If you already voted in the last provincial election, you are on the voter’s list. Just show up on Saturday. Bring two pieces of ID, preferably a driver’s licence plus either a credit/debit card and a utility bill. Even if you are not on the list, you can affirm you are a White Rock resident at the polls.

Where do I vote?

The closest poll is Star of the Sea Centre just a block up the hill at 15362 Pacific.
Polls are open Saturday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Why should I care?

If you care about whether you can walk to vibrant shops up the hill, how fast your rent goes up or if more trees are cut down nearby, then you have plenty of reasons.

Mayoral candidate Wayne Baldwin supports more density in Town Centre to revitalize struggling businesses. For renters, more housing units mean more options if you must move and more supply helps restrain rents in White Rock. While there are legitimate issues about the speed of growth, an anti-density council would mainly please existing property owners who want to keep out more supply so their home values rise faster.

Many of us were dismayed by the cutting of trees at the west edge of our parking lot to enhance house views across the street. The cutting was done even though council had decided to rewrite its policy, but Lynne Sinclair, Al Campbell and Grant Meyer (whose signs are prominent across the street) voted to continue enforcing the policy and down came the trees. If the trees were important to you, we suggest you choose other candidates, such as Helen Fathers, who voted to suspend enforcement of the policy.

Where do I find more on where candidates stand?

Peace Arch News election coverage is at peacearchnews.com/news/election and the Vancouver Sun also has results of a questionaire of White Rock candidates. Individual candidates have their own websites and Facebook pages. You can contact Wayne Baldwin through his website at waynebaldwin.ca.

Too many tenants don’t vote and let councils get elected that don’t represent their best interests. Let’s change that.

– This is a message from Royal Villa Residents for Wayne Baldwin

Blink and you might miss it. It’s the White Rock outdoor summer film series.

The White Rock Business Improvement Association has finally – and quietly – announced its summer 2010 lineup of outdoor movies.

You will have certainly made other plans – I know I have. But here goes:

First up was Train Your Dragon, July 3 at West Beach by the Rock. I know! I missed it too.

Pity we weren’t there to drink it in. Sounds like a gem. The well-reviewed animated flick, which premiered on regular indoor screens earlier this year, tells the unlikely, surely heartwarming tale of a dragon-hunting Viking named Hiccup who befriends a young dragon and learns there’s more to dragons than meets the eye.

It rates an impressive 8.3 (out of 10) at IMDB.com and features voices by the likes of America Ferrera (Ugly Betty, Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants), late night host Craig Ferguson, and the immortal geek-stud McLovin (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) from Superbad and Superbad alumni Jonah Hill, plus the publicity stills are super cute.

I know! Sucks that we missed it. It obviously ruled. A rainy rental?
It’s a whole, long month until the next film in the outdoor series, so cool your jets.

And it’s none other than the Elvis Presley classic, Blue Hawaii, a brave choice for July 30 at East Beach (In front of Sideshows and not by the Washington Avenue Grill, a major location shift so take note).

There will be an Elvis impersonator on hand for the pre-show.The 1961 film rates a paltry 5.7 (this week) on IMDb, but how can you argue with a commenter’s rave review like this? “It’s exuberant, it’s sexy, it’s Elvis!”

Golly. I’m sold. Memorable tunes include Hawaiian Wedding Song and I Can’t Help Falling in Love. I’ll be there, resplendent in cruise wear, in all its glory, Kaluha Almond Mumus in hand. Except wait. I’m going to be camping then, and I’ve only got two weeks to play with, so, suck it White Rock.

The third show is TBA for Aug. 14, and organizers always seem to leave the mid-August slot free ’til the last minute, so they can capitalize on some current summer family-friendly hi. Potpourri round!

But it seems like the final title is similarly retro inspired, with Hairspray (2007) Aug. 28  – the last in the summer series – starring John Travolta and NOT the 1988 version by the city of Baltimore’s pencil-thin moustached director John Waters (Pink Flamingos) that stars female impersonator Divine as the mom, Debbie Harry and the irrepressible Ricky Lake in her first starring role as the rotund, giddily keen dancing queen Tracy Turnblad.

(Not to mention the likes of larger-than-life icons  as Ric Ocasek, Pia Zadora, Debbie Harry, Mink Stole, and even Jerry Stiller – TV’s crazy dad from hell, Frank Costanza — … sigh. One can dream.)

Anyway that’s the list. I’m ticked that it’s taken this long for word to spread.
I suppose we have to credit the brilliant PR abilities of the new and improved White Rock BIA, which has traditionally presented the series as its banner annual event.
Like most White Rockers, I had no idea they’d planned to go ahead with the outdoor film series this year until tonight.
Nobody heard a peep. But I had one advantage: today I noticed web surfers searching for White Rock’s outdoor film series have been inadvertently landing on my site (thanks to a post from last year, ’round about this time) only to find out of date, old information from 2009.

Sheesh. Get it together, White Rock BIA – a little advertising, or even a notice in the freebie community calendar – goes a long way, guys!

And next weekend, Mr. Spock and Captain James T. Kirk will be reuniting at the Sheraton Wall Centre in Vancouver.

That’s right, Star Trek fans, actors Leonard Nimoy and William Shatner are headlining the official Star Trek convention Sunday, June 27.

It’s a rare joint appearance for the two men, who, at 79, continue to inspire fans across the globe and here at home.

The ever-popular Nimoy – who appeared in 2009′s Star Trek, the latest movie offering in the four-decade-long franchise – recently retired from showbiz, but Shatner’s career continues at Warp speed.

The Shakespearean actor is slated to appear in the upcoming TV series Sh*t My Dad Says, which is based on a Twitter account. When he’s not acting, Shatner keeps a high profile, recently speaking out against salmon farming on the B.C. coast and becoming the target of a Facebook campaign seeking to have him nominated as a replacement for Governor General Michaëlle Jean.

Fans of the series – and the many movies it spawned – loved the contrast between Spock’s cool, detached logic and the hot-blooded passion of Kirk, colleagues aboard the Starship Enterprise.

In real life, their personalities match their onscreen personas, with the laid back Nimoy playfully bantering with the exuberant Shatner.
Other Star Trek celebrities will be appearing at the June 25-27 convention, including Connor Trineer from Star Trek: Enterprise, Armin Shimerman, and a star ship full of Deep Space Nine alumnus: Jeffery Coombs, Vaughn Armstrong, Max Grodenchick, Casey Biggs and Chase Masterson.

Barbara March and Gwynyth Walsh, who played Klingon villains the Duras Sisters on Star Trek: The Next Generation, will also be there, along with Jacob Kogan, the actor who played the young Mr. Spock in the 2009 film.

The convention includes vending rooms, auctions, trivia and costume competitions, music performances, fan-made music videos and celebrity photo-ops.
Tickets are $20 for Friday and Saturday and $40 for Sunday. Available at www.creationent.com or at 818-409-0960.
Show hours are Friday from noon to 6 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday.

“Not sure what he was doing outside of the den, but it’s a blustery day today…he might be feeling restless from the wind,” bear-cam operator Stephanie Waymen of Rosswood, B.C. told The Terrace Standard.

“He’s now pulling leaves into his den with his huge paws, making himself a new pillow, which we’ve seen him do once before. Apollo is a good den-keeper. He likes to lay his boar-sized head down on fresh leaves, especially after a rain. Maybe his den gets a little muddied and the fresh leaves give him a buffer from the damp,” she said.

Last year he didn’t leave the den until April.

The hibernating Kermode bear, a rare white/creamy-coloured variant of a black bear, has been watched by fans over the internet while he’s been sleeping in his den this winter.

According to The Terrace Standard, the camera was put up outside the den by a Rosswood resident named Stephanie Waymen. She calls the bear Apollo, because she believes it’s a male bear.

Right now, there is a new, 14-minute clip featuring Apollo giving himself a spring bath. Awww!

To see streaming video of the bear in his den, click here.

“FYI,  Bravo! is being replaced temporarily in Quebec and out West in order for Shaw to provide French language Olympic coverage.”

– This from someone in the programming department of Bravo today, responding to a customer feedback email I sent Friday. So fear not.

UPDATE: March 7, 2010. Turned on Bravo last Monday morning and voila! Like magic. It had returned to channel 40. Looks like the promise has been kept, everyone! Our long national Bravo-less nightmare is over.

Happy viewing.

He promises Bravo will be back after Feb. 28.

Bravo, Patrick.

Glad I asked!

– Suburban Exile

Here is my earlier post outlining what’s at stake if we lose Bravo for real…

UPDATED

They call it a news drop. When a big story comes out and obscures other big news already in progress.

Okay, so maybe a missing TV channel isn’t big-big, but it’s big to me.

Shaw Cable has removed Bravo, Channel 40, from the regular (non-digital) TV line-up.

They pulled this fast one Friday, the same day Shaw announced plans to take over the broadcast assets of Canwest Global Communications Corp., and the same day as the opening ceremonies for the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics.

Bravo is now only available on channel 56, if you’re a digital subscriber, I presume.

They moved KVOS from 23 to 30 last week, but at least it’s still available to regular cable viewers.

I’m still hurting from the time they removed PBS Detroit from the non-digital offerings.

No Bravo means no movies on Saturday mornings and Sunday evenings, no Actors Studio, no Dexter, no Mad Men, and certainly no home grown Canadian arts and cultural programming, like Spectacle: Elvis Costello With…, or Star Portraits – a reality show about painting (Didja see the portraits of Alex Trebek and Margaret Trudeau? Well, you’re going to miss Saturday, Feb. 13th’s edition featuring astronaut Roberta Bondar).

Tell Bravo how you feel: bravomail@bravo.ca

Tell Shaw you’re not happy – after all, we’re getting less but paying the same: 604-629-8888 or email via a generic mailing address you’ll find at its customer care page. Sorry, that’s the main telephone number and it doesn’t seem to get you very far.

Bottom line is they want customers to switch to digital cable, and they’re going to keep pulling good channels off the regular cable package until there’s nothing left to keep us there.

What they don’t realize is this just gives people like me another reason to switch on my computer and surf TV on the internet.

See related posts: What happened to WTVS-Detroit? and Shaw Cable’s migration to digital cable on the Total Recoil blog. And the most recent of all! About Bravo! From Bravo dot ca

From commuter to-go mugs to guidebooks, the BC IMC's loot bag is nifty.

It doesn’t happen very often (homemade CDs and self-published books notwithstanding), but sometimes free stuff is offered, just saying. The B.C. Media Centre’s swag bag, full of gratis goodies for the unwashed unaccredited media covering the Olympics, is a case in point. As these things go, it’s pretty sweet. No fuzzy wuzzy mascots or spiffy aquamarine sports wear, but it’s probably at least $50 worth of stuff. Maybe more!
What are you waiting for, members of the unaccredited media? You aren’t fooling anybody. Fifty bucks. That’s like the going rate for a freelance article these days.
Among the loot?

• One colorful, waterproof carrying bag made from recycled billboard vinyl, suitable for carrying notebooks, cameras, and an assortment of complementary goodies. Inside, an array of items for the hardworking members of the working press:
• 1 package of Cold-FX, the official cold and flu remedy of the 2010 Winter Games. It’s a “first-day booster pack” with six doses.
• 1 Best Place on Earth “to-go” style coffee mug, steel grey, commuter EZ grip handle, courtesy of B.C., the host province.
• 1 official reporter notebook (spiral) from McDonald’s, emblazoned with slogans in both official Canadian languages, with Chicken McNuggets on the English side and a picture of a child reporter interviewing an unidentified blonde woman against a spectacular mountainous backdrop on the other. Includes helpful hints for the monolingual foreign press, such as a mini French-English mini phrase book. Sample phrases: De rien means you’re welcome, and merci means thank you, of course, but did you also know felicitations means congratulations, and Ou se trouve le restaurant McDonald’s le plus pres means Where is the nearest McDonald’s? I thought not. BTW, if you’re in Whistler, you’re in luck: they’ve just opened two McDonald’s just for the games. Booklet also includes some coupons for a Big Mac! So you’re half-way to Freedom 35 right there.
• 1 Imagine brand organic soup. Minestrone. Generous 398 Gold medal size portion. Weighs a ton! Can be heated up in one of the microwave ovens at the BCMC lounge.
• 1 set of disposable silverware, made of B.C. wood.
• 1 computer mouse-shaped disc paperweight fashioned from beetle kill wood.
• 1 reusable plastic-coated lunch bag, from Act Now BC.ca, which is White Rock MLA Gordie Hogg’s ministry, I think. Inspiring pictures of children running and skipping rope, spilled green peas, and a lady about to eat a watermelon.
• One PVC-free Maddasher brand adult rain poncho, made of of recycled plastic. Has the inviting slogan, You Gotta Be Here, British Columbia Canada. on the cover.
• 1 Translink 2010 Metro Vancouver Transportation Map. A how-to guide to getting around during the games. Shows bus routes as far away as Pitt Meadows and White Rock. Kudos!
• 1 official Visitor’s Guide for Vancouver. Handy-sized, magazine format.
• 1 tube of Alba brand pineapple quench lip balm. Organic.
• 1 corkscrew and bottle opener, courtesy of Wines of British Columbia.
• 1 collector’s kit from the Royal Canadian Mint for Vancouver 2010 circulation coins. No actual coins, but a place to store up to 17 official coins commemorating the games. Not much point if you’re using Visa, an official sponsor of the games, but it’s the thought that counts!
• 1 set of bear bells (or downhill ski course bells – it’s B.C. Who knows what’s lurking around the next drug-infested Downtown Eastside alleyway?)
• 1. Media Guide from official print sponsor Ricoh. List of experts from UBC willing to be interviewed on a range of topics, plus directory of B.C. government contacts and local services.

• 1 B.C. International Media Centre Electronic Media Kit: it’s a guide book, plus story ideas, key contacts, and a welcome message from the Premier. (No thanks. I see quite enough of him in the daily torch relay photos they’ve been sending). The Visa Olympic Passport offers newcomers a primer on everything they need to know while visiting Canada. Sample tip from Brian McKeever, Paralympic cross country skier: “When you come to Vancouver, be sure to bring your appetite,” he suggests, before explaining about the wide culinary diversity on offer. “Canadians drive on the right side of the road, and setbelts are mandatory,” it says, helpfully. Ooh. And there’s a nice pink pen, plus a memory stick loaded with story ideas and contacts.

Enjoy your loot bag, kids. Because once the bill for these Games comes in, your days of free stuff just for showing up will be over.

Shaved Head. Oh, how weird, wonderful, and utterly missed is this beautiful band?

YouTube comments include:

I love the rheos, but, dave bidini is a showboating egotistical jackass. Martin on the other hand has been touched by god or something, an under-appreciated canadian treasure