Rain chaser

Winter in Vancouver means rain. Rainy days means dull, gray skies. What's worst is that this can last for weeks on end. So it is good to take a look at a photo taken during a sunny summer day of a street musician performing near the entrance to an ATM.

Bus shelter

This is a bus shelter in Burnaby. Compare it to the one below which is in Vancouver. Both municipalities are serviced by Translink, the public transit authority set up by the provincial government to oversee public transit in the Lower Mainland.

Keeping it clean

Vancouver with the outside workers on strike for 5 weeks now one would expect the garbage bins full and spilling over at least like the photo above. This scenario, however, is not happening. Reasons being the city's salaried staff is staying on top of the clean up detail, somebody said private disposal companies have been collecting 1/3 of the garbage already, some residents are shipping theirs along with a bottle of wine to friends in surrounding municipals, and a troop of volunteers such as the one below.

2010 Olympics

Have to very care my words here today. VANOC had copyrighted and patented so many Olympics related words, terms and phrases that it is very easy to infringe on these rights. Most important is VANOC's zest in enforcing it.

An example is Olympics Pizza which operated as a going concern for more than 30 years. The legal eagles in VANOC wanted the pizza parlor to change its name. If there is a knock on the door tonight I'll know who is at the door.

Today's Vancouver Sun reported that VANOC is in the process of engaging a firm to actively search the Internet for violations of the registered words. Here is a list of the words:

* '00
* '02
* '10
* 2000
* 2002
* 2010
* Beijing and Beyond
* Bid Booster
* Bid Champion
* Celebrate the Impossible
* Driven by Dreams
* Driven by Nature
* For The Fire Within
* Friend
* Game Plan
* Gold Medal
* Host Country
* I'm Backing the Bid
* It's Our Time To Shine
* Let the Dreams Begin
* Road to Beijing
* Road to Vancouver
* Road to Whistler
* Sea To Sky
* See You in Vancouver
* See You in Whistler
* See You in Beijing
* Top
* Vancouver '10
* Vancouver 2-10
* Vancouver 2'10
* We're Next

Today's photo is a automobile's license plate which is specially designed to commemorate the 2010 Olympics. This is an excerpt from Vancouver Olympics' website:

"The plates cost $35 (with an annual renewal fee of $25) and can be purchased at any time. They will be on sale through December 31, 2010, and renewable through 2012."

Have wheels will travel

A street person wheeled his way around town.

Store front

Due to the city`s warm weather stores in Vancouver`s Chinatown display their merchandises onto the sidewalk on a year-round basis.

Worldly procession

A street person with all of his worldly procession crossed Burrard along Hastings. This is the segment of Downtown Vancouver where the prestigious office towers are located. On the very corner stands the CIBC Building owned by the second largest bank in Canada.

Marginalized

This is getting to be all too common a sight in Vancouver. Years of government cut-backs on social and welfare fundings are taking its toll on these people. Politicians of every stripe and colour talk about them yet nobody does anything concrete to solve the problem. To them the most important matter is scoring political points and producing the appropriate sound clips for the evening news.

Recently a women's group from the Downtown Eastside asked Vancouver's mayor and aldermen to spend 8 weeks living in the area and surviving on the same income as the welfare recipients. As expect all of them declined citing personal commitments (family) and bucket passing such as this is the responsibility of the provincial and federal government because they have more money to spend.

Hons Noodle House

It was one of the first wonton noodle restaurants in Vancouver. It started operation on Main St in 1972 with a limited menu. Business, however, was good. As a matter of fact, better than good. Not sure of its operating hours but I do know they close at 7PM daily and all day on Sunday.

It now has 5 locations. This photo was taken at the New Westminster store. I would avoid this location whenever possible. Its clientele is predominately Caucasian but the service is Hong Kong fast food style. Generally the chopsticks, spoons, saucers, and bowls are wet. Remember to check the table to make sure it is properly wiped. This is not the worst of the group. I think the Richmond location is worse. The Coquitlam location is the best managed.

The menu is basically the same throughout but the servings may vary. Speaking of menu they have "steamed" pot stickers which immediately classifies it as steamed dumplings. By the way their pot stickers are untraditional with very little filling and more carrots and peas than pork. Another untraditional touch is the vinegar that accompany the pot stickers has no shredded ginger. A very major strike in my book.

Sun Building

The Sun Building has a certain kind of attraction. May be it is the copper dome which is very rare today. Until the 1960's it was the tallest building in Vancouver.

Church

You can find a church such as this in just about any small North American town. This one, however, sits on Kingsway, one of the main arteries connecting Vancouver, Burnaby, New Westminster, and Surrey. The sign on the left indicates an application for a zoning change has been submitted, a reflection of Vancouver's booming real estate market.