Last night I was a guest on CJSF 90.1FM‘s Sound Therapy Radio broadcast live from Gallery Gachet in the Gastown. Tuesday Night Live is a weekly program hosted by Jay Peachy and Ryan Fletcher aimed at exploring the Art of the Mind.
The program focuses on issues of mental wellness, creative expression and personal sustainability. Their work was recently recognized by the National Campus Community and Campus Radio Association (NCRA) for the Homelessness Marathon – Artist Edition broadcast. The live episode of Sound Therapy Radio was recorded live in front of a studio audience at the W2 Culture and Media House and was broadcast to over 30 stations across the country. The 3-hour episode featured homeless artists and musicians and gave them an opportunity for a voice and performance on air.
Now Jay Peachy and Ryan Fletcher (along with a crew of volunteers) have taken the award-winning series on the road for broadcasts from Gallery Gachet and will soon move back over to W2.
It was great to be a part of the experience last night along with Lara Fitzgerald as they hosted uber-talented local singer/songwriters Diane Reyes as well as Garrett Kato.
The next episode will be June 22nd on 90.1FM. Follow @soundtherapyrad on Twitter for upcoming live broadcast locations.
The Working Gear Clothing Society provides trade appropriate clothing at no cost to low income men who are looking for work.
Mission statement: To relieve poverty by providing interview clothing and/or industry appropriate clothing to low income or unemployed men in search of employment.
The Society says these are men who are job ready, but lack something as simple as a pair of work boots or even a suit and dress shoes for an interview — kind of along the lines of what Dress for Success does for women. This summer they’re launching the “No Small Feet” campaign to collect 400 pairs of steel-toed work boots by September 1st, 2010.
They are looking for steel-toed work boots and shoes although they will also accept financial donations that can be used to purchase these supplies. Volunteers are available to pick up goods and donations in person July 2nd, August 6th, and September 3rd.
Donations can also be dropped off in person at Working Gear Clothing Society (87 East Pender Street) on Saturdays from 10:00am-2:00pm. Please call ahead (604) 880-5040 or email workinggear[at]gmail.com to schedule a pickup or to let them know you’ll be stopping by.
Working Gear is a registered Canadian charity and monetary donations can be made online through CanadaHelps. You can follow updates about the campaign on Twitter @WorkingGear.
Our pal and local web and photography icon Kris is currently down in the Gulf of Mexico snapping photos of the oil spill effects before heading to Washington, DC for TEDxOilSpill later this month.
On Twitter June 14th: Looks like we’re headed to Biloxi Mississippi bright & early to photograph a 3-State Rally for Vietnamese Fisherfolk #tedxoilspill #oilspill- kk
Photo credit:
kk on Flickr
TED is a non-profit foundation that hosts exclusive conferences that bring together the top minds in the world each year. TEDx events are interdependently-run conferences of the same vein, organized by local groups. While Kris had just returned to Vancouver from a trek across Asia, he took off for this new adventure shortly after we saw him at WordCamp on Saturday.
Photo credit:
kk on Flickr
If you’re wondering why Kris, and his fearless companion Danielle, have hopped another plane, this blog post by James Duncan Davidson explains.
Yesterday, I tweeted and posted a Facebook status that I was going to the Gulf of Mexico to document what’s going on down there and to bring back images and stories to TEDxOilSpill.
I’ve been ramping up for this for days, if not weeks, and you might have gotten the clue from my tweets and advocacy for the event. But, the time for being coy is done. Here’s the full scoop as it stands right now.
We have a team of three photographers and videographers—Kris Krüg, Pinar Özger, and myself—confirmed to go to New Orleans on Monday to spend a week documenting the oil spill and its effects from land, sea, and air.
Photo credit:
kk on Flickr
They are going to experience, document, and be witnesses to this disaster. Then the group will report their findings, photos, and videos at TEDxOilSpill on June 28th.
Photo credit:
kk on Flickr
On Twitter June 16th: Today’s wildlife death tally: 770 birds, 341 sea turtles, 41 mammals. http://bit.ly/9pE96u #oilspill – kk
“There is a sense of anger sadness and frustration building about the oil spill back home,” Kris told me over Twitter. “A feeling that the news we’re getting isn’t the full story. I was asked to go down, check things out, get to the bottom of the story. Report back. We’re talking to locals, fisherfolk, community leaders, etc… to hear whats going on for them. And it’s not pretty.”
Photo credit:
kk on Flickr
Leroy Stick (pseudonymous humorist behind @BPGlobalPR) will be at TEDx along with other speakers including Philippe Cousteau and Sylvia Earle. Topics at the conference will include mitigation of the spill and the impending cleanup efforts; energy alternatives; policy and economics; as well as new technology that can help us build a self-reliant culture.
On Twitter June 16th: at the Gulf Restoration Network in New Orleans hearin’ stories bout Leroy Stick of @BPGlobalPR & the $20k he’s donated from tshirt sales – kk
Photo credit:
kk on Flickr
There will be TEDxOilspill meetups in satellite locations including a Vancouver event June 28th.
Links:
Follow the expedition online
Follow Kris’ updates on Twitter
View all of Kris’ photos on Flickr
View all of Duncan’s photos on Flickr
I had the chance to catch up with Jillian Harris (The Bachelorette, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition) to chat about this Thursday’s Cocktails for a Cause supporting Big Brothers of Greater Vancouver. Ever-grounded and with her lovely mother at her side, we had a great chat at a local coffee shop.
On Vancouver…
Visiting Vancouver (from Chicago) for about one week each month I asked Jillian what’s on her list of “must see” or “must do” things each time she returns. “Granville Island is my happy place,” she mentioned immediately. “Rodney’s Oyster House is my favourite place to go chill and have a bite to eat. Then my favourite place to shop here is Aritzia and The Cross on Homer.” However, when it comes to feeling at home, there is no landmark or shop on the very top of her list. “My all-time favourite place is my backyard. I love my backyard it’s got tons of greenery, it’s my safe-haven. I love Chicago but I miss nature — I miss the outdoors.”
On Big Brothers…
“I was a mentor for Big Brother years before I ever did Bachelorette,” said Jillian. “I’m going to say something cliche but it really changed my life. I was a workaholic, I was very stressed out in my life, and I was self-absorbed with all the things going on in my life, which I think we all are in some way. We just get so busy and I felt like I missed that small town community so I signed up for Big Brothers and I just fell in love with it.”
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It was 124 years ago last Sunday (June 13th, 1886) that Vancouver was completely destroyed by fire. It began as a controlled fire to clear brush on the land, however it quickly spread out of control.
The Great Vancouver Fire of 1886
Vancouver before the Great Fire, Water Street 1886. Archives item #Str P8
The entire city (only a few months old at the time) was engulfed in flames within 45-60 minutes.
Day after the Great Fire, June 1886. Photo by Louis Denison Taylor. Archives item #CVA 1477-416
880 buildings were destroyed in Vancouver and 20 people lost their lives. Due to the wooden construction and lack of a fire brigade with equipment to battle the blaze, only stone or brick buildings in Gastown, Yaletown, and parts of the West End survived.
Quick facts:
- After the Great Fire the City of Vancouver passed a by-law that all buildings be made of brick and stone only1.
- Through fundraising afterward, Vancouver purchased its first fire engine and it was brought to town July 30th, 1886.
- In 1929 Vancouver City Council named June 13th as “Vancouver Day” — a time of remembrance and thanksgiving2.
- St. James’ Anglican Church at Gore and Cordova is the third church of this name. The very first burned down during the Great Fire and its melted bell now resides in the Museum of Vancouver.3
“In 20 minutes, Vancouver had been wiped off the earth. In 12 hours, it was rising again.” Chuck Davis, Vancouver History
Businesses in Gastown rebuilt 1 month after the Great Fire, July 1886. Archives item #Str P7
While only a few buildings from the original Vancouver townsite still exist today, it’s amazing to hear about how the city was rebuilt so quickly. Even today it seems as though Vancouver is in a constant state of construction. 124 years later we’re still an ever-changing city but at least we are building our own history as we go.
1 Vancouver History
2 Vancouver History
3 Vancouver History
