tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81094165827846924122024-02-07T10:52:45.775-08:00The Weekly Gumbootfresh perspectives on people, community, nature, pirates, gumboots, and gumboot-clad pirate communities in nature. we've got cool ideas from everywhere. and we use them to build community.John Hornhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17378112498726702561noreply@blogger.comBlogger105125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109416582784692412.post-49857500995858387862009-08-18T15:59:00.000-07:002009-08-19T09:39:29.540-07:00We Bought a New Home!Hi there Gumboot Enthusiasts.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">The Weekly Gumboot </span>has gotten ambitious and moved across the interscape to <a href="http://dailygumboot.ca">www.dailygumboot.ca</a>. Check out our new location and continue to be part of the community!<br /><br />Kind regards,<br /><br />John Horn<br />Editor-in-Chief,<span style="font-style: italic;"> The Daily Gumboot</span><a id="publishButton" class="cssButton" href="javascript:void(0)" target="" onclick="if (this.className.indexOf("ubtn-disabled") == -1) {var e = document['stuffform'].publish;(e.length) ? e[0].click() : e.click(); if (window.event) window.event.cancelBubble = true; return false;}"><div class="cssButtonOuter"><div class="cssButtonMiddle"><div class="cssButtonInner">Publish Post</div></div></div></a>John Hornhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17378112498726702561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109416582784692412.post-21056770661071877832009-08-04T07:12:00.000-07:002009-08-04T07:45:22.412-07:00The Gumboot is Under Construction<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikKIwv6Pcw8jTg-_v1aDIsLDTIXtovoH-CmVyScnkIPb5VdgKiZfsZy_TqsuHvnl2A_uD3t729NTaliGeisEcDnjZGmUizBP4Ttp-BKuYgzYKO_sw5nwh-czqMqMbdj6_JbWQqcsSPK3U/s1600-h/under_construction_sign.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 183px; height: 167px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikKIwv6Pcw8jTg-_v1aDIsLDTIXtovoH-CmVyScnkIPb5VdgKiZfsZy_TqsuHvnl2A_uD3t729NTaliGeisEcDnjZGmUizBP4Ttp-BKuYgzYKO_sw5nwh-czqMqMbdj6_JbWQqcsSPK3U/s320/under_construction_sign.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366113133170290338" border="0" /></a><br />Good day, community-minded readers of <span style="font-style: italic;">The Weekly Gumboot</span>. Over the next few days/weeks, your favourite blog will be undergoing some changes so that, forever more, we can provide some sexier and more cutting edge service to you, the people. We're making this happen with a two-fold strategy. First, our Correspondents will be attending a two week long "community twitblogging for the interscape" and team-building retreat in Prince Rupert; they will return better than ever and with a thirst for community-building. Second, we're making <span style="font-style: italic;">The Gumboot </span>prettier from the back-end (not sure exactly what what means, but the guy we "hired" won't stop talking about it).<br /><br />Keep your eyes open for our new direction. And thanks, as always, for your support, comments and, most importantly, the memories.<br /><br />Stay classy. And keep reaching for those rainbows.<br /><br />Your pal always,<br /><br />John Horn<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Editor-in-Chief</span>John Hornhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17378112498726702561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109416582784692412.post-27768488775914012732009-07-27T21:14:00.001-07:002009-07-30T09:15:23.800-07:00Buenos Aires and the Journey Home - Chapter 3<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjCj62003HhNLH0SWzUf8maA2TCXBBUtWKmQZnUEtjkf1wcRjsw82ONkgONDuJLMTUs1GA338u2QvhzAwUjSFq9S51_ZLiOXXEijQMNZ5pWA2gtm-TcpC1RNbKyoIz1l90l9c8vWGnhO8/s1600-h/Juan+y+Michelle+in+South+America+-+Part+1+001.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 295px; height: 222px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjCj62003HhNLH0SWzUf8maA2TCXBBUtWKmQZnUEtjkf1wcRjsw82ONkgONDuJLMTUs1GA338u2QvhzAwUjSFq9S51_ZLiOXXEijQMNZ5pWA2gtm-TcpC1RNbKyoIz1l90l9c8vWGnhO8/s320/Juan+y+Michelle+in+South+America+-+Part+1+001.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364090649262686386" border="0" /></a>Hola, <span style="font-style: italic;">Gumboot </span>readers! Well, Michellé y Juan have returned home to Downtown Canada (<span style="font-style: italic;">Editor`s note: </span>on Sunday night, we flew over mountains and ocean and rivers and green space into Vancouver...and then we were lucky enough to meander up and down <span style="font-style: italic;">The Drive</span> during the tail-end of Summer Days - people, we are so, so fortunate to live where we do...tourists must orgasm when they arrive in this part of the world!).<br /><br />But enough about Vancouver and beautiful British Columbia. Let`s get back to Downtown South America! So, the last time we checked in with Juan y Michellé, we had thrived in the Andes, learned about olive oil, defended against nuclear zombies at the Difunta Correa, and survived precarious paragliding. The next challenge for this delightful power couple: smog, traffic, rain, and a hospital in Buenos Aires!<br /><br />So, Buenos Aires is a city of 13 million people (give or take a dozen). Some of the city's highlights include the world's largest street, <span style="font-style: italic;">9 de Julio</span>, and Christianity's answer to Disneyland, the <span style="font-style: italic;"><a href="http://argentinastravel.com/257/parque-tierra-santa-in-buenos-aires/">Parque Tierra Santa</a>.</span> According to the country's maps, Argentina, not Britain, owns the Malvinas, not Falklands (shhh, don't tell the United Kingdom!). Argentinians, as described by the "rest of South America" and "Lonely Planet" are "Italians who speak Spanish, want to be French and behave like the English." One travel writer also used the term "a-hole" to depict these "Europeans of the Third World." In the experience of Juan y Michellé, the Canadian travelers were discriminated against more by French Canadians named Martin than by Argentinians; everyone was pretty darn nice, in spite of the hazy busyness of the city. In the end, Buenos Aires grew on us.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">First highlight, Caminito: </span>ladies and gentlemen, welcome to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Boca">La Boca</a>, a ne<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggA2QcBwP8hFi6JMCXp0JlmOqQW2rp1u4-VX2Ng0P7BTtuIMLFoIe_jAf3EDSAmDD4qNPrgbjMa7iUPhu5rYQ-COiB2_tdIQm6gQrTyHgWv7cpkDDiyB7tsPhBLMZKV75xgMLNs71gHdk/s1600-h/Juan+y+Michelle+in+South+America+-+part+2+519.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 195px; height: 146px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggA2QcBwP8hFi6JMCXp0JlmOqQW2rp1u4-VX2Ng0P7BTtuIMLFoIe_jAf3EDSAmDD4qNPrgbjMa7iUPhu5rYQ-COiB2_tdIQm6gQrTyHgWv7cpkDDiyB7tsPhBLMZKV75xgMLNs71gHdk/s320/Juan+y+Michelle+in+South+America+-+part+2+519.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364077040905966930" border="0" /></a>ighbourhood built on Italian immigrants (not literally), tango and Maradona's football club, Boca Juniors, where the now coach of Argentina's National Men's Club played his career. Caminito was/is a tourist mecca. Throughout our travels, Juan typically looked out of place with his Panasonic Lumix draped around his neck; however, amongst the restaurants, souvenir shops, cheesy tango dancers, and colourful buildings of Caminito he was right at home. Besides, dozens of Argentinian tourists had, <span style="font-style: italic;">ahem</span>, much longer lenses than he did. Fun fact about tango: contrary to popular belief, tango is actually not at all about <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr0JE0W-7oKLMZKRZ8J86dLGDAbWk8AVUFUDgNVFRLHOLbpsedpgFeqIepg73JfkRLceW-mOSCHx-ia5V4qnITx_78aXAiOUN4A_b20N0zZczoDJjJB4V2Kjbxsib5j5UBQJda-DJmIR0/s1600-h/Juan+y+Michelle+in+South+America+-+part+2+524.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 195px; height: 146px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr0JE0W-7oKLMZKRZ8J86dLGDAbWk8AVUFUDgNVFRLHOLbpsedpgFeqIepg73JfkRLceW-mOSCHx-ia5V4qnITx_78aXAiOUN4A_b20N0zZczoDJjJB4V2Kjbxsib5j5UBQJda-DJmIR0/s320/Juan+y+Michelle+in+South+America+-+part+2+524.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364077672695461394" border="0" /></a>dancing; originally, the art form was created as a comment on class-romance-relations, where a man would sing to a woman about, well, forbidden-esque love. For questions about tango, please email Martin Renauld at renauld14(at)hotmail.com. Probably the most hilarious part of the Caminito trip was the Maradona impersonator. For a modest price of, we think, 10 pesos, you - yes, <span style="font-style: italic;">you </span>- can have your photo taken with a guy who <span style="font-style: italic;">looks </span>like Maradona. Again. He's not Maradona, but he kinda sorta maybe looks like him. Needless to say, we don't have a photo of this gent. But we do have a great idea. A "business venture" if you will. Would you rather pay 10 pesos for a picture with a fake Maradona, or 8 pesos for a picture of the <span style="font-style: italic;">real </span>Martin Renauld. We know the answer...<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Second highlight, San Telmo Market: </span>as Summer Days in Vancouver sputter towards cancellation (such is the word on the street about carless streets), the San Telmo Market, which is exactly where the thoughtful, visionary, humble, street-savvy, and amazing Andr<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig_X-Jc9bWaO_6XXMbqUq3FfP6h6RewKnlMmUnqQEqXDrRaGEJG4hCuEj9lXHRYY-CrujHrRHjtn6if4r6lSj9-hhEAOoxbgv9IKnqapuU302LCtn9d8Xm27Wl_pq44FUxKtFIbnPe4SM/s1600-h/Juan+y+Michelle+in+South+America+-+part+2+583.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 199px; height: 149px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig_X-Jc9bWaO_6XXMbqUq3FfP6h6RewKnlMmUnqQEqXDrRaGEJG4hCuEj9lXHRYY-CrujHrRHjtn6if4r6lSj9-hhEAOoxbgv9IKnqapuU302LCtn9d8Xm27Wl_pq44FUxKtFIbnPe4SM/s320/Juan+y+Michelle+in+South+America+-+part+2+583.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364098853939488690" border="0" /></a>ea Reimer will be taking Vancouver in the years ahead, will be the vibrant, colourful and, yes, carless Sunday street market that it has been for decades. Hey, man, Buenos Aires defines itself as a "European City," so it's understandable that such street culture survives and thrives amidst the rise of the automobile in the Southern hemisphere. Argentinians see cars as a status symbol, sure, but having a street or two closed in a neighbourhood will <span style="font-style: italic;">never </span>deter people (most of whom still walk everywhere, which is why the wine and meat can't make 'em all fat!) from visiting the neighbourhood. From the locally made crafts (most of Argentina's consumer products are also local) to the amazing street performers (see video and prepare to dance!) the market was a delightful romp that was so extensive that it took up all of Sunday afternoon and most of the evening.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/2It4TQVK7hk&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></object><div style="text-align: center;"><object width="425" height="344"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/2It4TQVK7hk&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-weight: bold;">Third "highlight," public health care in Argentina: </span>nothing says "adventure" like heading to one of Buenos Aires's hospitals during a swine flu epidemic that has inspired a "state of emergency" from the city's mayor, Mauricio Marci. While free health care <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi72hZ0erniSdJXcs9vTe0mYbhaXqmeVR5iw1uwrKTVjcPzM0vGtYqEv1gUsS34pivqNTnhVUoDtPv2-fCPXBzEJJNkdjP43xaHm84YnTZ5XLOktDdxkuf0kmrZ43VKlM9tNyWGycu56EI/s1600-h/Juan+y+Michelle+in+South+America+-+part+2+596.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 211px; height: 158px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi72hZ0erniSdJXcs9vTe0mYbhaXqmeVR5iw1uwrKTVjcPzM0vGtYqEv1gUsS34pivqNTnhVUoDtPv2-fCPXBzEJJNkdjP43xaHm84YnTZ5XLOktDdxkuf0kmrZ43VKlM9tNyWGycu56EI/s320/Juan+y+Michelle+in+South+America+-+part+2+596.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364102765806513106" border="0" /></a>for all is certainly admirable, in a city of 13 million with a 51% poverty rate, it obviously comes with a fair share of challenges. One such challenge is limited resources coupled with high demand: there's nothing quite like waiting 2 hours in a crowded waiting room only to share a 6x8 ft doctor's office with three other individuals, each suffering from a different ailment. Despite the 'health care for all' mantra, a tiered system was still fairly obvious: one of the first questions Michellé was asked was why she had come to the public hospital and not the nearby private hospital. With symptoms that some sources (mostly questionable organizations like the WHO) say represent the swine flu (5 out of 6 symptoms isn't that bad, right?) Michellé was lucky to have made it out alive two x-rays, one ventilator, numerous threats of quarantine, and 5 hours later.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />Fourth highlight, artful museums, cemetaries and freezing rain: </span>for two days in Buenos Aires it rained like it was November in the Pacific Northwest. And we took the bus. First, buses in Argentina are superfun, because they only stop for, like, 30 seconds to <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixCfREZ_IMRZBb8dLfrNOTCT-wMgUigyQONNiQxVCU50hmEY2QXyMudW-Q9xN_tsdrqPQ__zfv_qiEO0981T11o42LsDp7rZfbg_jxcACQJTMe1wiy9AEXuMSYLYB8EvUQJcctZNAvii4/s1600-h/Juan+y+Michelle+in+South+America+-+part+2+602.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 217px; height: 162px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixCfREZ_IMRZBb8dLfrNOTCT-wMgUigyQONNiQxVCU50hmEY2QXyMudW-Q9xN_tsdrqPQ__zfv_qiEO0981T11o42LsDp7rZfbg_jxcACQJTMe1wiy9AEXuMSYLYB8EvUQJcctZNAvii4/s320/Juan+y+Michelle+in+South+America+-+part+2+602.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364089846808802946" border="0" /></a>let people on. And, when you get off, sometimes you just have time to jump off the back as the bus slows down. Needless to say, a fun time. What is not fun is putting 2.50 pesos in change (biggest coin in Juan's hand was 25 cents) into a rickety old machine that eats a lot of them (bus companies may or may not be a leading cause of Argentina's <a href="http://www.slate.com/id/2205635/">coin shortage</a>). And what is hilarious is when a five-person line up forms behind Juan as the bus careens around Buenos Aires streets and he tries - with little success - to pay for the tickets from 10 blocks ago. And what is <span style="font-style: italic;">amazing </span>and community-inspirational is when the five-person line-up cheers Juan on and gives him high-fives when the tickets finally spit out of the machine. And then the unraveling travelers got off the bus at the next stop... So, we nerded out in a couple of musems, including the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes (picture), and then<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGLi-X4LbwnruaxUiT2u0-j25zhEXR0RLFo7noQ9xEP_pKRe2iOda6B7lM3LE-3xloFDfpFdm4OSorqtpzsLLZZlSTj5_4g925txtQlGs7UVYnuEgC9O7TasmNg9hOHmSDI0vUqMBNhps/s1600-h/Juan+y+Michelle+in+South+America+-+part+2+646.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 163px; height: 218px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGLi-X4LbwnruaxUiT2u0-j25zhEXR0RLFo7noQ9xEP_pKRe2iOda6B7lM3LE-3xloFDfpFdm4OSorqtpzsLLZZlSTj5_4g925txtQlGs7UVYnuEgC9O7TasmNg9hOHmSDI0vUqMBNhps/s320/Juan+y+Michelle+in+South+America+-+part+2+646.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364093457879080818" border="0" /></a> braved the chilly weather in one of Buesnos Aires's coolest, and creepiest, attractions: the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Recoleta_Cemetery">La Recoleta Cemetery</a>. Some of the famous burials include Eva Peron, Domingo Sarmiento and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Count_Alexandre_Joseph_Colonna-Walewski#Descendants" title="Count Alexandre Joseph Colonna-Walewski">Isabel Walewski Colonna</a> (grandchild of Napoleon Boneparte). After walking for 20 minutes in the wrong direction, Juan y Michelle arrived a little later than expected at the cemetery, which inspired them to split up - each with a camera - and document the amazing history of the site. Soon, we were approached by security guards who were understandably cold and ready to shut things down. And so began a giant game of hide-and-seek. Basically, there were two strategies: first, Michellé pretended to not understand what anyone was saying (which she took to quite naturally); second, Juan just ran, man. The game was highlighted by pointing, shrugging and yelling of infinitives and nouns: <span style="font-style: italic;">"Amigo?! Amigo?!" </span>That's right, Recoleta Cemetary Security, Juan leaves on his own accord...and because hypothermia was setting in. Oh, and, needless to say, given how the journey began, we took a taxi back to Ximen and Martana's place...<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />Fifth highlight, Tigre on the Delta: </span>one can only imagine how excited Michellé was to travel into the river delta of Buenos Aires on a train <span style="font-style: italic;">and </span>a boat! While the train was, well, a jam-packed, uncomfortable commuter train that makes the B-Line look spacious, the boat-ride was enjoyable and adventurous (see "transportation culture" community-takeaway below), mostl<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaC-pZ8fEWvsJOT3dGs-b5tuhVY-2wPBgODXQi3BXYPtvAfp_vEU4C1LPzXHm_Nn40YXLZq-vIsh106hgVaJpfS44Dn_9iXMeTDZBqyNlp5qo8oFCeog8E0IIOwgUHEtJMqpIJI9ehSvE/s1600-h/Juan+y+Michelle+in+South+America+-+part+2+695.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 203px; height: 152px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaC-pZ8fEWvsJOT3dGs-b5tuhVY-2wPBgODXQi3BXYPtvAfp_vEU4C1LPzXHm_Nn40YXLZq-vIsh106hgVaJpfS44Dn_9iXMeTDZBqyNlp5qo8oFCeog8E0IIOwgUHEtJMqpIJI9ehSvE/s320/Juan+y+Michelle+in+South+America+-+part+2+695.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364095446320582978" border="0" /></a>y because the boat doesn't really "stop" for you to get off; the Captain (we're nautical now, people) sorta backs up, the First Mate loosely wraps a rope around the "dock" and then you hop off as the boat pulls away. Making the day even more enjoyable was the delicious lunch we had on one of the islands. Perhaps it was our nautical savvy, or our delightful Canadian air, but somehow we even managed to score free drinks at the end of the meal. We later learned that such drinks are given to customers when they (a) spend a larger-than-normal amount on a meal or (b) are well liked by their patrons. Given that Juan's meal consisted of "Provaletta El Hornero" - fried cheese - it was probably <span style="font-style: italic;">mostly </span>column b that earned us the drinks. Top score for efficiency. Top score for deliciousness and customer service. Top score for adventure. Low score for safety. Still, well played, Argentina.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />Our big night out with Ximen and Marta</span><span style="font-weight: bold;">na: </span>finally, we experienced an <span style="font-style: italic;">authentic </span>tango show. Ximena, breaking with Argentinian culture and social norms, called out to the singers with requests for songs. People turned and sent curious looks her way, but the performer totally got it: "this is normal in Uruguay," she explained to the audience. You're darn right it is! After several bottles of delicious malbec and the best steak Juan has <span style="font-style: italic;">ever </span>had, Martin and Juan bid goodnight to the ladies and ventured out into the chilly San Telmo, well, morning. [INSERT YOUR GUESS ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED BETWEEN 3AM AND 6:30AM HERE]. And then we meandered home to get a restful few hours of sleep before striking out into the city in search of delightful goods to smuggle into Canada. (<span style="font-style: italic;">Editor's note: look, Canada Border Services, we might've brought a green herb back into the country, but, relax, it's only maté.)</span> In any case, Monsieur Renauld, you got it like you did in our Bishop`s University days, good sir.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">And then we came home</span><span style="font-weight: bold;">.</span> As it turns out, South America is far from the West Coast. But after 36 hours of traveling, which included extended stopovers in Santiago and LA, we made it home. Terrifying fact about LAX: you can buy iPods and digital cameras in vending machines. On the way home, there was really only one glitch. We had an unannounced two hour stopover in Lima, Peru. It was almost that medium-sized, um, <span style="font-style: italic;">thing </span>that makes travelers lose i<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2_SGfY_sS6x9Iu_7T_o4lKOgNv6bbBp-BPhGhysCNpk8JbutLkYtVvIa7CkkT7Fz7dKqB74aeq7WKeGdykrEOFyAUZXuHM5O736o3DxU5DwSx8ePnrxDv-osTi913cgHBfk5csTwGpdQ/s1600-h/Juan+y+Michelle+in+South+America+-+Part+3+%28and+extras%29+072.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 155px; height: 208px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2_SGfY_sS6x9Iu_7T_o4lKOgNv6bbBp-BPhGhysCNpk8JbutLkYtVvIa7CkkT7Fz7dKqB74aeq7WKeGdykrEOFyAUZXuHM5O736o3DxU5DwSx8ePnrxDv-osTi913cgHBfk5csTwGpdQ/s320/Juan+y+Michelle+in+South+America+-+Part+3+%28and+extras%29+072.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364114674788052914" border="0" /></a>t, break down and get a little nuts. Luckily, we channeled our craziness through humour. And, so, here is an excerpt of our "things we hate about Lima" list:<br /><br />1. The "L" has something to hide.<br />2. Alpaccas, unlike sharks and bears, are naturally violent, aggressive and angry creatures.<br />3. In Lima, terrorists outnumber teachers 11:1.<br />4. Machu Pichu was actually built in 1987.<br />5. We had to go there.<br /><br />Luckily, Limans (number six on the list) have a good sense of humour.<br /><br />As you, the readers, know, <span style="font-style: italic;">The Weekly Gumboot </span>is both about community and the actionable steps/tips/ideas that can be implemented to build said community(ies). So, in no particular order, here are the <span style="font-weight: bold;">five things </span>Juan y Michellé would like to share about the Argentinian/Urugyuan community that, well, we North Americans can certainly learn from:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">1.</span> <span style="font-weight: bold;">Maté</span> - the green herb of which we spoke. This warm drink is all about community. It is commonly shared between family and friends over stories and laughs. Here are some rules about mate: only the server can touch the straw or "re-arrange" the maté; drinkers must drink until a slurping sound is made; once you finish your turn you must return it directly to the server. If anyone wants to stop by commercial drive for a little maté-party, like we said, we smuggled some back.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">2.Transportation Culture</span> - imagine how much fun it would be to take the 99 B-Line if, say, it only <span style="font-style: italic;">slowed down </span>at Commercial and Broadway. And, hey, imagine if the bus from Vancouver to Calgary served champagne, unlimited wine and the biggest glass of whiskey you've ever seen. Not only that, imagine if, for a few dollars extra, you could lie down and sleep in a full sized bed the whole way. People in Canada don't take the bus over long distances because, well, they're shabby. But recent findings show that, because of things like oil disapp<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnNoOnXtHPRrZZPMTlxEwCCBEQuWUYpKFptEBy-kbQ_w5pZw-O1eC2CwkWaPHb68a_KQ0RD7rpKkC5YeI1KvQSHO81BTo9e0WCr8siEkGrwYYAEp2dtxnh23ICqfw7CShi1jxLgImsUWE/s1600-h/Juan+y+Michelle+in+South+America+-+part+2+574.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnNoOnXtHPRrZZPMTlxEwCCBEQuWUYpKFptEBy-kbQ_w5pZw-O1eC2CwkWaPHb68a_KQ0RD7rpKkC5YeI1KvQSHO81BTo9e0WCr8siEkGrwYYAEp2dtxnh23ICqfw7CShi1jxLgImsUWE/s320/Juan+y+Michelle+in+South+America+-+part+2+574.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364110190168711090" border="0" /></a>earing, traveling by plane as we do will most certainly change. Don't worry. There's a large reserve of whiskey and 1980s music videos in supply.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">3. Eating</span> - like maté-drinking, meals are typically a time when families and friends share moments and community is built. So, what better way to widen and deepen the community net than, well, adding another meal to the day? In Argentina, like in many South American countries, dinner is eaten much later in the evening - as late as 11pm - with a smaller meal eaten at about 6pm. While indulging in a small-child sized steak and a bottle of wine close to midnight takes some getting used to, the opportunities for community this tradition brings with it does not.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">4. Coins (even if they are part of a black market racket)</span> - if one stereotype can be said to be true about Argentinians - from the perspective of two humble Canadians - it's that they're laid-back. Symbolic of this laid-back lifestyle is the Argentinian attitude towards coins. With a low-supply-high-demand situation on their hands, the laissez faire Argentine solution is not to fight over limited resources (which cannot, sadly, be said about much of the world's population), but to instead not worry about the details and round up or round down to the nearest peso.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">5. Martana y Ximen</span> - it is Canada's loss that one of its greatest revolutionaries left Quebec in search of a "real" revolution in Argentina (without Che the place is pretty calm, though, Martin). And Ximena, well, she's just hilarious and makes up for any lack of English-speaking with dramatic flare. When asked what her favourite part of Juan y Michellé's visit was she said, "when you left and went to Cordoba." The delivery was deadpan, too. In all seriousness, our hosts defined friendship and community, constantly putting themselves out to welcome us in. If Martin's PhD dissertation doesn't get finished on time, we are partly to blame. But, then again, it is South America. Being on time is just <span style="font-style: italic;">a little bit </span>different in that neck of the woods. So, Martana y Ximen, muchas gracias!<br /><br />So there it is. The end of the unraveling travels of Juan y Michelle. Keep your eyes open for <span style="font-style: italic;">The Unraveling Traveler</span>, our new adventure guide for community minded travelers (appendix on shade-finding included for free). We hope you've had as much fun reading as we have writing. So you know, we did our writing in installments... Our final tip: <span style="font-style: italic;">if and when all else fails, just say 'si'...</span><br /><br />Adios!<br /><br />- Juan y MichelléJohn Hornhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17378112498726702561noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109416582784692412.post-44993865308293257712009-07-24T13:44:00.000-07:002009-07-24T14:13:36.337-07:00Recipe for an AKON Concert<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL4ygn6mTz3_Qlanx_ck1F5UndhjbtJ2S4JBt-BUocWQev261qyWthjj7VuNc6aK-KAjBA3lPauQExjAcuXeC1yarDEjqeqlvtHGyupmkUiV8-5JV5Y8j5ZeCi6fgppQqdKpcWq1MrccE/s1600-h/Akon-Konvicted-u06.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 257px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL4ygn6mTz3_Qlanx_ck1F5UndhjbtJ2S4JBt-BUocWQev261qyWthjj7VuNc6aK-KAjBA3lPauQExjAcuXeC1yarDEjqeqlvtHGyupmkUiV8-5JV5Y8j5ZeCi6fgppQqdKpcWq1MrccE/s320/Akon-Konvicted-u06.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362134958348211186" /></a><ul><li>1 undersold GM Place</li><li>15 qued lines of angry AKON fans forced to exchange tickets for new seats to offset the undersold concert</li><li>1000 really, really short skirts</li><li>a large handful of people from every ethnic community in Vancouver/Lower Mainland</li><li>2 three ton giant banana shaped speakers capable of thumping so hard your clothes feel the breeze</li><li>a shitload of other smaller speakers</li><li>a large pinch of super drunk and tatted out "gangstars"</li><li>a sprinkle of the VPD's finest</li><li>20 cups of young men wearing funny baseball caps askew</li><li>1 guy wearing a pink skirt and a mohawk</li><li>1 AKON</li><li>1 Karlwolf (never heard of him before, but you learn something new everyday)</li><li>1 Danny Fernandez</li><li>2 backup dancers from the "hood"</li><li>1 random Surrey rapper who does a lot of pacing on the small stage</li><li>a generous mix of hummer and SUV limousines</li><li>a generous serving of concerned parents watching suspiciously as their teenage daughters scream they want to be a "private dancer" for AKON</li><li>10 cups of boy-band-esque dance moves</li><li>1000 bright lights</li><li>a bakers dozen angry after-concert fights</li><li>1 code word that's guaranteed to "take things to the next level with your woman" </li></ul><div><div><br /></div><div>Mix all ingredients and you have yourself an AKON concert.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div>Kurt Heinrichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14380494501878676758noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109416582784692412.post-13599878800451842402009-07-22T06:40:00.000-07:002009-07-22T08:02:19.809-07:00Expression in a Recession<span style="font-weight: bold;">Modus Operandi</span>: Provide yet another example of how fast and dirty (not that kind of dirty) videos posted on <span style="font-style: italic;">Youtube</span> help build community - yah, like that hasn't been hammered in. Fun and free expression during the recession.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Inspiration</span>: <span style="font-style: italic;">The Blair Witch Project </span>meets <span style="font-style: italic;">Sesame Street</span> meets <span style="font-style: italic;">John Carpenter</span> meets bored-twenty-somethings meets <span style="font-style: italic;">Carl </span>Orff's<span style="font-style: italic;"> O </span>Fortuna meets Galiano<span style="font-style: italic;"> Island</span> meets <span style="font-style: italic;">The Weekly Gumboot </span>meets bored-with-nothing-else-to-do.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Cool Factoid</span>: Did you know that the Latin root for the word inspiration is inspirare? It means "to breath in."<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Motto</span>: Breath in, let roll.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">You can also watch the video on Youtube -<br /></span>http://www.youtube.com/user/KurtandTheo</span><br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxLGBORVnboT6opO_ILE1DGzIpb_z9jgQ9W3v48h-DAqDosE5wN7sVHPAqlfgUmqf_VqcLjks8Yccf5jLWxzQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>Theodora Lambhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03793345014490820865noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109416582784692412.post-73985553254884064862009-07-21T14:44:00.000-07:002009-07-20T19:28:15.312-07:00From East to West in Argentina - Chapter Two<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhySGRyFddm9CeJyK8kT0NhDjs8ir1DcXPuREYdgxBwjqswxMHMghXjQINYt59RuLQdQXfshNZHf3wWBJSOlYouRqyI9eJHNL5sCMVkMOLaeJMglJsPTyOQvGLjiNxU5IcpP7S4yFGBafE/s1600-h/Juan+and+Michelle+in+South+America+359.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 228px; height: 169px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhySGRyFddm9CeJyK8kT0NhDjs8ir1DcXPuREYdgxBwjqswxMHMghXjQINYt59RuLQdQXfshNZHf3wWBJSOlYouRqyI9eJHNL5sCMVkMOLaeJMglJsPTyOQvGLjiNxU5IcpP7S4yFGBafE/s320/Juan+and+Michelle+in+South+America+359.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360732795083092018" border="0" /></a>As Juan and Michellé ventured out on our own for the first time in Argentina, without the wise advice and watchful eye of our trusted friend and guide Martin Martin (who taught us, among other things, the intricacies of bus riding and peso procurement) a few questions crossed our minds - will our combined knowledge of about 50 words <em>en éspanol</em> get us across the country and back? Will Michellè's vegetarianism be compromized due to a lack of <span style="font-style: italic;">sin carne</span> options? Are we unknowingly venturing into a fire-ridden, flu-ravaged pool of terror and disease? Ah - fear not, friends! With a combination of luck, wit, and a few uttered threats from a tall, bearded Canadian who constantly boasts a sun-inspired-scowl, it was pretty darn certain that everything would be <span style="font-style: italic;">perfecto</span>. I mean, hey, we made it back to write the blog post, right?<br /><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><br />Our adventure started before we even left Buenos Aires. With four minutes to go before our bus departed for Mendoza, we found ourselves madly rushing from one end of the terminal to the other, attempting to figure out how and where to catch a bus that wasn't registering on any of the schedule boards. Luckily, we made it. Not only was this good because it allowed us to, you know, reach our destination, but it also afforded us an opportunity to experience the unexpected bus culture in Argentina. In just a few words: champagne, wine, whiskey, and blaring 80s music videos. 10 hours and some <em>Tears for Fears</em> later, we found ourselves stumbling off the party bus and watching the sun rise in Mendoza province ...<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">First stop, Uspallata</span>: the town of Uspallata is located in the province of Mendoza and finds itself nestled in the Andes in the middle of the Argentine and Chilean frontiers. Upon arriving, we naturally started looking for a taxi to get to our hotel. Without a taxi in sight, we walked a block and found ourselves smack dab in the middle of town. Town, of course, being one street. Lucky for us, the beautiful landscape more than made up for the lack of cityscape. Our time in Uspallata was spent mountain biking in the Andes, walking through fields and streets with our adopted dog, Carlos, and musing over the inexplicably large and rather threatening military presence in town (It was quite an experience to have a fully armed and camouflaged military batallion pointing guns at us - Argentinians can sleep soundly knowning that the Grupa de Artilleria de Montaña is prepared to defend <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiUhES1xz_QWY-bgf7OM2GZh2toFK9UfqS0TynpMP3b-yg9Q77fDxDjzOvNJTOISouMEjNdBU_QU0aQOTdZoZED8I-jNuVLKDgeKu50GRRYZ-VsM0arPJ9lX3BmWk5eGl-A2iI21rsiO5b/s1600-h/Juan+and+Michelle+South+America+1+300.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 222px; float: left; height: 176px;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360615519672746898" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiUhES1xz_QWY-bgf7OM2GZh2toFK9UfqS0TynpMP3b-yg9Q77fDxDjzOvNJTOISouMEjNdBU_QU0aQOTdZoZED8I-jNuVLKDgeKu50GRRYZ-VsM0arPJ9lX3BmWk5eGl-A2iI21rsiO5b/s200/Juan+and+Michelle+South+America+1+300.JPG" border="0" /></a>a Chilean advance through the Andes!). Hey, <em>Lonely Planet </em>and <em>Fodor's, </em>why no love for the Pizzaria?! The two "travel guides"totally sidestepped what is clearly the best kept culinary secret in Uspallata. Folks, if you happen to be in the Andes, stop off at <em>La Pizzaria </em>on Uspallata's main street. For 60 pesos you can dabble in some delicious pizza (vegetarian options available if pre-beginner Spanish spoken), a bottle of outstanding Malbec and a healthy, tasty salad that will leave you stuffed. The tolerant staff even let two talkative - and slightly oblivious - foreigners remain in the restaurant well after closing time. Well played, Uspallata, well played.<br /><br /><strong>Second stop, Mendoza City:</strong> welcome to wine country! Mendoza accounts for 70% of Argentina's wine production, and recent findings show that the province exports nearly 95% of it's wine around the world. The city of Mendoza is kinda like the West Coast Ca<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNxBfy4-MIsFZ4VoVqj009XfkA_HZIazJS3sXFoFVRpYpM03suAaUAnPCn7GRt3ZVd_96PaemYEZOjV3lsJRo5YV6D47FQR7xn3sKpaXQFIlm8mGgIw2wFsHEf3ReNfFOS750YU79KAC3s/s1600-h/Juan+and+Michelle+in+South+America+060.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px; width: 200px; float: right; height: 150px;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360616475737986274" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNxBfy4-MIsFZ4VoVqj009XfkA_HZIazJS3sXFoFVRpYpM03suAaUAnPCn7GRt3ZVd_96PaemYEZOjV3lsJRo5YV6D47FQR7xn3sKpaXQFIlm8mGgIw2wFsHEf3ReNfFOS750YU79KAC3s/s200/Juan+and+Michelle+in+South+America+060.JPG" border="0" /></a>nadian city of Victoria - it is quaint, quiet and sanitized for the millions of tourists who flock their from around the world. The city was actually destroyed in 1861 by an earthquake that levelled the city and killed over 11, 000 people. By the end of the 19th century, Mendoza was "reconstructed on a grid, making it easy to explore on foot." Well said, <em>Fodor's</em>. But you forgot to mention the five outstanding and community-centred plazas (Espana, San Martin, Italia, Chile, and Independencia) that create a vibrant hang-out for youth, seniors, senors, police, philosophers, luncheoning businesspeople, and folks who just wanna make out (there was and is a lot of love in Mendoza). Our hotel - La Hotel Zamora - was located right in the centre of town and had a garden-hallway (complete with koi pond) that made my dad smile just by being there. We toured two wineries (Vistandes and Granata) as well as the Laur olive oil factory. Good times were had by<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF1ulFzVVB8ttn2ub_uf_BWK1oPFy4VgT3WcgCAG6j-Z8eQoiI3zlQePi8irWjA1LLLuFeCVFGJWQkA7N8gC_dcIiyi4v8oS6j0LDNtk0ABLvfFVO-D8R_-ULu_xEsDYnXfoawHX2BSMnb/s1600-h/Juan+and+Michelle+in+South+America+118.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px; width: 200px; float: right; height: 150px;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360617313371071218" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF1ulFzVVB8ttn2ub_uf_BWK1oPFy4VgT3WcgCAG6j-Z8eQoiI3zlQePi8irWjA1LLLuFeCVFGJWQkA7N8gC_dcIiyi4v8oS6j0LDNtk0ABLvfFVO-D8R_-ULu_xEsDYnXfoawHX2BSMnb/s200/Juan+and+Michelle+in+South+America+118.JPG" border="0" /></a> a lot of Argentinians, some Dutch, a Swiss fellow, a Columbian, some Irish lasses, and a couple of Canadians who, after some direction, stopped drinking the olive oil and putting wine on all their bread. Just kidding, we're <em>totally </em>cultured. In fact, Brenda Enegren, my co-worker/sommelier/friend, would've been proud of us. Michellé even caught the hint of red peppers in the Granata Malbec! Mendoza also offered a range of culinary experiences. First, there was La Florenica, a Boston Pizza of a place that got Juan's order wrong and proceeded to drench Michellé's rice and chicken in enough oil to put the Laur factory out of business. The kitchsy ambiance was great, but it wasn't enough. And then there was La Tasca de Plaza España. Amazing atmosphere (we even got an intimate table in the back), amazing tolerance of our limited Spanish and, most importantly, amazing vegetarian-sensitive food. The fish <em>au gratin </em>was out of this world in a way that matched the tastiness of the torrentes wine with which it was paired. Mendoza, it was a pleasure.<br /><strong><br />Third stop, San Juan:</strong> oh my God!!! Nuclear Zombies have attacked the town of San Juan and no one in the city survived!!! Oh wait, it's Sunday in Argentina. Let's back-track, though. The visit to San Juan started with a rather eccentric and risk-taking taxi driver, who chucked our backpacks in his trunk and, well, didn't close it. We sped off into the dusty, cold night with <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWFYdtTI9Db-F8BvfyyUdE_Y5-OweEccxBWA3CNQINclGW4UjowVCq-rS6C0ZwTRHuLkN_fhyphenhyphenrDb9I3WVI20-WdT9IWlkkQ2NGVS4J5e8xuZspgbsYhP_3ffb0vxoN5GnW1OKIdtmE2uGL/s1600-h/Juan+and+Michelle+in+South+America+296.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 200px; float: left; height: 150px;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360622113041841874" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWFYdtTI9Db-F8BvfyyUdE_Y5-OweEccxBWA3CNQINclGW4UjowVCq-rS6C0ZwTRHuLkN_fhyphenhyphenrDb9I3WVI20-WdT9IWlkkQ2NGVS4J5e8xuZspgbsYhP_3ffb0vxoN5GnW1OKIdtmE2uGL/s200/Juan+and+Michelle+in+South+America+296.JPG" border="0" /></a>the trunk's lid bouncing up and down. Further to this, we also stopped next to some rather seedy characters who sneakily eyed our bags. Juan was perched on the edge of his seat, ready to burst out the door and chase down any theives, but it never came to that. Now, back to the zombies. Okay, so there weren't any zombies. More likely, a combined love of rest, family, markets, sport, and Jesus kept 99.9% of San Juanians off the streets on our first day in the town, Sunday, which made searching for food and drink slightly challenging. Speaking of food and drink, San Juan, of <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDvVgASJav0oQaGqNENjbSpEh5FIS8Pb3rqk-OH16bFiBkj2e4SruW4UsRJlCRKwcefPRad2ijkw2mbJYUyBUySC-9R3f6eXpwvHgqkyqcecHyDI81G0FTlKdjppFrjToEWSofIPsSnlsS/s1600-h/Juan+and+Michelle+in+South+America+257.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 200px; float: left; height: 150px;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360618461290481522" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDvVgASJav0oQaGqNENjbSpEh5FIS8Pb3rqk-OH16bFiBkj2e4SruW4UsRJlCRKwcefPRad2ijkw2mbJYUyBUySC-9R3f6eXpwvHgqkyqcecHyDI81G0FTlKdjppFrjToEWSofIPsSnlsS/s200/Juan+and+Michelle+in+South+America+257.JPG" border="0" /></a>all places, possessed a leafy green vegetarian buffet called Soychu. It was delicious and yielded a wide range of vegetarian dishes that ranged from quiche to homemade pasta to stuffed peppers to, thank heaven, a salad bar!!! But, dear readers, the <em>piece de resistance </em>for San Juan province was, without a doubt, the Difunta Correa shrine in Vallecito. Pictures say more than words, and we added a few of em. Here are some words, though: Correa was following her husband, a soldier fighting in the civil wars of the 1840s, through San Juan when she died; her baby, however, lived <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQhyphenhyphenn_663rcOUIulKmixDUJ34sunYfUVv4c3CdXb1Nhz440Hw6bBxlSNfT61ACUkqJ3k3Vm-0Zb8TziR_Cc08I5F8HcEPqvG3_8aDDxQdX8AywiSrKDE9FVTl8nUrSJxj583AQymP8Egcq/s1600-h/Juan+and+Michelle+in+South+America+283.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 200px; float: left; height: 150px;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360619078587100434" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQhyphenhyphenn_663rcOUIulKmixDUJ34sunYfUVv4c3CdXb1Nhz440Hw6bBxlSNfT61ACUkqJ3k3Vm-0Zb8TziR_Cc08I5F8HcEPqvG3_8aDDxQdX8AywiSrKDE9FVTl8nUrSJxj583AQymP8Egcq/s200/Juan+and+Michelle+in+South+America+283.JPG" border="0" /></a>by suckling on her breast and this has been declared a miracle by a grassroots community (ironically enough led by long-haul truck drivers) that has, for over a hundred years, championed her cause in, well, one of the weirdest and most amazing displays of spirituality that anyone has ever seen. Michellé and Juan walked around like this [insert image gaping, awestruck face here] the entire time. All the license plates, bottles of water, trophies, model houses, plaques, and countless other trinkets are purposed to thank Correa for creating miracles (like cars, houses, success). The Catholic Church, officially, doesn't like it, either. Perhaps they are displeased with a massive grassroots movement that represents a fusion of Catholic and indigenous beliefs. Oh, be sure to pee before arriving in Vallecito, as bathrooms are hidden and the bus ride is two hours. San Juan, you started off with mixed reviews but came through strong in the end - it might have been, um, a miracle!<br /><br /><strong>Last stop, Cordoba:</strong> worst. Bus ride. Ever. After the initial party bus to Mendoza, we we<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwMn32sEhx10JMeATfnSjaVKwT8WuM1-6GYzvXIplTh73UDcKjg5NPjbZjZAsQYt8-k4fRE_iaH5uFKz8y2cfxK_1jyBAuYnVko2FOS4VmvuaExQd6t6cqpiEJ2vZ1rF8VVskx_Z-Ce-Y0/s1600-h/Juan+and+Michelle+in+South+America+364.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px; width: 137px; float: right; height: 182px;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360619849260671858" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwMn32sEhx10JMeATfnSjaVKwT8WuM1-6GYzvXIplTh73UDcKjg5NPjbZjZAsQYt8-k4fRE_iaH5uFKz8y2cfxK_1jyBAuYnVko2FOS4VmvuaExQd6t6cqpiEJ2vZ1rF8VVskx_Z-Ce-Y0/s200/Juan+and+Michelle+in+South+America+364.JPG" border="0" /></a>re pretty excited about spending the night in gluttunous bus glory. One can only imagine how disappointed we were to spend the night on a cold bus with - no lie - only Ricki Lake in a horrid 1984 film to keep us company. No champagne, no whiskey. Life was hard. Luckily, Cordoba was amazing and well worth the torturous journey. The vibrant city was chok-a-block full of university students and colonial architecture. The final leg of the journey was spent exploring the numerous museums and art galleries (since when do notebook scribbles classify as post-modern art?), and marvelling at neo-gothic cathedrals. A highlight includes the Parroquia Sagrado Corazon de Jesus cathedral, which boasts a missing steeple to symbolize human imperfection. Speaking of human imperfection, we capped off our journey <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb65ap9buOeZn08U5ImWot3xRLtyKfIn6nLx1J8yyjnyyxh0xxF9fNYC6yewTuk5JWw-wl88e6iCNvJST0XaDc_7QU_JFpJR1fU4HD27i267vxeRKi4iY1qHegKfUA3LVp0QAhuD6gfzgA/s1600-h/Juan+and+Michelle+in+South+America+448.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px; width: 169px; float: right; height: 123px;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360620524699077234" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb65ap9buOeZn08U5ImWot3xRLtyKfIn6nLx1J8yyjnyyxh0xxF9fNYC6yewTuk5JWw-wl88e6iCNvJST0XaDc_7QU_JFpJR1fU4HD27i267vxeRKi4iY1qHegKfUA3LVp0QAhuD6gfzgA/s200/Juan+and+Michelle+in+South+America+448.JPG" border="0" /></a>with a trip to La Cumbre to go paragliding. After nearly missing our bus after two individuals guided us incorrectly to a nonexistent ticket booth at the bus stop (44 is pretty close to 68, right?), we made our way up to one of the world's top paragliding destinations. Despite some human error in misjudging Juan's weight (it's okay, Pablo, you landed us safely after a scary few minutes caught in an updraft) and resultant free spin in the clouds (oh, the joys of human imperfection!), we experienced other-wordly beauty as we flew with the Condor's through the Sierras. If you're ever in the neighbourhood, look up <a href="http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-3355618568464532498">Fechu</a> - a former Argentine paragliding champion who showed us a very wicked and adventurous time. Food, architecture, culture, adventure, young people; Cordoba had it all, baby!</div><br /><div><strong>Juan's reflections:</strong> "If I had to rank the cities I would probably do it this way: Uspallata, Cordoba, Mendoza, and San Juan. It's the rural hick in me, man. The rugged outdoorsy-ness of the frontier town just made me feel right at home. The cultural highlight was definitely Difunta Correa - never seen anything like it, and probably never will again. And, hey, I gotta say that I was pretty impressed with my ability to 'speak Spanish' throughout the journey. Mostly, though, I was impressed by my ability to consume an entire cow over the course of 10 days...thanks for that, Argentina. And Michelle was and is a terrific travel companion who tolerated my saying 'si' over and over as 'speaking Spanish' as well as my shoes, which rightfully lived in the closet of our hotel rooms following our mountainbiking through the Andes."</div><div> </div><br /><div><strong>Michellé's reflections:</strong> "The trip really couldn't have offered any more. Nature, adventure, culture, and delicious food! Mountain biking through the Andes was definitely a highlight for me - although it's annoying to hear, it really is one of those 'have to be there to believe it' experiences. the scope and scale were unlike anything I've ever seen. Regrets? Well, there were a few ridiculously cute babies and dogs (Carlos!) and many bottles of wine that I would have like to bring back with me. Alas, they must live on in photos (or must they?? insert evil laughter here...). In all seriousness, a fantastic trip with a fantastic travel partner. Despite signing up for an annual membership at a Cordoban grocery strore and possibly offering to sell me, Juan's Spanish savvy was superb (si!), and his humour and sense of adventure were unparalleled."<br /></div><div> </div><br /><div>After a <em>Suite Class </em>bus ride home, which saw our seats turn into beds that even Juan, the tallest person in Argentina, could sprawl out on (Canada, we can learn something from South American bus culture) our unravelling travelers arrived in Buenos Aires a little tired, pretty smelly and ready to relax before living it up in the big city on their last week of vacation. The final chapter will tell such tales!</div><div> </div><br />Adios!<br /><div> </div><br /><div>- Juan and Michellé</div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Michelle Burtnykhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04081467844083147732noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109416582784692412.post-50650536869534063702009-07-20T18:37:00.000-07:002009-07-20T19:03:07.036-07:00the evil bananasome of you may have heard of my ongoing war against the humble banana. if a harangue from me has not convinced you, maybe this will. (full credit to <a href="http://treehugger.com">treehugger.com</a> for this excellent munitions package!)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">1. Bananas</span><br /><span style="font-style:italic;"><br />We eat them every day, and their carbon footprint is huge. This fruit originated in Asia but is now raised in the tropics across the Eastern and Western hemispheres. Brazil is the leading banana producer, followed by Uganda, India, and the Philippines. Latin American countries supply more than 90 percent of the bananas eaten in North America.<br /><br />Take into account that getting a single banana to your table uses about 8 pounds of carbon for a four ounce serving or .13 % of your year's allowance, according to Eat Low Carbon Diet. If you eat a banana every day for a year that would equal nearly 49% of your goal average. In the event that you can't fight off your banana craving, try buying an organic variety. Then you can at least ensure that your bananas weren't treated with tons of chemicals and pesticides, which can destroy the stunning tropical eco-systems from which they come. If you eat one every other day, a day or two or week, or sparingly you an see how much you can drop your carbon footprint, just by changing your banana habits!</span><br /><br />finally --- and importantly; you CAN eat bananas in canada if you grow them yourself. case in point --- alison and my efforts below. and always remember high carbon = low community; more bananas = less farmer's markets = communal sin <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN8J8UuhYJwaL4GTV2Uib-M-5LbiwZgCIT0K5RYB8I54S4HqJ-6xxhtSj3hFBHEgA4B401pQhxExwzXx8H7m_wQIVZHle7ByQW2k2nRBM9Oxdyk6hnJt1klU7WS76xVqQiAn6Etfdzau0/s1600-h/DSC03106.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN8J8UuhYJwaL4GTV2Uib-M-5LbiwZgCIT0K5RYB8I54S4HqJ-6xxhtSj3hFBHEgA4B401pQhxExwzXx8H7m_wQIVZHle7ByQW2k2nRBM9Oxdyk6hnJt1klU7WS76xVqQiAn6Etfdzau0/s320/DSC03106.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360724701624401634" /></a><br /><br />a cursory search of the thoughtsphere turns up <a href="http://www.ihatebananas.com/">ihatebananas.com</a>; curiously little to do with the cursed fruit, but i rather enjoy the white button<br /><br />= )Stewart Burgesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12523133873499787060noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109416582784692412.post-44099751146043362152009-07-19T13:35:00.000-07:002009-07-20T13:56:23.584-07:00Community Movie Nights the Way to Go<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUWMxfsJJC19xxds5-17Q432RVEvzeGtgqqkDdEEkTaFyG99VBQ2d_fV59fhuBxzxU7arxzlUW0-9g9tNTrFU0Xj-lcAUQsCIaWBHJG8PvlxhQDRtvmOmDnTgMYY-RTx7c9ad_cd8S94k/s1600-h/pool+043.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUWMxfsJJC19xxds5-17Q432RVEvzeGtgqqkDdEEkTaFyG99VBQ2d_fV59fhuBxzxU7arxzlUW0-9g9tNTrFU0Xj-lcAUQsCIaWBHJG8PvlxhQDRtvmOmDnTgMYY-RTx7c9ad_cd8S94k/s320/pool+043.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360648902365316274" /></a>Last week I attended an outdoor showing of SHREK at Trout Lake Park. The evening was sponsored by my employer <a href="http://www.votevision.ca/">Vision Vancouver</a> as a fun community oriented event where people of all ages could come, set up lawn chairs and blankets and take in a night at the movies for absolutely nothing (no $15 Famous Players tickets for this show). <div><br /></div><div>For an hour or so before the show began, dozens of people set up, munched on late dinners, indulged in the concession stand's fare, chatted and otherwise got to know their fellow neighbours. The energy in the park was terrific. Then the show got started. The sound was superior to a regular movie theatre, the screen crystal clear (no scratchy drive-in hear), and the backdrop of a starry night spectacular.<div><br /></div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1VgnksEJ1u3d5wquCWoKrFUIUlEPSfBP9QZ3InExSI6AkPRQHikSjiiUj4lfvBZh4gS3K6zLT7lEnw_CusmPk6hjmI6frn10S48I7wA6xVOJfpCzPnRJyy6CrPewRqXdT9kBEHJsattc/s320/pool+046.JPG" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360648959881643826" /><div>The event was a big success. Several hundred people turned out and like a gravity well in space, the more people arriving, the greater the draw it was for families and kids in the surrounding area to meander over and check out what was happening. </div><div><br /></div><div>The success of this event signalled to me a real appetite for more movie nights in the park. As an enthusiast of both parks and movies, I think it would be a terrific idea if the Vancouver Parks Board moved forward on this initiative. Imagine how great it would be to have a well known family-oriented schedule of films in parks all around the city throughout the summer. Young and old could come out and sit on the grass and enjoy the parks well into the night when normally everyone packs up and heads back to the isolation of "home sweet home". These showings could also be terrific multi-cultural and independent film showing venues.</div><div><br /></div><div>If they were popular enough, perhaps the Parks Board could even consider purchasing some of the equipment necessary to put the show on. This would cut costs even further and open the movies up to the community. Definitely a laudable dream and one well within our grasp.</div><div><br /></div></div>Kurt Heinrichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14380494501878676758noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109416582784692412.post-72601333329765651542009-07-15T15:40:00.001-07:002009-07-15T16:07:57.671-07:00Facebook Community Hits 250 MillionThat's right - 250 million. That's according to company founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg's <a href="http://blog.facebook.com/blog.php?post=106860717130">blog post</a>. That's up 100 million from January. Funny the snowball effect of it all. Just recently, a German friend of many years past befriended me on facebook. Obviously its starting to cut across the Atlantic. <div><br /></div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhatHML_9uY0lJ-zxWZU6Rz50fGk0tPpUXIrCuXdO2WJG55H2utjgYMQ3CfpR4PjHbSDjLZV1IseTcZ3gVjuN1bLCF_q-frxVPVBX6JjrRTTqWaTS624olYIL81Ou1lkbjkqDxpVCsORdw/s320/facebook_pic.jpg" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 120px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358826117451524098" /><div>I think a big part of the success of applications like Facebook is its exploitation of social networking to peer pressure everyone in net-sight to get online and start making facebook friends, else one may find themselves left out of the loop. Plus the ability to stay simultaneously updated (some might say inundated) by news, photos, updates, links, videos, preferences, and random thoughts is undeniable and interesting (usually...).</div><div><br /></div><div>Anyway, here's what Zuckenberg had to say about the success of it all:</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 15px; font-family:Arial;font-size:10px;"><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"></span></span></p></span></div><blockquote><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 15px; font-family:Arial;font-size:10px;"><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">From the beginning, Facebook hasn’t been about building a website. Facebook is about all of the people using it and all of the things that are important to you. The 250 million of you on Facebook today are what gives Facebook life and makes the site meaningful to everyone using it, so we thank you.</span></span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Each person who joins makes Facebook better by adding a presence to the site that friends and family can connect with and feel closer to. For us, growing to 250 million users isn’t just an impressive number; it is a mark of how many personal connections all of you have made, and how far we at Facebook have to go to extend the power of connection to the billions of people around the world.</span></span></p></span></div><div></div></blockquote><div>Talk about a thriving and vibrant community. Give it another few years and it's population may well overtake the American population.</div><div><div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 17px; font-family:Arial;font-size:10px;"><div id="article_body" style=" ;font-family:Arial, sans-serif, Helvetica;"><p style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: normal; font-family:Georgia;font-size:16px;"> </span></p></div></span></div></div></div>Kurt Heinrichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14380494501878676758noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109416582784692412.post-12827635177408856072009-07-13T12:25:00.000-07:002009-07-13T13:26:15.911-07:00Bike Community Rallies Around Burrard BridgeThis morning dozens of cyclists turned out to make their voices heard on the issue of the new Burrard Bridge Trial Bike Lane.<div><br /></div><div>The new lane protects cyclists and pedestrians with a new concrete barrier on both sides of the bridge. The result means one less lane for drivers heading out of the city. That's got some drivers crabby - particularly those who are <a href="http://www.vancouversun.com/travel/Chaos+Mayhem+World+Know+Would+That+Such+Thing/1781459/story.html">dead set on keeping their single occupancy vehicle</a></div><div><a href="http://www.vancouversun.com/travel/Chaos+Mayhem+World+Know+Would+That+Such+Thing/1781459/story.html"> commuting</a>, despite a growing belief among the majority of Vancouverites that commuting green is commuting smart.</div><div><br /></div><div>The trial has happened once in the past and wasn't successful. This time, there's been a huge amount of organizing and enthusiasm from the city's burgeoning cycling community. In addition, City Hall has pumped hundreds of thousands of dollars into communicating with drivers in order to shift traffic away from Burrard Bridge and on to the underused Granville Street Bridge. Below are some shots from this morning's ride all courtesy of <a href="http://www.arianecdesign.com/">Ariane Colenbrander</a>. </div><div><br /></div><div>If you haven't had a chance to check out the new bike lane, make sure you do so.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWGyqKpol6Fw3gVxJd8NUboE4wKWs4boCASN_excRViZD1JBTy6QYBIFBfjVtiF_v3N2f5NDMs1p_0-5AAS94p3oKYa00CM19oynKqPhlr1Zf90jvDwBOa_Gr_MSdQhYC8_AaIogrPbf0/s320/Burrard+Bridge+bike+lane-43.jpg" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358042780836507282" /></div><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9OOejahtA6We5rEEdnk7wGHBwCvTzTyGrvxjUo6hU6WmraQt9CH-uc9nnAcXgNRw137fcO2aIClG3blE1PIp0zhL_hyeXbUfg0WwTY2O3Ka6Wo2fGU4Et9Upg9sh5xKU4tG1kQV0rgzU/s320/Burrard+Bridge+bike+lane-38.jpg" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358043158446685282" /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6_hvJDlq_rKbQDo__tLmbj_gMVqruPkmd7PTvfTzGIuaNx0p-ZYTdT8PqUim5AVnlcAdqHmSCZBK3fz_nwlEXXFK6jiexfuzjjcMDAIsWgWztfWn2-KBKW2j7We1W9fpNpfZ5a_ziTBI/s320/Burrard+Bridge+bike+lane-19.jpg" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358030567895838594" /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZbhZPVI84ordGZqPcF_Y2PDgB-7Be0iYlBFTGOe4rxPYpHWEpLrqYtN_A4ScjqHMT-rRCqC-ZYJhbyLudF8bUgbIpwHHFQAa1Vc6KLalXO6kinyQO6v5VRnITm2JQ83jyUvh__aica3s/s320/Burrard+Bridge+bike+lane-9.jpg" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358042960253705538" /></div>Kurt Heinrichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14380494501878676758noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109416582784692412.post-36064586989696177802009-07-11T07:52:00.000-07:002009-07-11T10:05:01.192-07:00The Community of South America - Chapter One<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEqnBF9Rq9fcMQgv1khyWrtYTd_yxzdbxgZZ1_pNEmCKfvpkNkHjnI5kdpf0aO9JHbQw_L-oiq2KKxJ0BgFxHk0IeEgU_V3YWsIX5sGLeRp-GKaO9kQW9GMJCyzyYv61ix0-h3DnCnvVU/s1600-h/margent.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 190px; height: 276px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEqnBF9Rq9fcMQgv1khyWrtYTd_yxzdbxgZZ1_pNEmCKfvpkNkHjnI5kdpf0aO9JHbQw_L-oiq2KKxJ0BgFxHk0IeEgU_V3YWsIX5sGLeRp-GKaO9kQW9GMJCyzyYv61ix0-h3DnCnvVU/s320/margent.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5357240923790994114" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">¨¡Hola! Mi llamo Juan. Yo soy Canadiense. El nombre es Michelle y el es vegetariano. Nosotros hablamos un poquito de espanól. ¡No como la carne roja!¨</span>And so concludes the Spanish portion of this update; not because we don´t like Spanish (far from it) - it´s just that we don´t really speak much more. Given Michelle´s vegetarian status, we figured this would be an important sentence to weave into our lexicon as soon as possible.<br /><br />First, let´s introduce each other. You see, dear readers, this is the first time that we (Michelle and John) have traveled together; so, while we know each other well, there are always a few new things that arise during adventures. So, here we go:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">John introd</span><span style="font-weight: bold;">ucing Michelle:</span> ¨Michelle, or <span style="font-style: italic;">Michellé</span>, as she is called in South America, slept for the first four days in Buenos Aires/Montevideo. Fair enough, as the 27 hour flight and lack of non-steak-protein would be enough to hamper even the toughest vegetarian traveler. Michellé is exciting, curious, fearless, and provides energy and laughter to those lucky enough to travel with her. She also falls down out of nowhere, which is hilarious.¨<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Michelle introducing John:</span> ¨John, or <span style="font-style: italic;">Juan</span>, as he is referred to down in South America, is a clever and thoughtful traveller. When I would, say, forget my glasses on a 27 hour flight or bring shoes that were falling apart to Uruguay, Juan would be there to help me, you know, see or walk. Besides piggybacking a blind companion through Uruguay, Juan is very good at picking out wine - and drinking it. And he´s always up for joining me in some tomfoolery, such as salsa dancing in a tango bar.¨<br /><br />Let´s start at the beginning, with our journey from YVR to EZE. It took two transfers, two airlines, three flights, and 27 hours. We were both a little crazy by the end of it, but that might´ve been due to the nerves we were feeling because of the peanut butter smuggling operation we were also running. Speaking of nerves, Mexicana Airlines almost left our bags in Mexico City, a quaint, quiet and clean town in the middle of Mexico. So, unscathed and with contraband peanut butter in-bag, we arrived in Buenos Aires.<br /><br />Soon we were met by our hosts/tour guides, Martin Martin and Ximena Ferrer (pictured<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGzbxwIpQJijmO0SiiI3ffdI_X1a_1LYAbPgszo-bAIP4N060vrQ3vQwIQEP-zhaoDN_exVvn0eS84Z5CED6NhN6EcDTAQGhjB3Z-LsWKHwIU5gNGtXnBvs4pmCFA7ALwzvlH5On0xtDc/s1600-h/MartinRenaud.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 126px; height: 169px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGzbxwIpQJijmO0SiiI3ffdI_X1a_1LYAbPgszo-bAIP4N060vrQ3vQwIQEP-zhaoDN_exVvn0eS84Z5CED6NhN6EcDTAQGhjB3Z-LsWKHwIU5gNGtXnBvs4pmCFA7ALwzvlH5On0xtDc/s320/MartinRenaud.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5357241031940400370" border="0" /></a>), or, as they were called two nights ago after some delicious Malbec, ¨Martana and Ximin¨- amazing. Martin is a PhD student and Freedom Fighter at the University of Buenos Aires. He comes from a long line of Coureurs de Bois and sports charming wool socks year round. Ximena is an Actress and peddler of Argentine leather. She also makes outstanding chop suey and brings a dramatic flare to all the backstories and context-providing she does.<br /><br />Our first little tourist-jaunt saw us meander through the streets of Buenos Aires. It was like 19th century Europe meeting 21st century USA, with a lot of dirt, smog, traffic, congestion, businesspeople, and the seven bicyclists who are brave enough to ride through the streets of the city. We also came across a few South American emo-hipsters; however, unlike many<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKxqFOe7qdvJmBjCtrf2ZfjFrT4n4wPeXJ-uCCTgKCTadfACJfh0IBfg35q76E9ea56FIeCyDu-HlycgY3yxo8jEn8_zIlMytGl0sSPtbn9HOFEvQKvXU7endFXGmz5eqZk-8YNwtDzFc/s1600-h/n1433000440_6967.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 159px; height: 119px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKxqFOe7qdvJmBjCtrf2ZfjFrT4n4wPeXJ-uCCTgKCTadfACJfh0IBfg35q76E9ea56FIeCyDu-HlycgY3yxo8jEn8_zIlMytGl0sSPtbn9HOFEvQKvXU7endFXGmz5eqZk-8YNwtDzFc/s320/n1433000440_6967.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5357241155460449570" border="0" /></a> of the hipsters who frequent our neighbourhood of Commercial Drive, Canada, these folks were not douchebags. Also, Buenos Aires has, so far, yielded no fewer than 37 different hairstyle-types. Recent findings show that this is well above the international average. One particular point of interest in Buenos Aires are the <a href="http://books.google.ca/books?id=daCm1Eck0pkC&pg=PA171&lpg=PA171&dq=Buenos+Aires+garbage+collection+recycle&source=bl&ots=ZIqtUwfCI6&sig=PLDDOlBUYu0TIuMFhDSMn62qc1c&hl=es&ei=obdYSsXCDNmLtge05aXdCg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3"><span style="font-style: italic;">cirujas</span></a>, who make up a union-organized social class of collectors of raw materials that people throw away. They´re a lot like the recyling leaders in Vancouver - homeless people - but there are just, like, way, way, way more and they´re organized.<br /><br />And then we moved on to Montevideo, Uruguay! Like Canadians, who are generally well liked and respected around the world, Uruguayans are similarly percieved. Kinda like how American travellers often say they´re Canadian to avoid a doubled taxi fare, Argentinians tend to say they´re Uruguayan when visiting neighboring Brazil (this is all, of course, according to some lovely Uruguayans we met on our journey, which may or may not make this a biased account of Latin American relations). Needless to say, we noticed a difference between Buenos Aireans and Montevideans, and felt a bond with the kind, well-liked Uruguayans. In Montevideo we stayed at Ximena´s mother´s house - she will hereby be referred to as our ´Uruguayan mom´. Despite the language barrier that existed between us (not getting very far passed ´Ola!´ or ´Ciao!´) we formed a bond laughing at a ridiculous Canadian travel book with 80s-era photos. Oh, those poor Uruguayans thinking us Canadians still sport one-piece neon ski suits and handlebar mustaches. Even though it´s winter here, one can still appreciate the spectacular beauty of Montevideo, which is a city that wraps itself around a flawless sandy beach. La Rambla, a sidewalk that spans the entire beach/city, provides everything from a space for young people to drink/make-out to safety-seeking bicyclists to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mate_%28beverage%29">maté</a> drinking joggers to tired Canadian tourists wishing they had worn better shoes for a long, long <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg_MgA5k2NB3uikgCcEDRJ0LwC5YBrGvlMST5jYRsZAYgfL9ebeThgPJsH9RU1imesvUuCdemC4qjJAdP5wNPB8AR4HpbALM8MFrnanNO5o3FdKjN_XDiqQo9_o-ahPys__2XaqoHpSCY/s1600-h/6a00d8357ebb3569e200e54fa929b78834-800wi.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 151px; height: 222px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg_MgA5k2NB3uikgCcEDRJ0LwC5YBrGvlMST5jYRsZAYgfL9ebeThgPJsH9RU1imesvUuCdemC4qjJAdP5wNPB8AR4HpbALM8MFrnanNO5o3FdKjN_XDiqQo9_o-ahPys__2XaqoHpSCY/s320/6a00d8357ebb3569e200e54fa929b78834-800wi.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5357241668362345250" border="0" /></a>walk around a city. It´s a beautiful thing, La Rambla!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">John´s observations on the journey thus far:</span> ¨Argentina´s flag has a giant, angry Sun in the middle of it, and I don´t like it one bit. For a porphyria-riddled traveler, this omen does not bode well. This being said, the wine is the best I´ve tasted (many kinds are never exported to Canada, so it´s quite a treat to experience them here) and the meat is plentiful and delicious. People are friendly and tolerate us butchering their language while we point to things. I also really missed Martin´s beard and his Quebecois shenanigans; it´s good to see them again! Finally, I´ve yet to meet an Argentine and/or Uruguayan person who is taller than me; therefore, I am officially declaring myself the tallest person in South America. Please keep your eyes peeled for the upcoming parade on <span style="font-style: italic;">9 de Julio </span>in Buenos Aires in the coming days. Thanks.¨<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Michelle´s observations on the journey thus far:</span> Okay, so I don´t really `get´ the food culture down here, seeing as I don´t eat meat. However, I have been lucky enough to experience another facet of the culture that is as ingrained as meat and futbol (which, sadly, I don´t really `get´ either): Maté. A tea drunk out of a small container (the maté), the traditions surrounding maté drinking are deeply ingrained within the culture, and involve strict rules: when drinking maté in a group, it must be returned to the initiating person between drinks. All tea must be finished before being returned. And the water must be boiled to just the right temperature before being poured over the tea. Sharing food and drink is a defining aspect of any culture, and I feel lucky to have experienced it.<br /><br />Coming soon ...<br /><br />Juan y Michellé venture out on their own (<span style="font-style: italic;">sin guia</span>) ... with limited Spanish but big hearts and adventurous souls, what shenanigans will they find themselves involved in? Whatever happens, these two correspondents from the <span style="font-style: italic;">Weekly Gumboot</span> will be back with reviews, critiques, questions and stories that will give Fodor´s and Lonely Planet a run for their money ...John Hornhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17378112498726702561noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109416582784692412.post-14686467499871053182009-07-08T20:18:00.000-07:002009-07-09T20:00:35.420-07:00I Saw the Future and It's Awesome!Remember those days when you, your folks, your friends, maybe your girlfriend would all mozy down to the ol' cinema? That was before the big Famous Players and Cineplex Odeon conglomorates took over the movie biz and "disappeared" (that's mob speak) many of the smaller community theatres. <div><br /></div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvHuOlwr4Z2PgJlRBpJqPbmUewbERf6jvlnGcLqiofga4j8Hz1ID86wGic8gNBCXrKNGORoM46wUuUy9UBZjethRj4V9SdCZfKArnuZaJ5rXni6YaNApKAI-Ase-kZyEXcYSpk6yVjHl0/s320/masthead-movie-theatres.jpg" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 83px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5356660742091972754" /><div>Fun Fact: Back in the 1930 (the earliest year from which accurate and credible data exists), weekly cinema attendance was 80 million people, approximately 65% of the resident U.S. population. That's changed these days. At the beginning of the 21st century, that figure was only 27.3 million people, which was a mere 9.7% of the U.S. population. </div><div><br /></div><div>And that's before the advent of the age of the home entertainment systems, big flat screen TVs with crystal clear HD screens, and of course amazing new sound systems capable of sound we could never experience on the older TVs. DVDs were almost as good as the big screens. </div><div><br /></div><div>Then there's the increasingly fast download speed provided by high-speed internet connections. Suddenly you could download a movie quickly - and on pirate sites - for free. Why pay $15 for a movie, when you could see it on your home theatre before the release date for nothing?</div><div><br /></div><div>So it seemed to me the time of the movie theatre was in its decline. After all, what could the future theatres possibly offer that I couldn't get at home? And then, I went to the Vancouver Acquarium. That's right, the aquarium.</div><div><br /></div><div>I was there at the behest of my lovely redheaded partner. We joined dozens of kids and adults for the opening of the Acquarium's 4D Experience. In the theatre we were treated to the Shallow Waters episode of the landmark series Planet Earth - but with a big twist. First of all the whole show was in incredibly sharp 3D - awe inspiring when you see a giant whale or a host of sea snakes swimming towards you.</div><div><br /></div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifhwjvQv4VAxBFi1H_NJx_OZ5p4EdG5gaovYG7TunvOkuEJSQrFAahUj3Rs090Ul36m6I-Xw2TLfT5PH5qtDCTmzMAFmNz0Now0pf1u7ygQVJzf-UjJdo0e7M7e09Zw1KqndFHKAPELrk/s320/vancouver_aquarium.jpg" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 300px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5356660865582753266" /><div>But by far more impressive was a combination of mist, air effects, bubbles and smells all of which are perfectly timed with what was happening on screen. When a whale surfaced and blew from his blow hole, we got sprayed, when thousands of little fish swam by bubbles on the screen and real bubbles hitting our noses, and when the sea snakes swam around us in 3D - air nozzles blew under our leg simulating the feeling of a predator swimming by. Then there were our seats, vibrating, jerking and generally bringing the show to life. </div><div><br /></div><div>Watching Planet Earth is always an amazing experience. But experiencing it not only visually but on all five senses is something else. Can you imagine watching a horror flick and feeling the breath of Freddy on the back of your neck or the smell of the ocean where the action's taking place? Or imagine how cool it would be to smell the chocolate factory as Charlie walks through it and creepy Michael Jacksonesque Wonka prances about. The possibilities are limiteless. </div><div> </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Kurt Heinrichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14380494501878676758noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109416582784692412.post-42785334607905802022009-07-06T13:50:00.000-07:002009-07-06T15:22:06.514-07:00Uber LEFTY Marxists Get Organizing!<div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">I came across a </span><a href="http://www.publiceyeonline.com/archives/004032.html#more"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">recent article</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"> posted on BC political blogger Sean Holman's Public Eye Online.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimsPM39agK_-KCxmYmp7FzJCCiLiXVU3Thna-lWfvF0SBu9cUDn0g6j1kwc_5Io78qOlQ1teAdxsjRrIpL3L6YvQWzLViDh0sAu-0AJwCqS77tuhuQjKujyRUQYlRpFxsPY0dBq37B1ro/s320/Takeback.jpg" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 100px; height: 132px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355469880523805058" /><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Apparently there's a new group in town, who's raison d'etre is to drum Carole James and her right wing NDP supporters out of the party. The new group comes from a peculiar community of extremists who, in the wake of the </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">BCNDP's</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"> recent thrashing at the 2009 polls, are crawling out of the woodwork in an effort to wrest power from James and her corporate backers. Yes, that's right, according to these folks James is a corporate shill who's </span><span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">decisions</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"> have dragged the </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">BCNDP</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"> away from the Wonderland where they would cater exclusively to the working class (do you consider yourself a member of the working class?) and seek to constantly do battle with the dark forces of the petite </span><span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">bourgeoisie</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"> (I think that's me, but I'm not sure - maybe I need to brush up on my Marx).</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Want to learn more - check out the group's </span><a href="http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=93565008677"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">facebook</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"> page</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">For their </span><span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">inaugural</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"> event they've decided to hold a forum to discuss the future of the party titled "Take Back the </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">NDP</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">". Who have they enlisted to lead this discussion? None other than firebrand lefty Tim Louis. Strangely, Louis not only lacks an </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">NDP</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"> membership (you'd think </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">that'd</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"> be essential for group pledging to "take back the party"), but is widely viewed as so </span><span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">dysfunctional</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"> and difficult to work with that he was pushed out of COPE, the most lefty of all Vancouver's left of centre </span><span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">municipal</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"> parties. Wow - what a </span><span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">populist</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"> asset and consensus maker you just gotta have in your group.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Then there's Mike </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Palecek</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">, an ardent Marxist who at least has some </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">NDP</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"> street cred (according to his </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">facebook</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"> page he's served on a </span><span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">smorgasbord</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"> of </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_20"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">NDP</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"> offices). Doubtlessly he has some connections within the </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_21"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">NDP</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">, though probably not nearly enough to overthrow the corporate interests he sees pulling the strings.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div></div><div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 20px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">"The </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_22"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">NDP</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"> is supposed to be the party of labour - the party of the ordinary person. So we'd like to get that voice established back within the party," said </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal; "><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_23"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Palecek</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"> in an interview with Public Eye Online. </span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 20px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">According to </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_24"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Palecek</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">, labour - despite donating hundreds of thousands of dollars (by far the lions share of the </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_25"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">NDP</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"> </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_26"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">war chest</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">) during the last election and supplying most of the </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_27"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">BCNDP's</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"> key organizers (and executive officers) - doesn't have nearly enough influence. It's business (who </span><span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_28"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">incidentally</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"> donated a fraction of that amount during the election and </span><span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_29"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">disproportionately</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"> funded the campaign of Gordon Campbell and the BC Liberals) who're pulling Carole James' puppet strings.</span></span></span></div></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">I have to admit I find these tidbits </span><span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_30"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">fascinating</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">. Are there really people who still think this way?</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">The whole thing looks like it mainly has the support of only the </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_31"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">NDP's</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"> most </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_32"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">harcore</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"> </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_33"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">leftwing</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">/socialist/</span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_34"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">marxist</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">/communist/[insert other political/</span><span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_35"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">philosophical</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"> faction here]/</span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_36"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">trotskyist</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"> elements who usually (thank goodness) seem to be the least visible. Check their </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_37"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=93565008677"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">facebook</span></a></span><a href="http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=93565008677"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"> event page</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"> and you'll see they have a record 25 guests at the time this article was published. With a vast proletariat army of supporters swelling their ranks like that, its a wonder capitalism hasn't yet been vanquished all over the world (let alone in the </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_38"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">BCNDP</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">).</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">I certainly hope they tape the meeting. Watching this community of activists try to come to any sort of consensus and compromise when the very political ideals many </span><span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_39"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">participants</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"> share rules out any </span><span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_40"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">appeasement</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"> as treacherous should be more </span><span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_41"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">entertaining</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"> than a midnight showing Snakes on a Plane (in </span><span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_42"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">other words</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"> - very </span><span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_43"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">entertaining</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">).</span></div></div>Kurt Heinrichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14380494501878676758noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109416582784692412.post-14280039643728315282009-07-02T14:50:00.000-07:002009-07-02T15:55:51.455-07:00Sauerkraut, Perogies and Old GentsSampling the fare of different ethnic communities around town is a personal goal of mine this year.<div><br /></div><div>Sort of like a mid-year New Year's reunion. </div><div><br /></div><div>It all came about after dropping off our two South America-bound <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">correspondents</span> at the airport. On the way back I drove by the Vancouver landmark "<a href="http://www.vancouveralpenclub.ca/"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Deutsches</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Haus</span></a>", which sits plumply (yes, a building can sit plumply - especially a German/Bavarian Building) off 33rd and Victoria.</div><div><br /></div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHCtWy0AS2Rt7_NfyLvAylHhuZ20xqNlS7y5q4sVZR09yvFT-hlIODOSrP3Sry3U8YTZNYpWMgZpfmqao9XBunxwb4hqgrk9oTs2HzjmH19FUR0sGQlAAMXk56V49dSw4rehH5Z8D90dw/s320/VAC_Mural_2009-01.jpg" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 122px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353996140891440050" /><div>Driving buy I realized it has been a long time since I sunk my teeth into Bratwurst, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Spaetzle</span>, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Currywurst</span>, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Blaukraut</span>, and the old fried favorite - <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Wie<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">ner</span> Schnitzel. What better way to celebrate the German community its heritage in Vancouver than to round up a posse and head down to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Deutsches</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Haus</span> to see what tasty times await. </span></div><div><br /></div><div>It's also neat to do so, not at the latest trendy eatery off Main or Broadway, but rather in a den that local <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">Germano</span>-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">Vancouverites</span> (that word has now been copyrighted by <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">your's</span> truly) keep coming to decade after decade. It's kinda like the Legion experience for those of you have ever frequented a Royal Canadian Legion and had the honor of chatting and sharing beers with some of our veterans in their home away from home.</div><div><br /></div><div>It also wet an appetite to explore similar old school ethnic bastions that I know are hidden across the city, and which are rally points for dozens of other communities. </div><div><br /></div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuVRUIbEjzBZOmeRyVSlyHe6UVEXS9c5cb41WrnBJEMU9eGcEoBDMxZTnmeMC1HAoZg3tiSWbnOoOgN1BSDA4SaRGlHnMN3W2khEZUfOhxpsH1BElobT1QL0wEPh0UDvhGMvwN_nRvvyo/s320/perogies.jpg" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353996630948553522" /><div>A few months ago, I visited one such place in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">Strathcona</span> during <a href="http://www.eastsideculturecrawl.com/">Vancouver's East Side Culture Crawl</a>. That day we hit up the a <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">Ukrainian</span> church basement and filled up on buttery homemade <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">perogies</span> (assembled, I like to dream, </div><div><span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">painstakingly</span> by old, thick and boisterous Ukrainian grandmas who while surviving Stalin, famine and the 5 Year Plans, managed to perfect the best <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">perogie</span> recipe in history), rich sweet and sour cabbage rolls, and hearty and salty Ukrainian sausage. It was a blast, made even better by the diversity of community that turned out and the great hosting of the local Ukrainian community.</div><div><br /></div><div>The <a href="http://www.lecentreculturel.com/html_an/pageacc.html">French cultural centre</a> is another great example of delicious French cuisine imported to Vancouver (though its a bit more high class than the aformentioned examples - not a big surprise right?). There you can wander around the community centre and see what theatre, shows, and films are coming up until you're seated by a dainty francophone hostess who sketches out <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18">le</span> menu <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19">du</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_20">jour</span> from memory and helps you select which <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_21">entre</span> to enjoy (will it be <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_22">filet</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_23">mignon</span> or a salad <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_24">de</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_25">fruits with fresh baguette?</span> - <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_26">oooooh</span> the hemming and hawing). All this can be enjoyed for an incredibly reasonable price considering the quality of the meal and experience.</div><div><br /></div><div>I'm looking forward to see if the Germans can measure up to the Ukrainians and French when it comes to tasty food and unique atmosphere. I'm hopeful they'll knock the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_27">sox</span> off both of them, but knowing the culinary history of the German people, Im not willing to put more than a handful of change on it. </div><div><br /></div><div>And if you have any suggestions of <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_28">delectable</span> restaurants that host and represent a cultural community in the Lower Mainland, let me know. I'd love to try em.</div>Kurt Heinrichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14380494501878676758noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109416582784692412.post-52628659281444659482009-07-01T09:04:00.000-07:002009-07-01T09:50:49.578-07:00The Community of South America<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGaeXpbx2l8959AFkq_UPqvmwhZ8QGEKBzQ-U2galUbp1mlbPApHAVz9msv1YYHb58U5RJRYUjkeTZobGazaywNAL4e-AoZeLhr_xWzFr4FKrLxGOfI9oi9HrFa3_Wev9P8e1Mi1tOlJ8/s1600-h/argentina_pol96.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 262px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGaeXpbx2l8959AFkq_UPqvmwhZ8QGEKBzQ-U2galUbp1mlbPApHAVz9msv1YYHb58U5RJRYUjkeTZobGazaywNAL4e-AoZeLhr_xWzFr4FKrLxGOfI9oi9HrFa3_Wev9P8e1Mi1tOlJ8/s320/argentina_pol96.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353523773920110530" border="0" /></a>Good day, good readers! In a matter of moments, a couple of <span style="font-style: italic;">The Gumboot</span>'s contributors - Michelle <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Burtnyk</span> and, well, yours truly - will be heading way, way down South to the country of South America! Crap, I know better than that. After all, I am <span style="font-weight: bold;">an </span>historian. Michelle and I will be visiting our Latin America Correspondent, Martin Martin. He lives in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Buenos</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Aires</span>, Argentina.<br /><br />Funny story about <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Buenos</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Aires</span>. The city's mayor, Mauricio <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Macri</span>, just declared a state of emergency in Argentina's capital. Now, pessimists will tell you that traveling through a city and/or country during a state of emergency will doubtlessly present problems. But I beg to differ. There will be fewer tourists jamming the streets downtown area. The many rides in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Buenos</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Aires</span> will be free (I've been told/promised that there are several fun rides throughout the city). And here's the biggest positive as I see it. Two words: discount pork.<br /><br />In all seriousness for any of our friends and family who are seriously concerned, we'll be fine. Michelle speaks fluent Portuguese and is a vegetarian (<span style="font-style: italic;">"Yo so</span><span style="font-style: italic;">y <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">vegetariano</span>!"</span>). In 2004, she also, I kid you not, was teaching English in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Guang</span> Dong, the Chinese town <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIYS4Vn2Sjdu4YpM4eUQTKp5OUi7isII-wYrbavV0LB3qgakmgJoj2qMlmEv13CEMTBrZfDLkDwDAfx5-wc_idgEK4PnBJqpMMWZVZqvfxkPpzltgTzZ6_LgADa9sIM-v9YfMcujluUDc/s1600-h/argentina.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 226px; height: 169px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIYS4Vn2Sjdu4YpM4eUQTKp5OUi7isII-wYrbavV0LB3qgakmgJoj2qMlmEv13CEMTBrZfDLkDwDAfx5-wc_idgEK4PnBJqpMMWZVZqvfxkPpzltgTzZ6_LgADa9sIM-v9YfMcujluUDc/s320/argentina.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353534746610712594" border="0" /></a>that was where <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">SARS</span> started. She's got street cred in spades, people. And, hey, even though I'm allergic to the Sun I went to Africa and survived - if not thrived - in the Dark Continent (which isn't really dark at all, is it, misguided European colonial storytellers?!). And, much to my surprise, it turned out that I traveled through <a href="http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/war/uganda.htm">Northern Uganda</a> during a civil war. Has Argentina been in a civil war since the early 1980s? I don't think it has. But do you know what China, Uganda and Argentina do have? <span style="font-style: italic;">Adventure.</span><br /><br />We will keep you <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">abreast</span> of our story-filled travels. Not swine flu nor revolution nor Sun nor emergency dental surgery will stop us from calling it as we see it and telling it like it is. We will collect stories from South America and use them to build community. At home, and abroad.<br /><br />Happy travels!<br /><br />- John and Michelle<span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span>John Hornhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17378112498726702561noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109416582784692412.post-76029796669032335562009-06-29T14:49:00.000-07:002009-06-29T15:38:24.889-07:00A New Interstellar and Online Community (at the same time!)Seems like the last time we talked about Peter Jackson, it was <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">surrounding</span> his fantastic revival of <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Tolkien's</span> Middle Earth - a peculiar world populated by men, women, <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">dwarfs</span>, elves, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">orcs</span>, giant smouldering cave monsters and hobbits (among others).<div><br /></div><div>Now Jackson's about to invite us to observe a new community by creating yet another new world. This one seems set to be steeped deep with Swift-like satire. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZnpzfcMheA&feature=PlayList&p=F604B547DF2ABF92&index=0">District 9 is a new sci-fi movie</a> set to hit theatres in August. The story is about a community of interstellar refugees who come to Earth and are marooned here. They're <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">isolated</span> by our government in District 9 - a slum in Africa (see some metaphoric connections??) where they're hated by locals and managed with less and less patience by world governments. Check out this trailer for the film:</div><div><br /></div><div><br /><object width="560" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/qbK-DR1z6vk&hl=en&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/qbK-DR1z6vk&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>I've got to hand it to the marketing guys who're developing this campaign. They've already created three <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">YouTube</span> videos, twitter feeds, facebook pages, and almost four <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">separate</span> websites, including one for the <a href="http://www.multinationalunited.com/"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">MNU</span> </a>(the company contracted to guard humans areas from alien contamination), the <a href="http://www.mnuspreadslies.com/index.php">Everyone Deserves Equality blog</a> (which has articles written by aliens and alien-supporters), <a href="http://www.mathsfromouterspace.com/?hs317=District9_blog+footer">Math from Outer Space</a> (self-evident), and then <a href="http://www.d-9.com/">large <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">topographical</span> maps</a> detailing the breadth of District 9. </div><div><br /></div><div>Hustling up excitement in the online and movie going community isn't anything new (see the "<a href="http://friendsofharveydent.org/">I Believe in Harvey Dent" campaign websites</a> used in the lead up to the Dark Knight). But by doing it in an effective and all encompassing way, Jackson is charting into new water. If their use of social media and multiple online portals works to galvanize movie fans and whip up online hype (and thus offline theatre line-up hype) - we may see this creative marketing strategy become increasingly prominent for everything from upcoming features to toothpaste.</div><div><br /></div><div>That might mean the TV and radio ad heavy buys might be a thing of the past to be supplanted by an increasing reliance on social media and online community creation to get out the word about products.</div><div><br /></div>Kurt Heinrichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14380494501878676758noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109416582784692412.post-42532874534293833862009-06-28T09:15:00.000-07:002009-06-28T09:14:16.683-07:00Five Ways to Build CommunityHere I sit in my lovely living room, ready to bust out into the Commercial Drive community on what looks like a sunny Sunday morning<span style="text-decoration: underline;"></span><a href="http://www.cacee.com/"></a>. Or maybe I'll head out to Yaletown and see how the binary opposition of yuppieness and homelessness is getting along. Needless to say, I love action items that will help us all to work on building community.<br /><br />During the <a href="www.cacee.com">2009 CACEE Conference</a>, which I was lucky enough to emcee, I was inspired by the keynote speakers, especially <a href="http://www.sfuexperts.ca/member.aspx?subscriberid=730">Ginger Grant</a>, and some of the workshops to launch a new segment here at <span style="font-style: italic;">The Weekly Gumboot</span>. The team here at Vancouver's coolest new blog is all about collecting ideas from everywhere and using them to build community. This new feature, <span style="font-style: italic;">Five Ways to Build Community</span>, empasizes the "using" aspect of our ideas from everywhere. Enjoy!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">1. Talk to Strangers:</span> step outside of your comfort zone and start a conversation with someone you normally wouldn't talk to; whether it's a homeless person with a shopping cart, a businesswoman in a power suit, or an emo-hipster in skinny jeans, you will gain a new perspective and, possibly, expand your literal and figurative idea of "community."<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">2. Experiment with Food:</span> recent findings show that food is grown, prepared and served differently around the world; trying a new dish will provide you with an interesting - and delicious - insight into another culture.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">3. Give Hugs:</span> my goodness does a big hug every make people feel great! Sure, be aware of "Canadian Space" - Jerry Seinfeld would advise on not being a "hugger" or "close-talker" - and pick your moment, but, hey, just ask <a href="http://extremekindness.com/">The Kindness Crew</a> just how impactful a hug can be. Hugs can change the world!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">4. Take Public Transit:</span> a great place to meet strangers! Having your hands off the wheel and your eyes off the road gives you an opportunity to experience your community from a different perspective.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">5. Ask Questions:</span> don't just ask questions; listen intently to the answers - "active listening" is what the kids call it - and make your co-conversationalist feel like they're the centre of the universe. You'll probably learn something new and amazing about people, places and things, too!<br /><br />Stay classy. And have fun with it!<br /><br />- JCHJohn Hornhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17378112498726702561noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109416582784692412.post-53765777257832394952009-06-25T12:14:00.000-07:002009-06-25T14:45:50.914-07:00A Wordle or two about Community<span style="font-style: italic;">The Weekly Gumboot </span>just got "wordled" - let us know if you think this<a href="http://www.wordle.net/gallery/wrdl/970050/The_Weekly_Gumboot_gets_Wordled"> semi-randomized jumble</a> represents the true essence of our value proposition.<br /><br />And that's the wordle.<br /><br />A bientot.<br /><br />- JCHJohn Hornhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17378112498726702561noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109416582784692412.post-58583397136414480472009-06-24T11:20:00.000-07:002009-06-24T14:04:42.387-07:00A Tour through Communist ParadiseLet's take a train <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">through</span> the communist paradise of Pyongyang. Ready to go kids?<div><br /></div><div>Well, let's hop on the tram and explore:</div><div><br /><object width="450" height="370"><param name="movie" value="http://www.liveleak.com/e/200_1245017944"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://www.liveleak.com/e/200_1245017944" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="450" height="370"></embed></object><br /></div><div><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Ok</span>. Now that we've finished our little tram ride, what were your first impressions?<br /></div><div><br /></div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifh2zC5AbEvJKC23nsR-ZU3E-1HBap52uUyibDckbLDbZiYlhy2BdvCSSmItpZT0CdVdKkVgPRl0hhoR3xGblTRkw6k6zZUhb2ai8qbEjVC0GbcoPDlQI5FZ7JYBR6Di_osP8XwrNtl8U/s320/SouthKorea.jpg" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350222793245934882" /><div>For me there were a couple. To start with, check out how empty the streets are. When you compare it with the mass of people and traffic of South Korea (to the left), it's startling really. And this is downtown of the capital. Maybe the North Koreans, in a totally ass backward sort of way, have got the idea of de<span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">congestion</span> right.</div><div><br /></div><div>Another thing I noticed was the pure blandness of the place. Lots of bright colored <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">clothes</span>, and interesting street energy huh? Should we all be magically transported to Kim <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Il</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Jong's</span> paradise, half the Drive would doubtlessly be immediately purged for attire alone. Good luck <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Cloudman</span>...So long Red Square. </div><div><br /></div><div>Then of course there are the giant housing projects - similar in many ways to the buildings of the former USSR, its allies and even Japan. Missing are the character buildings that give cities around the world particular <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">ambiance</span>. I wonder which buildings are the homes of the upper level <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">bureaucrats</span> of the glorious leader's regime.</div><div><br /></div><div>No homeless on the street though. I guess if everyone's poor, then you don't really have an opportunity to have a homelessness crisis like in Vancouver.</div><div><br /></div><div>It's all a bit bland though huh? What are some of your observations?</div>Kurt Heinrichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14380494501878676758noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109416582784692412.post-81976908997890507202009-06-23T09:04:00.000-07:002009-06-22T12:31:20.727-07:00Learning from Pirate Communities - Entrepreneurship<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwOhXC5_1-9o19kW2K6HAkD2KGEzeAW5RU35d5T_x9lkzYfYubvbm0FWfh_uRjxPJ183B9jx83fuyKp_e4tC9kg1HIGoNSD31fdnm4SMDdSsfuX-uh6RZzHpypkqi7VPwefpFH1NMJgk0/s1600-h/CACEE+2009+Conference.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 302px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwOhXC5_1-9o19kW2K6HAkD2KGEzeAW5RU35d5T_x9lkzYfYubvbm0FWfh_uRjxPJ183B9jx83fuyKp_e4tC9kg1HIGoNSD31fdnm4SMDdSsfuX-uh6RZzHpypkqi7VPwefpFH1NMJgk0/s320/CACEE+2009+Conference.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5349575284462013042" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">This post is certainly for general-viewing, as it has a relevant, snappy and important message - albeit a rather lengthy one. This post is also a Web 2.0 guide for members of the 2009 <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">CACEE</span> Confer</span><span style="font-style: italic;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">ence</span> who are part</span><span style="font-style: italic;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">icipating</span> in Philippe <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Desrochers's</span> and John Horn's round table discussion: "What do Pirates and the Economic Crisis have in Common?" Enjoy, and make lots of comments to help continue the discussion!</span><br /><br />Entrepreneurs <span style="font-style: italic;">love </span>a downturn. And there's no better - or worse - downturn than the one our global economy is wringing us through right now. According to an up-and-coming business publication, the <span style="font-style: italic;">Harvard Business Review, </span>"entrepreneurs look at financial challenges or a recession and, instead of wringing their hands, find ways to innovate and spin them into gold for social transformation." The biggest immobilizer today is fear. Fear to take risks. Fear to innovate. Fear to change. People don't need to possess a natural risk-taking personality to excel as entrepreneurs, either. You can set yourself apart from your competition simply by being adaptable and adept at <span style="font-style: italic;">managing </span>change. Be nimble. Respond quickly to market shifts and the opportunities they might create.<br /><br />Speaking of market shifts, let's talk about Somalia. In his article, "You are being lied to about pirates," <span style="font-style: italic;">The Independent'</span>s Johann <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Hari</span> examines the circumstances by which many Somali fishermen have been thrust into the world of piracy. After the fall of the country's government in 1991, Africa's longest coastline (Somalia's coast spans about 2,000 miles) has been unprotected. This power-vacuum has provided a perfect opportunity for the international fishing industry to steal Somalia's food supply and use the region as a dumping ground for nuclear waste ("yes: nuclear waste," says <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Hari</span> - <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">cadium</span> and mercury were also, allegedly, thrown in the mix). <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Hari</span> interviewed <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Ahmedou</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Ould</span>-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">Abdallah</span>, the UN envoy to Somalia, who claims that "there has been no clean-up, no compensation, and no prevention" of such a gross example of pollution. But one can also see how market forces have driven them to think outside the box, get creative, take risks, and work together in innovative ways. In a recent <span style="font-style: italic;"><a href="http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1892376,00.html">Time</a> </span>magazine article, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">Ishaan</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">Thardoor</span> argues that "Somali piracy has metastasized into the country's only boom industry. Most of the pirates, observers say, are not former fishermen, but just poor folk seeking their fortune. Right<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2ah_VUhp6FM4YL3yz1jtFfR-Rg84UQ9GHEF8We92hruCftvvonpvWhqmwIalzXUSg6bPdyqwilSwtDza8qYrVMoLCB_DsvpjHOpaWKyAsf2gNLQN-3kOPwS0lqpTgeCKsx-n7XIa2Wis/s1600-h/burkini.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 164px; height: 284px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2ah_VUhp6FM4YL3yz1jtFfR-Rg84UQ9GHEF8We92hruCftvvonpvWhqmwIalzXUSg6bPdyqwilSwtDza8qYrVMoLCB_DsvpjHOpaWKyAsf2gNLQN-3kOPwS0lqpTgeCKsx-n7XIa2Wis/s320/burkini.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5349575384878507858" border="0" /></a> now, they hold 18 cargo ships and some 300 sailors hostage — the work of a sophisticated and well-funded operation."<br /><br />"But John," you're undoubtedly saying. "What the heck do pirates have to do with the economic crisis and entrepreneurship? Where are you going with this?" Oh dear readers, by this point in the history of <span style="font-style: italic;">The Weekly Gumboot</span>, you shouldn't be so wary of my ability to link, connect and develop seemingly <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">unconnectable</span> ideas, events, facts, and findings. As ideas-man and innovation-guru <a href="http://www.themedicieffect.com/about.html">Franz <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">Johansson</span></a> outlines, "individuals, teams and organizations can create an explosion of remarkable ideas at the intersection of different fields, cultures and industries." Some of the interesting "intersections" of which Mr. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">Johansson</span> speaks include, but are not limited to, computers and candy, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">burqas</span> and bikinis (pictured), locusts and Volvo, and Dr. Martin Luther King and Russian Techno music.<br /><br />As we connect the entrepreneurial spirit with the service we provide to students and clients around the world, what can we take as the answer to this equation: <span style="font-style: italic;">economic crisis + pirates + <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">CACEE</span> = ?</span> Well, there's only one way to find out. Read on!<br /><br />Let's examine four tales of piracy that reflect four pillars of entrepreneurship: risk-taking and creativity, knowing the most, personal/professional branding, and relationship-building. Here we go:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Risk taking and creativity in the Gulf of Aden. </span>To quote Stephen Colbert, "it takes <span style="font-style: italic;">balls</span>" to navigate a tiny speedboat nearly 300 miles off the coast of Kenya into the Gulf of Aden, climb aboard a Saudi oil tanker, capture it, steer it into port,<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBtVy67vqN9-rw8Sa2iG_Uga2vFJnRp_duZispe6gc8D8nzt43pNlnjiMHsvKKtZc41tVuT2EmZlqMDRdFhVmX4VvXP_KwL6bnB79lQWqrz0r8ClHqjhr70QzkS_fc9YzmPgpBjfTG2c0/s1600-h/somali-pirates-2008-11-25-15-1-39.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 221px; height: 161px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBtVy67vqN9-rw8Sa2iG_Uga2vFJnRp_duZispe6gc8D8nzt43pNlnjiMHsvKKtZc41tVuT2EmZlqMDRdFhVmX4VvXP_KwL6bnB79lQWqrz0r8ClHqjhr70QzkS_fc9YzmPgpBjfTG2c0/s320/somali-pirates-2008-11-25-15-1-39.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5349576087056260146" border="0" /></a> and then hold it ransom for $20 million. But that's what happened in November 2008, when a rag-tag bunch of think-outside-the-box pirates captured the <span style="font-style: italic;">Sirius Star </span>and its crew, which was carrying 2 million barrels of oil, 25% of Saudi Arabia's daily output. From the <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7733482.stm">BBC</a> to <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/africa/11/17/kenya.tanker.pirates/index.html">CNN</a> to <a href="http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2009/01/200919125418898878.html">Al <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18">Jazeera</span></a>, the world suddenly became <span style="font-style: italic;">very </span>interested in these seemingly small-time hijackers. They did what nobody thought possible and they got noticed. Like, <span style="font-style: italic;">really </span>noticed. Oh, and they made $3 million from the ransom, too.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">The takeaway from this story:</span> look for opportunities where you've never looked before (for example, several Canadian mining companies are setting up shop in Mongolia and they need analysts, operations experts and supply chain managers).<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Sir Francis Drake knew the most. </span>In the ultimate example of a cross-functional, inter-cultural, and multi-dimensional information interview, Sir Francis Drake gathered enough information from a group of French sailors (Le <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19">Testu</span> was the name of their leader - unfortunately, he was caught, tortured and killed following the heist), <span style="font-style: italic;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_20">cimarrones</span></span> (escaped slaves who had no love for the Spanish), and also from secret English documents that divulged important Spanish trade routes to pillage the Caribbean port of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_21">Nombre</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_22">de</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_23">Dios</span>. In the end, according to Samuel <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_24">Baulf</span>, "in gold alone the raiders had seized some 100,000 pesos (the peso was worth eight shillings three pence of English money)...and including gems and what silver they managed to recover, the total value of the haul was likely in excess of £40,000." And here's the kicker: Drake and his boys stole <span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">over 15 tons of silver</span></span>. Drake knew all their was to know about the port, which, Angus <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_25">Konstam</span> argues, resulted in a watershed moment for the Spanish Main: "attacks by Sir Francis Drake proved <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_26">Nombre</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_27">de</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_28">Dios</span> too vulnerable to pirates."<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">The takeaway from this story:</span> a recent study by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_29">NACE</span>) found that the top reason that candidates are <span style="font-style: italic;">not </span>hired out of an interview because they don't know enough about the company; being entrepreneurial means standing out in a crowd because you know the most.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />The personal brand of Edward Teach. </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_30">Konstam</span> calls Teach - also known as "Blackbeard" - "the most famous pirate of them all." Blackbeard worked hard to establish a fearsome and terrifying image (see his flag, pictured - a demonic figure stabbing a bleeding heart), but, according to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_31">Konstam</span>, "no evidence exists to suggest that he ever killed <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_32">anyo</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIjaycgHJe1VmGCxjdQFFaWoeII3AxxvUj1pX6F_ZGgL-Kw7GMEKWd1azWl3lVgsi3VGNqcbxmSQxyfZpiSVdCDWboRqXZhT0hRE4TIwd_EHQc5jWY3mm4_L2PrkVvMzN53xpnzZ3BXjU/s1600-h/744px-Pirate_Flag_of_Blackbeard_(Edward_Teach).svg.png"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 247px; height: 165px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIjaycgHJe1VmGCxjdQFFaWoeII3AxxvUj1pX6F_ZGgL-Kw7GMEKWd1azWl3lVgsi3VGNqcbxmSQxyfZpiSVdCDWboRqXZhT0hRE4TIwd_EHQc5jWY3mm4_L2PrkVvMzN53xpnzZ3BXjU/s320/744px-Pirate_Flag_of_Blackbeard_(Edward_Teach).svg.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5349575541181190818" border="0" /></a><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_33">ne</span> who was not trying trying to kill him." He even preferred marooning a crew to outright slaughter. Sure, other pirates caused more mayhem, captured richer cargoes, more ships, and more valuable prisoners, but Blackbeard has come to represent the pirate genre more than any other. And it has to do with his personal brand: in 1717 a victim described him as "a tall, spare man with a very black beard which he wore very long." He added to his menacing appearance by wearing a crimson coat and and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bandoleers">bandoleers</a> slung over his shoulders, but it was the "burning lengths of slow match" woven into his hair that have been immortalized in everything from sailors' tales to the Blackbeard t-shirt that I own. His reputation became bigger than he ever was.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">The takeaway from this story:</span> personal branding "<a href="http://personalbrandingblog.com/could-your-social-media-expert-be-a-fake/"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_34">expe</span></a><a href="http://personalbrandingblog.com/could-your-social-media-expert-be-a-fake/">rt</a>," <a href="http://www.brandingonthenet.com/personal-branding-facts.htm">Kristie T</a>, points out that 75% of buying decisions are made on emotion and, given that we are exposed to over 3,000 marketing messages per day, it is important to distinguish yourself from the rest of the world. I'll sum it up with a Kenyan proverb: "<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_35">utu</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_36">wa</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_37">mtu</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_38">ni</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_39">tabia</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_40">yake</span>" (roughly, it means "you are the way that others see you.") As you build your value proposition, think about how you want to be seen.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />Building relationships with Madame <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_41">Cheng</span>. </span>It was 1807 and hundreds of Chinese pirates were looking for a leader. An opportunity presented itself. And on to the scene emerged the greatest pirate in the history of pirates. She called herself Madame <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_42">Cheng</span>. Madame <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_43">Cheng</span> was ruthless, wily and charismatic. She could also build relationships and had an eye for talent. As she cajoled and negotiated and charmed her way to prominence in China's pirate community, Madame <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_44">Cheng</span> took on a young lover; the adopted son of a fisherman named <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_45">Cheng</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_46">Pao</span>. And here's the kicker: she made the kid head of the Red Sea fleet, which was the biggest and most important in the Confederation. By 1810, Madame <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_47">Cheng's</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_48">pira</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3gnoXPzMQECCXuWa6aQXJyUSY6PBC3FlzYmJCVPGhVsI0I_X08LPNGW2tK2wMU5OSu6O1av5pGgns8a0OhhrOd4Yj9i49Q0qjQjh4h_ODHBprpxlWnJOn4kbGwfw_-Z7Hi45GMkCYx2w/s1600-h/madameching.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 117px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3gnoXPzMQECCXuWa6aQXJyUSY6PBC3FlzYmJCVPGhVsI0I_X08LPNGW2tK2wMU5OSu6O1av5pGgns8a0OhhrOd4Yj9i49Q0qjQjh4h_ODHBprpxlWnJOn4kbGwfw_-Z7Hi45GMkCYx2w/s320/madameching.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5349576281673372258" border="0" /></a><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_49">te</span> fleet was larger than those of most countries navies. Through organization, relationship-building and recognizing top talent, Madame <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_50">Cheng</span> created a pirate fleet the likes of which no one has ever seen (or well ever again see). And for three years she ran the shipping lanes of the China Sea and Strait of Malacca for decades.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">The takeaway from this story:</span> it's an easy one; over 80% of employment opportunities are developed because of <span style="font-style: italic;">who </span>we know, not necessarily <span style="font-style: italic;">what </span>we know. Furthermore, when you have positive relationships with clients and co-workers, they will be excited and eager to spread the word - the <span style="font-style: italic;">good </span>word - about you.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></span>Needless to say, there all several aspects of entrepreneurship - piratical or not - that can be applied to the non-entrepreneurial world of employment.<br /><br />Practically speaking, by the time this post has been live for a few hours, Philippe and I will have experienced a simply outstanding conversation about the entrepreneurial spirit being applied to finding, securing and developing a meaningful career. Also practically speaking, if you are interested in and/or excited to pass along such ideas to your students and/or clients, strongly consider wrapping your proposal in a pirate package. A veritable pirate pack, if you will. In my experience, kicking off a workshop or a topic in a workshop with a fantastic, out of this world, pop-culture-immersed tale of a famous - or infamous - pirate really piques the audience's interest. Take pirates as a metaphor for student-engagement, people: superheroes, film characters, musicians, politicians, and cartoon characters work well, too. And once you've seduced them with said <span style="font-style: italic;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_51">edutaining</span> </span>strategy, start sprinkling in the career education content (an easy connection, as you can see) as well as some tangible and specific next steps that they can take away from the workshop. Just when an audience realizes that, in fact, they're not actually listening to an amazing story about pirates, but are actually learning about networking, gender-equality, resumes, multi-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_52">culturalism</span>, environmental stewardship, or <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_53">entrepreneurism</span>, well, it's too late. And it's a beautiful thing.<br /><br />Yes, many - or most - of the pirates are gangsters. No, this doesn't make hostage-taking okay. But this article has outlined some of the ways that these seagoing thugs are dealing with a recessive global economy. "Pirates were the first people to rebel against this world," says <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_54">Hari</span>. They didn't like the rigour, restrictions and "oppressiveness" of the seafaring alternatives of, say, the Merchant Marine or Royal Navy, so they chose a more independent, democratic and risky life at sea. Recent findings show that in excess of $300 million US in shellfish is being stolen from the Somali coast by illegal trawlers each year. They have no government to speak of. Organizations are dumping nuclear waste in their waters and on their land. Somalia just might be the worst place on Earth.<br /><br />Kinda puts the global recession in perspective, eh? They don't "fit" in the current economic system, which is probably why the independent Somalian news site, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_55">WardheerNews</span>, found that 70 per cent of Somalians "strongly supported the piracy as a form of national defence." Some even call them the "Volunteer Coastguard of Somalia"! And we can most certainly call them <span style="font-weight: bold;">entrepreneurs.</span><br /><br />So, mateys, take what ye learned today and apply it to yer teachin. Being entrepreneurial might just get us out of this economic mess.<br /><br />- Sir John the PirateJohn Hornhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17378112498726702561noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109416582784692412.post-59926098574011122102009-06-21T12:00:00.000-07:002009-06-21T12:17:00.019-07:00Angry Rich PeopleBeware of angry, rich people. <div><br /></div><div>It's something that most <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">politicians</span> are acutely conscience of. Just as the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Cambie</span> line transit planners who'd been originally considering sending Vancouver's <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">latest</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">skytrain</span> line along the old BC Hydro <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">train</span> tracks through Kits, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Kerrisdale</span> and South Vancouver. The potential noise and property depreciation helped galvanize the city's <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">west side</span> against the project eventually leading to the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">decision</span> to burrow (sort of) under <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Cambie</span> Street.</div><div><br /></div><div>We all can still remember the nightmare that created for commuters, shop owners, and residents.</div><div><br /></div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7ymG11RIb20T1rdZxOIInZXvI3Fp6ahlQ4pGPX9iTTDznbIggSlHynlhwmSPMqR-1jLEzTJSVpGu85ZChalfqrpEoBB8U3SU0QsJGHUZpFwlOCGeu8har5fKOAPHuHlFih-kHG2WM2v0/s320/bc_160_homeless_shelter_090609.jpg" style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 160px; height: 120px;" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5349151698720705282" border="0" /><div>Now a new group of condo owners in Vancouver's trendy <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Yaletown</span> district are <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">rallying</span> against the city's HEAT shelters placed in their neighbourhood. Created in the winter to save homeless lives from the harsh winter cold, the shelters have since become a hub of community and the first line of support for the city's most desperate citizens.</div><div><br /></div><div>Recently, Global News did a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">story</span> outlining the Beach Avenue condo owners' concerns.</div><br /><br /><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/krvbICXxhbE&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&feature=player_embedded&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/krvbICXxhbE&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" height="344" width="425"></embed></object><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>In short, neighbours are frustrated with a variety of issues stemming from the HEAT shelters including: semi-public sex in a nearby park, needles left lying around, new criminal elements, open drug use, and according to some people, the intimidation of residents by some shelter clients.</div><div><br /></div><div>They also claim there was no consultation and the city simply decided there was a need and opened the doors without heads up to residents. </div><div><br /></div><div>They're right. But there's a reason behind this quick unilateral action. In order to deal with the emergency situation <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">precipitated</span> by the freezing cold and record snowfall in the city, Mayor Robertson and his HEAT team had to move quickly, pushing the shelters through without the usual consultative process. Nobody wanted the tragic case of "Tracy" (a homeless woman who was burnt alive trying to keep herself warm) to be repeated. </div><div><br /></div><div>Nobody is saying this isn't a tough situations for the residents of Beach Ave. What I take exception to is many residents' insinuation that the area is a closed community and they have no interest in figuring out how to live with neighbours who don't own, nor rent, but who simply survive. Community and neighbourhoods aren't confined to those who own a condo - we're all part of community. </div><div><br /></div><div>On the Drive, we live right above a pharmacy that issues methadone, a recovery shelter, a bunch of low-income housing and a group of young homeless kids who make the garage next to us their home. Sure they're loud sometimes. Sure sometimes it pisses us off. But we do not disavow their right to be there and we deal with it. </div><div><br /></div><div>For <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">Yaletown's</span> newest shelter residents, there needs to be a greater conscience that they are new to the neighbourhood and need to do their best to minimize their disruption and clean up after themselves. It sounds like the HEAT shelter staff are already <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">rallying</span> clients to do just this. </div><div><br /></div><div>For the people of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">Yaletown</span>, it's going to be trickier and take some bigger sacrifices. Treating their new neighbours with a little more <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">leniency</span> and respect would be a great start. The homeless tend to be pretty adaptable to new environments. Rich folks, on the other hand, tend to be <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18">decidedly</span> less adaptable. </div><div><br /></div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_0oDgObwMxBQp1PlOQ3w5k8StsQl_qpuTXC80uxP_sgXGM1mHp3-r4g7VKLED8EoRInf4bndYbHe2sBjGLoaBeYhUW-8XTVAMR7QKHmxMq28oyL8PtjbwJo7EdkNW_gomLGqnSfT1TQ4/s320/bc_160_homeless_shelter_kerry_jang_0906092.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5349151939216134898" style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 160px; height: 120px;" border="0" /><div>Desperate people have to go somewhere and a solution is not to ghettoize the Downtown <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19">Eastside</span> to keep them out of sight from the cafe late crowd. As Councillor Kerry <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_20">Jang</span> has said, City Hall is committed to closing the shelters down, but only after homelessness in the area has been solved and everyone has a warm, safe place to sleep at night. Until then Vancouver's communities (both affluent and not) need to extend a hand to help, not a slap in the face, to the more desperate of us.</div><div><br /></div><div>Do the residents of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_21">Yaletown</span> really feel so strongly about the exclusive nature of their neighbourhood that they're willing to toss people back on the street and call the cops to sweep them away? I hope not. Because if they do, they'll probably discover pretty quickly that much of the street disorder (which according to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_22">BIAs</span> has dramatically decreased over the last few months) will be back with a <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_23">vengeance</span>. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Kurt Heinrichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14380494501878676758noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109416582784692412.post-2065391422052770872009-06-19T22:42:00.000-07:002009-06-20T09:39:54.278-07:00Homeless Soccer Kicks Ass<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL9FeHQUm4ddTiP0ZLsV-Wz0_ovaHbeR144F4PA2FRma31rGubWqNRMEVAiUUhW5SUL9IEe3JFt5fu1BTMGArq3O9r18WitgRZWKZxHsnAf1pDHWUAAMNQyKS9DCCDOEZd5ZtGCtZWKmc/s1600-h/Dreamcatchers.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 278px; height: 209px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL9FeHQUm4ddTiP0ZLsV-Wz0_ovaHbeR144F4PA2FRma31rGubWqNRMEVAiUUhW5SUL9IEe3JFt5fu1BTMGArq3O9r18WitgRZWKZxHsnAf1pDHWUAAMNQyKS9DCCDOEZd5ZtGCtZWKmc/s320/Dreamcatchers.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348389865124366626" border="0" /></a>This year I've gotten involved with Homeless Soccer program called <a href="http://vancouverdreamcatchers.org/">Dreamcatchers</a>. <div><br /></div><div>The soccer's a blast. Players from our team are drawn from the New Fountain Shelter. Each Sunday at around 9:30 AM, a bus pulls out from the shelter (one of five emergency shelters set up by Gregor's HEAT team) and heads to Britannia. </div><div><br /></div><div>On the bus are a few outreach workers and a variety of enthusiastic (and sometimes if it was a big Saturday night - not so energetic players). Ages range and so do skill levels. Some players can pass, dribble and shoot without any effort. Others have trouble standing up. I'm in the middle.</div><div><br /></div><div>Throughout the morning, we usually drill. Our coach, a deputy fire cheif who may or may not be named Steve (I just refer to him as coach, which helps me avoid looking like an idiot for not remembering his name after meeting him half a dozen times) takes us through drills. We do all the drills any soccer team does - square passes, kicking the ball against the wall to get a perfect touch, and of course, the ol' scimmage. </div><div><br /></div><div>Last weekend we played a game against another homeless soccer team from the North Shore who came equipped with a full kit. Our team sported fancy Rob and Big black t-shirts. Rob and Big are two gangster-looking guys. They sport baggy jeans and baseball caps. No one on the team knows who they are or why they're on our shirts - but then that's part of the fun of it all. </div><div><br /></div><div>Atired in our Rob and Big shirts, the team assembled. We had a great crew and it was a beautiful day to be playing. Coach had set up a rough court in Woodlands Park off the drive and we started passing the ball around to get warmed up. When the whistle went, our team launched into action. </div><div><br /></div><div>At half time, I was near dead. Slowly the team was starting to colease togeather. We were passing faster and fewer whistles were getting blown on yours truly. Everyone was working up a healthy sweat in the afternoon sun. After husling off the field we indulged in fresh oranges and a case of warm bottled water. Hello plastic intake. </div><div><br /></div><div>Despite an earnest effort, we scored but one goal that game. A teammate from OnSite took a swift shot and put it under the fancily garbed opposing keeper's arms. It was a great victory. I won't tell you how many goals the other guys scored, but I will tell you that they were sponsored by the Whitecaps and we were sponsored by Rob and Big. I'm not saying that made a difference, but...</div><div><br /></div><div>Next week the team will assemble again for practice. Slowly but surely we're becoming a small but tight crew. One of the ways I know is that when Earl (a player who happens to be an amazing aboriginal wood carver) or Don (super groovy hip sporty fellow) happen to not come that week, we all notice. We're from different places and certainly very different experiences, but the soccer, like it can be all over the world, is a binding force a la super glue.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Kurt Heinrichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14380494501878676758noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109416582784692412.post-41389960296263849402009-06-17T22:16:00.000-07:002009-06-18T06:01:17.159-07:00An End to the Elite Foreign Service?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpUCZu1xyEMts1dFmMRrMXmSh_n7astzADfDpzBOAX777n7-AU0hzjbTS-Uz93HLRksc64vXwTqHZf8gDBPnXcvVhIK874vxO1QfQGP0v4601V7xd9Ta8iDBi7HDEypegBQhJUlGLISz8/s1600-h/dfait_logo.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 220px; height: 94px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpUCZu1xyEMts1dFmMRrMXmSh_n7astzADfDpzBOAX777n7-AU0hzjbTS-Uz93HLRksc64vXwTqHZf8gDBPnXcvVhIK874vxO1QfQGP0v4601V7xd9Ta8iDBi7HDEypegBQhJUlGLISz8/s320/dfait_logo.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348166663589143362" /></a>My friend David Eaves recently wrote an interesting <a href="http://eaves.ca/2009/06/15/is-it-time-to-get-rid-of-the-foreign-service-designation/">article predicting the obsolescence of Canada's foreign service</a>. <div><br /></div><div>David looks at the history of the service, charting it's birth, its initial elite nature (comprised of some of the best educated and best travelled white men in the country) and its current methods of recruitment - which seem seem dead set on encouraging more of the same.</div><div><br /></div><div>I put it out to you, dear readers - and particularly to those of you who have worked in a capacity for the federal government - is the Foreign Service and DFAIT in particular comprised of a disproportionate number of snobs? Do these snobs serve a purpose - do they have special skill sets, character, or education that enable them to do their job representing all of us abroad better than a lowly bureaucrat from HRSDC or Immigration? Maybe you get by my tone that I have an opinion about this. </div><div><br /></div><div>More importantly, if indeed the FS needs to remodel itself, how will this effect the carefully constructed elite community of foreign service officers that has existed for decades? Good or bad?</div><div><div><br /></div></div>Kurt Heinrichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14380494501878676758noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109416582784692412.post-90056481859263381212009-06-16T20:26:00.000-07:002009-06-16T21:14:25.254-07:00A Car Free CommunityDoes our community need cars? Sure it does! I mean, we're reliant on all kinds of stuff from far, far away. And we live in places that, for a lot of us, are far, far away from where we work. And we can't always twitblog to our friends; we need to go and see them - you know, to personalize the experience in a way that pressing yourself against a computer screen just doesn't quite pull off.<br /><br />Moving on...<br /><br />So, yes, in today's big picture, we need cars. But on a glorious Sunday (June 14, 2009 to be specific), the people who visited Commercial Drive shared a common experience of, um, <span style="font-style: italic;">experiencing </span>of a carless (not careless) community. But that's enough from me. Let's see what World Renowned Health Promotion Specialist, Michelle Burtnyk, has to say about the Car Free Community.<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/GJi2CZqjoY0&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/GJi2CZqjoY0&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />Great job, Michelle. I especially like how your report concluded with random additions to the community. Welcome to Vancity, Steve Sloot!<br /><br />- JCHJohn Hornhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17378112498726702561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109416582784692412.post-66927488632131570172009-06-15T12:25:00.000-07:002009-06-15T15:24:43.980-07:00Tennis Builds Community<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh17HfYeq4k-K3X6VhrK79IqoE6s6O3jA6ch73vg4osoNfry_oVFscLHB6NEKnr4kQF9P3SZm9EliJX9OfZ3Fmk6PG8tOsqC1kX-yzmUksttFjq6Bk1oAelols_b-BealVL6SPxZcF0qGjv/s1600-h/tennis_tcm2-11245.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5347651030503893954" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh17HfYeq4k-K3X6VhrK79IqoE6s6O3jA6ch73vg4osoNfry_oVFscLHB6NEKnr4kQF9P3SZm9EliJX9OfZ3Fmk6PG8tOsqC1kX-yzmUksttFjq6Bk1oAelols_b-BealVL6SPxZcF0qGjv/s200/tennis_tcm2-11245.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>Next to yachting, polo and golf, tennis has traditionally been considered a sport reserved for the idle rich - an elitist past time where the masses had no place. But it's not Victorian England anymore, folks, and we need to recognize that tennis has gained immensely in popularity. I think, however, there is an enduring perception among many is that it's just for stuck up blue bloods. </div><br /><div></div><div>And hey, look no further than the hallowed Vancouver clubs of Hollyburn, Lawn and Tennis or Jericho to see why. Membership fees there are exorbitant, wait lists are years long, tennis white and proper etiquette are <em>de rigeur</em>. I happened to weasle in to Jericho for a game the other day and was amazed to see that, at 4:30 pm on a week day, the courts were chocablock. I know that Vancouverites like to take it easy in the summer, but this was a little much. "Oh the idle rich...." I thought, shaking my head. As a little aside, though, a cooled water fountain at every court was <em>rathah deeelightful.</em></div><br /><div>But seriously, tennis does not have to be all about pomp, circumstance and exclusivity. It can be a great social past time, welcoming people of all backrounds and circumstance to grab a racquet, wack a ball and build some community with every rally. Let Jericho and Hollyburn have their fun, no harm there, but the rest of Vancouver also needs access to public courts to bring the sport invented by Kings and for kings to us, the people!</div><br /><div>Here's a little an example of how tennis, at least for me, makes me feel part of my community. Most evenings, now that it's light so late, I head over to the best public courts in the city at Stanley Park and pick up a game with whoever is hanging out at the practice wall. It's a colourful scene down there with people of all abilities, shapes, sizes and personalities out to have fun and happy to play. There's also always new people flocking to the courts looking for a game. And then there are the "lifers" - the people who seem to never leave: like the feisty Czech dude who lives out of his tennis bag, or underwear man, who plays in his tighty whites and has a wicked backhand, or the lumbering, bearded fellow who plays in 18 hole Doc Martens or the East European woman who scowls a lot and attacks each ball with such ferocity you just have to smile. Their daily presence make the courts cozily familiar. And then, of course, there is the heron colony which kicks up a rockin', squackin' serenade to the lively rallys below. And, if you're lucky, like we were the other night, you might witness the dramatic spectacle of a massive bald eagle dive bombing the nests looking for tasty heron nibblies! Hey, Hollyburn, Hey Lawn and Tennis, eat your hearts out!</div><br /><div>Vancouver needs more well maintained hard courts like the ones at Stanley Park. The courts at Kits Beach for example are sorely in need of repaving, given the crowds who use them in the summer months. Gregor, Louie, Parks Board folks, I'm guessing tennis isn't on the top of the city's pressing priority list, nor should it be given the desperate situation in the DTE, but it wouldn't take much to fix up a few more courts and give more Vancouverites access to this fun and inclusive pastime.</div>Godfrey von Nostitz-Taithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04341184179043627755noreply@blogger.com5