks of economic recovery, there will be those around the world sounding the caution that not everybody is convinced the good times are back and that, if they are, they will benefit everyone.

Analysis by Enda Kenneally

Researchers find short-lived model for long-life research in African killifish

January 26, 2021February 12, 2015 by The Speaker Editors

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A type of African fish that lives for only 4-6 months — ideally suited to its perpetually disappearing temporary habitat — has become a new model organism for the study of aging. Researchers at Stanford University are using new technology that allows them to edit specific genes in a series to understand some of the biggest challenges of modern biology, such as how complex characteristics like aging are encoded by genomes.

“We have created a resource to test the impact of genes on aging and age-related diseases in a rapid and high throughput manner,” Dr. Anne Brunet of Stanford University’s Brunet Lab, lead researcher of the study, told The Speaker.

“Our pipeline should allow rapid screening for genes that are important for modulating the aging process in an organism that shares a lot of characteristics with us.”

Traditionally, aging researchers have worked much with short-lived yeast, worms and other invertebrates in order to study effects across lifespan and across generations. But these creatures have little in common with humans, the primary consideration of the work of many researchers. Among the species more similar to humans, even the laboratory mouse lives 1 1/2 to 3 years.

The team used the African turquoise killifish, in which are combined both features shared with other vertebrates and relatively short lifespan — the fish complete the full course of their lives in only 4-6 months within temporary ponds of water that dry up when the seasons change in southeastern Africa.

The researchers used new genetic tools to create mutant killifish, which they have since made available to the entire research community.

“We decided to use the recently developed gene-editing technology called CRISPR/Cas9 to manipulate genes in the African killifish because this technology allows us to not only specifically delete genes, but also to precisely change a specific base pair in the genome. These are key steps in transforming an organism into a model system because they allow us to abrogate or specifically modify the function of key genes (aging and longevity genes) and then test the consequences of this on characteristic of interest (lifespan).”

The ability to edit and observe the changes of single genes is so important because a single gene can be the key to understanding the expression of many other genes.

“Lifespan is likely determined by a complex network involving many genes. That being said, it is also interesting to note that mutations in just one gene can drastically alter the aging process, which suggests that some genes are pivotal “nodes” in the network. It will be interesting to systematically dissect this network and identify the ‘hubs.'”

The wide variety of mutable killifish made available will provide scientists with fish they can screen for particular genes that may slow or speed up — or reverse — aging and age-related diseases.

“We have also developed this African killifish into a model organism that hopefully will be used by many, both in academia and industry, for potential therapies for aging or age related diseases,” Brunet told us. “Furthermore, there is an explosive amount of variations or mutations being identified in the human genome given the rise in personalized medicine (also known as precision medicine). So there is a need to understand the function of these variants at the organismal level, and this fish model could help do that in a rapid and high throughput manner.”

The report, “A platform for rapid exploration of aging and diseases in a naturally short-lived vertebrate,” was completed by Brunet et al., and was published in the journal Cell.

Paris Magnum Photography exhibition captures 80 years of city’s history

February 10, 2015 by Felicia Bonanno

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PARIS — One woman spectator gasps at a photo of what appears to be severed body parts being washed in a sink by a woman smiling gaily for the camera. When another woman passes the same photo, she reads the description and laughs aloud to herself, prompting the incredulous woman to lean in close to the small print to discover the dismembered body parts are actually sculptures at the Musée Grévin, captured on film in 1982 by Guy Le Querrec.

This winter, a series of 150 photographs at Hôtel de Ville captures the last 80 years in the City of Lights, from a light-hearted moment at one of Paris’s finest museums to the aftermath of World War II. The photographs are selections from Magnum Photos, an extremely exclusive photo journalism agency founded in 1947 in New York and Paris that began with four photographers, whose names are highly-esteemed in their field: Henri Cartier-Bresson, Robert Capa, George Rodger and David “Chim” Seymour.

The free exhibit is arranged in a long rectangle inside Hôtel de Ville and organized into five chronological sequences, beginning with 1932 – 1944 with photos taken by the agency’s founders before they established Magnum Photos. This era, dubbed by the exhibit as “Magnum Before Magnum” includes photos such an eerie shot of a man striding through watery streets at Place de l’Europe in 1932, as though Cartier-Bresson is capturing the fleeing peace in Paris before the war. Others from this time show poverty, as well as smiles, such as in a Seymour photograph from 1936 of two dozen construction workers taking a break to pose on the railing of a crane at Saint-Ouen.

“Poverty and Inquietude” depicts the era following the Second World War. The introduction to this sequence says, “Few smiles in these photos …”, yet some of the most whimsical pieces of the exhibit are pinned to this era, including the 1953 “Peintres de la Tour Eiffel” by Marc Riboud, capturing a force of jolly painters on their lunch break sitting atop their current worksite – The Eiffel Tower – with no rigs or ropes to save them from a lethal slip. Another Riboud photo of a small dog riding atop the back of a larger dog walking a tight-rope, much to the entertainment of bystanders, contradicts the “poverty and inquietude” in the other photographs of this sequence.

“Les Années Pop” (The Pop Years) spans from 1960 – 1969, described as the time of the mini skirt, the “Nouvelle Vague,” pop art, and, of course, the revolution of ’68. A Henri Cartier-Bresson photograph of the famous student occupation of The Sorbonne captures the spirit of revolution, lead primarily by Paris’ youth. Photos from the workers and students demonstrating at Place de la République in May 1968 spark a striking comparison to the recent historical solidarity march at the same place in Paris.

1970 – 1989 “Reaction and Philosophical Resistance,” is marked as “the antithesis of the epoch.” Two landmarks Paris is most known for today were constructed in this time – tucked between photos of when Patrice Chéreau, François Truffaut, Jean-Pierre Léaud, Coluche and Gainsbourg
were young and handsome” are photographs of the construction of the Grand Arch de la Défence and the pyramid at the Louvre

The final “epoch” is named “An Aesthetic of the Margins,” from 1990 to 2014, a reflection of the city today, although the city seems in some ways to have never changed at all. “Many of the photographs in this exhibit seem so familiar, like they were taken just yesterday, even if they’re from decades ago,” says Nina Zeijpveld, who lives in Paris, “but others showed me a side of Paris I never knew about.” These color photographs have a more familiar feeling for younger Paris inhabitants, such as a 2003 shot of people sitting among green neon lights at Nuit Blanche, or a shot of Champs-Élysées Christmas markets in 2005. Observers can see how photographers began to play with new effects, such as two separate photographs taken through a glass pane. “It gives the feeling of being in a dream,” Zeijpveld says. The section speaks of a growing difficulty for photojournalism with the abundance of televised news, but also of Magnum Photos artists’ dedication as they continue to delve into the city, capturing its slight waves and enormous breakers in ways fast-paced televised pictures could never do.

Slightly removed from these five sections of the exhibit are two more parts, along each far wall of the room. Along the right wall, projectors cast slideshows, separated by the building’s pillars – black and white photos of the Paris jazz scene include mostly the black community, which doesn’t seem to have as many faces in the rest of the exhibit, allowing a peek into yet another part of Paris’s past that inhabitants like Zijpveld may not have known much about.

The portrait wall is lined with photos almost all black and white and almost all recognizable – Pablo Picasso in his studio, photographed by Robert Capa in 1944. Simone de Beauvoir, Jean-Paul Sartre, Serge Gainsbourg, Francois Sagan in his apartment … The posed portraits give life to the subject’s era in a way the exhibit’s other photographs cannot. Edith Piaf’s shining eyes bring a personal perspective to the time, casting the observer into her life, into the Parisian atmosphere she experienced every day. As with any story, the story of these 150 photographs is told most personally through the faces of individuals, and the wall of portraits seals the room of Parisian history with a string of understanding times past.

Photography books, postcards and other souvenirs are on sale in front of the exhibition, which runs until March 28.

By Felicia Bonanno

Christian group strives to improve the lives of rural Cambodians

February 16, 2015February 9, 2015 by Brett Scott

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SIEM REAP, Cambodia — Last month, a group from Methodist churches in the United States traveled to Cambodia as part of an outreach program targeting females, mainly in the countryside. Their main goals were to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ and to provide additional education that is otherwise mostly out of the reach of rural Cambodians. The group was assisted in their project by a local translator.

One of the members of the delegation, Nancy Yarbourgh from Virginia, had previously been to Cambodia in 2013 along with three other members. “The group is the Virginia Conference United Methodist Volunteers in Mission. The goal of this team was to gather women together for fellowship and training,” explained Yarbourgh.

Upon arrival in Phnom Penh, Nancy and her group stayed for two days in the capital. After that, they went to the southern city and province of Sihanoukville. “We arrived [in Sihanoukville] on Monday and left on Saturday. Then we went to Siem Reap for two days and [then went] back to Phnom Penh.” During their trip, they stayed mainly in countryside villages outside of these cities.

Nancy went on to say that there are many more churches in this predominantly Buddhist country than may be expected. “The United Methodist church currently has 154 churches in Cambodia. I know there are Baptist and non-denominational churches as well. All of the Methodist churches are in rural villages. We are also building dormitories for the children to stay in so they can get an education. We have many Methodist schools in Cambodia, and we are also building a women’s center.”

Nancy stated that although Cambodia is 95 percent Buddhist, the people in the country have been very receptive to the message of the Gospel. “It has not been that difficult to bring Cambodians to Christ. They are very excited about this loving, living God we share with them. The people of Cambodia are very open and anxious to hear the gospel and share it with others.”

Although the primary focus of the group was to share their faith with the villagers, they also concentrated on educating people in many different areas that are especially relevant to this part of the world. “We trained in areas of leadership, human trafficking, roles of the women in church, community and society. … We also had classes on the environment and green initiatives.”

Nancy said that human empathy and mutual understanding helped the most while they were working in the countryside. “Our greatest success was teaching the women and letting them know that we are just like them. We [also] have problems, illness and heartache.”

She also said that although the time they had in Cambodia was short, they got a lot accomplished, and she was optimistic that in the future the United Methodist Volunteers in Mission would continue to make a positive impact on rural Cambodians. “We wanted to do so much more but most of our time was spent teaching the women, which was the focus of our group. I think [that with] time and the continued support of the many Conferences in the United States, [we] will make a difference in the lives of the people of Cambodia. That is my prayer; to end poverty and get the children educated.”

By Brett Scott

Sixth taste identified – fat

January 26, 2021February 9, 2015 by The Speaker Editors

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The sixth taste has been identified — fat. Deakin University scientists put fat through a series of tests to see if it met the strict requirements of a taste, and found conclusive evidence that fat made the grade. The findings could hold new promise in the fight against obesity.

“Research from animal and human studies provide conclusive evidence that there is fat taste,” said lead author Dr. Russell Keast, head of the Centre of Advanced Sensory Science at Deakin University. “For fat to be considered a taste it must meet some strict criteria, and it does.”

The last new taste to be recognized was umami in 1985.

“Five are widely accepted: sweet, sour, salty, bitter and umami,” Keast told The Speaker. “I am saying fat has convincing evidence to be called a taste.”

Keast explained how a taste “makes it” onto the list, and how fat passed the tests conducted at his lab.

“There must be a class of stimuli — fats or the breakdown products, fatty acids — that activate receptors on taste cells. A signal must be sent from the taste cell to taste processing regions of the brain. The signal that is decoded as a perception must be independent of the other tastes — not a combination of sweet and salt or any other possible combinations.

“We have established a test to evaluate people’s threshold for fatty acid — we present 3 solutions, one of which contains a fatty acid. The task is to identify which solution contains the fatty acid. If the subject is incorrect the concentration of fatty acid is increased and the test rerun. This continues until the correct solution is identifid multiple times.”

But fat is a taste that is different from the five more familiar tastes. It is unconscious. “No actual concious taste, so no ‘sweet’ or ‘salty.’ We know fat is there, but we cannot describe what it actually is.”

That is, food with fat can be sensed, as was demonstrated in the tests, but the difference of fatty food from food without fat is difficult to describe.

This unconscious taste is not fully understood. “We know it is different from a solution without the fatty acid, but cannot describe why,” Keast said.

Keast expects more tastes will follow fat onto the list.

“There will be others, kokumi, carbohydrate, and potentially many others. As we learn more about the molecular basis of taste, perhaps we have to revise the scope and defintion for taste.”

Keast pointed to the fight against obsesity as one of the most important areas where the research could be applied.

“This has important potential in applied research — particulary the development of foods that could be lower in energy (fat) yet still deliver the important taste effects of fat. We think that the taste component of fat, which was missing in many low fat foods developed prior to the current day, did not take advantage of this knowledge.”

The report, “Is fat the sixth taste primary? Evidence and implications,” was completed by Russell SJ Keast and Andrew Costanzo, and was published in Flavour Journal.