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Seismic upgrade, lease arrangements will mean
wax sculptures end up stored at Saanich site
Gordie Howe, Queen Elizabeth and Grumpy Dwarf will take their stoic poses from the sunshine of the Inner Harbour, to storage units in Saanich.
Rumours that pegged new locations for the Royal London Wax Museum have proven false and...See MoreSeismic upgrade, lease arrangements will mean
wax sculptures end up stored at Saanich site
Gordie Howe, Queen Elizabeth and Grumpy Dwarf will take their stoic poses from the sunshine of the Inner Harbour, to storage units in Saanich.
Rumours that pegged new locations for the Royal London Wax Museum have proven false and the museum will not relocate in time to open for summer 2011. According to owner Ken Lane, the wax figures may not see the light of day for another three years, if they ever again see light at all.
“It may happen, it may not happen, but it will be a process of years, not a process of months,” he said. “We have looked at the Greater Victoria area and looked up Island – Nanaimo, Parksville, Coombs. The options are wide open at this point, but so far the cost of getting re-established is a little too high considering the tourists.”
Seismic upgrades to the 86-year-old CPR Steamship Terminal building, where the museum is currently housed, will soon put an end to the museum’s 50-year reign as one of Victoria’s most popular tourist attractions.
Lane suggests that Provincial Capital Commission administrators have made negotiating lease terms more difficult than it had to be. With no promise of an extension past 2013 and earthquake-proofing not projected to be finished until 2011, Lane’s projected start-up costs of between $500,000 to $1 million was more than he believes he could recoup with two years left on the lease.
“The managers of public administration don’t seem to see the light and we don’t get the (same) support from the administration we get from the locals,” Lane said. “The problem they have now is that none of the tenants they have now will be coming back. That should tell people at the capital commission that they should have some concerns about how their properties are being managed.”
Commission CEO Ray Parks believes contrary to Lane’s comments, he and the commission made every effort to facilitate a smooth transition considering the circumstances.
“I worked very closely with the folks at the Wax Museum to identify alternative locations, potential business partners or buyers, whatever it was that would suit them,” Parks said.
“Negotiating a new lease without all the information in hand is a very difficult thing to do. It is just not something that I can do in a public facility at this time. Whenever that time is down the road and I have the better information, I am happy to deal with Ken or whoever comes along.”
Sunday, Sept. 19 is the last day wax figures depicting many of the world’s most popular personalities will be on display in Victoria.
by arizonataylor
yesterday, 2010
These are the books Big Brother doesn't want you to read. I'm attaching a link.
This is simply not cool. Details below...
Camping on Victoria boulevards is now illegal.
With about a half a dozen people looking on, city councillors gave final reading Thursday to an amendment to the city’s streets and traffic bylaw prohibiting camping in road allowances.
Only Coun. Philippe Lucas dissented, calling t...See MoreThis is simply not cool. Details below...
Camping on Victoria boulevards is now illegal.
With about a half a dozen people looking on, city councillors gave final reading Thursday to an amendment to the city’s streets and traffic bylaw prohibiting camping in road allowances.
Only Coun. Philippe Lucas dissented, calling the bylaw “over-broad, regressive and reflective of past motions of past councils that have not served us well.” Lucas said there are other ways to address safety issues.
The bylaw prohibits occupancy of medians and sidewalks between sunset and sunrise the next day. Occupancy is defined as “squatting, kneeling or lying down.”
An offense carries a fine of $42.50. People are allowed to congregate on the medians between sunrise and sundown.
“It means the neighbourhood residents cannot walk their dogs on that space legally. It means teenagers cannot meet on a park bench to discuss life and or to make out. It means that literally we have disengaged — we have taken away the right of this community to use that space in any way that supports community,” Lucas said.
In the past two years since the Our Place drop-in centre opened, and in the wake of a 2008 B.C. Supreme Court decision striking down the city’s prohibition against camping in parks, the 900-block of Pandora Avenue has become a focal point for drug use and dealing, homeless camping and prostitution.
In the past year, police calls to the area have skyrocketed and residents and businesses have worried that their neighbourhood was being ghettoized.
Mayor Dean Fortin said between 15,000 and 17,000 vehicles a day travel down Pandora and the number of collisions involving pedestrians is on the rise.
“We need to fundamentally recognize that it is a safety issue, having people on both that boulevard and whether they start to locate on the boulevard on Blanshard Street,” Fortin said.
“The level of traffic there is simply too high to have anyone safely on those boulevards for an extended period of time — especially clients who may not be in full command of their faculties,” Fortin said.
“We’ve seen the numbers rise from six to, I think, 17 [accidents] in the previous year. And we’re already at 17 or 18 this year. So we recognize there is a safety issue there.”
Since council began discussing the bylaw, the number of Pandora campers has declined significantly.
Lucas said people continue to gather on the sidewalk in the 900-block of Pandora, so the bylaw is not addressing safety issues. Further, he said, it does nothing to address the issues of poverty, homelessness or addiction.
Fortin said even if the bylaw just moves people from the meridian to the sidewalk, that will provide a measure of safety.
However, Lucas is worried that by passing the bylaw, the city is “stepping into constitutionally challenging waters.”
“We have fought and lost a long constitutional battle regarding the issue of banning people from sleeping in out parks, and it’s hard to imagine that banning any and all traffic from dusk until dawn on this broad swath of grass within a residential area wouldn’t be seen as an over-broad approach to homelessness,” he said.
by CHILDREN'S INSTITUTE
Oct 21, 2010
HOME VISITOR/TEACHER Here’s Your Chance to Make a Difference Working for Safe Children, Strong Families, Health Communities!
At Children’s Institute, we help and heal traumatized children and families. There is no greater reward!
Come Visit with Us at the EARLY CHILDHOOD SERVICES OPEN HOUSE FRIDAY, OCTOBER 22nd from 9:00am to ...See MoreHOME VISITOR/TEACHER Here’s Your Chance to Make a Difference Working for Safe Children, Strong Families, Health Communities!
At Children’s Institute, we help and heal traumatized children and families. There is no greater reward!
Come Visit with Us at the EARLY CHILDHOOD SERVICES OPEN HOUSE FRIDAY, OCTOBER 22nd from 9:00am to 1:00pm 679 South New Hampshire Avenue 3rd Floor, Suite 310 Los Angeles, CA 90005
Join a stable and respected non-profit family services provider and continue our legacy of helping children who have been traumatized by violence in their homes or communities for over the past 100+ years. • Get the satisfaction of knowing you make a difference and that an individual effort can change lives; • Bring your skills to a rewarding organization and discover the satisfying career you’ve been looking for; • Growth and innovation fuels Children’s Institute’s standards and reputation.
We are looking for top talent to join our organization, and your proven experience and track record counts!
JOB SUMMARY: • Conducts regular home visits and uses routines, activities, and experiences in the home that achieve the goals of the Individualized Family Service Plan. • Plan and conduct child education activities with the parents that meet the child’s intellectual, physical, emotional, and social needs. • Provide a minimum of two group socialization activities per month for each child. • Utilize the variety of materials found in the home when conducting home visits. Actively participate and/or observe family interactions; demonstrate/model appropriate behaviors. • Observe and assess individual children’s and parent-child dyad’s development and interactions. • Participates as a member of the multi- disciplinary team to develop and implement the IFSP including: active participation in staff meetings, conferences, consultations; shares client information and observations; coordinates needs of clients; and makes a positive contribution to the team.
NOTE: Some positions will transfer to Center-Based Head Start Teachers.
QUALIFICATIONS: AA Degree with a Teacher Permit from the California Commission on Teaching Credentialing. Two years experience as a Case Manager, In-Home Worker, or Classroom Teacher working with preschool children ages 3-5 years. Experience providing in-home services a plus. We offer medical/dental/vision insurance, 403(b) and 401 (a), paid vacations and holidays and tution reimbursement. Proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer
If unable to attend please forward resume via E-mail to: [email removed].
Visit our website at: [link removed]”.
opular file-sharing website LimeWire has been ordered to permanently shut down six months after a federal judge found it liable for copyright infringement on a "massive scale."
In an order Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Kimba Wood in Manhattan entered a permanent injunction, ordering the service to disable the searching, downloading, uploadi...See Moreopular file-sharing website LimeWire has been ordered to permanently shut down six months after a federal judge found it liable for copyright infringement on a "massive scale."
In an order Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Kimba Wood in Manhattan entered a permanent injunction, ordering the service to disable the searching, downloading, uploading or file trading of its software and to block the sharing of unauthorized music files.
The lawsuit was brought in 2006 on behalf of the major record labels by the Recording Industry Association of America.
In May, the judge found that LimeWire had violated copyright laws and induced users to infringe on copyrights. She also found Mark Gorton, LimeWire's founder, personally liable.
"Plaintiffs have suffered—and will continue to suffer— irreparable harm from LimeWire's inducement of widespread infringement of their wires," the judge wrote in her order.
In a statement Tuesday, the RIAA said the court will conduct a trial in January to determine damages.
"For the better part of the last decade, LimeWire and Gorton have violated the law," the RIAA said. "The court has now signed an injunction that will start to unwind the massive piracy machine that LimeWire and Gorton used to enrich themselves immensely."
On its website, LimeWire posted a notice that said it was under court order to stop distributing and supporting its software. "Downloading or sharing copyrighted content without authorization is illegal," the notice said.
On its corporate parent's Web site, LimeWire Chief Executive George Searle said the company was "disappointed" with the turn of the events and notes the injunction only applies to the LimeWire.
"We are extremely proud of our pioneering history and have, for years, worked hard to bridge the gap between technology and content rights holders," Mr. Searle said in the statement. "However, at this time, we have no option but to cease further distribution and support of our software."
R.I.P Limewire.
by Bianca & Marie Ant
Nov 3, 2010
B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell, battered by low popularity numbers, has announced he is resigning.
Campbell won three straight majorities, his most recent won in May 2009.
But his popularity has taken a beating after he announced weeks after his election win that he was bringing in the harmonized sales tax.
In a hastily cal...See MoreB.C. Premier Gordon Campbell, battered by low popularity numbers, has announced he is resigning.
Campbell won three straight majorities, his most recent won in May 2009.
But his popularity has taken a beating after he announced weeks after his election win that he was bringing in the harmonized sales tax.
In a hastily called press conference in Vancouver this morning, the Liberal premier said he’s asked for a leadership race to be held as soon as possible.
“My goal is to return public attention to what's important,” Campbell said.
He said he made the decision to step down after much “soul searching” and consultation with his family. Campbell has spent 26 years in public service.
Campbell has been dogged by criticism over his government’s introduction of a harmonized sales tax combining the provincial tax with the federal GST. Campbell has defended the move as good for the economy, but has faced continuing attacks and speculation about his political future.
“It's not always popular to do what in your heart you know is right,” he said during his short statement.
He said his government has tried to move on with steps to strengthen the B.C. economy, including a proposed 15-per- cent income tax cut.
“It is clear to me that those initiatives have been overshadowed and when public debate becomes focused on one person, as opposed to what's in the best interests of the province of British Columbia, we've lost sight of what is important.”
NDP leader Carole James said Campbell made the right decision to step down, citing the HST as his main downfall.
She also pointed to other things like cutting public services, keeping the minimum wage low and his record on the environment as negatives on his record.
James said she expects the Liberals to bring in a leadership contender from outside the current government in an effort to introduce a candidate who's not tarnished with the government's policies.
Finance Minister Colin Hansen's weak HST explanations that the province was forced to match what Ontario was doing for investment and economic development reasons fell flat in the face of an electorate convinced they'd been lied to during the campaign when the Liberals said they weren't considering it.
The province's unique petition act opened the door for charismatic former premier Bill Vander Zalm to mount a hugely successful campaign to repeal the tax.
By July, Vander Zalm had collected more than 700,000 signatures on the petition, which demanded the tax be put to a referendum or a vote in the legislature. Elections B.C. validated more than half-a-million of them, well over the threshold to prompt a referendum.
Campbell entered Wednesday’s press conference smiling and said “never been better” when asked before he took the podium how he was feeling.
He took no questions and left after giving his statement.
Campbell faces a caucus meeting Thursday which some have characterized as an emergency gathering. Campbell’s popularity has dropped into the single digits for the first time in three terms.
He faces a leadership review at the annual party convention in Penticton later this month and many pundits have been predicting his political demise. Even within Liberal party ranks, some caucus members had begun to publicly criticize the premier.
-He who laughs last laughs best
by Bianca & Marie Ant
Dec 6, 2010
A bitter rebellion within B.C.'s Opposition New Democrats cost Carole James her job Monday, as dissidents forced the Victoria MLA to resign her party's leadership.
In a hastily called press conference at the legislature, an emotional James said her departure was the only way to unite the party because 13 dissident MLAs — a minority of he...See MoreA bitter rebellion within B.C.'s Opposition New Democrats cost Carole James her job Monday, as dissidents forced the Victoria MLA to resign her party's leadership.
In a hastily called press conference at the legislature, an emotional James said her departure was the only way to unite the party because 13 dissident MLAs — a minority of her 34-member caucus — refused to back down from demands for a leadership contest to replace her.
"I know there'll be individuals who see this as a win for the bullies and that goes against any part of my moral fibre," James said. "But I have to tell you that the alternative of having 13 people walk away, and our party spending time and energy trying to rebuild those ridings, trying to bring back those individuals, and spending another three months divided off, isn't an alternative either."
The political crisis had stretched through the weekend and postponed an emergency meeting where James had said MLAs who opposed her would be "held accountable for their behaviour."
Instead, some dissenters asked for more time to privately discuss the conflict, said James. She said it also became clear some MLAs wanted to keep fighting. After what she called a sleepless night, she decided Monday morning to quit.
"Every day that we spend infighting, and every day that we spend arguing and trying to sort things out as a caucus are days taken away from the people of British Columbia and I can't let that happen," James said.
"And so if I'm the one who right now has become the excuse for some folks, then I'm going to remove that excuse and put the responsibility back on the caucus members."
James's resignation ended weeks of open warfare within the NDP, and comes just a month after Premier Gordon Campbell also announced he was resigning, leaving the province's two main political parties without leaders.
Critics had accused James of being a leader who marginalized her MLAs, lacked clear policies and twice failed to lead the party to victory at the polls. Some dissidents also disliked how she unilaterally expelled MLA Bob Simpson from caucus in October, after he publicly criticized her.
James said she tried to reach out to critics, with little success. Several former MLAs and premiers publicly backed her, and the NDP's provincial council endorsed her leadership with an 84 per cent vote Nov. 20.
"I've done everything to reach out, done everything to work with every individual in our caucus," James said. "It's politics. In politics there are individuals who put self- interest ahead of the common good."
She warned the party — which polls suggest would trounce the B.C. Liberals and form government were an election held today — cannot present itself as an alternative to voters in its current fractured state.
James supporter Maurine Karagianis, MLA for Esquimalt-Royal Roads, promised to try to work with dissidents, but said critics have "hounded an amazing woman out of office, and those repercussions are going to be felt through the party."
Dissidents claimed otherwise.
Nanaimo-North Cowichan's Doug Routley, whose riding association called on James to resign last month, said he thinks the party will emerge stronger with a new leader. "I hold no hard feelings," he said.
"I'm not worried about people not working together. There may be some issues we've got to work through at the beginning, but we'll do that, I'm totally confident of that."
He called James "a very, very dear friend" but said the upcoming leadership vote will renew the party with fresh ideas.
Nanaimo's Leonard Krog, who lost the leadership race to James in 2003, said James "did the right thing for the party."
Saanich South's Lana Popham said it was "a tough time right now, but we're at this point and now we need to look at it as an opportunity for renewal." She said she'd been phoning James supporters to try and reach out to them, but said she expects all MLAs to work together in the future.
The Island's other dissident, North Island MLA Claire Trevena, did not return calls for comment.
Longtime NDP Vancouver MLA Jenny Kwan, whose scathing public attack on James last week escalated the crisis, said in a statement Monday she would "look forward to the democratic renewal of our party."
But party veterans warned fallout from such a bitter, public fight will be hard to overcome.
"I think those who engineered this coup had better think hard about apologizing now for what they did," said former NDP finance minister Paul Ramsey.
"I think forgiveness may come more slowly than they expect."
The NDP will chose a new interim leader in January, and elect a permanent leader later in 2011. James said she'll remain MLA for Victoria-Beacon Hill.
"The cliché is that governments defeat themselves," said longtime political scientist Norman Ruff. "What's happening now is the Opposition is defeating itself, which is a first."
by Kristine Cucinello
Dec 16, 2010
Registration is now open my SCOPE Spring 2011 online course (page 17) "Sharpen the Science Lessons in Your Classroom" for teachers K-12. The course catalog is available at [link removed]
I hope you will encourage some of your teachers to sign up.
Thanks Kristine Cucinello
atterned tablecloths and lace curtains will be taken out of the Blethering Place Tea Room and Restaurant -- a 35- year-old Oak Bay institution -- when it closes to make way for a new bistro.
Ken Agate, who bought and expanded the existing Blethering Place in 1981, is shutting down his restaurant, known for its English-style food and decor...See Moreatterned tablecloths and lace curtains will be taken out of the Blethering Place Tea Room and Restaurant -- a 35- year-old Oak Bay institution -- when it closes to make way for a new bistro.
Ken Agate, who bought and expanded the existing Blethering Place in 1981, is shutting down his restaurant, known for its English-style food and decor, on Jan. 30. Agate is ending with a celebration of Waitangi Day, a national holiday in his native New Zealand.
New owners Bart Reed and Petr Prusa are aiming to spend a month renovating the leased space to transform it into the Oak Bay Bistro, featuring a chef from the renowned Wickaninnish Inn in Tofino. Prusa is an owner of Floyd's Diner and Reed is a partner in the Mocha House, the Beagle Pub, and Island Meat and Seafood, all in Cook Street Village.
Like the Blethering Place, the bistro will open for breakfast. Reed expects it will have longer operating hours, closing at midnight. The hope is to open March 1.
For Agate, 66, the sale allows him to turn to another chapter in his life. After the doors close, he's going to take a few weeks to decide what's next, saying he doesn't like the idea of retirement. Agate has retained the rights to the Blethering Place name. He also vows to continue heading up the popular Blethering Place Car Show, set for Aug. 14 along Oak Bay Avenue.
Despite economic ups and downs, "we have been profitable the whole time," Agate said.
Under pictures of Queen Elizabeth and Winston Churchill, customers show up for afternoon tea, and traditional fare such as roast beef with Yorkshire pudding, steak-and-kidney pie, sticky toffee pudding, all-day breakfast, and live music. There's no minimum charge and some customers even bring their own tea bags, Agate said.
He estimates customers have made 3.5 million visits over the years to the restaurant, where regulars chat with each other and know the staff well. Locals and tourists, including tour groups, all come to the Blethering Place.
This is where the local Monarchist League has held teas and the place that news organizations across the country call to get reaction to events such as the late Queen Mother celebrating her 100th birthday.
"We've got a wonderful culture," Agate said, adding the goal is to "welcome everybody" with special attention given to older customers.
In addition to running the Blethering Place, Agate is a co- founder of Tourism Oak Bay.
Server Candice Carruthers recalls finding $1,000 cash in an envelope at her home a few years ago when she was off work because of illness. No one ever admitted to helping her out, but she's sure the money came from a group of gentlemen customers at the Blethering Place.
It's not clear who is going to miss the Blethering Place the most. Agate lives on the upper floor above the restaurant but will be moving out. "My whole life is tied up in these walls," he said. "I feel guilty almost. I feel like the vicar that deserts the church."
Co-manager Joan Stein said, "We have so many special customers." She used to be one, until one day 20 years ago, she started clearing a table and joined the staff.
Scotty Gardiner, Doug Henderson, and Dr. Michael Cooper meet every Wednesday at 10 a.m., along with other friends, for coffee at the Blethering Place. Gardiner has restored every one of the restaurant's 138 wooden chairs and will be leading the Robbie Burns supper for the 10th time on Jan. 25.
Agate has led community events to raise money to help a child who needed specialized surgery, for guide dogs, and for environmental causes. Every year the Blethering Place has hosted a Christmas feast for those in need, whether they are homeless or alone. "Really, I think I get more out of it than them," said Agate.
He is planning to help the 18 staff members find new jobs.
As for the future, Reed said the new owners plan to install a bar and create a slightly eclectic but comfortable environment with the permitted 136 seats.
The foyer, now a gift shop, will feature high-top tables and bar stools creating more of a lounge area, allowing customers to drop in for a drink and snack, as well as a meal if they wish, he said.
"In my mind, it is one of the premium locations in Victoria."
Reed favours local, organic food and said the menu will not be as large. Chef John Waller has been dazzling the owners with his creations already.
Oak Bay has been called the place behind the tweed curtain. But Reed disagrees with those who see Oak Bay as stodgy, saying he hopes the bistro will "make things a little bit more fun."
Oak Bay Mayor Christopher Causton said that while the Blethering Place has been a draw for visitors, the village as a whole has become a destination. "Ken has been a really good owner there and has been a good corporate supporter."
Causton welcomes the bistro, saying it will bring more people to the village in the evening.
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