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Vancouver parking meters – Don’t use the new toonies!

Owner — Sun, 13 May 2012 04:19:57 +0000

Yes if you throw in a new toonie into the Vancouver parking meters you likely won’t get any time on the meter. If you choose you can contact the City of Vancouver and get your money back. However save yourself the hassle. Choose wisely before you head out and plan on using the meters. The city is being good about this and you have a few options should you make that mistake of donating to the city without actually wanting to do so.

[read more on CKNW]

Celebrity Apprentice spoiler alert? Could they be this foolish?

Owner — Wed, 09 May 2012 04:57:52 +0000

Okay I’m going out on a limb here. Clay Aiken is fired next week. I say this provided they don’t do a seat swap in the boardroom. Perhaps the joke is on me? What I saw on the trailer for next week was clearly Trump looking and pointing at the side of the boardroom where Clay was sitting. It was painfully obvious actually. Could the producer be such a fool in this instance? This irks me because the CBC program Redemption Inc. did the exact same thing. They ran the trailer and CLEARLY show O’Leary pointing in the direction of the girl to award as the winner. It’s what I observed in the teaser and it’s what happened in the finale. The girls won. The editing was bad. I just wonder if a show produced by Mark Burnett could have screwed up so royally. It’s only a TV show I get that. It’s only entertainment and it’s not the end of the world. With that said I still find it extremely frustrating. Let’s see this coming up Sunday if the joke is on me or if someone should be fired from the show who came up with that teaser trailer.

Shame on translink and BC governement. Finally collecting on fines!

Owner — Tue, 08 May 2012 02:59:04 +0000

Imagine this. What swift action by the BC Liberals! Wow! All it took was a CKNW investigation to uncover what appears to be a pot of gold. It’s called actually having the legislation in place to actually collect the money owed by fines. According to the CKNW report there is about $4 million a year through fine revenue and will be able to seek repayment from fare evaders from the last ten years for a potential $40 million.

Kids in Vancouver get too many days off school. Did you know?

Owner — Fri, 04 May 2012 16:16:15 +0000

All school districts are not equal. I’m not an expert on how this education system works so please take my opinions with care. The fact is 24hrs newspaper published a small blurb about the Vancouver School Board reducing the 10 extra days off to 5 extra days off next year. Did you read that? The kids in the Vancouver school district were getting 10 extra days off during the school year. Why? Budget of course. This is why you might think that kids having a 5 day school week is an oddity. Two weeks off for spring break, Fridays and Mondays off on many long weekends and many Pro D days. It all adds up to a LOT of time off for kids. I lack full understanding, but it appears to me that kids living in Surrey for example, might just be getting many more days education than your kids. Funny though. Isn’t the criteria used to score exams and knowledge the same in all school districts? I would think if you’re going to cut at the kids education in the Vancouver School district you should lighten up on the standards no? If those kids get less education why would you expect them to be as smart as the kids who get more days in school? It’s frustrating and it’s lame. Too bad more people aren’t questioning these types of issues. Budget first, kids education needs come second. Simple as that.

[read more on 24hrs.ca]

Have you been to a Vancouver Whitecaps game yet?

Owner — Thu, 03 May 2012 19:38:35 +0000

I was just noticing on the translink buses, the Whitecaps advertisement. Tickets start at just $20 don’t you know! Nice price point. Perhaps I’m immune to most advertising, but I don’t recall seeing a Whitecaps ad or an appeal such as this for fans to come out to a game. Again, perhaps I’m completely out to lunch. I mean you can’t miss a translink bus that is covered in Whitecaps advertising. Have you been to your first Whitecaps game and how was it? Can you actually get a $20 ticket?

Vancouver police break up May Day protest swiftly. We’re learning!

Owner — Wed, 02 May 2012 21:05:43 +0000

Vancouver police have a difficult job. That job got a bit tougher after the 2012 riots. On May 1, Vancouver police were able to flex some muscle and break up a small protest on Commercial Drive. Yes the riot squad was on hand. They gave the crowd 60 seconds to disperse and that they did. Not arrests or ugliness. Did you catch the scenes from Seattle? We we just fine thank you very much! I think the brass have figured out that situations escalate when there is no police presence to balance out gatherings or protests. Things can get out of hand. Just like boiling water right? Gets hotter and hotter then boils. I’m pretty sure riots follow pretty much the same principle.

Beer gardens at Vancouver Celebration of Light 2012? What the heck?

Owner — Tue, 01 May 2012 23:11:42 +0000

When I think of bad ideas, big crowds and being drunk isn’t a good mixture. Vancouver has proven this in the past haven’t they? I was a bit surprised to hear today about a beer garden at Sunset beach during the fireworks in the summer. I’m sure this is a casual drinking experience and that there are limits and there won’t be excessive drinking. I’m sure some of us hearing “beer garden” causes us to perk up in our chairs and pay attention to the when and where. Some of us drool for beer gardens. I guess we have to wait and see what type of family orientated activities they will be having along with those beer gardens. We can trust the city of Vancouver right?

Whitecaps are winning! Betcha can’t name a player!

Owner — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 07:13:00 +0000

I can’t. Nope, notta one player can I name on the Whitecaps. Sad really because I just heard on the news they won a game again. I’m waiting for the John Furlong effect to take place. It’s still bizarre to me that the MLS is here in Vancouver yet they appear to not be reaching out to the non soccer fans which could certainly boost their revenues. Canucks out and they aren’t taking advantage. One word. Lame.

Celebration of Light 2012 and beyond saved by Honda

Owner — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 19:56:53 +0000

No worries for the Vancouver fireworks thanks to Honda. They have agreed to sponsor the event for the next 3 years. Celebration of Light is a Vancouver tradition and every year it seemed there was a sponsorship crisis. Personally I’m glad for this news. It’s an amazing event and honestly a Vancouver summer would not be complete without it. It’s amazing how many years it’s been going and I hope it doesn’t end anytime soon.

Roberto Luongo era is ending. Bad for us, good for them.

Owner — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 17:58:45 +0000

I’ve been critical of Roberto Luongo in the sense of mental toughness or lack thereof. Great goalie but not a goalie who is in the heads of opponents or who can shut the door completely in any given game. It’s why you see teams shooting from crazy angles on him. The book is out. He might stop the hard shots, but it’s the easy ones that get in which suck the life out of the team playing in front of him.

With that negativity said, I’m fearful that we will not get enough in return for him. Another NHL team picking up his contract may be the only value we get back in return. You okay with that? I think more than ever, Roberto Luongo is going to be motivated. He’s going to have incentive more so than any time in his career. I do not know if he can overcome his mental lapses, but that’s the only hole in his game. All that he’s gone through in the Canucks playoff run and the way it went down, just may push him over the edge into a mentally tough and rock solid stopper. It might just happen. A change of scenery in Roberto’s case just may be the catalyst for a lot of regrets in Vancouver. How many years does he have left? Enough to make a team into a playoff contender and now quite possibly be a more solid goalie in the playoffs than ever.

Be afraid Canucks fans. Be very afraid!