26 ~ Friday, July 18, 1997 ~ North Shora Nows ‘Change for the better Lauded NV journalist turns to our youth By Deana Lancaste; _ News Reporter deana@ninews.com MICHAEL McCarthy has begun a new era in ‘his storied life. In April, he saw the final issue of his Vancouver news- * paper: Spare Change coll off “the presses, ough praised, by critics, it was suffering trom poor cir- ' ay culation, 7 McCarthy and the paper were “featured on local TV ‘newscasts, in The Sun, on the CBC's Vicki Gabereau Shaw, the Bs! Goud Show and more. The 1996 Ethics in Action awards recognized McCarthy and Spare Change . ‘He's sitting in the livin . room. of his sunny. Nort Vancouver townhome where -- he fives with his wife and son. _. He talks fast and talks big, His ‘enthusiasm is catching. ~* dn fact, it’s his enthusiasm: ~» which’ initially. launched the. - Spare. Change project. we He ‘nicked the idea from a | -' clipping ‘in’ the. Sus about an _ American’ publication called Worse News. ‘The ‘idea called treets by the homeless. j NEWS photo wike Waketiald MICHAEL McCarthy is hoping to launch “pub- lic journalism,” “I thought this was the biggest story I'd ever heard in my life,” he said, | He liked the idea of pro- viding, street-involved people with a way to help themselves, But he could find few people to agree with him. “Everybody said the same thing: ‘I hate street people.” So in 1992 he put the paper out on his own and for’ five years Vancouver's home- . less and working poor bought - copies of the paper from him for 75 cents to sell on the streets, : But the negative image _ that people had of the paper’s concept dogged Spare Change ide throughout its run, It was too ‘ontent to. be: created by” celebritics- then’ sold ‘on the often associated with panhan- : dling, even though its content '» focused” more: on. social « change. “TE you mentioned tt to peaple they'd say Usn't that the bum's newspaper) MeCarthy came by his pre: occupation with socal Insties honestly, Inspired by Jack » Kerouae’s On the Road and JL). Salinger’s Cateher in the Rye, McCarthy ran away from his lower middle-class home in Quebee in his teens, He rode the rails and slept in the streets and parks — any place he felt reasonably dry and safe. Before landing in jour natism he worked at an assort- ment of odd jobs: including washing dishes, digging ditch- es, delivering mal hustling pool, driving a taxi and selling advertising, He's lived the. problems, Now he’s looking for solu- tions. “It’s time to make a quan- tum leap, The real problem with Spare Change was a lack of circulation. [couldn’t get enough vendors. A fot of them would rather steal or do drugs.” He’s on to a whole new genre of journalism he calls “public journalism,” The plan is to publish a magazine based on partner- ships. The partners don’t pay for advertising, Instead, they . : pay printing and production costs for the copies they dis- tribute. . Magazine content will be responsible: to the. partners and the partners will con- _tribute content. The new magazine is sim- ply titled Change, “The fcus on tomorrow ve the theme is youth," McCarthy believes everyone has a selfeliterest in the sub “e “We are fearful of’ our youth = and fearfil for our youth,” reads the magazine prospectus, “It's time for Change.” He poliets aut that today’s youth will be paying taxes when many of us are senior citizens, He believes if shown how, youth can pick up the slack in areas ~— like. senlor’s eare and the environment — where government is shed- ding responsibility, “We have to show kids how to create their own jobs, How to create non-profits, how to run them,” said McCarthy. The magazine will be a vehicle to report on opportue nities for youth and print pos- itive stories about youth writ- ten by youth, Change will demonstrate the marketability of positive news, hopes McCarthy. “The news today has taken a downward spiral of titillation in a tabloid format. That leaves a marketing niche open for soft news and human interest stories.” That’s what he wants to provide his readers with, rather than the “rip and reads” he used to report in his stint as a radio announcer. It - will make him feel good about himself and what he’s doing “all day, every day.” McCarthy plans to design the magazine. to encourage ople to respond and get involved. testament. to. his ‘impending ‘success, The emblem of the crab on his helmet, synony- mous with the sig of Cancer, 'is ruled by ‘the Moon of the crab with his tou; i tender sweet inners, a calli to draw. strength from both these « s. From the Taoist view, the Chariot . speaks of. the, Chariot’s: ty with the High Priestess. The: ' inspire hero rooted’ tree by. the flowing river,” the ‘importance of quictude. and pensive . : thought combined with drive and activity. c four beasts that speed our hero forth are the Bull, the Eagle, the Angel, the ‘Lion, these correlate with: the signs of Taurus, Scorpio, Aquarius and Leo. The ' material, the: emotional, the intellectual and the spiritual domains need mastery to insure a ced life. The pagan perspec- tive sees the Chariot as the Sun’s move- Midsummer’s night. The Chariot moves upon a gold-paved road, metaphor to the romised wealth of his journey. Protected y the magical insignia “ABRA- HADABRA” delicately etched on the ‘awning above him, good luck will surely accompany him.’ere he goes. The Chariot augers a host of changes and actions dependent on his place in a given reading. Look for victory, triumph. and mastery when enlisiting the Chariot in your reading or life. - For more information on the Tarot or for a reading please contact Diana E. Warwick “What [nt really Irving to do Is turn people on, Pm try Ing to energize and electrify sople. You have to blur the ine between reader and walter, You say to peuple ‘You are involved in thy process -- we're giving you a role to pla aad McCarthy has a kind of sanguine certainty about his future, He's ready for Change. ‘Yo find out more about public journalism and Change, call McCarthy at 986-1565. Recipe Everything Done Right Thal Chicken Noodle Salad 112 pkg vermicelli noodles 402, bean sprouts 1 small tin sliced water chestnuts 1/2 red pepper, sliced 1/2 yellow pepper, sliced 3 green onions, diced 402, snow peas 1-1/2 cups Thai Peanut Sauce Boz, diced chicken gew— Cook and refresh vermicelll noodles. Drain and add bean sprouts, red and yellow peppers, areen onions, water chestnuts and snow peas. Toss in cup of Thai Peanut & Sauce and sea-_ son, Marinate fj diced chicken in tl2 cup of | + Thai Peanut =? 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