Well maybe more would do the trick but I’m talking about more diversity.
We have several group blogs in this city. Metroblogging, that is a part of a 50-city worldwide network, Beyond Robson, that is a part of the Fresh Daily/BlogTO family, and Urban Vancouver is the aggregator and Vancouver forum on which anyone can post content.
In light of the recent emotionally-charged comments and posts in regards to either Metroblogging or Beyond Robson I just have to share this story that was sent to me by Richard. Its author, Joey deVilla is reflecting on the state of Toronto’s current group blogs with ex-Vancouverite, Will Pate, and is calling out for more diversity in Toronto blogs.
He feels “although the BlogTO and Torontoist served their demographic very well, their demographic was only a slice of the larger pie that is Toronto.”
Joey continues on with something that just made me laugh out loud like Homer Simpson saying “it’s funny cause it’s true” while wiping a tear from my eye.
Excerpt from: We Need More Toronto Blogs making a point about the ‘typical authors’ of certain city group blogs – Continue reading this post ⟩⟩
The Discovery Channel being one of the only reasons John and I flip on the tele, I know that Shark Week is coming up. Yesterday on CNN (okay I guess another reason) they were interviewing a woman who filmed her own shark attack, and this morning on CFOX they had a dude from the Vancouver Aquarium in studio talking about its very own Shark Week.
Photo credit:
md&r on Flickr
Join the Vancouver Aquarium in celebrating these often-feared, yet fascinating, fish and learn about their important role in the ocean’s ecosystem. Dive into another world and discover the mysteries of life under water as you tour the Aquarium’s many shark-friendly exhibits: Dive shows, Shark feeds, and Hands-on activities. [AZA]
Apparently there are 12 species of shark in BC waters, hardly any of them are harmful to humans. The Aquarium guy said that maybe if you’re on a surf board you might look like a seal to a shark so splash around and be as “human” as possible to deter them. Aside from the dozens of razor-sharp teeth, swimming in deep ocean just creeps the bejesus outta me, you never know what’s gonna appear from below and ‘tickle’ your toes…
If the Aquarium is your cup o’ tea, check out the shark-specific action starting July 29th (open 9:30 am to 7:00 pm during the summer months). Now since Adult Admission is $19.95, Youths $14.95, Kids $11.95 and ‘3 and under’ are free… it’s doesn’t exactly quality for my “cheap things to do” or “cheap fun” category. But if you happen to be walking in Stanley Park near the old zoo’s bear habitat and artist’s circle, you can access the little pathway near the back side of the Aquarium, behind the seal and beluga tanks, to get an inexpensive perspective on the events taking place therein. However, you won’t be able to catch any Shark Week action from there, maybe just a couple playful seals and belugas.
Maybe it was the garbage strike, maybe it was just too nice a night to sit about in a giant crowd, but there were certainly fewer people out on the beaches tonight. It was the kickoff of the HSBC Celebration of Light and Spain did a pretty good job of making the crowds ooh, ahh and applaud the colourful display in the sky.
John and I were lucky enough to meet up with our pals Corinna and Adam, walk on over to Keira’s then camp out at Duane’s for a bit before heading down to Sunset Beach. The reason for us all coming together like that was this evening’s special guest star, Tony, who really should spend more time in Vancouver, who was accompanied by Robyn. Good times had by all, lots of laughter and good spirits. I needn’t really say more because as always, there are photos to back this up.
Corinna, Rebecca, Keira – Original by
Keira on Flickr
Robyn, Tony Photo credit:
Duane on Flickr
Tony, Rebecca, Keira – Photo credit:
Keira on Flickr
View Keira’s photoset from the night
Fireworks – Photo credit:
Duane on Flickr
View Duane’s photoset from the night
Update: Just found out through the Blogathon website that one of the administrators, Sheana, will be interviewed on 95 Crave tomorrow morning with Nat & Drew. Tune in to find out more about the event which kicks off with me in my pajamas at 6 am Saturday
Since I decided to take part in Blogathon I’ve got some pretty good press for my cause, thanks to Buzz Bishop – local radio guy, tech blogger and proud new papa.
You’ve heard of Walk-a-thons and Dance-a-thons, but what about a Blog-a-thon? This Saturday, bloggers around the world vow to post to their pages a minimum of every 30 mins for 24 hours… …Should the weekend turn out to be sunny, as expected, [Rebecca] thinks the biggest challenge will be “finding a beach with wifi.â€
(Hint, the FatPort guys blast Wifi at the grassy areas of Kits Beach along Cornwall) [Cyberbuzz.tv]
This article is in today’s 24 Hours free daily newspaper this morning on page 11, just past the dude with the beard of bees. Download pdf copy.
I have also contacted the Surrey Food Bank to let them know what I’ll be up to this weekend. They seemed pretty enthused and will welcome donations of ANY kind, also any monetary donation over $10 will get a tax receipt.
Here are the details once more.
When: Saturday July 28th starting at @ 6:00 am
What: I will begin blogging and post something every 30 minutes for 24 hours, until 6:00 am July 29th.
Why: For my charity of choice, the Surrey Food Bank. Readers are encouraged to click on my “sponsor” button. This will take you to the Blogathon site where you will need to register so that we can get some totals and stats. From there, we truly hope that you will click through and visit the Surrey Food Bank donations page. I will not be accepting any money, nor will Blogathon, we simply re-route you to the charity so that a donation can be made.
I’m hoping that anyone who would like to contribute for one of my 48 posts will send me any material they wish. I would link back to their blog or Flickr (if you’d like to submit a photo) and share some link love (John, Duane, etc) Also, I’ll be open to suggestions and will be taking requests for post topics.
Today is also the Greater Vancouver Food Bank‘s “Christmas in July” food drive at the Centre for Performing Arts.
..the Greater Vancouver Food Bank Society’s Christmas in July campaign is a great way to give. Come visit Santa and volunteers from the Greater Vancouver Food Bank Society and the Rogers Santa Claus Parade as they collect non-perishable food items and donations at The Centre in Vancouver for Performing Arts, 777 Homer Street, on Wednesday, July 25th from 6-9 a.m.
You can even drive-through your non-perishable food item donations between Georgia & Robson. The summer months are pretty important for local food banks as people are still in need but the bulk of their donations arrive around Christmas time. Join me here on the blog this weekend to help out a similar cause.
Last year I followed Alanah and Yvonne‘s blogathon posts for just a few of their 24 hours of madness. This year, I think I’ll take a swing at it myself and see if I can go the distance.
The goal of blogathon is to blog every 30 minutes for 24 hours (this year being July 28th). The most validating part of the concept is to get people to sponsor your marathon of bloggery. Each blogathon site will have a donate/sponsor button and a charity of choice selected. As you read and enjoy the plethora of content hopefully you will be inspired to donate. Last year I donated to Canuck Place and received a tax receipt along with warm fuzzies. The blogger never processes your money or sees your transaction, it all goes directly through the charity.
This year I’ll be blogging from 6:00 am Saturday July 28th until 6:00 am Sunday July 29th. I will be awake (because that’s a part of the challenge) and fully interactive with commenters and sponsors. My charity will be the Surrey Food Bank, and I’ll put up a nice little badge and link when the fun begins. Until then, stay tuned, the post category will be ‘blogathon’. Who knows how silly things will get at 4:00 am Sunday morning with me running on no sleep, tethered to my laptop.
Update: Click on the banner above to sponsor me, this means money will NOT go to me at all, it will simply direct you to the Surrey Food Bank donation page. You do need to log into the Blogathon site/create a log in first so that they can track how many donations I have generated but Blogathon does NOT collect your payment information they will simply direct you to the charity’s website to donate.
For more info try this brief recap of the event, and view other Blogathon participants here. You can click on the banner in this post or the new sidebar badge I have on the top right of this site.
