The French 75-foot sloop Southern Star left Norway mid-May to start a one-year circumnavigation of North America, sailing through the fabled North West passage this summer with a crew of journalists and scientists. Skipper Olivier Pitras will deliver a fascinating presentation of this expedition, from Norway to Vancouver through the North West passage and the Bering Strait. Don’t miss this unique opportunity to discover the North West Passage, and witness how climate change is affecting our world.
Organized by the Bluewater Cruising Association in partnership with the Vancouver Maritime Museum
When: Tuesday October 28, 7.30 pm
Where: Scottish Cultural Centre, 8886 Hudson Street, Vancouver V6P 4N2
But alas, Vision Vancouver failed to nominate David Eby.
Who woulda thunk it? I thought David Eby was a shoe in. Who can resist that freakishly tall man with a soft-spot for housing social justice?
I certainly can't, especially when he offers to come to my house to talk himself up. No, that was not meant to sound condescending at all. I really was pushing for David.
I don't get it. What happened? To my knowledge, the only thing that David Eby could have done wrong is run a strong slate for housing and homeless issues. *gasp* may I maybe infer that Vision Vancouver's membership is too moderate to push a candidate like Eby through?
Now dare I ask Mr. Eby to run with COPE?
No, Dave really does lose face if he attempts to put together his fallen [short lived] political career.
Go back to Pivot, Eby. If they will let you back in.
Now to everybody, why did he lose?
a) Moderate Vision Vancouver voters (Vision as a "progressive centre left" is a myth)
b) There were just too many other great candidates ahead of him (or ones more closely tied socially/politically/historically to the Vision campaign)
c) Distaste for the housing/homelessness slate
d) Inexperienced in politics
e) Freakishly tall
f) All of the above
g) Some of the above
h) Choose your own adventure.
In February 2001, Bob Kull travelled to a remote island in the Patagonia wilderness with enough supplies to live alone for a year. He sought to explore the effects of deep solitude on the body and mind and to find the answers to the spiritual questions that had plagued him his entire life. With only a cat and his thoughts as companions, he wrestled with inner storms while the wild forces of nature raged around him. The physical challenges were immense, but the struggles of mind and spirit pushed him to the limits of human endurance. Solitude is the diary of Kull’s tumultuous year. Kull has also captured his journey in spectacular photographs, which he will show along with his talk.
Hosted by The Travel Bug, 3065 West Broadway
7:30pm-9:00pm
Call Dwight Elliott for reservations at 604-737-1122
Into the thick of the Olympic sporting competition, Canada is rolling in a litany of 5th, 6th, 7th places ... but with track and field, rowing finals and trampolining yet to come, the Canucks still have a chance to visit the podium.
As Tod Maffintwitter'ed: "Maybe Beijing will at least give us a courtesy Participaction pin?(Dont understand this? Ask a Canadian over 30.)" (ed note: or view this Participaction toque).
In the social media production department, Scales continues to create video at an epic pace despite losing his co-hort Kris who was repatriated to Vancouver in time for a glorious summer weekend. Scales is staying busy by picking up more tickets for varied events at the incredible new venues including the whitewater kayak run (plus visits to the Danish hospitality house).
I'm heading to the hills with tent and beverages so here's a few highlights to enjoy with your weekend viewing:
Raincity Studios Sino-Away-Squad of Scales and KK, are on the ground in Beijing to cover and participate in the Olympic experience as citizen journalism, technology experts, social pundits and cultural ambassadors.
The Glimmer Twins' tasks are diverse and their methods varied so here's a preview:
Vacation Blogging (I should have done this in June!).
Covers what to do with all those photos and all those memories to keep them fresh forever. It's basically Blogging for Beginners, with added talk about mobile posting and internet cafes and photoblogging issues. Covers categories, tags, widgets, posting text, video, audio and images. FYI it's $150, and runs Saturday, August 16th. Six spaces, because this is going to be more personal and hands-on than even our regular courses.
You do not need to already have a blog to take this course: we will build one during the class. If you have vacation photos you'd like to use, please bring them on a USB drive or a CD. If you'd like to post video we will get you set up with a YouTube account during class.
Contact bloggingclasses AT gmail DOT com to register.
David Eby is thoughtfully opening his schedule up to Vancouver citizens who want to know what he's all about. As you may know he is running for Vision Vancouver, but must first win a nomination in the Vision primary on September 20th.
In short, he's inviting YOU to contact HIM so you will sign up with Vision Vancouver and help his nomination.
So, to get all partisan on yo ass, TheVancouverManifesto is asking you to sign up with Vision and nominate this kind fellow.
Just the fact that he is has been going TO the people in small groups shows that he is a politician that can uphold transparency and accessability.
David Eby is good people, read his call for supporters:
Yes, believe it or not, a politician in your very own home, not unlike Mr. Burns' run for state governor and the three-eyed fish incident on the Simpsons. But hopefully with a better ending.
I have decided to file a complaint. My letter will describe the incident and demand that there be sensitivity training prior to the hiring process and, furthermore, if there are complaints made, formal mandatory classes into harassment and gender equity and suspension until they are fully completed.
Now my question to the men out there: I DO realize that these policies arely do exist at many institutions. And many of my own male-friends go through them and, to be be honest, they say they are a bitch to go through and they already know what to do and what not to do. And they do fine when passing through the motions of these "sensitivity trainings". My question is do these work at all? Do you llike..think twice about the words that come out of your mouth? Or do you just go through the motions, pass it, and resume your everyday behaviour.
Many people think that Canada has free healthcare. Yes and no. Canada has universal healthcare which means we, technically, don't deny anybody the right to basic health services- but we sure do pay for it. And a recent report shows that in the last 25 years we've been paying more for it.
Our taxes are supposedly paying the cost to run this universal healthcare system, but the government has been offloading this reposnsibility for years. What does this amount to at the end of the day? "Canadians spent $452 per capita on health care in 2007, compared to $222 in 1981, in real terms" and, more importantly, it means people having less ability to maintain their health.
I’m watching Oprah right now. I try not to make it a habit but I only have access to channel 9 and I like to watch TV when I prepare my lunch.
The topic is surrogacy. She is interviewing this white American couple who has been trying for three years to get pregnant. Oprah asks them the standard questions about the “alternatives”. White woman explains how she has tried and tried and it was getting expensive, they were getting demoralized blahblah. And she says, “we both come from big families [her and her husband] and we always expected we would have our own big family as well. We considered surrogacy but it was so expensive in the states….” Note that she does not address Oprah’s suggestion of adoption [another ideology-stricken episode where an adopted child “isn’t really your own].
(meh..as a woman I’d like to say that I would adopt, but I feel like we have to address why we feel that way and recognize that there is a social construction of what makes you a parent to a child)
Anyhow, so this white woman goes to India for her surrogacy. The price differential is significant. It costs about $80 000 in the united states compared to $12 000 (6000 of which is given to the Indian woman carrying the child).
