The Arrogant Bureaucrat Used to Be Lady Tattoo

Karen Petersen no longer remembers being a merchant. Unfortunatly she sold out her business just in the nick of time for construction on Granville street. Her CUSHY position at the Canada Line has obviously distracted her from her former life as the proprietor of a tattoo and body piercing shop. Which, apparently is a BETER business than maternity and baby stores, restaurants and framing stores.I guess her more "qualified" business experiences enables her to be considered an expert in the area of survival.Although, She was the president of the downtown business association, at one time lobbying for change and strength among merchants... she now has a different business. Amazing what a solid income and a nice office can do to change a person.Instead of working 12 hours a day on her own business, she might sit around her new office reading small business obituaries with the other girls while they give eachother free tattoos and do eachothers hair.(And as the following article quotes her) and saying "super hot"!!She can call consultation what she wants. She can say she doesn't work for the canada line directly, but she is still responsible for her part in destroying families, immigrants, single parents and other small businesses along the line...signed,Karen come over an watch my kids, I need to go to work now, because you took my business,Erin Broke-ovich

READ:Granville Mall gets overhaul Economic pressures will drive out less attractive businesses Wendy McLellan Province Sunday, April, 03, 2005

Even if city councillors agree on a design by early summer as planned, the street will be ripped apart for RAV construction -- including as many as three stations along Granville -- for at least 18 months."We've wanted a redesign forever," said Karen Peterson Ivanick, president of the Downtown Vancouver Business Improvement Association and a longtime retailer on Granville Mall."A lot of people think having this main street in such disrepair is holding back the city. You can't build something in 1975 and then abandon it."Peterson Ivanick, who owns Anatomic Adornments body-piercing shop in the 800-block of Granville, said updating the street, along with the redevelopment under way, is gradually taking the area away from drug dealers and pawn shops and making it a safe, funky place in the heart of the city."There is real, serious change going on that is quite meaningful," she said. "Leases are up for renewal and retailers that can't get onto Robson are making the first couple of blocks of Granville the next best thing."That will push the smaller stores further south and pretty soon, there will be only good stuff going on. I think it could be a beautiful street. We're just a few years away from being super hot down here."

Transclunk Board Criminal

Clearly Mike Harcourt has lost his last remaining marble.

He has approved a 500% pay hike for the new Transclunk board, all of whom are already well-heeled execs.

They will now get $1,200 per meeting, even if they are not physically present in the room.

A commentor has already beat me to the punch and said on my "Hoax" blog a little further down this page what I will repeat herein.

Not only should this pay raise not be allowed, THEY SHOULD ALL BE VOLUNTEERS. THEY SHOULD BE DOING THIS TO HELP THE COMMUNITY THAT HAS MADE THEM SUCCESSFUL.

U Waste - The Joy of Sax

Below is one of the greatest musical pieces ever heard, John Coltrane's take on the simple Rogers and Hammerstein tune, "My Favorite Things" from "The Sound of Music." How 'Trane took this c-major children's folk melody and turned it into a mystical, eastern hymn is unknown and amazing.

But in keeping with insanity of what passes for science and academics, physicists at the University of new South Wales in Sydney have been studying how saxophone players make noise.

Public money pays for this.

Revel in Coltrane and others. Don't try this at home and don't try to understand the mechanics of how it is done.

Unless you're an academic with time and public money on your hands.

John Coltrane -' My Favourite Things'

THE DRUG BEAT

ITEM: UBC is sponsoring a series of pblic discussion called "Drug Policy - Public Health or Criminal Justice Issue?"

The only problem is that the speakers are THE USUAL SUSPECTS...Larry Campbell, Phillip Owen, Centre for Addicitons Research, Fraser Institute and so on.

Good luck on hearing a thought that isn't part of the accepted wisdom.

ITEM: Doctors Pan Mayors Drug Plan. Yes, as they should. And we needn't dwell on the obvious. But there is one telling little moment in this story. NAOMI - the hateful experiment where addicts are given free heroin is described as providing "heroin to long-term addicts, along with intensive counselling and support.

Now this little gem exemplifies how little any of these geniuses know or care about addictions.

YOU CANNOT COUNSEL SOMEONE WHO IS TAKING HEROIN, AS YOU CANNOT TALK TO A DRINKING DRUNK. YOU ARE NOT TALKING IN THESE INSTANCES TO A PESON. YOU ARE TALKING TO A CHEMICAL.

The entire premise is false and the enterprise is doomed.

Do I Ask You to Abandon Jesus?

“Let us pray for the Jews. May the Lord Our God enlighten their hearts so that they may acknowledge Jesus Christ, the savior of all men.”

So translates a new version of Good Friday prayer that the Pope has sanctioned.

That's really going to help.

To find yourself hurtling backwards through time to the Dark Ages, read this NY Times story here.

Theh take a bath.