Vancouver Round-up!

Since I'm catching up on the backlog of tidbits I've been collecting but not posting, let's run through some of the Vancouver-related items of the last while...

There was actually big news today: that bronze statue of the woman that was stolen from Queen Elizabeth Park back in June has been found! Abandoned in a field in Abbotsford, which means that a bunch of kids stole the thing for a lark and didn't know how to melt it down for the metal. So that's good news.

And though not exactly Vancouver news, it definitely touches the hearts of many Vancouverites: coffee... and what comes to mind when you say "coffee" in vancouver: Starbucks. From the "What I Learned Today" site, the 14 ways Starbucks has tried to revitalize its brand.

And because of the three-month long garbage strike last year, we are now experiencing a spike in the population level of rats... my favourite quote from the article is where the Vancouver Coastal Health spokesperson says the rats do not pose a health risk, but "if you don't have a portal, or method or conduit for them to get access to the house, you certainly reduce the risk of exposing yourself to that problem." Uh... is he talking about "doors"?

I know a few folks that get near-giddy when transit-related topics, current or historical, come up. So here's something I found about a new push for bringing back the old BC Electric Railway interurban line.

David Eby, Pivot Legal's Eastside advocate, is seeking a candidacy from Vision Vancouver to run in the fall election. Here's a review of a fund-raiser for him that happened at the ANZA Club.

Chuck Davis, one of Vancouver's most-treasured writers of history, has written about the history of Grouse Mountain on re:Place Magazine's website. It's a great article, and a fantastic site.

This is not good: bus service cut in half?

And a rundown of this weekend's West 4th Summer of Love Festival!

And have you noticed the number of Russell Brewery umbrellas at beverage establishments...? Apparently it's a trend, and they're expanding.

And a little on how the hippies shaped Vancouver.

Vancouver police are giving out tickets for not wearing a helmet while riding a bicycle. Judging from the comments this story got, lots of people feel this is infringing on their human rights. Bite me. This explains why so many people on bikes drive like they think they're pedestrians. Remember: bikes are vehicles, and riders must abide by the laws of the road. As gas prices rise and more people turn to bicycles to get around, the anger between drivers and bikers is only going to get worse as bicycle volume increases. I support getting around by bicycles, but stupid riders piss me off. (And for the record, while I have a car, I drive exactly twice a week: one to a recording studio where we leave after transit finishes for the day, and one to run the weekly errands and buy groceries. Otherwise I walk or transit, and sometimes even ride my bicycle.) Ok, editorializing over.

Here's a list of Vancouver's largest consumers of water.

And that's it for now.