simra.net Doing stuff since 1973

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090112.wvanoc0112/B...

With $458-million dollars. Every Vancouverite opposed to the freakshow can celebrate their bittersweet moment. Is it too late to just cancel the whole thing?

Ever since we moved to Vancouver four years ago, one of the bright spots has been Aphrodite's Cafe at 4th and Dunbar. The bright, laid back restaurant serves delicious, local organic food and has the best pies in the city. What really made Aphrodite's special, though, was owner Allan Christian, whose constant quiet, unassuming presence helped you slow down and appreciate your meal. He always took the time to stop by our table and say hi, and Nisha frequently bumped into him as he delivered pies to the Salt Spring coffee shop on campus. We were deeply saddened to drop by the restaurant tonight and discover that Allan passed away on Tues. He was one of those people you don't realize you'll miss until they're gone, and I'm grateful to have met him. A memorial service is planned- details are at the cafe.

http://www.miss604.com/2008/04/vancouvers-north-shore-mountains.html

Rebecca Bollwitt, aka Miss604, has the rundown on all the peaks visible from various parts of downtown Vancouver. I have to admit I can only name a handful. Somewhere in the city I once came across a great panoramic map (maybe the roof of MEC?) but I've since forgotten where it is. On a good day I think I could get the Lions, Black, Grouse, Seymour and Dog.

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2008/04/05/bc-ubc-studen...

Several students were arrested last night in their efforts to save the grassy knoll. UBC's real-estate ambitions have extended to building a shopping mall on green space in the center of campus. It's an obviously unpopular move among students.

http://vancouver.metblogs.com/2008/04/03/the-hollow-tree-getting-cut-dow...

Stanley Park's hollow tree has been slated for the chainsaws, in a unanimous park board decision. The tree's structural integrity was fubared by the big blowdown in 2006.

In the interests of presenting both sides of the story, yes, it's true, we did have some snow today. Won't happen again. Promise.

3 signs of spring:

1. The cherry blossoms are out.
2. The landscaper is trimming the verge outside our building (!)
3. I took Maya to Mount Seymour yesterday. It was enveloped in cloud and it was raining down in North Van, but above 600m the temp stood firm at 0deg and we had the slopes all to ourselves. Sweet!

http://www.virishi.net/from-happy-hacking-screw-you-story-meraki

A frustrating story detailing a Vancouver-based group's efforts to build a DTES free wifi network based on open source technology, only to have the rug repeatedly pulled out by changes to the licensing model.

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2008/03/17/bc-byelection...

The Liberals have retained their seat in Vancouver's Quadra riding by-election (Quadra includes UBC and our neighbourhood). They lost major ground, taking only 37% of the vote, versus 49% in the 2006 election. The one bright spot is that the Greens boosted their popular vote from 10% to 14%. It looks like a risky time for the Liberals to risk an election, but it's hard to imagine when things might improve for them.

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2008/03/14/bc-affordable...

The CBC helps RBC point out what has been obvious to everyone else for at least 2 years. Thanks, fellas, keep up the great work! Actually, I find the numbers a bit surprising- according to MLS, the average cost of a detached home in Vancouver is $761,000 (CBC claims $650,000 for a detached home with a double garage- maybe they mean just a double garage with a sink and a toilet.) And $300,000 for a 1000sq ft condo is laughable- the city-wide average is $372,000 and 2BR 1000 sq feet runs about $450,000 in most of Van West.

Hahahahaha! Life goes on in Vancouver...

http://flickr.com/photos/simra/sets/72157604020275776/

Someone is setting us up for disappointment... in any case, we took advantage of a gorgeous day by packing a picnic lunch (which was eaten in the car even before we arrived) and taking a walk along the Stanley Park seawall.

[There are more shots of us in my private flickr stream- if you're a friend drop me a line and I'll add you to my contacts.]

http://thetyee.ca/Views/2008/02/29/EcoDensity/

[ via Anodyne ]

The Tyee argues that Ecodensity will further fuel Vancouver's decline into inaffordability. My main gripe, and the main reason why we're still renting rather than living in an affordable suburban home, is the travel time required to get to the North Shore by public transit from anywhere other than... well, the North Shore. Speaking of which, Surrey apparently has a higher population density than Burnaby, but a fraction of the public transit.

http://vancouverpublicspace.ca/index.php?page=pirates

Arr! Crossed paths with a ruly band of pirates on my way home tonight. Keep your one-eye peeled for pics on flickr.

http://www.livableregion.ca/blog/blogs/index.php/2008/02/19/who_s_densif...

Livable Region notes this Tyee story on the uneven progress towards densification in Vancouver. We've seen some of this first hand- Point Grey residents who are adamantly opposed to rezoning coach houses as dwellings. It's a bit startling to look at the map and see how it's not just Point Grey but the whole west side that remains entrenched as the land of massive (and massively expensive) single-family dwellings. Last I checked, the median price for a detached home in all of Metro Vancouver was in the $700K range, with the median price on the west side in the ballpark of $1.4M.

http://chineseinvancouver.blogspot.com/2008/02/blast-suspect-was-half-na...

CIV has some good coverage of the explosion on Broadway Weds night, including an interview with the cabbie who picked up the arsonist. Don't play with accelerants at home, kids!

http://www.megfowler.com/2008/02/07/come-here-so-i-can-smack-you/

Lissen up, Vancouverites. Meg has an important public safety announcement just for you.

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2008/02/08/bc-translink....

When the Translink board recently decided to initiate closed-door meetings, my first guess was that they'd become Templars and were just being over-enthusiastic about their new secret society. Turns out it was a lot simpler than that- they were only preparing to give themselves a 500% raise. Hurray for restructuring! Where do I sign up?

http://www.badastronomy.com/bablog/2008/02/07/starbucks-mitosis/

The BA blogger notices something odd about the depth of our coffee fetish:

What can I say? Canadians like their coffee, and Vancouverites swim in it. That's not the only intersection downtown with multiple Starbucks. And before you get your knickers in a knot about corporate hegemony, read this post on how ma & pa coffee shops thrive when SBUX moves next door:
http://www.slate.com/id/2180301/pagenum/all/