The BC Ministry of Health has recently launched a free mobile application that helps residents locate their nearest health services.
I took a quick spin around the BC Health Service Locator and did a search for something I had to find before. I looked for the travel clinic I found last February when I needed to get my Yellow Fever vaccination for my trip to Ghana. The results came up within a couple clicks on the app and included the location, hours, link to the clinic’s website, and a button to save this information to my iPhone’s contacts.
Search results appear in a list view but you can click on the settings icon (that looks like a cog) and change it to a map view or “Sort by Distance”. For this feature to work you’ll need your location settings turned on so it can give you directions. You can also click to get the latest government health alerts, direct from BC HealthLink.
It’s a handy tool for those on the go. Having this information in the palm of your hand is useful since you’ll need to call to make appointments and it can easily locate services that are closest to you.
The BC Health Services App is free to download from the iTunes store but I haven’t been able to find it on my desktop iTunes, only directly from the app store on my iPhone. I also haven’t been able to locate a link to any other mobile marketplaces from the HeathLink BC website but I have sent an email to one of the volunteers who worked on the app to find out if they have plans for an Android version. The official launch is January 20, 2012 so I’m sure more information will be available after that time.
Vancouver now has its own “wine of the month club”. The new My Sommelier program is an initiative of My Liquor Store which operates three independent liquor stores in Vancouver (West End, Crosstown, and Burrard). It allows you to sign up to receive carefully selected bottles of wine each month along with tasting notes, winemaker information, and pairing suggestions.
The packages (that include your preference of red or white wine) are $45 a month for 2 bottles, $100 a month for 6 bottles, or $200 a month for 12 bottles. You can sign up for yourself or gift the My Sommelier program to someone special.
The sommelier behind the scenes, making the selections for program participants, is Vancouverite Cyndy Pellegrin who has traveled the world to gain first-hand knowledge of winemaking operations in France, Italy, Spain, New Zealand, South America, and the United States. She has a Sommelier Diploma from the International Sommelier Guild and the Advanced Wines and Spirits Certificate with Distinction from the Wine and Spirit Education Trust, as well as the Society of Wine Educators “Wines of Spain” certificate. She is currently the Director of Wine (Sommelier) for My Liquor Store and their partner clubs, pubs and restaurants.
The My Sommelier Wine Club has generously offered up a 3 month package for one of my wine-loving readers. The winner will receive 2 bottles of wine for 3 months (value $135) with free delivery within Metro Vancouver (if they live between West Vancouver and Abbotsford). Here’s how you can enter to win:
Leave a comment here naming your favourite wine (brand or varietal) (1 entry)
Post the following on Twitter (1 entry)
RT to enter to win a #MySommelier Wine Club subscription from @MyLiquorStore & @Miss604 http://ow.ly/8pWWY
You must be 19 years of age or older to enter and receive the prize. There will be free delivery in Metro Vancouver. All My Sommelier program rules apply. Please enjoy responsibly. I will draw 1 winner at random from all entries on Thursday, January 19, 2012 at 10:00am. Follow @MyLiquorStore on Twitter for news and information about in-store events.
The City of Surrey, RCMP, and CUPE 402 have partnered to host a youth film contest that will highlight the issue of bullying. Students between the ages of 14 and 18 are invited to put together a 30-second or 60-second clip about why they believe bullying must stop.
From the press release: “We need to draw attention to the effects of bullying and send a strong message to both students and adults that this kind of behavior will not be tolerated in our schools, our workplaces, online, or anywhere in our communities,” says Mayor Dianne Watts.
Entries will be put into two categories: students ages 14 and 15 (juniors) and students ages 16 to 18 (seniors). Prizes will be awarded to the top three films in each category and the winning entry will be played on ShawTV for Anti-Bullying Day which is February 29, 2012.
Once again, National Geographic has named Vancouver one of the Top Beach Cities in the World. Actually, I’m unsure if this is a new ranking since Vancouver still sits at #10 on the list (as it did in 2010) and the same beach image is being used. Regardless, our waterfronts are popular attractions for local and visitors alike — even in January.
As always, you can click on each of the images to see more work from each photographer and feel free to submit your own photos to the Miss604 Flickr Pool.
We’re ten days into the new year as lights, trees, and decorations are making their way back into boxes and bins. Before the winter blues set in, take a look at the following events (submitted by readers) to plan a fun-filled month.
Photo credit: bcbusinesshub on Flickr – Submitted to the Miss604 Flickr Pool.
