Let's Close the Gap!!

Blog post by Tina Winterlik © 2013
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Many countries are doing a much better job at protecting themselves than we are. I hope that we can work together and create a Canada we want to live in and can raise healthy children.




From Youtube: Canadians don't have the right to breathe clean air, drink clean water, or live in healthy communities. In over 100 countries these rights are protected by law, but not in Canada.

It doesn't need to be this way. Join us and take action now: http://www.davidsuzuki.org/rights

David Boyd is one of Canada's leading environmental lawyers, an adjunct professor at Simon Fraser University, formerly the Executive Director of the Sierra Legal Defence Fund (now Ecojustice), and a recent Trudeau Scholar at the Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability at the University of British Columbia.

13th Annual Run, Walk, & Roll for Our Kids

Blog post by Tina Winterlik © 2013
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Save the Date! The 13th Annual Run, Walk, & Roll for Our Kids will be June 1, 2014 at Bear Creek Park!

http://www.centreforchilddevelopment.ca/
http://www.cdfbc.ca/
(604) 584-1361
9460 140 St, Surrey, British Columbia

Fort McMoney - I didn't know??

Blog post by Tina Winterlik © 2013
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So I finally got to see Fort McMoney today and wow, it looks interesting. 
 http://www.fortmcmoney.com/#/fortmcmoney 

Wish I had more time to watch but I have homework.

Heard some interesting perspective from real people. I didn't know it was like that...I never thought to much about it.  :(


Sad! I'm saying a prayer for everyone there.

But it will be interesting to see how this interactive documentary turns out. Who else will adapt this idea to their town. What world issues could be solved by similar experiments. Could great things be learned and come out of this project.

Time will tell.

Fort McMoney

Fort McMoney looks like a documentary, plays out like a video game, and pushes the boundaries of both. Produced by the National Film Board and the Montreal-based game developer TOXA, the game lets people explore a virtual version of Fort McMurray, Alberta, the face of Canada's oil industry.
http://www.fortmcmoney.com/#/fortmcmoney
http://www.cbc.ca/q/blog/2013/11/28/fort-mcmoney-documentary-video-game/

Info Overload is more about Filtering- Check it Out!!

Blog post by Tina Winterlik © 2013
zipolita@gmail.com
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Wow, listen to this great talk by Clay Shirky and how information overload has been around since the 1500's but it's how the filters work that mess us up.

Then check out the video below because there's some interesting info shared about the education system and how the information systems are colliding in a serious way and someone needs to figure out how to solve it.

Clay Shirky http://shirky.com/ 
He studies the effects of the internet on society.

Why is Canada backing oil & What's Fort McMoney?

Blog post by Tina Winterlik © 2013
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We really are going to have to stand together and unite against the oil because unbelievably some people think it's a good thing. It makes me sick to my stomach reading this post by Margaret Wente
 http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/industry-news/energy-and-resources/oil-sands-debate-shouldnt-be-framed-as-good-vs-evil/article15580843/

"Well, oil is not the devil. In fact, oil and other energy resources are the salvation for billions of impoverished people in developing nations. You can’t have human development without energy. "

Are you kidding me lady, how do you think they got impoverished. It's when the oil companies go in they destroy the peoples lives and make them impoverished.  Just shaking my head here. 

http://amazonwatch.org/news/blog
http://amazonwatch.org/

This is what we should be asking?

Why is Canada backing oil over other industries?

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/industry-news/energy-and-resources/why-is-canada-backing-the-energy-industry-at-the-expense-of-others/article15580839/

We are going to need to defend climate and fight for our lives (in a peaceful way, of course) but it's not going to be easy, even though it is so obvious. Greed is going to give us one hell of a run for it's money. :(

http://tinawinterlik.blogspot.ca/2013/11/beautiful-record-of-unity-defend-our.html



And What is Fort McMoney?- nothing happened when I tried but hopefully later. All I saw was a big black screen so I thought maybe it was a hoax...Apparently it's real.

 http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/industry-news/energy-and-resources/what-is-fort-mcmoney/article15583598

"What’s the scene that greets you when you boot up Fort McMoney, which is a virtual world that went live online Monday. There are many places to see and even more characters you can interrogate and interview. Scores will be kept and leaderboards maintained to reflect actions taken by visitors: the more curious you are the more points you collect. This world is also episodic, new places and people will arrive every week over the next four, and visitors can vote for changes they’d like to see based on what they experience inside Fort McMoney Read More here"

I am super interested in this interactive documentary as it relates to the program I am taking at Emily Carr- Interaction Design Essentials  and more specifically will be very helpful as it pertains to a certain project I'm currently preparing that relates to Vancouver and something called Urbanarium.

 I am curious to see how it all plays out and I am sure many others will be watching to see what can be learned from such a project. 

Here's one more article I found related to this.
This Jennifer Grant makes it sounds like she's for the environment but she not....I can't figure out whose side she's on?


http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/industry-news/energy-and-resources/lets-make-responsible-oil-sands-development-a-reality/article15608884/

Do YOU know the LAW? Watch and Think?

Blog post by Tina Winterlik © 2013
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Wow, you have to watch this first video and then think carefully and question what was he saying. Then watch the next video below. The second is almost an hour but so powerful, it will blow your mind. It's all an illusion!!

Beautiful Record of Unity-Defend Our Climate

Blog post by Tina Winterlik © 2013
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This is really beautiful to see everyone coming together!! Over 100 communities came out!! United We Stand!! Way to go Everyone!!

http://www.defendourclimate.ca

"Between runaway climate change from the tar sands and the Rob Ford Toronto train wreck, Canada is getting a lot of bad press these days.

But on Saturday, Nov 16, thousands of beautiful Canadians from coast to coast to coast were determined to change that story. We dare you not to be inspired by this.  
Please share to help grow this movement!"
 Defend Our Climate!!


From the YouTube -about page.
http://www.defendourclimate.ca - On November 16, 2013 Canadians stood up in over 130 events across the country to defend our climate and communities from pipelines, reckless tar sands expansion and runaway climate change.

Together we sent a clear message: Canadians want to turn the corner on reckless, dirty energy projects that endanger our climate and our communities, and create an economy that's built to last with energy that is clean, just and safe.

Find out more and sign the Defend our Climate Petition at http://www.defendourclimate.ca

Film details:
Edited and scored by Shiraz Higgins (madeyoulookmedia@gmail.com)

Footage courtesy of:
Victoria: Pelle Gustavs and Shiraz Higgins
Vancouver: Terry Silvercloud (butchnews.com), Erika Rathje,
Toronto: Matt Kassirer and Yasmin P
Terrace: Jean-Philippe Marquis
Smithers: Dan Mesec
Winnipeg: Ken Harasym
Halifax: Tori Ball
Ottawa: Ben Powless
Langley: Devin Gillan

With heartfelt thanks to the 35+ organizations, hundreds of volunteers, and thousands of people who made this possible.

Stop Shakening your Eyes at Me!!

Blog post by Tina Winterlik © 2013
zipolita@gmail.com
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Just Watch!!

When Fukishima gets hit with another earthquake where would we go??

Blog post by Tina Winterlik © 2013
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Have you ever seen Silent Running, It's pretty old now, but man someone really looked into the future because we seem to  be totally heading this direction. 

These are a really scary videos, so now what? What can we do? How do you evacute the West Coast of North America...??? Is anyone listening?

Support these Nuns- Stop the Bluegrass Pipeline

Blog post by Tina Winterlik © 2013
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She sums it up perfectly, "as long as we support fossil fuels we will continue on the broken road we are on." Please help Support these ladies. Fight for the environment there and here. Save our Coast, our province and out country from these insane pipelines.

In this day and age...and after all the environmental disasters either man-made or weather related(global warning)(Calgary's , Colorado, Mexico flooding, fires all over, now the devastation in the Phillipines) this is not rocket science.

God did not intend for us to do this to the earth. We are not intended to live like this, that is why there is so much stress, sadness and poverty in the world. There are better ways and we must strive to live in harmony with the earth. Humans have done more damage in 200 years than ever before.

Will we become dinosaurs, we will be wiped out, we will do it ourselves by creating the havoc we have. Or will we stop RIGHT NOW and turn it around. 

We have all the knowledge and technology to do it. We have to be united though, we have to stand together and support each other, we have to do it for ourselves, our families, our children and the children of the future.

We have to do it for all God's creations. Life is a miracle, no one has the right to destroy it in the way it's being done with pollution and environmental disasters(Fukushima)...especially for greed which is what the pipelines, nuclear energy and corporations are.

They are not about people or animals or the environment. They are about greed.  So let's do what we can and stop this mess. Let's stand together hand in hand and say "That's enough!!"

 The solutions are out there, let's focus on them and turn this world around!!

FirstAidHero Babysitting Course

Hey do you know of someone that wants to do babysitting or do you want to be able to leave your child at home and feel confident they are okay. Then check out this course.

Registration 778-322-7442 
 info@firstaidhero.com 
 www.firstaidhero.com 
 Marla Lechinsky, CEO & President of First Aid Hero

What you NEED TO KNOW about Fukusima

Blog post by Tina Winterlik © 2013
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Please Watch!! It's 11 minutes but you need to know this.  You'll be shocked. It's very very disturbing.

What we can learn from Burning Man!!

Blog post by Tina Winterlik © 2013
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Mommy, Why is the Foodbank Food Rotten?

Blog post by Tina Winterlik © 2013
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So my little girl, she's really good. She and I have been through a lot of up and downs. We've been really blessed but sometimes things are pretty shitty...to be honest.

Anyways so we went to the foodbank. It took a lot for me to even get to this point. My kid has fond memories of the foodbank,  in Nelson, she remembers them giving out bread and muffins. So she was sort of excited to go last night. But there was nothing like that there. She was happy there was  Macaroni and Cheese dinner, I haven't bought that in a long time as I don't like the yellow dye and preservatives in there. But we took some and I took the granola bars for my snacks/lunch at school. Both Angel and I are hypoglycemic so we have to eat a little something here and there to keep our blood sugar levels balanced. When we don't we feel grumpy, nausea, and lose our appetite, just a whole range of negative things happen.

As mentioned  Angel was excited, I was just happy that I found a place we could go, I had a letter and hopefully it would help.  First we had no bags. They didn't tell us we needed them. We found out from someone in the lineup. Thankfully our friend was waiting in a car, I phone them and they dumped out something and quickly brought them to us. Otherwise we would have had to get out of line and go to a store or something and come back. It was cold dark and raining, not something I wanted to do, especially with my little girl in tow.

You can see what happened next on my other blogpost.  http://tinawinterlik.blogspot.ca/2013/11/have-you-been-to-food-bank-lately.html

So I brought it all home and put it away. I had looked at the dates on most of it and cringed but put it in the cupboard anyways.

So you can see that this top one is old. I tried one, but as soon as I opened it, it smelled off, like rancid oil but I bit it anyways...(sort of like that song, "found a peanut, ...it was rotten....ate it anyways...")

Well I spit it out and tossed them all out. I felt bad but they are bad. :(

Maybe that's why there was a big box of them and they guy before us just looked at one and tossed it back. He knew. :(

 Now this stuff, I was sort of excited about, I thought Granola, I love Granola, I never get to eat Granola, but since it has Flax, I'm guessing this will be rancid too, although it's just a bit out of date. But let's address this, the granola bars I bought at No Frills recently were dated for May 2014. So you can imagine when the date is April 2013, well they are pretty friggin old already. So how old is this cereal really?

 This package of Macaroni and Cheese should be okay, the box is torn that's why it was in there. Since I need to boil it, it should be fine.

This on the other hand is the one I made this morning for my kid's school lunch. I cooked it up and thought it smelled off. I put it in her thermos and as I lifted the spoon I took a little taste, YUCK! Definitely off!!  So I tossed it and luckily there was a can of chicken noodle soup that was dated 2015 so I made that for her.

When I told my kid all this, she was disappointed. She asked me "Mommy, why do they give rotten food to the foodbank?"

I had to explain how the supermarkets can't throw it out with out looking bad and people think it's nice to give it to the food banks.

What they don't realize is that maybe people going to the food bank already have a comprised immune system or that they just aren't that well because they are hungry. So then they have to eat rotten food and get sicker and then that adds to hospital and medical costs.

Something needs to change here folks, wouldn't you agree?

I remember years ago reading in the province about some poor mom, she had one child and  was in an abusive relationship. She ended getting pregant and then leaving the man. She spent all her day walking from one soup kitchen and then to the next to try and feed her kids. The thing I remember her saying was there was maggots in Kraft dinner.

We can do better can't we. This is Canada.

Anyways, I'm glad I put on a few pounds in the summer because I would rather lose a few more than go to the food bank. But my kid that's a different story. She's growing and needs to eat well, so I have got to change things around somehow here.

With that I would appreciate your positive thoughts and prayers and to you I hope your not experiencing this and if you are I send you love and light!!

P.S. There were eggs there too, that they gave us before we left. Dated Nov 7. I sure hope there's no stinkers in there. Now that would be awful. :(

Have You Been To The Food Bank Lately?

Blog post by Tina Winterlik © 2013
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So shit happens!  To all of us! Through no fault of our own, something comes out of left field and hits you right in the face!

Many people think that the people that are poor or homeless or hungry did something to deserve it. The truth is most just had some unfortunate chain of events mess up all their dreams and plans.

I'm trying really hard. I got into a funded program at Emily Carr and I am busting my buns to do a good job. This course is my ticket to freedom...freedom from poverty. Ever since I have had my child I can't seem to shake it.

We've gone to Mexico for 3 winters because it was cheaper to put everything in storage and try surviving there than it was to survive here.

Anyways back to the food bank. What do you think happens when you go. Do you think they have lots of milk and veggies and fruit and canned food. WRONG! Think again.

There is no milk or cheese. There are carrots, potatos but no greens, there are apples but nothing else.  Some of the food was outdated, but not by too much, a couple of the yams had bad spots and there was one green potato. At least there was some eggs

We had to go tonight. It's the first time I visited a food bank in Vancouver.  When we lived in Nelson, my child and I visited the food bank a few times. But often the food was outdated and I would rather go hungry than risk getting sick.  At the Nelson Food Bank there was a little more there, not much.

Tonight as we waited in line, I was told by someone waiting with us, that this was the luxury of foodbanks. So I had high hopes when I went in the door...those hopes were quickly dashed.

It was sparse. I wanted to take more of some things but then felt greedy when I saw how little there was and I wanted to be fair and leave some for others.

So this is what we got. It will do. And I AM GRATEFUL! I am also humble.

So if you've never been, reality check, this is what it's like.

If you've been, then you understand. 

I just pray that one day we will have lots of gardens, lots of food and food banks will be a thing of the past. Instead we will have food forests and Edible Schoolyards and people won't go hungry and won't get stressed that they have no food.

In a country like Canada....why is this happening?
So for those of you sitting down to a nice big dinner and glass of wine. Enjoy! I'm sending you lots of  love and light that you never experience this. I hope you will send some love and light out to me and people like me. We would welcome it!

PLEASE SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL FOOD BANKS!
https://www.foodbank.bc.ca/

Did you lose your camera card in Hope B.C?

Blog post by Tina Winterlik © 2013
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Hey is this you? Or do you know these people? They lost their camera card and a man named Mike Cockayne found it, and even though this has been on the news, no one has claimed it. If you want it, contact this guy! Read more here http://globalnews.ca/news/951371/no-one-steps-forward-to-claim-photos-found-on-camera-card-near-hope/

Ask for Nothing- Guided Meditations

Blog post by Tina Winterlik © 2013
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This is really lovely.  I have been really stressed and not practicing my meditations. Tonight I found this one, it's really unique and very helpful and I definitely will practice this one daily.  I hope you'll try it. Sending out blessings, love and light to you all!!

Hey Check out the 420 Roof top Experiment!

Blog post by Tina Winterlik © 2013
zipolita@gmail.com
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Wow, love this idea. I love the grass!

Published on Nov 2, 2012 420 Rooftop, one of the biggest social experiments of Kolkata was founded by Devika Arora in the year 2011. The first 420 Rooftop was held in the month of August, 2011 with a crowd of around 400. In 2012 August the footfall increased to more than 2000. Bringing crowds from different parts of the state and country it is the one place to be whether you are a musician, artist, photographer or you just want to be somewhere to have a good time.

Saving Seeds- It is Our Right!!

Blog post by Tina Winterlik © 2013
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Wow, when you can not use the seed you grow, something is really wrong with the world.




From Youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33DwBp2QTgg#t=291
The Right To Save Seed is an animated movie which explains when farmers can resow their seed in Europe. With the help of Magnum, Agata, Dali and Mona Lisa -- four varieties of potatoes that really exist -- the movie covers different legal situations with humour and a lot of creativity!

Even though farmers have made their own seed over centuries, they are not able to resow all the seed they buy, or can only resow it if certain conditions are met. Resowing is sometimes prevented by the seed sale contract, sometimes by the contract that ties them to the buyer of their crop, and sometimes by intellectual property rights.

The Right To Save Seed is an animated movie which explains when farmers can resow their seed in Europe. With the help of Magnum, Agata, Dali and Mona Lisa -- four varieties of potatoes that really exist -- the movie covers different legal situations with humour and a lot of creativity!

Even though farmers have made their own seed over centuries, they are not able to resow all the seed they buy, or can only resow it if certain conditions are met. Resowing is sometimes prevented by the seed sale contract, sometimes by the contract that ties them to the buyer of their crop, and sometimes by intellectual property rights.

Inspired by Grocery Store Wars, by Free Range Studios, Shabnam Anvar (PhD in Seed Regulation), Mathieu Eisinger (Producer), Jeanne Rouchel (Producer and Designer) and Olivia Zarcate (Legal Infography) used colourful creativity to translate a complex legal situation into a fun story for all. Their goal: help farmers and consumers choose their choice of seed and food knowing what the implications are.

What is Urbanarium? Study Notes, Links, Video & More....

Blog post by Tina Winterlik © 2013
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Can we change the World? Where do we start? What can we accomplish? What is Urbanarium? And what does it have to do with Vancouver? These are some of the questions proposed here and a small collection of data to support it? Where it goes....we will find out...won't we....




 

So there's alot of info below but here is a very important video that I think you should watch. I was really excited about this when it started a couple a years ago. People tried really hard but I think it's energy has fizzled unfortunately. The idea was to change the world in 4 years.  http://www.fouryearsgo.org/



 So this is a great idea, sort of based on the principle in Pay It Forward, that if we motivated ourselves and did our part...WE COULD CHANGE THE WORLD!!



What is Urbanarium? That's a question I am exploring for a project we are working on in a class I am taking at Emily Carr. Hmmm? It's a really big topic and it's been around since the 80's. So I'm going to post a bunch of link and bits of material here to try and understand this topic better.

What is Urbanarium?
http://mastersplanning.blogspot.ca/2012/10/an-idea-urbanarium.html

"An urbanarium is an idea that Ray Spaxman and a group of private planners and architects conceived in the early 1980's that was unfortunately never followed through. The idea was to build a scale model of downtown Vancouver, including False Creek and extending to the East False Creek Area. When a development is proposed, the applicant would be required to replace the existing scale buildings on the model with the new proposal so everyone could see the context."
Brandon Yan

Ray Spaxman
http://www.spaxman.com/home.html


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vancouverism
The city's planning department, under the direction of Ray Spaxman in the 1980s, began to expand on the concepts, many of which were brought into fruition with the development of the former Expo 86 lands along False Creek and Yaletown.


 The Panorama of the City of New York-An example of a scale model in New York-

http://www.queensmuseum.org/exhibitions/visitpanorama

Panorama of New York City- Wikipedia

How can museums reorient outwards to join civic life? 
I think that is an important question – and let me tell you why by giving you a sense of how I do what I do.  My profession is an unusual one – it is part science and part politics but a big part of it is art.  Now, having said that, I also have to emphasize that it is a somewhat peculiar art – city planning is a politicized art, it is a collective art.  Everyone shapes the city every day with almost everything they do.  It would be like if a painter picked up his brush to dab the canvas and a thousand hands grabbed the brush with him to decide just where the paint is to go.  The city you experience is created by millions of independent actions.  A City Planner is a choreographer of urbanism, working with people who have their own ideas and take their own action – and generating through interaction with people the plans and the management mechanisms for how the city or parts of the city should grow and change or, sometimes, be protected from change.-renowned urban planner Larry Beasley


But, it may shock you to hear, that in almost all cities there is actually no agent to convene the discussion and education and experiences that fosters an urban connoisseurship.  Planning departments go out and talk to people when they have a specific job to do – they call it public consultation.  Politicians go to the people at election time.  The media covers issues from moment to moment.  But there is no constant force for an ongoing engagement and dialogue and interface between people and the diverse realities of city life.  And cities are certainly worse off because of that. -renowned urban planner Larry Beasley


Urbanarium
There is one concept that has long been afloat in Vancouver that would be a perfect format for the museum as city.  It is called an “urbanarium”.  The idea of this is to have a place where everything about the city can be collected and explored and where people can get together to talk and work toward better city forms and processes and images and institutions.  Usually it has a physical focus in a grand model of the city, such as the wonderful one in the Shanghai Planning Museum.  This model has to be big enough so it really thrills people to see it and so they can really understand what they are seeing.  This model has to be always changing and being updated so it is current to the state of the city and to the agenda of change in the city at any point in time- http://www.museumofvancouver.ca/programs/blog/tags/urbanarium


"The BMW Guggenheim Lab occupied an empty lot in New York City in 2011."

http://www.bmwguggenheimlab.org/what-is-the-lab

 The BMW Guggenheim Lab is a mobile laboratory about urban life that began as a co-initiative of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation and the BMW Group. From 2011 to 2013, the Lab traveled to New York, Berlin, and Mumbai. Part urban think tank, part community center and public gathering space, the Lab’s goal has been the exploration of new ideas, experimentation, and ultimately the creation of forward-thinking visions and projects for city life. Through the lens of the themes Confronting Comfort, Making, and Privacy and Public Space, this global project has explored how people relate to cities and public space today.

VINTAGE AIR PHOTOS- Photos of what Vancouver looked like before! Super interesting. For 4 years I worked scanning aerial photography like this. This website is by my friend Mark Prenter, his dad Harold worked in mapping as a photograph developing many of these. It's a wonderful resource to see how the city has changed.

http://vintageairphotos.com/  

Life Begins in the 'Hood
By Michael Jessen

"We need to recognize that vibrant neighbourhoods consist of a range of people, of different ages, with different interests, activities, and incomes," says Kalke. "We need to pull our growth together -- to densify from within -- instead of expanding out." He cites single family developments targeted specifically at first-time homebuyers as problems in the making. "In 15 years, such a development will not meet the needs of teenagers, which leads to both family and community conflicts," he says. 

Kalke was in Nelson to speak at the first of four lectures in the Nelson and the Kootenays Designing Community Project cosponsored by Selkirk College and the Nelson and District Community Resources Society. "It's all about fit" was the title of Kalke's talk, but it's also the heart of his development credo. 

His most famous structure is the Capers Building in Kitsilano -- another Vancouver neighbourhood -- where Kalke built a four and five story building comprised of 75,000 square feet of commercial space plus 78 condominium residences. It was the first complex in Western Canada to use the earth's geothermal energy to heat and cool the office and retail space as well as provide all of the hot water in the condos. Kalke praises geothermal for its energy efficiency. "As a society in general, we should start to take stock of the energy we are using." 

Known simply by its address "2211 West Fourth", the project has been recognized as a direct demonstration of conservation and civic responsibility and Kalke was awarded VanCity's Ethics in Action Award for his efforts. Other environmentally friendly features of the building include ample natural light, openable windows, and a double exterior wall system that achieves outstanding thermal, acoustic, and moisture performance. Carpets made of recycled plastic bottles were installed. 

Participate in building the future of Bogotá

http://www.miciudadideal.com/en/

http://archive.citycaucus.com/2009/04/how-a-vancouver-urbanarium-might-help-us-build-a-better-city

http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=168308


Apps that could help our city! This is a great idea! 

Do we really need a physical scale model or could it be created digitally??

 This model cost millions to produce? Shouldn't we be helping the homeless? Or do we need this to help the homeless?

 http://www.miciudadideal.com/en 

 


Tongue and Cheek Video about Vancouver


http://www.vanalen.org/elsewhere/

Elsewhere: Escape and the Urban Landscape is a multi-year initiative of Van Alen Institute to explore the experience of escape in the urban environment.

Elsewhere is comprised of competitions, public programs, and research that investigate key questions of the contemporary urban experience: How and why do we escape from urban life? What prompts us to escape to the city? What forms of escape can we find within the urban environment? And how might the experience of going “elsewhere” contribute to our well-being? The Institute will use this process to expand its focus to the patchwork of suburban, semi-urban, and rural landscapes around cities to better understand the complexities of the extended urban environment, acting beyond the confines of the city and across regions. Runs November 12–17, 2013

Other resources to look at for ideas are:

Vancouver Public Space Network
http://vancouverpublicspace.ca/index.php?page=about
The VPSN is a grassroots collective that engages in advocacy, outreach and education on public space issues in and around Vancouver, British Columbia.
This includes challenging the increase of advertising ‘creep’ in public places, promoting creative, community-friendly urban design, monitoring private security activities in the downtown core, fostering public dialogue and democratic debate, and devising creative ways to re-green the neglected corners, alleys and forgotten spaces of the city.
We also like to devise ways to have fun in public space.
*formed in early 2006
*1500 members

Laboratory of Housing Alternatives = LOHA 

http://www.lohavancouver.org/about/

The Laboratory of Housing Alternatives (LOHA) is a non-profit organization that is focused on exploring and building housing alternatives for creative and emerging professionals.

LOHA operates through a collaborative model that with allows us to engage diverse stakeholders, inform policy, develop adequate financial models and generate design solutions that respond to the needs of the ‘creative community’.

CORE VALUES AND PRINCIPLES

Never stop learning, sharing, and innovating
Contribute to healthy lifestyle and sustainability
Always have fun
Be open  (open to new ideas, open minded, open for business)
Be socially responsible, maximize positive social impact


Vancouver Design Nerds ‘re:THINK Housing Idea Jam’ seeds winning ideas in City of Vancouver’s housing competition. http://vancouver.designnerds.org/nerd-jams/case-study-rethink-housing-jam/
The Vancouver Design Nerds Society was excited to host and facilitate a Design Jam bringing together 125 people to brainstorm new housing ideas for the City. The diverse group, including designers, architects, and a panel of judges, jammed for three hours leading to the submission of several proposals, two of which came out among the City of Vancouver’s re:THINK Housing competition winners. It was a wonderful experience to be a part of the whole re:THINK Housing process and to witness what happens when individuals come together to make their great ideas heard, and seen.

Organised in collaboration with Gen Why media and with support from the Vancouver City staff, the re:THINK Housing ‘Idea Jam’ aimed to engage members of the public in a lively and creative dialogue to advance the City-initiated re:THINK Housing Competition. The jam was to be a springboard civic engagement exercise in the larger re:THINK Housing competition and exhibition.




Livable Laneways Vancouver  https://www.facebook.com/LivableLaneways

City alleys are a forgettable part of Vancouver’s urban landscape, often marked by garbage, filth and the acrid stench of urine. It’s a scene Mount Pleasant’s Sam Cameron knows all too well after spending months roaming local alleys. Yet despite what his senses took in, it was tempered by a bright vision.

“Alleys are secondary spaces that are treated as such,” he said. “There are used mattresses, broken televisions… The idea is to change that perception of what space is.”
- See more at: http://www.vancourier.com/city-living-livable-laneways-group-transforms-vancouver-alleys-1.627958#sthash.kwTjU3dC.dpuf

City Living: Livable Laneways group transforms Vancouver alleys - See more at: http://www.vancourier.com/city-living-livable-laneways-group-transforms-vancouver-alleys-1.627958#sthash.kwTjU3dC.dpuf

There’s no better way to make a point than to prove it, which is what Cameron and the Livable Laneways group he’s a part of did this past Sunday afternoon. The Laneway Market transformed the unremarkable alley between East Seventh and Broadway, just west of Main, into a vibrant pedestrian walkway lined with tents and vendors selling everything from silver jewelry made out of cutlery to handmade clothing, robust potted plants and leather wallets. - See more at: http://www.vancourier.com/city-living-livable-laneways-group-transforms-vancouver-alleys-1.627958#sthash.kwTjU3dC.dpuf 
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Something to consider---MAYBE THE CITY NEEDS A WOMAN'S TOUCH!! If women don't feel welcome in the architectural world or they are occupied helping care for their child(the most important job in the world) perhaps this is what is wrong with the whole scheme of city development. A women perspective is needed and must be highly regarded her and with out being included at every step of the way surely the outcome can not be balanced.

The Mother- our Earth- we must take care of her. Including women in every process is critical to the project - the cities success.
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Women in Architecture- Recommendations
http://www.aibc.ca/pram/pdf/raic_womeninarch.pdf

Spread over five years and set in a series of consultations and roundtables across the country, we asked a broad spectrum of women to tell us their stories, and then, to make suggestions how to make the profession more attractive to women - to enter and to stay.

Recommendations to professional organizations (national and
provincial) include these key points:
• celebrate the achievements of women through exhibitions,
books, lectures, etc.;
• establish a national equity policy to create a profession-wide
zero tolerance for harassment and discrimination;
• provide an independent ombudsperson;
• create sub-organizations that deal with women's issues;
• publish salary grids to help achieve pay equity;
• provide more flexibility for institutional requirements,
including reduced fees, recognizing parental leave, part-time
employment, etc.
• encourage women to chair and be members of boards and
committees.
• examine a broader definition of 'architect' to recognize those
who are active in 'non-traditional' roles.
The workshops also put forward recommendations to women in
architecture. Some of the key points were:
• be leaders in environmentally and socially responsible
architecture;
• be more involved in your community affairs, boards;
• argue for respect of alternate choices in life-styles;
• organize support groups for mentoring, networking, business
advice;
• define success in your own terms.

http://afh-vancouver.org/main/?page_id=2


Architecture for Humanity is a non-profit organization founded in 1999 to promote architectural and design solutions to global, social and humanitarian crises. It creates opportunities for architects and designers from around the world to help communities in need. We believe innovative, sustainable and collaborative design can make a difference.

Around the world, designers are coming together to volunteer their time and their talents and solve issues in their own communities. Local chapters of Architecture for Humanity take many forms depending on the size of the chapter and its location. Each chapter operates autonomously and is engaged in its own projects and activities.

http://vancommunitylab.com/home/
The Vancouver Community Lab is an open and accessible workshop where makers, hackers, artists and tinkerers can create, destroy and re-build.  We believe that everyone has the desire and ability to create things and can be trusted to develop the skills needed to do so.  VCL members work on personal, group or community projects.  Funding to pay for our space, tools and consumables comes primarily from membership dues.

http://www.urbanrepublic.ca/about.htm
Urban Republic is a registered non-profit composed of architects, artists, and writers. We develop and implement projects that use the tools of art and design to cultivate a sense of place and opportunities for social engagement. Our work operates at the intersection of art, architecture and urbanism. Urban Republic is also open to collaboration with artists, designers, communities and cultural institutions. 

http://www.vancouverheritagefoundation.org/
Heritage buildings are important community assets. They give each neighbourhood their own identity. They attract tourists, provide some of the city’s most affordable housing and are popular places to live, work and play. They pay tribute to the colourful history of the city and their reuse and rehabilitation diverts tons of debris from the landfill.

Through lectures, workshops, granting programs and tours, Vancouver Heritage Foundation promotes the conservation of heritage buildings that encourage sustainability and preserve our sense of place

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It was back in the late 90's I started realizing the beauty of the architecture on Hastings and W.Pender and I did a series of photos. These photos were created on film and then cross-processed.



 The Changing City’ was published in December 2010. It includes thirteen history and architecture walking tours in Central Vancouver. http://changingcitybook.com/the-book/

http://changingvancouver.wordpress.com/
 This blog features before and after photographs, mostly from the Vancouver Archives, BC Archives and Vancouver Public Library collections. The older images are all in the public domain. It’s a companion blog to the Changing City blog which tracks contemporary development projects in Vancouver BC and buildingvancouver a blog that looks at who built some of the heritage buildings that are still standing in the city.

http://spacing.ca/vancouver/2013/10/30/video-vancouver-vancouver-city-2-time-lapse-in-4k/



Generation Rent: Urban Facelifts Serve the Well-Heeled
http://spacing.ca/vancouver/2013/10/30/generation-rent-urban-facelifts-serve-well-heeled/

Vancouver is a self-consciously pretty city. And like a teenager counting the brush strokes through her hair in the morning, it strives daily to become even more so. Perhaps it should be careful what it wishes for.

The City of Vancouver’s Greenest City 2020 Action Plan set the ambitious goal of becoming “the greenest city in the world” in just seven years. Like a personal fitness program, the effort is having secondary benefits: while expanding bike paths, food-producing gardens and composting, green initiatives are adding grace notes to the face of the city, like public gathering spaces called parklets where parking spaces used to be.

Once voters elected former farmer, Happy Planet juice company entrepreneur, and avid commuter cyclist Gregor Robertson to the mayor’s chair in 2008, the 2010 Olympics shot the city down a rabbit hole of compulsive civic introspection to reassure itself that yes, Vancouver was indeed the world-class city of its own advertising.

But even as it prepared for its close-up in the world’s spotlight, Vancouver worried about its poorer citizens being displaced.

Those tensions didn’t deter international accolades. Vancouver celebrated its ranking in the Economist magazine’s international list of the world’s most livable cities — scaled on stability, health care, culture and environment, education, and infrastructure.

But after topping the ranking’s “livability” scale for almost a decade, Vancouver recently slipped to third place. Like runners-up in a beauty pageant, civic leaders and business improvement associations are now redoubling their efforts to restore livability to under-toned neighbourhoods.

The two-year-old Hastings Crossing Business Improvement Association is Vancouver’s newest civic group with ambitions. Led by 33-year-old Wesley Regan, it seeks to balance the business and social interests of an area spanning the eastern fringe of upscale Yaletown and the heart of the hard-luck Downtown Eastside.

One neighbourhood further east, the 12-year-old Hastings North Business Improvement Association has rebranded what used to be known as Hastings Sunrise as the new “East Village” — drawing some controversy for its effort to appropriate the cachet of the Manhattan neighbourhood of the same name.
Such initiatives aren’t housing providers, but they do influence who can afford to live where.

 Retooling the Downtown Eastside and Hastings Sunrise, both historically working-class and immigrant neighbourhoods, to appeal to wealthier new residents can, like the lovely, eco-friendly “parklets” budding across the city, foster both a greater neighbourhood appreciation for some, while leaving others feeling pushed to the door.

A little bit older, deeper in redevelopment
In looks, as in so much else, San Francisco is our American doppelganger city, just a little bit older and further along some of the same paths Vancouver is following.

San Francisco’s Hastings Sunrise neighbourhood is the Divisadero Corridor. The historically African- and Japanese-American neighbourhood is northeast of the famed bohemia of Haight-Ashbury, next to the predominantly African-American Western Addition.

Until recently the Divisadero was a hotbed of crack cocaine sales and use, sex work, and associated violence. Remy Nelson, a lifelong San Franciscan and owner of the neighbourhood’s Mojo Bicycle Cafe, remembers the early 2000s, when at least once a month he heard gunshots, and every few months someone was shot down.

The view of across the street from the Mojo Bicycle Cafe offers a glimpse of Divisadero Street’s blue-collar roots. Photo by Jackie Wong.

He remembers the summer he opened his bike repair store and coffee shop, in 2007. “Up [Divisadero Street] at the barbecue joint, guys got an automatic and went and hosed down the entire joint, the street, the cars, everything. There were bullet shells everywhere,” Nelson says. “That was one of the last [big shootings]. That was a moment when something had to happen. The supervisor [San Franciscan for city councillor] came through and demanded foot patrols. And really that changed a lot of it, having a police presence.”

The movement for crime-free streets coincided with the arrival of new residents. “A largely Caucasian crowd,” as Nelson describes it, “bought property and was going to have kids and wanted to send them to school. They wanted their property values to go up. And that blight — of unemployment, people shooting each other in the middle of the day — it was kind of taking away from their money.”

It’s no surprise to Nelson that rents continue to go up in San Francisco. “No one ever said it was affordable,” he says. “It was always crazy. We live in a very desirable place.”

“I feel like the locals have been a little bit drowned out, just because there’s so many more people coming to this neighbourhood,” he says. “With a new wash of people coming in, a certain number of those are going to have higher incomes than people who currently live here. Those people are going to want to move in, to take over the apartments that are made available, and raise the rents.”

http://www.urbansketchers.org/p/about-usk.html
This blog site features sketches and often equally colorful stories behind the scenes by 100 invited artists correspondents in more than 30 countries around the world. Some are architects and illustrators, others are graphic designers, web developers, painters or educators, all sharing the same passion for drawing on location. If you are interested in purchase or usage of any of their sketches, please contact each artist directly.
 http://www.meetup.com/Vancouver-Urban-Sketchers/photos/
http://vancouver-urban-sketchers.blogspot.ca/

I'm not an Urban Sketcher member but now I see this I may become one. Here are some of the paintngs I've done of Vancouver



 http://udi.bc.ca/about
 The Urban Development Institute is a national non-profit association (with international affiliations) of the development industry and its related professions that is non-partisan in its activities. With over 600 corporate members, UDI Pacific represents thousands of individuals involved in all facets of land development and planning,

 http://britishcolumbia.uli.org/about-us/
ULI’s mission is to provide leadership in the responsible use of land and in creating and sustaining thriving communities worldwide. The Urban Land Institute is an independent, nonprofit research and education organization connected to nearly 30,000 members worldwide representing the entire spectrum of the land use and development disciplines. ULI British Columbia offers an unbiased and non-partisan exchange of ideas between private and public agencies to help provide solutions to local and regional issues. It continues to be the leading place for cross-disciplinary dialogue on land use in British Columbia.  Initially founded in 2006, ULI British Columbia has over 300 members from across the Province.

Neighbourhoods for Sustainable Neighbourhoods.

Video fro 2011 - Makes some great points about people being ignored by City Hall. We need Real Democracy! This is a wonderful video that raises important questions on how city hall is run and it's not in the interest of the people of Vancouver and also how media plays a role in how some issues are covered while others are not. 



 http://vancouver.ca/
Greenest City Action Plan
http://vancouver.ca/green-vancouver/greenest-city-2020-action-plan.aspx


To become the greenest city in the world, City staff are working with Council, residents, businesses, other organizations, and all levels of government to implement the Greenest City 2020 Action Plan.

Goals of the Action Plan

The Action Plan is divided into ten goal areas, each with a specific 2020 target.
Together, these address three overarching areas of focus:

• Carbon
• Waste
• Ecosystems

These goals will take time and effort to reach, and we are committed to reporting our progress on an ongoing basis.



Ideas we've been asked to come up with in our class are:
What are our priorties?
How can we maximize designer engagement?
How can we maximize public engagement?
What are the key aspects of our location?
Are we an umbrella for multiple others or a more narrowly focused organization?
What should we not do?
Who could or would we want to share space with?
What must be part of our space?
What should not be part of our space?
What should be our priorities the first year?
Do we have the right name?

So basically our cohort at Emily Carr has we've been approached by a group of architects and other people from all walks of life and we've been asked to come up with ideas to brand their identity and design a website for them. It's a huge tasks and we will be working in groups. I could go it alone but this is huge and so I'm quite sure I'll join a group but there's alot I want to tackle on my own. 

I love Vancouver, my grandparents immigrated here , my mom was born here, .....I've lived in BC my whole life, and since 97 I have lived mainly in Vancouver with brief stints away living in the Kootenays and Mexico. 

I see my neighbourhood in Kitsilano changing. Beautiful old character homes torn down to be replace with ugly boxes.  :( It maddens and saddens me.  Housing is so expensive most Vancouverites can't own a home and the city is being gobbled up by foreigners, many who only live here on a part time basis. (Nelson has the same issue by the way.) Poverty is huge and it's Vancouver's dirty little secret that no one wants to address.

There are no laws to protect our city from the skyrocketing housing prices. In Singapore for example, I have heard you can not buy land/houses or cars- you can only rent. Rarotonga only lets you stay a month and then you pay extra. Now these are extremes but what measures need to be in place to help people born and raised here actually be able to remain here and raise children here with out feeling then need to move away- Escape the rat race!!

We are blessed, I am, but even as I write this a chain of events has left me wondering what will happen to me, where will we live...do we want to stay, how long? If we move away, will we ever be able to move back. 

Where to start? It's really an incredible opportunity to be able to have some input here but will it be adapted and implemented or will it just be some grand ideas...and nothing will become of it like what happened to Urbanarium in the 80's? These are the questions we must deal with?
Here's 2 more video for you and then some links




Do you want to share your opinions. You can, go to my Facebook page.  https://www.facebook.com/tinawinterlikfb

Other related links:
http://tinawinterlik.blogspot.ca/2011/03/dont-let-them-tell-you-you-cant-do-that.html
http://tinawinterlik.blogspot.ca/2013/05/say-no-to-gmo-watch-this-video.html
http://tinawinterlik.blogspot.ca/2013/10/lets-get-grounded.html  .
http://tinawinterlik.blogspot.ca/2013/07/amazing-free-space-civic-hacking-project.html
http://tinawinterlik.blogspot.ca/2013/06/lets-grow-food-forest-like-seattle.html
http://tinawinterlik.blogspot.ca/2013/05/the-last-mimzy-monsanto-russia-and-obama.html
http://tinawinterlik.blogspot.ca/2011/05/mexicos-peace-march-stop-war-on-drugs.html
http://tinawinterlik.blogspot.ca/2011/07/mean-girls-syndrome-alive-and-thriving.html
http://adventurezinmexico.blogspot.ca/p/140-videos-i-made-in-mexico.html

Halloween Ghost Train-Classic Horror Films

Blog post by Tina Winterlik © 2013
zipolita@gmail.com
http://zipolitazstudioz.blogspot.com
http://twitter.com/#!/zipolita @zipolita
http://gplus.to/zipolita Google+


Here is the Stanley Park Ghost Train-Classic Horror Films. Enjoy the ride!! Happy Halloween. http://vancouver.ca/parks-recreation-culture/ghost-train.aspx

Miniature Train hours of operation

• Friday, October 11 - Saturday, November 2, 2013
• Closed Thanksgiving Monday, October 14

Afternoon matinees

• Friday, Saturday, and Sunday 11:00am - 6:00pm (train only)

Nights

• 6:00pm - 10:00 pm seven days a week (closed Thanksgiving Monday)

NOTE: The train is covered so riders are protected from rain. However, everyone should dress warmly for the cold autumn nights.

No Woman, No Drive! Bob would be Proud!

Blog post by Tina Winterlik © 2013
zipolita@gmail.com
http://zipolitazstudioz.blogspot.com
http://twitter.com/#!/zipolita @zipolita
http://gplus.to/zipolita Google+

This link was shared with me today. http://jalopnik.com/no-woman-no-drive-is-this-years-best-saudi-driving-1452607061

 I heard about the protest Saudi women were making against not being allowed to drive and I think it's fantastic that this Saudi comedian Hisham Fageeh has made this video. Let's share and keep this going!! Show your support!  I'm sure Bob would be proud.

Let's GET GROUNDED!!

Blog post by Tina Winterlik © 2013
zipolita@gmail.com
http://zipolitazstudioz.blogspot.com
http://twitter.com/#!/zipolita @zipolita
http://gplus.to/zipolita Google+

It's getting late and I have school tomorrow but I HAD to post this video/movie. It is amazing information that needs to be shared with everyone.

There is so much validity to this and it's all explained here. This is why we love to go barefoot in the grass and on the beach.

 This is why I love Mexico and how we walk like that all the time but here we are always in shoes.

One of my most favourite things was to wake up early and walk barefoot to the meditation point. I really miss that and I realize now I need to make this a daily routine.
 
When my kid would run  barefoot here people used to question me.

If you suffer from pain, snoring, heart disease please watch. Keep an open mind, the answers are here and we need to share this info with everyone.

How is Film Changing?

Blog post by Tina Winterlik © 2013
zipolita@gmail.com
http://zipolitazstudioz.blogspot.com
http://twitter.com/#!/zipolita @zipolita
http://gplus.to/zipolita Google+

So you know I'm taking a course in Interaction Design. One of the things we are looking at is film.

Do you ever wonder about film??? like about it's history ( see below) and where it's going? I decided to post some of my favourite films but then also some controversial films to examine them further.

A Brief History of Film- Animated Documentary 

Project Happening's animated brief history of film. The documentary ranges from 1500 with Leonardo Da Vinci, to George Eastman in 1888, and concludes in 1895 with the Lumiere brothers, all in less than 5 minutes. Please leave a comment and let us know what you think.


There's so much to this it can't be explored to quickly. Anyways have a peak if you want...what do you think about how film is changing? After looking at all these clips and movies what do you think? Where are we going?

It's a Wonderful Life
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/It%27s_a_Wonderful_Life
The film stars James Stewart as George Bailey, a man who has given up his dreams in order to help others and whose imminent suicide on Christmas Eve brings about the intervention of his guardian angel, Clarence Odbody (Henry Travers).

Clarence shows George all the lives he has touched and how different life in his community of Bedford Falls would be had he never been born.

It's a Wonderful Life is considered one of the most critically acclaimed films ever made. It was nominated for five Oscars and has been recognized by the American Film Institute as one of the 100 best American films ever made,[6] placing number 11 on its initial 1998 greatest movie list, and would also place number one on its list of the most inspirational American films of all time.
  
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My Interpretation: Poor George, his life feels like a failure. Nothing he does ever works out, or so it seems. On what seems the worse night of his life, when some money has been lost but it may put George in jail...George attempts to take his life. But an angel jumps in and saves him.  After listening to this angel- George  thinks he's still drunk or hit his head until the Angel convinces him it's all real. George wishes he was never born and the angel gives him his wish. The scary parts begin as George traces his way back home only to find he has no car, no friends, no family, all because he was never born. In the end a miracle happens, all the wonderful things he had done for people all come back as the entire town chips in and helps pay the debt. It's so funny, sad and happy it makes me cry just writing this. Now how does a movie do this?




Finding Nemo

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finding_Nemo
 It tells the story of the over-protective clownfish named Marlin (Albert Brooks) who, along with a regal tang named Dory (Ellen DeGeneres), searches for his abducted son Nemo (Alexander Gould) all the way to Sydney Harbour.

Along the way, Marlin learns to take risks and let Nemo take care of himself.  Finding Nemo is a 2003 American computer-animated comedy-drama adventure film written and directed by Andrew Stanton, released by Walt Disney Pictures, and the fifth film produced by Pixar Animation Studios.

It tells the story of the over-protective clownfish named Marlin (Albert Brooks) who, along with a regal tang named Dory (Ellen DeGeneres), searches for his abducted son Nemo (Alexander Gould) all the way to Sydney Harbour.
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My Interpretation: When you watch this show like 200 times you begin to see all sorts of things.  Like how Nemo is a child that is physically challenged and that one of his parents was murdered. And that Dory is brain damaged.  That Marlin has huge trust issues.  But in a bizarre way Marlin, Nemo and Dory all need each other and in the end they all work it out and they become a family.  Even this makes me cry as I type...Why is this?




Brother Bear
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brother_Bear

In the film, an Inuit boy named Kenai pursues a bear in revenge for a battle that he provoked in which his oldest brother Sitka is killed. He tracks down the bear and kills it, but the Spirits, angered by this needless death, change Kenai into a bear himself as punishment.[2]

In order to be human again, Kenai must learn to see through another's eyes, feel through another's heart, and discover the meaning of brotherhood.  The film received an Academy Award nomination for Best Animated Feature, but lost to Finding Nemo.

My Interpretation: This is such a great film but it's also really deep. Kenai kills the baby bear's mom. :(  That's really sad and tragic and then he turns into a bear.  All the awkardness of being lost and  in a strange environment  plus feelings of being misunderstood are dealt along with  the importance of family.  I loved the spirituality of it. It teaches empathy. It teaches that even though someone can drive you crazy you can love them anyways because they become family. Helpful if someone close to you has just passed as it reminds you they are still closeby.




Steel Magnolias
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steel_Magnolias

The film is about the bond among a group of women from a parish in the Natchitoches, Louisiana, area. The movie is based on a 1987 play Steel Magnolias by Robert Harling, which in turn dealt with the playwright's experience with the death of his sister Susan Harling Robinson.

The title suggests the main female characters can be both as delicate as magnolias, and as tough as steel

My Interpretation: Powerful film, so great if you watch it near Easter. It's really dated but the message is strong. Women can endure some incredible things and also how strong a mother's love can be. It looks at the strength that other women can provide one another and that love can help overcome some of the saddest moments in life. It's got lots of humor too! 




Time Warp - Rocky Horror Picture Show
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Rocky_Horror_Picture_Show

Still in limited release nearly four decades after its premiere, it has the longest-running theatrical release in film history. It gained notoriety as a midnight movie in 1977 when audiences began participating with the film in theatres. The film has a large international cult following and is one of the most well-known and financially successful midnight movies of all time

My Interpretation: This is a funny show. I've only seen it a few times and just watched the full movie last year...first time in forever. Super funny. It really deals with a lot of taboo subjects ...taboo at the time, almost the norm for many now. It's a great movie because it created conversation around what can be awkward  subject such as sexual orientation and for that I believe it because a very successful movie.




Reefer Madness (1938)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reefer_Madness
Originally financed by a church group under the title Tell Your Children, the film was intended to be shown to parents as a morality tale attempting to teach them about the dangers of cannabis use.[1] However, soon after the film was shot, it was purchased by producer Dwain Esper, who re-cut the film for distribution on the exploitation film circuit.[1] The film did not gain an audience until it was rediscovered in the 1970s and gained new life as a piece of unintentional comedy among advocates of cannabis policy reform.

My Interpretation: I haven't watch all of it, I have seen clips and it is really funny. 




Monsanto A Documentary on GMO a must watch


Seeds Of Death - Full Movie


In preparation of the global March Against Monsanto, you are invited to watch our award-winning documentary Seeds of Death free.

http://www.march-against-monsanto.com/

The leaders of Big Agriculture--Monsanto, DuPont, Syngenta--are determined that world's populations remain ignorant about the serious health and environmental risks of genetically modified crops and industrial agriculture. Deep layers of deception and corruption underlie both the science favoring GMOs and the corporations and governments supporting them.

This award-winning documentary, Seeds of Death, exposes the lies about GMOs and pulls back the curtains to witness our planet's future if Big Agriculture's new green revolution becomes our dominant food supply.

My Interpretation: Super disturbing! Everyone needs to watch this movie. 


Super Size Me
While examining the influence of the fast food industry, Morgan Spurlock personally explores the consequences on his health of a diet of solely McDonald's food for one month.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Size_Me

My Interpretation: Same for this one -Super disturbing! Everyone needs to watch this movie.  

(full movie)
http://youtu.be/p9zJv1JvQ_A (short version)


My Dad's Home Movies -These are home movies are over 40 years old and are truly my memories that he captured for me. I am so grateful.

 Official The Last Mimzy Movie Trailer

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Last_Mimzy
Presented as a memory flashback by a woman named Lena that takes place in the distant future, The Last Mimzy is the story of a distant future's attempt to avert a catastrophic ecological disaster that has destroyed their peaceful world. High tech devices disguised as toys, are sent back into the distant past and into the hands of Noah and Emma Wilder, two children who live with their parents, Jo (Joely Richardson) and David, (Timothy Hutton) in early 21st century in Seattle.

 My Interpretation: So GOOD!! Love this movie, it was just on the other week. So many great messages here.  You have to watch it, I don't want to spoil it for you if you haven't seen it.

Avatar Trailer The Movie

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avatar_%282009_film%29
Website: www.avatarmovie.com
In the future, a paraplegic war veteran is brought to the planet Pandora which is inhabited by the Navi. The Navi is a humanoid race with their own language and culture, but the people of Earth find themselves at odds with the Navi.

My Interpretation: This movie so much reminds me of the Indigenous cultures trying to survive again the big oil and mining companies destroying their land. Love this movie.

Message of Hope

Here are 2 of my favourite inspirational films. He had more but sadly he's taken them down. :(

Some background on how the history of television and film.


HISTORY: How TV Was Invented 





That's all I got for now. Hope you liked taking a peak thru all these movies with me. :D