DANCING IN THE STREETS

Last Friday night I stumbled upon a trio of musicians playing at the entrance to the Future Shop store at the corner of Robson and Granville. There were two saxophone players — one alto and one baritone — and a drummer with a minimalistic setup. It was a lot of fun! The music was lively and the band members were obviously enjoying themselves very much as they didn’t mind acting a little silly while they were playing.

A crowd of about 25 people gathered around the band and some danced along to the music (you really don’t want to see my “talent” in this department). One guy seemingly just passing through decided to dance “on stage” for a minute or so, the girls shouting in approval. Another passerby left another sort of tip as he balanced the centerfold of an issue of Hustler magazine on the top of the bass drum with two naked lesbians kissing. lol  The band members and the audience had a good laugh; and no, the drummer didn’t loose the rhythm despite the distraction.  On another song the alto saxophone player asked the audience to repeat the “lyrics”after him (I believe they were made up on the spot — part of the welcome impromptu silliness of the night). The crowd was having such a good time that it wasn’t difficult to get us to participate in the singing.

10-15 minutes later, it was time for me to go (not before leaving my biggest tip ever for a street performance). I hope we get to see more “street bands” like this one in the future. I had seen a few in Victoria a couple of years ago, but in Vancouver it’s a rare sight.

“SAY NO TO HST IN BC” RALLY

Sorry for the tardy post… Too busy as usual…

Although I’m not fond of the idea of having to pay for a new tax, I didn’t participate actively in the rally that occured last week. I was curious as to how many people would turn up and was disappointed to see that with such a huge group on Facebook alone (over 120,000), only about 1,000 – 1,500 people (in my eyes) turned up for the “event.”

Bill Vander Zalm

Carole James

ON THE SIDE: RANDOM PHOTOS #1

Sometimes I have photos that I don’t know what to do with them (as far as this blog is concerned), so these will fit in the “random photos” category.  Here are the first five:

Arguably the most recognizable car in Vancouver

A cool cartoon painted on a vintage car

From my last visit back home in Montreal, in 2008

Vancouver’s Lions’ Gate bridge at night, as seen from Stanley Park’s Seawall

A mouth-watering dessert at “Seasons in the Park”, in Queen Elizabeth Park

WHAT GOES UP MUST COME DOWN…

Just finished watching this provocative one hour talk about the dire effects of exponential growth (in population, non-renewable energy use, etc.). The lecture is presented by Al Bartlett, Professor Emeritus in nuclear physics at Colorado University. In his own words:

“The greatest shortcoming of the human race is our inability to understand the exponential function.”

This is something for everyone to watch — not just people living or interested in Vancouver. ;)

RALLY AGAINST NEW TAX (R.A.N.T.)

I don’t like to talk about politics, but sometimes a topic is too infuriating to pass by without saying anything. If you still don’t know from the title of this article what I’m talking about, just read the “Why should you be upset?” column on the Say No To HST in BC Website to find out what has me and many other people clenching our fists in anger.

On a positive note, this unfortunate move by Gordon Campbell and his Liberals has brought the masses together in unprecedented ways. As of this writing, over 108,000 people have signed up on the NO BC HST Facebook Group in less than a month! Power to the people… :)

Former BC premier Bill Vander Zalm had this to say about the proposed HST’s negative impact. As mentioned in that commentary, a non-partisan rally is planned on Saturday, September 19, at noon, at the Vancouver Art Gallery Canada Place.  Come and voice your discontent peacefully along with the thousands of other people that are expected to take part in this event that is sure to shake the Liberal government’s foundation.