I’ve been meaning to clean out my kitchen cupboards for some time. It’s one of those things I don’t quite get around to. Okay, avoid. Then on Friday afternoon, I accompanied a friend to Ikea. You need a friend to go to any big box store, to turn the shopping […] Read More
It was a dark and stormy Monday, but I dragged myself out that evening to an advance screening of a film. Sure glad I went. The film was called So Right, So Smart: Making the Case for Sustainable Business. The star of the show was the late Ray Anderson, Chairman […] Read More
I went to an event about money matters on Thursday night, not a topic to which I would usually be drawn. It was called Values-Based Banking: Financing the Future of a Changing World. I was drawn to it because Naomi Klein was speaking. I had never heard the well-known Canadian author […] Read More
My brother Don is a Pisces, which might explain his love of triggerfish and why he named his design company after the tropical fish. Don’s a creative type. It’s hard to fit what he does into an elevator speech. I am going to try to fit it into a blog […] Read More
Tourism Richmond is embarking on a promotional campaign reminiscent of Australia’s Best Job in the World contest and the more local Live at the Vancouver Airport. The deal is, the winning writer will eat at a different restaurant every day for a year, then flog the heck out of the […] Read More
I first became aware of asbestos when I was living in Winnipeg, Manitoba back in the 1980s. An investigative reporter wrote a series of articles based on research done by Dr. Francis Konopasek, a physics professor at the University of Manitoba who discovered that asbestos had made its way into […] Read More
There’s been a lot of buzz over a new building proposal at Beach and Howe streets in Vancouver. Danish architects Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) are proposing a 49-storey high rise; the Shangri-La still has it beat at 61 storeys. The 150 metre tower will be mixed use, containing market residences and […] Read More
I don’t think I ever met her in person. But we corresponded by email. She was a kindred spirit, cobbling together a living from various offerings. Author, speaker, gardening and permaculture workshops, a small nursery. While she was gifted in so many areas, she often struggled to make ends meet. […] Read More
A friend unexpectedly invited me to go cross-country skiing with her today. In the blink of an eye (and after a stop at Tim’s so my friend could get a dollar latte), I was transported from a somewhat dull Vancouver day to bright snowlight, perfect conditions and an awesome, invigorating […] Read More
A notice for a fellowship devoted to promoting volunteerism landed in my inbox this week. Some lucky duck will take a year off from their regular work and get paid $60,000 to reflect, research and perhaps publish on the significance of voluntary action. Notice that they will not be volunteering […] Read More