Archive
Hendrik Beune, Director of AHA MEDIA’s thoughts on the renovation of ASAHI Baseball Diamond in Oppenheimer Park
The beloved Oppenheimer Park in the Vancouver Downtown Eastside is undergoing renovations. In the following video, Hendrik Beune, Director of AHA MEDIA mourns the loss of the historic ASAHI Baseball Diamond.
The Asahi BaseballClub, a group of Japanese Canadian baseball playerswho were interned during the Second World War, is remembered today for victories on thebaseball diamond in the face of discrimination and racist attitudes.
Asahi in Japanese means “morning sun.” Five young Japanese men, fourIssei and one Nisei, formed the first Asahi baseball team in Vancouver,B.C., in 1914. The Nisei loved the game because it was such a big part of North American culture and it was affordable for working-class families. Some parents had even played the game inJapan. The Asahi Club drew their players mostly from Little Tokyo in Vancouver, and played at thletic Park and Powell Grounds. (Oppenheimer Park)
In general the Asahi were not power-houses or heavy hitters, but they were heroes to the Japanese Canadian community. They dominated senior baseball in the 1930s and 1940s by playing what became known as “brainball” because they relied on bunts, stolen bases, speedand precision fielding. The champion-ship-winning Asahi Baseball Club was popular with both Japanese Canadiansand non-Japanese Canadians. During a time when Japanese Canadians were frequently targets of racism—not being allowed to vote, to teach, nor to work in the civil service or other professions—the barriers of race came down whent he ball was in play. These players taught their fans baseball strategy as well as the true meaning of fair playand sportsmanship. The Asahi remain asymbol of pride not only for Canada’sJapanese Canadian community but also fans of baseball everywhere.
To read more about the Asahi: http://tinyurl.com/nqgx5e
For historical photos and more: http://tinyurl.com/llcaqq
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This was filmed by April Smith of AHA MEDIA on a Nokia N95 mobile cameraphone. April is passionate and skilled in making Nokia films by exploring mobile media production through the camera lens of a cellphone. For a better quality version of this video, please DM April Smith @AprilFilms on Twitter.
AHA MEDIA is pleased to introduce a Benefit Concert for DTES NH with Earle Peach and Solidarity Notes Choir – Friday May 29th 7:30pm
AHA MEDIA is pleased to introduce a benefit concert for DTES NH with Earle Peach and the Solidarity Notes Choir http://www.solidaritynotes.ca
Earle Peach is a legendary singer, songwriter, conductor and composer whose political activist work has included the Vancouver Downtown Eastside. He was Carnegie Centre’s band and choir leader until a few years ago. http://www.earlepeach.com/
AHA MEDIA is pleased to meet Travis Bernhardt, Magician on Robson Street in Vancouver
Travis Bernhardt, mesmerized his audience on Robson Street in Vancouver over the weekend with his magic act!
AHA MEDIA recently saw Travis aka Dr.Steelhand with the band Creaking Planks at One Cool Word at Biltmore Hotel.
What a small and wonderful world, the Vancouver entertainment scene is!! http://www.myspace.com/tbernhardt
This was filmed by April Smith of AHA MEDIA on a Nokia N95 mobile cameraphone. April is passionate and skilled in making Nokia films by exploring mobile media production through the camera lens of a cellphone. For a better quality version of this video, please DM April Smith @AprilFilms on Twitter.
Babyface Brass on Robson Street in Vancouver
BabyFace Brass, a jazz trio was filmed by AHA MEDIA playing a lively song at the corner of Robson and Burrard, near HMV in Vancouver. They are trying to get to Japan! 🙂 http://www.myspace.com/BabyFaceBrass
This was filmed by April Smith of AHA MEDIA on a Nokia N95 mobile cameraphone. April is passionate and skilled in making Nokia films by exploring mobile media production through the camera lens of a cellphone. For a better quality version of this video, please DM April Smith @AprilFilms on Twitter.
Another unique thing was that BabyFace Brass played right near a mosaic that was sponsored by Tom Lee Music
AHA MEDIA wishes to congratulate Megaphone Magazine on winning two International Awards!
AHA MEDIA wishes to give a big THANK YOU and a huge round of applause to Megaphone Magazine – Vancouver’s Street Magazine! Fantastic work and very prestigious honors! You have represented us to the world in the very best of ways and we are honored to have worked with you! ! 🙂
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Megaphone Wins Two International Awards
On Thursday, May 14th, Megaphone Magazine was the proud winner of two international awards at the International Network of Street Papers (INSP) conference in Bergen, Norway. Functionality‘, which appeared in Megaphone Issue #2.Falling Through the Cracks,’ which was published in The Tyee and then republished in Megaphone Issue #15:The prestigious international judging panel included Martin Wanjala Ocholi, a media consultant from Kenya; Sanjay Suri, editor for Inter Press Service (IPS), Europe-Mediterranean (IPS); Silja J.A. Talvi, an award-winning investigative journalist and author from the United States; and Oddleiv Apneseth, an award-winning photographer from Norway. The awards were chaired by David Schlesinger, Editor-in-Chief of Reuters News and INSP’s Honorary President.Megaphone would like to congratulate Ahmad, Sean and The Tyee for their dedication to raising awareness about poverty and ending homelessness.
Megaphone contributing photographer Ahmad Kavousian won ‘Best Photograph – Evoking deeper perspectives on poverty and injustice’ for his photo, ‘
“A beautifully shot image of a hammock rigged up on a beach debris – as Vancouver’s lack of affordable housing pushes more and more people onto the streets, the photo expresses the lengths to which some are driven just to find a place to sleep.”
And Megaphone Editor-in-Chief Sean Condon won the ‘Special Award for External Press – Advocating for the needs and rights of homeless people’ for his story, ‘
“Paul ‘Duncan’ Geisbrecht, a Vancouver homeless man, suffered from schizophrenia and crack cocaine addiction. When he died last year, he was just one week away from entering supportive housing. Tracing Paul’s life story, this piece illustrates how faults in Canada’s social system can have tragic consequences for society’s most vulnerable.”
“On behalf of all our vendors and volunteers, I would like to express what a great honour it is for Megaphone to win these awards,” said Condon, who attended the ceremony in Bergen with Megaphone editor Darren Atwater. “The International Network of Street Papers is a powerful movement that is reshaping the debate about poverty around the world while helping provide thousands of low-threshold jobs to homeless and low-income people. We here at Megaphone are very privileged to be a part of this movement and thank the judging panel for recognizing our hard work.”
“As a member of the official judging panel for two years running, I can attest to the continuing quality and depth of these entries, across the board–a fact most certainly due to rather than in spite of the diverse contexts, languages and geographies from which they have come,” said Schlesinger.
For more information, contact:
Sean Condon
Editor-in-Chief
778-835-4440
sean@megaphonemagazine.com
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