My 23rd blogger profile in the series features Stephen Rees - who is much more than a transit and eco-blogger. He’s someone that I would suggest everyone in the region (not just Vancouver) put on their list of regular reads.

Photo credit: Stephen Rees on Flickr

Who are you?
I am a 59 year old divorced, semi-retired economist and planner. I used to work for Translink but I am pleased to say they got rid of me, so that has left me more time to be a blogger, photographer, swing bridge operator, cyclist, anti-freeway campaigner who sometimes gets paid to speak to people about sustainability.

Where do you blog (which sites)?
stephenrees.wordpress.com - which started off as “Thoughts about the relationships between transport and the urban area it serves” but has expanded its coverage quite a bit since then

In an attempt to give me some space to go right off that topic I started “Yet another blog for me” at stephenrees.blogspot.com which is - erm - eclectic, and has a smaller but more respectful following.

I also use my Flickr stream as a sort of photo blog.

Photo credit: Stephen Rees on Flickr

Are you originally from Vancouver?
No I moved here in 1999 after being downsized from the BC civil service in Victoria. Originally I come from London (England) but immigrated to Toronto in 1988. I had actually visited Vancouver several times before that but never thought I would get to live here. One of my uncles was the publisher of the Langley Advance back in the fifties and sixties (when it was a Real Newspaper, not a freebie ad sheet) so I have been following developments here for a while.

Why do you blog? and what’s your unique angle?
Originally to get some things off my chest that really bothered me about the way planning is done here - or rather NOT done. After a while it turned into more of a campaign, especially after I joined the Livable Region Coaltion. It has also become something of an education: SFU runs a very good City Programme, and I try to get to all the (free) lectures and get my notes on line as soon as possible afterwards (I cannot type well enough to live blog). I do not think I am unique, as there are a lot of people who care deeply about our environment, and how our politicians seem to be intent on wrecking what is left of it. But I do have the perspective of a long career across several related fields (transport, energy, land use) which I hope gives me some authority on the topic. I also try very hard not to make assertions, but reference my comments. As much as I can I do not simply pass along what I have found on line but give my own views. Everyone, I think, is entitled to *my* opinion.

What is the BEST part of blogging… or if you prefer, the worst?
Not being edited. Actually that is both the best and the worst. I tend to want to hit “publish” too soon and cringe at all the typos that have been missed by the spellchecker. And the occasional solecism, which I hope I can edit out before the trolls leap on it. But for many years everything I wrote got mangled by the bureaucratic process and made into pablum. Now I can produce my own chunky, chewy text - lots of fibre - really good for you.

There’s another worst. There are not a lot of them, but trolls are the bane of the internet, not just blogs. Oh, and spammers too. Though Akismet catches a lot, it also seems to pick up some of my regular commenters too, so I have to trawl through thousands of spams on a regular basis to find one or two genuine comments.

Photo credit: Stephen Rees on Flickr

Do you write for yourself, your readers, for Google, for a living?
I write for my readers. The only way to make a living would be to leave wordpress.com and set up my own domain and allow ads. But I dislike ads. They can appear on my other blog, but I have never made anything on them yet, and I refuse to go looking for ad revenue. One nice chap in Vancouver sends me small amounts if enough Vancouver voters pick me - but I live in Richmond, work in Delta and tend to be more concerned about the future of the suburbs. The City of Vancouver and its downtown gets more than enough attention as it is.

PC, Mac or Speak n’ Spell?
It’s a PC, mostly, running Ubuntu. Except for when I am out and about and then its an Eeepc running its own form of Linux. Except that now and again I resort to XP for some proprietary software that others need me to use

Blogs you read or would recommend

Well yours, of course. And Hummingbird604. And I am recently into bokashi.

Actually I spend less time reading blogs than email list servers like BCEN LW - because I am looking for things to write about and do not just want to recycle stuff already in the local blogs. Alex Waterhouse Hayward has a great blog (with no comments allowed) and like Rafe Mair (www.thetyee.ca) is of my generation and gender. We all do great impressions of Grumpy Old Men - but we are quite cuddly underneath the gruff exteriors.

And I must plug The Livable Blog mostly written by Eric Doherty these days - a brilliant mind and a determined opponent of the Gateway

Without doubt the best experience I have had as a blogger was going to Northern Voice and meeting so many great bloggers.

Can I also put a word in for Bill Tieleman, Keefer, Thirteencent pinball… actually my blog has a very long blogroll. And we bloggers do tend to be very supportive and encouraging of each other. As this series attests.

With the way last season ended, many had lost faith in the Canucks and with so many changes over the summer no one really knew what to expect when the puck dropped for 2008-2009.

There are those who wanted to sell off their season tickets as soon as they got them, and those who have been plotting the parade route downtown after the Canucks achieved the best pre-season record. As DaveO always says, there’s room on the Canucks fan bus for all. For better or for worse, this is our city’s (and our province’s) team.

There was no better example of how our region rallies for our team, and its players, than the touching tribute the Canucks organization put together for our boy, Luc Bourdon, who lost his life earlier this summer. Having also lost someone special this August, also to a motorcycle accident, it was an even more emotional evening for me - and I’m sure for many, many others.

It was only fitting that the current Canuck that was closest to our young defencemen, Alex Burrows, scored two goals in our 6-0 opening night victory against Calgary.

Luc’s legacy for young hockey players everywhere has also been commemorated at GM Place with the Wall of Dreams.

We’ll take the wins and the losses (preferably more in the “W” column though) but we’re always behind our team. The puck drops tonight at 7:00pm PST and I’m hoping that even if Calgary steps up, our city will not be quick to drop our promising team this season - I’m certain the best is only to come.

Side note: If you spot any of The Crazy Canucks posters around town, on a bus or at a Skytrain station, add your photo to the Flickr group to be in the running for a prize pack including tickets to the Open Practice. The latest photo to be added is one of me at Metrotown.

Update: We won in OT against Calgary, 5-4 and Daniel Sedin has now been named on of the NHL’s “Three Stars of the Week”.

Over the last four years I have profiled almost 30 local bloggers and posted 74 link fests to other sites. It’s taken me far to long to share another great part of the digital media realm, to which many of my good friends belong.

Digital photography is a big part of any social media event, stroll through the park, political event or concert. Some do it for fun with the latest pocketcam, and others take it to the next level professionally.

Mash all of the above together with my love of Vancouver and you get a photo post dedicated to a specific type of photography: HDR (High Dynamic Range). Here are some photos of our fair city that caught my eye (and that I could share) from Flickr.

Photo credit: Hesty on Flickr

Photo credit: KeepItSurreal on Flickr

Photo credit: Duane Storey on Flickr

Photo credit: Behind These Eyes on Flickr

Photo credit: Alastair Moore on Flickr

Photo credit: Olga on Flickr

If you have some shots of Vancouver (and surrounding cities) that you would like to share, feel free to add them to the Miss604 Flickr Pool. I’d love to highlight and showcase more Vancouver photography, more often.

The final day of the Vancouver International Film Festival was cause for celebration. Over the course of about two weeks, 140,000 people sat in on screenings, took part in discussions and enjoyed cinematic masterpieces from around the world.

I’ll have a full report on the awards ceremony on E! early next week but since I had originally put the party call out on my site, I thought I would update my readers on my dress success.

Thanks to the fine people at Hbc (otherwise known as Th Bay) I was set up with a personal shopper who was kind enough to find me a dress for the VIFF Closing Gala Party. There’s nothing like walking into a store and having someone hand-pick items for you to try - there’s also nothing like them telling you exactly when something doesn’t work at all for you. Thanks to Sarah (at the downtown location) and Neesha, we were able to find a garment that was a deep greenish-blue (”peacock feather” colour), figure-flattering, and that I was totally comfortable wearing.

I’ve always been a huge fan of The Bay, usually because when you grab a designer item (like my Nine West tunic) off the 30% clearance rack and take it to the till, it’s marked down an additional 10-15%. Not sure how that always seem to happen to me but I’m not going to complain.

Full disclosure: The dress is going back today (no, I didn’t purchase it, keep the tags on, etc.), it was just a loaner from Hbc, but thanks to this experience I’ll probably head back to The Bay for my holiday dress needs (there was an amazing black dress number JS Collections that I fell in love with but just wasn’t right for last night).

More disclosure: The gala was great, the food was amazing, however the best part was spending time with my lovely sister. We caught up on her trip to Germany, ranted about strata councils, and enjoyed a nice healthy helping of the Wild Horse Canyon red that kept magically appearing in our wine glasses.

Thanksgiving is usually a time of reflection on my blog; memories of heading to my Oma and Opa’s house for a big turkey dinner, raking the leaves in the front yard and then riding the BMX straight through the pile. Eating so much at supper time as Oma tells you to keep going, “you’re too skinny!” meanwhile you just know the next time she sees you she’ll comment on how she thinks you’ve gained weight.

There’s a lot going on around town this weekend and while memories like these make me smile, I’m also reminded of those who probably won’t be able to enjoy a warm meal come Monday (or any day next week). Here are a few events and details about how you can help out this season:

Photo credit: Sean Orr on Flickr

October 12-19 is also Homelessness Awareness Week in Vancouver, which will incorporate the United Nation’s observation of the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty on October 17th.

Update: A few hours after writing this post I received a reminder from the Blog Action Day team (and a few other bloggers as well). October 15th is “Blog Action Day” which is, “an annual nonprofit event that aims to unite the world’s bloggers, podcasters and videocasters, to post about the same issue on the same day. Our aim is to raise awareness and trigger a global discussion.” This year’s theme is poverty.

Although their website is fantastic, you can’t easily search the list of participating bloggers, and sifting through the 350 pages of listings might be a bit daunting. As such, I’ll try to have some coverage up here - highlighting some regional bloggers that are spreading awareness about these issues on Blog Action Day.

I have also signed up for a Change.org profile, that connects bloggers with non-profits for fundraising and look forward to trying out the service in the future.

When I was interviewing local filmmakers Colin Cunningham and Madison Graie earlier this month I used Matthew Good as an example of an artist that has had great success with iTunes since they were excited about their short film’s premiere later this month. As it turns out Matt has done it again with his latest digital release.

Through hard work, self-promotion, and the power of the internets, his latest album Live at Massey Hall has climbed the iTunes charts, just days after becoming available.

October 7th iTunes Release: The entire album will be released internationally and the first 12 tracks will be available in Canada.

October 7th Physical Release Pre-sales: Pre-sales for the limited edition double CD will begin on October 7th through the Matthew Good online store. Note that the store is able to take international orders.

November 4th Physical Release: 10,000 limited edition double CD’s will be released at retail in Canada. Availability of the vinyl release will also be available on the online store and at retail. The remaining 8 tracks will also be available on this date on the Canadian iTunes store for $6.99.

You can listen to some preview tracks on his site but if you are familiar with any of his music or live shows over the last decade, you certainly will not be disappointed with this 20-song, double-sided gem.

For the last few years the Stanley Park Ecological Society has offered up an educational, yet equally fun, alternative to the Stanley Park Train. Last year during the Christmas season’s Bright Nights, the SPES ran the Humbug Hike and this year in October you can check out the Creatures of the Night walk.

Stow yer candy and batten down yer hatches matey- this year’s theme for the Ghost Train is “Pirates” and the Stanley Park Ecology Society will be offering a “Creatures of the Night” walk that’ll knock the parrot off yer shoulder! Bring an eye patch and yer best “Yarr” and join us to navigate the nocturnal creatures of Stanley Park in a search for buried treasure. Bats, owls, and flying squirrels ahoy! [SPES]

The walks will take place every 30 minutes, starting at 7:00pm and ending at 9:30pm, on the following dates: October 9, 10, 11, 16, 17, 18, 23, 24, 25, 30, 31 and November 1. The cost is $5 for adults and $3 for kids (compared to the $9.00/$5.50 for the train ride).

If you’re looking for a little more interaction with the park, on October 25th the SPES along with the Vancouver Aquarium will host “Fish or Treat“, which consists of a two hour walk followed by a themed sleepover at the Aquarium.

Finally, on October 26th from 1:00pm until 3:00pm at the Stanley Park Dining Pavilion, Jean Barman, author of “Stanley Park’s Secret: The Forgotten Families of Whoi-Whoi, Kanaka Ranch, and Brockton Point” will lead a talk about the forgotten women of Stanley Park. Admission is by donation.

It’s been a little while since I added to the Miss604 Vancouver Blogger Profile series but I’m picking it up with someone who is far more than simply a blogger - Joe Solomon of EngageJoe.

Photo credit: Tris on Flickr

Who are you?
I’m a social media consultant for nonprofits and social change projects, which basically means I help people, organizations, and start-ups use the web for good.

Most recently, I’ve been working on a few web applications. For example, I wrote to Knowmore.org in February with the idea for the Knowmore Firefox Extension - which we then built - and it now alerts thousands of people to the social and environmental impact of products and companies as they browse the web.

I’m currently helping to spearhead Social Actions Labs with Peter Deitz and Eric Cooper.

I used to be an EMT, stand-up comedian, and professional bookseller.

Where do you blog (which sites)?

Update: I originally wrote this piece for E!Online, so you can check out a slightly different version of the article over there.

It’s the most decorated Canadian film of 2008 and it’s about to make motion picture history thanks to the efforts of producer Madison Graie and Colin Cunningham who wrote, directed and starred in this suspenseful short, Centigrade.

“It’s is a good old fashioned entertaining thriller,” noted Cunningham, he and Graie met at Vancouver Film School years ago and since then they have grown into a successful film-making partnership that Cunningham describes as, “kind of like the Coen brothers. I’ll begin a sentence and she’ll finish it creatively.” Seeing the accolades Centigrade has received over the last year the 17 minute short has definitely taken the partnership for a thrill ride.

With a budget of $20,000, and the finished product having such a polished look, Graie admits that when it comes to film production in Vancouver, a little money goes a long way. “Vancouver really is kind to independent film makers - so when you ask, Vancouver usually gives back, which is nice,” Cunningham added that as such, they were able to put together “a real A-list” crew.

Centigrade premiered at the World Film Festival and since then it has been screened at numerous other film events. It also took home five Leo Awards this summer and the momentum is still growing.

They had won at the Cinequest Film Festival, and as that was that this was an Academy Award qualifying event, Centigrade then became the first Canadian film to be considered for the 2009 Oscars.

“We hoped at the time a calling card if we were lucky,” Cunningham added. “We’ve done a lot of projects in the past, everything from music videos to feature films and we’ve never got any kind of heat like we have off this little 15 minute movie.” Within the last year the pair has gone from completing the film, to festival showings, winning awards, and now they’re about to make history.

Cunningham noted, “we’ve also been accepted to iTunes so Centigrade is now going global this month.” Centigrade will be the first Canadian live-action short ever on iTunes and will be available mid-October on iTunes USA, Canada and UK. Find out more details over on my E!Online article…

Photo credit: Duane Storey on Flickr

First off, I’m not naked as the title of this post may perhaps suggest. Secondly, this is an uncharacteristic post as I’m not going to talking history, hockey or about the latest Twitter applications.

Admittedly, girlie matters are not my strong suit. I can only remember wearing a dress twice in the last year (and the last time I wore my LBD I was also wearing a conference lanyard) so it’s rather apparent that I don’t have much of a selection in my closet.

Months ago Keira and I went shopping for the perfect LBD or “little black dress”. Since we waited until after Christmas and were too early for Grad season, the pickings at local dress shops were slim. As such, I’m a little gun shy this time around but I desperately need something sensational for this Friday night (that could also carry over into the Christmas party season).

So it’ll put it to my readers: What does a budgeted blogger like myself wear to a fantastic, fantabulous gala event like the closing celebration of the Vancouver International Film Festival? More importantly, where do I look in this city for something cocktail event-worthy?

There are only five songs left in the search for the next Hockey Night in Canada theme song. John and I were going through them the other day and I believe we both have the same favourite. The semifinalists have all had their entries beefed up by producer Bob Rock but you can still view some of the original entries.

The fall of October 2008 is official struck with election fever especially if you live in Vancouver. Not only are we all closely watching the proceedings one hour south in the United States, we’re also gearing up for civic elections and the federal election. If that wasn’t enough, there are two BC by-elections happening on October 29th.

Vancouver-Burrard became vacant in September after MLA Lorne Mayencourt, a B.C. Liberal, resigned to run for the Conservative Party in the Oct. 14 federal election.

Vancouver-Fairview became vacant in July after MLA Gregor Robertson, a B.C. New Democrat, resigned to run as Vision Vancouver’s mayoral candidate in the Nov. 15 civic election. [The Tyee - The Hook]

I’ll certainly be keeping my eye on Vancouver-Burrard, not only because I’ll be voting, but because of the star-studded list of candidates.

Photo credit: John Bollwitt on Flickr

Liberals: Former Vancouver Canucks owner Arthur Griffiths. He was also owner of General Motors Place, served as Chair of the Millennium Skytrain Line, was a leader in the establishment of Canuck Place Childrens Hospice, and chaired the 2010 Vancouver Olympic bid. You can also read the write up I did about the Griffiths family on Metroblogging Vancouver.

Green Party: Drina Read. She’s been actively involved with the Pride Parade, the Car-Free Festival, the Stanley Park Ecology Society, the Fur-Bearer Defenders, and Greenpeace. She’s also got a blog.

BC NDP: Vancouver parks board commissioner Spencer Herbert. He was behind many fundraising drives for the restoration of Stanley Park, and fought that nasty proposal that would have seen mechanized, animatronic dinosaurs in the park. He’s known to read my blog and leave comments so perhaps I could even get an interview, eh? His website also features a blog and the BC NDP sites are built with Joomla (because I look at those types of things).

In Vancouver-Fairview we have, Margaret MacDiarmid for the Liberals, Jenn McGinn for the BC NDP, and Jane Sterk who is the current leader of the BC Green Party.

I’ll be hitting the polls three times this fall and each trip will be as important as the next. I encourage everyone to get informed about the parties, the candidates, and of course - to get out and vote.