Some Good News from Iraq

Here's an excellent article from the strongly left leaning New York Times. Do note that the two authors have been extremely critical of the Iraq War in the past. But things are changing for the better.

An historical reminder: The American Civil War lasted between 1861 - 1865. In early and even mid 1864, things looked terrible for Abraham Lincoln and the North. But then they finally got the right generals into place and tide turned - dramatically and quickly.

Only history will tell whether 2007 is compared closely with 1864 but one thing's for sure: In our modern day 24/7 news cycle, one cannot realistically base one's feelings about a long war on any single events that happen every few hours.

SkyTrain Ride

Not exactly a rollercoaster ride, but here's a video Danny took on Vancouver's SkyTrain:

Stanley Theatre

The sun was glinting down on the Stanley Theatre sign around 8:30pm today. I caught these glimpses of it.

Fireworks #2

For the second of four fireworks events we decided to head down to the West End to join some friends who were graciously putting on a BBQ at English Bay. Included are some shots along the way, the time before the main event, and the fireworks themselves. Three videos are also included for your viewing pleasure.

A Little View of Vancouver in the Summer

This video is more for non-Vancouverites viewing this. It's just a little panoramic snapshot of what our beautiful city looks like on a sunny evening.

Dennis Miller Radio Show

Many of my Canadian friends are often amused that I've been a regular listener to Dennis Miller's radio show ever since it started in March 2007. Simply put, I think it's the best talk radio show on this side of the Atlantic. It's funny, interesting, and often highly educational. Best of all, Dennis asks sincere questions of his guests and callers and is not trying to steer them down his view of the world like so many other hosts do. The more people who listen, the better chance his show has at longevity. In his own way, I do believe he's healing the split between the left and the right in America, something that all Canadians should consider a very important thing!

Yesterday's show was especially entertaining. I've put together some clips from it for you to get a sampling:

Couples Therapy Session

A husband and wife came for counseling after 15 years of marriage. When asked what the problem was, the wife went into a passionate, painful tirade listing every problem they had ever had in the 15 years they had been married. She went on and on and on: neglect, lack of intimacy, emptiness, loneliness, feeling unloved and unlovable, an entire laundry list of un-met needs she had endured over the course of their marriage.

Finally, after allowing this to go on for a sufficient length of time, the therapist got up, walked around the desk and, after asking the wife to stand, embraced and kissed her passionately. The woman stopped speaking and quietly sat down as though in a daze.

The therapist turned to the husband and said, "This is what your wife needs at least three times a week. Can you do this?"

The husband thought for a moment and replied, "Well, I can drop her off here on Mondays and Wednesdays, but on Fridays, I fish."

Volleyball at Spanish Banks

This summer tradition is one of the reasons I love Vancouver.

A Visual History of BC Digital Divide

Last night my BCDD colleague, Bruce Steven, and I were interviewed for an article that will appear in a magazine later this year. As a courtesy to the writer, I prepared several photos that I've kept over the past 20 months. You can view them here.

Danny's Daytrip with Aunt Clara - Part 3

And finally, they visited "The Lookout" on the top of the Harbour Tower (the old Sears building) downtown.

Danny's Daytrip with Aunt Clara - Part 2

Then they stopped in at Capilano Canyon.

Danny's Daytrip with Aunt Clara - Part 1

My mom invited Danny to join her for the day. Their first destination was Grouse Mountain. All photos were taken by Danny.

Beautiful Coal Harbour

One thing Vancouver has done right is the redevelopment of our waterfront. Here are some shots taken around Coal Harbour earlier this week.

Fireworks #1

This first night of fireworks was presented by Spain. Not the best I've ever seen, but the finale was fantastic.







Credit for some of these photos goes to Danny, though I can't remember who took which shots.

A Quartet of Sunset Photos

I took several photos before the fireworks started.