On April 4th a protest was held at the grassy knoll at UBC. The grassy knoll is undergoing redevelopment; the plan for Trek Park (affectionately called the grassy knoll) is a new transit loop that would effectively level and remove the grassy hill UBC students love to sit upon on the rare sunny day.
The protest started with live bands and good times. A bon fire was then lit in the centre concrete area and the brigade was called to hose it down. Protesters were quite fond of the festive fire and attempted to step on the hose to stop the extinguishing of potentially a symbol of the firey spirit that is Grassy Knoll protest.
One woman, who was stepping on the hose, who news is calling “Stef” was arrested:
"(the woman) was grabbed by an RCMP officer and thrown to the ground, pinned, and handcuffed. Her face was literally shoved in a puddle of mud while an RCMP officer sat on top of her," the release said, describing it as an "uncalled act of police aggression."
A small army of 25 students that grew to a whopping 35 created a human chain around the police car that detained the rabble-rouser “Stef”. 19 more students were arrested.
There is a pretty thorough play-by-play at the UBC Insider with links to videos and all that jazz.
The front page of The Vancouver Sun posted a story entitled, “The cost of homelessness”. (Note that the online equivalent reads, “The high cost of homelessness”- which was published earlier on Friday, March 21, 2008- the word "high" a bit much for the front page?).
The Vancouver Sun, Saturday, March 22, 2008. http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/story.html?id=11fdf74c-9130-41b3...
"Every homeless person costs system $55,000, an amount that could buy supported
housing for each of them…annual total of $644.3 million in health,
corrections and social services spending for all the homeless in B.C."
Vancouver New Music, the University of Victoria and the University of British Columbia School of Music are pleased to host Helmut Lachenmann, one of the most influential European composers of the 20th and 21st century. With Special guest Helmut Lachenmann, Jee Yeon Ryu, piano, Max Murray, tuba, AK Coope, clarinet and Franklin Cox, cello. The program will feature compositions by Helmut Lachenmann and Luigi Nono.
Broadcast E-mail to All UBC Vancouver Students, Faculty and Staff from President Stephen J. Toope:
For the second time in a week, our Vancouver campus community has received a threatening message.In this second case, an unspecific threat has been made for Wednesday. The threat does not specify a time, a location within the UBC Point Grey campus or the method of doing harm.We must take such threats seriously, and we are working closely with senior RCMP personnel to address this new threat.What can we all do when faced with such a threat? We are taking the advice of the RCMP to treat the non-specific nature of the threat with a higher level of community vigilance but to otherwise continue our normal activities.However, because of the specific mention of the Biosciences building in the threatening message received last week, and the traumatic experience of the occupants who endured a full lockdown of the building at that time, classes will be cancelled tomorrow (Wednesday) in the Biosciences Building.
For details, see the RCMP news release at: www.rcmp-bcmedia.caAnd please continue to look at www.ubc.ca for the latest information.
Hosted by the Social Entrepreneurship 101 program at the University of British Columbia, Africa Rising will feature the Honourary Christopher Meyer, Head of the South African Consulate as the key note speaker and it is expected to attract over 100 local business leaders and community members. This special evening will be filled with limited edition Mission Hill wine and cheese tasting, an African Art/Photography exhibit and a silent auction of exclusive items from local businesses including:
Opus Hotel
DKNY
Westwood Plateau Golf and Country Club
Farmhouse Collections
Daniel Le Chocolate Belege
Fort Winery
Skanda Jewelry
Jack and Jill Apparel
and more…!
Come join us for an exciting cultural experience while supporting economic and social development in South Africa/Swaziland at the same time!
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What is Social Entrepreneurship 101?
Social Entrepreneurship 101: Africa, a partnership between the Sauder School of Business and YouLead International Service Learning, teaches African youth how to write business plans and transform their entrepreneurial ideas into reality.