Archive for July, 2011

A new kitty once a week! Yup, we want YOUR cat photos and stories! Click here to find out how your cat can appear on Van City Kitty.

VIA reader Tom Morgan submitted his buddy Jack (The Knife.) (And now I have this song in my head.) Meet Jack!

Name: Jack (The Knife) Breed/Colouring: A cornucopia of breeding / mainly Ginger. Hood: Hastings / Sunrise Habits: Jack (The Knife) sleeps most of the day because he is so busy partying and eating animals at night. At first I was repulsed by his lifestyle but I have learned to accept it. Jack earned the suffix (The Knife) after I noticed birds no longer came to our feeder and our mouse problem had dissipated. He’s not evil, or cold-hearted, he is just in tune with his most primal of instincts. He loves bacon and cheese, and one time he tipped over a container of Sunny D and drank an impressive amount of it. Hangouts: Industrial district on Hastings Other info: I adopted Jack (The Knife); he is not perfect but he is fantastic. I think he might be the reincarnated spirit of either Mark Bolan or Freddie Mercury. Are you looking for a (or another) little furry beast to love? Please check out Happy Tails, our weekly segment featuring the BC SPCA and one of the animals they currently have available for adoption. (You may have noticed that many of the Van City Kitties came from the SPCA!) Check back every Saturday for a new Happy Tails segment! And if you adopted your pet from the SPCA and would like to share your awesome story on Happy Tails, send an email to Rory.Blanchard@novusnow.ca.

 

Next month is the 20th Anniversary of the release of Nirvana’s “Nevermind” alerting me to the idea of pulling this particular interview from the Video Vault. Doot doola doot doo… doot doo!

Nardwuar vs. Nirvana pt 1 of 3

Nardwuar vs. Nirvana pt 2 of 3

…READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY>>>

A couple of years back I shared THIS magazine article from Transworld Skateboarding which featured Vancouver skateboard brand, Skull Skates, as well as PD’s Hot Shop, two institutions that go hand in hand and are in fact run by the same dude. The feature is a great history lesson first on the skateboard brand, which is Canada’s oldest clocking in at over 3 decades, as well as the store which is about to turn 35 this year… and is also Canada’s oldest skateshop.

Skull Skates and Hot Shop‘s owner, PD, is an old friend of mine. In fact, I designed one of the earliest incarnations of the brand’s web site back in the late 90′s. When I heard that he was shutting down his store at 2868 West 4th Ave, which has been it’s location for more than a decade now, at first I was a little concerned that he might be shutting down the retail side for good, then I thought for a second that he might be moving it to another, perhaps more affordable city. Then I shook my head when I saw the news that they’re simply moving to a new location on West 10th, closer to the beach. I asked PD why he’s chosen to keep his business in the city for so long to which he replied “The culture of Vancouver and Skull Skates flow together like leaky and condo”, which is to say, Skull is an integral part of this city and, for better or for worse, they’re not going anywhere.

Okay, they are going somewhere. They’re going to West 10th Avenue. 3734 West 10th Avenue to be exact. And they’re throwing a big grand opening party there this Saturday to celebrate! Learn more HERE.

PD’s Hot SHop West 4th Ave. Photos: Bob Kronbauer

THE OFFICIAL WORD:
Born from a need for pro-quality skateboards in 1976, PD’s Hot Shop in Vancouver stands as Canada’s oldest existing skateboard shop. The Skull Skates skateboard company was launched as a creative extension of the Hot Shop in 1978 and continues to earn support from enthusiasts worldwide as Canada’s oldest skateboard brand.

For over 3 decades PD’s Hot Shop and Skull Skates have set up tens of thousands of custom built skateboards, not to mention the occasional skimboard, bicycle, snowboard, hoody, sticker etc. serving generations of customers. More than half of those decades have been …READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY>>>

UNPLUGGED is a state of mind. It’s that point in your consciousness where you can feel at one with nature, escaping the trappings of the day-to-day to an almost dream-like place where nothing else seems to exist besides you and your natural surroundings. It is our opinion here at VIA that Vancouver holds a unique place in the civilized world in that reaching this state often requires no more effort than simply pulling off to the side of the road, pocketing your keys and taking a few steps into the forest.

If you are an outdoors type chances are you have probably headed down the Sea to Sky highway to either Whistler or Squamish. Like many who have travelled this stretch of highway, I grip the steering wheel and snake my way through the continual S turns until I reach Squamish. Every time I take this route I become amazed at the vistas of the inlet and mountains.

Just before you reach Squamish, if you look to the right you will see an amazing waterfall, one that is 335m tall. This breath-taking natural beauty is the 3rd largest waterfall in the province. Being a lover of the outdoors I had to take a closer look and so my Shannon Falls hiking adventure began.

The falls are clearly marked along the highway and there is ample parking in the Shannon Falls Provincial Park lot. At the base of the falls you can follow a gravel trail north towards the infamous Stawamus Chief, one of the premier rock climbing locations in North America. After a little bit of a walk you will join up with the lower portion of the Chief trail. From here the adventure begins.

Now I have to state that this hike is not for the person looking for a casual Sunday stroll. Parts of this trail are steep and this hike will take you around 4 hours round trip to venture to the top of Shannon Falls and back down.

Climb up these wooden stairs and steep trail for about 25 minutes and you’ll end up at a juncture with a sign. Continue heading up and you’ll reach one of the Chief peaks. Turn right and you’ll end up at the less crowded trail to Upper Shannon Falls.

…READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY>>>

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (Dinosaur sound simulation)

Dinosaurs ruled the earth for over 165 million years and then mysteriously went extinct 65 million years ago. Until July 28th, 2011 when they were resurrected at Science World in their new animatronic Extreme Dinosaurs exhibit. To quote Rhiannon Coppin “A bunch of old media dinosaurs took on new-media mammals for ultimate science gallery supremacy at Science World”.

Naturally, we were team Awesome-a-sauras-Van! Despite being the smallest team in numbers, we were the first group to break 100 decibels. To make that sound relevant; humans average 70 decibels when they talk and dinosaurs averaged 140 decibels. So if you’re ever in need of a good dinosaur roar, you know who to call. There was a plastic trumpet (aka dino horn) building contest to determine the winner, OpenFile reigned supreme.

Useless fact: two out of three Awesome-a-sauras team members play the trumpet

Walking into Science World, better known as the giant golf ball at False Creek, you can’t help but have flashbacks of those elementary school field trips. One of my favourites was the giant piano you could walk on, made me feel like Tom Hanks in “Big”, you all remember the scene.

But this visit was a complete deja vu for me. Who remembers when Science World first opened? Back in 1988? Okay, that was a long time ago and some of our readers probably weren’t even born, but I was there.

At nine years old dinosaurs were completely fascinating and I got to go to the preview, thanks mom for the hook-up! The original exhibit was called Dinosaurs! A journey through time with White Spot. And yes we all had pirate paks for lunch!

The beauty of being a child, you actually felt like you were walking through a jungle with real live dinosaurs, actual size and to top it off we all received dinosaur toys…I wonder if I still have mine somewhere…hmmm.

The media challenge with its dinosaur questionnaire and certificate of completion added to the experience reminiscent of childhood. While we were roaming the gallery, a curious little boy managed to sneak his way into the dinosaur exhibit. He looked mesmerized, it was priceless!

For all of you with children and for the grown-up whose a kid at heart and still loves dinosaurs, check out the Extreme Dinosaurs exhibit, July 30, 2011 to April 1, 2012 at Science World. This is the fifth time since its inception that Science World has had a dinosaur exhibit, but this is the first one that is fully animatronic. It’s created by a local company out of Richmond, Dinosaurs Unearthed.

Yes I drew the sign, but don’t judge me…I only had …READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY>>>

Remember last year when we brought you THIS story about the record number of sockeye salmon that had returned to the Fraser river and what a huge deal that was considering not long before records had been broken for the low numbers returning? While the mystery of the salmon may never be completely unraveled there is one organization in BC that has been putting together the pieces of the conservation puzzle for this species with passion for the past 22 years. The Pacific Salmon Foundation (whose logo was FEATURED today on the Canadian Design Resource) does important work in achieving healthy, sustainable and naturally diverse Pacific salmon stocks, and a part of their work involves raising awareness.

Exactly one month from today on Sunday, August 28th, 2011, the Foundation is putting on their second annual Pink Salmon Festival, serving up free salmon for everyone who visits from noon until 5PM. It happens at Hadden Park, 1905 Ogden Avenue (at Cypress) the home of the Vancouver Maritime Museum (you know, beside the MOV!). And not only will the salmon be free (donated by Canfisco), but it’ll be prepared by renowned Vancouver chef, Robert Clark, of C Restaurant.

Why all the hullabaloo about pink salmon, you ask? Well, as you’ll remember from last year, the sockeye salmon get a lot of attention. Along with spring salmon they’re widely regarded as superior in terms of quality, but that common conception might all be about to change. Folks like Garret Schack, Executive Chef at the Chateux Victoria Hotel, are adding pink salmon to their menu, being quoted saying things like “Their flavour profile ranks right up there with sockeye or spring salmon”.

Basic description of the pink salmon, courtesy PSF

Of course this is great news for human and salmon-kind alike as in terms of sustainability the pink salmon are the most abundant and the most sustainable. They themselves will be returning in record numbers to the Fraser river this year (17.5 million strong! Take that, sockeye!) and their species has been long undervalued as a food source in BC.

When asked about the pink salmon and why they’re undervalued, Dr. Brian Riddell, president & CEO of the Foundation, says that “Pink salmon have historically been considered a ‘commercial’ fish and usually a canned product of lower grade than sockeye salmon. Commercially, pink salmon have only been the least valuable per pound, but they are much more important than implied by historical use. Pink salmon are the most important Pacific salmon to BC’s coastal ecosystems, they are highly abundant, and have excellent food value for people. Pink salmon have a lower oil content than other salmon due to their smaller size but nutritionally the content is still excellent and they have very low contaminants due to their feeding lower in the marine food chain and maturing at only two years of age.”

Still not convinced? Dr. Riddell goes on to say that “Pink salmon are also likely to be more resilient to climate change than other Pacific salmon. Pink salmon mostly use main channels of rivers for spawning and leave freshwater immediately after emergence from the gravel nests. Changes to temperatures and flows are likely to be damaging to pinks for this reason.”

I personally have never eaten fresh pink samon but you know where I’ll be on August 28th. I’ve also been told that Safeway, Save On Foods and IGA will all be carrying fresh pinks by early August, so give them a try on your own or come out to the Pink Salmon Festival to celebrate the return of this sustainable fish stock that was there all along!

Photo from the first biennial Pink Salmon Festival, courtesy PSF
…READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY>>>

UBC Botanical Garden is Canada’s oldest continuously operating university botanical garden. The original mission of the garden was research into the native flora of British Columbia. Over the past nine decades, our mission has broadened to include research, conservation, teaching and public display of temperate plants from around the world, particularly Asian, alpine and native plants. We’re also home to the Greenheart Canopy Walkway.  Come visit us – we’re located at 6804 SW Marine Drive, Vancouver, BC. You can find more info at botanicalgarden.ubc.ca

Elderberries at UBC Botanical Garden

Now that summer has (finally) arrived, visitors can take a cooling stroll in the shadier, forested parts of UBC Botanical Garden. One of the standout shrubs in these areas of the Garden is coastal red elderberry (Sambucus racemosa var. arborescens). There are also black and blue-fruited elderberries native to southwestern BC, but only the red elder is a natural component of the local ecosystem on Point Grey.

Black elderberry (Sambucus racemosa var. melanocarpa) is more commonly found the local mountains, and the blue-fruited elderberry (Sambucus caerulea), which is closely related to the European elder (Sambucus nigra), is native to drier, more open environments. Visitors can see European elder in the European Woodland, adjacent to the Roseline Study Amphitheatre, and the blue elderberry in the Garry Oak Meadow and Woodland Garden.

Red elderberry is a common lowland species across the region, and an important early fruit crop for native bird species. Common foragers are the American robin, varied thrush and Swainson’s thrush. Visitors are less likely to see Swainson’s thrush than the other species; however, its ascending flute-like song is like the red elderberry, immediately recognizable and emblematic of the coastal forest in summer.

If you’d like to know more about native plants our forums are a great resource. You can also sign up for our email newsletters, where we often feature plants and plant families from our collections.

- Written by Douglas Justice: Associate Director & Curator of Collections

This series had its genesis when I began photographing Vancouver area location shoots last summer to get over a long post-Olympics funk. Film and TV productions like This Means War, Mission Impossible 4, Fringe and the new AMC series The Killing showcase our city in similar fashion and sometimes put a celebrity actor or two in the frame.

Syfy’s summer hit series Eureka goes largely unnoticed filming here, even when it transforms Wellington Street in Chilliwack into the Main Street of Eureka, a remote Oregon town populated by geniuses and scientists whose inventions have a habit of going array and threatening everything nearby. So it was surprising to me how big this small town is at Comic-Con (the annual San Diego geek fest), where thousands of fans sang Happy Birthday to Eureka star Colin Ferguson last Friday afternoon as he filmed it on his flipcam.

Syfy’s summer hit series Eureka goes largely unnoticed filming here, even when it transforms Wellington Street in Chilliwack into the Main Street of Eureka, a remote Oregon town populated by geniuses and scientists whose inventions have a habit of going array and threatening everything nearby. So it was surprising to me how big this small town is at Comic-Con (the annual San Diego geek fest), where thousands of fans sang Happy Birthday to Eureka star Colin Ferguson last Friday afternoon as he filmed it on his flipcam.

Ferguson, who plays the relatively ordinary Sheriff Jack Carter who tries to contain whatever disasters Eureka’s brilliant scientists unleash each week, flew down to San Diego with other main cast last Thursday after spending all day Wednesday filming an episode in Chilliwack. Crew had brought their own grass, a fountain/statue of Euripedes, large Eureka Sheriff’s Office and Cafe Diem facades, an O2 bar, smart cars, Main Street and Euripedes street signs, Weather Predictor screens, Young Hover Drivers and 1-Hour Hologram Processing billboards and Eureka Hobby Expo and Craft Fair posters to transform two blocks of Wellington Street into the centre of a very eccentric fictional town. Ferguson even did his own stunts in scenes where he and young Trevor Jackson lept around trying to catch something we couldn’t see, possibly the leg of a floating woman enacted by a green-suited stunt performer.

Crew even mimicked the movement of a floating woman with a mannequin leg. …READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY>>>