Tackling the weather factor

Granville Street at Night

Rain. If you’ve lived in Vancouver for any length of time, you come to know it well. It’s so inherently a part of the city’s culture and history that some long time residents try not to notice it anymore, and newcomers seemed prepared. [Read more...]

Arriving to the “Wetcoast”

Riot Police

It’s a go! Departure day is set for the great trek to the Canadian West: April 10th 2011. I’m excited. My daily Paris grind is going to totally change. And the timing is perfect: I need a breath of fresh air.. [Read more...]

Our cities on the campaign trail – focus on Vancouver

Suzanne Anton

On November 19, BC voters will be electing their respective municipal councils. Well, some voters at least, will take advantage of the opportunity. Municipal elections have a historically dismal participation rate. One of the most interesting races will, of course, take place in Vancouver. [Read more...]

Spencie’s View

Spencie's View

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Violence Against Women: a global problem

Poster for YWCA violence against women campaign.

Abuse against women happens every day. Regardless of skin colour, race, creed or ethnicity, abuse is an international issue that knows no boundaries, and every October, the YWCA Metro Vancouver takes up the cause with their Week Without Violence campaign. [Read more...]

Vancouverites search for their umbrellas

Scott King in his W. Broadway St. shop.

Robinson Crusoe made a parasol on his deserted island. Gene Kelly, in Singin’ in the Rain, danced with a brolly. And France’s President, Nicolas Sarkozy has an armor-plated bumbershoot to protect himself from attackers. [Read more...]

Shambhala centre teaches dignity

shambala

The Buddhist teachings at the Shambhala Centre on Heather St. and 17th Ave., don’t come from your typical monk in crimson coloured robes. Instead the Universal teachings of dignity, intelligence and diversity come from Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, a Tibetan meditation master who taught thousands, smoked cigarettes and created (and led) his own army; at times doing all three while wearing full military regalia, creating paradoxes wherever he set foot. [Read more...]

Battling divisions in theatre production of Us and Them

Us and Them – The Cultch

The fundamental question explored in the play Us and Them by co-directors David Diamond and Kevin Finnan, is “if it’s only us here, who are the ‘they’ we are creating?” Us and Them, showing at The Cultch (Historic Theatre) on Venables Street, is a production which merges traditional and formal theatre. [Read more...]

Words come to life at annual Writers Festival

VIWF Logo

This year’s Vancouver International Writers and Readers Festival will have a collaboration of the world’s best writers. Running from Oct. 18–23, the festival will allow for undiscovered and unpublished Canadian writers to congregate with award nominated writers like Esi Edugyan, Lynn Coady, Patrick de Witt, David Bezmozgis, Marina Endicott and Andrew Mikiforuk, just to name a few. [Read more...]

Reflecting on 30 years

Street Photography by Denis Bouvier

TOutside the Vancity Theatre, home to the Vancouver International Film Festival Centre, we see the logo of the VIFF. Its “eyes” are looking out to the world perhaps reflecting on the past 30 years of the festival and pondering the future. [Read more...]