Click on Contact
Enter your name and email address
Type the number 0 into the content
and on September 28 we will contact you if you have won!
Lots of prizes to give away, and a big thank you to readers for making this first year successful and fun!
Monday, September 26, 2005
2 More Days let of our Reader Appreciation Giveaways - No Gimmicks, Just Gifts
On September 28, we will be drawing the prizes for our Reader Appreciation giveaways. No strings attached - no spams and no keeping your email on File,
Click on Contact
Enter your name and email address
Type the number 0 into the content
and on September 28 we will contact you if you have won!
Lots of prizes to give away, and a big thank you to readers for making this first year successful and fun!
Click on Contact
Enter your name and email address
Type the number 0 into the content
and on September 28 we will contact you if you have won!
Lots of prizes to give away, and a big thank you to readers for making this first year successful and fun!
Sunday, September 25, 2005
3 days left for our gift giveaway celebration!!
I know, if it's too good to be true... it is.
That's not the case here - swanktrendz really wants to say thank you and give away gifts (albeit small ones) to show our appreciation.
Go to our site http://www.swanktrendz.com
Click Contact
type your first name and email (don't worry we delete emails after the contest)
Type 0 in the content
and submit!!! It's as easy as that
Up for grabs - Designer chocolates (designed by reknowned artist Robert Davidson)
Signed, framed prints by artist Sue Coleman (Vancouver Island's pearl of an artist)
Vancouver/Canada velcro fastening cloth ball caps - non of that cheap plastic stuff.
and last but not least... $100 gift certificate for amazon.com so that you may buy books, music, whatever your heart desires...
Thank you all for being so supportive and wonderful! (As well as very good writers)
Christine
That's not the case here - swanktrendz really wants to say thank you and give away gifts (albeit small ones) to show our appreciation.
Go to our site http://www.swanktrendz.com
Click Contact
type your first name and email (don't worry we delete emails after the contest)
Type 0 in the content
and submit!!! It's as easy as that
Up for grabs - Designer chocolates (designed by reknowned artist Robert Davidson)
Signed, framed prints by artist Sue Coleman (Vancouver Island's pearl of an artist)
Vancouver/Canada velcro fastening cloth ball caps - non of that cheap plastic stuff.
and last but not least... $100 gift certificate for amazon.com so that you may buy books, music, whatever your heart desires...
Thank you all for being so supportive and wonderful! (As well as very good writers)
Christine
Saturday, September 10, 2005
swanktrendz has to bid adieu
The Swanktrendz gang has been so busy with our website that we no longer have time to post on blogger. It's been great reading everyone's sites and we hope you bookmark us for future reference.
Friday, September 09, 2005
How about rating pings on PPS?
Swank Home
Sashi’s Home
Maybe I’m just finding it a bit difficult in getting used to Project Petaling Street’s new look.
But it’s getting harder for me to pick out ping titles that I might find interesting (and before some wag says it’s because none of them are interesting, I was referring to visually scanning through the pings). The blue titles seem to just mix with each other, and end up simply twisting my eyeballs inside out.
The end result of this is that there’d be some great post out there that will go unnoticed by me, and quite possible by many others too.
So I’m thinking here, how to avoid this? How do I easily pick out the outstanding posts out there? One way would be to solicit the assistance of other PPS readers. Maybe if you really like a post, you give it some (+) points, and if you don’t like it, you assign it (-) points. Although the (-) points thing could lead to some problems, so maybe we shouldn’t use that.
A post on SE:
This method is used in SE [sometimes NSFW] and other such community-driven blogs, and maybe if we can find a mechanism to implement it with PPS, it’ll work here too.
That way, if I look at PPS Pings, and I notice that a particular post has racked up a lot of points, I’d know that the post in question is popular enough with many readers and will compel me to check it out too.
Edrei once asked, “Who does Project Petaling Street belong to?” His answer:
So yeah, I believe that we own PPS. PPS belongs to everyone who uses it to ping their blogs. It belongs to everyone who uses it to read other people’s blogs. Just as when an artists creates something, whatever the artist creates belongs to society. PPS was created with the society in mind for the society to use and with that, it belongs to the society it was created for.
But so far, we the PPS users do not do much but ping to it, read the pings, use up considerable bandwidth, and occasionally click on the Google ads.
So how about we the users try assisting our fellow PPS pingers and readers by helping them notice those posts that we believe are truly worth their while?
Like I said, the mechanism for the rating will have to be thought out, but do you - dear reader and hopefully PPS user - think it’s something worth working on?
Sashi’s Home
Maybe I’m just finding it a bit difficult in getting used to Project Petaling Street’s new look.
But it’s getting harder for me to pick out ping titles that I might find interesting (and before some wag says it’s because none of them are interesting, I was referring to visually scanning through the pings). The blue titles seem to just mix with each other, and end up simply twisting my eyeballs inside out.
The end result of this is that there’d be some great post out there that will go unnoticed by me, and quite possible by many others too.
So I’m thinking here, how to avoid this? How do I easily pick out the outstanding posts out there? One way would be to solicit the assistance of other PPS readers. Maybe if you really like a post, you give it some (+) points, and if you don’t like it, you assign it (-) points. Although the (-) points thing could lead to some problems, so maybe we shouldn’t use that.
A post on SE:
This method is used in SE [sometimes NSFW] and other such community-driven blogs, and maybe if we can find a mechanism to implement it with PPS, it’ll work here too.
That way, if I look at PPS Pings, and I notice that a particular post has racked up a lot of points, I’d know that the post in question is popular enough with many readers and will compel me to check it out too.
Edrei once asked, “Who does Project Petaling Street belong to?” His answer:
So yeah, I believe that we own PPS. PPS belongs to everyone who uses it to ping their blogs. It belongs to everyone who uses it to read other people’s blogs. Just as when an artists creates something, whatever the artist creates belongs to society. PPS was created with the society in mind for the society to use and with that, it belongs to the society it was created for.
But so far, we the PPS users do not do much but ping to it, read the pings, use up considerable bandwidth, and occasionally click on the Google ads.
So how about we the users try assisting our fellow PPS pingers and readers by helping them notice those posts that we believe are truly worth their while?
Like I said, the mechanism for the rating will have to be thought out, but do you - dear reader and hopefully PPS user - think it’s something worth working on?
Mike’s Musings - Baby Fingers
By Mike
Swank Home
Mike’s Home
Lots of times when I'm temporarily stranded in a crowded place, like waiting in line somewhere for something, I pass the time by making retarded faces at babies and small children when their parents aren't looking. usually the child will giggle or make a face back. (Unless of course it's a retarded child, in which case I wouldn't have made a face at him/her in the first place, as I've been told that's cruel.)
Anyway, the point is this amuses me greatly.
Especially if it's a toddler who squeals loudly or misbehaves in some way when they see me and their parent cautions them to, ‘Be Quiet’, at which point the child will become frustrated and insist that that man over there is making faces, to which the parent will then hiss, ‘Stop It!’ or threaten to renege on the promise of McDonalds. I love this.
And besides, even if it happens to be one of those parents who actually believes what their young child says, by the time they look my way I'm either casually yawning or sullenly looking at my watch.
A) it's bulletproof
B) dance puppets dance
Which brings me to the other day, when I'm waiting in line at my insanely packed grocery store, slowly slipping into a coma of boredom. Time to rile up some kiddies.
There were no toddlers present to get into trouble, but there was a non-retarded baby in a plastic stroller a few feet to my left.
And then, before I could even gnarl my mouth or squintify my eyes, this baby gave me the finger. He didn't flash me the finger briefly. he held that puny middle finger of his aloft and proceeded to poke himself in the face with it.
Taunting me.
The bastard. (Probably)
So naturally, I gave him the finger.
A baby.
And I’m sorry, it felt good.
Try it sometime, I guarantee you can't do it with out laughing out loud. And I promise, the baby will not get upset.
But be stealthy.
I wouldn't want to deal with the wrath of an angry mom who just caught me flipping off her eighteen month old.
Are you giving my baby the finger?!?
Yeah. But he gave it to me first.
You monster! He doesn't know what that means!!
Exactly. So what's the difference?
Swank Home
Mike’s Home
Lots of times when I'm temporarily stranded in a crowded place, like waiting in line somewhere for something, I pass the time by making retarded faces at babies and small children when their parents aren't looking. usually the child will giggle or make a face back. (Unless of course it's a retarded child, in which case I wouldn't have made a face at him/her in the first place, as I've been told that's cruel.)
Anyway, the point is this amuses me greatly.
Especially if it's a toddler who squeals loudly or misbehaves in some way when they see me and their parent cautions them to, ‘Be Quiet’, at which point the child will become frustrated and insist that that man over there is making faces, to which the parent will then hiss, ‘Stop It!’ or threaten to renege on the promise of McDonalds. I love this.
And besides, even if it happens to be one of those parents who actually believes what their young child says, by the time they look my way I'm either casually yawning or sullenly looking at my watch.
A) it's bulletproof
B) dance puppets dance
Which brings me to the other day, when I'm waiting in line at my insanely packed grocery store, slowly slipping into a coma of boredom. Time to rile up some kiddies.
There were no toddlers present to get into trouble, but there was a non-retarded baby in a plastic stroller a few feet to my left.
And then, before I could even gnarl my mouth or squintify my eyes, this baby gave me the finger. He didn't flash me the finger briefly. he held that puny middle finger of his aloft and proceeded to poke himself in the face with it.
Taunting me.
The bastard. (Probably)
So naturally, I gave him the finger.
A baby.
And I’m sorry, it felt good.
Try it sometime, I guarantee you can't do it with out laughing out loud. And I promise, the baby will not get upset.
But be stealthy.
I wouldn't want to deal with the wrath of an angry mom who just caught me flipping off her eighteen month old.
Are you giving my baby the finger?!?
Yeah. But he gave it to me first.
You monster! He doesn't know what that means!!
Exactly. So what's the difference?
The Ultimate Film
Swank Home
Kirk’s Home
There has been a definite bias toward film in The Wasteland since its resurrection last month. Fitting then that the first bit of sustained telly I've managed to sit down and watch, since practically the start of Summer, is a programme about film. Channel 4's misleadingly titled The Ultimate Film showed in two 3-hour installments, further satisfying our modern-day addiction to statistics and lists of all kinds. There is some fatigue with this kind of thing now; there has been so many of them, and most of them are useless as documents as they are voted upon by so-called experts, who naturally harbour their own prejudices and favourites. This list differed in that it claimed to be based on actual bums-on-seats figures since the recorded beginning of cinema in the UK. A very, very different thing to box-office takings in hard currency, whether adjusted for inflation or not.
We British are notoriously eccentric, and the films we have flocked to see more than others over the decades reflects that quite plainly. For a start about 50% of the list is comprised of British films, with films like The Full Monty statistically outranking all of the Star Wars films barring the original! 50% are also from 1965 or earlier, with a glut of films the majority of people under 40 haven't even heard of populating not only the lower reaches of the list but the top twenty as well! Historically it is easy to see how post WWII escapism was in high demand, and it is easy to imagine the appeal of the movies as a main source of entertainment before television was a regular accessory in every home. Britain's hottest stars ever? Think of ten names and you still won't get it... Dame Anna Neagle and Michael Wilding have a handful of films in the list, the highest being 1948's Spring in Park Lane at #5, which attracted 20.5 million people (half the population of the entire nation at the time)!!! It truly was a different age. Of the modern era, Titanic is the only film post 1980 to make the top ten! These and many more surprises await. Of the overall winner... Well, no prizes for guessing. Even my mum saw Gone With the Wind three times, and that is saying a lot. Personally I think it is boring and, frankly, couldn't give a damn about it, but you can't argue with the figures: an estimated 35 million tickets sold in the UK alone. That's not just amazing, that's staggering... Long live the movies!
Kirk’s Home
There has been a definite bias toward film in The Wasteland since its resurrection last month. Fitting then that the first bit of sustained telly I've managed to sit down and watch, since practically the start of Summer, is a programme about film. Channel 4's misleadingly titled The Ultimate Film showed in two 3-hour installments, further satisfying our modern-day addiction to statistics and lists of all kinds. There is some fatigue with this kind of thing now; there has been so many of them, and most of them are useless as documents as they are voted upon by so-called experts, who naturally harbour their own prejudices and favourites. This list differed in that it claimed to be based on actual bums-on-seats figures since the recorded beginning of cinema in the UK. A very, very different thing to box-office takings in hard currency, whether adjusted for inflation or not.
We British are notoriously eccentric, and the films we have flocked to see more than others over the decades reflects that quite plainly. For a start about 50% of the list is comprised of British films, with films like The Full Monty statistically outranking all of the Star Wars films barring the original! 50% are also from 1965 or earlier, with a glut of films the majority of people under 40 haven't even heard of populating not only the lower reaches of the list but the top twenty as well! Historically it is easy to see how post WWII escapism was in high demand, and it is easy to imagine the appeal of the movies as a main source of entertainment before television was a regular accessory in every home. Britain's hottest stars ever? Think of ten names and you still won't get it... Dame Anna Neagle and Michael Wilding have a handful of films in the list, the highest being 1948's Spring in Park Lane at #5, which attracted 20.5 million people (half the population of the entire nation at the time)!!! It truly was a different age. Of the modern era, Titanic is the only film post 1980 to make the top ten! These and many more surprises await. Of the overall winner... Well, no prizes for guessing. Even my mum saw Gone With the Wind three times, and that is saying a lot. Personally I think it is boring and, frankly, couldn't give a damn about it, but you can't argue with the figures: an estimated 35 million tickets sold in the UK alone. That's not just amazing, that's staggering... Long live the movies!
Mercury Prize 2005
Swank Home
Kirk’s Home
Mercury Prize 2005
The Mercury Music Prize (properly know this year as The Nationwide Mercury Prize) is one of the more worthwhile awards events, as it doesn't pander to popularity alone, giving real artists of any level and any genre the recognition they deserve. Of the twelve shortlisted albums that Mercury celebrated this year - as the event acknowledges studio albums, not artists or individual songs - there were some familiar faces from the current indie rock/pop crowd: Kaiser Chiefs, Bloc Party, Maximo Park and the highest of high profiles in Coldplay (who didn't actually appear, no, no, far too big for that!), but there was a majority of lesser known talents, including new jazz band Polar Bears and indie/folk fiddler Seth Lakeman from Dartmoor. In the middle ground there was my tip for greatness early in the year, Miss K. T. Tunstall from Fife, whose reproduction of the Later With Jools Holland performance of her single Black Horse and the Cherry Tree is still one of the most electric things I've seen for years. But the whole show bristled with raw energy and stupid amounts of talent - every single act was great live, endorsing their worthiness even more. And nothing could be truer when talking about the "winner", the weird and perhaps wonderful Antony and the Johnsons - you could hear a pin drop in the auditorium as Antony himself played the piano and warbled his way through a soulful ballad in his own radically unique style. I have to admit he is relatively new to me, but once you hear him you can't forget it - it is a haunting style that jars an ear tuned to mundanity at first, but then beguiles it in a frighteningly resonant way. And that is why he got a standing ovation from the knowing crowd, and that is why he walked off with the gong, so that our awareness of this exceptionally individual talent is heightened as it should be, love it or hate it. I'm undecided but I will certainly give the album - Now I Am A Bird a very serious listen.
Kirk’s Home
Mercury Prize 2005
The Mercury Music Prize (properly know this year as The Nationwide Mercury Prize) is one of the more worthwhile awards events, as it doesn't pander to popularity alone, giving real artists of any level and any genre the recognition they deserve. Of the twelve shortlisted albums that Mercury celebrated this year - as the event acknowledges studio albums, not artists or individual songs - there were some familiar faces from the current indie rock/pop crowd: Kaiser Chiefs, Bloc Party, Maximo Park and the highest of high profiles in Coldplay (who didn't actually appear, no, no, far too big for that!), but there was a majority of lesser known talents, including new jazz band Polar Bears and indie/folk fiddler Seth Lakeman from Dartmoor. In the middle ground there was my tip for greatness early in the year, Miss K. T. Tunstall from Fife, whose reproduction of the Later With Jools Holland performance of her single Black Horse and the Cherry Tree is still one of the most electric things I've seen for years. But the whole show bristled with raw energy and stupid amounts of talent - every single act was great live, endorsing their worthiness even more. And nothing could be truer when talking about the "winner", the weird and perhaps wonderful Antony and the Johnsons - you could hear a pin drop in the auditorium as Antony himself played the piano and warbled his way through a soulful ballad in his own radically unique style. I have to admit he is relatively new to me, but once you hear him you can't forget it - it is a haunting style that jars an ear tuned to mundanity at first, but then beguiles it in a frighteningly resonant way. And that is why he got a standing ovation from the knowing crowd, and that is why he walked off with the gong, so that our awareness of this exceptionally individual talent is heightened as it should be, love it or hate it. I'm undecided but I will certainly give the album - Now I Am A Bird a very serious listen.
Crash
Crash
Swank Home
Kirk’s Home
Paul Haggis, the writer of Million Dollar Baby, attempts one of the most ambitious directorial debuts in recent memory with the critically acclaimed Crash. I had thought it only looked OK from the trailer, but I thought that about 21 Grams (to which this is not entirely dissimilar) and that turned out to be one of the best films of 2004! The weight of recommendations had become too much, and so I went along this morning to see what all the fuss is about. One thing is certain - it is one hell of a movie... but it will cause differences of opinion. In scope and style it seems to owe a lot to both Magnolia and Traffic - the former for its fascination with co-incidence and the holistic effect of human action and interaction, and the latter for its boldness in tackling a potentially incendiary subject with the aid of an ensemble cast and grainy film-stock. As a fan of both films I was always going to like this, although there are problems: the situations and dialogue are at times stretched beyond the reasonable limits of believability, and, considering the incredibly difficult task of marrying so many different threads into a coherent whole, it is oddly paced and edited in snatches. However, for a first time director it is an awesome achievement - the cast are very strong, notably the ever reliable Don Cheadle, Matt Dillon, in a perfectly cast role, Sandra Bullock (although it is little more than a cameo) and Ryan Phillippe, as Dillon's conflicted partner; the mood is sustained with nail-biting tension, culminating in two or three unforgettable moments as the characters "crash" together in different, but always life-changing ways; and, above all, there is a soul underneath it that propels the whole into the near-reaches of an absolute classic. Racism is a difficult subject - there are many arguments and not too many solutions, but here almost all of the key issues are dealt with, leaving you with questions, realizations and revelations aplenty without ever being trite or trying to be definitive - so much so that I feel like I need to see it again immediately! And it would be a pleasure: its ultimate success is not that it is a great piece of art or a great political statement, but that it is a great, watchable, movie with an indispensable human message. If this isn't at least nominated for a whole bunch of Oscars then I'll eat my shoes!! If you haven't already done so - See It... 9/10
Swank Home
Kirk’s Home
Paul Haggis, the writer of Million Dollar Baby, attempts one of the most ambitious directorial debuts in recent memory with the critically acclaimed Crash. I had thought it only looked OK from the trailer, but I thought that about 21 Grams (to which this is not entirely dissimilar) and that turned out to be one of the best films of 2004! The weight of recommendations had become too much, and so I went along this morning to see what all the fuss is about. One thing is certain - it is one hell of a movie... but it will cause differences of opinion. In scope and style it seems to owe a lot to both Magnolia and Traffic - the former for its fascination with co-incidence and the holistic effect of human action and interaction, and the latter for its boldness in tackling a potentially incendiary subject with the aid of an ensemble cast and grainy film-stock. As a fan of both films I was always going to like this, although there are problems: the situations and dialogue are at times stretched beyond the reasonable limits of believability, and, considering the incredibly difficult task of marrying so many different threads into a coherent whole, it is oddly paced and edited in snatches. However, for a first time director it is an awesome achievement - the cast are very strong, notably the ever reliable Don Cheadle, Matt Dillon, in a perfectly cast role, Sandra Bullock (although it is little more than a cameo) and Ryan Phillippe, as Dillon's conflicted partner; the mood is sustained with nail-biting tension, culminating in two or three unforgettable moments as the characters "crash" together in different, but always life-changing ways; and, above all, there is a soul underneath it that propels the whole into the near-reaches of an absolute classic. Racism is a difficult subject - there are many arguments and not too many solutions, but here almost all of the key issues are dealt with, leaving you with questions, realizations and revelations aplenty without ever being trite or trying to be definitive - so much so that I feel like I need to see it again immediately! And it would be a pleasure: its ultimate success is not that it is a great piece of art or a great political statement, but that it is a great, watchable, movie with an indispensable human message. If this isn't at least nominated for a whole bunch of Oscars then I'll eat my shoes!! If you haven't already done so - See It... 9/10
Illegal Immigration and Drivers Licenses
Illegal Immigration and Drivers Licenses
Swank Home
Heretic’s Home
http://www.politicalheretic.blogspot.com/
Contributed by The Political Heretic
The California Assembly voted late last night to pass a bill authorizing the creation of special driver's licenses for illegal immigrants. The state senate passed a similar bill in June but will have to vote on it again since revisions were made to it while in the Assembly. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has not committed, signed, or vetoed the bill yet, but he did veto an immigration license bill last year.
New licenses would be given to those illegal immigrants who apply for them. The new licenses could not be used as a valid form of identification in any financial transaction or for boarding airplanes. The governor's office claims it would rather wait until the federal government establishes its own requirements for state licenses but some Democrats say it would make the roadways safer by making sure everyone is trained and insured. Most arguments, however, revolved around the status of illegal immigrants with some who oppose the license bill questioning why they were giving driving permission to those who shouldn't even be there and encouraging them to break the law further, while those who support the bill appeal to the 'human needs' of those who cross the border looking to send a decent paycheck to family members living at home.
Any discussion on illegal immigration would be incomplete if there was no consideration of its impact on the war on terrorism. If Mexican citizens (and other immigrants) could sneak across the borders with impunity, an aspiring terrorist from Saudi Arabia, Indonesia or Nigeria could do so also. They need only fly to Mexico and eventually make their way up to the Mexican-American border.
Assemblyman Jerome Horton, one of those supporting the bill, is quoted as saying that "it is the right thing to do because individuals are here and they're driving and that's the reality." Mr. Horton's defeatist attitude isn't needed and should not be welcomed at a time when others who have every desire to harm us will do their best to do so. We were attacked on September 11, 2001 by religious fanatics who have no qualms about killing innocent civilians. While they may be focusing their new time and energy at our allies for now, they might strike us again sometime in the future.
Their decision to focus their efforts elsewhere provides us with a unique opportunity to address our security needs at home, and aside from stronger security at our airports nothing can be more obvious than border security (and this applies to both, entrance from Canada and entrance from Mexico). The Bush administration and its successors should be working with the governors to develop tighter border security by increasing border controls and raising fines on those who hire undocumented workers and not make it easier for those who do cross the border. Hospitals that care for illegals should immediately report them to the police and border control.
As time goes by and we set up a new system to control illegal immigration into our country we may, out of our good nature, extend some sort of amnesty to those already within our country should they go to the proper authorities and register their names as such but now, when there is no such control over immigration into and out of our country, is not the time. Governor Schwarzenegger should veto this latest bill like the one that preceded it. California alone cannot be responsible for illegal immigration - not when people can move from state to state with ease.
Swank Home
Heretic’s Home
http://www.politicalheretic.blogspot.com/
Contributed by The Political Heretic
The California Assembly voted late last night to pass a bill authorizing the creation of special driver's licenses for illegal immigrants. The state senate passed a similar bill in June but will have to vote on it again since revisions were made to it while in the Assembly. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has not committed, signed, or vetoed the bill yet, but he did veto an immigration license bill last year.
New licenses would be given to those illegal immigrants who apply for them. The new licenses could not be used as a valid form of identification in any financial transaction or for boarding airplanes. The governor's office claims it would rather wait until the federal government establishes its own requirements for state licenses but some Democrats say it would make the roadways safer by making sure everyone is trained and insured. Most arguments, however, revolved around the status of illegal immigrants with some who oppose the license bill questioning why they were giving driving permission to those who shouldn't even be there and encouraging them to break the law further, while those who support the bill appeal to the 'human needs' of those who cross the border looking to send a decent paycheck to family members living at home.
Any discussion on illegal immigration would be incomplete if there was no consideration of its impact on the war on terrorism. If Mexican citizens (and other immigrants) could sneak across the borders with impunity, an aspiring terrorist from Saudi Arabia, Indonesia or Nigeria could do so also. They need only fly to Mexico and eventually make their way up to the Mexican-American border.
Assemblyman Jerome Horton, one of those supporting the bill, is quoted as saying that "it is the right thing to do because individuals are here and they're driving and that's the reality." Mr. Horton's defeatist attitude isn't needed and should not be welcomed at a time when others who have every desire to harm us will do their best to do so. We were attacked on September 11, 2001 by religious fanatics who have no qualms about killing innocent civilians. While they may be focusing their new time and energy at our allies for now, they might strike us again sometime in the future.
Their decision to focus their efforts elsewhere provides us with a unique opportunity to address our security needs at home, and aside from stronger security at our airports nothing can be more obvious than border security (and this applies to both, entrance from Canada and entrance from Mexico). The Bush administration and its successors should be working with the governors to develop tighter border security by increasing border controls and raising fines on those who hire undocumented workers and not make it easier for those who do cross the border. Hospitals that care for illegals should immediately report them to the police and border control.
As time goes by and we set up a new system to control illegal immigration into our country we may, out of our good nature, extend some sort of amnesty to those already within our country should they go to the proper authorities and register their names as such but now, when there is no such control over immigration into and out of our country, is not the time. Governor Schwarzenegger should veto this latest bill like the one that preceded it. California alone cannot be responsible for illegal immigration - not when people can move from state to state with ease.
Governor Schwarzenegger's Gay Marriage Veto
Swank Home
Heretic’s Home
Governor Schwarzenegger's Gay Marriage Veto
By: The Political Heretic
Through his press secretary, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger announced his intention to veto a new bill legalizing gay marriages because the issue, he claims, should be decided by the voting public and the courts. The statement is itself rather interesting, because Republicans generally say these matters should be left with the people or at worst, those they choose to represent them. It would be nice to hear why Mr. Schwarzenegger would leave this issue with either the most representative of bodies that could debate this issue (the people) or the least representative (the Supreme Court, where justices are initially appointed by the governor and then have to seek re-election) . But that is another question best saved for another day.
Assemblyman Jackie Goldberg
and bill-author Mark Leno said the governor is appealing to the right-wing members of his party. If he is trying to cater to the right-wing of the Republican Party he is not doing a good job. Governor Schwarzenegger used his press statement to affirm gay relationships and included their push for equal respect within the history of the civil rights movement. His statement would not have cited with pride, California's domestic partnership legislation that members of the religious right hope to write out of their state laws or suggest that gay couples are entitled "to full protection under the law" if he was appealing to the religious right. Nowhere in his statement does he resort to their code words - "family values," morality, or any other reference that intentionally or not denigrates gay people's lives.
Mr. Schwarzenegger is appealing to the center. The governor's aides know most people oppose gay marriage and overwhelmingly voted for Proposition 22, and that it would likely vote to for another gay marriage ban again. But at the same time he knows the people in California, unlike those in say, Alabama or Mississippi, wouldn't go for the gay-bashing and the far right, knowing this, are downplaying any harm their proposed constitutional amendment would have on gay Californians. If they succeed, the public may fall for it and vote accordingly without knowing how it would affect gay couples' hospital visitation , inheritance, and property rights. Mr. Leno and Goldberg desperately need a reality check and they do their gay constituents no favor in appealing to their desires without giving them the tough-to-handle political facts. They will not win needed support from generally sympathetic politicians and citizens if they call everyone who opposes gay marriage a bigot, right-wing extremist, or theocrat. Some really do believe gays have no place in society and will do their best to censor their works from libraries, pressure city governments to deny them parade permits, and push the cops to crack down on every public display of same-sex affection. And yes, there are those who believe gays are entitled to everything, including gay marriage (with the "word.")
But most fall somewhere in the middle, trying to make some kinds of distinctions to placate their mixed, perhaps conflicting and uncomfortable feelings about the issue. They may support laws protecting gays from job and public accommodation discrimination but draw the line at open displays of gay affection or any state acknowledgment of their relationships. Some draw the line after sodomy laws and still others may go further and support gay marriage without the name.
The governor's expected veto may deliver the gay couples in that state from a worse fate.
Heretic’s Home
Governor Schwarzenegger's Gay Marriage Veto
By: The Political Heretic
Through his press secretary, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger announced his intention to veto a new bill legalizing gay marriages because the issue, he claims, should be decided by the voting public and the courts. The statement is itself rather interesting, because Republicans generally say these matters should be left with the people or at worst, those they choose to represent them. It would be nice to hear why Mr. Schwarzenegger would leave this issue with either the most representative of bodies that could debate this issue (the people) or the least representative (the Supreme Court, where justices are initially appointed by the governor and then have to seek re-election) . But that is another question best saved for another day.
Assemblyman Jackie Goldberg
and bill-author Mark Leno said the governor is appealing to the right-wing members of his party. If he is trying to cater to the right-wing of the Republican Party he is not doing a good job. Governor Schwarzenegger used his press statement to affirm gay relationships and included their push for equal respect within the history of the civil rights movement. His statement would not have cited with pride, California's domestic partnership legislation that members of the religious right hope to write out of their state laws or suggest that gay couples are entitled "to full protection under the law" if he was appealing to the religious right. Nowhere in his statement does he resort to their code words - "family values," morality, or any other reference that intentionally or not denigrates gay people's lives.
Mr. Schwarzenegger is appealing to the center. The governor's aides know most people oppose gay marriage and overwhelmingly voted for Proposition 22, and that it would likely vote to for another gay marriage ban again. But at the same time he knows the people in California, unlike those in say, Alabama or Mississippi, wouldn't go for the gay-bashing and the far right, knowing this, are downplaying any harm their proposed constitutional amendment would have on gay Californians. If they succeed, the public may fall for it and vote accordingly without knowing how it would affect gay couples' hospital visitation , inheritance, and property rights. Mr. Leno and Goldberg desperately need a reality check and they do their gay constituents no favor in appealing to their desires without giving them the tough-to-handle political facts. They will not win needed support from generally sympathetic politicians and citizens if they call everyone who opposes gay marriage a bigot, right-wing extremist, or theocrat. Some really do believe gays have no place in society and will do their best to censor their works from libraries, pressure city governments to deny them parade permits, and push the cops to crack down on every public display of same-sex affection. And yes, there are those who believe gays are entitled to everything, including gay marriage (with the "word.")
But most fall somewhere in the middle, trying to make some kinds of distinctions to placate their mixed, perhaps conflicting and uncomfortable feelings about the issue. They may support laws protecting gays from job and public accommodation discrimination but draw the line at open displays of gay affection or any state acknowledgment of their relationships. Some draw the line after sodomy laws and still others may go further and support gay marriage without the name.
The governor's expected veto may deliver the gay couples in that state from a worse fate.
Brand Crises
Swank Home
Mark’s Home
Brand Crises
By Mark Thristen
I was just reminded of a presentation I gave last year on the role of online communication in crisis communication by the following quote from an article called "Brand Rehab: How Companies Can Restore a Tarnished Image" from the Knowledge at Wharton newsletter:
"The rise of the Internet poses new problems for post-scandal communications, adds Blythe. "Blogging can kill you. Before, when we had a problem, it was addressed in the public media. Now the Internet is many times faster, more unforgiving and out of control." Increasingly, Blythe's firm is helping companies monitor statements about them on the Internet and generate their own blogs."
The internet can make you or break you - today's brands have to react to threats in "internet time".
Mark’s Home
Brand Crises
By Mark Thristen
I was just reminded of a presentation I gave last year on the role of online communication in crisis communication by the following quote from an article called "Brand Rehab: How Companies Can Restore a Tarnished Image" from the Knowledge at Wharton newsletter:
"The rise of the Internet poses new problems for post-scandal communications, adds Blythe. "Blogging can kill you. Before, when we had a problem, it was addressed in the public media. Now the Internet is many times faster, more unforgiving and out of control." Increasingly, Blythe's firm is helping companies monitor statements about them on the Internet and generate their own blogs."
The internet can make you or break you - today's brands have to react to threats in "internet time".
All the Anxious Girls on Earth
Swank Home
All the Anxious Girls on Earth
Stories by Zsuzsi Gartner
Contributed by Lezah
Short stories - they make me shudder. They take me back to grade 8 English class when, on my first day in high school - as a matter of fact, in my first ever class in high school (I had English in block A) - I had to read The Most Dangerous Game, that 'classic' story of a rich man who likes to hunt live human beings for sport.
From there until the end of my university days, I have read literally hundreds of short stories, and for the most part they are all as equally depressing/bleak/dark. I came to the conclusion that while poetry is often short - beautifully and succinctly so - and novels can often be luxuriously long, short stories are neither. They're neither long enough to flesh a decent story out, nor are they, in some cases, short enough - a bad short story can never be short enough in most cases. There are, of course, certain exceptions to this: Salinger's 'Nine Stories' is one that springs to mind.
So, when I picked up my copy of 'All the Anxious Girls on Earth', I was unaware that it was a book of short stories. I thought it was a novel, in other words... But, being a compulsive reader, I read it anyway.
'All the Anxious Girls on Earth' contains nine short stories dealing largely with the theme of personal responsiblity. Many of the stories were similar in tone to Pahluniak's 'Survivor', with the presence and influence of the media playing the role of evil step-mother to the characters in many cases. I think my favourite story was the one called "The Nature of Pure Evil" about a recently jilted young woman who phones in fake bomb threats to buildings.
Apparently this is Gartner's first effort, and with that in mind (and taking into account my prejudice against short stories in general), I have to give this book a thumbs up. The characters are quirky and the stories are varied and ... different - certainly different than the norm. But in a good way.
All the Anxious Girls on Earth
Stories by Zsuzsi Gartner
Contributed by Lezah
Short stories - they make me shudder. They take me back to grade 8 English class when, on my first day in high school - as a matter of fact, in my first ever class in high school (I had English in block A) - I had to read The Most Dangerous Game, that 'classic' story of a rich man who likes to hunt live human beings for sport.
From there until the end of my university days, I have read literally hundreds of short stories, and for the most part they are all as equally depressing/bleak/dark. I came to the conclusion that while poetry is often short - beautifully and succinctly so - and novels can often be luxuriously long, short stories are neither. They're neither long enough to flesh a decent story out, nor are they, in some cases, short enough - a bad short story can never be short enough in most cases. There are, of course, certain exceptions to this: Salinger's 'Nine Stories' is one that springs to mind.
So, when I picked up my copy of 'All the Anxious Girls on Earth', I was unaware that it was a book of short stories. I thought it was a novel, in other words... But, being a compulsive reader, I read it anyway.
'All the Anxious Girls on Earth' contains nine short stories dealing largely with the theme of personal responsiblity. Many of the stories were similar in tone to Pahluniak's 'Survivor', with the presence and influence of the media playing the role of evil step-mother to the characters in many cases. I think my favourite story was the one called "The Nature of Pure Evil" about a recently jilted young woman who phones in fake bomb threats to buildings.
Apparently this is Gartner's first effort, and with that in mind (and taking into account my prejudice against short stories in general), I have to give this book a thumbs up. The characters are quirky and the stories are varied and ... different - certainly different than the norm. But in a good way.
SWARM
Swank Home
Contributed by Lezah
SWARM is an exciting arts event that is currently in its sixth year. This year, 16 different galleries all have their openings over the September 8 and 9th.
Thursday showcases galleries in the Mount Pleasant area, including the Video In at 1965 Main, which will be showing a video and installation display; the Western Front at 303 East Eighth is hosting a new group show; the grunt gallery at #116 - 350 East 2nd has a sculptural installation based on the infamous Janet Smith murder which took place in the 1920s in Vancouver; and the Butchershop at 195 East 26th has a show opening that is based on the theme of galleries closing.
On Friday, Lobby Gallery at 210 Abbott Street has a show about yachts, while Artspeak at 233 Carrall is showing Kevin Schmidt's video 'Burning Bush'. There are lots more interesting shows taking place - for more information, go to www.paarc.ca/swarm
Link: http://www.paarc.ca/swarm
Contributed by Lezah
SWARM is an exciting arts event that is currently in its sixth year. This year, 16 different galleries all have their openings over the September 8 and 9th.
Thursday showcases galleries in the Mount Pleasant area, including the Video In at 1965 Main, which will be showing a video and installation display; the Western Front at 303 East Eighth is hosting a new group show; the grunt gallery at #116 - 350 East 2nd has a sculptural installation based on the infamous Janet Smith murder which took place in the 1920s in Vancouver; and the Butchershop at 195 East 26th has a show opening that is based on the theme of galleries closing.
On Friday, Lobby Gallery at 210 Abbott Street has a show about yachts, while Artspeak at 233 Carrall is showing Kevin Schmidt's video 'Burning Bush'. There are lots more interesting shows taking place - for more information, go to www.paarc.ca/swarm
Link: http://www.paarc.ca/swarm
Wednesday, September 07, 2005
Stanley Park - The Novel
Swank Home
By Terry
I enjoy books set in my own city. They make this place seem more real to me, as though the writer's imagination has somehow amplified it and shown it to me new. I have a small shelf of such books, but most of those are historical.
Stanley Park presents us with modern Vancouver. Our protagonist Jeremy is a young chef, desperately trying to pay the bills with his own idea of what a little bistro restaurant should be: high quality but simple - and avowedly local - fare prepared more by instinct than anything else. Jeremy and his partner (and could have been/should have been beloved) keep the place running on creativity, sweat, and their own sense of adventure. But it's not working out, and the phone calls and letters from various creditors are increasing.
Jeremy's father - known only as The Professor - lives next door to a man who has amassed great wealth by running a multinational chain of high-end coffee emporiums, here known as 'Inferno'. This man's name (in a gesture of authorial burlesque) is Dante. Dante also owns the building where Jeremy's bistro is located, and takes a Faustian interest in Jeremy's future, to the tune of 95% ownership in return for Jeremy's services and instant relief from the mountain of debt. The bankrupt bistro is closed, renamed as Gerriamo's, and renovations are soon underway, guided by Dante's focus groups and highly paid advisors. Partner stomps out, furious and feeling betrayed, doesn't look back.
The Professor is studying the homeless people who live rough in Stanley Park. He likes deep research, and eventually moves in with them, digging out his own little hidden campsite, and learning how to stay dry on rainy nights. Naturally enough, they introduce him to their cuisine: squirrels, pigeons, starlings, ducks (highly prized but very hard to catch), and the occasional raccoon.
So when Jeremy is summoned to visit, it's obvious that these two trajectories are destined to collide. More than that, I won't reveal.
The book is wonderfully written, and he's got the city and the people down pat. The foodies and restaurant critics, the bike couriers drinking beer at the end of their day, the kids from the cooking school just up the street (Jeremy's new trainees), the turbocharged capitalists, the movie producers with 3 cell phones each, and the early morning produce vendors in old Chinatown.
Both the park and the city are evoked as secondary characters. The writing delivers:
Now Jeremy was looking out the window of the Rotterdammer Cafe, half a block down the street from the papered-over windows of Gerriamo's. It was just nightfall, and the cloud cover had split a seam at the horizon. There was now an orange glow from the west. And this light steadily intensified as darkness descended from the east, blooming upward, refracting, illuminating the clouds from beneath, doming out over the park and the city like the light of a great fire.
Yes, wonderful indeed. There's even street protestors, something that seems necessary to the Vancouver psyche. Stanley Park was first published in 2001, and shortlisted for the prestigious Giller Prize. It combines romance, mystery, satire, a distinct sense of place, and a strong well-paced narrative. I'll read this book again.
And I never knew before that there's a little diner in the back of the Save On Meats store on East Hastings Street, where you can get a fully-loaded burger for $3.99. I went and looked: sure enough, there it is. Hey now!
Link: http://www.randomhouse.ca/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780676973099
By Terry
I enjoy books set in my own city. They make this place seem more real to me, as though the writer's imagination has somehow amplified it and shown it to me new. I have a small shelf of such books, but most of those are historical.
Stanley Park presents us with modern Vancouver. Our protagonist Jeremy is a young chef, desperately trying to pay the bills with his own idea of what a little bistro restaurant should be: high quality but simple - and avowedly local - fare prepared more by instinct than anything else. Jeremy and his partner (and could have been/should have been beloved) keep the place running on creativity, sweat, and their own sense of adventure. But it's not working out, and the phone calls and letters from various creditors are increasing.
Jeremy's father - known only as The Professor - lives next door to a man who has amassed great wealth by running a multinational chain of high-end coffee emporiums, here known as 'Inferno'. This man's name (in a gesture of authorial burlesque) is Dante. Dante also owns the building where Jeremy's bistro is located, and takes a Faustian interest in Jeremy's future, to the tune of 95% ownership in return for Jeremy's services and instant relief from the mountain of debt. The bankrupt bistro is closed, renamed as Gerriamo's, and renovations are soon underway, guided by Dante's focus groups and highly paid advisors. Partner stomps out, furious and feeling betrayed, doesn't look back.
The Professor is studying the homeless people who live rough in Stanley Park. He likes deep research, and eventually moves in with them, digging out his own little hidden campsite, and learning how to stay dry on rainy nights. Naturally enough, they introduce him to their cuisine: squirrels, pigeons, starlings, ducks (highly prized but very hard to catch), and the occasional raccoon.
So when Jeremy is summoned to visit, it's obvious that these two trajectories are destined to collide. More than that, I won't reveal.
The book is wonderfully written, and he's got the city and the people down pat. The foodies and restaurant critics, the bike couriers drinking beer at the end of their day, the kids from the cooking school just up the street (Jeremy's new trainees), the turbocharged capitalists, the movie producers with 3 cell phones each, and the early morning produce vendors in old Chinatown.
Both the park and the city are evoked as secondary characters. The writing delivers:
Now Jeremy was looking out the window of the Rotterdammer Cafe, half a block down the street from the papered-over windows of Gerriamo's. It was just nightfall, and the cloud cover had split a seam at the horizon. There was now an orange glow from the west. And this light steadily intensified as darkness descended from the east, blooming upward, refracting, illuminating the clouds from beneath, doming out over the park and the city like the light of a great fire.
Yes, wonderful indeed. There's even street protestors, something that seems necessary to the Vancouver psyche. Stanley Park was first published in 2001, and shortlisted for the prestigious Giller Prize. It combines romance, mystery, satire, a distinct sense of place, and a strong well-paced narrative. I'll read this book again.
And I never knew before that there's a little diner in the back of the Save On Meats store on East Hastings Street, where you can get a fully-loaded burger for $3.99. I went and looked: sure enough, there it is. Hey now!
Link: http://www.randomhouse.ca/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780676973099
Commercial Street/Drive - ‘The Drive’ as a cultural community.
Swank Home
Commercial Street/Drive - ‘The Drive’ as a cultural community.
By Christine
Though slightly off the beaten downtown path, this is one of the friendliest streets in Vancouver. The ambiance that exudes from Commercial Drive is that of a cultural community. It is not uncommon to hear/see people calling out to friends, stopping to chat, and discussing upcoming events. I have often found myself drawn to Commercial, just to take in the community-feel and the terrific shops.
Originally, Commercial Drive was most famous as "Little Italy." Recently, it gained worldwide recognition with the arrest Carol Gwilt who operated the Da Kine Café. Never had Commercial Drive been more notorious than when Da Kine Café was closed for selling marijuana openly. (Note: there weren’t any official complaints filed). Fortunately, Commercial is also known for its annual events such as the Fringe Festival, the Parade of Lost Souls and other street parties throughout the year.
I ventured into Deja Vu International, a hairdressing shop as well as an International School of Beauty and was immediately drawn into the discussion of current activities. Aside from a covert planning of a upcoming birthday, Luke, Nunu and the gang were all discussing the Caribbean Festival Dance being held at Deer Lake that evening. A cheerful group, they immediately began inviting me to attend the various events discussed and telling me which shops offered the best lattés, etc.
The Drive (as the locals call it) supports every sort of shop: ethnic shops, beauty shops, multi-cultural restaurants, including: Jamaican patty shops, a Caribbean food and spice store, Spanish tapas bars, Portuguese coffee shops, Indian and Mexican clothiers, European hand embroidery shop, Kokopelli hair salon, Audiopile record shop, Bibliophile Books, and Grass Roots Hemp and Drums shop. As well, Commercial has street vendors (in every sense of the word) as the wares are spread out on sidewalks displaying homemade jewellery and indie cds as well as other odds and ends.
Sitting outside JJ Bean’s House of Coffee, I was surprised to see so many ethnic restaurants within a stone’s throw of each other. The Drive is a ‘must-see’ for any food lover. Whilst jotting notes, I looked up and saw six restaurants, literally doors away from each other, offering Ethiopian, Greek, Spanish, Salvadorian, Moroccan and Asian fare. Harambe’ is an Ethiopian restaurant that received a write-up in the ‘Georgia Strait’ for its homemade “Wonder Bread’. Clovis’ menu showed a wide selection of Asian food, and Addis cafe offered Ethiopian Food. All the restaurants were at decent capacity (given that it was only 2:30 pm) and the menus posted listed varied dishes at reasonable prices, ie: $7.95 a meal ($6.00 if you’re American).
Amongst the numerous coffee shops sprinkled throughout the streets, the Cafe Deux Soleil stood out - offering coffee, food and entertainment. The food offerings were mostly on the vegan side and again, reasonably priced. Cafe Deux Soleil’s entertainment is both live and dj hosted, with poetry slamming being another popular event. (For example the CFSW Finals for slam poetry is being held Monday, September 5.)
While ‘people-watching’, and sipping the best latté in ages, I found that within the first 10 minutes, a multitude of nationalities, languages and physical abilities paraded past me. I also noticed that this area is a dog lovers’ stroll - I’ve never seen so many people saunter down the drive with their pets.
I loved the people of Commercial; chattering in an assortment of languages, hair styles ranging from no-hair to purple, pink, blue, dreds, braids, afros, long, and short. Clothing was mainly in the Boho hippie chic style - haven’t seen this many tie-dye wraparound skirts in ages. Blind, disabled, and wheelchair pedestrians were all completely at ease within the community mosaic.
Houses are scattered in amongst the shops with chic condos nestled above stores in a bright array of European colours. Detached houses in this area run between $400,000 and $500,000 for 2100 sq feet.
I had hoped to walk at least five blocks in either direction beginning at 1st avenue and Commercial, however, I was overwhelmed with images, attractions, conversations with friendly pedestrians and shop owners within the first three blocks. Altogether it took two hours to walk five blocks, and I fell in love with the charm of the Drive all over again.
Commercial Street/Drive - ‘The Drive’ as a cultural community.
By Christine
Though slightly off the beaten downtown path, this is one of the friendliest streets in Vancouver. The ambiance that exudes from Commercial Drive is that of a cultural community. It is not uncommon to hear/see people calling out to friends, stopping to chat, and discussing upcoming events. I have often found myself drawn to Commercial, just to take in the community-feel and the terrific shops.
Originally, Commercial Drive was most famous as "Little Italy." Recently, it gained worldwide recognition with the arrest Carol Gwilt who operated the Da Kine Café. Never had Commercial Drive been more notorious than when Da Kine Café was closed for selling marijuana openly. (Note: there weren’t any official complaints filed). Fortunately, Commercial is also known for its annual events such as the Fringe Festival, the Parade of Lost Souls and other street parties throughout the year.
I ventured into Deja Vu International, a hairdressing shop as well as an International School of Beauty and was immediately drawn into the discussion of current activities. Aside from a covert planning of a upcoming birthday, Luke, Nunu and the gang were all discussing the Caribbean Festival Dance being held at Deer Lake that evening. A cheerful group, they immediately began inviting me to attend the various events discussed and telling me which shops offered the best lattés, etc.
The Drive (as the locals call it) supports every sort of shop: ethnic shops, beauty shops, multi-cultural restaurants, including: Jamaican patty shops, a Caribbean food and spice store, Spanish tapas bars, Portuguese coffee shops, Indian and Mexican clothiers, European hand embroidery shop, Kokopelli hair salon, Audiopile record shop, Bibliophile Books, and Grass Roots Hemp and Drums shop. As well, Commercial has street vendors (in every sense of the word) as the wares are spread out on sidewalks displaying homemade jewellery and indie cds as well as other odds and ends.
Sitting outside JJ Bean’s House of Coffee, I was surprised to see so many ethnic restaurants within a stone’s throw of each other. The Drive is a ‘must-see’ for any food lover. Whilst jotting notes, I looked up and saw six restaurants, literally doors away from each other, offering Ethiopian, Greek, Spanish, Salvadorian, Moroccan and Asian fare. Harambe’ is an Ethiopian restaurant that received a write-up in the ‘Georgia Strait’ for its homemade “Wonder Bread’. Clovis’ menu showed a wide selection of Asian food, and Addis cafe offered Ethiopian Food. All the restaurants were at decent capacity (given that it was only 2:30 pm) and the menus posted listed varied dishes at reasonable prices, ie: $7.95 a meal ($6.00 if you’re American).
Amongst the numerous coffee shops sprinkled throughout the streets, the Cafe Deux Soleil stood out - offering coffee, food and entertainment. The food offerings were mostly on the vegan side and again, reasonably priced. Cafe Deux Soleil’s entertainment is both live and dj hosted, with poetry slamming being another popular event. (For example the CFSW Finals for slam poetry is being held Monday, September 5.)
While ‘people-watching’, and sipping the best latté in ages, I found that within the first 10 minutes, a multitude of nationalities, languages and physical abilities paraded past me. I also noticed that this area is a dog lovers’ stroll - I’ve never seen so many people saunter down the drive with their pets.
I loved the people of Commercial; chattering in an assortment of languages, hair styles ranging from no-hair to purple, pink, blue, dreds, braids, afros, long, and short. Clothing was mainly in the Boho hippie chic style - haven’t seen this many tie-dye wraparound skirts in ages. Blind, disabled, and wheelchair pedestrians were all completely at ease within the community mosaic.
Houses are scattered in amongst the shops with chic condos nestled above stores in a bright array of European colours. Detached houses in this area run between $400,000 and $500,000 for 2100 sq feet.
I had hoped to walk at least five blocks in either direction beginning at 1st avenue and Commercial, however, I was overwhelmed with images, attractions, conversations with friendly pedestrians and shop owners within the first three blocks. Altogether it took two hours to walk five blocks, and I fell in love with the charm of the Drive all over again.
Aldergrove Fall Fair
Contributed by Lezah
Now is the time of year when gardens and fruit trees are full with the ripeness of the season. I grew up on a farm, and although we raised horses, we still had many fruit trees and each year my Mom planted a vegetable garden. So this time of year has a special kind of meaning for me: it’s literally brimming with the fruits of the season, the rewards for one’s hard work in spring, the blessing of summer and nature and everything that is right with the world.
In that vein, now is also the time for fall fairs. Now, I’m the first to admit that I go through phases – fads – whatever you want to call them. Like my must-read-every-Booker-prize-winner phase; or my must-eat-at-every-Mom-and-Pop-diner-so-I-can-be-just-like-the-guy-in-Twin-Peaks phase (that one, between you and me, was a real waste of time and money); and now, for the last couple of years, I have been going through my country-fair stage. Spring, summer, fall – for a while there, I wasn’t too discerning. But lately, I have narrowed my interest down to fall fairs.
As far as I’m concerned, the fall fair season starts at the end of August and can run right through to November. For me, it’s kind of book-ended between Vancouver’s Pacific National Exhibition, which runs for two weeks at the end of August, finishing on Labour Day, and Toronto’s Royal Winter Fair, which usually takes place during the week in which November 11th falls. Now, The Royal (as Toronto’s fair is affectionately referred to) continues to do us proud: it was featured just a couple of years ago for a whole week on Martha Stewart Living, and has the best there is to offer. Vancouver’s PNE, unfortunately, is not doing its part in holding up the torch – they’ve deep-sixed the agricultural shows, killed the equestrian events, done away with many of the pavilions, including the BC Building (home of a giant relief map of BC and an annual crafts exhibit), and replaced that with the poor man’s answer to Disneyland; but no matter. We still have some reasonable alternatives at this end of the country.
Take, for example, the Aldergrove Agricultural Fair. Now nearly 100 years old, the fair changed venue about two years ago and, at the same time, walked away with the award for the ‘Best Agricultural Fair in BC’ Award. And deservedly so: full of jams and jellies, crafts and crowds (small ones, mind you), it also offers educational exhibits, funky crafts and jewellery for sale, home-grown and home-canned goods, a small midway, 4-H exhibits – the list goes on. With a down-home, country feel, this fair is all about community, and in these stressful times, that’s exactly what everyone needs a little more of…
The Aldergrove Fall Fair is taking place on September 10 & 11 this year at the Aldergrove Kinsman Community Centre on 29th Avenue (between the Lynden Highway and 272 Street).
Mitch Hedberg
Contributed by Lezah
“I used to do drugs. I still do, but I used to, too.”
Such is the humour of Mitch Hedberg – or, rather, was… Hedberg, described as “comedy’s answer to Kurt Cobain”, was born with a weak heart and died March 30, 2005, reportedly of a heart attack precipitated by heroin use.
Hedberg had a huge cult following, was on Letterman ten times, was a favourite of George Carlin, and killed at Montreal’s Just for Laughs Festival – to the tune of $500,000, which is what Fox Network handed him a cheque for with a sitcom deal in mind.
Hedberg’s was absurdist comedy. Twisted, and, quite often, surprisingly clean (considering his ‘stoner’ persona). Try this one:
‘The thing that’s depressing about tennis is no matter how good I get, I’ll never be as good as a wall. I played a wall once. They’re f***in’ relentless.”
If you’re interested in more, try looking up his cds ‘Strategic Grill Locations’ (1999) or ‘Mitch All Together’ (2003), the DVD ‘Comedy Central Presents: Mitch Hedberg’ (2003), or go to mitchhedberg.net.
Link: http://mitchhedberg.net
“I used to do drugs. I still do, but I used to, too.”
Such is the humour of Mitch Hedberg – or, rather, was… Hedberg, described as “comedy’s answer to Kurt Cobain”, was born with a weak heart and died March 30, 2005, reportedly of a heart attack precipitated by heroin use.
Hedberg had a huge cult following, was on Letterman ten times, was a favourite of George Carlin, and killed at Montreal’s Just for Laughs Festival – to the tune of $500,000, which is what Fox Network handed him a cheque for with a sitcom deal in mind.
Hedberg’s was absurdist comedy. Twisted, and, quite often, surprisingly clean (considering his ‘stoner’ persona). Try this one:
‘The thing that’s depressing about tennis is no matter how good I get, I’ll never be as good as a wall. I played a wall once. They’re f***in’ relentless.”
If you’re interested in more, try looking up his cds ‘Strategic Grill Locations’ (1999) or ‘Mitch All Together’ (2003), the DVD ‘Comedy Central Presents: Mitch Hedberg’ (2003), or go to mitchhedberg.net.
Link: http://mitchhedberg.net
LA Eats
Contributed by Lezah
Il Sole – a long-time Hollywood insiders’ favourite, specializing in Italian food – during truffles season, order anything truffle related. 8741 Sunset Blvd., W. Hollywood (310-657-1182)
Asanebo – Japanese specialties. 11941 Ventura Blvd., Studio City (818-760-3348)
Mako – pan-Asian fusion cuisine. 225 S. Beverly Drive, Beverly Hills (310-288-8338)
Musha – every had a mackerel torched at your table? 424 Wilshire Blvd., Santa Monica (310-576-6330)
News Room Café – try the News Room for something healthy. Wheatgrass and the like are their specialties. 120 N. Robertson (310-652-4444)
Ivy – mingle with the Hollywood crowd and grab a great salad at the same time. 113 N. Robertson (310-274-8303)
Boule – Hollywood’s favourite bakery and sweet shop, located in West Hollywood. www.boule.com (310-289-9977)
Toast Bakery Café – their red velvet cupcake with cream cheese frosting at $2 is to die for. 8221 W. Third St. (323-655-5018)
Joan’s on Third – double chocolate cupcakes for $2.50. 8350 W. third St. (323-655-2285)
Sprinkles Cupcakes – double vanilla at $3.25. 9635 Little Santa Monica Blvd., Beverly Hills (310-274-8765)
Or, if you’re hankering for a taste of something LA-made but not in the area, try Deluscious (www.delusciouscookies.com) who, for about $50, will bake you a dozen cookies and, while they’re still piping hot fresh from the oven, ship them complete with a bottle of Broguiere’s milk, in ice-cold, old fashioned glass bottles. (323-460-2370)
Il Sole – a long-time Hollywood insiders’ favourite, specializing in Italian food – during truffles season, order anything truffle related. 8741 Sunset Blvd., W. Hollywood (310-657-1182)
Asanebo – Japanese specialties. 11941 Ventura Blvd., Studio City (818-760-3348)
Mako – pan-Asian fusion cuisine. 225 S. Beverly Drive, Beverly Hills (310-288-8338)
Musha – every had a mackerel torched at your table? 424 Wilshire Blvd., Santa Monica (310-576-6330)
News Room Café – try the News Room for something healthy. Wheatgrass and the like are their specialties. 120 N. Robertson (310-652-4444)
Ivy – mingle with the Hollywood crowd and grab a great salad at the same time. 113 N. Robertson (310-274-8303)
Boule – Hollywood’s favourite bakery and sweet shop, located in West Hollywood. www.boule.com (310-289-9977)
Toast Bakery Café – their red velvet cupcake with cream cheese frosting at $2 is to die for. 8221 W. Third St. (323-655-5018)
Joan’s on Third – double chocolate cupcakes for $2.50. 8350 W. third St. (323-655-2285)
Sprinkles Cupcakes – double vanilla at $3.25. 9635 Little Santa Monica Blvd., Beverly Hills (310-274-8765)
Or, if you’re hankering for a taste of something LA-made but not in the area, try Deluscious (www.delusciouscookies.com) who, for about $50, will bake you a dozen cookies and, while they’re still piping hot fresh from the oven, ship them complete with a bottle of Broguiere’s milk, in ice-cold, old fashioned glass bottles. (323-460-2370)
The Motorcycle Jacket
Contributed by Lezah
I don’t think that the motorcycle jacket has ever been out of style since its inception – from the time of James Dean, it’s represented all that is a wild and out there. We’ve just been seeing a bit less of it recently.
But here’s my prediction: we will soon be seeing a lot more of this old favourite. Consider, for starters, the music that is currently popular – does that not just go hand-in-hand with the whole motorcycle jacket look? Not since the heyday of The Clash have we heard music like this, and with that type of music goes a certain fashion sensibility – one in which the motorcycle jacket figures prominently.
And if I haven’t quite convinced you? Then take a look at this: a number of designers recently have included motorcycle jackets in their collections. To name but a few, Dsquared is showing one ($2,120, www. Nordstrom.com); and D & G are offering up one with a faux leopard-skin lining ($2,990, 212-965-8000).
Finally, at an art gallery opening that I attended this spring, the piece that garnered the most interest was a vintage motorcycle jacket, highly personalized with badges, studs and the like. It was the only piece in the show that wasn’t for sale, but I know it could have sold many times over.
So mark my words: the motorcycle jacket’s back.
I don’t think that the motorcycle jacket has ever been out of style since its inception – from the time of James Dean, it’s represented all that is a wild and out there. We’ve just been seeing a bit less of it recently.
But here’s my prediction: we will soon be seeing a lot more of this old favourite. Consider, for starters, the music that is currently popular – does that not just go hand-in-hand with the whole motorcycle jacket look? Not since the heyday of The Clash have we heard music like this, and with that type of music goes a certain fashion sensibility – one in which the motorcycle jacket figures prominently.
And if I haven’t quite convinced you? Then take a look at this: a number of designers recently have included motorcycle jackets in their collections. To name but a few, Dsquared is showing one ($2,120, www. Nordstrom.com); and D & G are offering up one with a faux leopard-skin lining ($2,990, 212-965-8000).
Finally, at an art gallery opening that I attended this spring, the piece that garnered the most interest was a vintage motorcycle jacket, highly personalized with badges, studs and the like. It was the only piece in the show that wasn’t for sale, but I know it could have sold many times over.
So mark my words: the motorcycle jacket’s back.
Chief Justice William Rehnquist
Rehnquist's Passing
died Saturday night at his home in Virginia after suffering from thyroid cancer. The Chief Justice aligned himself with the conservatives on the court, consistently voting to uphold state power against individual rights in criminal procedure matters and due process clause challenges and for a narrow interpretation of our Constitutional guarantees against discrimination.
He joined Kennedy appointee Byron White in opposing abortion rights in Roe v. Wade but failed to win over Justices Sondra Day O'Connor and Anthony Kennedy when the Court revisited the issue. The late Chief Justice fought more successfully to shift the court to the right on religious establishment cases, a move that, while he hoped to overturn important judicial precedents that guarantee religious equality, did move the court to a more solid and balanced approach on those issues and moved the court to the right on federalism.
Few know how this will affect the judicial proceedings scheduled for this week. Most Court watchers expected Chief Justice William Rehnquist to retire first due to his illness but were caught off guard when O'Connor became the first to announce her resignation. Circuit Judge John Roberts will appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee this week but the president will now be required to find another replacement. The president was not caught off guard. The Chief Justice was gravely ill and had recently been admitted to a hospital for treatment before the end. He probably conducted most of his interviews when O'Connor retired so there are probably two or three candidates he might consider after the grieving process is over.
I rarely agreed with the late Rehnquist's judicial views and found myself supporting O'Connor more than any justice, but he performed his job with the dignity necessary for that office .. He presided over the impeachment of a sitting president, maintained judicial independence, and rarely engaged in the heated rhetoric offered by his fellow conservative counterparts. His loved ones will mourn his passing, but he his death spares him from further pain. May his successor come to appreciate the role as much as Rehnquist did.
died Saturday night at his home in Virginia after suffering from thyroid cancer. The Chief Justice aligned himself with the conservatives on the court, consistently voting to uphold state power against individual rights in criminal procedure matters and due process clause challenges and for a narrow interpretation of our Constitutional guarantees against discrimination.
He joined Kennedy appointee Byron White in opposing abortion rights in Roe v. Wade but failed to win over Justices Sondra Day O'Connor and Anthony Kennedy when the Court revisited the issue. The late Chief Justice fought more successfully to shift the court to the right on religious establishment cases, a move that, while he hoped to overturn important judicial precedents that guarantee religious equality, did move the court to a more solid and balanced approach on those issues and moved the court to the right on federalism.
Few know how this will affect the judicial proceedings scheduled for this week. Most Court watchers expected Chief Justice William Rehnquist to retire first due to his illness but were caught off guard when O'Connor became the first to announce her resignation. Circuit Judge John Roberts will appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee this week but the president will now be required to find another replacement. The president was not caught off guard. The Chief Justice was gravely ill and had recently been admitted to a hospital for treatment before the end. He probably conducted most of his interviews when O'Connor retired so there are probably two or three candidates he might consider after the grieving process is over.
I rarely agreed with the late Rehnquist's judicial views and found myself supporting O'Connor more than any justice, but he performed his job with the dignity necessary for that office .. He presided over the impeachment of a sitting president, maintained judicial independence, and rarely engaged in the heated rhetoric offered by his fellow conservative counterparts. His loved ones will mourn his passing, but he his death spares him from further pain. May his successor come to appreciate the role as much as Rehnquist did.
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