Tag: Vancouver

Raincity WordCamp, Vancouver 2019
Did I say how much I love WordPress? And how excited I am to go to WordCamp? A web geek at heart and incredibly excited to go to this event, first time in my life I’m happy to go to a camp of any kind but today I was walking around the UBC campus (in downtown Vancouver) where they will host WordCamp Vancouver 2019 and can’t wait to attend.

To help plan for WordCamp Vancouver 2019, here’s what sessions there are to attend this year. They’ve created five categories and placed each session into at least one category. The Categories are:
- Development
- Development (Advanced)
- Design
- Business
- Blogging / Site Owning
They will have the following poster up at registration and in front of each room to help you decide what topics would be beneficial to you. You can also scroll past it to see some suggested itineraries for each category.

A reminder but these are just suggestions you are free to attend any session you’d like at WordCamp Vancouver and we encourage you to try attending topics you’re unfamiliar with to learn something new!

Development

9:00AM
Beyond the Block: Creating Blocks with ACF & Integrating Page Builders with Gutenberg

10:00AM
Let’s Learn Git. No More Excuses OR Digital Wheelchair Ramps: Tools for making your website ADA Compliant (Demo)

11:00AM
The Layman’s Guide to Optimizing Your WordPress Website

1:00PM
Having Fun (But Not Too Much Fun) with Viewport Units

2:00PM
Introduction to WP-CLI OR Design Principles for Web Developers: How to Make Your Websites Look Good

3:15PM
How We Can Make Our Website More Fun and Engaging by Learning from Game Design Techniques OR Using Hooks in the Real World

4:15PM
Tempted by the Dark Side OR WordPress Security

4:50PM
Closing Keynote: Where We Go From Here

Development (Advanced)

9:00AM
Business, Development sessions or networking!

10:00AM
Blok Bilding Basiks 4 Basik Blok Bilding

11:00AM
Migrating, Converting, and Managing Blocks in PHP

1:00PM
Everything I Wish I Knew Before Using WordPress as a Headless CMS

2:00PM
Business, Development, Design, Blogging/Site Owning sessions or networking!

3:15PM
WordPress, the Automated Way

4:15PM
Development, Design, Blogging/Site Owning sessions or networking!

4:50PM
Closing Keynote: Where We Go From Here

Design

9:00AM
Business, Development sessions or networking!

10:00AM
Digital Wheelchair Ramps: Tools for making your website ADA Compliant (Demo)

11:00AM
Business, Development sessions or networking!

1:00PM
Having Fun (But Not Too Much Fun) with Viewport Units OR How To Design WordPress Themes To Increase Sales and Convert Visitors Into Customers

2:00PM
Design Principles for Web Developers: How to Make Your Websites Look Good

3:15PM
How We Can Make Our Website More Fun and Engaging by Learning from Game Design Techniques

4:15PM
Tempted by the Dark Side

4:50PM
Closing Keynote: Where We Go From Here

Business

9:00AM
Understanding Your Customer Using Personas and Empathy Maps OR Freelance Hacks!

10:00AM
Design, Development sessions or networking!

11:00AM
Blogging/Site Owning, Development sessions or networking!

1:00PM
How To Design WordPress Themes To Increase Sales and Convert Visitors Into Customers

2:00PM
SEO for WordPress: It Ain’t Yoast

3:15PM
Design, Development sessions or networking!

4:15PM
Blogging/Site Owning, Design, Development sessions or networking!

4:50PM
Closing Keynote: Where We Go From Here

Blogging / Site Owning

9:00AM
Business, Development sessions or networking!

10:00AM
Design, Development sessions or networking!

11:00AM
Keeping Your Content Accessible OR The Layman’s Guide to Optimizing Your WordPress Website

1:00PM
Design, Development, Business sessions or networking!

2:00PM
SEO for WordPress: It Ain’t Yoast

3:15PM
Design, Development sessions or networking!

4:15PM
How to Blog About Anything and Get a Million Views – It’s Never Too Late To Start A WordPress Blog

4:50PM
Closing Keynote: Where We Go From Here
September 25, 2019
Vancouver VYVE Tribe Party

Oh to be twenty something again…. especially in Vancouver for the summer of 2019, to experience the most amazing phenomenon, a new type of party activity that is totally extraordinary and completely inclusive, alcohol free and totally insane (just the same) but clean safe fun beyond your wildest imagination. I’ve had the most fun summer I can remember, partly thanks to Jacques, his friends and all these fun VYVE Tribe people.

The concept of VYVE Tribe was pitched and sold to the City of Vancouver under the condition that drugs and booze be refrained from, not endorsed and promoted as family friendly for all ages. The concept works and flash dance party idea and silent disco, also dance parties on barges but best of all is late night bike raves.

Crazy good fund riding in the night with a couple hundred other people, most of whom have tricked-out their bikes with neon lights cool color tubes on the spokes, so that as the mile long caravan of bicycle enthusiasts ride along the seawall of false creek, the residents on the far side of the water can see and hear the colourful parade, since there are giant speakers blasting music.

Here”s the overview from their website and a link.

Our mission is simple.
Spread the high of human connection.

Featured in VICE media, we are a social movement, a tribe of people-lovers, and a human-centric entertainment agency.

We apply social-bonding science to create the most epic, active, and drug-free entertainment experiences.

Our electrifying social experiences have the objective of increasing social connectedness and vitality in the world.

Our Partners

Our partners value community and wellness. They want to bring one-of-a-kind entertainment experiences to their organization or event. They want to inspire their audience with meaningful fun, by spreading healthy ways to build vitality.

Our Experiences (vyves)

Known for our Hike Raves, Bike Raves, and Morning Beach Parties, we are an inventive agency. Our experiences leverage dancing, singing, and laughing to activate the same brain centers as drugs do. We customize our experiences with themes, such as mental health, fitness, consent education, and emotional connection.

Our Party Science

The VYVE Experience has been developed over 200 parties, and is based on the science of emotions and social-bonding. It leaves traditional parties in the dust. Our guarantee: Participants will feel amazing and socially connected with everyone apart of the experience. This is the essence of feeling ALIVE.

Our Founder

Jacques Martiquet has been facilitating dance parties, workshops, and social activities for 4 years. He has conducted Vyves in 12 different cities. He has been interviewed by VICE, Vancouver Magazine, and Elle Canada regarding his mission to popularize an alternative, adaptive party culture. A culture that revolves social connection, not alcohol.

Imagine all the people around you smiling, laughing, singing, and dancing to songs which everyone can relate to. You feel exhilarated, included, and respected. You feel like you belong.

We make this happen—anywhere, anytime.

SCHEDULE A FIVE MINUTE CALL

Vancouver Photo credit: Ted’s photos – For Me & You on VisualHunt.com / CC BY-NC-SA

August 12, 2019
Vancouver Intercontinental Consulting Group (VICG)
His name is Kwan Lok LEE (Leon) he’s a semi-retired Engineer from Vancouver, Canada. Leon is the founder and CEO of Vancouver Intercontinental Consulting Group (VICG), now specializing at Infrastructure Funding.

Please visit the Vancouver Intercontinental Consulting Group (VICG) website.
Leon Graduated B. Sc in Mechanical Engineering with Higher Honors in 1993 from North Carolina A&T State University.

Completed M.Sc in Engineering with Highest Honors in 1975 from North Carolina A&T State University.

Worked as an industrial engineer and production manager at Jantzen, Ancient Mariner and various industries in Vancouver.

Worked as a consultant engineer in various industries.

From 1993-2002, had been working as an international consultant on industrial projects in Hong Kong, China and Jamaica.

From 2002 -now, have been working as a international consultant participating to finance construction infrastructure projects in Caribbean and African countries which include the following:

Participating financing: housing development in Jamaica.

Completed the SHEP (Self Help Electrification Program) project in Ghana.

Completed building of a power plant in Samoa.

Surfacing the land and developing housing project in Senegal. Currently participating to finance construction high way and housing development in Cameroon.

Currently participating to build gypsum board and gypsum powder factories in Ethiopia.

From 2002 until now, we’ve been working as a international consultant, participating to finance construction infrastructure projects in the Caribbean, African countries and now the Americas.

We are in possession of the Guarantee (note) for $1.1B financing of
PATH BC project from Sinosure of China to Canada
Leon Lee

…and in South America:

Brazil Drydock project has also recently received an Letter of Intent for $150M.
Leon Lee

We have simple EPC (engineering, procurement and construction) criteria, before VICG begins working for your team, to obtain construction financing, for the funding of infrastructure projects, as follows:
- Sovereign Guaranteed Project in excess of $25M
- Engineering must be majority provided by China
- Procurement of steel and equipment from China
- Construction contracting from China
Vancouver Photo credit: Nick Kenrick.. on Visualhunt.com / CC BY-NC-SA
June 6, 2019
Cannabis Industry Plastic Catastrophe

“One good thing about music: when it hits you, you feel no pain” – Bob Marley

Ask yourself what Bob Marley would think about the plastic packaging of weed?

Taxing weed is like putting electricity in wires, against Nature, as Tesla demonstrated, forcing buds into plastic containers, little ones, bigger ones, and many with lids like little cosmetic or cream jars, converted to the cannabis industry. The days of the sandwich baggie are long gone, some of these zip locks are specially designed and heavy plastic, so not to let the stink of the weed be known by others. Who would have guessed that a massive industrial plastic packaging industry has now mobilized to grow on scale to destroy us forever with the outcome of the Cannabis Industry Plastic Catastrophe

Vancouver could have become the best case study for cottage industry, there were already over a hundred groovy places you could go, to choose a hand grown plant, in a legal environment, and pay low prices if you want. Or sample a selection to the top shelf, even a vending machine with hand rolled joints, plus many had places had dab bars and vapour lounges, this was great for the city because it creates local economy and gets people off the streets, in a very organic manner. The the Gov got involved and killed what had been blossoming. Cannabis culture was still-born.

Canada Government has now launched an industrial cannabis-plastic-packaging-complex that will bury this planet in more plastic all for more taxes and so they can create less jobs, cut out all the merchants, steal the dreams of countless millions of Canadians, add 46 new laws and include seizure powers, like for smoking and driving you lose your car and that’s just one of the 46 new laws designed to benefit the fraud that it is.

Funny and sad at the same time is how a drama teacher pretending to be a leader of a country tricked the masses to think the new plan would be unicorns and rainbows so the population signed-up on mass and provided new data points for future profiling and intrusive marketing practices. Like lambs to the slaughter, even smart folks thought; “hooray for Canada” let’s get a legal weed license so we can now get stopped at the border of every other advanced country and immediately tagged if they do let us in.

The shops were crushed by the boots of money, greed and power.

Amsterdam once had the perfect model too, and at one time Los Angeles had over 600 legal dispensaries in the LA basin. I still hold a California license, which I bought on Venice Beach, after a short Doctor examination. The scene was incredible, safe legal and legit. In the early days of California legalizing it looked like it would be a great thing but then like so many things, it was destroyed for the many little shops, so the control could be amassed by just a few powerful brands and that’s the plastic catastrophe.

Plastic is the wires of electricity, it’s a trick. Grow your own and also support your local dealer and use glass containers, never use plastic when you can help it and stop buying weed online from your Government, take responsibility for every plastic container you have to purchase.

The greatest slogan of the pot counter culture was to overgrow your government and to outgrow them too. In other words only buy from your friends and if you don’t have any that grow, then maybe you shouldn’t smoke at all, as a matter of fact, that is the best idea and one of the reasons I quit smoking weed, another was it’s now legal so the fun was gone. Oh well, I don’t miss it much and know I’ll smoke again, since it hasn’t harmed me.

Bob Marley – redemption song

Old pirates, yes, they rob I
Sold I to the merchant ships
Minutes after they took I
From the bottomless pit
But my hand was made strong
By the hand of the Almighty
We forward in this generation
Triumphantly
Won’t you help to sing
These songs of freedom?
‘Cause all I ever have
Redemption songs
Redemption songsEmancipate yourselves from mental slavery
None but ourselves can free our minds
Have no fear for atomic energy
‘Cause none of them can stop the time
How long shall they kill our prophets
While we stand aside and look? Ooh
Some say it’s just a part of it
We’ve got to fulfill the BookWon’t you help to sing
These songs of freedom?
‘Cause all I ever have
Redemption songs
Redemption songs
Redemption songsEmancipate yourselves from mental slavery
None but ourselves can free our minds
Wo! Have no fear for atomic energy
‘Cause none of them-a can-a stop-a the time
How long shall they kill our prophets
While we stand aside and look?
Yes, some say it’s just a part of it
We’ve got to fulfill the book
Won’t you have to sing
These songs of freedom?
‘Cause all I ever had
Redemption songs
All I ever had
Redemption songs
These songs of freedom
Songs of freedomSongwriters: Bob MarleyRedemption Song lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.

Photo credit: HereIsTom on Visualhunt.com / CC BY-NC-ND

Bob Marley’s Eyes Photo credit: garryknight on Visual hunt / CC BY

May 26, 2019
Orpheum Theatre for Easter Sunday

Thanks to Coastal Church of Vancouver for opening the doors of the Orpheum Theatre and entertaining us, and presenting such an awe inspiring Easter Sunday presentation.

During the service we celebrated the resurrection of our Saviour with dynamic worship music, stories of real life change, special media, musical elements, and a powerful message from Pastor, David Koop.

If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
Romans 10:9

The special musical presentation duet, of singer and violinist, backed by the orchestra was fabulous, especially from the best balcony seats in the house. Great show! I’m especially grateful for having seen the theatre in the daylight, to marvel at the ornate decor and purposeful design. This is truly a Vancouver Landmark building.

Orpheum Theatre Vancouver

The Orpheum Theatre with advertising for the movie Lady Luck, circa 1946.

The Orpheum is a theatre and music venue in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Along with the Queen Elizabeth Theatre and the Vancouver Playhouse, it is part of the Vancouver Civic Theatres group of live performance venues. It is the permanent home of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra. The Orpheum is located on Granville Street near Smithe Street in Vancouver’s downtown core. The interior of the theatre was featured prominently in the award-winning 2004 reboot of Battlestar Galactica, where it is dressed to portray a heavenly opera house.

Designed by Scottish architect Marcus Priteca, the theatre officially opened on November 8, 1927 as a vaudeville house, but it hosted its first shows the previous day. The old Orpheum, at 761 Granville Street, was renamed the Vancouver Theatre (later the Lyric, then the International Cinema, then the Lyric once more before it closed for demolition in 1969 to make way for the first phase of the Pacific Centre project). The New Orpheum, which was the biggest theatre in Canada when it opened in 1927, with three thousand seats, cost $1.25 million to construct. The first manager of the theatre was William A. Barnes.

Following the end of vaudeville’s heyday in the early 1930s, the Orpheum became primarily a movie house under Famous Players ownership, although it would continue to host live events on occasion. Ivan Ackery managed the Orpheum during most of this period, from 1935 up until his 1969 retirement.^[

The Orpheum Theatre 2005, advertising the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra.

In 1973, for economic reasons, Famous Players decided to gut the inside of the Orpheum and change it into a multiplex. A “Save the Orpheum” public protest and fundraising campaign was launched, which even Jack Benny flew in to help with, and the Orpheum was saved. On March 19, 1974, the City of Vancouver bought the theatre for $7.1 million, with $3.1 million coming from the city itself, and $1.5 million from each of the provincial and federal governments.. The Orpheum closed on November 23, 1975 and a renovation and restoration was done by the architectural company Thomson, Berwick, Pratt and Partners. It re-opened on April 2, 1977 and has since been the permanent home of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra. Tony Heinsbergen, a U.S. designer who originally chose the color scheme for the interior (ivory, moss green, gold and burgundy) was brought back, fifty years later, for the renovation. In 1983, an additional entrance was opened on Smithe Street.

The theatre was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1979.

In 2006, the Capitol Residences development was proposed for the old Capitol 6 cinema site adjacent to the Orpheum. The City of Vancouver gave the developer permission for extra height and density on their site in return for a major expansion to the Orpheum, including a long desired back stage area. This was the largest amenities trade in the history of the city, and will increase the usability of the facility.

The Orpheum’s neon sign was donated by Jim Pattison in the 1970s.

The theatre and its neon sign have been used as a key location in several episodes of the science-fiction series Battlestar Galactica and Fringe, as well as Highlander: The Series. It was also the location of the filming of the Dan Mangan documentary What Happens Next? by Brent Hodge.

Orpheum Theatre Interior Photo credit: GoToVan on Visualhunt / CC BY

Night photo of the Orpheum sign provided by Michael G. Khmelnitsky. http://www.mig81.com – Michael G. Khmelnitsk

April 21, 2019
Lions Gate Bridge, Vancouver
2017 – Vancouver – Lions Gate Bridge South Pier

I was riding my bicycle across the overpass in Stanley Park and stopped in the middle to admire the perfect view of Lions Gate Bridge, when I noticed a little plaque that said the following:

The Guinness brewing family built the Lions Gate Bridge which opened in 1938 to provide access to its British Properties lands in West Vancouver. Ownership was transferred to the Province in 1955. Tolls were removed in 1963 and the bridge was restored in 1998 after a long debate about its heritage value and capacity.
Vancouver Heritage Foundation

The most beautiful bridge north of San Francisco’s Golden Gate, Lions Gate Bridge brought Vancouver into the automobile age and heralded the era of auto-dependent suburbs when it opened in 1938. The Guinness brewing company was the primary financier, intent on providing access to its British Properties development in West Vancouver. Bisecting Stanley Park for the bridge’s causeway was the most controversial issue, but the proponents’ promise of jobs was too good to turn down, as the city was mired in the Great Depression. In 1933, the Park Board voted in favour of it, with only one commissioner opposed.

“Lady Cecilia” under the Lions Gate Bridge 1939. City of Vancouver Archives, CVA 99-2951, photographer Start Thomson

The idea to build a bridge across First Narrows was investigated as early as the 1890s, but it wasn’t until the 1920s that plans began to take shape. In December 1933, approval for the building of the bridge was reached through a city wide vote. Construction began on March 31, 1937 by clearing ten acres of Stanley Park to create the right-of-way. Upon completion in November 1938, the Lions Gate Bridge was recognized as the longest suspension bridge in the British Empire and one of the biggest construction projects undertaken in Canada during the 1930s. Despite its great size, the open steelwork of the twin towers gives the structure a weightless quality that blends well with its picturesque setting.

The bridge was remarkable because of its length and the technical innovations in cable use and construction. Alfred J.T. Taylor, a prominent engineering contractor and industrialist who had substantial land holdings on the North Shore and who assembled the financing for the project has been called the visionary behind the project. The Guinness brewing company acted as the primary financier, intent on providing access to its British Properties development in West Vancouver.

Named in honour of a pair of pointed peaks along the North Shore mountain range known as ‘The Lions’, the south entrance to the bridge is graced by two monumental Art Deco lion figures which were the last great public work of Vancouver’s foremost sculptor, Charles Marega.

The provincial government purchased it in 1955, its “Year of Bridges”. Other projects in the region included the Second Narrows and Oak Street bridges plus Highway 99 and the south arm crossing that became George Massey Tunnel. A third lane was squeezed onto Lions Gate Bridge to accommodate the increasing traffic volume. It ceased to be a toll bridge in 1963. Overcrowded for decades, the bridge narrowly avoided demolition in the 1990s, instead being refurbished by the provincial government. Its retention indicated the city was beginning to move beyond the automobile age.

Sources
- Vancouver Heritage Foundation – Lions Gate Bridge
- “The First Hundred Years, R.Mike Steele, Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation, 1988.
- Lions Gate Bridge, National Historic Site of Canada. Canada’s Historic Places.
Photo credit: Ted’s photos – For Me & You on Visual Hunt / CC BY-NC-SA
March 11, 2019
Smokanagan

Climate change has caused increasing amounts and intensity of forest fires in British Columbia and Washington State. This day we were experiencing smoke in the Okanagan Valley from Winthrop in Washington State, way down in the Cascade’s as we would say….

The Columbia Gorge marks where the Columbia River splits the Cascade Range between the states of Washington and Oregon.

By Bala from Seattle, USA – Bleeding Skies
Uploaded by X-Weinzar, CC BY 2.0, Link

By Shannon – Background and river course data from http://www2.demis.nl/mapserver/mapper.asp, mountain elevation/location data from Wikipedia, GFDL, Link

Smoke in the Okanagan Valley, upon sunset August 29, 2017

Alas, the next day I returned to Vancouver, which enjoys the cleansing effect of the Pacific Ocean.

More to come…

August 31, 2017
Vancouver Calling

Indigo Vancouver

Over a month ago a friend gave me a special gift for my birthday, a report based on my name and birth date, to produce what I call the Indigo Vancouver message. Here’s what it said:

Color: Indigo Navy Blue
Jewels: Pearl, Sapphire, Lapiz
Keyword: Responsibility

Now it’s time for home and family, groups and friends. The plants are flowering, make your home the center of your life, be responsible, fair, just. Be of service and accept your duties willingly.

Take care of all your responsible belongings, people, places and things.

This is the year to move into a new home. Make music a big part of your life. Do all your entertaining at home.

Set your standards and keep them. Complete what you start.

Have rhythm and harmony in your life.

Anything you do for the benefit of the group is good.
Be the counselor. Give assistance whenever it is needed, it’s your year to give of yourself.

A deeply satisfying year!

I accept my responsibilities with love and joy!

Vancouver Photo credit: Nick Kenrick. via Visual hunt / CC BY-NC-SA

March 31, 2017
Vancouver Winter Olympics

On this day 50 years ago I entered this world on a night that was so stormy in Vancouver that electricity was knocked out through much of the city and phone lines were down in North Vancouver. It was in the very early hours at Lions Gate Hospital, so I’m told, that my mother delivered me. Truthfully, she’s the person who deserves the congrats not me, and her and my Dad deserve a great many thanks for encouraging me to participate in sports. As a child I was taught to ski by my second birthday and since my parents were ski instructors at Mt. Baker in Washington State, I grew up “ski racing crazy”, so it was especially enjoyable for me to watch the various skiing events taking place on the slopes where I used to race.
To say that I’m thankful for the 50 years of life (btw: I’m 49 years old today) is grossly understated. I’ve enjoyed the most marvelous lifestyle so far and it’s about to get even better. What a blessing to have spent so many days every winter, for the first half of my life, up in the mountain pursuing my own gold medals. Sure I’ve had my fair share of bad days too, everyone has got to, or we’d never recognize the good one’s but all things considered I’m content with my lot in life, I like who I’ve become and don’t regret the decisions I’ve made, although on blazing hot days in Brazil (like today) I sometimes miss the snow-covered mountains of British Columbia.
Love is the key to a good life. Luck and love may have something to do with my own level of happiness but just like the famous quote: “The harder I work, the luckier I get” (either Gary Player or Samuel Goldwyn said that) when applied to my life, relates to the understanding that the more I learn to love life and the people in it, I luckier I get with love in return. In case you’re wondering; I think I’ve been very, very lucky in love and life and consider myself very fortunate just to have been born and raised in Canada.
Vancouver Winter Olympics, from my perspective, as seen from the comfort of my home in Brazil, exemplifies everything that is wonderful and decent about Western Canada for the manifestation of the Olympic spirit. Peace on earth and goodwill towards mankind and may the best competitor win! Let the world bear witness that there is only one love, no-matter how many interpretations and expressions of beauty there may be for athletic perfection, in the end it’s all about harmony and forgetting our differences to work together for the common good of sport, to make something bigger and better than the sum total of all our parts and purposes. The people of British Columbia and the City of Vancouver have done an excellent job hosting the Winter Olympics and made us proud to be Canadian, even if we don’t win enough Gold medals.

February 21, 2010