Ah if only they new...

According to the Vancouver Sun, the UN has described Vancouver as a paradise with a dark side..

It describes Vancouver as a "breathtakingly gorgeous" city with a sizzling economy.
"But there is trouble in paradise. And nowhere is it more evident than in the Downtown Eastside-a two-kilometre-square stretch of decaying rooming houses, seedy strip bars and shady pawnshops," states the UN agency.
"Worst of all, it is home to a Hepatitis C (HCV) rate of just below 70 per cent and an HIV prevalence rate of an estimated 30 per cent-the same as Botswana's."

The sizzling economy bit has me a bit puzzled. Vancouver has a sizzling real estate market and hence a HUGE construction boom going on. I have little evidence of anything else.

Vancouver is a tourist city...and not the good kind. It attracts lots of overseas business and wealth. They buy up the pretty glass towers that we can't afford.

They drive the 'densification' and 'ecodensity' ideas that we are constantly hammered with.

Vancouver is the home of illegal goods. Goods coming in and out of the city. Knock-off's of Channel and so on are available everywhere. Everyone has a fake YSL bag. Well, a certain demographic of our population anyway.

Vancouver is the home of fake lottery scams that target little old ladies in the US. Vancouver is the city that couldn't keep a stock exchange due to the volume of shady activity taking place on it.

Money here is not usually made in purely legitimate ways.

There are no big industries here. Not many head offices left.
So what is generating all the income?

Who is paying for this image of paradise?

I love living here for the scenery and climate. However, the cost of living rises more every single day.

Our city and provincial governments have nothing but dollar signs in their eyes and only working towards one goal....selling the city to the world for the 2010 Olympics.

There is no concern for the regular citizens that make up this fair city.
Health care is a problem.
Housing is a problem
Business are falling apart ....the death toll on the Cambie Line increases every month. So much for small business

It has finally come out that all the promises for housing made by VANOC are highly unlikely and in my opinion was always just words on paper.

For the rest of the world Vancouver is a nice place to play. Lax laws and a laid back style help off shore investors make some easy cash....at the expense of the rest of us.

There is nothing viable in the economy of this city...nothing sustaining. Nothing long lasting.

We are being told to get out of our traditional homes. We are told that family life doesn't fit in here. WE are told that condos are the way to go.

According to Patrick Condon in the Vancouver Sun, June 26, 85% of new housing needs will be for non family housing.

I disagree with this. I say this statistic is being forced upon us by inflated real estate prices and marketers pushing their condos.

Families are being driven to the suburbs whether they want to go or not. Guilted out for a dream of a home with a yard and so forth.

I am very sad at how Vancouver has fallen. I hope to be proven wrong.

But I doubt it.

Another Reason This Pisses Me Off

....the blame the individual for destroying our planet...yadda yadda....
Yes we do waste energy and on and on....

But am I the one sending myself massive amounts of junk mail that I just scoop up and shove in my recycling box?

Does this procedure mean something? Would the world end if there was NO JUNK mail and me doing this little job every single day???

The amount of paper and glossy card and heavily inked and coloured stock that gets turfed out is obscene.

The energy expended and waste produced by producing all this garbage is what is burning up our resources.

All these industries created by a culture of largess and excess.

Junk mail serves no purpose. What I mean is ..it doesn't feed us. It doesn't provide us shelter....there is no actual NEED for it.

And I am sure there are far better alternatives for advertising their wares than this old and outdated mode.

Would not our postal workers rejoice if they didn't have all this junk to lug around?

The Police RAWK!! - Paid Post

Win a New York fly-away to see The Police live



For ages before the Grammy's....there were Police sightings all around Vancouver. Nobody would confirm or deny that the crew were here rehearsing!

Well they were here and they DID announce a tour and it WAS starting out in Vancouver and I got to go and see them. And they were amazing. They did a fantastic job....played everything we wanted to hear and did it well. It was a massive nostalgia trip for all there and I am sure every city they visit will be a massive sell out.

I am thrilled that they have a companion CD with the tour. The music of The Police
shaped my youth and a compliation CD is just what we need! I cannot wait spend my summer driving and belting out Police tunes......ahh the memories.

Every song evokes a memory. Their sound inspired and influenced at least twenty years of musicians.

I don't know if I can PICK one favorite song from the police cd but I sure enjoyed their new take on Walking on the Moon and Every Breath You Take.

Listening to an entire stadium sing along word for word is pretty incredible.
I am glad I got to be part of the experience and I look forward to picking up the new police cd.

Harper Goes up a Notch in my Opinion of Him

I heard about this this on Breakfast Television where they were SHOCKED that our PM would snub the obviously GOD like Bono during the G8 Summit.

You know what? GOOD FOR HIM!

Seriously. Who the hell does BONO think he is?

He is a bloody MUSICIAN for God's sake. What gives him right to TELL people who to run their countries or allocate their foreign aid.

Why would a leader of a country listen to him more than say the people who elected him/her or the people in his government? Because they dug The Joshua Tree?

For a man who moved his business out of Ireland instead of paying (gasp) taxes...the hypocrisy is a little overwhelming.

This man's wealth alone could probably support a starving nation in Africa.

I am all for celeb's helping bring causes and issues to the public eye...but please, remember who and what you are.

Bono needs to put HIS money where his mouth is. Let's see more WORK instead of jaunting around the world rubbing elbows with world leaders.

If She Can't Get People To Listen...

who can.....

I hope it was not all in vain...

Tagged!

I don't usually do those over here..but Angela tagged me at this site..so what the heck.


The object of the game is to blog “8 Random Facts About Myself”. Here are the rules:


1. I have to post these rules before I give you the facts.
2. Each player starts with eight random facts/habits about themselves.
3. People who are tagged need to write their own blog about their eight things and post these rules.
4. At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names.
5. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog

- I ain't tagging people....consider yourself TAGGED if you are reading this and you want to share some stuff!

- I am also going to try to keep mine in keeping with this blogs 'theme'

1. During my formative years I was very apathetic towards politics. This despite being surrounded by friends who partook in model parliaments and had one friend RUN for Premier!

2. My irritation towards the stupidity and corruption I see around me is slowing building up inside me to the point where I will have to do more than just bitch. And I don't mean become a vigilante..though that is tempting....I am thinking about running for city council and or starting my own charitable organization.

3. My creative writing has ground to a complete halt. No ideas even....sad.

4. I KNOW I don't give this site enough attention. This is the tricky one. The parenting stuff is easy to talk about. WetCoast is my other baby and I want to see that one grow. This stuff is trickier.

5. I find it hard to read and research the world's going on when my kids don't even let me hear the local news. I feel a sense of accomplishment from just reading the daily paper in one day.

6. I am really scatterbrained.

7. I love a great debate and try to not take them too personally...but feel I am not informed enough to pack a punch.

8. I am NOT Anti American! How could I be with so many on the blogosphere that I consider to be friends...not to mention all the real life buddies too!

Oh Hawaii - Paid Post

I have never been to Hawaii. I hope go soon.

My mom went there with friends and loved it. They rented a condo in Maui. They loved this. They could relax, make their own meals, and work to their own schedule.

I think this is the way to go for families unless you have the big bucks for an all inclusive resort. My son dreams of swimming with sea turtles and dolphins!

I dream of sipping cool drinks on my lanai.

When we are seriously planning our trip, we will no doubt check out this site - Kauai Vacation Homes for accommodation ideas.

This is a great site filled with a huge variety of condo and rental home options and locations as well as information on flights, car rentals and attractions. The homes range from absolute luxury to a nice little place your sleepy head at night. There is a wide range of prices and locations.

So while we await our passport applications and save our pennies, we will continue to pour over photos of gorgeous Hawaiian condos and gorgeous scenery.