A half-dozen years ago, bullets flew into the walls of St Mary Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Surrey BC (part of the Greater Vancouver Regional District). That should tell you all that you need to know about the crime, drugs, homelessness, and squalor that surround the church’s gold-coloured dome in Whalley. Rev Mykhaylo Pozdyk said, “We’re like an island amongst sinners. The picture isn’t good, but we’re proud to be here to be God’s witness”. Although he said that dying in the church would be a “great honour”, it was fortunate that no one was around at the time of the drug-related shooting spree.
The church is on 135A Street, in a two-block section that’s generally-considered Surrey’s worst stretch of pavement. When Ukrainian immigrants chose the spot for the church 50 years ago, the town centre was thriving. Today, the building’s white walls and blue-painted trim stand apart from nearby vacant lots and rundown buildings. Fr Mykhaylo said that the street people in the neighbourhood are friendly for the most part, but thefts occur and church property is sometimes destroyed, noting, “People ask for money but they usually don’t want food”.
As difficult as life is for the disadvantaged in downtown Whalley, Pozdyk saw much worse under Soviet rule in the Ukraine, where he lived until moving to Canada in 1996. He said, “Here we have more respect and value for people. Canada’s a rich country with many government programmes to help them”. He went on to say that churches were shut down for several generations in his homeland and KGB agents lurked in every village and organisation, observing, “Communists denied God’s existence”. Pozdyk was secretly married in a church in 1987 at the beginning of Mikhail Gorbachyov’s period of thaw. Ukrainian people flocked to the churches when the doors opened after independence in 1991.
He stated that the churches there aren’t as well attended now because people chase after the same material goals as they do in the West, saying, “As soon as you sign a mortgage, you’re a slave to the mortgage. You have no time for God”. Although Pozdyk has bought a house here, and smiles about it, he remains faithful to his spiritual duties, telling us, “We’re temporary in this world… pilgrims. Freedom you can only find in God. We glorify God for everything we have in this life. We say ‘thank you’ for the forgiveness of our sins. I’m still a sinner and I’m trying my best to grow spiritually”.
We’re blessed to worship in this beautiful little church that’s on the City of Surrey Heritage Register. We welcome everyone, and we’ll treat you as best as we can.
What’s the most beautiful thing about your church?
Praising God and worshipping Him in spirit and truth together with all the people who come here and have hope that all their names will be written in the Book of Life.
Give us your sense of what’s happening in the area around the church.
Hard-working people who were busy with supporting their families built this church between 1950 and 1955. At the same time, they worked hard to build a new place of worship. At that time, it was a good area. Now, the church finds itself on one of the poorest streets in town.
This summer, Russia will host the World University Games, in 2014, the Winter Olympics, and in 2018, the FIFA World Cup. In the coming five years, it’ll also play host to a number of world championships in individual sports. To make Russia more welcoming, President Putin proposed to grant visa-free entry to foreign athletes participating in these competitions. Mr Nikolai Dolgopolov, President of the Russian Federation of Sports Journalists, said, “The news makes me happy. All this paperwork and biometrics are so time-consuming and tedious! As a great sports fan, President Putin appreciates the importance of easy entry for international athletes. Russia’s getting a better image, and its consular officials, an easier workload”.
Remember, in 2008, Russia granted visa-free entry to some 60,000 Chelsea FC supporters who came to Moscow to watch the final match of the Champions League played between their team and Manchester United FC. Will the EU respond to such Russian measures by bringing forward visa-free travel between EU countries and Russia? We asked Dr Sergei Utkin of the Europe Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences about this, and he said, “Such expectations are unrealistic. True, we have a dialogue. At the same time, the EU countries would have difficulties in finding a common response to the latest easy-visas initiative by the Russian President. Coming to an agreement within the EU is a protracted and difficult matter”. In some of its recent pronouncements, the European Commission said it isn’t in a hurry to bring about visa-free travel between EU countries and Russia.
One reason why the EU is dragging its feet is American pressure. In particular, the US Republican Party supports repressive police state measures that restricts the travel of American citizens abroad. For instance, the Bush fascists destroyed the most peaceful border in the world when it demanded that all Americans travelling to Canada must have passports. I travelled to Canada many times without a passport… that’s no longer possible due to the Department of Homeland SecurityGestapo created by the Republican Party. There’s no threat of “terrorism” from Canada. Reflect on this… the Republicans claim that they want “smaller” government… well, they don’t want to dismantle such GOP-founded “American KGB” agencies as the Department of Homeland Security and the TSA (I had contact with the latter… they’re a Kafkaesque and Queen of Hearts madhouse). I think that makes them liars, no? Read and heed…
A public memorial to Stompin’ Tom Connors was a joyous celebration Wednesday night, as thousands of devoted fans packed the Peterborough Memorial Centre to pay homage to the late Canadian country icon with songs, signs, suds, and one standing ovation after another. An eclectic mixture of Canadian musicians, politicians, and Connors’ close friends remembered the unique, black-hatted songwriter behind Bud the Spud and The Hockey Song, whilst jovial spectators… who’d spent the day lining up for access, some singing Connors’ songs and sipping beers… responded enthusiastically to every tribute, clip and anecdote.
Connors’ long-time promoter Brian Edwards said as he introduced the festivities, “We’re going to show you we really know how to throw a party”. Whilst the ceremony had its sombre moments, from the start, it was clear that this wasn’t meant to be a mournful event. Given that Connors had an integral role in planning the memorial before his death last week, Edwards and others were able to say with certainty that the rousing remembrance was conducted exactly the way Connors would’ve wanted. He even handpicked most of the line-up of performers, beginning with a spirited fiddle medley from Billy Macinnis, who frequently played with Connors. Calgary’s Tim Hus performed his original tribute Man in the Black Hat, Connors collaborators J P Cormier and Dave Gunning teamed for an inspired medley of Little Wawa and Gumboot Cloggeroo, Sylvia Tyson and Cindy Church collaborated on an elegant version of Connors’ Farewell to Nova Scotia, and former Rheostatics frontman Dave Bidini contributed his take on Bridge Came Tumbling Down.
Testimonials from Connors peers including Rita MacNeil and Liona Boyd were read aloud, whilst country legend Tommy Hunter sat close to the stage. In a series of speeches, Connors was remembered as tolerant, authentic, clever, and surprisingly warm for a guy who, as Bidini attested, could occasionally level a stare so intense it was “terrifying”. Connors was even, according to Edwards, a savvy Scrabble player. Former Governor General Adrienne Clarkson spoke at particular length about her friendship with Connors, whom she remembered as “truly wonderful”, saying, “Stompin’ Tom, the man that we’re celebrating today, is that very unusual thing… something that we can all agree about as Canadians. He was a gift to us as Canadians. I think the secret to his gift was that he knew that he was giving it. When Stompin’ Tom stomped on that board, he stomped ‘Canada, Canada’ into our hearts. We didn’t ask for Stompin’ Tom. He just blew onto us like a wonderful wind”.
Canadian politician and author Ken Dryden, famed of course as goalie for Connors’ beloved Montreal Canadiens, reminisced on the joy he felt hearing The Hockey Song ring out in arenas during his NHL days, saying, “Tom could do two things I always wanted to but couldn’t… sing and wear a cowboy hat”. Dryden later asked the audience to stand for the “national hockey anthem”, and a collective sing-along of Connors’ most famous tune commenced. Indeed, the crowd was rarely quiet for long. The speeches were intermittently interrupted by outbursts of applause, cheering or the odd shout of “We miss you, Tom!” from the passionate assemblage.
The evening did begin with a rare solemn moment, as nine members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police carried Connors’ casket… covered entirely in a Canadian flag… onto the stage. Connors’ wife, Lena, then, walked out to a rousing standing ovation and placed a black cowboy hat on top. Other personal effects surrounded it, including a piece of plywood like the hunks of wood Connors used to bury his boot in onstage. The memorial then began, and the fans were ready. A technical glitch prevented the audience from hearing the sound during a video of Connors performing The Peterborough Postman, but some observers were undaunted. “Everybody sing!” shouted one spectator. Added another, “Come on, we all know it!”
Many pointed out that Connors would’ve relished the celebratory mood. Tyson said, “Tom orchestrated this whole thing. This is his show… and he’s here”. Damhnait Doyle sure seemed to understand the spirit of the evening, pausing dramatically just before her performance of The Coal Boat Song, saying, “I need beer… it feels weird not to do this without beer”, before charging offstage and returning with a brew in hand.
While Connors actually lived a couple hours away in Halton Hills, Peterborough made sense for a few reasons. It was there that Connors first received his famous “Stompin’ Tom” moniker, a nickname conjured up by a waiter at the King George Tavern back in 1967 after observing Connors hammering the stage with the heel of his left boot to keep time. He subsequently found a particularly warm reaction from the southeastern Ontario town, and he was given the keys to the city years ago in an honorary gesture. Brian believes Connors played Peterborough more than any other town. However, on Wednesday night, fans flowed in from all over, from Vancouver to Prince Edward Island, where Connors spent his early life. Many shared their memories of Connors as they waited for the service to begin.
Musician Joe Bulger recalled that when he put out a CD in 2006, Connors sent him a postcard of congratulations, saying, as he clutched a laminated copy of the letter, “We’re all here for the same reason. He’s a class Canadian and that’s all you need to say about the man. There’ll never be another Sir Tom”. Added 34-year-old Sara Maclean, “It was very cool to know that this is a piece of history that I got to take part in”. The final speech of the evening belonged to Connors’ son, Tom Jr., who noted that this was the first time the late singer’s four children ever gathered in the same room. In his tribute to his dad, he looked to the future.
Tom Connors Jr, who bears a striking resemblance to his famous father, said, “We’re giving him the best send-off we possibly can because he did everything he could for us to feel better about being Canadian. He travelled coast to coast seeing all of you. There would be no Stompin’ Tom without all of you. I heard some people comment at the funeral, saying there’d never be another Stompin’ Tom. Well, I got news for you. We still have a Canada, and we still have the roads, towns, people, jobs… and that’s what Tom wrote about. So, never say ‘never’… he never liked anyone copying him, but anyone who wants to sing about Canada, keep ‘er on going. It’s nice to travel south. It might be warmer on the skin, but if you go east and west, it’ll be warmer on your hearts”.
After the casket was carried offstage, Edwards said that Connors specified that he didn’t want the night to end on a down note. So, a flock of musicians returned to the stage to sing Sudbury Saturday Night, while audience members danced in the aisles.
Stompin’ Tom wasn’t known much “south of the border”… that’s because all too many Americans are navel-gazers, who think that Canadians are a form of American (they’re not, emphatically not). Don’t forget, English-speaking Canada sprang forth from the United Empire Loyalists, who rejected the “American Revolution” root-and-branch. Need I mention that Stompin’ Tom’s particularly loved by the NDP set? I didn’t think so…
That is, Canada is what it is, and it’s most definitely NOT “America North”…
Talk about media obsession! Over the last three days at work, they had CNN blatting away in the corner in the lunchroom. They’re obsessing over Lance Armstrong (a washed-up jock) and some jerkoff jabronie at Notre Dame with an imaginary girlfriend. I kid you not! They didn’t talk about the Algerian hostage crisis… they didn’t talk about the fighting in Mali… they didn’t talk about the Syrian Army kicking ass on the insurgents… they didn’t talk about Russia and China giving support to Iran. They didn’t report the massive First Nations protest in Canada snarling up traffic at the border between Detroit and Windsor… they didn’t report the good economic news from Russia and Belarus… they didn’t report about the Magnitsky Law or about Russia’s response to it, the Guantánamo List. Fox is the same thing, only from the other side of the crapitalist coin.
Be generous with your interlocutors. Most only follow the crank American “news” networks (remember, Canada wouldn’t let Fox operate, as it isn’t really a news operation, it’s a propaganda outlet), so, they only know what the Corporate Leadership wants them to know. If they saw the above image… a Belarusian armychaplain with spetsnaz troopers… they’d say, “Hey, that’s a lot like here. They look like stand-up guys to me”. Remember, most haven’t read what we’ve read or seen what we’ve seen. Give ‘em a break. Tell ‘em the truth, but give ‘em a break. We just might win some friends and influence some people. After all, the greedsters are showing their bloody talons… a lot of people who didn’t see what’s out there before, are seeing it now. They’re seeing that “trickle down” really meant “trickle upon”, and we all know what flows down, don’t we? It’s not prosperity or honey, kids…
Putin Proposes Visa-Free Entry for International Athletes
Tags: Canada, European Commission, European Union, Moscow, political commentary, Putin, repression, Republican, Republican Party, Republicans, right-wing, Russia, Russian, Sport, Sports, Transportation Security Administration, United States, United States Department of Homeland Security, USA, Vladimir Putin
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This summer, Russia will host the World University Games, in 2014, the Winter Olympics, and in 2018, the FIFA World Cup. In the coming five years, it’ll also play host to a number of world championships in individual sports. To make Russia more welcoming, President Putin proposed to grant visa-free entry to foreign athletes participating in these competitions. Mr Nikolai Dolgopolov, President of the Russian Federation of Sports Journalists, said, “The news makes me happy. All this paperwork and biometrics are so time-consuming and tedious! As a great sports fan, President Putin appreciates the importance of easy entry for international athletes. Russia’s getting a better image, and its consular officials, an easier workload”.
Remember, in 2008, Russia granted visa-free entry to some 60,000 Chelsea FC supporters who came to Moscow to watch the final match of the Champions League played between their team and Manchester United FC. Will the EU respond to such Russian measures by bringing forward visa-free travel between EU countries and Russia? We asked Dr Sergei Utkin of the Europe Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences about this, and he said, “Such expectations are unrealistic. True, we have a dialogue. At the same time, the EU countries would have difficulties in finding a common response to the latest easy-visas initiative by the Russian President. Coming to an agreement within the EU is a protracted and difficult matter”. In some of its recent pronouncements, the European Commission said it isn’t in a hurry to bring about visa-free travel between EU countries and Russia.
20 March 2013
Aleksei Lyakhov
Svetlana Kalmykova
Voice of Russia World Service
http://english.ruvr.ru/2013_03_20/Putin-proposes-visa-free-entry-for-international-athletes/
Editor’s Note:
One reason why the EU is dragging its feet is American pressure. In particular, the US Republican Party supports repressive police state measures that restricts the travel of American citizens abroad. For instance, the Bush fascists destroyed the most peaceful border in the world when it demanded that all Americans travelling to Canada must have passports. I travelled to Canada many times without a passport… that’s no longer possible due to the Department of Homeland Security Gestapo created by the Republican Party. There’s no threat of “terrorism” from Canada. Reflect on this… the Republicans claim that they want “smaller” government… well, they don’t want to dismantle such GOP-founded “American KGB” agencies as the Department of Homeland Security and the TSA (I had contact with the latter… they’re a Kafkaesque and Queen of Hearts madhouse). I think that makes them liars, no? Read and heed…
BMD