I was shopping down at Granville Island today and saw this absolutely amazing boat! It looks more like a spaceship than anything that might float on the water!! The boat is part of a venture called "Earthrace". It's only going to be in Vancouver for a few days but you can also catch it in several other cities around North America.
While waiting to go out for lunch with a friend, I took a few photos from in front of Canada Place.
I thought you might like to see some photos from Saturday night:
A big, BIG thank you to YVRDave. My camera was found on one of the boats and he returned it to me late last night. It works perfectly fine. Thanks, David!!!
For his birthday, little Patrick asked for a 10-speed bicycle. His father said, "Son, we'd give you one, but the mortgage on this house is $80,000 and your mother just lost her job. There's no way we can afford it."
The next day the father saw little Patrick heading out the front door with a suitcase. So he asked, "Son, where are you going?" Little Patrick told him, "I was walking past your room last night and I heard you telling mom you were pulling out. Then I heard her
tell you to wait because she was coming too. And I'll be damned if I'm staying here by myself with an $80,000 mortgage and no bike!"
Last night was one of the interesting and spectacular I've had in quite some time. Around 5:45pm a friend & I grabbed a taxi and headed down to Cardero's, a popular restaurant-bar in Coal Harbour. We met up with another friend of mine, who had arranged for us to watch the fireworks from a Sea Ray yacht just like this. It was a pretty amazing experience!
We pulled away from the dock around 6:30pm, and headed toward the Lions Gate Bridge. I took all kinds of photos along the way, including some superb ones of the late sun glimmering down on the downtown Vancouver skyline. After passing under the bridge, we headed to a small dock in Ambleside, a beach in West Vancouver, where we picked up 4 more people.
Then we headed into the heart of English Bay to await the huge fireworks display, this time put on by China. Soon after we arrived, another Sea Ray yacht tied up beside us. And then another one. And then another one. Within an hour or so, there were 8 of us tied up together (back on land after midnight, we heard some people remark what a spectacular sight it was to see all these magnificent yachts in a row!)
At 10pm the fireworks commenced! They were absolutely beautiful from the vantage point we were at. There's just something surreal about floating on the water and having a spectacular light show encompass the entire sky in front of one's eyes.
Our hosts had brought some great sushi along, that they brought out after the show. That really hit the spot. I also munched on snacks provided by the boat owners beside us, a wonderful couple originally from Mexico City - a place I had lived for a year. They were such nice people!
As the evening wore on, one young lady unfortunately fell into the water. She was in no danger, but it was quite a sight to see. Three fellows quickly pulled her back in. She was soaking wet so she took off her outer poncho and I loaned her my fleece. Quite stupidly on my part, I didn't remove the items in my pockets first. Inadvertenly my camera got "misplaced". I'm hoping it is on one of the many boats but at this time do not know for sure. Besides the loss of the camera itself, there were some really great pictures on it!
The boat we were on was heading to Bowen Island, so we needed another way to get back to the city. The friend of one of the yacht captains pulled up on a HUGE tugboat called the "Imp". Four of us jumped onboard and were taken back to the city, though not to our original departure point but to Granville Island. This worked out better for us because most of us live near there. It was quite an interesting/amazing way to end what was surely one of the most memorable evenings in recent memory!
Wise Old Photographer's Advice: The best photos are taken as the sun is rising or setting, since the light is much more dramatic.
Today Vancouver was visited by the founder of the Guardian Angels, Curtis Sliwa. As expected, the powers at be told him that they weren't welcome. This is so disheartening that I felt compelled to send him this e-mail:
Dear Curtis,
Welcome to Vancouver! My strong sense is that the majority of Vancouver citizens very much welcome you and the Guardian angels. I could have written the script of the negative reception you received from the police bureaucracy and certain government "elites". Please ignore them. As long as they're shuffling paper and driving around in their cars, they think they're doing a good job. Meanwhile crime has grown dramatically worse here year after year after year.
Vancouver recently gained the infamous title as the Property Crime Capital of North America. Rather than do something tangible about it, instead we get quoted endless statistics about how crime is apparently going down. And our police chief is occupying his time playing practical jokes on civil servants at city hall. As your colleague, John Batchelor might say, "Rome is burning but the powers at be have covered their eyes & ears and continued on as usual."
I live in the supposedly nice neighbourhood of South Granville, next door to the wealthiest neighbourhood of Shaughnessy. Yet on a regular basis there are open drug transactions in my alley, as well as junkies shooting up heroin from time to time. When I started seeing this, I contacted the police, offering them license plate numbers that I had collected. They weren't interested. When others have had their homes broken into, they had to beg the police to come over and investigate the crime.
But yet the powers at be have the audacity to say that the Guardian Angels aren't needed. Denial is clearly more than just a river in Egypt!
Welcome to Vancouver, Guardian Angels. May you stay here for a long time to come. We desperately need your help!
I just received this from a colleague:
Attn: Entrepreneurs
Everyone knows that if you are going to operate a business in today's world you need a domain name. It is advisable to look at the domain name selected as other see it and not just as you think it looks. Failure to do this may result in situations such is the following (legitimate) companies who deal in everyday humdrum products and services but clearly didn't give their domain names enough consideration:
1. A site called 'Who Represents' where you can find the name of the agent that represents a celebrity. Their domain name is ... wait for it ... www.whorepresents.com
2. Experts Exchange, a knowledge base where programmers can exchange advice and views at: www.expertsexchange.com
3. Looking for a pen? Look no further than Pen Island at: www.penisland.net
4. Need a therapist? Try Therapist Finder at: www.therapistfinder.com
5. Then of course, there's the Italian Power Generator company: www.powergenitalia.com
6. And now, we have the Mole Station Native Nursery, based in New South Wales: www.molestationnursery.com
7. If you're looking for computer software, there's always: www.ipanywhere.com
8. Welcome to the First Cumming Methodist Church. Their website is: www.cummingfirst.com
9. Then, of course, there's these brainless art designers, and their whacky website: www.speedofart.com
10. Want to holiday in Lake Tahoe? Try their brochure website at: www.gotahoe.com
This little guy is a French Bulldog and his name is "Jagger". The next time you're in the South Granville area of Vancouver, you may see him.
I'm not a big fan of all the architecture in Vancouver, but I do love this building!
There' s a little 24/7 Vietnamese restaurant at 540 West Broadway (1/2 block west of Cambie) that I tried today. Quite simply, they served THE BEST soup I've ever had in my entire life! I ordered the large Won Ton with yellow (egg) noodles and it was unbelievably delicious!! For another $3.00 I had a tasty meat sandwich on a toasted baguette.
They also offer the full compliment of Vietnamese offerings as well. Highly recommended!!
Though news of the Mexican electoral crisis have slipped from the headlines in most countries, it's still very much an issue in the country itself. I just heard from a dear friend in Mexico. She said that the economy has become stagnant with people holding off on major expenditures until the election is decided. You can read more here.
This evening I went out with a friend of mine to watch a huge fireworks display. On the way back I had a burgundy & white Mexican blanket wrapped around my neck and over my shoulders. This seemed to cause very strange things to happen.
First, we passed this one young fellow, clearly inebriated on something. He asked us, "Either of you have an education?" We ignored him but he repeated the same thing. So I responded, "Yes."
He paused for a moment and then said, "So tell me, what does 'Hezbollah' mean?"
"Army of God", I said. He seemed puzzled that I would know this. Rather than wait around for more silly questions, he just speeded off.
Then after I left my friend at her place, a few minutes later a guy came hurriedly down the hill and blurted out, "Who is Eddie Van Halen's wife?"
I gave him a puzzled look and then said, "I don't know. Wait, it's Heather Locklear."
"No, no, no", he said, "she has dark hair and is Italian." I walked away but found the answer in my memory a few minutes later.
What I can't figure out is why a Mexican blanket around my shoulders makes these guys think I'm a Walking Google ! ! !
As I do many days when the weather is good, I take my bicycle out for a spin. My favourite ride is around False Creek, a waterway that sits in the center of Vancouver. Here are some photos from my ride.
Here's a very important article from Jed Babbin entitled "Dress Rehearsal". I, for one, will be closely watching to see if his predictions come true. Sadly, I fear they will.
The current situation in Lebanon is causing great emotions amongst everyone. There are those who feel Israel is the aggressor, showing a "disproportionate response" to the missiles being lobbed at it by Hezbollah. Others staunchly defend Israel, citing the unilateral withdrawal from Gaza and Lebanon, only to get attacked in return.
Most everyone feels very sorry for the unfortunate Lebanese civilians who are caught in the middle of this, losing their homes, and in some cases their lives.
I've thought a lot and read a lot about the situation and asked myself, "What would I do if I were Israel?" We could debate strategy forever, but one thing is for sure: I would not stand idly by, while my citizens were systematically kidnapped & murdered and my cities had missiles launched at them. No responsible government would.
But rather than just focus on this particular skirmish, I think it's critical to look at the bigger picture of what's happening here. An important article on this has just been published by Mark Steyn. Among other things, he makes mention of the fact that Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Lebanon, and others have primarily condemned Hezbollah, not Israel. Apologists for the terrorists have said that this is just because the U.S. is pressuring these Arab countries. That's simplistic and clearly false.
They know, as you should, that the biggest threat in all of this is clearly Iran. Most people don't want to admit this, let alone discuss it, but it surely is the case. If Iran does succeed in building nuclear weapons, we are all clearly in trouble, not just because they might use them or export them to their client terrorist organizations but because their very presence will allow them to continue propping up terrorist regimes until their funds from their oil reserves runs out. And they may take us well into the 22nd Century.
I realize that a lot of my friends on the left don't want to hear this and will condemn me for saying it, but the proof will be in what unfolds in the next 5 to 20 years. Unfortunately I think that such people will only wake up to the reality of the situation once a nuclear device is set off in an American city. Even then, apologists for the terrorists will still blame the U.S. gov't for such an action ... even if a hardcore left-wing Democrat is in power.
It's a beautiful, sunny day here in Vancouver but as far as our future is concerned, I see very dark, cloudy times ahead.
Some friends & I went down to Kits Beach to check out a volleyball tournament put on by the BCVA and Molson. The play wasn't bad but the people running it were extremely annoying. They put 2 [drunk?] dorks in charge of the play-by-play. These guys couldn't even keep track of the proper score, let alone call the plays. And they just wouldn't SHUT UP for even a second.
They also chose to play a constant stream of "Gangsta' Rap": music full of F-bombs, S-bombs, and the N-word in every second sentence. I looked around at all the young kids and older people there - on a PUBLIC BEACH by the way - and just shook my head at the idiocy running this event. I wonder if all of this was okayed by Molson and the BCVA?!?
This rounded glass structure is apparently in Vancouver, but I don't know where. Do you?
The screen captures are taken from a commercial for a Mattel game called MadGab. To see the whole video, which includes many scenes from around Vancouver, click here. There's a big discussion here about whether this actress is the same one who plays Lala on the TikiBar video podcast.
I just discovered a weird and fascinating video podcast called "The Tiki Bar". It's a low budget production filmed in someone's apartment. And then later I discovered that it's filmed right here in my hometown of Vancouver!
One big mystery though is who is the beautiful brunette they call "Lala"? All of the other cast members are known, but not her. Most interesting!
