Recent Commander of the International Space Station, Colonel Chris Hadfield, will be coming through Vancouver in November during his North American book tour. Hadfield captivated the world with stunning photos and commentary from space, his use of social media, and his ability to explain life on the ISS to the masses using videos and songs. He made space and science look really, really cool — as it should be perceived!
Hadfield’s multiple daily tweets and photographs from space made people see the world differently. His accessibility, whether answering questions via Twitter or collaborating with The Barenaked Ladies on a song sung by nearly a million people simultaneously, endeared him to all, while he orbited Earth.
In Vancouver this morning, Hadfield inspired over 950 attendees at the Vancouver Tourism Awards. Quotes and excitement from those in the audience flooded Twitter. “It was like rolling dice in a cup” – @cmdr_hadfield on what it’s like landing back on earth. @VanTourismAward #VTAGala2013” wrote @JoshuaDLangston.
“Perhaps the most important thing about space travel is the inspiration it gives people” @Cmdr_Hadfield to crowd at #VTAGala2013” shared @WhereVancouver.
“Amazing speech by @Cmdr_Hadfield followed by an acoustic performance!!! So worth waking up early for! #VTAGala2013” said @shannonswhite who also got a photo with the astronaut. Hadfield received his own Vancouver Canucks jersey this morning as well with the number 35, to mark his 35th trip to space.
Chris Hadfield Book Tour Vancouver Dates
In his first book, “An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth”, Hadfield offers readers extraordinary stories from his life as an astronaut, and shows how to make the impossible a reality.
Written with humour, humility and a profound optimism for the future of space exploration, An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth offers readers not just the inspiring story of one man’s journey to the ISS, but the opportunity to step into his space-boots and think like an astronaut-and renew their commitment to pursuing their own dreams, big or small.
You can also catch Colonel Chris Hadfield along with HootSuite’s CEO, Ryan Holmes at Science World on Sunday, November 17, 2013 for the Innovators Speaker Series. The talk will take place in the OMNIMAX® Theatre and tickets can be purchased to either attend in person or be a Satellite Supporter, watching a streamed broadcast from afar.
Stanley Park is one of my favourite places to profile since it is a living reminder of the history of the area combined with the ever-changing landscape of the City of Vancouver. While I have featured photos of its entrance arches, bridges and eventually the causeway that bisected Coal Harbour (creating Lost Lagoon), I have finally come across a few photos that provide a different perspective.
The following photo was called “West End Vancouver in Autumn 1889” by Major J.S. Matthews:
1889: Archives #St Pk P115
The photograph shows the Coal Harbour Bridge and the entrance to Stanley Park, taken from the park and facing the West End. Major Matthews’ notes with this print say that this was taken from a point about a few feet south of Queen Victoria’s monument in Stanley Park.” The photo looks south west across the Coal Harbour Bridge, showing Park Road. Stanley Park Brewery (a house originally built by George Grant Mackay) is at the foot of Alberni Street. The big tree beside the arch was well-known tree at foot Georgia Street.
Here’s one more from barely a decade later that shows the Coal Harbour Bridge leading to the West End from Stanley Park:
1898: Archives #St Pk P225
Nowadays, the shores of Coal Harbour lap against the Sea Wall on one side and Lost Lagoon borders trails on the other, with the Stanley Park Causeway traffic in between.
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by Michelle KimDisclosure: Review — This is not a paid post. Michelle was given media tickets to attend courtesy of Ballet BC. Views are her own. Please review the Policy & Disclosure section for further information.
If Ballet BC’s season opener, Tilt, is any indication, there is yet even more life being breathed into the company. Last season completely blew me away — not only did the phoenix rise from the ashes (of near bankruptcy), it soared around the the world, taking the audience with it on a glorious ride.
I and I Am You. Choreography Jorma Elo. Dancers / Alexander Burton, Racheal Prince, Daniel Marshalsay & Artists of the Company.
The first thing that struck me as being different with Tilt, as opposed to previous performances in years past, was the audience. It was younger and for the first time ever, I ran into people I actually knew at the ballet — not just one person, but four to five. I also noticed there were more men than usual, which leads into my next observation about Tilt: the men.
In the first piece, I and I am You, choreographed by Jorma Elo, I noticed how the male dancers just bursted life into the piece — bare-chested and exploding all the floor, dancing together, lifting each other up, letting each other fall into each other, which was refreshing to watch because ballet always seems to be focused on female dancers and her movements.
I’m a huge fan any choreography by the company’s Artistic Director, Emily Molnar, and loved her piece 16 + a room. It was just as inventive as her pieces from previous seasons, and to me is always seems the most avant-garde component of the program, with movement, structure, and even lighting.
Johan Inger’s Walking Mad, which debuted at Ballet BC in the spring 2012, was a riot and a visual treat. Set to Maurice Ravel’s looping Boléro, it’s a clever piece of boys chasing girls around a moveable wooden-fence with doors which the dancers run through, climb on, and dance on. My male friend, who had never been to the ballet, said that this piece was his favourite, and as we stepped out into the night air, he also said (along with many others, I’m sure) that he would be very open to going to the the ballet again.
The Canuck Place Gift of Time Gala took place at the Westin Bayshore on Saturday, October 19th. Hundreds attended the gala dinner, silent and live auctions, and heard the words of many inspirational speakers. The evening was filled with celebration for the work that Canuck Place does for BC families along astounding generosity from supporters.
The Westin Bayshore was beautifully decorated with sheer white drapes, fragrant white lilies, floral centrepieces, and warm azure lighting that bathed the ballroom in blue. Each of the eighty tables featured centrepieces that were stamped with hand and foot prints by Canuck Place kids, in collaboration with volunteers, and there was a gift bag at every seat. Inside the gift bag were a few trinkets and tokens of appreciation for attendees including a cool wrap-around leather bracelets that featured some of the inspirational words that were written on placards around the reception area.
As various courses were served for dinner the master of ceremonies, Global BC’s Chris Gailus, introduced pianist Michael Kaeshammer who entertained with his band and was joined at one point by 8 year old Elias Tyson Venegas who belted out a jazzy number. The most impactful element of the evening was the line-up of speakers that included Canuck Place CEO Margaret McNeil:
“When people find out where I work, they often pause and then say ‘Ahhh. That must be a hard place to work. How do you do it?’. I tell them that I work in a place of awe and wonder. I live in awe of our staff who are present with families and kids every moment of every day, regardless of what is happening with their child. Our nurses, physicians, counsellors, therapists, cooks and housekeepers and every volunteer is there to listen, to support, to enjoy, to help every family, every child, regardless of what is happening with that family. I live in awe of our families. They hold hope and reality in their hands at the same time. I see the joy and pain of parenthood, and I see the love for their children in every action.“…
Another moment that left nary a dry eye in the house was when we heard from the incredibly strong 18 year old Sadie Lourenco, who spoke on behalf of her family about her twin sister who passed away in March, 2013 after a 6-year battle with cancer.
As their first-ever Social Media Sponsor it felt great to see the event trend on Twitter in Vancouver and then Canada. It was an incredible honour to take part in this event, that raised hundreds of thousands for Canuck Place Children’s Hospice — including a single big for the TELUS suite at Rogers Arena for the Beyonce concert that fetched $200,000 in the live auction. With a fundraising goal of $100,000 for the evening, I am fairly confident that the goal was achieved — and then some.
Donations help fund respite care, medical care, pain and symptom management, meals, recreation therapy, education, art, counselling, music and play therapy for kids at an acuity 1 and 2 level, and much more. With these generous gifts, Canuck Place can provide care for newborns, children, and teens with respite days which is a large part of what they do. There are currently over 450 kids and families in the Canuck Place program right now.
You can support Canuck Place at any time through online donations, volunteer opportunities, or a wealth of other avenues. Follow them on Twitter and Facebook for more information about their organization, their work with BC families (including the new Abbotsford Canuck Place) and ways that you can get involved.
It’s almost here! The 13th annual West Coast Women’s Show is western Canada’s largest and most popular women’s consumer event — and the ultimate girls’ night out. Taking place at TRADEX in Abbotsford, the show will provide three days of shopping, entertainment, fashion, food, and more from Friday, October 25th until Sunday, October 27th.
West Coast Women’s Show Entertainment
Over the last few weeks I have previewed the show and have even had the chance to post an interview with Sherry Holmes of HGTV’s Holmes Makes It Right® who will be speaking on Saturday and Sunday. Here are just a few of presentations, workshops, and shows that will take place on the stages:
Saturday Dr. Art Hister; Published author and renowned Clinical Counsellor Alyson Jones; Elias Tyson Venegas, winner of the 2013 PNE Star Showdown; Ballroom and Latin Dance Show, and more!
Sunday: Melody Thomas Scott from The Young and the Restless
Friday: Empowering Girls Everywhere, When Hard Work Becomes Heart Work Expect Miracles, Weightloss and Maintenance, Automated Breast Ultrasound, and more!
Saturday: The Beauty of Essential Oils, Top 20 Nutrition Tips, Dr. Love’s Prescription for a Romantic Loving Man, Omega 3’s for Smart Kids & Optimal Family Health, Weight Loss and Blood Sugar, The Savvy Money Gal-6 Savvy Money Strategies for Successful Women, and more!
Sunday: Get Healthy with Fermented Botanicals, Essential Oils for Everyday Use, Managing Stress, Power of Plant Protein, Dancing with Fire: How to Escape the Conventional Life, and more!
Friday, Saturday, Sunday: Have “Locks of Fun” with wigs, Mary Kay Cosmetics, Luxury Hair Systems, Chantel Funk Design Hair Show, Eyelash Extension, and more!
The show will run Friday, October 25, 2013 from 1:00pm to 10:00pm; Saturday, October 26, 2013 from 10:00am to 9:00pm; Sunday, October 27, 2013 from 11:00am to 5:30pm at TRADEX in Abbotsford. Admission is $12 for adults, $9 for seniors ($7 on Friday from 1:00pm to 4:00pm), $9 for youth (13-17), $4 for children (6-12), and children 5 and under are free. Ticket prices include GST. Ticket sales are cash only at the gate at TRADEX.
West Coast Women’s Show Ticket Giveaway
I have a four-pack of tickets to give away for the show (each valid for 1 adult admission) that I will award one lucky winner. Here’s how you can enter to win:
Leave a comment naming a presenter or exhibitor at this year’s show (1 entry)
Post the following on Twitter (1 entry)
RT to enter to win @WCWomensShow tickets from @Miss604 http://ow.ly/q1JsM
I will draw one winner at random from all entries at 10:00am on Wednesday, October 23, 2013. Follow the West Coast Women’s Show on Twitter and Facebook for more information leading up to the event.
Miss604 is a proud media partner of the 13th annual West Coast Women’s Show
Written with humour, humility and a profound optimism for the future of space exploration, An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth offers readers not just the inspiring story of one man’s journey to the ISS, but the opportunity to step into his space-boots and think like an astronaut-and renew their commitment to pursuing their own dreams, big or small.
