Tinhorn Creek Vineyards presents Wine Tasting with a Social Twist May 26th at the CBC Audience Lounge.
The event will consist of a staggered wine tasting — think timed speed-dating but with wines. Each participant will have five minutes at each tasting station to swirl, sip, and sample. When the bell sounds, they move along.
The catch is that the labels will be covered, only to be revealed at the end of the circuit by winemaker Sandra Oldfield. She will also go through the nuances of each varietal once everyone has completed their tastings. If you play along and make some correct guesses while you go through the blind tastings, you could also win some prizes, courtesy of Tinhorn Creek.
FreelanceCamp is coming to Vancouver May 29th at the Network Hub on Richards and Hastings.
I have been attending “camps” for the last five years as I’ve found a large part of being in the social media realm is actually getting out from behind the computer screen and meeting, networking, and just hanging out with others. The beauty of “camp” is usually the loose unconference format (see: BarCamp). You show up and anyone could be a presenter as each attendee can pitch a talk and then the schedule is made on the fly.
“Freelance Camp is an opportunity for freelancers to get together, to learn from each other best practices and to share their experiences,” said organizer Minna Van who also operates The Network Hub co-working space.
I asked Minna about bringing FreelanceCamp to Vancouver, and who would benefit from attending. “Too often freelancers are working by themselves and with this event we want to send the message you can be in business for yourself but not by yourself,” said Minna. “There is a community of freelancers in Vancouver and at this event; we will meet, learn and support each other.”
“It is more of a discussion format than it is formal presentation format. Everyone is expected to be an active participant.
She added that the event is for any kind of freelancer, not just writers. Everyone from developers, consultants, real estate agents and musicians are likely to attend. “We encourage people from different industries to come out so we have a more balanced perspective about business.”
This is the very first FreelanceCamp in Canada and Minna is excited for what will transpire during the discussions and presentations. Tickets are currently for sale online for $10.00 and you can find out more about featured guests, sponsors and activities on the FreelanceCamp Vancouver website.
After hearing the loud rumble that caused the curtains to blow in my mother walked over to the crib to check on me. It was Mother’s Day. She thought the noise came from someone slamming lids on dumpsters but soon found out on the news that Mount St Helens in Washington State had erupted. I was 5 months old and fast asleep so this is where my personal account ends.
This was the deadliest and most economically destructive volcanic event in the history of the United States [source].
Fifty-seven people were killed; 250 homes, 47 bridges, 15 miles (24 km) of railways, and 185 miles (298 km) of highway were destroyed. The eruption caused a massive debris avalanche, reducing the elevation of the mountain’s summit from 9,677 ft (2,950 m) to 8,365 ft (2,550 m) and replacing it with a 1 mile (1.6 km) wide horseshoe-shaped crater [source].
The eruption came with an earthquake that rocked 5.1 on the Richter scale [source].
The largest landslide in recorded history swept down the mountain at speeds of 70 to 150 miles per hour and buried the North Fork of the Toutle River under an average of 150 feet of debris. Some areas are covered by as much as 600 feet. In all, approximately 23 square miles of material was removed from the mountain [source].
The volcano, which was actually named by Captain George Vancouver [source] still has recorded volcanic activity. This includes steam clouds that sent everyone in this digital age over to the Volcanocam to check out the volcano in 2004, 2006 and 2008.
Thirty years later, National Geographic reports that Mount St Helens is still highly dangerous and that Washington State is the second biggest threat when it comes to potential volcanic activity. Mount St Helens is also only second only to Hawaii’s Kilauea when it comes to a “very high risk” of volcanic activity.
Today you can still get out and enjoy the area, filled with hiking trails, recreational activities, and amazing lookout points.
This past weekend John and I were put up in Humboldt House B&B in Victoria. It was my first-ever Bed & Breakfast experience and it certainly set the bar rather high for any future B&B stays.
We crossed over to the Island on last ferry but were able to call ahead and make arrangements for our after-hours arrival. The instructions were clear, concise, and we were still able to select our breakfast choices for the morning from the sign-up sheet that was left out for us. Continue reading this post ⟩⟩
The HST or Harmonized Sales Tax is coming to BC July 1st. It does away with our Provincial Sales Tax (currently 7%) but still adds 7% to the GST. BC’s HST will be 12% while other provinces adopting the system, such as Ontario, will have a 13% HST.
The Canada Revenue Agency is hosting seminars to familiarize the public and business owners with the new tax rules however the HST has not come without opposition.
BC’s 7% Provincial Sales Tax (PST) and 8% Hotel Room Tax (HRT) will be eliminated
With HST there will be no PST, HRT or GST in BC
HST “Cons” I’ve heard…
If there was no PST on something before, it will now have that extra 7% included regardless
This automatically embedded 7% extra will effect products and services listed on the FightHST website. This includes everything from accounting services, veterinary fees, vitamins and meals in restaurants.
There are only a few weeks left to get signatures on petitions and without being able to publicly advertise the anti-HST sentiment, most information is simply being shared online. The signatures for the petition however, must be collected in person.
You need to be a registered voter in order to sign the petition. The collection of signatures began April 6, 2010 and will continue for 90 days until July 5, 2010. If 10% of the registered voters in each electoral district sign the petition, the government may have to put the HST to a general referendum. [SayNotoHSTinBC.com]
The FightHST.com website is leading the way, listing all petition locations around BC. Upcoming signing events in Metro Vancouver include:
City: Vancouver
Riding: Fairview, False Creek, Langara, Point Grey, Quilchena, West End
Location: Riley Park Community Centre (50 East 30th Avenue)
Date: May 18, 2010 7:00pm – 9:30pm
Riding: All Vancouver Ridings
Location: Vancouver Art Gallery (Robson St Side)
Date: Every Saturday until July 1st, 10:00am – 5:00pm
Riding: Fairview, False Creek, Langara, Point Grey, Quilchena, West End
Location: Choices Market (Richards and Davie St)
Date: Daily 9:00pm – 11:30am (Thursdays & Fridays until 2:30pm)
Riding: Fairview, False Creek, Langara, Point Grey, Quilchena, West End
Location: Marpole Place (1305 70 Avenue West)
Date: May 20, 2010 5:00pm to 8:00pm
Riding: Fairview, False Creek, Langara, Point Grey, Quilchena, West End
Riding: Downtown, Yaletown, Coal Harbour, Cross Town – East Vancouver
Location: Pantheon Athletic Club (202 – 865 Hornby Street at Smithe (2nd Floor))
Date: Every Tuesday until July 1st, 3:30pm – 6:00pm
Date: Every Thursday until July 1st, 11:30am – 2:00pm
Riding: Fairview, False Creek, Langara, Point Grey, Quilchena, West End
Location: Oakridge Seniors’ Centre (650 W 41st Ave)
Date: Every Thursday from May 13th – 27th, 10:00am – 3:30pm
Riding: Fairview, False Creek, Langara, Point Grey, Quilchena, West EndADDRESS:
Location: Vancouver Public Library (Robson & Homer)
Date: Wednesdays & Thursdays, 5:00pm to 7:00pm, Tuesdays – Thursday & Weekends 12:00pm – 2:30pm
Riding: Fairview, False Creek, Langara, Point Grey, Quilchena, West End
Location: 4100 Salish Drive, Musqueum (Just west of W 41st and S.W. Marine Dr)
Dates: Monday, May 17th 4:00pm – 6:30pm
Look for vehicle with Fight HST rooftop sign
Riding: False Creek, Point Grey
Location: Ron Zalko Fitness (1807 West First Avenue)
Date: May 10th until July 1st, Monday-Friday 5:00pm – 8:00pm & Saturday 1:00pm – 6:00pm
