tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-43487013423320044412024-03-12T10:46:28.844-07:00BURNABY METROTOWN - News and ViewsRonald J. Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07435431062943796717noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4348701342332004441.post-85123889450770273542021-04-28T22:00:00.028-07:002021-05-02T16:47:27.753-07:00Lockdown news coverage - at CBC Vancouver the reporting has fallen to a 'Grade 8' English Level<p style="text-align: justify;">I rarely consult the CBC Vancouver website, but I do study propaganda, and knowledge begins with research. CBC websites are obvious locations to bag juicy Canadian variants for the stew-pot. As a Public Historian I feel an obligation to collect a sampling of government produced propaganda texts and videos. After all, it is conceivable that a minuscule fraction of future Canadians may become curious about the <b>Great Covid-19 Scare of 2020-2023</b>. I only archive material that is certain to be deleted, redacted, concealed by corporate algorithms, or conveniently "lost". Some information from our first year of lock-downs and travel restriction in British Columbia<b>, </b>has already vanished. The covert deletion of the public record (when it is kept at all) is just one of many consequences of embracing digital communication, and pretending that it is a natural step in our cultural evolution. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">In fact our culture is almost dead. That statement is unacceptable to most Canadians, and I would not dare to make it myself. I leave that to an expert - Israeli psychologist <b>Sam Vaknin</b>. He recently posted a video to Youtube which is a gift to the ungrateful - "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aV4tMvr7xZY" target="_blank">SILENCE WHEN WE ARE ALL GONE</a>". Horrifying!<br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmsDTLmoymFi_NCBf689tAoQTFf58ymubOVDheo4Lp37_4f0Blwl9caZi9u3IdRy6XfBmYrhsYJLkK84kLvpKrfHd64VschrLaknHpiteAAyyd0muK-2SjXVbVA6i1vw-6qvn19BO8jZ0/s765/No+Future+For+You+-+Sam+Vaknin+.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="444" data-original-width="765" height="372" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmsDTLmoymFi_NCBf689tAoQTFf58ymubOVDheo4Lp37_4f0Blwl9caZi9u3IdRy6XfBmYrhsYJLkK84kLvpKrfHd64VschrLaknHpiteAAyyd0muK-2SjXVbVA6i1vw-6qvn19BO8jZ0/w640-h372/No+Future+For+You+-+Sam+Vaknin+.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /> Back to the CBC, and still on topic - the destruction of our culture. This morning I went the CBC Vancouver website looking for a specific piece of information. Something else caught my eye. It was a photograph of an anti-lockdown demonstration held on March 1st. (see below) A protester is shown lofting a photograph of Dr. Bonnie Henry with a Pinocchio nose. That essentially Henry as a liar. That didn't bother me, because of course Bonnie does deceive from time to time. She has to, to get the population to obey dictates that often illogical and illegal.<p></p><p style="text-align: justify;">What really disturbed more, was the article written by <b>Alex Migdal</b>. I invite you to read this sample (below). Do you consider that journalism? Doesn't the story read like it is written for children? I thought so, and I scraped the first five "paragraphs" (should I apologize for using sneer quotes?) and carried them over to an online tool that I often use to help students with their writing assignments. It is called the <b>AUTOMATIC READABILITY CHECKER</b>. It works by processing the sample with seven widely known readability formulas, and then establishing an average grading.<br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9HbpGZVk8lJ7DWJOhSxdShj8jwyRvkFZsBA2lPDcD4Cgymc109f21hu4RpE8BlBlSJPfWjVuEh4mETR8ve_G0SvvdENbLjT2x0Cr97iJN5Zt9B7mJWZFfW3LDdkicigj93eBer06IzB0/s1208/The+Spread+of+Covid-19+Misinformation+-++CBC+Vancouver+%252C+April+28%252C+2021.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1208" data-original-width="842" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9HbpGZVk8lJ7DWJOhSxdShj8jwyRvkFZsBA2lPDcD4Cgymc109f21hu4RpE8BlBlSJPfWjVuEh4mETR8ve_G0SvvdENbLjT2x0Cr97iJN5Zt9B7mJWZFfW3LDdkicigj93eBer06IzB0/w446-h640/The+Spread+of+Covid-19+Misinformation+-++CBC+Vancouver+%252C+April+28%252C+2021.jpg" width="446" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>This is how the web-tool "graded" Mr. Migdal's writing:</b></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieDlBlSnmlQArVEBM3_C9BVjfwQuEJJZS96ijlPTdqSox12KYnvIdelXofY16psvyVhSu1xu0F-qbtS3tG5dlPeTwy3xsByME81SwsMecrc3Sk9AOOxj3_v8MyruhbuXb5BdPqzdYgFhQ/s978/The+Spread+of+Covid-19+misinformation%252C+CBC+Vancouver%2528April+28%252C+2021%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="978" data-original-width="750" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieDlBlSnmlQArVEBM3_C9BVjfwQuEJJZS96ijlPTdqSox12KYnvIdelXofY16psvyVhSu1xu0F-qbtS3tG5dlPeTwy3xsByME81SwsMecrc3Sk9AOOxj3_v8MyruhbuXb5BdPqzdYgFhQ/w490-h640/The+Spread+of+Covid-19+misinformation%252C+CBC+Vancouver%2528April+28%252C+2021%2529.jpg" width="490" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: justify;">According to official federal statistics, Canada has a 99% literacy rate. Have I not just shown you evidence that the <b>Canadian Broadcasting Corporation</b> believes our nation to be illiterate? A Grade 8 proficiency in English is NOT the the profile of a literate Canadian. <br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">The profile given for Mr. Migdal on the CBC web page claims - "<i>He's previously reported for The Globe and Mail, Guelph Mercury and Edmonton Journal</i>." So what happened to him? Now before you dismiss the significance of what I am bringing to your attention, I urge you to take the time to listen to Sam Vaknin's despairing report. My prediction is that when you have finished those 39 painful minutes, you must agree that Covid mania is just a symptom of a wasting condition that is probably fatal. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">If you take the trouble to find out how the employees of the CBC view their responsibility as guardians of our National Culture and their duty to make truthful statements about the taxpayers who fund their pay, perks and pensions... you need go no further than the "<b><i>Journalistic Standards and Practices</i></b>" page.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Under the header "<b><i>Language Level and Good Taste</i></b>" we find this defiant statement: "<b><i>We use the language of accessible, articulate everyday speech</i></b>." Of course they do. <br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwx0b2PUl2z9ld1u5C2lkKgK1AqGBApU6yh1_pVv-9LYjkUcYAkX5vMyXzkdckBt63Y85Qng5huonxd-Y9fSOfcWFlpB8tAb8dq7ooMhTRz3_0kj6GQvZAvdrzcY1aSYdqsVUHhLtiiB4/s1187/CBC+Vancouver.+Journalistic+Standards+and+Practices+%2528JSP%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="324" data-original-width="1187" height="174" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwx0b2PUl2z9ld1u5C2lkKgK1AqGBApU6yh1_pVv-9LYjkUcYAkX5vMyXzkdckBt63Y85Qng5huonxd-Y9fSOfcWFlpB8tAb8dq7ooMhTRz3_0kj6GQvZAvdrzcY1aSYdqsVUHhLtiiB4/w640-h174/CBC+Vancouver.+Journalistic+Standards+and+Practices+%2528JSP%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p>Ronald J. Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07435431062943796717noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4348701342332004441.post-2177691960323454752021-01-09T23:38:00.045-08:002021-01-19T21:05:46.472-08:00COVID-19 Deaths in Burnaby and Vancouver Seniors Lodges - "the Little Mountain Disaster"<p><b><span style="font-size: large;">A TALE OF TWO NURSING HOMES </span><br /></b></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><b>41 Dead at Little Mountain Place, Vancouver</b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><b>29 Dead at Harmony Court, Burnaby</b></span><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>Because we are sentimental creatures, our smartphones are crammed with photographs. Only a very few record dramatic moments in our lives, because those events occur too quickly for us to even think in terms of pictures. Strange it is that, during this "greatest of modern pandemics" we are surrounded by intensely dramatic situations, and yet nobody is "getting the shot". Our cities have been stricken by incidents of mass-death, yet these horrible dramas are played out in veiled secrecy. Who benefits?</b><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">On Wednesday I read a startling report that described the emergency vaccination of all survivors living and working at <b>Little Mountain Place</b>, a Vancouver nursing home. In total, 41 residents have died of COVID-19 during an outbreak that has lasted six weeks. I hasten to add that 41 fatalities is a B.C. Provincial record - the largest number of COVID deaths at a single location. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">Equally startling was the comment of reporter <b>Mike Howell</b> (20 years of experience) who was, naturally, reluctant to enter a 'Hot Zone' that Provincial Health Officer <b>Dr. Bonnie Henry</b> had described as being "<b><i>incredibly lethal</i></b>". Howell wrote that, "<i>Over the span of two hours, no residents or staff were visible in the many windows of the care home, which still has a Christmas tree visible in its lobby and a string of lights across the entrance way.</i>" Finally, the executive director of the facility emerged and dismissed the curious reporter by stating that all questions should be directed to <b>Vancouver Coastal Health</b>.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">As it happens, one of my New Year's resolutions was to re-activate this news blog, and devote personal resources in 2021 to gathering facts and stories about what the Flu Pandemic and its bed-partner, the "Great Reset" promises to inflict upon our community, our nation, and our world. In that spirit, on Thursday morning, after gym, I set out for Little Mountain to see things for myself.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"> </p><p><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Cold Reality</span> in a <span style="color: red;">Covid Hot Zone</span></span> <br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqiUxtKAzAUQaWgLvhhonrgjt45nlFcntHRzJkHT6EK5Lj0fGG4lVkUmgvJfdOKDdrPOCs1menUwFlfXFJQP2rWSObhiCUCQLt00X2B2Qoqy8P5NU77tP3M9uh-2vQJLXZa_N2HyhLV-A/s2048/Record+41+Covid+deaths+at+Little+Mountain+Place%252C+a+Vancouver+BC+nursing+home+.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqiUxtKAzAUQaWgLvhhonrgjt45nlFcntHRzJkHT6EK5Lj0fGG4lVkUmgvJfdOKDdrPOCs1menUwFlfXFJQP2rWSObhiCUCQLt00X2B2Qoqy8P5NU77tP3M9uh-2vQJLXZa_N2HyhLV-A/w640-h426/Record+41+Covid+deaths+at+Little+Mountain+Place%252C+a+Vancouver+BC+nursing+home+.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red;"><b>Little Mountain Place - 421 confirmed dead at Care Home</b></span><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b>330 East 36th Ave. (at Walden St.) Vancouver, 116 room facility</b><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">My primary goal was to acquire my own set of photos, and form my own impressions of the site. On Thursday at noon, I found Little Mountain Place just as Mike Howell had left it. Not a single employee in sight. Not a single resident peeking out a window! I assumed that the 41 bodies had been removed, one by one, via the loading ramp at the back, so I started there. Birds were chirping, and a lone male jogger passed by, sans mask. Moving to the fenced west-side of the property, nothing disturbed my shooting save for the distant snarl of a carpenter's sabre saw. Finally I drove around the block, past <b>Cartier Park</b> (a few mothers with toddlers in hand) and proceeded to the front of the care home. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">As I stood at the front of "L.M.P." contemplating the bizarre juxtaposition of horror narratives with a sleepy, nondescript streetscape, I suddenly realized what bothered me. This was a building where 99 of the residents had been infected (41 died) and 70 staff infected. They are still dealing with virulent contagion inside, and there is no health warning posted. L.M.P. is nestled in a very populous neighbourhood, with condos and detached homes all around. There is no security guard on the door, no cautionary tape, no warning posters - or anything that might hint of a viral Hot Zone. This is nothing short of a callous disregard for the neighbouring families, compounded by the fact that, as was recently exposed, L.M.P. staff and the local authority (<b>Vancouver Coastal Health</b>) had been suppressing information about the scale and scope of the outbreak. More on that later.<br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Until now I had only known of Little Mountain Place through friends who are members of the Taiwanese charity <a href="https://tzuchi.ca/index.php/en/about-us/tzu-chi-canada/"><b>Tzu Chi Foundation Canada</b></a>. Taiwanese volunteers often visit and donate funds to assist L.M.P., though the residents (and many of the 41 dead) are Cantonese speaking Chinese.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHAsszbPVEB-XobMf_omNenX7ElNf_erVuMj_hT3DWQQvwuxtLXKnt8WkMeWMKpGmWuTpCDKTffOnZEdxm7m4ZMLgaTeK412gHoDtjhxDY-e50KMu0v8ZIWCYdzKOXf-54cSCO1wZN7AQ/s2048/Record+29+Covid+deaths+at+Harmony+Court%252C++a+Burnaby%252C+BC+nursing+home%252C++.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHAsszbPVEB-XobMf_omNenX7ElNf_erVuMj_hT3DWQQvwuxtLXKnt8WkMeWMKpGmWuTpCDKTffOnZEdxm7m4ZMLgaTeK412gHoDtjhxDY-e50KMu0v8ZIWCYdzKOXf-54cSCO1wZN7AQ/w640-h426/Record+29+Covid+deaths+at+Harmony+Court%252C++a+Burnaby%252C+BC+nursing+home%252C++.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">On Friday at noon, I photographed the front-half of <b>AgeCare Harmony Court</b>, which is located near the busy intersection of Canada Way and Edmonds. Harmony Court bears the unhappy distinction of ranking highest in COVID Flu deaths among the many seniors complexes operating in Burnaby. Since November 19th a total of <b>29 residents have died</b>, and there again we have the cold reality of hidden horrors. All passing pedestrians are oblivious to the ghastly events that have been endured by residents and staff alike. As you can see for yourself, (photo) there is not the slightest public notification of the health crisis inside. No security, no warning posters, nothing. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">I can guarantee that if secrecy were abandoned, and the public not treated like fools, good-hearted people would have lain flowers outside, or could perhaps give a cheery wave to any frightened resident who appeared at the window. Some of the details of these epidemic deaths emerged a week ago, but I am not convinced it is common knowledge. Most people I know gave up on watching "<b><i>the Bonnie and Adrian show</i></b>" long ago, and pay little attention to news reports.<br /></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhHJhe0n6UauaJ_W2F3ecXJ2ZTL00oXCqg9L0SwuPRbIEnSTsyZv5SRS-58C_Ll2ACb6ZQredqXjbrLPxa5YK0RVBUmlDbTP8MW9yPOCT-cDXvGS9YBi4-8X7OP3LqNLPEJitjA7QYC1A/s2048/Harmony+Court+promotion+sign%252C++Burnaby%252C+BC.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhHJhe0n6UauaJ_W2F3ecXJ2ZTL00oXCqg9L0SwuPRbIEnSTsyZv5SRS-58C_Ll2ACb6ZQredqXjbrLPxa5YK0RVBUmlDbTP8MW9yPOCT-cDXvGS9YBi4-8X7OP3LqNLPEJitjA7QYC1A/w640-h426/Harmony+Court+promotion+sign%252C++Burnaby%252C+BC.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-size: x-large;">MASS DEATH and MASS MEDIA</span><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">Our province and our country have been held captive for almost a year by the Corona-virus and by governments that immediately imposed a hybrid form of <b>Medical Martial Law</b>. We all placed our trust in figurehead leadership, and Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition in Ottawa, and in all ten Canadian provinces, stood down. Never in the history of Canada has government been totally spared of a single dissenting voice in the Legislature or the news media. In such a no-threat environment, even a bunny rabbit would grow complacent. </span><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Little Mountain Place may be managed by a "non-profit society" but have no doubt that it is run by the Province. It has 116. single-occupancy rooms for which each resident pays 80% of their annual net income (ie. their pension cheques) with the Province carrying the larger portion of expenses. (The 2019 Operating Budget $15.9 million, and shows <b>Vancouver Coastal Health contributed $13.2 million dollars. </b>The chief expense of course is labour. L.M.P. is a union shop. Approximately 120 staff are members of the <b>Hospital Employees Union (H.E.U.)</b><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">An outbreak of COVID-19 was declared at Little Mountain on November 22, 2020. Within very few days dozens of patients were crashing, and confined to their rooms on the second and thirds floors. The staff Director agreed to a conference call with families, arranged for December 7th. In the Zoom call she admitted that 59 were sickened and 5 had already died. A V.C.H. doctor participated, and he praised the efficacy of ant-infection protocols that staff had been taught to adhere to. What wasn't admitted was that staff were becoming infected almost as fast as the residents. (70 staff have tested positive) <b>CTV News</b> reported on December 16th, that <b>17 residents had died</b>. The information derived from frightened and angry relatives, as the care home, the health authority, and government were not giving out death counts for specific homes. Finally, <b>Radio News 1130</b> was given access to the recorded conference calls, and on Christmas Eve, sounded the alarm. 93 residents had contracted the virus, and 31 were dead.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Most information on "<i>the Little Mountain Disaster</i>"<span style="color: red;"><b>**</b></span> derives from Zoom conference calls that participants "leaked" to radio, television and print reporters. (Unless non-disclosure agreements were signed, I think the appropriate word is "provided". And thank God they did, or this whole disaster would have been stuffed down the Memory Hole, along with most of the history of Canada's first COVID-year.<br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: red;">** so dubbed in a story published by the <b>South China Morning Post</b>, of Hong Kong. </span><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">In a Zoom call convened on December 29th, a verbal summary was provided to families by <b>Dr. Andrew Hurlburt,</b> the designated "<i>V.C.H. infection inspector</i>." Hurlburt who was as candid as he dare be, admitted that "<i>multiple infected staff</i>" brought the disease into the facility. The problem, he said, was that infected staff were either asymptomatic, or perhaps in the spirit of toughing it out for the benefit of their frail charges, showed up for work and did not report their symptoms. Here Dr. Hurlburt introduced a new term that we must add to our <span style="font-family: helvetica;">pandemic lexicon</span>. "<b><i>Presenteeism</i></b>"is when a staff member, with all good intentions, downplays medical symptoms, and shows up for work.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">In the case of L.M.P. all of the residents were very old and infirm, and so 41 quickly died. All of the staff are of working age and healthy. 70 tested positive, but none died. Dr. Hurlburt described the disaster as a "perfect storm". Perhaps, but it was a storm the care home had nine months to prepare for, and 41 passengers should not have drowned.<br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_YEUd8ugA035lm4UsFApWn25pdAl7gCIOWTrEPEHPvAX69IYNRGHhyphenhyphenbRC71LujoSEDH2hQiNuumfB7gOvEE46vF86sPBalcLqzYoklYokiWKsm_PvuTWpRtV4BCSgnQwMhooq0mZn3vQ/s650/Investigation+of+deaths+at+Little+Mountain+-+residents+got+Covid-19+from+the+staff.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="424" data-original-width="650" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_YEUd8ugA035lm4UsFApWn25pdAl7gCIOWTrEPEHPvAX69IYNRGHhyphenhyphenbRC71LujoSEDH2hQiNuumfB7gOvEE46vF86sPBalcLqzYoklYokiWKsm_PvuTWpRtV4BCSgnQwMhooq0mZn3vQ/w400-h261/Investigation+of+deaths+at+Little+Mountain+-+residents+got+Covid-19+from+the+staff.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red;"><b>Dr. Hurlburt says staff infected patients at Little Mountain - 41 Died</b></span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red;"><b><br /></b></span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red;"><b><br /></b></span></td></tr></tbody></table><p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Dr. Bonnie Henry is Stung</span><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Dr. Hurlburt's findings are what they are, but if we are to have a public airing of the tragedy, it is only because the families turned to <b>Ian Young</b>, the Vancouver representative of the <i>South China Morning Post</i>, Hong Kong's heavyweight English daily. Young spent the Christmas holidays digging, and his initial story appeared on New Year's Day. He reported that when he sat down with <b>Angela Millar</b>, the Director of L.M.P., he got the same treatment that had tormented the families. Asked if the death toll had risen to 31, as reported by <b>NEWS 1130</b>, Ms. Millar stuck the lower number 17. "<i>We've had four Zoom meetings, so I don't know which one you're referring to, but at the time we gave the information it was accurate</i>." With that Ms. Millar deflected the puck into the corner, referring Young to higher authority - Vancouver Coastal Health. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">After striding up the driveway at 330 East 36th Avenue, Ian Young turned for a last look before writing his story. "<i>From the street, on a cold and rainy winter's evening on Wednesday, the only evidence of the outbreak was that most of the home's windows were ajar</i>." In fact, in the upper floors men and women were still dying. Ten more (that we know of) would die after he stepped off the property. His article certainly caused a stir in Victoria, and it caused a few flak-catchers to pare down New Year plans.<br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Dr. Bonnie Henry is our Provincial Health Officer, and during our first COVID-year she achieved a level of public acclaim that rivals sainthood. She is our Mother Theresa. That reality was acknowledged by the <b>New York Times</b> which profiled Henry in June of 2020. The Times published a photo of Dr. Henry posed beneath stained glass windows, the gaudy colours mottling her face and clothing. The Little Mountain Disaster was dangerous for her, and she knew it. The S.C.M.P. story was solid and damning, and it was forcing our local media to take a closer look. <br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">At the scheduled press briefing on January 4, Richard Zussman of <b>Global Television</b> became the first reporter to take a direct shot on goal. He asked Dr. Henry why the province no longer released case and death counts for individual care homes, when those statistics "<i>used to be provided daily</i>". He emphasized "<i>daily</i>", and further asked at what point the Province might step ion and provide additional support to the ravaged senior's facility. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">She started by insisting that "<i>there's been no change in policy</i>", but then pivoted into a weak and convoluted claim that the surge in deaths during December had resulted in a decision to provide "<i>aggregate numbers"</i> instead of making factual statements about casualties at individual outbreaks. A transcript of her explanation - "<b><i>but as the number increased, the actual person power to get that information every day, and collate it, was taking hours, and hours, and hours of epidemiology time. Um... because we do not have an IT system that allows us to do that efficiently, so we went top aggregate numbers</i></b>." <br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq6EHOAvdnqGhH3psNbdyCvjUy4QoD5eXyI2vSi3RzbKPGuM6K9oZFp8Vt9M4HahUhbjuT3fJzo536V3UdCvvBNkDxTUhFud6r0QP6oKrPlgtnMi_zhALQ8WkT3phW9udBxf_fhx2hpII/s1156/Bonnie+Henry+pinned+on+failure+to+release+timely+nursing+home+death+counts%252C+Jan.+4%252C+2021.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="891" data-original-width="1156" height="494" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq6EHOAvdnqGhH3psNbdyCvjUy4QoD5eXyI2vSi3RzbKPGuM6K9oZFp8Vt9M4HahUhbjuT3fJzo536V3UdCvvBNkDxTUhFud6r0QP6oKrPlgtnMi_zhALQ8WkT3phW9udBxf_fhx2hpII/w640-h494/Bonnie+Henry+pinned+on+failure+to+release+timely+nursing+home+death+counts%252C+Jan.+4%252C+2021.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red;"><b>Dr. Bonnie Henry explaining missing data on COVID Deaths in BC Nursing Homes</b><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">If you want to understand just how dishonest was Dr. Henry's answer to Mr. Zussman's fair question, I invite you watch a few episodes of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCx_8ri2rYergbu_06VNSPlw"><b>THE BEHAVIOUR PANEL</b></a> on Youtube. The panel of four professional analysts is both informative and entertaining. (Recently they deconstructed the alibis of <b>Carole Baskin,</b> the female nemesis on Netflix's <i><b>TIGER KING </b></i>series.) Better yet, if you want skills to apply in your own life, have a read of the 2012 book <b>SPY THE LIE</b>, written by veteran C.I.A. interrogators. The point of the exercise is not to tarnish Dr. Henry's reputation, but to challenge those with political power, and demand they call a halt to hidden fiasco's, like hiding the ghastly death counts among our most vulnerable seniors. <br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b> GENUINE DATA AT LAST</b></span><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Ian Young followed up, on January 8th, with an even more thorough investigation of the L.M.P. disaster. Fortunately, Dr. Bonnie Henry had been stung, and somehow she (and <b>Health Minister Adrian Dix</b>) not only sorted out their "IT" problem, but on January 7th they issued a splendid new information packet - a fifteen page summary entitled <i><b>Weekly COVID-19 Outbreak Report for Long-Term Care, Assisted Living and Independent Living Facilities</b></i>,<b><i> January 7, 2021</i></b>. Up until now the news agencies were only given the names of nursing homes ravaged by the Flu, but no details. (The first COVID outbreak in B.C. was in the <b>Lynn Valley Lodge</b>, in March of 2020,) This document has details for 51 locations. It remains to be seen if B.C. Health will continue to fess up, or if the numbers will bounce around. I had been collecting the monthly report of the <b>B.C. Vital Statistics Agency</b> all through 2020, and with each publication, the data was bouncing around. I will comment on what the numbers tell us, in a future article.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">As a public historian, I care about the creation of a permanent factual record of our shared pandemic experience. "Power" is concentrated in the hands of only a few hundred people in this Province, and they are responsible for all permanent outcomes. This article is a tale of two nursing homes, which shared 70 deaths in the space of only a few days. The big question I would ask, because of how the the COVID-narrative was spun over ten months, is how many of those 70 patients went to hospital I.C.U.s, and how many were simply made as comfortable as possible, and allowed to die in their residential units? That information, where the victims died, was not given in the data-dro<span style="color: red;"><span style="color: black;">p. </span><b> </b></span><span style="color: red;"><b>**</b></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: small;">** In the UK for example, the <b>Office For National Statistics </b>separates COVID deaths into four piles - "<b>HOSPITAL, CARE HOME, HOME, OTHER</b>" - extracting fact from Official death Certificates.</span></span><b><span style="color: red;"> </span></b></span><br /></p><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEiXczMFNc6P25hq-HZ31UhtG4DpZrDxoog_Aq0cei8YEE3opmTtvamxiEhCLSxmW8QwQtttilnqAcT1cFc4u80LAuJD4lz1Xq1RouKBjB7v7Hfa2m5qnZp_RDrL9KvO4-yYEJLPLTBcU/s1519/+Covid-19+Outbreak+Report+for+Nursing+Homes+and+Seniors+Facilities+in+B.C.+January+7%252C+2021.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="922" data-original-width="1519" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEiXczMFNc6P25hq-HZ31UhtG4DpZrDxoog_Aq0cei8YEE3opmTtvamxiEhCLSxmW8QwQtttilnqAcT1cFc4u80LAuJD4lz1Xq1RouKBjB7v7Hfa2m5qnZp_RDrL9KvO4-yYEJLPLTBcU/w400-h243/+Covid-19+Outbreak+Report+for+Nursing+Homes+and+Seniors+Facilities+in+B.C.+January+7%252C+2021.png" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b> </b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Here is the extracted data for Little Mountain Place (Vancouver) and for AgeCare Harmony Court, (Burnaby) dated January 7, 2021:</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhraQFiT9jqJkqG9tZzHBr1ONj7oq5mQvbLIXhbGIp9BOh_OZgxr8fE0YayRWAKims4XPpXviulJ-qlNEV7Sy4msoNDg8Idi02eWg1vAQPW1thOyrx-3sakcwsI5tu7h4z7Dt0vhMFJhUU/s1309/Active+Covid+Outbreak%252C++deaths%252C+Little+Mountain%252C++at+January+6%252C+2021.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="587" data-original-width="1309" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhraQFiT9jqJkqG9tZzHBr1ONj7oq5mQvbLIXhbGIp9BOh_OZgxr8fE0YayRWAKims4XPpXviulJ-qlNEV7Sy4msoNDg8Idi02eWg1vAQPW1thOyrx-3sakcwsI5tu7h4z7Dt0vhMFJhUU/w640-h286/Active+Covid+Outbreak%252C++deaths%252C+Little+Mountain%252C++at+January+6%252C+2021.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3m5fFVMJLq3MB4q1bNt4vH7rnuTUKAeYkMARwk0ba2nxQHzAqPQKkctqHUd8YcPM2vvG7wNlpGKs_Ec4x4uOYYR9rq6Bh4KCAF_zfucUj2v7AvmwO4xoZMKFafbjPBZGHydFqwW2Vvl0/s1312/Active+Covid+Outbreak+%2528AgeCare+Burnaby%2528+Jan.+6%252C+2021.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="217" data-original-width="1312" height="106" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3m5fFVMJLq3MB4q1bNt4vH7rnuTUKAeYkMARwk0ba2nxQHzAqPQKkctqHUd8YcPM2vvG7wNlpGKs_Ec4x4uOYYR9rq6Bh4KCAF_zfucUj2v7AvmwO4xoZMKFafbjPBZGHydFqwW2Vvl0/w640-h106/Active+Covid+Outbreak+%2528AgeCare+Burnaby%2528+Jan.+6%252C+2021.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b> </b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b> </b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Chris Campbell</b>, over at the <b>BURNABY NOW</b>, was quite blunt in his reaction to the B.C. Government's sudden launch of a weekly account of COVID-carnage in care homes. "<i><b>The B.C. government finally stepped in this week where some health authorities have (deliberately) fallen down when it comes to more detailed data on COVID-19 outbreaks</b></i>". Mr. Campbell has a personal interest in forcing the NDP Government to be mores responsive to terrorized families. He revealed in an article published in 2020 that his own 83-year-old mom was a resident in a care home, and he was frightened for her. Because he is a newsman, he is perceived to have influence. "<b><i>Many of those family members have literally begged me to write about the care homes since the pandemic began. They wanted to raise the alarm about the situation to force more action.</i></b>"<br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify;">Just before Christmas I heard a ranking union official claim that the
solution to Corona-virus deaths among the vulnerable elderly, was to unionize "all" nursing homes and assisted living
facilities in British Columbia. If you consult the magazine published by the H.E.U. you will find commentary on how this Flu Pandemic is providing organized labour a golden
opportunity to enlarge the membership, and go after the "<b><i>For Profit</i></b>" facilities. The
Little Mountain Disaster provides concrete evidence that deadly
contagions do not respect union cards, nor would the rank and file benefit from attempts at making direct comparisons. The urgent solution, as Dr. Hurlburt found at Little Mountain, is 100% adherence
to safety protocols. Many non-union caregivers are already achieving
that level of competence.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><br />Ronald J. Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07435431062943796717noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4348701342332004441.post-74521629288685924922019-09-23T11:43:00.003-07:002021-01-09T15:34:06.494-08:00Edward Snowden lands at Metrotown<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
The Edward Snowden memoir, <b>PERMANENT RECORD</b>, has safely landed at Metrotown Mall, and that is good news. As some of you may know, the American Government wants this man dead, and because they failed to prevent publication of this book, they are now trying to use their courts to seize all author royalties. I sought to locate a copy, so on Sunday I made my way to the INDIGO bookstore. The mall was exceptionally crowded, and the parking decks packed solid. There were easily 200 people in the bookstore itself, a few even buying books. A helpful staffer escorted me to the display I was seeking. (photo below)</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img alt="PERMANENT RECORD by Edward Snowden. Canadian Edition, Sept. 2019" border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7Ibt1VVeDeZjwQ5Y59u684RFnZ1hkhB5Iw9sMFJc7AxQwcSrZ1lpS2G0d4DSRE2xPNgipn-nhGKx1Of95NjSuEYMYAdCRBn_gtAHmwp1cOe_brctmcbSZiwyM2i-jguYFbdHDAPlluNg/s400/Jacket%252C+back.JPG" title="PERMANENT RECORD by Edward Snowden. Canadian Edition, Sept. 2019" width="300" /> from</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The store has only the hardcover edition, but it is discounted to an even $25 dollars, and that is well under the publishers suggested retail price. Oddly, the Canadian ISBN label (in photo above) categorizes <b>PERMANENT RECORD</b> under the bland phrase "Current Events". No matter.</div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbreqkj0Th0CydI6dbxMaNDCq8g0hzqTeFj6-mBFN2TFu68Q7V9TKq__J6LtsWkghoU0spkr9MRon5clc4Tw4TPLa96CQ6BFbts1DhnU49gXwPUj6V5GXfiiv16AqqCxp-_8t_g5d3NQY/s1600/Chapters.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="PERMANENT RECORD. Book displayed at INDIGO, Metrotown Mall" border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbreqkj0Th0CydI6dbxMaNDCq8g0hzqTeFj6-mBFN2TFu68Q7V9TKq__J6LtsWkghoU0spkr9MRon5clc4Tw4TPLa96CQ6BFbts1DhnU49gXwPUj6V5GXfiiv16AqqCxp-_8t_g5d3NQY/s400/Chapters.JPG" title="PERMANENT RECORD. Book displayed at INDIGO, Metrotown Mall" width="300" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I don't know how many copies CHAPTERS - INDIGO has shipped to their Metrotown outlet, or how well it sells, but given the ferocious hostility of corporate media to Snowden's message, it is an accomplishment that the book even exists. It is deserving of a wide readership. The writing has been praised, and of course the story of Snowden's defection from the American Surveillance State is of incredible importance. He has proven himself an incredibly brave and altruistic man, whose revelations have confirmed our worst suspicions about U.S. intentions.</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The most enthusiastic review I have read so far, appeared in THE GUARDIAN. Here is the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/books/2019/sep/23/permanent-record-edward-snowden-review"><span style="color: red;">LINK</span></a>.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The Guardian declares the memoir "a gripping spy story". Much more accurate than "Current Events," don't you agree?</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghX_sYJbC38_xdK0CZ7KtJaoqNITjdQLjcLHeTtG-5JcT7Tg6BPeIUBr8O-XzA6ZEaDIYtDyBuGQoJLgQJjqugUchiYnTckC1MJjAB2BMl-cUKwxTpVN7xHfxK5GbSv-sDOgVgjESS1CU/s1600/Permanent+Record+by+Edward+Snowden+-+THE+GUARDIAN.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="PERMANENT RECORD - by Edward Snowden. THE GUARDIAN book review." border="0" data-original-height="526" data-original-width="884" height="379" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghX_sYJbC38_xdK0CZ7KtJaoqNITjdQLjcLHeTtG-5JcT7Tg6BPeIUBr8O-XzA6ZEaDIYtDyBuGQoJLgQJjqugUchiYnTckC1MJjAB2BMl-cUKwxTpVN7xHfxK5GbSv-sDOgVgjESS1CU/s640/Permanent+Record+by+Edward+Snowden+-+THE+GUARDIAN.png" title="PERMANENT RECORD - by Edward Snowden. THE GUARDIAN book review." width="640" /></a></div>
<b><span style="color: red;"></span></b><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b><br /><br />For those planning to just borrow a copy at the public library, I have checked availability for you. The Burnaby has purchased six copies for the system, and only two of those for the Metrotown Branch. Today there is a waiting list of 37 people for those six copies.</b></div>
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: red;">An extract from PERMANENT RECORD (pages 252-253) </span></b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: red;">Edward Snowden describes his days of "War Driving".</span></b></span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdSJG2-v2I5xtA7LkXAprbLFu_VAqfp_frNdgMRyJ7eG-e1tlAyz4uGzQP1NfSZmW9PLfm5W3k7m9T2XQSIzEhtF_5w8qRox0DSLQBfxtEjgZz59sNhuS8gUeaEchhCUdLcUEoJtonk8w/s1600/Scan+1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Edward Snowden describes "War Driving"" border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1048" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdSJG2-v2I5xtA7LkXAprbLFu_VAqfp_frNdgMRyJ7eG-e1tlAyz4uGzQP1NfSZmW9PLfm5W3k7m9T2XQSIzEhtF_5w8qRox0DSLQBfxtEjgZz59sNhuS8gUeaEchhCUdLcUEoJtonk8w/s400/Scan+1.jpg" title="Edward Snowden describes "War Driving"" width="261" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibGI_2ECAKUqYDJGlx1zbPaZ3PO6v0ATnBUnwChWtjdNvRo2VkPGrjky2fI5_sFn_ePTFjifbAOBcCB6ZrwpJcAXxVwpOK5wd8PXHVbS5x_sQDaqsi7-6by6NBRckL4m1zkhyphenhyphen-s_RQDDM/s1600/Scan+2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Edward Snowden describes "War Driving"." border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1069" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibGI_2ECAKUqYDJGlx1zbPaZ3PO6v0ATnBUnwChWtjdNvRo2VkPGrjky2fI5_sFn_ePTFjifbAOBcCB6ZrwpJcAXxVwpOK5wd8PXHVbS5x_sQDaqsi7-6by6NBRckL4m1zkhyphenhyphen-s_RQDDM/s400/Scan+2.jpg" title="Edward Snowden describes "War Driving"" width="266" /></a></div>
<b><span style="color: red;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="color: red;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="color: red;"><br /></span></b>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">ARCHIVAL</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span>Part of the "permanent record" now includes the lawsuit undertaken by the American "Deep State". Here are page 1 and page 14 of the Court Filing, dated September 17, 2019:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9FqWf1sVNXny-xvLCyFulLQ7j9YqmpoNeXz8sUFjGonzZ0WKdxk3ugK7IrB7AURQPI2LcVqWBDFNkSnvT-El-49WlqVl4-xEKTUyypSB0j7OXihQjVRjgG7js2fII09mEXmpAtTJqAYI/s1600/snowden-001+pdf.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="USA versus Edward Snowden, author - Court filing, Sept. 17, 2019" border="0" data-original-height="1182" data-original-width="912" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9FqWf1sVNXny-xvLCyFulLQ7j9YqmpoNeXz8sUFjGonzZ0WKdxk3ugK7IrB7AURQPI2LcVqWBDFNkSnvT-El-49WlqVl4-xEKTUyypSB0j7OXihQjVRjgG7js2fII09mEXmpAtTJqAYI/s640/snowden-001+pdf.png" title="USA versus Edward Snowden, author - Court filing, Sept. 17, 2019" width="492" /></a></div>
<br />
and<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdf07HVielDiXaop7kzSYLuwKyrdW57xqOV4lb81ABrjwhuuSHZHrGdHFrqEQd4kkI-CNCPeveILZX0btLa0BsB92bGjwLAAw5iv_CVsqCjWdkgig1IptCtH_W8HU9ehcRe7obDbrUmY0/s1600/snowden-0014pdf%25281%2529.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="U.S.A. versus Edward Snowden, author - Court filing, September 17, 2019" border="0" data-original-height="1115" data-original-width="911" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdf07HVielDiXaop7kzSYLuwKyrdW57xqOV4lb81ABrjwhuuSHZHrGdHFrqEQd4kkI-CNCPeveILZX0btLa0BsB92bGjwLAAw5iv_CVsqCjWdkgig1IptCtH_W8HU9ehcRe7obDbrUmY0/s640/snowden-0014pdf%25281%2529.png" title="U.S.A . versus Edward Snowden, author - Court filing, September 17, 2019" width="522" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
and<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoOn8_EB4tgqug05FH8_MFUp0RLy_MfR0_LlN3HYQxeJBnC4Lcyg7vE5jIXnJzwiDOIg1cQLh2X10OfycbAGblGbGo74iFyMw8On0wxVVbO4FY1UpZHgCEnau1_pJvw4JSrNR7XNd2Ycg/s1600/Joe+Rogan+Experience+%25231368+-+Edward+Snowden+-+YouTube.+Oct+23%252C+2019.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Edward Snowden - appearance on the JOE ROGAN podcast, October 23, 2019" border="0" data-original-height="1009" data-original-width="1322" height="488" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoOn8_EB4tgqug05FH8_MFUp0RLy_MfR0_LlN3HYQxeJBnC4Lcyg7vE5jIXnJzwiDOIg1cQLh2X10OfycbAGblGbGo74iFyMw8On0wxVVbO4FY1UpZHgCEnau1_pJvw4JSrNR7XNd2Ycg/s640/Joe+Rogan+Experience+%25231368+-+Edward+Snowden+-+YouTube.+Oct+23%252C+2019.png" title="Edwatd Snowden - appearance on the JOE ROGAN podcast ,October 23, 2019" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Edward Snowden was the surprise guest on the<b> <a href="https://open.spotify.com/episode/7MaJD5vZsNSNrKQVEk5gbD">JOE ROGAN podcast</a></b>, October 23, 2019. Snowden spoke for over two hours, and it was the most scintillating monologue I have heard in years. I appreciated every word, and marvelled at how well organized are his Snowden's thoughts. He is not only a heroic figure, but a highly intelligent and compassionate man. By merely walking around and breathing he is a symbolic threat to all politicians, business tycoons and uniformed thugs who "govern" the diversity of nations on this planet.</div>
<br />
<br />Ronald J. Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07435431062943796717noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4348701342332004441.post-81441346497820235472019-09-22T15:30:00.000-07:002019-09-24T22:14:47.063-07:002018 ELECTION COSTS - reporter forces secretive BURNABY to reveal spending figuresIt was an editorial of genuine significance. So important that I scraped it from the BURNABY NOW website, to share here. Chris Campbell won't mind. He is a reporter at the NOW, and he worked with persistence to get us this astonishing information. I am grateful, and so should you be.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: red;"><i>"OPINION: I slogged through the Burnaby bureaucracy for 6 measly numbers" </i><u>Now and Then</u> - September 14, 2019</span> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">Campbell begins his editorial by explaining that in January of this year he read in the <b>Tri-Cities News</b> a breakdown of <b>civic election costs</b> for Coquitlam, Port Moody and Port Coquitlam. He brought this article to the attention of a city of Burnaby functionary, and explained that his paper would like to provide a similar breakdown for the residents of this city. That was eight months ago. After a push-pull session Chris Campbell was persuaded by municipal staff to "wait" until a formal report was submitted to council. As the months fell from the 2019 calendar, the reporter was told the report was "pending". He realized he was being stonewalled, but he waited. An email last summer revealed that in fact, "<i>there would be no report coming on the election costs</i>". </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">All of this has been conducted by Email. Then he received an official response "IN THE MAIL !" informing the BURNABY NOW that the email exchange was being taken as a formal ATIP request, and it had been forwarded to the city finance department. On September 11, 2019 Mr. Campbell received a summary of figures for the 2014 and 2018 municipal elections, "<b>Via email</b>". As she put it, "<b>You can't make this stuff up</b>." He was referring to games-playing, not the financial figures.</span></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglHgcEoZUVOPUk-5MbaVBv6yljcPhcVJfpWxQUAVtR7YQfZMkYYH5xoyWBbL3iiEZih678PdBBLf_3-sQ47xuL2LN3gEFMU9Coy1nznkxRnijQnEX37kCOtWWjYkWepj7PylaXDhLh5Jk/s1600/BBY+NOW+scrape.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="HIDDEN NUMBERS - 2018 Burnaby Civic Election, costs revealed" border="0" data-original-height="954" data-original-width="872" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglHgcEoZUVOPUk-5MbaVBv6yljcPhcVJfpWxQUAVtR7YQfZMkYYH5xoyWBbL3iiEZih678PdBBLf_3-sQ47xuL2LN3gEFMU9Coy1nznkxRnijQnEX37kCOtWWjYkWepj7PylaXDhLh5Jk/s640/BBY+NOW+scrape.jpg" title="HIDDEN NUMBERS - 2018 Burnaby Civic Election, costs revealed" width="584" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: orange;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">MUNICIPAL EXPENDITURE (BURNABY)</span></b></span><br />
<span style="color: orange;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">ON THE 2018 CIVIC ELECTION</span></b></span><br />
<span style="color: orange;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: orange;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">"<b>Software (data fix): $87,312</b></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: orange;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b> Hardware (tabulators): $95,947.03</b></span></span><br />
<span style="color: orange;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b> Voter cost and candidate information packages (print and postage): $141,041.65 </b></span></span><br />
<span style="color: orange;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b> Staff costs - advance polling and day-of-polls: $190, 104.18</b></span></span><br />
<span style="color: orange;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b> Other expenditures (compensation, supplies, etc) $494,693.46</b></span></span><br />
<span style="color: orange;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: orange;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b> TOTAL $1,009,098.32</b>"</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">Of course that is the OFFICIAL taxpayer outlay. The candidates had their individual, and shared campaign expenditures. Those were immediately forthcoming, as required by, and under penalty of the law.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">The 2014 civic election also cost taxpayers more than a million dollars, and Mr. Campbell adds, "<b><i>that's the price to be paid for democracy</i></b>". </span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"> "DEMOCRACY" IN BURNABY</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">All in "the Family" </span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">Consider the following, scraped from news archives:</span></span><br />
<b><span style="color: red;"><i><span style="font-size: large;"><br />"Housing advocates stage three-hour </span></i></span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="color: red;"><i><span style="font-size: large;">sit-in in mayor's office" </span></i></span></b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"> BURNABY NOW, March 9, 2017</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">The photo (below) shows <b>Ivan Drury</b>, a graduate student at SFU (History), occupying Mayor Derek Corrigan's office. Drury was one of the principle organizers of the "<b>Stop Demovictions</b>" campaign, and their efforts definitely got the media's attention during the 2018 Burnaby municipal election. Credit for ousting Mayor Corrigan goes not to the housing activists, or to the voters. Burnaby's most powerful politician was felled by former backers, a union faction that had been loyal to him for years. (It was a bloodless coup d'etat, if you will.) That said, the spectacle of Corrigan lynched by his own "brothers and sisters" in the <b>Burnaby Citizens Association</b> did focus the mind on what the B.C.A. is truly capable of. The <b>BCA - CUPE </b>cabal has run our city for as long as anyone can remember, and I expect it will always rule Burnaby. There is no way to oust a political machine that is in bed with its employees. The BCA and CUPE combine to protect each other against all potential opposition - editorial or electoral. You cannot oust one, without ousting the other. </span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd1NdwX9JSJcN6m1lIEFMdzWQNRlxTiRIbEp5MreKlDwwgoNTELrDPbfuDienMq47ZOdwDriUylALuZT9EAc-y9lhStGS6H6nsCCTqTX151YoEv9sEccGIY5hD6kd2mxjXBnRYaRZq-nk/s1600/Housing+advocates+stage+three-hour+sit-in+in+mayor%25E2%2580%2599s+office.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Ivan Drury, Housing Advocate, staged a sit-in at Burnaby mayor's office" border="0" data-original-height="908" data-original-width="834" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd1NdwX9JSJcN6m1lIEFMdzWQNRlxTiRIbEp5MreKlDwwgoNTELrDPbfuDienMq47ZOdwDriUylALuZT9EAc-y9lhStGS6H6nsCCTqTX151YoEv9sEccGIY5hD6kd2mxjXBnRYaRZq-nk/s400/Housing+advocates+stage+three-hour+sit-in+in+mayor%25E2%2580%2599s+office.jpg" title="Ivan Drury, Housing Advocate, staged a sit-in at Burnaby mayor's office" width="366" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">Ivan Drury is an interesting fellow, and Burnaby politicians are not the only crew he has been screwing with. If you Google Mr. Drury you will harvest a bushel basket of news coverage, and some of his own political articles. He is a tireless organizer and has staged several effective protests. I think he has an acquired taste for unarmed political confrontation. Drury has even been arrested by the lads in Kevlar, and prudently surrendered himself to "lawful force". In his essays he professes to hate "neo-liberal" politicians, those whose pro-diversity posture he considers phony. He labels them "<b>philanthrocapitalists</b>," or worse. As he is an advocate for the truly powerless in B.C., he has my respect. But when he visits<b> Burnaby City Hall </b>he must understand that he is confronting the truly powerful, and they are just as smart as he is. They are not Drury's enemy at all. They just need more time to free up tens of millions of taxpayer dollars, and quietly deal with "affordable housing", without triggering a ratepayer backlash that might cost them a few seats on council. They don't want any pesky freethinkers raising objections at Council meetings. The BCA concept of "Democracy" is essentially Maoist, as Mr. Corrigan recently found out.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">What Housing Advocates like Ivan Drury will not acknowledge, while ranting and chanting about civic politicians being in the pockets of developers, is that the City of Burnaby (our example at hand) is itself the primary developer. The city makes the rules, skims heavily at the table, and decides who gets to play the game. The city profits on every project it allows to go forward, and never concerns itself with the fate of those "believers" who buy a ticket to ride the condo elevator. As we know, that elevator often stalls between floors, trapping more than a few. The Burnaby politicians, and their enablers, have demonstrated time-after-time that they shared lust for permanent control over this wealthy civic hive. Their concept of "Democracy" is dollar driven and utterly ruthless. Derek Corrigan was certainly the <b>Robert Mugabe</b> of B.C. politics, and nobody''s teddy-bear, but it wasn't "the voters" who decided his fate. We were told that retired fireman <b>Mike Hurley</b> was an "<i>Independent</i>" candidate for mayor, nudge nudge, wink wink. It just happens that his union is one of the puzzle pieces that combine to complete that happy portrait of the prosperous B.C.A. "family". Has any eavesdropper detected disharmony at City Hall? Has a family councillor been called in to mediate between "Papa" Hurley and a united squad of NDP siblings? Of course not. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">EATING THE WEALTHY CHINESE</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">After years of our burial in mind-numbing political rhetoric and baffle-gab, there seems no basis for a frank an open discussion of where Greater Vancouver thinks it is going. Individual sovereignty died here decades ago. Owning property is no longer a security for your old age. It is a responsibility to feed the beast. One question never asked is "Why... why do so many newcomers from Asia, allow white municipal governments to kick their teeth in, with those unbelievably extortionate levels of taxation and punitive penalties?" Such passivity boggles the mind. The Chinese now exist in sufficient numbers here, that with just a little organization they could win elections and turf out the racist feather-beders who have us all by the throat. Yet they take the abuse. Astonishing. (Yes I know, every municipal regime in the GVRD has its temple dogs, (the BCA has a few) but that should not distract our attention from the faces of priestly class who runs these rigged civic elections.)</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"> While I am in sympathy with some of Mr. Drury's "eat the wealthy" credo, he will ultimately realize that activism may gain him celebrity, but it won't kick start a revolution. The primary weakness of all young firebrands is that they profess a deep a cynicism, and yet all of their solutions evidence a persistent belief in "the system". Here in Burnaby the NDP control all three levels of "democratic" government. The city council and mayor of Burnaby are all NDP loyalists, living in symbiosis with their funding unions. There is no dissenting voice in the council chamber. Not a one. What is "democratic" in all of THAT? The true cynics in Canada no longer vote, and we should all in fact continue to boycott a rigged game. (Approximately 1/3 of registered voters bothered to vote in the 2018 Burnaby civic election.) Mr. Drury is an historian, and he knows that despotic dynasties can only be toppled by revolution. Since that proposition is definitely off the table, all that is left to him, and to us, is pay our taxes like obedient serfs, and hide the cow and the chickens. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /> "Burnaby approves Metrotown downtown plan</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: large;">after raucous council meetiing" <b><span style="color: black; font-size: small;">CBC News July 25, 1917</span></b></span></span></span></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggXjV3AMHtHMEnpARk7JOBI46l_KQbM0HChTb4n06_OiCVT-qobGihFDt2Ph8_GYJByAF7Ioj8BuyS2wIY_UlWTyBKC9tdbf8G4pWaqSoJW9LfxZOA1Bf1Kq04cYeqVeh0jpG8lGB07A8/s1600/CBC.+Burnaby+approves+Metrotown+downtown+plan+after+raucous+council+meeting+CBC+News.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Demonstrators disrupt Burnaby City Council Meeting - July 2017" border="0" data-original-height="851" data-original-width="793" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggXjV3AMHtHMEnpARk7JOBI46l_KQbM0HChTb4n06_OiCVT-qobGihFDt2Ph8_GYJByAF7Ioj8BuyS2wIY_UlWTyBKC9tdbf8G4pWaqSoJW9LfxZOA1Bf1Kq04cYeqVeh0jpG8lGB07A8/s640/CBC.+Burnaby+approves+Metrotown+downtown+plan+after+raucous+council+meeting+CBC+News.jpg" title="Demonstrators distrupt Burnaby City Council Meeting - July 2017" width="596" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">In this photo (above) we see Ivan Drury and protesters disrupting a meeting of City Council.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Three RCMP officers stand alert, ready to defend a chamber of democracy. Elected office holders had discreetly absented themselves. </span><br />
<br />Ronald J. Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07435431062943796717noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4348701342332004441.post-52240939701906496052019-08-06T22:08:00.002-07:002019-08-08T18:40:44.558-07:00Chinese Black Tea - How to Enjoy a pot with Confidence<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.693333625793457px; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>We Canadians should drink Chinese tea more often. Here in Burnaby we are fortunate to have access to some of the finest teas on the market, and yet how many of us hesitate to sample them? In our home we like to boast that we have our own "Tea Museum". We get away with such incautious remarks because over the years many good friends have given us gifts of superb teas, some of them purchased at auction in Taiwan and China. My favourite tea is Formosa Oolong, but in fact I like many varieties. I am not competent to describe good tea, or to make recommendations, so I asked a friend to help me out. She writes well, and is also a photographer. So the photographs are hers too.</b></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.693333625793457px; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<div style="font-family: calibri; font-size: 11pt;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>What if CONSUMER REPORTS magazine <br /><br />tested Chinese Puer (Dark Tea)?</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.693333625793457px; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.693333625793457px; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">by Amethyst Yi Chen</span></b><br />
<div style="font-family: calibri; font-size: 11pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: calibri; font-size: 11pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: calibri; font-size: 11pt; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY6VgH4mvwUZJQVp4pYTukjn7B2BKk-_cOVSxW2Ij9XLKGZ4FX2_BBYIVRLDa_8rvDVtZaxl12081TSzCdrLVDygP1cZRRX9udSpL-sIFfH_aZ39WPyy6OR9sVfAliATlUsHGHvOhEJd8/s1600/Tea+Service.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Testing Chinese Puer - Consumer Reports Style" border="0" data-original-height="1132" data-original-width="1508" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY6VgH4mvwUZJQVp4pYTukjn7B2BKk-_cOVSxW2Ij9XLKGZ4FX2_BBYIVRLDa_8rvDVtZaxl12081TSzCdrLVDygP1cZRRX9udSpL-sIFfH_aZ39WPyy6OR9sVfAliATlUsHGHvOhEJd8/s640/Tea+Service.jpg" title="Testing Chinese Puer - Consumer Reports Style" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="font-family: calibri; font-size: 11pt;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.693333625793457px; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.693333625793457px; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
The prices of Chinese teas can range from cheap to extremely expensive. For example, you can buy a box of Lipton Black Tea which contains 20 tea bags in Superstore for only $16. However, expensive teas can cost more than $2,000 or can be so extreme that you need to attend the auction for it. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.693333625793457px; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
Do more expensive teas generally taste better? What are the factors behind the pricing of tea? It is worth understanding the pricing rationale, so that you can make a better purchasing decision. There are many types of tea available in the market, with each there are different ways to determine the quality. Therefore, we are going to mainly focus on the sheng Puer tea today. <o:p></o:p><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.693333625793457px; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<b>What is Puer?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.693333625793457px; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
There are two types of Puer tea – sheng Puer and shu Puer, which literally mean raw Puer and matured Puer, respectively. Each style begins with Puer Mao Cha (unfinished tea). To be considered a Puer, the tea leaves must be grown in Yunnan Province and must be from descendants of Da Ye Zhong (large leaf type). The leaves must also be dried in the sun. The difference between sheng and shu Puer is the processing methods for each. Sheng Puer is a style of Puer where Mao Cha is aged naturally over time. Aging here means a combination of oxidation and fermentation. On the other hand, Shu Puer is wherein Mao Cha is pile-fermented, a process known as wet piling. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.693333625793457px; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.693333625793457px; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVk8CFgcPgKTz8tDsqJyniHN66bHHpypqUJUZY3Ly9T6HDEyoUBovDZ6hWtd2o31R_tgZxyC8Ku8s6nB0Rn62ism7lbkopl5pMYDQZgjow4rgKj9HwPC6B07QiRZrUu_YBCb2KlulSVFs/s1600/Chinese+Black+Tea+-+a+costlier+specimen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Simao Yunnan Puer Cake, 2008 Limited Edition" border="0" data-original-height="1592" data-original-width="1600" height="636" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVk8CFgcPgKTz8tDsqJyniHN66bHHpypqUJUZY3Ly9T6HDEyoUBovDZ6hWtd2o31R_tgZxyC8Ku8s6nB0Rn62ism7lbkopl5pMYDQZgjow4rgKj9HwPC6B07QiRZrUu_YBCb2KlulSVFs/s640/Chinese+Black+Tea+-+a+costlier+specimen.jpg" title="Simao Yunnan Puer Cake, 2008 Limited Edition" width="640" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.693333625793457px; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.693333625793457px; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<b>Products I am Tasting<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.693333625793457px; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
Here is the list of sheng Puer that will be tested, sorting from low to high price:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.693333625793457px; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<i>David’s Tea Sheng Puer:</i>$8.98 for 50g, one-year aged<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.693333625793457px; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<i>Cha Le Aged Lotus Pu’er Loose 2007</i>: $12 for 50g, 12-year aged<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.693333625793457px; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<i>Cha Le Aged Sheng Pu’er Cake 2007</i>: $180 for 357g (equivalent to $25 for 50g), 12-year aged<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.693333625793457px; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<i>Yunnan Tingxiang Puer Cake 2015</i>: $300 for 357g (equivalent to $42 for 50g), 4-year aged<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.693333625793457px; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<i>Simao Yunnan Puer Cake, 2008 Limited Edition</i>: $1300 for 400g (equivalent to $162 for 50g), 11-year aged<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.693333625793457px; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
Whether it tastes nice or bad sometimes can depend on personal preference, but the quality of tea is strictly determined through inspecting the dried leaves, the tea liquor, and the spent tea leaves. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.693333625793457px; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
Here is the process I am intending to follow for testing: I will take 4 spoonfuls of tea from each product, respectively, brewing with my Yixing clay teapot in 100<span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: , serif;">℃</span>water. Since Puer is not supposed to steep, I will pour the tea liquor to my cup with a funnel right away (in 5 seconds, or the tea will be too strong for tasting). And before drinking the tea, I will observe and record the colour of each of the tea liquors and spent tea leaves. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.693333625793457px; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.693333625793457px; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<b>Dried leaves</b>: <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.693333625793457px; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<u>Colour</u>: As the tea ages, the colour of the tea leaves will turn from green to brown red. I can see that <i>David’s Tea Sheng Puer </i>and<i>Yunnan Tingxiang Puer Cake 2015 </i>are relatively green, while the <i>Cha Le Cha Le Aged Sheng Pu’er Cake 2007 </i>and <i>Simao Yunnan Puer Cake, 2008 Limited Edition </i>have turned dark brown red. Although age is one of the pricing factors (the older, the more expensive), it is not the key indicator of good quality puer tea. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.693333625793457px; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<u>Shape</u>: High quality leaves are visually distinct. If you take a closer look at the leaves, they should ideally be whole and very indistinct. <i>David’s Tea Sheng Puer</i>is comparatively fragile and powdery – a signal of low end Puer. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.693333625793457px; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<u>Aromas</u>: Older Puer tea smells more fragrant even when they’re dry. Among all the products, <i>Yunnan Tingxiang Puer Cake 2015 </i>and<i>Simao Yunnan Puer Cake, 2008 Limited Edition </i>have the best aromas. <i>Tingxiang</i>, like its literal meaning in Chinese, smells like flower fragrance. This could be because the leaves came from a tree which was surrounded by flowers. The <i>Simao Yunnan Puer Cake</i>has a natural wood-scent, which is a commonly seen in high end Puer. <o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9LTyJkN9WVeValrJBFArDZ14dRpDmAr92-hwL5eB-IJKBKPIWih7_KW-qziF-LHBCIM1SFH7F8czDlba_BG9P7ZN8jC9H3nx_GNnBOUhpQc4bBo23OrJ1mVEJusxJ1Gx5TpZlcqdxJYA/s1600/Colour+and+Clarity.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Chinese Puer (Black Tea) Colour and Clarity matter" border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9LTyJkN9WVeValrJBFArDZ14dRpDmAr92-hwL5eB-IJKBKPIWih7_KW-qziF-LHBCIM1SFH7F8czDlba_BG9P7ZN8jC9H3nx_GNnBOUhpQc4bBo23OrJ1mVEJusxJ1Gx5TpZlcqdxJYA/s320/Colour+and+Clarity.jpg" title="Chinese Puer (Black Tea) Colour and clarity matter" width="320" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.693333625793457px; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<b>Tea Liquor:<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.693333625793457px; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<u>Colour</u>: Instruction in <i>David’s Tea Sheng Puer</i>said it should be steeped for 4-5 minutes; however, the authentic way to brew Puer is not to steep at all. I followed the traditional way to brew <i>David’s Tea Sheng Puer</i>(pour the tea to an empty cup in 5 seconds). The colour of the tea liquor is very light – pale yellow – so I expected it to taste like water. <i>Cha Le Aged Lotus Pu’er Loose 2007 </i>showed a dark brown colour but looked relatively muddy. The tea liquor of <i>Tingxiang</i>is like orange yellow, which is commonly seen in 3-5-year aged Puer tea. Simao Yunnan Puer Cake, the most expensive tea on the list, proves that it is worth the price. This 11-year aged tea shows a crystal-clear garnet colour. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.693333625793457px; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<u>Aromas</u>: Just as how I mentioned in the dried leaves section, the <i>Tingxiang Puer Cake</i>and <i>Simao Yunnan Puer Cake</i>have the best aromas in their tea liquor. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.693333625793457px; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<u>Tasting</u>: Generally, the taste of sheng Puer should be smooth, with slight hints of bitterness. It can also be woody or earthy. The taste can change as the tea ages, so sometimes it is hard to judge if the tea is considered a top grade through tasting. As long as it is mellow and smooth, not tightening your throat (some low-end teas do!), I will consider it ok. More importantly, the special feature about Puer is its sweet aftertaste, called “hui gan” in Chinese. It means that once the bitter sensation of the tea liquor is gone, the sweet aftertaste appears in the mouth. Unlike other types of tea, the aftertaste of Puer is generally long-lasting. For top graded tea, you can feel the liquor down the throat rather than just on the tongue. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.693333625793457px; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
Among the five products I am tasting, <i>Simao Yunnan Puer Cake, 2008 Limited Edition </i>has the strongest and longest aftertaste (hui gan), leaving a nice “feeling” in the back of the throat. <i>Tingxiang</i>tastes a combination of sweet and bitter and also has a nice aftertaste. Generally, teas with good aftertaste and a thickness of flavour generally do better over time. Therefore, if we store <i>Tingxiang</i>properly (dried and neutral) for an extra few years, it will definitely taste even better. <i>David’s Tea Sheng Puer</i>has the least strong taste – I can barely taste it. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.693333625793457px; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHKZEIpmR0YFCGCvvP3cRDScZvqiiPfIlZ_Swe36FIvXs0nshKwptG0cmmnbZcxmA2unZadbxaQQh9FBPjVMahEIimkZNOSpKusrgg-p322CN21YW_0roI0at9eUIEY2FRqo64x2gyl3U/s1600/Tea+colour.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Puer (Black Tea) should be prepared in an unglazed earthenware pot" border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHKZEIpmR0YFCGCvvP3cRDScZvqiiPfIlZ_Swe36FIvXs0nshKwptG0cmmnbZcxmA2unZadbxaQQh9FBPjVMahEIimkZNOSpKusrgg-p322CN21YW_0roI0at9eUIEY2FRqo64x2gyl3U/s640/Tea+colour.jpg" title="Puer (Black Tea) should be prepared in an unglazed earthenware pot" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
For best results prepare the tea in an unglazed earthenware pot.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Affordable tea services are easy to find in Metrotown malls.</div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.693333625793457px; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<b><br /></b>
<b><br /></b>
<b>Spent Tea Leaves:<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.693333625793457px; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
The condition of spent Leaves is one of the most important indicators of the quality. There are three factors to evaluate spent tea: tenderness, colour and the overall tea leaves shape.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.693333625793457px; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<u>Tenderness</u>: Press the spent leaves with a finger – if they are soft and not elastic, then the tenderness is considered great. Based on this rule, here is the ranking of the tenderness, from good to bad: <i>Yunnan Tingxiang Puer Cake 2015 </i>><i>Simao Yunnan Puer Cake, 2008 Limited Edition </i>><i>Cha Le Aged Sheng Pu’er Cake 2007. </i>Note that the <i>David’s Tea Sheng Puer </i>and <i>Cha Le Aged Lotus Pu’er Loose 2007 </i>are comparatively crumbly, which I could not judge if they were tender. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.693333625793457px; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<u>Colour</u>: High quality of Young sheng Puer spent leaves usually appears bright yellow green. If you see dark green, or dark green leaves with red stems, that could be problematic. On the other hand, if aged sheng Puer shows bright red, then it is considered great. Among all the products, again, <i>Tingxiang Puer Cake 2015</i>and <i>Simao Yunan Puer Cake</i>have the best colour. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.693333625793457px; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<u>Evenness</u>:<br />
It is important to contemplate the overall evenness of spent tea leaves because high end tea leaves are very consistent in shape and colour. By that I mean, they will appear in about the consistent size of leaves and colour. As I mentioned, the <i>David’s Tea Sheng Puer</i>and <i>Cha Le Aged Lotus Pu’er Loose 2007</i>are crumbly and have large number of broken fragments. The rest of the teas are modest. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.693333625793457px; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.693333625793457px; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<b>Recommendations<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.693333625793457px; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
In conclusion, <i>Yunnan Tingxiang Puer Cake</i>and <i>Simao Yunnan Puer Cake</i>perform the best in every respect of the testing. <i>Simao</i>is much more expensive than <i>Tingxiang</i>, but they are actually about the same level of quality. The reason that <i>Simao</i>is pricier is that it is 11-year aged while <i>Tingxiang</i>is only 4-year aged. With that being said, if the Tingxiang is also 11-year aged, they could have priced the same. <i>Cha Le Aged Sheng Pu’er Cake 2007</i>is considered okay. If you are a beginner with Puer tea, I would recommend you try this one first. However, I would not recommend <i>David’s Tea Sheng Puer </i>and <i>Cha Le Aged Lotus Pu’er Loose 2007. </i><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.693333625793457px; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.693333625793457px; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<br /></div>
Ronald J. Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07435431062943796717noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4348701342332004441.post-78487899912931698322019-06-28T17:39:00.001-07:002019-06-29T22:00:41.356-07:00Chinese and Taiwanese Movies on DVD - Borrow them at Burnaby Metrotown Library<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP7fd-cgYUVyJxun6GIRWMx_zqZ0p-zDN-RE13C1kIWWIl9v4AI3L_Zb1_2s_o5KbE23KcPEwZn_aMXB0gu0W1Yj9MMZXc4_G-WjnbUHIEtZx61TE_9rm24syPYEsVsT4JzMRdM_idKTk/s1600/Library.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="RFID check-out system at Burnaby Metrotown Library" border="0" data-original-height="920" data-original-width="1382" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP7fd-cgYUVyJxun6GIRWMx_zqZ0p-zDN-RE13C1kIWWIl9v4AI3L_Zb1_2s_o5KbE23KcPEwZn_aMXB0gu0W1Yj9MMZXc4_G-WjnbUHIEtZx61TE_9rm24syPYEsVsT4JzMRdM_idKTk/s640/Library.jpg" title="RFID check-out system at Burnaby Metrotown Library" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b>For those who use such things, the automated check-out system at the</b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b>Metrotown Branch of the Library. At the time it went operational, a</b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b>smiling staffer assured me that "not a single job was lost." I never</b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b>use it myself. The blue finger points to the Chinese media section.</b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>TAX WEEK IN BURNABY</b></span><br />
<div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The line has been long this week at <b>Burnaby City Hall</b>, as many ratepayers enjoy the annual ritual of meeting their property taxes. For those who wait last minute, here is a tip. When you get as far as the elevator, don't forget to take off your hat, turn to the left and smile. <b>Each taxpayer gets a photograph taken</b> as we snail by. It won't be long until facial recognition software is added to the mix. I asked, and a nice lady at the counter assured me it was not installed yet... but maybe next year. To amuse myself while waiting, I sorted memories of the past year, identifying the municipal services I receive for my generous contribution to city coffers. One certainly has to be the DVD lending collection at the Metrotown Library, which I partake of several times per year. I have a robust DVD collection of my own, but I enjoy viewing and studying foreign film, and the Criterion editions are just too expensive for a single viewing. The library has most, if not all of the movies known as the <b><a href="https://www.criterion.com/shop/browse">Criterion Collection</a>.</b></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Superb Lending Collection -</b></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Chinese and Taiwan DVDs</b></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
The Burnaby library collection of movies, documentaries and television series on DVD is truly massive, and if you love watching quality video, you certainly must spend an hour familiarizing yourself with what is available for borrowing. (This is an example your tax dollars at work!) I used to have favourite shops I enjoyed visiting and purchasing from, but very few local retailers continue to stock DVDs. Our library system purchased most of the DVD catalog from <b><a href="http://www.thecnl.com/">C & L Multimedia</a></b>, a family business that has become the leading supplier in Greater Vancouver. They also supply the <b>U.B.C.</b> and <b>S.F.U.</b> campuses. Both of those universities have film-studies programs.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
The collection is on the main floor, but I must point out that a special collection of Chinese and Taiwanese DVDs has been assembled, and it is shelved with the Asian books and magazines, in the n.e. corner of the building. I took a photograph this week to accompany this introduction to the service. I do not know how much of the collection is currently out on loan, but it was very easy for me to fins a couple of movies to enjoy this week.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYqjqaHB9Xu-7WnbuP7eYAGbnyx59QRYgHTBp6-qEhD4UA5YH16wRmmz5EObwSqivaoE4nJerenqbgaQoeWrnfBZJQ9HJlyQ3xa1KDNQDRSydhuwtCa0TIBNUYjQyFVmVHytWK1FHRkW8/s1600/4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Chinese DVD collection, Burnaby Metrotown Library" border="0" data-original-height="1131" data-original-width="1508" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYqjqaHB9Xu-7WnbuP7eYAGbnyx59QRYgHTBp6-qEhD4UA5YH16wRmmz5EObwSqivaoE4nJerenqbgaQoeWrnfBZJQ9HJlyQ3xa1KDNQDRSydhuwtCa0TIBNUYjQyFVmVHytWK1FHRkW8/s640/4.jpg" title="Chinese DVD collection, Burnaby Metrotown Library" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
The best way to show what you can expect to find in this <b>China - Taiwan DVD Collection</b> is to describe the two movies I borrowed and watched this past week.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsxLBSmYW25bhS7nvofBHqVciU7Mv1uAQgSmHEV0LLjhIXBapf3wQSeyCtTsXwA3rUhTxui3NaJtHfGTbdAGcBDEas2UOaV1agfk9w7DFwpEjvpeMFbTy9BOMiSpnk7H_MY5kX6IJiy0E/s1600/BLIND+SHAFT%252C+Kino+Video.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="BLIND SHAFT - a Li Yang Film" border="0" data-original-height="809" data-original-width="1184" height="436" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsxLBSmYW25bhS7nvofBHqVciU7Mv1uAQgSmHEV0LLjhIXBapf3wQSeyCtTsXwA3rUhTxui3NaJtHfGTbdAGcBDEas2UOaV1agfk9w7DFwpEjvpeMFbTy9BOMiSpnk7H_MY5kX6IJiy0E/s640/BLIND+SHAFT%252C+Kino+Video.jpg" title="BLIND SHAFT - a Li Yang film" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>BLIND SHAFT</b> <span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">盲井</span> is a Chinese crime-drama directed by Li Yang <span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">李杨.</span> The story, released in 2003, unfolds in an extremely interesting, and also quite ugly, rural landscape that you may have read about in the news. There exists in China a very dangerous archipelago of quasi-legal coal mines, most of which are notorious for exploiting poor migrant labourers, often to the point of death. This is an amazing film that was shot in a working coal mine, and on the streets of a miserable mining town. The packaging notes quote a review in <b>The Village Voice</b> that described BLIND SHAFT as "<i>Part neorealistic expose, part noir thriller</i>." That is actually a rather accurate summation of Li Yang's modus. A superb film!</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtfon3_oEBA8KZLiN2mfUTrGDVZkTULt2nG8jdA8dLXR7eFG5s8h82JFQ1BVXmGlfSGnRqiyV0Vv8BTPw9zvfolSY6UMIUpIxfT4pO9Zv0tQQjxGwDqGkjR-n7YtzTrP80y9jZoNssIRI/s1600/STRAY+DOGS%252C.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="STRAY DOGS - a film by Tsai Ming-Liang" border="0" data-original-height="854" data-original-width="1243" height="438" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtfon3_oEBA8KZLiN2mfUTrGDVZkTULt2nG8jdA8dLXR7eFG5s8h82JFQ1BVXmGlfSGnRqiyV0Vv8BTPw9zvfolSY6UMIUpIxfT4pO9Zv0tQQjxGwDqGkjR-n7YtzTrP80y9jZoNssIRI/s640/STRAY+DOGS%252C.jpg" title="STRAY DOGS - a film by Tsai Min-Liang" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>STRAY DOGS </b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">郊遊 </span>is a 2013 Taiwan film that I had read about, and was thrilled to discover in the Metrotown Library collection. As I once lived and worked in Taiwan, I have an acquired taste for its national cinema, and I even have a couple of <b>Tsai Ming-Liang</b>'s movies at home. But STRAY DOGS caught me off guard. I was not prepared for the intensity of my response to its principle ideas and its carefully constructed images. I take movies quite seriously and usually watch good films alone. As per habit, I immediately started imposing on family and friends, because an encounter with visual story-telling at this level, is something we often continue to process, in part by describing it to others. I could give the story away in a paragraph, but that would be a cultural sin. I expect to sit to a second viewing later this summer, if only to test my lasting impressions.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">"THE EIGHT HUNDRED"</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Political prejudice has delayed</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">China's best movie of 2019.</span></b><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Chinese war movies seem to exist in only two varieties. A quality production that tells a story well, or botch that is a total waste of time. NETFLIX is currently running a Chinese war film that is so bad, Bruce Willis should donate his pay-cheque to charity. <b>AIR STRIKE</b> (2018) is ghastly, and Willis' performance is nothing short of an insult to cinema. By way of contrast, I am expecting great things from <b>THE EIGHT HUNDRED,</b> a large-budget production that is a vivid (and admittedly embellished) retelling of one of the great Chinese victories of the Sino-Japanese War. In history it serves a similar function for China as Dunkirk did for Britain only a few years later. It was a defining moment of sacrifice and patriotism that has actually been an inspiration to folks on both sides of the Taiwan Strait. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>The Battle of the Sihang Warehouse</b>, was a rear-guard action conducted by a picked battalion. The Japanese has flanked the Chinese defensive line and were poised to overrun the Chinese half of Shanghai in 1937. You may not have heard of it, but the brave stand on Soochow Creek was a notable battle of its day, and well-covered by the British and American newsreel cameramen, who were filming from vantage points in the Foreign Settlements. In fact, the opposite side of the creek was British territory, and three men of the <b>Royal Welch Fusiliers</b> were killed during the Japanese assault. The story of the so-called "<i>doomed battalion</i>" has been covered by four previous Asian movies made between 1938-1975 - one each made in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Japan. The Japanese rarely credited the Chinese army with having credible combat skills, but they were forced to admit that the defence of Sihang Warehouse had been exceptional. The <b>Japanese Naval Landing Force</b> suffered 200 dead, compared to only ten Chinese defenders. Japan cinema in the 30s was experimenting with social realism, and it was films like "<i>A Naval Brigade of Shanghai</i>" (1939) that proved too much for the Nippon government to stomach. Film censorship ensued.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4VVBE5C7plq7F6KiLbiSAmgaCuGjuF9GaerfSEpMcoidzBuzki1Y29lAX45t3m_RkpCQMWfjf52XeFr-evv6KPo3bUNbcYBPiDyCZrTQpNko_Zn2RXXBJ_Ji1pYbQ76ZYdNVTIrT0zRQ/s1600/China+tortured.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Sino-Japanese WAr - poster (China tortured by Lilliputian Japanese)" border="0" data-original-height="1036" data-original-width="746" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4VVBE5C7plq7F6KiLbiSAmgaCuGjuF9GaerfSEpMcoidzBuzki1Y29lAX45t3m_RkpCQMWfjf52XeFr-evv6KPo3bUNbcYBPiDyCZrTQpNko_Zn2RXXBJ_Ji1pYbQ76ZYdNVTIrT0zRQ/s640/China+tortured.jpg" title="Sino-Japanese War - poster (China tortured by Lilliputian Japanese)" width="460" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: red; font-size: medium;"><b>Allegory in a wartime propaganda poster.</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: red; font-size: medium;"><b>We see China savagely tortured by an army </b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: red;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">of </span><span style="font-size: medium;">Lilliputians - Japanese Naval Infantry.</span></b></span></div>
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: small;">This 2019 rendition is expected to become the definitive account and it is definitely a Hollywood-style action picture. In fact several American experts were hired to do a breakout of action sequences, and several foreign actors have speaking roles. The official movie trailer shows that the combat is not limited to "the stand" inside the row of concrete warehouses, but spills into the streets of Shanghai and the sky above. That allows for a truly massive body count on both sides.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: small;">Unfortunately the movie's opening at the <b>Shanghai International Film Festival</b> has been cancelled, due to naked political prejudice. Some whiny communist committeemen are interfering with the release, and may even demand heavy censorship before THE EIGHT HUNDRED gets out of limbo. They just cannot live with the fact that the hero soldiers commanded by their "class enemies" were serving in the Koumintang's National Army, and it was the Sun flag dramatically hoisted in defiance of Japanese assault troops, not the Red flag. If this nonsense persists, the money spent in promotion will be pissed away, and the film will lose momentum. It was just announced that the films premiere, scheduled for July 6, has been cancelled. We China film fans may end up, oh the irony!, of having this movie debut in North America not on big screens, but on NETFLIX. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzEUfhwu2aeJxyMTi1TT45xxZNsCaiksawon35NHQ5znM3f7uiJ8aQcgfCNgEQgZxIK2C1l2s1SX5npfXbUJTXMRSahmAG0tDmPWGDWHg6aes__Sq10tZ2m-a1ofzmKzT3AOWSgXZD4kE/s1600/The+Eight+Hundred.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="THE EIGHT HUNDRED - official trailer for China's best film of 2019" border="0" data-original-height="831" data-original-width="1330" height="398" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzEUfhwu2aeJxyMTi1TT45xxZNsCaiksawon35NHQ5znM3f7uiJ8aQcgfCNgEQgZxIK2C1l2s1SX5npfXbUJTXMRSahmAG0tDmPWGDWHg6aes__Sq10tZ2m-a1ofzmKzT3AOWSgXZD4kE/s640/The+Eight+Hundred.jpg" title="THE EIGHT HUINDRED - official trailer for Chiina's best film of 2019" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>The official trailer for THE EIGHT HUNDRED</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>is found onYoutube - <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41VkLPcB_Cg">HERE</a>. </b></div>
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b>
</div>
</div>
Ronald J. Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07435431062943796717noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4348701342332004441.post-68915168507467917062019-06-25T00:28:00.002-07:002019-06-25T22:47:14.037-07:00Metrotown Murder Case - DNA DRAGNETS ARE HERE TO STAY<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmFgIHad3Q0FiDn7ad1eJmw3rci2zHuxi0mBh1KseY2GtTPAclDmCMUeTZ0G-ceiyfRtKZpSuEKTdc_tiMg7ftgcg4ackFzknFvG-zTle0jvmHkS95Az0hHEOv0YAmxLwEOc5mgt8xncc/s1600/Crossword.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Marrisa Shen murder, Burnaby 2017 - Crosswords" border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="792" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmFgIHad3Q0FiDn7ad1eJmw3rci2zHuxi0mBh1KseY2GtTPAclDmCMUeTZ0G-ceiyfRtKZpSuEKTdc_tiMg7ftgcg4ackFzknFvG-zTle0jvmHkS95Az0hHEOv0YAmxLwEOc5mgt8xncc/s640/Crossword.jpg" title="Marrisa Shen murder, Burnaby 2017 - Crosswords" width="562" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><br />DNA-SPYING JUGGERNAUT </span><br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I started paying attention to DNA analysis about fifteen years ago, when I read an article describing how a Seattle high school was teaching basic DNA sequencing. I thought, "<i>Fantastic! Their first hire might still be minimum wage, but at least they avoid a dead-end job, like flipping hamburgers</i>." Then in 2012, I read a very credible report that American spooks were secretly collecting the DNA of all foreign leaders, while going to extraordinary lengths to clean up after <b>Barack Obama</b>. Secret Service duties included denying foreign enemies any opportunity to collect his DNA - hair, saliva, semen, skin flakes, etc. [Obama's original, signed and dated, birth registration in Hawaii was secured with equal vigilance.] Our American cousins had "<b>weaponized</b>" DNA, as they do with almost everything they touch. What Washington may do with the <b>Trudeau DNA</b> is anyone's guess, but the Canadian government has failed to warn our citizens about the perils awaiting those who volunteer DNA samples to the Yanks. That is a dereliction, or it is a leakage of their own intentions. </div>
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
One month ago I collected a chat-string that was archived on an open Facebook site. Their topic was, personal experience with the DNA Testing kits sold by <b>ANCESTRY.Com</b> and <b>23andMe</b>. Of the 76 comments in the chat-thread, half offered a verdict on DNA test results. The group was a split between the 'Satisfied" or 'Sceptical'. Several of the disappointed consumers had clearly been influenced by what they learned from an investigation conducted by the MARKETPLACE program on the CBC television network: <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/marketplace/episodes/2018-2019/dna-ancestry-tests-can-you-trust-the-results"> </a><a href="https://www.cbc.ca/marketplace/episodes/2018-2019/dna-ancestry-tests-can-you-trust-the-results">DNA ANCESTRY TESTS</a>. They now understood they had wasted their money.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
What I expected to read, but did not, was some mention of two 'good news' stories from 2018, filed by CBC reporters. One case involved two half-brothers in New Brunswick, men in their 80s who did not know they shared a father. It was a curious niece who initiated the DNA test. The other case was of two sisters, also in their 80s, who had been separated by adoptions. Recently they were re-united as a result of DNA test results injected into the genealogy Internet data-stream. Testimonials sell product and I note ANCESTRY has a SALE on this <b>Canada Day </b>week.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: #fafafa; font-size: 10.5pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: #fafafa; font-size: 10.5pt;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaavvx3pNOYdPohNXwSh0r3BYaA9ITHi9roCq5sXOvHIrkAQndgoax93ZUKfOak-OXdXhwEneTxP9Ad6NXD2lWtbSClbIuesWzODSsvavPMvihznYss1eOPHeTsEvdWgmJjShyRw-wNLU/s1600/Corbett.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Ancestry DNA Test - Makes you a genetic "informant - 2019" border="0" data-original-height="547" data-original-width="936" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaavvx3pNOYdPohNXwSh0r3BYaA9ITHi9roCq5sXOvHIrkAQndgoax93ZUKfOak-OXdXhwEneTxP9Ad6NXD2lWtbSClbIuesWzODSsvavPMvihznYss1eOPHeTsEvdWgmJjShyRw-wNLU/s400/Corbett.jpg" title="Ancestry DNA Test - Makes you a genetic "informant" - 2019" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: red; font-size: x-small;"><b> In this recent video, Canadian journalist James Corbett</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: red; font-size: x-small;"><b>does not mince words. "Took an Ancestry DNA test? You</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: red; font-size: x-small;"><b>might be a 'genetic informant' unleashing secrets about</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><span style="color: red;">your relatives. Corbett's video is available</span> <a href="https://www.corbettreport.com/first-they-came-for-your-fingerprints-propagandawatch/">HERE</a>.</b></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The <b>CBC MARKETPLACE</b> investigation, in consultation with accredited experts, identified a number of problems with the basic science used by the heavyweights in the DNA testing business, as well as questionable business practices. The show's dramatic narrative was its insistence on an explanation for how the five testing companies could generate widely divergent reports on identical twins, the Agro sisters. The team at <b>Yale University</b> who evaluated the five DNA reports insist the results should be uniform, if they hope to be deemed credible science.</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Program length and the limits of viewer engagement, forced CBC journalists to concentrate on two key points. <b>1) </b>The sequenced DNA from the <b>Agro twins</b> was compared to reference sets (the largest sets include millions of samples) assembled from people who originate from all inhabited regions of the world. Unfortunately each company creates its own approximation of the borders of ethnic regions. Their choices are "<b>arbitrary</b>" and this will cause "discrepancies" when two or more DNA reports are compared. <b>2)</b> Sample-to-set comparisons are only made possible by the use of custom algorithms, and each company uses proprietary software. "The way [each of] these calculations are run is different." What the consumers are paying for are low resolution scans that produce little more than an "<b>ethnicity estimates</b>," which will in fact change over time as the reference sets increase in size. If you choose to become pen-pal with a far-distant stranger whose DNA correlates with your own, that's a bonus.</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The CBC report failed to address a dangerous situation that is now an open-secret. Several U.S. companies that started out selling access to their genealogy databases, for a fixed monthly fee, have now morphed into billion-dollar DNA testing labs, intent on making huge profits selling client genetic data to "Big Pharma" and to all Law Enforcement and Spy Agencies who come calling. </div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: cambria; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqKAF3DPKynsUHPLdkEgczLDJPd5gCU3ulKHWckDf9mmY6CLP68FfvBnJgpET3wx4xwqT8KskC3NgGXKugfYESMTC4zZWI6edCXDHVoziFRZDsXZU6ntpyFhtS4apTwz603Qzvz8AiAmg/s1600/Poster+Boy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Golden State Killer - Poster Boy for Law Enforcement Genomics" border="0" data-original-height="862" data-original-width="1285" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqKAF3DPKynsUHPLdkEgczLDJPd5gCU3ulKHWckDf9mmY6CLP68FfvBnJgpET3wx4xwqT8KskC3NgGXKugfYESMTC4zZWI6edCXDHVoziFRZDsXZU6ntpyFhtS4apTwz603Qzvz8AiAmg/s640/Poster+Boy.jpg" title="Golden State Killer - Poster Boy for Law Enforcement Genomics" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: red; font-size: x-small;"><b>DNA testing revealed the "Golden State Killer" was former-cop Joseph James DeAngelo.</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: red; font-size: x-small;"><b>His courtroom expressions of contempt - scowls and grimaces, made his menacing mug as </b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: red; font-size: x-small;"><b>familiar as Freddy Krueger. Several artfully-staged press conferences in 2018 rendered </b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: red; font-size: x-small;"><b>Mr. DeAngelo the designated POSTER BOY FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT GENOMICS.</b></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><br />THE "GOOGLE OF GENOMICS"</span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
We are just beginning to understand the ramifications of "<b>surveillance capitalism</b>" - emerging economies dependant on the commercial exploitation of digital oceans of behavioural data. What began with the seduction of the gullible onto the Social Media platforms, was just a bit of foreplay compared to the promised capabilities of the 5G network connecting the "<b>Internet of Things</b>". We are actually expected to applaud<b> Orwellian</b> tidings of a mad, mad world in which even the marriage-bed will be configured to record individual performance and levels of satisfaction, and relay that hot and desirable data stream to the corporate gods. The Internet Tycoons of tomorrow will anticipate our every mood and desire, processing the data generated by cities populated by two-legged lab rats. The Silicon Valley Billionaires created this dangerous behemoth for their benefit, not ours. Trillionaires and governments will merge in the new "surveillance economy".</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Google</b> is the 'gold standard' for companies that currently trades a "free service" of dubious value, for unlimited usage of personal data. The 'platinum standard' will be established by that company which is first to offer whole genome sequencing, free of charge. Imagine how the suckers will line up for a "free" sequencing - their complete genetic makeup on a single DVD. Information they do not understand and cannot use, a plastic token in exchange for corporate ownership and unlimited use of their genetic information.</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Millions of us will be horrified by these predictions, and some consider resisting. The softening up process involves false promises and outright lies. Who hasn't heard this one: "<i><b>The families of the wrongfully convicted deserve justice</b></i>." Perhaps, but one man's freedom should never be dependant on fingerprinting and gene-printing an entire nation. Totalitarianism is not an antidote for a broken judicial system. In 2018 there was an avalanche of hype about the potential for solving "cold cases", using DNA databases. Police agencies and DNA experts held joint press conferences but offered few facts about what is really going on.<b> ANCESTRY.COM</b>, which is now the leading for-profit genealogy company in the world, (the Government of Singapore is an equity stakeholder) is privately held and therefore does not have to disclose much. ANCESTRY has though, boasted of its stockpile of DNA data, the fruit of fifteen million processed DNA kits. They further claim that in 2018 ANCESTRY handled only ten requests for cooperation with law enforcement. All those legal orders concerned credit card fraud and identity theft. Such companies let "Cold Case" stories "sell" the public on the concept of mass DNA sampling, but all such programs (Corporate and Law Enforcement) are forward-looking. The past is only incidental.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">THE FBI PLUMBERS ARE BACK</span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<span style="text-align: justify;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
In the 1930s J. Edgar Hoover ran aggressive media campaigns pushing his creepy idea of families voluntarily registering fingerprints with the FBI - "for their own benefit". Today it is your genetic fingerprints the FBI seeks, and they will not scruple to ask for them. Years ago the FBI went rogue, developing and deploying software enabling covert access to any common computer or. "The Bureau" has become a massive Intelligence Agency operating globally, and it is has the staff and budget to collect data it expects to need in the future. It will use DNA archives built today to enforce laws that do not even yet exist, and to destroy foreign opponents of the American Empire. In that dystopian future it will be a serious crime to seek simple privacy, because "stealing" data-flow from government and corporations will equate with theft of money.</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
You may remember the televised-trial of the "<b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_State_Killer">Golden Gate Killer</a></b>" in 2018. <b>Joseph James DeAngelo </b>was an ex-cop turned serial killer and rapist, who evaded detection for decades. It was only when detectives tapped into the capabilities of commercial genomics websites that the case was cracked. By identifying and targeting a dozen distant relatives, investigators tracked back and arrested a shadowy fugitive killer, by then a 72 year old man. The media, predictably, played up the case and the public swallowed everything they were told. In fact public opinion polls helped solidify the idea that the public fully supported "<b>DNA dragnets</b>" as a necessary law enforcement methodology. Legislators went to work, and starting in California, added DNA swabbing to fingerprinting, at time of booking the accused. Worse, police officials everywhere, including Canadian sleuths, placed hands over hearts and swore an inability to conceive of doing their job without access to large-scale genome archives, coupled with the best technology available. It is already projected that within five years, the FBI (and RCMP?) will deploy mobile DNA sequencing technology to the crime scene, and retrieve a preliminary match within minutes. Of course any such curbside-DNA test will implicate a large number of people, all related by blood.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
What you don't know, because it is not openly publicized, is that the FBI has been helping itself to commercial genome databases for some time. Their intrusion was exposed because in one case the purloined genome files, formatted in an unusual way, gave the data-thieves trouble. The Bureau phoned the offices of <b>FamilyTreeDNA</b> and boldly demanded free access. The company CEO, in an interview with <b>FORENSIC MAGAZINE</b> revealed that he was threatened with "a virtually endless succession of subpoena after subpoena" if he would not grant open access. The company caved.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<div style="font-family: cambria;">
<span style="background-color: #fafafa; color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue light";"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: cambria;">
<span style="background-color: #fafafa; color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue light";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9JESZ_T3_HsLNELAuG16S6zva1RTsrHNsWd5_MquAQsEO6qptDOS2G26FlffuL4Mi36UHwC1c_3WG3OO_4qz-7Hb_3_wjQwXfziIx8KMDGPnuPv-nXR73sUi1dTIX88jUU8LpfCImcIM/s1600/Shen++Youtube++-+March+2019.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="401" data-original-width="718" height="356" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9JESZ_T3_HsLNELAuG16S6zva1RTsrHNsWd5_MquAQsEO6qptDOS2G26FlffuL4Mi36UHwC1c_3WG3OO_4qz-7Hb_3_wjQwXfziIx8KMDGPnuPv-nXR73sUi1dTIX88jUU8LpfCImcIM/s640/Shen++Youtube++-+March+2019.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
Lex Calla has put together a short Youtube that will take</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
you through the Marrisa Shen (申小雨) story. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1bgNgbm05E">It is HERE</a>.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<div style="font-family: cambria;">
<br /></div>
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue light"; font-size: x-large;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51);"><b>BURNABY IN TURMOIL 2017-18</b></span></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Here in Burnaby, the benefits of an ethnically diverse community are very apparent. We all enjoy living here, and (gasoline taxes aside) there is is little to complain about. My wife is an active member and supporter of a Chinese temple in Metrotown, and there is a well-attended mosque two blocks from our home. Newcomers tend to want and need traditions such as religion, much more than do the greying generation of Canadians. Generally speaking, everyone gets along. Still, incidents do occur. Take the case of Marissa Shen, a young Chinese who was murdered on July 18, 2017 in Central Park, Metrotown. Her killing traumatized this city, and public safety became a hot-button local issue during the last election cycle. At the time the 13-year old was killed, I was one of those who jumped to conclusions. A good friend of mine who provides counselling to many newcomer families who struggle to adapt, had described the support given the Shen family before the girl's murder. (Marrisa was actually quite typical of girls her age and background.) My assumption was she had simply encountered a cunning fox on Social Media, and had considered the nearby park a safe arena. (Kids these days think they are invulnerable.) An intensive DNA Collection Dragnet proved me wrong, but police tactics rang alarm bells that should trouble you too.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<div style="font-family: cambria;">
<span style="background-color: #fafafa; color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue light";"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: cambria;">
<span style="background-color: #fafafa; color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue light";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: start;">
<b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue light"; font-size: 18pt;">DNA DRAGNET IN B.C. TARGETS</span></b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue light"; font-size: 10.5pt;"><br /></span><b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue light"; font-size: 18pt;">MIDDLE-EASTERN REFUGEE MALES</span></b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue light"; font-size: 10.5pt;"><br /></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue light";"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The only thing the American news industry loves more than a mass-shooting incident, is a complex serial killer investigation. <b>Speculation, investigation, the take down, and a court room drama</b>. A clever killer is better than Crazy Glue for keeping bums in seats, faces fixed on millions of flat screen TVs. In August of 2018 the latest sensation was Joseph James DeAngelo, the so-called Golden State Killer, who was arraigned in August 2018. DNA testing had been a constant factor in the investigation for almost twenty years, <b> first</b> <b>implicating and then exonerating</b> many suspects. Then, in January of 2018, detectives tried something different - they uploaded DNA evidence to the website of <b>GEDmatch,</b> an "<i>open source</i>" archive of results collected primarily from family history enthusiasts. Bingo! Genealogical DNA identified almost twenty distant relatives of the elusive rapist-murderer, all of whom instantly fell under intensive investigation. The track-back to DeAngelo was easy. The decades old mystery was cracked and Mr. DeAngelo instantly became, what I fairly term, <b>The Poster Boy for Law Enforcement Genomics</b>. [Ref: <i>Sacramento Bee</i> article "'<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "cambria";"><a href="http://www.sacbee.com/news/local/crime/article209987599.html"><i><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #009eb8; font-family: "helvetica neue light"; text-decoration: none;">Open-source' genealogy provided missing DNA link to East Area Rapist, Investigator Says</span></i></a></span> "]</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: start;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue light";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: start;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue light";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: cambria; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3aIQ5vRNXaPGUrB38Igcbrc0WiLzz1yXjXdw8KyyjbQsUG0zddGzpvNYe42TgyY2OwaVXDEePXgIS-Eu3cBgzxb9XVcMVCWKwI5Dr75CaW82ylCGC4IdJuEMn9u5sqAXtAg7mdGCfxbA/s1600/Snapshot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Snapshot Kinship Inference - PARABON NanoLabs graphic" border="0" data-original-height="925" data-original-width="1129" height="522" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3aIQ5vRNXaPGUrB38Igcbrc0WiLzz1yXjXdw8KyyjbQsUG0zddGzpvNYe42TgyY2OwaVXDEePXgIS-Eu3cBgzxb9XVcMVCWKwI5Dr75CaW82ylCGC4IdJuEMn9u5sqAXtAg7mdGCfxbA/s640/Snapshot.jpg" title="Snapshot Kinship Inference - PARABON NanoLabs graphic" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: start;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue light";"><br /></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue light";"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: cambria; text-align: justify;">
Up here in Burnaby, Canada, law enforcement agencies were under equally intense pressure to solve the murder of a young Chinese immigrant - <b>Marrisa Shen</b>. The precise moment our local police bosses signed contracts with<b> PARABON NANOLABS</b> is still their secret, but the Shen case was clearly a test-bed for sleuthing methods that have forever changed how our cops go about their business. What we are currently witnessing is a perfect storm of <b>privacy-obliteration</b>. The marriage of two immensely powerful and insatiable beasts, on the one hand BIG intrusive governments and on the other, GREEDY immoral corporations. In the very near future, as <b>high-speed DNA matching</b> is added to the ubiquitous data-matching (ie. spying) routinely conducted by our federal, provincial and even municipal governments across Canada. In the future <b style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="color: red; font-family: "helvetica neue light";">your family DNA profile</span></b> will be matched not only against samples taken from murder and rape suspects, but to investigate such mundane "crimes" as real estate speculation and the surreptitious dumping of trash. Here in B.C., such Orwellian measures are being considered. Over in Toronto, condo associations are already forcing pet owners to register DNA, simply to<span style="color: red;"> </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "cambria";"><a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/toronto/article-condo-owners-asked-for-their-dogs-dna-to-solve-poopy-problem/"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #009eb8; font-family: "helvetica neue light"; text-decoration: none;">catch pesky poopers</span></a></span>.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRu6o_NiR8QBa7hEQh7rqLjtUpPrjC92lYLJ1B09pRde5wPii-95kJL8N0EmakE2w1lC99PRYNAsIU7Yw75LGU4HyA6pHzXN864-djOP6mQm1SYPGsPv18712A6cYqqW0NWgc4gq0uLA0/s1600/Ali.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Ibrahim Ali, Syrian refugee, charged in murder of Marrisa Shen" border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="960" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRu6o_NiR8QBa7hEQh7rqLjtUpPrjC92lYLJ1B09pRde5wPii-95kJL8N0EmakE2w1lC99PRYNAsIU7Yw75LGU4HyA6pHzXN864-djOP6mQm1SYPGsPv18712A6cYqqW0NWgc4gq0uLA0/s400/Ali.jpg" title="Ibrahim Ali, Syrian refugee, charged in murder of Marrisa Shen" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<div style="font-family: cambria;">
<span style="text-align: justify;">A suspect in the Shen murder was arrested on September 7, 2018. He was identified as <b>Ibrahim Ali</b>, a Syrian refugee who had been sponsored for entry into Canada by a Vancouver Christian church. The unmarried Syrian male had been here less than three months before he murdered a child in a Burnaby public park. <b>RCMP - IHIT</b> held a televised press conference three days later. A police spokesperson praised "our many partners [who] worked tirelessly for over a year to find answers", and offered a few statistics ... more than 1,300 residents near the crime scene canvassed, over <b>600 interviews</b> conducted,<b> over 2000 persons of interest identified</b> and subsequently eliminated, and over <b>1000 hours of video</b> image collected from 60 locations. The significant "notable partner" NOT named at the presser was the American genomics company PARABON NanoLabs. The role of that co-investigator, or details of the contract may come out in the trial. We can know about Paragon in advance, because a defence lawyer, who had access to the evidence and who spoke to CBC NEWS, spilled a trade name. "The analysis is called DNA phenotypic - also known as "<b>Snapshot DNA</b>" (see graphic above) - and it has provided leads and arrests in several cold cases in the United States by helping investigators predict the appearance or even ethnicity of a suspect." Here is a promotional graphic for the <b>SNAPSHOT KINSHIP INFERENCE</b> model.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: cambria;">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNUYZCnhkXzlX3y4NG3L6_WQOW3kkp3biK9ObIbr6phO5Lh-U9TjhG8B-hlA8sBEczCFdpY9Aml98UnpjrD2CSEN5DLWJu9PCP_uKgq-ZBl3saWNI-fCjenxhAKBCkq8U6yNEV2sYUuqA/s1600/Burnaby+Now+headline%252C+Nov+13%252C+2018.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Murder investigators did DNA sweep of Middle-Eastern Men, Nov 13, 2018" border="0" data-original-height="217" data-original-width="858" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNUYZCnhkXzlX3y4NG3L6_WQOW3kkp3biK9ObIbr6phO5Lh-U9TjhG8B-hlA8sBEczCFdpY9Aml98UnpjrD2CSEN5DLWJu9PCP_uKgq-ZBl3saWNI-fCjenxhAKBCkq8U6yNEV2sYUuqA/s640/Burnaby+Now+headline%252C+Nov+13%252C+2018.jpg" title="Murder investigators did DNA sweep of Middle-Eastern Men, Nov. 13, 2018" width="640" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
It was <b>Cornelia Naylor,</b> an intelligent reporter, who uncovered the story of how RCMP - IHIT had really broken the case. "Marrisa Shen investigators may have done DNA sweep of Middle Eastern Men - <b>BURNABY NOW</b>, November 13, 2018. The local television affiliates of <b>CTV</b> and <b>CBC </b>followed her lead, and within a week it was out in the open. The DNA Dragnet had been nothing short of kick-ass. "<b>The NOW has learned numerous Middle Eastern men living in the Lower Mainland - some of whom came to Canada to escape persecution in totalitarian regimes - were called up seemingly randomly and asked to provide voluntary DNA samples in relation to the killing</b>." Soon individual Syrians and Kurds spoke to reporters, and it became very clear that none of the 2000 men who "volunteered" DNA samples did so unwillingly. What else can one do? Burnaby resident <b>Ayub Faek</b> asked "Why me?" He was assured, "Not only you. Many people." Our federal troopers have the guns, our governments their 24/7 electronic surveillance programs, and our society its reputation for yielding to all that coercive power without a whimper. We get, what we are going to get. And often.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: start;">
<span style="background-color: #fafafa; color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue light"; font-size: 10.5pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;">JUST THE BEGINNING</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I still recall some of the more naive comments shared on that FACEBOOK chat page, and I wonder if they will ever understand what they have stumbled into. But it was a CBC report that gave some urgency to my research. "V<i>ancouver Police using same DNA technique that caught suspected Golden State Killer</i>" - CBC May 30, 2019. "<b>For the first time, a Canadian police force has confirmed it's using the same genetic genealogy technique that finally caught the suspected Golden Gate Killer, to solve a cold case of it own. Vancouver police have hired U.S. firm Paragon NanoLabs to search all available genealogical records in hopes of finding any link to a suspected miller's DNA. ... Parabon scours public genealogical sites such as GEDmatch and FamilyTreeDNA, which allow police to access their databanks. Most other well-known DNA testing companies don't cooperate with law enforcement without search warrants</b>." </div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Did you catch that? The American contractor will search "<i>all available genealogical records</i>". Over 2000 immigrant men in Greater Vancouver, many of them refugees from war zones, have just had their first encounter with a DNA Dragnet. Their personal genomes are now locked inside databases that will be consulted and matched against the records provided by millions of people who are determined to play with things they do not understand. What once existed only in the realm of Dystopian fiction is now our reality. And as Orwell made so very clear in his prophetic work, <b>NINETEEN EIGHTYFOUR</b>, the precious freedoms the "Prols" surrender to <b>Big Brother</b>, they will never, ever get back.<br />
<br />
The bitter irony in all this? Over 2000 entirely innocent immigrant men have been aggressed against by the Canadian state. Each will respond to that aggression in their own way. All responses are entirely understandable. Worse, not a single detective or crime lab boffin will have regrets about perpetrating those acts of aggression against innocent parties. They are proud exponents of state power, they relish that power, and they covet even more intrusive capability. As to the suffering of the Shen family, who are the greatest victims of the "refugee system", which is a political process, they have no recourse. The trial of Ibrahim Ali will soon get underway, and we will learn nothing useful from that process.</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
Ronald J. Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07435431062943796717noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4348701342332004441.post-22801242857950378252017-01-25T13:09:00.001-08:002017-01-25T13:09:32.028-08:00Chinese New Year 2017 - Metrotown stores are a joy to visit<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
CHINESE NEW YEAR is alway an electric zap to the sensorium ... especially the frenetic shopping process and the binge-eating that soon follows. Sometimes I do remember to carry my smartphone, and typically I take more photos with it than I ever make calls. Here are a few examples of what I've been noticing in <b>Metrotown</b> this week:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUwM3SoPOYuHFFb7QHSiHJft3_k_g4gXQPWtfDp-0yBeXBdnYmsfYKltiUckfTKa4Wym1by3k4NyDdwlVXVLY0licmEaLx7Hr-dyeohBDupjTiNpcvnGBynPd64NlkcPUp5NjVxc5zxdA/s1600/T%2526T+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="T & T Supermarket - Burnaby Metrotown, January 2017" border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUwM3SoPOYuHFFb7QHSiHJft3_k_g4gXQPWtfDp-0yBeXBdnYmsfYKltiUckfTKa4Wym1by3k4NyDdwlVXVLY0licmEaLx7Hr-dyeohBDupjTiNpcvnGBynPd64NlkcPUp5NjVxc5zxdA/s400/T%2526T+1.jpg" title="T & T Supermarket - Burnaby Metrotown, January 2017" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: red; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The treats are certainly piled high at T & T Supermarket in Metrotown Mall, including an astonishing array of Chinese New Year gifts and snacks. </span><span style="color: red; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We filled two shopping bags with goodies... everything from fresh Taiwanese bamboo shoots to </span><span style="color: red; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">a tray of just-baked egg tarts. </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxM8I36q2kgpozn9vmY66qBlDEyTZAFzYAV4orAQa8TUQe1MQ1DO_6YGfKj5rg-s5JxLmugVTAAmhMe4xyXRBMGobV8T68bqzT3fNYGcdwFliFaA1KlkO58a8IMmu70PhTAclhwktLL0s/s1600/T%2526T++2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Live farmed B.C. sturgeon, T&T Supermarket" border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxM8I36q2kgpozn9vmY66qBlDEyTZAFzYAV4orAQa8TUQe1MQ1DO_6YGfKj5rg-s5JxLmugVTAAmhMe4xyXRBMGobV8T68bqzT3fNYGcdwFliFaA1KlkO58a8IMmu70PhTAclhwktLL0s/s400/T%2526T++2.jpg" title="Live farmed B.C. sturgeon, T&T Supermarket" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="color: red; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The seafood section at T&T has a choice selection of product including Live Alaskan King Crab, but what really caught my interest were the Live Farmed Sturgeon. Massive sturgeon can be caught in the Fraser River, about one kilometre east of us, but this is the first of the farmed variety I have encountered.</span><br />
<span style="color: red; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN-Ym_au13PodY-WLsiRV2r-01mB3cduDCI65EQcwrxwAmTngbVHUocPSArvf_w8n24vzi00St6u27vVIung0h7GmZi9Sj8dpijfnJHwEva_yimnpO0haR948zyyjmkIi7VNsCtCFuvT4/s1600/T%2526T++3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN-Ym_au13PodY-WLsiRV2r-01mB3cduDCI65EQcwrxwAmTngbVHUocPSArvf_w8n24vzi00St6u27vVIung0h7GmZi9Sj8dpijfnJHwEva_yimnpO0haR948zyyjmkIi7VNsCtCFuvT4/s400/T%2526T++3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="color: red; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: red; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We regularly select from the offerings in the prepared meal section at T & T Supermarket.</span><br />
<span style="color: red; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZSXdqHG2JYuuAZf9IdAQmS_rm54Kl_CGY8xK3kOZPaqnAcKkKkqhQwh-uzmlbbgX6zq2tI0v_ai60hpoJDP68D2HpC5s-ruwttr512uHZUPDPY3Jz5yGfmRNQsfFhi6FVCDP1ZL8GN6k/s1600/Snacks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZSXdqHG2JYuuAZf9IdAQmS_rm54Kl_CGY8xK3kOZPaqnAcKkKkqhQwh-uzmlbbgX6zq2tI0v_ai60hpoJDP68D2HpC5s-ruwttr512uHZUPDPY3Jz5yGfmRNQsfFhi6FVCDP1ZL8GN6k/s400/Snacks.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<span style="color: red; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: red; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Frozen Chinese and Japanese treats in abundance. Even the packaging is dreamy! For those wondering how prices compare, I can confirm that they are competitive with other chains, such as SUPERSTORE. For example, in the T & T pharmacy I picked up half a dozen packets of <i>FISHERMAN'S FRIEND</i> throat lozenges, priced cheaper than either COSTCO or WALMART. No kidding.</span></div>
<span style="color: red; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu1hEcIxlNNKTCU-8Yjv8p0onUSfXa1oysNR7LMEeglYiq6ujiQnLzIVwpU7Q5fp1dlKrcnghLdr4ungorrRbE5R8I9vzRtndqtKxkuMuK50-bMxpexQXb2AyrQp94ilMfutBzwI7QaJM/s1600/T%2526T+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Chinese New Year 2017 - T&T Supermarket Metrotown" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu1hEcIxlNNKTCU-8Yjv8p0onUSfXa1oysNR7LMEeglYiq6ujiQnLzIVwpU7Q5fp1dlKrcnghLdr4ungorrRbE5R8I9vzRtndqtKxkuMuK50-bMxpexQXb2AyrQp94ilMfutBzwI7QaJM/s400/T%2526T+4.jpg" title="Chinese New Year 2017 - T&T Supermarket Metrotown" width="300" /></a></div>
<span style="color: red; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: red; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sending Christmas cards seems to be falling out of fashion, as it now cost $1.00 in postage to send one out. At T & T Supermarket they offer Chinese New Year cards, but I didn't catch anyone poking through them. </span><br />
<span style="color: red; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5-yl9JJDuGcjKKyoRVIYkolm09dCswcGD3VOmUruz9MU9zrsLpw_YwfyezLJ5bVlqijcOhI3uFc9seAEDoNT2Wr74m4nPCr3TJ7hGXk9FkQChGU8tv-GPz19LmVtCvmPv9vxhddNQufY/s1600/Crystal+One.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Tai Fang Noodle Ltd. - Crystal Mall, Metrotown" border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5-yl9JJDuGcjKKyoRVIYkolm09dCswcGD3VOmUruz9MU9zrsLpw_YwfyezLJ5bVlqijcOhI3uFc9seAEDoNT2Wr74m4nPCr3TJ7hGXk9FkQChGU8tv-GPz19LmVtCvmPv9vxhddNQufY/s400/Crystal+One.jpg" title="Tai Fang Noodle Ltd. - Crystal Mall, Metrotown" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="color: red; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: red; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I also enjoy shopping in the marketplace located on the ground floor of CRYSTAL MALL, and it is particularly enticing during Chinese New Year week. Parking sucks, but I usually stop at the Burnaby Main Library first, leave my car, and cross the street to the mall. </span><br />
<span style="color: red; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7rmNHHg-rSRCZmmfz0GARVBMR2gA84oZfl0E6MJprFEz0iDvkK97kLaDgGT9MXM2zvHZ9QT212uCdbsqCRgLY4hNlMPeVIuh0OgeVw2lY1c-X4cNRmU2hpDQxWV30psXF2Vt7cYZR5DE/s1600/Crystal++2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Chinese marketplace - Crystal Mall, Burnaby Metrotown" border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7rmNHHg-rSRCZmmfz0GARVBMR2gA84oZfl0E6MJprFEz0iDvkK97kLaDgGT9MXM2zvHZ9QT212uCdbsqCRgLY4hNlMPeVIuh0OgeVw2lY1c-X4cNRmU2hpDQxWV30psXF2Vt7cYZR5DE/s400/Crystal++2.jpg" title="Chinese marketplace - Crystal Mall, Burnaby Metrotown" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="color: red; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: red; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Whether you are making careful selections for your hot-pot dinner or searching for special treats to entice visitors to your home... it's all there in the Chinese marketplace at Crystal Mall. </span><br />
<span style="color: red; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXlrEkAg5THUYqEmnhAdxdD3SzR2Dc4B4S11AG5RLC7e4BB9b-ny7jtSwab98wTYnXX3D3pRmS_7wemt-ZMamBtkWiur7ck27B8ImkWE4PxvW_NbCAufswNqL9-gny-8q23h-JWe1w2GU/s1600/COSTCO.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Orchids for Chinese New Year - COSTCO Burnaby B.C." border="0" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXlrEkAg5THUYqEmnhAdxdD3SzR2Dc4B4S11AG5RLC7e4BB9b-ny7jtSwab98wTYnXX3D3pRmS_7wemt-ZMamBtkWiur7ck27B8ImkWE4PxvW_NbCAufswNqL9-gny-8q23h-JWe1w2GU/s400/COSTCO.jpg" title="Orchids for Chinese New Year - COSTCO Burnaby, B.C." width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="color: red; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: red; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Inexpensive orchids offered today at the COSTCO store on Willingdon Avenue. I popped in to pick up a deck of batteries to feed my Apple mouse and keyboard, but I couldn't pass up a chance to poke my nose through the thicket of pretty plants. Enjoy your Chinese New Year weekend!</span><br />
<span style="color: red; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>R.J. Jack in B.C.</b></span>Ronald J. Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07435431062943796717noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4348701342332004441.post-26735549053991821612016-12-22T04:07:00.000-08:002016-12-23T04:37:21.716-08:00GOLD HOUSE - a new landmark begins rising in Metrotown<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC_jKXp51BYmg0j3NKOxa9DKmw_uQ33srs-2BQDowz_rFz_oEu0xHlvbHepQjukWhtECKcYc7GbqHwH8vH93WSDndPVpR8Xf_nWkJHw8BLNbJBXW303jZhEMpzK_11pDXekCDyHr3F4iY/s1600/Beresford+Art+Walk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Beresford Art Walk at GOLD HOUSE, Burnaby Metrotown" border="0" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC_jKXp51BYmg0j3NKOxa9DKmw_uQ33srs-2BQDowz_rFz_oEu0xHlvbHepQjukWhtECKcYc7GbqHwH8vH93WSDndPVpR8Xf_nWkJHw8BLNbJBXW303jZhEMpzK_11pDXekCDyHr3F4iY/s400/Beresford+Art+Walk.jpg" title="Beresford Art Walk at GOLD HOUSE - Burnaby Metrotown" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Above the Beresford Art Walk - a giant LED display will become</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>operational astride the Metrotown Skytrain Station in 2019.</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">December 22, 2016</span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
It is not often that I make a fuss over one of my wife's real estate investments, but in the case of <b>GOLD HOUSE</b> in Burnaby Metrotown, I think she made a very wise purchase - a two-bedroom apartment in the south tower of the complex. This is a project that is very good value for the money, and will be turning heads for years to come - quite literally. In concert with the <b>Burnaby Art Gallery</b>, the developer is planning to install a giant LED screen on the face of the first tower (157 feet long and wrapped around the building from the second to the fifth floors). Similar to the popular <a href="https://www.staplescenter.com/news/detail/staples-center-unveils-live-4hd-scoreboard-system-by-panasonic">screen at the <b>Staples Centre</b></a> in Los Angeles, the Digital canvas above the "<i>Beresford Art Walk</i>" promises to be the largest screen of its type in Canada. The <a href="http://business.panasonic.com/solutions-avsolutions-largeledvideosolutions">Panasonic display </a>will showcase "dynamic art" that is intended to look brilliant and HD from a distance - i.e. meant to impress both the pedestrians and the Skytrain riders who daily pass through Burnaby. Though many residents of Metrotown are night owls, the giant screen is planned to be dimmed at 10 PM nightly. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Municipal planners in Burnaby are determined that Beresford Street, astride the enlarged and redesigned <b>Metrotown Skytrain Station</b>, will offer street events and amenities to rival downtown Vancouver. Many of us would like to see a new performing arts centre in Metrotown, but for now we must be content with shared benefits that will emerge from the explosion of residential towers and new retail developments. That means the installation of many art pieces along Beresford Street as each new tower is completed, an Art Walk that will eventually total some $10 million in investment.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOMpGyXu66L-GD1T5_LtwnKr2OcwX3PAw1QHJh_efqBoKb2nivazl5H_JqKjxC0-NpDtihPNsDT8KSAlV14sOOiWGd1y-Ez-cVask1G-V7InYYplhDPPeEhTZ_G1O8XD_cOcRodbA7jJ0/s1600/Beresford+-+Metrotown.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Beresford Art Walk - GOLD HOUSE - Burnaby Metrotown" border="0" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOMpGyXu66L-GD1T5_LtwnKr2OcwX3PAw1QHJh_efqBoKb2nivazl5H_JqKjxC0-NpDtihPNsDT8KSAlV14sOOiWGd1y-Ez-cVask1G-V7InYYplhDPPeEhTZ_G1O8XD_cOcRodbA7jJ0/s400/Beresford+-+Metrotown.jpg" title="Beresford Art Walk - GOLD HOUSE - Burnaby Metrotown" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>GOLD HOUSE and the Beresford Art Walk</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>are shown ion this map of Metrotown.</b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
There are good images of GOLD HOUSE available online, and I scraped this one (below) from the RIZE website. It shows the two towers with the mountains in North Vancouver in the distance. The graphic is a bit deceptive because in fact two other towers - Modello and SILVER, are located west and on the same block. They already exist and should be in the image. The SILVER building is already tenanted and Modello has recently topped out. My wife sold residential and street level retail units in SILVER and her clients are all very happy with return on investment, but for herself, she decided to hold out for a unit in GOLD HOUSE. We enjoy our own home, and may never take up residence in Metrotown, but I have a feeling we will keep this unit, if only to pass on to our children.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm4zkMECoyXo-djeQ0lRCHQwqTvp9-jWCHfF9s28ekhjQDb7SxmNcq6evvUR0a5Ir9LhiVqq9cAxumIS_W6m7mLitmbw7IMTpfCQcqPAl9uwNKE1WfbHK6NNVhQaOyRxMUQlQioOetqaI/s1600/GOLD+1+and+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="GOLD HOUSE - Tower 1 and 2, Burnaby Metrotown" border="0" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm4zkMECoyXo-djeQ0lRCHQwqTvp9-jWCHfF9s28ekhjQDb7SxmNcq6evvUR0a5Ir9LhiVqq9cAxumIS_W6m7mLitmbw7IMTpfCQcqPAl9uwNKE1WfbHK6NNVhQaOyRxMUQlQioOetqaI/s400/GOLD+1+and+2.jpg" title="GOLD HOUSE - Tower 1 and 2, Burnaby Metrotown" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Good Luck Ceremony</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Many of the purchasers of units in GOLD HOUSE are Chinese, and they will appreciate the interesting "Good Luck" ceremony conducted by the developer, <b>RIZE - ALLIANCE</b>, on December 14, 2016. I am not aware of any time-capsules placed in the foundations of Metrotown high-rise towers, (most Canadians now outlive the buildings we work in or inhabit) but certainly the developers did something unique on Beresford Street. Assembled guests scattered gold foil into the five-story deep excavation at Tower One, and workmen in gold-painted helmets carefully applied gold leaf to a cement casting in the deep pit. A nice touch, and the sort of theatrics buyers do appreciate during the long wait as towers rise.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOohgGW2tHvndUL41Wb8s2RBK8CA65TWSegF9altb6Ef7GNA9B4jWPzdQgWeDZs3De8nnIkLXJFXR-xDTVb8hm2Fk0AtbQAkc4q5evn0W1ZkqmTVnztf1g_c3RmqpCSExMihrSWGVFCqY/s1600/scattering.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="GOLD HOUSE - foundation ceremony - Burnaby Metrotown" border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOohgGW2tHvndUL41Wb8s2RBK8CA65TWSegF9altb6Ef7GNA9B4jWPzdQgWeDZs3De8nnIkLXJFXR-xDTVb8hm2Fk0AtbQAkc4q5evn0W1ZkqmTVnztf1g_c3RmqpCSExMihrSWGVFCqY/s400/scattering.jpg" title="GOLD HOUSE - foundation ceremony - Burnaby Metrotown" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5td9_gzse_I7pEEGmmjoekecWXDGbE3-cQKrz7e8XUGmpg7_t0kbX1EeZZIBYrC5_CInJD5_ngRqnJRSnJSJ9ab7yhGlbmb1L8tFYDjqFCYuZMFY1CnsbfCtG3mMmvLoch4yEfCd-3pg/s1600/Gold+leaf.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Good Luck Ceremony - GOLD HOUSE - Burnaby Metrotown" border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5td9_gzse_I7pEEGmmjoekecWXDGbE3-cQKrz7e8XUGmpg7_t0kbX1EeZZIBYrC5_CInJD5_ngRqnJRSnJSJ9ab7yhGlbmb1L8tFYDjqFCYuZMFY1CnsbfCtG3mMmvLoch4yEfCd-3pg/s400/Gold+leaf.jpg" title="Good Luck Ceremony - GOLD HOUSE - Burnaby Metrotown" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>December 14, 2016 - GOLD HOUSE construction site.</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Builders apply gold leaf during a foundation "Good Luck"</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>ceremony at the base of the five storey deep excavation.</b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
Ronald J. Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07435431062943796717noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4348701342332004441.post-58212130498075591442016-09-17T18:50:00.002-07:002016-10-03T21:21:06.812-07:00Competing for Status in "The Centre" of Metrotown <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6Rqs094rvH0iqET_z72_VdNWku6NxUu1StT8GHxE88ptoYivPm4zo33G69MbjxToI73fKjbyLFG0BqdepuOjkRRb6gf0fD7A8XfVLYVhxGiL4qkq-KBfNSI1sP4IjvU1f-Hr-f5B2edg/s1600/mugshot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6Rqs094rvH0iqET_z72_VdNWku6NxUu1StT8GHxE88ptoYivPm4zo33G69MbjxToI73fKjbyLFG0BqdepuOjkRRb6gf0fD7A8XfVLYVhxGiL4qkq-KBfNSI1sP4IjvU1f-Hr-f5B2edg/s320/mugshot.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Your Blogger at the preview of "THE CENTRE", the last tower</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>of the STATION SQUARE development. A sales person made</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>a point of emphasizing the giant version of the Station Square logo, </b></span><br />
<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">the architects have incorporated into the design of their tower.</span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b> (See on photo above.) This is something to ponder.</b></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Ronald J. Jack</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Burnaby, B.C.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAqNuGtWmGCLXY_w8eqZJQB9fCgz4wGedx9OIoHnzDH3COkpb6hXZu3V5l8eewQmZseRISuI7xKW70tH1_QaQkok4xQUIgMPe2WXJBnzMPy0OwIMMQzeMWtPMK5ubBf-H2UfSimKaD0wE/s1600/6080.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="6080 McKay Avenue, Burnaby Metrotown - the building logo" border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAqNuGtWmGCLXY_w8eqZJQB9fCgz4wGedx9OIoHnzDH3COkpb6hXZu3V5l8eewQmZseRISuI7xKW70tH1_QaQkok4xQUIgMPe2WXJBnzMPy0OwIMMQzeMWtPMK5ubBf-H2UfSimKaD0wE/s320/6080.jpg" title="6080 McKay Avenue, Burnaby Metrotown - the building logo" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">"<span style="color: red;">41 FLOORS, UNPARALLELED VIEWS, TRANSIT CENTRAL, WORLD-CLASS SHOPPING</span>"</span><span style="font-size: x-large;"> </span><br />
Those are the talking points in the<i> Early Preview Package</i>. <br />
<br />
I had the opportunity yesterday, to preview Phase Three of the<b> STATION SQUARE</b> development in Metrotown. The civic address for the tower will be<b> 6080 McKay Avenue, Burnaby, B.C.</b> <br />
I skip most such events because they are now too frequent, but I was curious about this phase of the prodigious Station Square project, so I dropped in. First the colour images (which I confess I simply scraped from the Email distribution kit) and later tonight I will add the words. Not a review as such, but my thoughts on the project so far. I want to include what we might expect in what the promoters term "<b>The Centre</b>" of Metrotown. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I hasten to add that yesterday was only a '<b>sneak-preview'</b>. No price sheets were given out, but I was thinking of 1-Bdm at mid-level, and told prices are in the $850 - 950 per square foot bracket, and possibly going up. The Sales Team are watching up-to-the-minute values, as regional and Burnaby-specific sales data accumulates. As a possible investor-buyer I was given current Metrotown rental figures and some idea of what these units might yield a few years out. The Presentation Centre on McKay Avenue is now closed, as workers are installing show suites for the Big Splash, and the glitzy promo packages are still with the printer.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" height="450" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-l7hqKebuD_MPapaqxYpTZCwrdD4hOwgbDxqAVxj7A1jeKWMdQ52I3MbFBw96zZQG128HdIKXtOGkfRRhsvQPeRp82r3TlqOi-GvZPbt5iR2sMjK2uhq1NNd0TmivPhFTY0JqPNiu5JY/s640/THE+CENTRE.jpg" width="640" /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>An artists' rendering of the Station Square group of towers, when completed.</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>A spectacular addition to Burnaby's newly designated "Downtown". Yet, there are so </b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>many more towers coming, including a total redevelopment of the squat 1950s-era</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>SEARS property to the east of Metropolis, that this impression will not last long.</b></span></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">" <span style="color: red;">A slim, central spine establishes an elegant connection between the ground level, podium, and tower.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: red; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: red; font-size: large;">Alternating pattern of four-storey white and grey stacks playfully ascends the tower's facade.</span><br />
<span style="color: red; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: red;">An iconic red square prominently tops the building.</span>" </span><br />
<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmTBrVCu9wcIOq94chIbsyIFSNjNdt9yLUPWmRCBRbTZzZnoVYZP1LqOiG5GIKTaeblAxB3hkixuBe4BdgVDQQpXqfO6jk6TcgmAHYNOl7ycuiByWxzCCg1P4kqeLKEKH8sRzsKzy6Bp0/s1600/1B.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="6080 Station Square, Burnaby Metrotown - Birds' Eye View of adjacent towers" border="0" height="450" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmTBrVCu9wcIOq94chIbsyIFSNjNdt9yLUPWmRCBRbTZzZnoVYZP1LqOiG5GIKTaeblAxB3hkixuBe4BdgVDQQpXqfO6jk6TcgmAHYNOl7ycuiByWxzCCg1P4kqeLKEKH8sRzsKzy6Bp0/s640/1B.jpg" title="6080 Station Square, Burnaby Metrotown - Birds' Eye View of adjacent towers" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
This is an interesting rendering of <b>6080 McKay Avenue</b> as it will look to birds and micro-drones when construction is completed. <span style="color: red;">No. 7</span> is the Chinese shopping centre - <b>CRYSTAL MALL</b>, a project that was badly handled by some very greedy developers in the 1990s. The residential component did well, but the Retail Mall was half-empty for several years. Now it has matured into a wonderful, bustling marketplace where a simple purchase can be infused with a host of sensory and emotional boosts. <br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">THE NAME GAME</span><br />
<br />
I really disliked the name "<b>The Crystal</b>", when the project was promoted in 1997, but it has grown on us. When the west-side of Metrotown Mall was enlarged and dubbed "<b>METROPOLIS</b>" I was enthused, and I recall contributing a long letter to one of the Burnaby newspapers in which I predicted that the name would take hold. Well I was wrong. In the run-of-a-year I very seldom hear anyone refer to "Metropolis". Locals use "Metrotown" and "Station Square" almost exclusively when referring to destination, and I think the developers of the STATION SQUARE redevelopment project know that. Hence the decision to add the big red logo to the Phase Three tower. I have also written that "<b>THE</b> <b>SOVEREIGN"</b> was a great name for the landmark tower on Kingsway at Willingdon, Many of the names bestowed on prestige buildings in Greater Vancouver are boring or simply dumb, but we don't live in them, so we don't feel the need to slight them. As some persist in promoting Vancouver as a "Gateway" to Asia, you would think one culture-conscious property developer with a sense of history might name a cluster of towers for those great explorers who forged a trading link across the Pacific, linking Asia, the Americas and Europe. What is this aversion to history and hero figures?<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgMWywPUGOOlYBSKnI1GIxAp4RQLFz5B2WnkxC_Cky8r1OxUMwTKbmyWHz9rDwVUHDUWiHJTX_dztMJYQJxlkkY0r70_bALGZWIFsyf9Szc0ZA-DM4vcXZV1MQrWJEwUjpM6XUY8eWzGM/s1600/Crystal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="356" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgMWywPUGOOlYBSKnI1GIxAp4RQLFz5B2WnkxC_Cky8r1OxUMwTKbmyWHz9rDwVUHDUWiHJTX_dztMJYQJxlkkY0r70_bALGZWIFsyf9Szc0ZA-DM4vcXZV1MQrWJEwUjpM6XUY8eWzGM/s640/Crystal.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
This clipping is from an old real estate file I kept. "<i><b>The Crystal Plan Questioned</b></i>", was a report in the BURNABY NOW, November 5, 1997. Through the early 1990s the NDP controlled council, and it must be said, Burnaby City Planners, were determined to prevent Asian commercial development sited in Metrotown. I know firsthand because I met with them to discuss a 24-7 Sports/Entertainment complex to be built above SUPERSTORE. (This was before Silver City went in.) When They learned I was fronting for a Taiwanese developer, I was shown the door, and they were blunt about what they "wanted for Metrotown". Experienced Asian developers often wanted to replicate the kinds of projects that had made them wealthy back home. But the Canadian political imperative was - "You supply the money. We'll supply the vision." What the politicos didn't understand in the 90's, but certainly understand today, is that modern Asians detest the limitations of segregated shopping precincts, especially touristy Chinatowns. "The Crystal" was a necessary first step to crushing the old Burnaby mind-set, and the future of Metrotown will be amazing. <br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5YwOgx0jn34ES35Pejssd6kGPJqqMf-uD5Gw6dBaK1GcpA2Z743BUFixpnSSIS4DHoBnyYjYbE28ye3g2CKckjIRqVlVwQHXRaTMDqFYFVzWi5odxLIMh5bWFvRxV4l_pCeTP2uuzz-k/s1600/Crystal+when+new.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Crystal Mall (when still new) Burnaby Metrotown" border="0" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5YwOgx0jn34ES35Pejssd6kGPJqqMf-uD5Gw6dBaK1GcpA2Z743BUFixpnSSIS4DHoBnyYjYbE28ye3g2CKckjIRqVlVwQHXRaTMDqFYFVzWi5odxLIMh5bWFvRxV4l_pCeTP2uuzz-k/s400/Crystal+when+new.jpg" title="Crystal Mall (when still new) Burnaby Metrotown" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Visually interesting from afar, but spectacularly cramped</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>and off-putting as a shopping experience, the mall had a </b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>very rough start. It seems to be doing well in 2016, but </b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>don't try parking there. Walk over from SUPERSTORE Parking.</b></span></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbRya6nVcsrjFTUeQl76_Wb0_GGsqiOrP_Dxo73IPSQNzikJ-bpQu-g97G_mKSTMiGJiINUWAKiZovLZLJAS51oUEeUNdLTCxjK0Js50BvaWMYhzrchN-gA6A6bVAl-mQJCfdYpGXzy9s/s1600/1C.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Dramatic view of downtown Vancouver from downtown Burnaby, September 2016" border="0" height="454" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbRya6nVcsrjFTUeQl76_Wb0_GGsqiOrP_Dxo73IPSQNzikJ-bpQu-g97G_mKSTMiGJiINUWAKiZovLZLJAS51oUEeUNdLTCxjK0Js50BvaWMYhzrchN-gA6A6bVAl-mQJCfdYpGXzy9s/s640/1C.jpg" title="Dramatic view of downtown Vancouver from downtown Burnaby, September 2016" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">UPTOWN NOT "DOWNTOWN"</span><br />
<br />
This is a dramatic sunset view of downtown Vancouver as seen from "The Centre" of Metrotown. As we all know, the development of Burnaby has been promoted around four <b>Town Centres</b> but last year city government decided to officially designate Metrotown as our "Downtown". This is a bit awkward as Metrotown is actually built along a high ridge, which ensures that views from the residential towers are particularly spectacular. Some may prefer staring down at the Vancouver skyline, but others will prefer the view over the Skytrain line - Mount Baker, the trace of saltwater separating us from Vancouver Island, and the now emerging Surrey, B.C. skyline.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFxduNVPzucxta67YvU7D__4Z3wRrqni5e_jml2BKQ6IsbcCpSG36vdcDcm1XS7jhZf7MT9CFpWZpm7dM7HJ29CciEOfN03RFupYdunrAkmeFMOq3Z0veXIg07IJgmwd8NR4mTX3hXQWs/s1600/1D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="450" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFxduNVPzucxta67YvU7D__4Z3wRrqni5e_jml2BKQ6IsbcCpSG36vdcDcm1XS7jhZf7MT9CFpWZpm7dM7HJ29CciEOfN03RFupYdunrAkmeFMOq3Z0veXIg07IJgmwd8NR4mTX3hXQWs/s640/1D.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
This will soon be the pretty perch of some young urban professional, or perhaps a pair of students attending Simon Fraser University. In reality, those who do not tremble when they discuss the rent. The purchase price, plus monthly Strata fees will bite into the buyer's belly fat, so one will have to have great confidence that local property values will continue to soar.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii-OzYwJwPrvY1c0MtmLydBynMHanzSsx-n-7yuiIrvcK8eBBSPNowpubEk6O0kzxGTpTRRDh47YNpUbuJXuO_Qmz15DE91ZrnFCkTFrqOcMZBbXpnxEaGNKNobmda7MXlP7Pbx5OVw3Q/s1600/floorplan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Floor Plan, STATION SQUARE - 6080 McKay Avenue in Metrotown" border="0" height="395" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii-OzYwJwPrvY1c0MtmLydBynMHanzSsx-n-7yuiIrvcK8eBBSPNowpubEk6O0kzxGTpTRRDh47YNpUbuJXuO_Qmz15DE91ZrnFCkTFrqOcMZBbXpnxEaGNKNobmda7MXlP7Pbx5OVw3Q/s400/floorplan.jpg" title="Floor Plan, STATION SQUARE - 6080 McKay Avenue in Metrotown" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="color: red; font-size: large;">Most of the photographs herein, are taken</span><br />
<span style="color: red; font-size: large;">from the Anthem Properties, Beedie Living</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: red;">promotional package, distributed by email.</span></span></div>
Ronald J. Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07435431062943796717noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4348701342332004441.post-56937795688554716472016-07-19T00:52:00.003-07:002016-07-19T01:22:45.796-07:00Canadian Domestic Spying On the Chinese - Targeting B.C.'s Newest Citizens<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxVzRxRtAKK_Fy6HBoQiTizGq9ByxK6sKv7mReHXdZaBfopywT9IXDWiAvMBCvhDI3REN0Uxi4dmleuUSuayw4fKGrywCulNhYpGrNHe1J6ZhDWnlMAP3BTWHbQzPG7QNa66CYG3eBPyI/s1600/Jumped+Up.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="CRA Task Force - Tax Spies in Greater Vancouver" border="0" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxVzRxRtAKK_Fy6HBoQiTizGq9ByxK6sKv7mReHXdZaBfopywT9IXDWiAvMBCvhDI3REN0Uxi4dmleuUSuayw4fKGrywCulNhYpGrNHe1J6ZhDWnlMAP3BTWHbQzPG7QNa66CYG3eBPyI/s400/Jumped+Up.jpg" title="CRA Task Force - Tax Spies in Greater Vancouver" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Burnaby Metrotown is hidden by cloud in this photo,</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>but those of us who love it, know exactly where it is.</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
In 1885 the <i>Chinese Immigration Act</i> imposed a <b>$50 Head Tax</b> on each Chinese entering Canada. It was a daunting amount of money, but the Chinese kept coming. The Act was amended again and again, raising the tax. But the Chinese kept coming. In 1904 the <b>Head Tax was raised to $500 </b>- the price of a modest home in B.C., but the Chinese keep coming. Finally the Canadian government passed the <i>Chinese Immigration Act of 1923</i>, which got rid of the Head Tax but also neatly excluded most Chinese from entering the Dominion.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
There was already a large Chinese population in Vancouver and they could not legally be driven out. Their rights however, were limited. They could not vote and in order to protect the enclaves of White privilege, many property owners registered provisos on their real estate holdings, such as "<i>This property may not be transferred to a Chinese</i>." Most such racist insertions have been quietly expunged from the legal record, but when I was selling homes in the 1990s I encountered two surviving examples on properties listed in Dunbar. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Today the sprawling city is abuzz with an entirely different real estate "problem". Daily it is alleged that wealthy Chinese immigrants from "Mainland China" are the principle cause of escalating real estate prices. The ankle-biters have been demanding that governments (plural) intervene, using all the heavy-handed measures available to the state, and crush this wave of "unfair" competition for choice properties. Worse, the Federal Liberals, the Provincial Liberals, and the Vancouver (whatever the hell they are) have fallen into lock-step on the fabricated issue, convinced there are votes in squeezing more juice out of wealthy Chinese immigrants. Vancouver's pale mayor will take the lead by imposing a municipal Head Tax on the hated owners of condos who choose to turn the heat down low, and live somewhere else than Gold Mountain for most of the calendar year. It's truly amazing what prissy Canadians find to bitch about these days. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Some recent headlines:</span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: red; font-size: large;"><b><i>Canada Revenue Agency launches Vancouver housing probe </i>(Globe and Mail) July 14</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXGH9r7_CkmlEEnmi1Y4faNOXz8T9ZQDw0MsSybk_wOoek-11nbO-fLwgbNmy8eulMqM5mP6tcyRn7SPJSkI2s1I-wJeWTwddFUOkSxPj0oCtAiz8VZL9MRHdj7HKPT0ujVct78satmGo/s1600/scrape.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="CRA launches Vancouver housing probe - Globe and Mail July 14, 2016" border="0" height="388" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXGH9r7_CkmlEEnmi1Y4faNOXz8T9ZQDw0MsSybk_wOoek-11nbO-fLwgbNmy8eulMqM5mP6tcyRn7SPJSkI2s1I-wJeWTwddFUOkSxPj0oCtAiz8VZL9MRHdj7HKPT0ujVct78satmGo/s640/scrape.jpg" title="CRA launches Vancouver housing probe - Globe and Mail July 14, 2016" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: red; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: red; font-size: large;"><b><i>Leak reveals secret tax crackdown on foreign-money real estate deals in Vancouver </i>(South China Morning Post, July 14</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: red; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJf7nK6mv4Owq0Vii14DKA96cLngw38K7a5xT4dh_FXA93WCGqL82zFCv5PBmX4KOlx7Y41IIO4cQ7ZqgNNWrs3E18_qPceij4EO3255FPyY5N_onUoKUjKmJhqyIrI0XX3IFRRjUr8HA/s1600/SCMP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="171" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJf7nK6mv4Owq0Vii14DKA96cLngw38K7a5xT4dh_FXA93WCGqL82zFCv5PBmX4KOlx7Y41IIO4cQ7ZqgNNWrs3E18_qPceij4EO3255FPyY5N_onUoKUjKmJhqyIrI0XX3IFRRjUr8HA/s640/SCMP.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Both articles referenced a "Confidential" briefing package that a CRA whistleblower distributed widely to the news media, and which is dated June 2, 2016. The 34 page document is in the form of Power Point screenshots and it was produced by someone working inside the the secretive Pacific Region headquarters of<b> Canada Revue Agency. </b> The leaker is not at all opposed to government agents spying on Chinese immigrant families. On the contrary, he or she is incensed by what they term "<i>a lack of enforcement</i>". The goal was to embarrass the employer, the Canada Revenue Agency. Several newspapers published pages, but I decided to download the entire document from the cloud, and read it. To save you the trouble, I am sharing the most interesting pages here:</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm-7eH2jJnlq4uyliBIYVnPL0LKOJOcMU7FdKrSZJBYvrso0R0i_14GITOszuLCSxEOhr6fGLxOetyk9seF37i05Ff_dw6nhCXjpFNptAh2JxbRCql-vb2ifhJX6-_ijtHtEvzyEJAco8/s1600/Web+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Real Estate Webinar - CRA Pacific Region, June 2, 2016" border="0" height="292" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm-7eH2jJnlq4uyliBIYVnPL0LKOJOcMU7FdKrSZJBYvrso0R0i_14GITOszuLCSxEOhr6fGLxOetyk9seF37i05Ff_dw6nhCXjpFNptAh2JxbRCql-vb2ifhJX6-_ijtHtEvzyEJAco8/s400/Web+1.jpg" title="Real Estate Webinar - CRA Pacific Region, June 2, 2016" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDvPQjMXoI9ArwhgtHiIDebj-JPrBuid8xP3mtnuEfr7ykzYZhVf3VfnthLu-_eHdpzYjdjbg_Qna3ZoMRJ9raDM9KXHQjJTTJFL4vkqIVl-ZrGUKcQzDkfzfu2lIpQ9BvWZ8uLYpHLKs/s1600/web+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Canada Revenue Agency - leaked document - Vancouver housing investigation" border="0" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDvPQjMXoI9ArwhgtHiIDebj-JPrBuid8xP3mtnuEfr7ykzYZhVf3VfnthLu-_eHdpzYjdjbg_Qna3ZoMRJ9raDM9KXHQjJTTJFL4vkqIVl-ZrGUKcQzDkfzfu2lIpQ9BvWZ8uLYpHLKs/s400/web+2.jpg" title="Canada Revenue Agency - leaked document - Vancouver housing investigation" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZb8K8fY_r8l0OMdQ8Im0VE38faWi44L2TPsXG9chf8vJHK7MX1ghOc9wjLyiPskNr_s4wXMfGwSLjHdMfuCqVBQ_cc7VNxd8JFTDX1qYYAsHOSSA3IRTvx6C0_nL6XzPrzIM0xNaFaiQ/s1600/Web++4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="CRA PACIFIC REGION - assessing Vancouver real estate prices" border="0" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZb8K8fY_r8l0OMdQ8Im0VE38faWi44L2TPsXG9chf8vJHK7MX1ghOc9wjLyiPskNr_s4wXMfGwSLjHdMfuCqVBQ_cc7VNxd8JFTDX1qYYAsHOSSA3IRTvx6C0_nL6XzPrzIM0xNaFaiQ/s400/Web++4.jpg" title="CRA PACIFIC REGION - assessing Vancouver real estate prices" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv5_a3QyaeaB1i_S7uvog-UC16D9b5UK_mqhN2h0dxJnvyNZldjVgf6g7HVdc1H3i3xWQROHYeWBnsc3MD-DqOoeGrXZDmRrs2iN6OB_0GCUk8oh9eZKTwM7YhhoaTefFJdyF07VpMw3s/s1600/Web++5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="CRA Vancouver office - confidential - Leaked briefing notes" border="0" height="277" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv5_a3QyaeaB1i_S7uvog-UC16D9b5UK_mqhN2h0dxJnvyNZldjVgf6g7HVdc1H3i3xWQROHYeWBnsc3MD-DqOoeGrXZDmRrs2iN6OB_0GCUk8oh9eZKTwM7YhhoaTefFJdyF07VpMw3s/s400/Web++5.jpg" title="CRA Vancouver office - confidential - Leaked briefing notes" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz7KB3dtQeDKhEZCKbTTFa85Iu1zBstbErxNsIeVz9gCi_M31m3SkiTeTLuH8e2j1OscGJPyrngUMwgLDX6YhDU03wfbGL_i5aCxireASFkQvUVMG8A2Q6aZuSYtStXOW-xY_Xi6SHMew/s1600/Web+6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Tax Spies in Vancouver - CRA TASK FORCE on Chinese Property Buyers" border="0" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz7KB3dtQeDKhEZCKbTTFa85Iu1zBstbErxNsIeVz9gCi_M31m3SkiTeTLuH8e2j1OscGJPyrngUMwgLDX6YhDU03wfbGL_i5aCxireASFkQvUVMG8A2Q6aZuSYtStXOW-xY_Xi6SHMew/s400/Web+6.jpg" title="Tax Spies in Vancouver - CRA TASK FORCE on Chinese Property Buyers" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
There are no government employee names or contact information provided, but the leaker told a Hong Kong based newspaper, the <b>SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST</b>, that the briefing package was distributed by Mal Gill, who is identified as the Canada Revenue Agency "<b>Pacific Region Business Intelligence Director</b>. I guess that makes Gill our "Tax Spy - Chief".The paper contacted the Spy Chief, but he blandly referred them to a CRA Communications Director. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The next page, "SCREENING TOOLS", is especially interesting. It lists some of the B.C. Government , Canadian Government and Municipal Government (so far just Vancouver) databases the Tax Spies are already consulting. They also troll social networks on the Internet, searching for private postings that might incriminate an immigrant who has outbid White Canadians for property in British Columbia, and who can be punished with additional taxation and fines. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhng87cP2aysR6UYdVyfaQ476D9pAoUptb1f6dqv1wfAE46G7ekrIjQKDhw2EKKnEdmi_7RkNdKp1TXfxIJqgzKBb7OtuJUHftwDpWgDivVRwBhaA2oxoG5iL25l8B8Wz9jutCDWP7d6Xg/s1600/Web+7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Data Matching - CRA Vancouver - List of Confidential Resources" border="0" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhng87cP2aysR6UYdVyfaQ476D9pAoUptb1f6dqv1wfAE46G7ekrIjQKDhw2EKKnEdmi_7RkNdKp1TXfxIJqgzKBb7OtuJUHftwDpWgDivVRwBhaA2oxoG5iL25l8B8Wz9jutCDWP7d6Xg/s400/Web+7.jpg" title="Data Matching - CRA Vancouver - List of Confidential Resources" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Domestic spying is a routine in Orwellian Ca-na-da. (We are the only country that operates mechanized mail-opening plants for Christ sake! ) I am really hoping that the Chinese government has told the Canadian tax-snoops to take a hike. Too many countries betray their own people for slight political rewards Canada offers them. Taiwan for example, signed a Tax Treaty with Canada several years ago, and regularly provides packets of highly confidential information to Ottawa. And for what? Political recognition as an independent nation? Hell no! Just for the mere privilege of operating visa-issuing offices in our country. Suckers!</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9pRxCecmsJPJI__qUO1IYiwDtbEh1mYBCl-ZYPu2gqJSYxFCOhDf6jGY5IIlrp7nPaAxwPIS4gnFjqDgnsE5wgxz8078dUACuOk5CF_bGKMixiEaBCmngXU7mN6tQ_T_7ArAwA_6-SY8/s1600/Web++11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Chinese Immigrant Tax Cheats - CRA Pacific Region document" border="0" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9pRxCecmsJPJI__qUO1IYiwDtbEh1mYBCl-ZYPu2gqJSYxFCOhDf6jGY5IIlrp7nPaAxwPIS4gnFjqDgnsE5wgxz8078dUACuOk5CF_bGKMixiEaBCmngXU7mN6tQ_T_7ArAwA_6-SY8/s400/Web++11.jpg" title="Chinese Immigrant Tax Cheats - CRA Pacific Region document" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
And a few pages of CRA - Pacific Region (RESULTS) for the last Fiscal Year.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAqxmDbT6T8qMXm0tTGgVWs2Y-CcB2iXkYv5QDSyVOEB_131q_obaycle1e1sXrfdtmsncK5CNko4cHQga949PSap-RoGZtENpaEe-M51VQsy-639cb9AAfmQgeY5NCrnBTmdzt2VVOJg/s1600/Web+29.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="CRA Pacific Region - Chinese Immigrant Investigation, Fiscal year 2015-16" border="0" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAqxmDbT6T8qMXm0tTGgVWs2Y-CcB2iXkYv5QDSyVOEB_131q_obaycle1e1sXrfdtmsncK5CNko4cHQga949PSap-RoGZtENpaEe-M51VQsy-639cb9AAfmQgeY5NCrnBTmdzt2VVOJg/s400/Web+29.jpg" title="CRA Pacific Region - Chinese Immigrant Investigations, Fiscal year 2015-16" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHHhAS_Vmpe36SBmBh3fQcoMbS4VyOnwbEMjt6MDzrLPGHmZIRpgH6E6DNqC3esk5j9s3jRdwsAwQBaPD9Pz2BgUNt1N5IGVh1hErafWJlzlD3oKy6zEhE10Y7XBvbWVZVEv1wSHVVggc/s1600/Web+30.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Canada Revenue Agency - June 2, 2016, leaked document" border="0" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHHhAS_Vmpe36SBmBh3fQcoMbS4VyOnwbEMjt6MDzrLPGHmZIRpgH6E6DNqC3esk5j9s3jRdwsAwQBaPD9Pz2BgUNt1N5IGVh1hErafWJlzlD3oKy6zEhE10Y7XBvbWVZVEv1wSHVVggc/s400/Web+30.jpg" title="Canada Revenue Agency - June 2, 2016, leaked document" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
In a concluding page, "GOING FORWARD" we learn of plans to promote awareness of CRA efforts to crack down on cheats and non-compliers, including emphasis on a snitch line and a webpage to keep media abreast of topical stories that might enhance the image of the agency.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I suspect that the CRA is indeed embarrassed by this leak, but not because it is more evidence of domestic spying in Canada, but because they have no successes to brag about. It is a secret internal document ALL of the graphics, page after page of them, are clippings from the local newspapers. Reading it, I was reminded of an experience I had many years ago in Ottawa. I had a business appointment with the Military Attache of the Republic of Mexico, and arrived a few minutes early. His desk was covered with the days newspapers, and he was busy clipping stories and filing by subject. This CRA briefing, "<b>REAL ESTATE WEBINAR - PACIFIC REGION"</b> might have been prepared by a similar functionary for all it is worth.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH8DWg38Jr9rFCUwDopfT1buLNW6LY4TC6kL9h2fZ4wIun8XaG4KT0ekrIzWSXfBIyooXKXPyBwzxjxUXkfyc0J9iqfHbGEY84YI5Wliyw2OIDVJ2Fi4TrMYcV4mR2jYRnCH4kJiffjNE/s1600/Bait.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Bulldozer Bait - jealous headline in Vancouver SUN - 2016" border="0" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH8DWg38Jr9rFCUwDopfT1buLNW6LY4TC6kL9h2fZ4wIun8XaG4KT0ekrIzWSXfBIyooXKXPyBwzxjxUXkfyc0J9iqfHbGEY84YI5Wliyw2OIDVJ2Fi4TrMYcV4mR2jYRnCH4kJiffjNE/s400/Bait.jpg" title="Bulldozer Bait - jealous headline in Vancouver SUN - 2016" width="400" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
Ronald J. Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07435431062943796717noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4348701342332004441.post-65447346897654925972016-04-29T11:31:00.000-07:002016-04-29T21:02:48.697-07:00100 More Towers for Burnaby - Our construction targets are leaving Vancouver behind<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Ronald J. Jack</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPqLzatBiSVl2Ts1kdud_hWBdl0FIDD7uLtjg61s7iu8cly3aG2vEZye_HCxq6gKtk1Sx9rsBq6mRc68VXxS9eD6S5rNXLUXMOjDlcUSshIVXPBLDXcCiKeC2jueOdz_w3i9icVdgRJ80/s1600/Rising.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Burnaby Metrotown - Cityscape March 2016" border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPqLzatBiSVl2Ts1kdud_hWBdl0FIDD7uLtjg61s7iu8cly3aG2vEZye_HCxq6gKtk1Sx9rsBq6mRc68VXxS9eD6S5rNXLUXMOjDlcUSshIVXPBLDXcCiKeC2jueOdz_w3i9icVdgRJ80/s640/Rising.jpg" title="Burnaby Metrotown - Cityscape March 2016" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Burnaby Metrotown - one of four planned quadrants in Canada's "best managed city",</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>is poised to be officially declared - BURNABY DOWNTOWN. Here we see (S) the</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Sovereign building - currently Burnaby's tallest tower, and (L) the Main Library,</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>astride (C) Central Boulevard - host to METROTOWN SKYTRAIN STATION.</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Last week my wife got into a <b>bidding-war</b> over a townhouse in <b>Metrotown</b>. (These days, feeding frenzies over coveted homes are quite the norm.) Her clients had to offer $80,000 OVER the Listing Price, if they had any hope of securing the desirable property. At $880,000 they won, but not by much. A paltry $3,000 more than the next highest of five bidders. Her clients are very happy because they had offered on several other hot properties during the last 18 months and failed to take the process seriously. Now they have a home. ... On the weekend she sold an investment property, a tiny studio apartment in Vancouver. That listing is very near the beach on <b>English Bay</b>, and comes with a parking stall that will accommodate a Mini-Cooper with ease. The unit sold for $482,000., which is just $2,000 over current Assessed Value - "location" and "low" price was the only selling features. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Explosive Growth is the new reality, but in Burnaby at least, careful tower planting is creating futuristic garden-cities, versus the ghastly dystopian glass-thicket that has rendered Vancouver into an unsustainable tax sinkhole.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;">BIG NEWS</span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">In March the Business Press and the Real Estate Blogs were buzzing with news of staggering projections. Vancouver developers have finally conceded that the glass city is maxed-out. There are certainly limits to growth and there are also limits to how tolerant we are to having our behaviour and lifestyle dictated to us by mouthy Vancouver politicians. Burnaby, with its<b> Four Town-Centers</b> concept of well spaced development nodes is ideally suited to hosting the calibre of mega-projects now being conceived by the leading developers. Simply put, we have the space. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span>
Over in Surrey, B.C. the planners and developers are equally ambitious, and they will be looking hard at the <b>2016 CENSUS Data</b> as it becomes available two years down the road. The voice of Vancouver has been far too loud and shrill, and their are indications that the combined influence of the sister municipalities in the G.V.R.D. will teach the harbour city a delightful new marching song.<br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrIy_AwU42Vw72fug9_794BcXv18jzVqh7pDlZlCiZP2U7Vrof-79Mq4q1RJ0nqO2TfB8_qqQd83gHD18N_yzX5DqFhXqQAx3wJglaSzceQdEZEAkmtZp9sGMrnAa42UA5iDr5Ux9WJdY/s1600/Project.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Burnaby News - Burnaby Outpacing Vancouver in Tower Development" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrIy_AwU42Vw72fug9_794BcXv18jzVqh7pDlZlCiZP2U7Vrof-79Mq4q1RJ0nqO2TfB8_qqQd83gHD18N_yzX5DqFhXqQAx3wJglaSzceQdEZEAkmtZp9sGMrnAa42UA5iDr5Ux9WJdY/s400/Project.jpg" title="Burnaby News - Burnaby Outpacing Vancouver in Tower Development" width="395" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: medium;">Inserting this scraped text will save me some typing time:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdZdOIQZarS-xlBVpk3qwlyyVKQkE3CebThSd9qQcysuqNUKcOMLcblPi42bGbqfsogUHMy7NthxDhzmixBsXp71-p4zHjhaJ4k1-Am0-pTw4lPvE8hRrLVW2oHkWRak04RWVl7nAaftE/s1600/Box.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdZdOIQZarS-xlBVpk3qwlyyVKQkE3CebThSd9qQcysuqNUKcOMLcblPi42bGbqfsogUHMy7NthxDhzmixBsXp71-p4zHjhaJ4k1-Am0-pTw4lPvE8hRrLVW2oHkWRak04RWVl7nAaftE/s640/Box.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
Some "housing critics" term them "Demo-victions" but the trend has taken hold in Burnaby, and our 100% NDP Council and Mayor are onboard with it. Socialism ain't what it used to be! Several half-century old low-rise apartment blocks have come down and many more are nervous. Concrete towers are marching down Metrotown ridge.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOVTp2Zn7X2i4SvsFR47pFi3fW0x2A4mhUVd7JGtznDkGvGeMHAhKoSoE86zy4vDVDJXkrMEGy6aVj96DCEMMaDEqZ1sqd9foDQayAPklM8NKkTXnhNKCNQIfzaaxpJyzsscz6UexFWJM/s1600/Demo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Demo-Fiction in Burnaby Metrotown" border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOVTp2Zn7X2i4SvsFR47pFi3fW0x2A4mhUVd7JGtznDkGvGeMHAhKoSoE86zy4vDVDJXkrMEGy6aVj96DCEMMaDEqZ1sqd9foDQayAPklM8NKkTXnhNKCNQIfzaaxpJyzsscz6UexFWJM/s400/Demo.jpg" title="Demo-Viction in Burnaby Merton" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<b>MODELLO</b> is one of the residential towers currently underway in Metrotown. We didn't buy one of its units, (sales were manipulated by privileged insiders, resulting in unreasonable prices) but the location's advantages are obvious. It is an easy five-ten minute walk from Modello Tower to anything you might need or desire - superb shopping at Metropolis Mall, the Skytrain station, the Burnaby Central Library (<b>home to the best DVD movie, TV and documentary library in town)</b>, The Crystal - Chinese Mall, and the sprawling green belt called Central Park. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmoaXGJiFtAXkx15k4Xr9xIbz2M1QiYr5JABodv-P3cabUnsgzfsUzZfClK3Qoe164Pmm-7irha0w67f_WX4NGD0BkQyjVf5PvTJIikhkrUlHv7ixEFBMKhYMZMMHe_fqUKafnqZSIayI/s1600/Modello+Sky.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmoaXGJiFtAXkx15k4Xr9xIbz2M1QiYr5JABodv-P3cabUnsgzfsUzZfClK3Qoe164Pmm-7irha0w67f_WX4NGD0BkQyjVf5PvTJIikhkrUlHv7ixEFBMKhYMZMMHe_fqUKafnqZSIayI/s640/Modello+Sky.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">NEIGHBOURS</span><br />
I must admit that while I enjoy all the benefits of living NEAR Metrotown, I actually live in a detached house surrounded by hedge, fence and tall trees. In fact we are equidistant from the BRENTWOOD MALL (currently the site of a landmark development and hyper-growth) and METROTOWN, but I rarely shopped at the old Brentwood. COSTCO is nearest emporium to us... just five minutes by car, and once you fill the car at COSTCO you rarely bother to drive further. But I must admit that the concept designs convince me that he NEW Brentwood will be a complex I will occasionally explore. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyP4Lt6vF0Xvri1st_tRnSZ1p_dzLsiwf1YxafZ6_Oeu-NbI0r3b0cLnk65UqFaJxKEDlxjX94kSgallPeXwk5B4JU2z8cOWETMUYTNYH7CmJBn42qvOHhNmt9_TbZ0Abd_0GakKYUjdU/s1600/Brentwood.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="BRENTWOOD MALL, Burnaby - the super development" border="0" height="331" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyP4Lt6vF0Xvri1st_tRnSZ1p_dzLsiwf1YxafZ6_Oeu-NbI0r3b0cLnk65UqFaJxKEDlxjX94kSgallPeXwk5B4JU2z8cOWETMUYTNYH7CmJBn42qvOHhNmt9_TbZ0Abd_0GakKYUjdU/s640/Brentwood.jpg" title="BRENTWOOD MALL, Burnaby - the super development" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>The shopping node at the core of what they are terming "The Amazing Brentwood"</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>is now under construction. The Skytrain station was completed several years ago.</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFhBh5k1l8AWciSA0E29SowfNX6qlZgh7qiN1Q3mgjJ1EhDyEpHi7sztcQ5Yz4tipTCWGeOdBLZYr8tAmeyzxpl9pSEUtraL5Hh1COgw0CUiGIUtRsLU0NvOxCxu4y1IEHbDgoQFPSBqU/s1600/Brentwood.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="The Amazing Brentwood - new development in Burnaby, B.C." border="0" height="366" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFhBh5k1l8AWciSA0E29SowfNX6qlZgh7qiN1Q3mgjJ1EhDyEpHi7sztcQ5Yz4tipTCWGeOdBLZYr8tAmeyzxpl9pSEUtraL5Hh1COgw0CUiGIUtRsLU0NvOxCxu4y1IEHbDgoQFPSBqU/s640/Brentwood.jpg" title="The Amazing Brentwood - new development in Burnaby, B.C." width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span>
I sometimes shop at LOUGHEED MALL but I must admit that what most attracts me to that neighbourhood, perhaps twice per month, is the "Korean Village" - a haphazard cluster of Korean food stores and restaurants downslope from the mall. I really like the way Koreans market their wares. The produce, the meats and fish, the bakery treats and the galaxy of gleaming Korean kitchen gadgets, are all very, very enticing. <br />
<br />
LOUGHEED MALL is projected to thrust itself high into the sky, and it is nothing short of astounding to examine the Concept Proposal put forward by Shape Properties. This is virtually a mini-city project in size and scope, and given that Burnaby's silicon industries are located nearby, we can be assured that those towers will sell out to young workers and local investors. This is not pie in the sky, but rather a clever maximization of the huge investment in a new rapid transit line that was recently completed on North Road and which is still underway to communities further East.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxV4dhFzzZduRuvpGuSmV7kBJqDcLFha-nrpjmK1s0bAsIwOsMtLRqG7vpE5Xtc6mTS4488lOO-N211QRfeMobIVeMWXtorxYB2958AoYQl-i5_e3NokBgis5HS57cFN1rkyf9E9VdrHc/s1600/Lougheed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Lougheed Mall redevelopment proposal - Burnaby March 2016" border="0" height="306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxV4dhFzzZduRuvpGuSmV7kBJqDcLFha-nrpjmK1s0bAsIwOsMtLRqG7vpE5Xtc6mTS4488lOO-N211QRfeMobIVeMWXtorxYB2958AoYQl-i5_e3NokBgis5HS57cFN1rkyf9E9VdrHc/s640/Lougheed.jpg" title="Lougheed Mall redevelopment proposal - Burnaby March 2016" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
I don't know a single person who is opposed to these plans, although most of us still keep an anxious eye on the soaring purchase prices of residential property. I think it is far too easy to criticize market trends and label such home prices "insane". That was exactly what I said...and repeatedly, when I bought a house in Burnaby in 1994. "<i>This is insane</i>." But I was wrong. Yesterday I was looking at detached housing and apartment rental figures for the cities of New York and San Francisco. Now that's insane! I recommend comparative reading as an antidote for folks who suffer a sour stomach over Vancouver Real Estate prices.</div>
Ronald J. Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07435431062943796717noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4348701342332004441.post-83756379543000208192016-03-24T08:33:00.001-07:002016-04-07T12:06:28.000-07:00Cute Rear-Ends in Metrotown <b>No. 1</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b><span style="font-size: large;">"Haul Anything... But Dead Bodies!!"</span></b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidI4dNl3Bq754Xo-4-S7B4-KKxg3Lope5k-XeDmeMp_nFo3hRtlJpMBawS_5JJr-JG8cDJ-OL_-vr8-dFtzi0WFvjSvSKfiqgfJVKhyphenhyphenb-BCELyAvxS00VA7vQyGiYshA10RT0dtgrog-0/s1600/JUNK.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidI4dNl3Bq754Xo-4-S7B4-KKxg3Lope5k-XeDmeMp_nFo3hRtlJpMBawS_5JJr-JG8cDJ-OL_-vr8-dFtzi0WFvjSvSKfiqgfJVKhyphenhyphenb-BCELyAvxS00VA7vQyGiYshA10RT0dtgrog-0/s640/JUNK.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<b><br /></b>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
</div>
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Distracting the Drivers </span></b><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Our buses and taxi cabs are plastered with advertising, and now of course we have those gorgeous jumbo digital screens that we read easily from a long bridge-length. Occasionally I gawk at, and photograph cute rear-ends that amuse me. Here is Brad's Junk Removal, on Willingdon in Metrotown. If memory serves, it was Christmas time, three months back.</b></div>
Ronald J. Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07435431062943796717noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4348701342332004441.post-76724717163201468432016-03-23T14:28:00.000-07:002016-06-23T21:30:35.880-07:00BURNABY - Even the Thrift Shops are Better Here!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_b-3bxY8_V3PYko_k2BIbmrXeBuxXbVkfrCmywsEv9sg5F_9Igyh7nQfPg2KkiVlLN5-zUfxDlcTedw8qpxiWC8Jz7b1r6FKDZsmxSp7ifN_gbyMjXGaLPyFTXxep0XRlGlLddO5n9pA/s1600/Hospice+Society.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Burnaby Hospice Society Thrift Store - Tenth Anniversary, 20216" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_b-3bxY8_V3PYko_k2BIbmrXeBuxXbVkfrCmywsEv9sg5F_9Igyh7nQfPg2KkiVlLN5-zUfxDlcTedw8qpxiWC8Jz7b1r6FKDZsmxSp7ifN_gbyMjXGaLPyFTXxep0XRlGlLddO5n9pA/s400/Hospice+Society.jpg" title="Burnaby Hospice Society Thrift Store - Tenth Anniversary, 2016" width="267" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Contents</b>: Old Dutch potato chips, a Kit Kat bar, </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
a Juice Box, a ballpoint pen, and a $5 Gift Certificate.</div>
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Volunteers add joy to our lives in Burnaby</span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The guilt is weighing me down. I started this Blog a few months ago, fully intending to promote life in Metrotown with a weekly photo-essay covering something worthy. I love living in this city, and I feel that I do contribute... yet I'd like to do more. But I have to work, and there are only so many spare hours in my day. Let me start to make amends.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Here is something rather splendid. In a previous post I mentioned that my gym is <b>CLUB 16</b> in High Gate Village. It's a great place to work out and the staff are super friendly - even to a middle-aged geezer like me. A bonus is that directly below our gym is a "<i>Signature</i>" BC LIQUORSTORE. It stocks everything I might want, and much more. And if that isn't convenient enough, just a block away, on my route home, is the <a href="http://burnabyhospice.org/thrift-store/">BURNABY HOSPICE SOCIETY THRIFT STORE</a>. At least once a week, I try to pull over and go inside to browse the book department and the DVD shelves. Of course they don't always have something matching my interests, but when they do, Oh brother they're giving it away!</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Did I mention that the staff are all volunteers, and they are super-friendly? </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
At noon today I stepped through the entrance and was greeted very warmly by a couple of volunteers. One lady thrust a hand-crafted gift bag into my hand, and invited me to sample the goodies they had prepared, even before I could get to the book stacks. She was manning a popcorn wagon, filling giveaway bags. Another lady was offering slices from a very large cake and filling Starbucks cups with hot coffee. I took a cup but skipped the sweet cake and buttery popcorn. I was still overheated from my workout at the gym. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX_NZ5AXR2b5f-MQrJtj7VdNnGbMl0zMSzdXVwtKyKvg11Nh5eUMPSIImQxitfxOp6TVJfvEuiLx33UYtuyioUPvJKv3YR6m3gmWqQ75xCYIELCDerUudEg2AGkXSTogPyBpzwnXt6riA/s1600/Thanks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Burnaby Hospice Society Thrift Store - 10th Anniversary sponsors" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX_NZ5AXR2b5f-MQrJtj7VdNnGbMl0zMSzdXVwtKyKvg11Nh5eUMPSIImQxitfxOp6TVJfvEuiLx33UYtuyioUPvJKv3YR6m3gmWqQ75xCYIELCDerUudEg2AGkXSTogPyBpzwnXt6riA/s320/Thanks.jpg" title="Burnaby Hospice Society Thrift Store - 10th Anniversary sponsors" width="214" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
To celebrate the <b>Tenth Anniversary</b> of their thrift store, located at <b>6843 Kingsway</b>, the Hospice Society is running a surprise BLOWOUT sale. Now, many stores do hold "Thank You" events, but I think we can all agree that these spirited staffers are redefining the concept of "Customer Appreciation". </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Most shoppers are probably looking for furniture, clothing, or housewares, but I'm a man with simpler interests. I don't need or want any of that. So what did I buy? </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjGSoxZvPOAGc026rJN4biUICJRHvgET86zSzCLbZSs3MrK5ZYSUmI7jifzGe3LyARdNbJbnkUEoQj6Hgm4CoblX63FMYSfz1arKvU7TjT-mnXlojE6HCPyMSSRwuVBiAfofkMRYgsfrQ/s1600/%25243.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Der Vaderen Erf - published Zaandam, 1952" border="0" height="540" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjGSoxZvPOAGc026rJN4biUICJRHvgET86zSzCLbZSs3MrK5ZYSUmI7jifzGe3LyARdNbJbnkUEoQj6Hgm4CoblX63FMYSfz1arKvU7TjT-mnXlojE6HCPyMSSRwuVBiAfofkMRYgsfrQ/s640/%25243.jpg" title="Der Vaderen Erf - published Zaandam, 1952" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">The best item is the 1992 Exhibit Catalog, <b>VAN GOGH IN ENGLAND</b>, from the Barbican Gallery, London.</span> </div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
All of this (five books and a DVD) for <b>$3. dollars</b>... and they gave me a plastic bag to carry it all away. I think they are probably the last shop on Metrotown Ridge that still gives out a plastic bag. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
So what kind of people volunteer at the thrift shop? Students, seniors, and even folks with previous retail experience. The man who volunteers for organize and stock the book corner and music/movie section is very knowledgeable. He's had his own bookstore in Burnaby for years.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
So when it comes time to donate unwanted items from your own home, (and I know it is so tempting to simply let the BIG BROTHERS truck come to your door), give a thought to dropping you clean unwanted items to the backdoor of the Burnaby Hospice Society Thrift Store. They're easy to find, quite near the Japanese Cultural Centre.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSKQ64qPb7Ed1wHbx88leJukE9ZVR-KUJw4bzpngKfSiaCfn2WRXlclo4oKBOkjimYlg7AE0B2acZ1z83VowvXktSfENcD0qCJ2ejthTpBe_e-HY9YmIhIC8YephJaYfQzx-R2X9hMhqs/s1600/BMW.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="BMW Z4 in Burnaby Metrotown - Brian Jessel dealer" border="0" height="498" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSKQ64qPb7Ed1wHbx88leJukE9ZVR-KUJw4bzpngKfSiaCfn2WRXlclo4oKBOkjimYlg7AE0B2acZ1z83VowvXktSfENcD0qCJ2ejthTpBe_e-HY9YmIhIC8YephJaYfQzx-R2X9hMhqs/s640/BMW.jpg" title="BMW Z4 in Burnaby Metrotown - Brian Jessel dealer" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b>Don't judge people who shop at the Thrifts - else they judge you first.</b></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Ronald J. Jack</b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
Ronald J. Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07435431062943796717noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4348701342332004441.post-29133881844335364932015-11-03T11:17:00.004-08:002015-11-03T12:53:37.424-08:00BURNABY B.C. - A SUBURB NO MORE !<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
There is an undeclared war raging in the "Lower Mainland" of British Columbia and even though no blood is being shed, there will continue to be many casualties. <b>Taxpayers, home owners, and new immigrants from China, to name the most obvious</b>. Trapped like a viper in a basket, the city of Vancouver is desperate to maintain to its decades-old hegemony over all neighbouring cities, and though the combined population and wealth of <b>Burnaby</b> and <b>Surrey</b> overtake it, the Vancouver political elites will continue to sneer contemptuously at harder working sister cities. In addition, the Vancouver municipality will never cease fighting an ideological battle with the Liberal Government in Victoria (they literally hate Premier <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christy_Clark">Christy Clark</a>), and that campaign is at the certain expense of all other communities in B.C. Vancouver is always demanding more power and taxing authority for itself, and constantly generating greedy schemes that will only serve to limit citizen's right to enjoy their freedoms and their property. Like any trapped predator, Vancouver is dangerous. I love my own city, Burnaby, and I find repugnant Vancouver's perpetual plotting for ever more power.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<b>Over the next few weeks</b> I will be sharing a few stories which should matter to those who call Metrotown Burnaby their home.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img alt="Burnaby B.C. - Historical Development, book 1995" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOOkF7iKdOd4TBgGpsefLaby2776Sb6a2LG0AezDA0TSp8uQ0-ydEnPHZpf2ZMkH-1uwrckqCUf1qpoacsFukmlfCOEkGvuKL1-Xdwy574ZA7eQvyUi_0rhj6zKRY80mnl6M5oxHuqBRY/s400/Suburb+No+More.jpg" title="Burnaby B.C. - Historical Development, book 1995" width="380" /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
"<b>Suburb of Happy Homes</b>" - the condescending label applied</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
to Burnaby in a <i><b>VANCOUVER SUN</b></i> article published in <b>1942</b>.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVep7AxqeWQ3Z1xR4YAtKd1RnTuORHSI9GaUcfsUyXVZSDGhG9JBAX80Vd-hZkTYewMJ48gNMgGE7hTBBKiZM2yznnZAzWv9pT9WMgOB0dFss3Lkj3NqGDX5WEjIhIQmTh70-oDKed7-s/s1600/Metroplace.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="METROPLACE building, Burnaby Metrotown" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVep7AxqeWQ3Z1xR4YAtKd1RnTuORHSI9GaUcfsUyXVZSDGhG9JBAX80Vd-hZkTYewMJ48gNMgGE7hTBBKiZM2yznnZAzWv9pT9WMgOB0dFss3Lkj3NqGDX5WEjIhIQmTh70-oDKed7-s/s400/Metroplace.jpg" title="METROPLACE building, Burnaby Metrotown" width="298" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
METROTOWN was a powerhouse location even before the current </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
development boom. The Metroplace Tower is just one of many </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
recent projects that are completely transforming the community.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>Top Burnaby Metrotown Realtor </b></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>Loses License to Sell for One Year</b></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Assuming that advertising doesn't stretch the bounds of truth, Lester Lin has been a very successful realtor of late. Here is an example of one of his advertisements - "<i><b>#1 Listing Realtor in Burnaby</b></i>", scraped from the Internet.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVBEGwSwwTFbnMfGSagld2FQD_YC1wQtSpLs5VmHLR1CLQArxRvpvaXFkEd3YNVo-zG5o4gAt_ldAJq6P5QkjVm_6gUQSB5dJaf203Yeb6zU8df8vYt-d_1oUPCfj1hgzCBfS_Z5TWDcg/s1600/lesterlin_ca.Jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Lester Lin - #1 Listing Realtor in Burnaby" border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVBEGwSwwTFbnMfGSagld2FQD_YC1wQtSpLs5VmHLR1CLQArxRvpvaXFkEd3YNVo-zG5o4gAt_ldAJq6P5QkjVm_6gUQSB5dJaf203Yeb6zU8df8vYt-d_1oUPCfj1hgzCBfS_Z5TWDcg/s400/lesterlin_ca.Jpeg" title="Lester Lin - #1 Listing Realtor in Burnaby" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">If you read his other display ads in the back issues of the Real Estate weeklies you can see what an impressive position he maintained in the marketing of high-end properties, many of them in prosperous <b>South Slope</b>, behind Burnaby Metrotown.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3FuREt43C2Ajx4RUv5BTE7wSPKfy-uYuWjZLvvnDkn2JXnJXX0QYjuPnhVRQfUifB_Sh2U-2oS2XJe4gl2gtHNWuyFA5Msa6Vx4zD2T_LZpn_05huwMq0Yxusua6faYFnSgExRN7Zt3s/s1600/Lin+Listings.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3FuREt43C2Ajx4RUv5BTE7wSPKfy-uYuWjZLvvnDkn2JXnJXX0QYjuPnhVRQfUifB_Sh2U-2oS2XJe4gl2gtHNWuyFA5Msa6Vx4zD2T_LZpn_05huwMq0Yxusua6faYFnSgExRN7Zt3s/s400/Lin+Listings.jpg" width="312" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
When a realtor of this stature gets censured by the <b>Real Estate Council of British Columbia</b> it's a Big Deal, or at least I thought so. The Council slapped Mr. Lin's hands in a decision rendered on August 17, 2015 and it was published on the Council's website on<b> September 22</b>. As far as I can determine, no news agency covers these releases, but they should, because such unethical practices make the public suspicious about the industry in general, and even mistrustful of other realtors who have spotless records. Mr. Lin actually runs his business from offices in East Vancouver, but clearly Burnaby is his target market. For the coming year he cannot write contracts himself, while he undergoes remedial training, but of course he has junior realtors at hand to service his client base. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYDkEoEJ2UnO_oJPeLAiZHtbzfIXePDKs5W9jDu6JE5WGWKvl1bkbgtlhStvf0mHA9higSHHbYLOJf67wXl8yImOWi_c7bVn8uttQ_m8htkwELTCx1QsY6REdr7i7BTSFVhxmxLx5YqfM/s1600/Lin+Lines.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="145" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYDkEoEJ2UnO_oJPeLAiZHtbzfIXePDKs5W9jDu6JE5WGWKvl1bkbgtlhStvf0mHA9higSHHbYLOJf67wXl8yImOWi_c7bVn8uttQ_m8htkwELTCx1QsY6REdr7i7BTSFVhxmxLx5YqfM/s640/Lin+Lines.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b>For a complete copy of the Disciplinary Decision, go to</b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b>the Website of the Real estate Council of British Columbia.</b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
The R.E.G.B.V. statistics released this morning (Nov. 3) show that <b>residential property sales went up almost 20% </b>compared to October 2014. There is an immense amount of money changing hands each month, and honest mistakes are costly enough. Deliberate fraud or deceptive practices can only be wiped out by strict enforcement of standards and greater efforts at educating the public - especially new arrivals from Taiwan and China who are not accustomed to our laws and business practices.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Ronald J. Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07435431062943796717noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4348701342332004441.post-69361688804704658362015-10-31T18:37:00.001-07:002015-11-13T09:07:24.625-08:00Drone overflights - Burnaby Metrotown<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Ronald J. Jack</b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>ronjackbc@yahoo.ca</b></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqylK5Yn5GWWg460Z_L4ZrY2khBVFC5sZ2tpOZgMHhLAdc4LLv-25ykDBJeGXy7giWuYVFytz17MPlhrWSr7c0b1R8dg_4bxSALhn6oYqwv-IaD-H4upA6BOPHwdvoq8t1ObAWSjnZ1i4/s1600/UAV+over+BM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="DJI Phantom 2 over Burnaby Metrotown - Feb. 2015" border="0" height="307" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqylK5Yn5GWWg460Z_L4ZrY2khBVFC5sZ2tpOZgMHhLAdc4LLv-25ykDBJeGXy7giWuYVFytz17MPlhrWSr7c0b1R8dg_4bxSALhn6oYqwv-IaD-H4upA6BOPHwdvoq8t1ObAWSjnZ1i4/s400/UAV+over+BM.jpg" title="DJI Phantom 2 over Burnaby Metrotown Feb. 2015" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">This could be fun. I am looking for interesting U.A.V. (Drone) video taken over Burnaby Metrotown. A good start is this mix of <b>daytime - dusk - early evening</b> coverage I found on YouTube. It was posted on the<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cxQGMhNVKrM"> FLYIN PHANTOM</a> YouTube account in January of 2015.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0UM7WXsgB4E0l5qDGTOvbI0qIqmdRpWB4u6Jt7whVaxJP069eT7wfKUUNoOufHx0FVsWufrspyU2tkpqnCF7bOv8XEOxIcZnFX2USGaI0WYCUDGOtdoTpZoO7pr9M2dAv9vNjaIYWqIw/s1600/gear.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="DJI Phantom 2 with GoPro 4" border="0" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0UM7WXsgB4E0l5qDGTOvbI0qIqmdRpWB4u6Jt7whVaxJP069eT7wfKUUNoOufHx0FVsWufrspyU2tkpqnCF7bOv8XEOxIcZnFX2USGaI0WYCUDGOtdoTpZoO7pr9M2dAv9vNjaIYWqIw/s400/gear.jpg" title="DJI Phantom 2 with GoPro 4" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>The excited film maker also posted a photo of his new gear.</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>He used a DJI Phantom 2 U.A.V., that he purchased for less</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>than $800, and mated it with a GoPro 4 camera. A good combo!</b></div>
</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">As I find other Burnaby Metrotown U.A.V. video I will add SCREENSHOTS and LINKS here. I am particularly keen to see U.A.V. video of major construction sites and the Skytrain stations in the Metrotown corridor. I will share any video of quality that I find.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAp13J5YLpRMY45lkh8wCd8tysrpUWoVH5ISxIDjlQi67RXcQWhQLI0JP1rPrzLhwehEHrAWZ-dcKUwAZtvHjhgx8_EF5jcRMIXuWuZ6x4kmBsMI43xaI2XqeKo3EA0GpCQ7QzUf-czZ0/s1600/Sovereign.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Drone video capture - Kingsway at Metrotown, Burnaby" border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAp13J5YLpRMY45lkh8wCd8tysrpUWoVH5ISxIDjlQi67RXcQWhQLI0JP1rPrzLhwehEHrAWZ-dcKUwAZtvHjhgx8_EF5jcRMIXuWuZ6x4kmBsMI43xaI2XqeKo3EA0GpCQ7QzUf-czZ0/s400/Sovereign.jpg" title="Drone video capture - Kingsway at Metrown, Burnaby" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Screen capture - U.A.V. is looking straight down Kingsway.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><i>The Sovereign</i>, which hosts "The Element" Hotel, currently</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">dominates Metrotown. It is Burnaby's tallest structure. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">U.A.V. Recently Made Local News</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
A few may remember when a U.A.V. operated above Richmond, made the local NEWS. In April of 2014 the local affiliate of CTV NEWS did a story on a drone video that had been web-published on YOUTUBE. The U.A.V. operator skillfully captured a steady continuous shot of a passenger aircraft landing at Vancouver's airport (YVR), and the report mixed official outrage with dire predictions of a U.A.V. bringing down an big aircraft. If they haven't done so yet, YVR will eventually install disrupters around their property that will disable any hobbyists who get too close with U.A.V.s.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeSwHEwus-PpXM4FSlUhwVWt1UqtdQLuomZOnMvrYgLnHbWhUmSQdzR6ef9QUA5KY3Og63MGhncYwyZqO6HqOs4wV9sSbYf80jjk5LsHOnb8iFKGLE-JaGvQNk2GVatzjyC3vAbB7Siv4/s1600/scrape.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Dangerous Drone Flight - Vancouver Airport - YVR" border="0" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeSwHEwus-PpXM4FSlUhwVWt1UqtdQLuomZOnMvrYgLnHbWhUmSQdzR6ef9QUA5KY3Og63MGhncYwyZqO6HqOs4wV9sSbYf80jjk5LsHOnb8iFKGLE-JaGvQNk2GVatzjyC3vAbB7Siv4/s400/scrape.jpg" title="Dangerous Drone Flight - Vancouver Airport - YVR" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
</div>
Ronald J. Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07435431062943796717noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4348701342332004441.post-41205261899940939082015-10-29T13:12:00.001-07:002015-10-31T09:57:23.707-07:00THE LAST HALLOWEEN - Burnaby's only VALUE VILLAGE soon to be just a ghost of the past<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<b>Ronald J. Jack</b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<b>ronjackbc@yahoo.ca</b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKtE1Yekt-qMrvra9-i5ZYtKiaf1LrxLEQIh_H1-PIDTK1osnviNGqmxQsP1LrOumzluZHHscglGGIn5QnVFLRzT_F_UPlureY4W70iwJsC-yVWGfoVjPDosOIxkialmfmgOl-MBX_pwY/s1600/Kings.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="KINGS CROSSING - Edmonds at Kingsway, Burnaby, B.C." border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKtE1Yekt-qMrvra9-i5ZYtKiaf1LrxLEQIh_H1-PIDTK1osnviNGqmxQsP1LrOumzluZHHscglGGIn5QnVFLRzT_F_UPlureY4W70iwJsC-yVWGfoVjPDosOIxkialmfmgOl-MBX_pwY/s640/Kings.jpg" title="KINGS CROSSING - Edmonds at Kingsway, Burnaby, B.C." width="612" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b>KINGS CROSSING - 7350 Edmonds (cor. Edmonds and Kingsway) Burnaby.</b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b>Three towers - stepping </b><b>up from 26 - 36 storeys high.</b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
I often compose Blog articles while I'm sweating on the treadmill at a local gym. It's a useful trick that keeps me from staring down at the digital display, and counting the minutes. I work out at the well-equipped<b> CLUB 16 </b>in <a href="http://bosaproperties.com/projects/highgate-village-burnaby-bc"><b>High Gate Village Mall</b> </a>where, if the weather is cooperative, I can also enjoy the view of Mount Baker looming on the American side of the border. Pounding the treadmill I can further distract myself by watching the wacky antics of drivers who use a busy parking lot shared by a <b>McDonald's</b> and <b>ME-n-ED's</b> pizzeria. Off to the East I can just make out the shoulders of the <b>VALUE VILLAGE</b> property on Kingsway. (see photo below) The popular thrift store occupies the building left by a chain-grocery which relocated to Metrotown over two decades ago. Developers have been drooling over the site for years, and now "V.V." has had its lease run out. The doors close on November 21st and there is simply no replacement, because land values in our area rule out construction of a stand-along thrift store with apron parking. Employees with seniority have the option of transferring to other locations. It's good to hear they didn't all lose their employment.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTb2YJ58GZU-uKWJN3JkdSVwvbZycCJRoO7whhKgD7LeJj8GfeTHOfuWbxgMMHd8VVm7d9qlwKx-aRFyeltR4wZ2vW1XdDb8zgVdSJtmlOhN75wSXCb-seCFvDjJ98nnjfYkBo0OX2oQk/s1600/VV+SITE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="KINGS CROSSING development site - Burnaby, B.C. - Oct. 2015" border="0" height="456" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTb2YJ58GZU-uKWJN3JkdSVwvbZycCJRoO7whhKgD7LeJj8GfeTHOfuWbxgMMHd8VVm7d9qlwKx-aRFyeltR4wZ2vW1XdDb8zgVdSJtmlOhN75wSXCb-seCFvDjJ98nnjfYkBo0OX2oQk/s640/VV+SITE.jpg" title="KINGS CROSSING development site - Burnaby, B.C. - Oct. 2015" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
None of this is news, as such. The property was purchased a few years ago and the development proposal went through the usual Public Hearing process. The developers planned on using every inch of the land, with three high-rise condo towers, an office building, a retail podium and a hefty inventory of parking - 898 residential stalls and 529 commercial parking stalls. In order to get their tower plans approved by the NDP controlled municipality, the developer paid a stiff <b>$14.93 million "density bonus" </b>- and the entire amount of that density tax will we passed on to the purchasers of individual unit.<b> </b> The sky-high costs will, as usual, be entirely blamed on labour, materials and market demand.<br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">G.V.R.D. Parking Tax</span><br />
Parking is always an issue with me. One of the reasons I use the CLUB 16 gym in <b>High Gate Village Mall</b>, is because they offer FREE parking, and it is ample. When Kings Crossing is completed I wouldn't count on their parking being FREE, as it is in nearby Metrotown. The G.V.R.D. gets away with taxing ALL commercial parking stalls in "Greater Vancouver" - using that money to lubricate the public transit system. [The G.V.R.D. is our UN-ELECTED 4th level of government.] The reason <b>Metropolis - Station Square - Crystal Mall</b> continued to have free parking after the tax came in, was that mall owners absorbed the GVRD tax. Their generosity has been reciprocated, I think, as we all continue to choose Metrotown over most other retail destinations, and the lots are already filling up by mid-morning. Because the <b>Station Square</b> parking decks were knocked for redevelopment of the site, Metroplis parking on the weekends is now a challenge. The jury is out on the important question of whether the re-opened Station Square will continue to provide free parking to retail customers. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgDixO8QMBNQDGnxRAXFdgzWUFu9kMdzoEgZeOur0eYpyvgn4ZPKYuD_lir1TczwKNRRNuSJrfNjAblHa_kP3EUE2CffqzPcYhCIanVPOUTu1dhAYwXoAkNYHeCLsGGcLhfKu6wDIzIEo/s1600/VV.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Value Village property in Burnaby will redevelop as KINGS CROSSING" border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgDixO8QMBNQDGnxRAXFdgzWUFu9kMdzoEgZeOur0eYpyvgn4ZPKYuD_lir1TczwKNRRNuSJrfNjAblHa_kP3EUE2CffqzPcYhCIanVPOUTu1dhAYwXoAkNYHeCLsGGcLhfKu6wDIzIEo/s640/VV.jpg" title="Value Village property in Burnaby will redevelop as KINGS CROSSING" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I will miss the old Value Village store, as will thousands of competitive browsers. Their book department usually has a better selection than CHAPTER'S offers in Metrotown Mall, and I have sent many students to V.V. buy very cheap copies of the Classics. I drop in about once-a-month to look over their DVD selection, as I am a film buff. I know for a fact that fully 3/4 of my <b>CRITERION Collection</b> DVDs came out of that Edmonds store. I saved a bundle. While I hasten to add that the <b>HMV</b> store in Metropolis has a good offering of the CRITERION basics, their full retail price is a real bruising.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_nUV6jFUb5SNeQg8961VGPbPbUIFgxuNPQs1BlF_SSKG0bya8bzLP_BldQdJPPumbCqXEnnAXf-AnAYUsWOtfQ4qa1PD3Hjx-QtaTqv3e8an-r28SJlWL2TKh7Cqt_598pcfaAlm0m4w/s1600/Sales.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="KINGS CROSSING Sales Centre - Edmonds in Burnaby" border="0" height="449" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_nUV6jFUb5SNeQg8961VGPbPbUIFgxuNPQs1BlF_SSKG0bya8bzLP_BldQdJPPumbCqXEnnAXf-AnAYUsWOtfQ4qa1PD3Hjx-QtaTqv3e8an-r28SJlWL2TKh7Cqt_598pcfaAlm0m4w/s640/Sales.jpg" title="KINGS CROSSING Sales Centre - Edmonds in Burnaby" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b><br /></b>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>TOWN CENTRES - a half century of managed growth</b></span><br />
For newcomers to Burnaby who wonder why the city does not have a single-unifying "downtown", (although we all agree on Metrotown) and why high-rises are shooting into the sky in all four corners of the city - here is a map from a study published in February 1966. When the municipality decided on the "Town Centre" approach, they designated three new T<b>own Centres</b> - <b>Brentwood</b>, <b>Metrotown</b> and<b> Lougheed</b>. At the time less was expected of Edmonds, and it was designated a "District" It was finally upgraded to a Town Centre by vote of City Council in September of 1994. Edmonds has its own Skytrain Station and forest of condo towers, and there is every indication growth will continue until Metrotown ridge is completely developed.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi62fgA6_lA-4EXNIkljb8G3hhVAy7E4T1R9KjI51TEOEZSMVCTFoffcAI7jcmfl90evCZBXnkeDOhMerWHDJx1IfCN2LM8_PUstfGvr6cHaNcfnv8WLLej8xZmrx8N9M25RP0xDlUalY0/s1600/Town+Centres.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi62fgA6_lA-4EXNIkljb8G3hhVAy7E4T1R9KjI51TEOEZSMVCTFoffcAI7jcmfl90evCZBXnkeDOhMerWHDJx1IfCN2LM8_PUstfGvr6cHaNcfnv8WLLej8xZmrx8N9M25RP0xDlUalY0/s640/Town+Centres.jpg" width="460" /></a></div>
<br />
I am really enthused by the name "Kings Crossing" and I congratulate<a href="http://www.cressey.com/homes/burnaby"> CRESSSEY </a>for choosing it. I also like the project logo, but I do find it curious that it is so similar to that of <b>METROPOLIS</b> at Metrotown.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfPJm2BQgTB6oGxqHAIKDdJN8vAk4QyJAvrqYcHSb0nEp4ciVQZdlCKLxNbB_s2BiNdYcQB813qT1CXampO1N9NTEeMQ1cLNzJE9po46DUngLT6UhLuiQt6dKawgaSBaFeM_5lzsWmkSs/s1600/VIP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="157" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfPJm2BQgTB6oGxqHAIKDdJN8vAk4QyJAvrqYcHSb0nEp4ciVQZdlCKLxNbB_s2BiNdYcQB813qT1CXampO1N9NTEeMQ1cLNzJE9po46DUngLT6UhLuiQt6dKawgaSBaFeM_5lzsWmkSs/s320/VIP.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
What do you think?<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh326A7HsHzYaDy7qlkGy0PlbyTwek4AG4r7MJHMLp2l5I3WKqcn6piv7p1S7mMLKKzEfGKrNxQygzLJBsArHRCxMcH2AIntmceseUA0cJ5dkEWfqZdSPtm_De3oG994mnKL-_VdLKgtL8/s1600/KK.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Metropolis at Metrotown - signage" border="0" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh326A7HsHzYaDy7qlkGy0PlbyTwek4AG4r7MJHMLp2l5I3WKqcn6piv7p1S7mMLKKzEfGKrNxQygzLJBsArHRCxMcH2AIntmceseUA0cJ5dkEWfqZdSPtm_De3oG994mnKL-_VdLKgtL8/s320/KK.jpg" title="Metropolis at Metrotown - signage" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>HALLOWEEN SPIRIT at CLUB 16, Highgate Village</b></span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjdrUf4B4WM1LZ33S6ELpkVw26AdwPcv-OSeVGAHMcIMwZa8Ju75nk46r95miLJhTUYfHQEnGgqmXN19QCRpVYKr4M-Yw2w3264kq1E1-u_4PVjl6tdMnenG6RWffyU9AAMT8PHFJdgGY/s1600/16+Spirit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Halloween Costumes in Burnaby - Oct. 30, 2015" border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjdrUf4B4WM1LZ33S6ELpkVw26AdwPcv-OSeVGAHMcIMwZa8Ju75nk46r95miLJhTUYfHQEnGgqmXN19QCRpVYKr4M-Yw2w3264kq1E1-u_4PVjl6tdMnenG6RWffyU9AAMT8PHFJdgGY/s640/16+Spirit.jpg" title="Halloween Costumes in Burnaby - Oct. 30, 2015" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
The staff at <b>CLUB 16</b> fitness center in <b>Highgate Village</b> put a bowl of Halloween candy on the counter this morning. Naughty! Still, they look great in their costumes and I thought I would share a photo. <b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trevor_Linden">Trevor Linden</a> </b>you have spirited staff. </div>
Ronald J. Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07435431062943796717noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4348701342332004441.post-12960059510189031182015-10-20T14:28:00.001-07:002015-10-29T16:38:00.762-07:00Coming Attractions - Burnaby Metrotown<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxxsJgYImhyjgl3MxDpu6BQlXNeyWLUNRqNDZKmSXwvl-52h0SyXVKjJfFFw9KRtNE49UEN9dQC5rIQgzNqqKBXPbsAs_m6QDgHXbUNBXn1YlMrhnLqZayRtRYTyOXwIO3JHPRtSC1FhU/s1600/BM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="METROPOLIS SHOPPING CENTRE - Burnaby Metrotown - Oct 2015" border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxxsJgYImhyjgl3MxDpu6BQlXNeyWLUNRqNDZKmSXwvl-52h0SyXVKjJfFFw9KRtNE49UEN9dQC5rIQgzNqqKBXPbsAs_m6QDgHXbUNBXn1YlMrhnLqZayRtRYTyOXwIO3JHPRtSC1FhU/s640/BM.jpg" title="METROPOLIS SHOPPING CENTRE - Burnaby Metrotown - Oct. 2015" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>METROPOLIS Shopping Centre - <complete id="goog_598664439">@ </complete>Burnaby Metrotown</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Assessed Value - $1,078 Billion. Nothing in Vancouver comes close.</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>And the Parking is still FREE ! Over 8000 parking stalls.</b><br />
<b>SILVER CITY is promoting SPECTRE, the 24th James Bond Film.</b><br />
<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
This is just a temporary barker page, to register the title and set up a Blogger address. I will be tinkering with the template and setting up my format quite soon. METROTOWN is Burnaby's central shopping district and its trendiest place to live. Currently the urban area is BOOMING, and I enjoy watching it grow. In this Newsy Blog I will share what I am seeing and what I am hearing. Stay tuned. </div>
</div>
Ronald J. Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07435431062943796717noreply@blogger.com0