What Did They Expect?

For all of us who thought the talk about the Vancouver debacle would be done by now – enough self analysis you commentators - we are sick of it.

I swore I wasn’t going to join the, hockey violence begets street violence crowd. In fact I swore I wasn’t going to comment at all but...

•  There was a riot 
•  Most people with half a brain could feel it coming 
•  Those who felt the crowd mood shift should have buggered off before there was a problem
•  If you don’t have that kind of street smarts, you should have stayed in Richmond or Burnaby . 

The pundits now are getting their knickers in a knot over privacy.

Judging by the pictures I saw, the crowd was mostly made-up of the Facebook demographic and there were lots of cell phone cameras. The discussion now has shifted to the ethics of taking pictures of others setting cars on fire, breaking windows and looting and then posting those images on the web. Facebook shaming sites have sprung up like dandelions. They all have phones with the ability to post directly the internet so what else would one expect.

Privacy issues? Give your head a shake. Isn’t it more like “How stupid could you get?”

It is Certainly Spring in Vancouver

Penticton to Vancouver is a good drive. I just love the pine and grass hills between The Okanagan and Keremeos. The only problem was that it rained off and on the whole trip.

On the way down from Manning Park, in an area of steep hills and twisty road I passed a guy, with a backpack on a unicycle, working his way up the hill. That was when I knew for sure that I was in B.C.

Vancouver as always, is lovely. I drove into town in a light rain but during the short work I made of my fish and chips and a beer in what used to be the overlooking English Bay Cafe, it cleared off.

As I walked by the edge of Stanley Park three bald eagles were circling the heron rookery by the tennis courts causing quite an uproar from the nesting herons. A couple of braver herons harassed them for a while and eventually the eagles got bored and headed of to hunt somewhere else.

In the park, the walkers and cyclists were out in force and the sea wall would have been crowded had there not been a brisk westerly breeze.

It is a tough town to beat in the spring.