Bonnie Lilley of Fur and Feathers Rescue with Jasper, a Staffordshire bull terrier she was asked to pick up by the RCMP one evening last week because there was nowhere in the City of North Vancouver for the police to take the dog.

Vancouver housing advocates say they’re planning a campaign over the next month to press for year-round funding of temporary homeless shelters in the city.

We all know L.A. is the movie capital of the world but the Big Apple is a close second. Or... it USED to be. It seems its standing might be jeopardized due to tax breaks doled out to places like Vancouver and Pittsburgh... yes... Pittsburgh (see "The Dark Knight Rises"). So, while Steelers Country steals Gotham City from the isle of Manhattan, we take a look at this map we found courtesy of Gawker and Gothamist, and created by Alien Loves Predator, that displays 91 movies shot in the city that never sleeps... with me. Can you name all 91? Check it out after the jump!

 

Welcome to the tantrum!  Thought I'd show off a picture from on the way home from Tahoe last week.  That being said, it's now time to say goodbye to winter and move on to some of the great things of Spring, like this:

KENTUCKY DERBY.  Is there anything that has more tradition?  The "fastest two minutes in sports" is so much more than that.  Look I'm no poet, but if Opening Day of MLB is a sign of Spring, this right here is the apex of it!  Yeah, its turned into some commercial bullshit, but what hasn't? 

MLB.  First I write about Ozzie getting tossed for two games for going on twitter, and this week Liriano throwing the no-no against the Pale Hose?  Man, Ozzie has to be ready for the rubber room – and its only May.  Hang on boys and girls, we can have some fun with the South-siders this Summer!

Rumor alert – Jose Reyes getting traded from the Mets to my Giants!  Uh oh Phillies, don’t crown yourselves NL champs yet!  Speaking of the Giants – your hitting sucks, bring Brandon Belt back up, he’s hitting damn near .400 at AAA Fresno.

NHL.  OK fellas, I’ve been doing a lot of talking about Vancouver, but this takes the cake.  The Human Booger, otherwise known as “Vancouver Green Man” apparently has been very naughty.  Somebody complained about their standing on their head with their back and ass on the glass when a visitor spends quality time in the penalty box.  Now the NHL is getting involved – this can’t be good.

NBA.    Time to bash the Laker fans.  Hey Laker fan, everybody knows that you're a bunch of front-running douches, but you’re so damn spoiled that you boo Pau Gasol – the same guy that brought you three straight NBA Finals appearances?  Tell you what, cut him and let a “lesser team” sign him.  I’ll bet their fans would appreciate him more anyway! 

NFL .    Holy crap, if this isn't amazing I don't know what is.  Javier Arenas of the Kansas City Chiefs survived the tornadoes of Alabama by hiding in a bathtub.  Almost immediately thereafter, he drove away in his SUV and returned with said SUV filled with supplies in order to help his neighbors in Tuscaloosa.  Props to Javier Arenas.

GOLF.  Sad news from the world of Golf as one of my personal favorites ever on the PGA Tour, Seve Ballesteros, is going through a deterioration of his health.  He's been battling brain tumor since 2008.  Hey Seve, keep battling my man!  KEEP BATTLING!!!

Rant of the Week – .   

Here are your Puck Headlines: a glorious collection of news and views collected from the greatest blogosphere in sports and the few, the proud, the mainstream hockey media.

• Five reasons why Nicklas Lidstrom won't retire after this season. Great stuff from Kevin Allen. [USA Today]

• "Not to bury the Detroit Red Wings before they're done, but is it fair to wonder whether this core has another Cup in it? They've been getting progressively further from winning it all since 2008." [Freep]

• Mike Richards on what inspirational pregame speech he'll give the Philadelphia Flyers before their potential elimination tonight in Boston: "There's no speech that is needed. … Everybody understands the situation that we're in. There's words that will be said, but there's no speech …" Braveheart, he is not. [CSN Philly]

• Sergei Bobrovsky gets his first start of the series against the Boston Bruins, and Chris Pronger is again a maybe. [Philly.com]

• The Boston Bruins on the Beat Up Old Jacket, their playoff trinket that's gaining attention. [Boston.com]

• Ryan Kennedy on Tomas Kaberle's time with the Boston Bruins: "The price Kaberle came at - specifically big prospect center Joe Colborne and a first round draft pick, plus a conditional pick - it will all be worth it if Boston wins the Stanley Cup." [THN]

• MY GAWD THAT'S J.P. DUMONT'S MUSIC! [NHL.com]

• Alain Vigneault gave Barry Trotz the gears on diving after Game 4: "I hope they are not going to complain about embellishment tonight with the number of things that happened out there on the ice, Suter having the audacity to complain after he takes that penalty and just hauls Ryan Kesler down is utterly amazing." [Examiner]

• Canada tops the U.S. in a shootout at worlds. Optimus Reim over ConkBlock. [Y!]

Down Goes Brown with signs that your second-round playoff series isn't going so well: "Instead of twirling a towel or encouraging the crowd to sing along, your anthem singer's trademark postseason move is to tie a little noose out of the microphone cord." [DGB]

• Really, any combination of Christopher Nolan's directing and the San Jose Sharks is a win in our book. [Battle of Cali]

• David Staples with an interesting examination on whether the Edmonton Oilers could be headed for relocation in three years. "Quebec City might well be held up as a possible home for the Oilers, but, as we can see, it's not as good a market, and it would also cause the biggest stink in Edmonton since Wayne Gretzky was sold if our tax dollars essentially paid for an arena in Quebec City, then our Oilers moved to that city." [Edmonton Journal]

• Media Takedown No. 1: Nucks Misconduct with a takedown on a Roy MacGregor "drive-by hit piece" in the Vancouver Canucks and Roberto Luongo. [Nucks Misconduct]

• Media Takedown No. 2: An in-depth and at times scathing review of Pierre McGuire's opinions on the Montreal Canadiens. [Eyes On the Prize]

• Chicago Native Son strikes again, adding "If you can't beat 'em, 'join 'em.'"

• JP calls for the head of Bruce Boudreau after the Washington Capitals are swept out of the postseason. [Japers' Rink]

• The Washington Capitals' forgotten goalie, Semyon Varlamov, would like to stay in the NHL rather than return to Russia. One wrinkle: The KHL teams wouldn't have to use the "foreign player" exception on him as a native, which will make him a hot commodity. [Capitals Insider]

• Baycrest senior scientist Brian Levine, a brain expert, attempts to answer the question: "Does playing in the NHL affect your brain health later in life?" [Mirtle]

• Good stuff from John Kreiser on playoff overtimes: "Unlike the last three years, when home teams did well in overtime, road clubs have had the better of play this year. Of the 20 overtime games so far, 13 have been won by the visiting team -- the most since road clubs won 13 of 21 in 1999." [NHL.com]

• The Behind The Net stat-heads breakdown home ice in the second round. [BTN]

• What a trip down memory lane this was: Remembering the minor league star-hoarding Detroit Vipers. [Winging It]

• Stay classy, New Jersey Devils. Note: This isn't cynicism. [ILWT]

• Columbus Blue Jackets blog offers its assessment of Mike Commodore: "Goodbye Commie and thanks for nothing." [The Cannon]

• Finally, Mikael Granlund (Minnesota Wild prospect) converts a shootout in Worlds that's nifty if you have your sound off and awesome with the sounds on thanks to this rather enthusiastic goal call.

Posted by Krishna Bharat, Founder and Head - Google News

Google News was born in the aftermath of the tragic events of September 11, 2001. An unprecedented act of terrorism on U.S. soil, by a foreign militant group led by Osama Bin Laden, changed the course of history. People around the world were trying to comprehend what had just happened, and its implications to public safety, foreign policy, financial markets, and their own lives. Much of that exploration happened online.

At Google we realized that our ability to display links to the freshest and most relevant news was limited by a fundamental problem: fresh news lacked hyperlinks. Google’s ranking depended on links from other authors on the web. Fresh news, by definition, was too fresh to accumulate such links. A new importance signal was needed.

I realized that if Google could compute how many news sources were covering the underlying story at a given point in time, we could then estimate how important the story was. Thus, “Storyrank” was invented. This insight led to a ranking that combined the editorial wisdom of many editors on the web in real time. In addition to making search better it led to Google News - a display of stories in the news ranked automatically by an algorithm. This also allowed us to group news articles by story, thus providing visual structure and giving users access to diverse perspectives from around the world in one place.

After 10 years Mr. Bin Laden is in the news again. The story of the killing of Bin Laden has taken the online world by storm. This time, relevant coverage from around the world is just a click away, in an automatically compiled Google News cluster with more than 80,000 sources.

We have certainly come a long way in the last decade. Indeed, Google News now has over 70 editions in over 30 languages, and sends over 1 billion clicks a month to news publishers worldwide. Additionally, 1 out of 6 web searches on Google includes a set of news results, which are computed with the help of Storyrank. This helps bring coverage of the most important news story matching the query to the top of the ranking.

In the last 10 years there has been a lot of learning, iteration, and innovation in our team. And most importantly, we have acquired a loyal audience of news enthusiasts, who appreciate diversity and the ability to access multiple points of view on a story. To our users we would like to say “Thank You!”

We wanted to share with you some of the news coverage of the death of Bin Laden. Here is a sample of 100 links to news articles from representative sources worldwide:


For those you who enjoy digging into data, here is a much larger list of over 150,000 links to news articles mentioning Osama Bin Laden over the last 5 days (May 1-5, 2011).

One of the many lessons I learned from 9/11 is that the world is highly connected. We live in a global society crisscrossed by virtual and physical dependencies, where knowledge is power and ignorance has consequences. This is a world where knowing what is happening to people in other parts of world, and understanding their circumstances and beliefs, matters more than ever -- because their actions will ultimately affect our lives. Tools such as Google News, which bring order to information and make search smarter can help us cope with the complexity of news and understand the big picture.

Further, as the wave of revolutions in North Africa demonstrates, online information does not merely reflect world events -- it can even cause them. These are indeed exciting times for those of us who work in the news space and get to witness the impact of journalism on society first hand!

I rarely go into the weeds when some clown who clearly doesn't watch this team feels obliged to pretend he does, but I'm not letting Roy MacGregor walk away unscathed. 

First off, the picture should tell you everything about the guy. No where in that profile do I see "hockey", "NHL" or "sports" as an accolade; I do see one his articles that fawns over Luongo in the first round which is a bit strange considering his latest contribution to the halls of journalistic excellence.

Let's set the record straight.

Given that there is a country song for every occasion, perhaps the Vancouver Canucks should consider a little Garth Brooks before each game – and take to heart that chorus that tells them to "Stand straight, walk proud, have a little faith. …"

What a delightful little colloquialism. By that same token there is a thrash polka christian song for every occasion. But since the opponent is Nashville and they're nothing more than a city full of country music slaves, let's open with that.

The Canucks spent so much of this week denying that there is any issue over confidence when it came to holding leads that, unfortunately, the talk only served to confirm that there must be.

Permit me to rephrase: "We kept asking you guys about your confidence since that's the shitty narrative we created, so because I saw a third period lead evaporate, that is proof positive you're all a bunch of fragile spider monkeys with sticks. [STICKS FINGERS IN EARS, SINGS LOUDLY TO SELF, WRITES ANOTHER CHILDREN'S BOOK]

They get a lead; they can’t hold it.

In eleven playoff games they've "held the lead" and won in regulation five times. That's 45%, so let's crucify them for needing OT twice? Chicago needed the OT three times last year and, as we know, they sure sucked. But don't let any of this stop your asinine theme.

They might win the game, but every time they play they lose a little more faith in their position as not only the best team in the National Hockey League, but the most effective third-period team the regular season produced.

You may be the only one around still thinking the regular season means something in May. The Canucks personnel, our plucky coach and every other team still playing are on record saying the exact opposite. I don't see them hauling the Presidents' Trophy around with them do you? In fact if the regular season was 100% applicable to now, why are the Capitals golfing? (Helpful hint Roy: The Caps play in red and are usually found in Washington D.C.).

They had a .927 winning percentage in games in which they led in the third period. They scored 100 third-period goals – tops in the NHL.

But that was then and this is now. And this is the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Ah ha, look at you correcting yourself one paragraph later. That, sir, deserves a snackpack of applesauce.

Twice this week against the Nashville Predators the Canucks let third-period leads slip away – both tying goals absolute groaners – and had to settle matters in overtime, losing once and winning once.

It happened again Thursday night when, up 2-1 heading into the third, yet another groaner – even if somewhat less egregious than the previous two – found its way between Roberto Luongo’s pads to tie a game in the final frame.

Saturday's goal was a gift from God, a shot from behind the net which found the right bounces. On Tuesday the game tying goal was a result of Ward causing havoc in front and the puck bouncing off Alberts' skate. Fransen's shot last night was a laser no one in the arena realized went in, the refs included. So of the three equalizers in the past week, one was a "groaner" and two were legit hockey plays that any goalie would have had trouble with. Follow up question: would Edler's goal last night qualify as "groaner" for Rinne? What goal doesn't qualify as a groaner?

The victory was gratifying, as Vancouver has been by far the better team, but the late goal simply raised, once again, that old bugaboo concerning Luongo – can he win the games that truly matter?

He's won two game sevens in his career, backstopped the only sweep this team has had in its history and is playing just as well - if not better - than that Vezina-nominated chap at the other end of the ice, sitting one win away from a conference final. If the Cup is the only thing that matters, there are precious few goalies in that club to say they've won "the games that truly matter." It's a team sport Roy: your goalie can't win the whole damn thing anymore (see, for example, the NY Rangers). Perhaps a better question for another mind numbing piece of yours would be examining how the team failed in front of him during the last two years against Chicago and again in two games during the first round, but that's already been examined by authors and bloggers who watch this team. So if you want to whip out the mallet and beat the shit out of this horse, please do it away from the keyboard. Won't you please think of the children, your normal audience?

It is the albatross around his neck, the gorilla on his back, the animal inside his head. It is a cruel knock that he has never been allowed to shed – not even with a gold-medal victory in last year’s Olympics, when Sidney Crosby’s goal allowed the thousands of Luongo doubters to take their first breath since the puck dropped in overtime.

"A cruel knock" from the guy writing the drive-by hit piece? What's your encore: lighting a house on fire just to bemoan condemning the building?

Such is the reality of ridiculous expectations. Such is the hidden price of a 12-year contract that makes you, at $10- million (U.S.) a year, the game’s highest-paid player. Such is what happens when you are 32, considered one of the game’s premier goaltenders – a finalist for the Vézina Trophy during the regular season – and you have been unable to deliver a championship.

I can only assume you have the same compelling material ripping Ovechkin (the previous most expensive player in hockey) a new one, yes? Wait, you don't? That's right, I just had to explain to you where the Capitals play.

Perhaps it is because Luongo is so good, as well as so big, that his errors also seem larger than life. When a weak goal goes in, it looks … awful.

...opps, fell to the floor and was spasming under my desk. Now he's "so big"? Have you been hanging out with Pierre McGuire?

Luongo’s teammates are acutely aware that he is both extremely talented and at times inexplicably vulnerable. When Kesler was on the United States team that met Canada in the Olympic final, he spoke openly of knowing that Luongo "has a couple of areas that I think we can exploit – and I’m sure not going to keep any secrets."

Dusting off another classic? If you'd like to point to any quote where anyone claimed Luongo was impenetrable, feel free to share the insight. Otherwise every goalie has their weaknesses. Kesler would have been an idiot not to share those secrets and with teammates like Backes and Kane, believe me they didn't need insider tips to beat Luongo.

Luongo struggled in the Olympics against Slovakia – allowing a harmless backhander from an impossible angle to begin a comeback that almost succeeded – but did win the game that counted. It has not, however, counted for enough, as the questions remain and his teammates are forced, day after day, to say any problem lies with the team, not the goaltender.

That's quite the segue: against Slovakia on an Olympic team to the second round of the playoffs a year later. Completely identical situations. Also is it even remotely possible that when the teammates suggest problems lie with the team that they're - put the applesauce down for a second Roy, I don't want you spilling - telling the truth? I know it doesn't fit with your story, but I guess neither does being objective or thorough.

Of the late goals that slipped into the Vancouver net and sent games into overtime, Vigneault argued that "both were tipped in our net.

"Those are hockey plays, lucky breaks."

Or unlucky, if you happen to be the one wearing the largest pads on the team.

Gotcha. Luongo isn't allowed to let in another goal the rest of his life because, should he dare to look human, it confirms he is also unlucky which Roy has now plainly redefined as being Roberto Luongo.

It just seems, Daniel Sedin said before Thursday’s Game 4 against the Predators, "you’re up one goal, there’s one shot, one rebound, and they tie the game."

It doesn’t matter how they go in – off skates, off bodies, off rebounds – the goalie wears it.

And will wear it until he proves, once and for all, that he can win the Big One.

Besides exposing he doesn't watch Canucks games, Roy is also proving he doesn't watch the Preds either. I'm far from a Nashville expert, but most people who follow the sport know their resiliency is one of their assets. They grind you down and force mistakes. But in Roy's world it's more important to assess blame down to the individual while ignoring the basic team chemistry of playoff hockey. I'm sorry Nashville, all those goals you scored on Vancouver? It's not the result of hard work or opportunistic play, it's allllll because our goalie is "unlucky."

What's a shame is Roy could have taken the title of his piece - "Spurts of vulnerability" - and shown how every team is guilty of this, from Vancouver & Washington to Phoenix, Los Angeles or Pittsburgh. That no matter how you made the dance, hockey is a game of ebbs and flows; a dramatic comedy that surges high and plummets low, from one shift to the next, fueled by the madness of the line-juggling coaches, the skill of the players and, yes, good old luck. Instead he ran off with a tired narrative that was barely relevant a few years ago. Anyone who can read a stat sheet or simply watch a game could have told him that.

Perhaps Roy should stick to children's stories where his audience won't haul his ass to task when he careens off the road into the absurd.

Prime downtown real estate is up for grabs with the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Vancouver announcing the sale of its Robson Street property.

It’s the old brick building mere steps from BC Place Stadium.

“That’s a good location. That’s one of the last good locations left in the city for developing,” said Arnold ...

Vancouver Real Estate Update – Vancouver Catholic Archdiocese headquarters For Sale is a post from: Vancouver Real Estate-Vancouver Homes For Sale

The City of Vancouver is running public consultation meetings on changes to planning policies in the wake of the Canada Line. Jeff Lee has a useful summary of the issue – and local attitudes –  in the Sun today. Of course I am very much in favour of increased density around the stations that did [...]

Videomatica, one of Vancouver's best known movie rental shops, will close in the summer of 2011.News of the Videomatica closing has shocked local movie buffs, who have relied on the store for nearly three decades. In a city filled with movie rental chains, Videomatica was one...

read more

City of North Vancouver ducks animal-welfare costs since shelter closure The Province Bonnie Lilley of Fur and Feathers Rescue with Jasper, a Staffordshire bull terrier she was asked to pick up by the RCMP one evening last week because there was nowhere in the City of North ... and more »

Bonnie Lilley of Fur and Feathers Rescue with Jasper, a Staffordshire bull terrier she was asked to pick up by the RCMP one evening last week because there was nowhere in the City of North Vancouver for the police to take the dog.

A cat was rescued from an apartment fire in a complex in Hazel Dell, Washington (a suburb of Vancouver). As of last Wednesday, it was being taken care of at the Humane Society for Southwest Washington. The cat was being treated for smoke inhalation and burns.

The cat required an oxygen mask and, to encourage new skin growth, the singed fur and skin was removed on the cat's face and paws. The cat is expected to recover fully in 2-3 weeks.

The cat has not yet been claimed by an owner therefore after he recovers fully, he will be given up for adoption, says Erin Griffin of the Humane Society.



Photo credit: Google Maps

The Nashville Predators fly out to Vancouver this morning seeking a win in Game 5 Saturday night, nothing more, nothing less. With Jerred Smithson out of the lineup it looks like J.P. Dumont will get another chance at post-season play, but if the Preds are going to start scoring they need to get production from their top guns. The trio of Kostitsyn-Fisher-Hornqvist, even though they were broken up, still have yet to record a point in this series.

For now, follow after the jump for your heaping helping of hockey reading...

Nashville Predators News

For recaps of last night head to Preds On The Glass, Section 303, Predlines, The View From 111, the Predatorial, Fang Finger Fever, Hockey Night in Nashville, Music City Mindset, The Tennessean, The Nashville City Paper, and from the winning side, Nucks Misconduct.

Vigneault fires back at Trotz following Vancouver’s Game 4 victory - Nashville Predators Examiner
Alain Vingeault really came off like an ass in last night's press conference (listen to the audio here). From what I understand, and to be clear I have yet to see a replay, Suter hauled Kesler to the ice after Kesler sticked Mike Fisher in the face. It's still a brutal loss of composure for Suter, but I'm guessing that's why he was yapping at the refs.

Canucks coach says Predators had no cause to complain about Game 4 penalties | Nashville City Paper
David Boclair covers the whole Vigneault-Suter-Kesler storyline well here.

Video: Vancouver Green Men meet Nicole Kidman, Keith Urban - Puck Daddy
OK, last night sucked, but this was pretty funny. 

Writer declares Nashville a great hockey town, mentions hockey in 4th paragraph - Houses of the Hockey
Oh, one of them Canadian-types dropped the smack on JR!

Preds On The Glass: POTG Friday Headlines, News, and Links
Buddy's got his morning links rolling, even after a late night at the arena.

Cox: Canucks on verge of closing out second round - thestar.com
Barry Trotz tried a few new angles last night, but they failed to produce different results.

Inside Hockey - CBC.ca
Hockey Night In Canada ran this feature story on Joel Ward - look for Amanda from Predlines lurking in the crowd during the opening minute...

Canadian university grad Joel Ward at head of the class for Predators - Times Colonist
There's no shortage of storylines to run with when it comes to Joel Ward.

Southern hospitality extended to Green Men - The Globe and Mail
Vancouver's superfans have been welcomed with open arms over the last few days.

Nashville Predators put Colin Wilson into Game 4 lineup - The Tennessean
The weird thing about Willy's ice time last night? He got only 3 shifts in the first period, then saw his workload more than double during the final two. Was that only because Smithson got hurt, or a reward for his effort?

New TV contract helps, but late starts hurt NHL - The Tennessean
Joe Biddle has a hard time staying up for games which start at 9:00. I suppose having the NHL contract all the teams in the Pacific Time Zone is one option there.

The Admirals Let Down, Fall 3-2 in Overtime to Houston in Game 4 | Admirals Roundtable
The score may have been close, but a 33-13 deficit in the shot totals belies a poor effort from the Ads.

Around the NHL

Down Goes Brown: Signs your second round is not going well
Yikes! After watching highlights of your recent games, the city of Winnipeg sent a letter to the NHL reading "On second thought, never mind."

Morning Skate: Game 4 - Do or Die - Winging It In Motown
The Red Wings will try to stave off a sweep tonight at Joe Louis Arena.

When It Comes To Blocking Shots, The San Jose Sharks Are Paying The Price - Fear The Fin
This one includes a comparison off all the remaining playoff teams and how they're doing at blocking shots.

How Lightning fan outwitted petty HOA over playoff sign - Puck Daddy
Killjoys abound.

IIHF WC Day 8 Thread: Regional Rivals Take Over - Puck Worlds
This morning features a battle of Team USA vs. Canada.

Today in the "A": The Mike Commodore Exit Interview - The Cannon
And you thought the Preds had a boat-anchor of a contract or two on the roster...

MacTavish emerges in search for Wild coach | StarTribune.com
Let's start a counter on how many teams MacT gets linked to this summer, shall we? We're at 2 already.

Dustin Penner - Fat, Slow, and Lazy - The Copper & Blue
Man, you'd think he was Bluto Blutarsky or something.

How full of it is Pierre McGuire? - Habs Eyes On The Prize
The TSN analyst has his assessment of the Montreal organization parsed.

A breakdown of the Capitals’ soon-to-be free agents - Capitals Insider
Anything worth shopping for here this summer?

The 2011 Free Agency Pool, Part 1 of 3: How Will Tallon Dive In? - Litter Box Cats
Count Joel Ward among the pending free agents that Florida might be interested in.

NHLPA.com - Ted Lindsay Award
This is the real MVP award, voted upon by the players each year. Your finalists? Corey Perry, Daniel Sedin, and Steven Stamkos.

‘As a fighter in hockey, you live in fear’ - National Post
Is it time for a clear-cut ban on fighting in hockey? A former brawler says so. Found via Kukla's Korner.

PULSE needs a celebration and that is what we are going to have. Come to Vancouver in 2011. Enjoy the PULSE of a great city and help us define the PULSE of PULSE.

May 7 * If I Were In Toronto, I'd Go To This (TCAF) * If I Were Near A Comics Shop, I'd Go To This (FCBD 2011) * If I Were In Chicago, I'd Go To This * If I Were In Toronto, I'd Go To This (DWAs) * If I Were In San Francisco, I'd Go To This May 8 * If I Were In Toronto, I'd Go To This (TCAF) * If I Were In San Francisco, I'd Go To This May 11 * If I Were In Chicago, I'd Go To This * If I Were In San Francisco, I'd Go To This May 12 * If I Were In New York City, I'd Go To This May 14 * If I Were In San Francisco, I'd Go To This * If I Were Near Hawthorne High School, I'd Go To This * If I Were In Montreal, I'd Go To This * If I Were In Bristol, I'd Go To This (Bristol International Comic And Small Press Expo) May 15 * If I Were In Bristol, I'd Go To This (Bristol International Comic And Small Press Expo) * If I Were In Portland, I'd Go To This * If I Were In Auckland, I'd Go To This May 18 * If I Were In Vancouver, I'd Go To This May 19 * If I Were In Seattle, I'd Go To This May 21 * If I Were In San Jose, I'd Go To This * If I Were In NYC, I'd Go To This (Wizard World Big Apple Con Spring Edition) * If I Were In Minnesota, I'd Go To This May 22 * If I Were In Maine, I'd Go To This * If I Were In San Jose, I'd Go To This * If I Were In NYC, I'd Go To This (Wizard World Big Apple Con Spring Edition) * If I Were In Minnesota, I'd Go To This May 27 * If I Were In London, I'd Go To This (London MCM Expo) * If I Were In Houston, I'd Go To This (Comicpalooza) May 28 * If I Were In London, I'd Go To This (London MCM Expo) * If I Were In Houston, I'd Go To This (Comicpalooza) * If I Were In Chicago, I'd Go To This May 29 * If I Were In London, I'd Go To This (London MCM Expo) * If I Were In Houston, I'd Go To This (Comicpalooza) ***** June 3 * If I Were In Charlotte, I'd Go To This (Heroes Con) June 4 * If I Were In Charlotte, I'd Go To This (Heroes Con) * If I Were In Seattle, I'd Go To This June 5 * If I Were In Charlotte, I'd Go To This (Heroes Con) June 9 * If I Were In Chicago, I'd Go To This June 10 * If I Were In Philadelphia, I'd Go To This (Wizard World Philly) * If I Were In Chicago, I'd Go To This June 11 * If I Were In Philadelphia, I'd Go To This (Wizard World Philly) * If I Were In Chicago, I'd Go To This June 12 * If I Were In Philadelphia, I'd Go To This (Wizard World Philly) ***** This post is designed to list events through the end of the month following this one. If you don't see your event above, perhaps check out the future listings here. If it's not listed anywhere, ><><>& ***** ***** *****

Minnie Driver with one of the oddest tattoo locations of anyone in Hollywood. • No NBA & only 1 NHL game last night. The Canucks go up 3-1 on Nashville and the city of Vancouver braces itself for a possible crowd of fans going nuts in the streets over the weekend. The Green Men were [...]

Dr. Sean Benesh is planting the Ion Community in Vancouver, BC. He leads urthTREK, an outdoor adventure non-proft focusing on lower income and the marginalized. Sean is an adjunct professor teaching in the area of theology of the city, community transformation, and cultural engagement in urban contexts. He also leads the Epoch Centre for Urban Renewal offering classes and lectures on church planting, community transformation, and ministry in urban contexts.

Sean's new book, Metrospiritual: The Geography of Church Planting, is now available and he's on the blog today answering some of my questions, as well as some of yours. Leave your questions or comments below and Sean will be interacting with us throughout the day.

What does Metrospiritual attempt to address?

I wrote the book to address what I believe are overlooked issues in church planting, in particular, the where's and the why's of site selection. How does a church planter decide where to plant a church? What then are the motivating factors in this decision-making process? This all came crashing in on me one day while I served as a church planting strategist in Tucson, Arizona. After a couple of years I noticed one day where most of our church plants were located and where most potential planters wanted to start churches and that was in the suburbs. I didn't have any preconceived ideas or theories at that point. It wasn't even on my radar. I simply then asked, "Why?" and that set the course for research for my dissertation which led to the book.

Why is site selection important in church planting?
Over the years I've become a big fan of University of Toronto professor, Richard Florida, and his research and writing on the Creative Class and their influence on cities globally. In his book Who's Your City? he makes the argument that where we live is one of the most important decisions we can make in life. I believe the same applies for church planting. I agree with Florida in that not only is it an important decision that shapes so much in our life, but it is also a decision we don't spend enough time researching. Why do church planters decide where to plant churches? What are the motivating factors? Sometimes we simply label the whole process as "calling" which too often means we undercut the process and value of understanding who God made us to be, what part of the city resonates with who we are, and how God may have wired us for a particular place and people to plant among.

What was the biggest "a-ha" moment in the research and writing of Metrospiritual?
One of the elements of the research was to see truly where are churches being planted across cities. I selected 7 focus cities in the U.S. and Canada to look at and used over 200 church plants that were started between the years 2000-2009. In my city where I used to be at (Tucson) I noticed that most planters favored the suburbs and I wanted to see if this was true in other cities. The reality is that about 70% of new church plants are indeed in suburban contexts. However, I also looked at the breakdown of populations in each city, and as a whole about 70% of a metro area's population also resides in the suburb. Conclusion? The location of where church planting is taking place is right on par with where the population of a city resides ranging from suburbs to within the city limits to the downtown core.

You take time to address various topics in the book like gentrification, the Creative Class, and community transformation. How does that fit into the overall trajectory of the book?
One of the tensions that did arise from the research was the blatant neglect of various parts of the city when it came to where churches were being planted. That was problematic. Whether suburban settings with soccer moms and minivans or in trendy urban districts with young urban hipsters, why did these places draw a bumper crop of church planters whereas more ethnically diverse or lower income urban neighbourhoods continue to be blank spots on the map for where church planters were not going? As a result I began spending time researching these kinds of neighborhoods and the shaping forces at hand. This brought to light various related topics like gentrification, the Creative Class who tend to be the early gentrifiers, as well as community transformation and the role church plants play in these neighborhoods.

Why should church planters or church planting leaders read this?
Like I mentioned earlier, I strongly believe that the decision of place or site selection is crucial in the church planting process. We often times spend considerable amount of time working through a church plant's vision, strategy, focus group, etc, but what about deciding where as well? There are so many sociological and cultural assumptions and values that shape this decision that we're simply unaware of as to why we're drawn to certain places and avoid others. Sometimes it may not be as spiritual of an answer as we'd like to make it. I am simply advocating that we take time on the front end to prayerfully consider ... consider what forces are at hand shaping our cities today and even how God has wired us. Somewhere in there then is a good fit for site selection in church planting.

So, what is metrospirituality?
The research and trajectory of the book brought to the surface questions and issues of how we view the city, with which lens, and so on. While we are planting mostly in suburban contexts if we are to plant more in urban area there needs to be a new set of lenses (assumptions) in which to view the city. This then opens to the door to exploring what it means to live out faith as followers of Jesus in urban contexts, thus the notion of being metrospiritual. The idea was to end the book with a little theological exploration of what it means to follow Jesus in the city. It is a global urban framework for following God that makes a conscious decision to forego the rural lens and rural bias of Scripture that has been prevalent in the church for the past several hundred years.

Sean will be hanging out on the blog today, interacting with your comments and questions about church planting.

The latest model for car sharing The Province Vancouver is the first Canadian city to get a new innovative car sharing service that's owned and run by a subsidiary of Daimler, the company best known as the maker of Mercedes-Benz vehicles. ... and more »

WTRF

Lip service for motorcycle safety -but still no new rules Vancouver Sun May is Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month. So proclaimed Solicitor-General Shirley Bond from the front steps of the legislature on Thursday. Bond was appearing before the annual spin-and-grin rally for MLAs ... Amber's Wish: Motorcyclists Staying Safe on RoadsWBOY-TV Leeper explains motorcycle safety awareness tipsHistoric City News Motorcycle Safety Foundation Board and Staff Thank CalTrans for “SHARE THE ...Motor Sports Newswire (press release) Benzinga -The Daily Toreador (registration) all 14 news articles »

The man who penned the Four Pillars drug strategy says there are simply too many questions swirling around the government’s legal battle against Insite to predict what may happen.

Donald MacPherson, the former drug policy co-ordinator for the City of Vancouver, said all eyes will be on Ottawa next week when the federal government goes to the Supreme Court of Canada in an attempt to shut down the Vancouver supervised injection site.

No matter the outcome, MacPherson says the decision will have wide-ranging implications.

“If the courts become the battleground for innovative drug strategies then we’re in for a long haul,” he said. “In the case of Insite, it has come to this. (The decision) poses the future of Canadian drug policy.”

It could take the court up to a year to make a decision, according to Pivot Legal Society’s Darcie Bennett. In the meantime, she said, there is a lot of confusion surrounding the legal battle.

That’s why Pivot and SFU Woodward’s will be hosting a free discussion on Insite’s history, present and future May 17.

“We will discuss what a decision in this case, whether it’s positive or negative for Insite, means for the future of drug policy,” she said.

To reserve a ticket, visit drugpolicyforum.eventbrite.com.

Julio Montero & City Salsa Vibe present....
DJ BERNA JAM
*********************
INTERNATIONAL SALSA CELEBRITY
CD RELEASE CONCERT
SALSA FUSION FRIDAY MAY 13

Big Salsa & Bachata Night
At the Polish Hall

Salsa Lessons 9pm
Salsa Party 10pm
Party Until 1:30am
Fully licensed Bars

Directly from Italy comes to Canada, for the first time, one of the most talented Latin Music producers: DJ Berna Jam, the man who has made us dance to numerous Salsa club hits over the last few years. We all have heard the Salsa versions of Michael Jackson's 'You Rock My World' and Sean Paul's 'Get Busy', all of them made by Berna Jam.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kOpsl4CvkYY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=REa9oxiAO8A
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yaAU6OUuAfc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKmqwK3_bJc


Come dance at the Vancouver CD release party of the album SALSOPOLI, a brilliant production of 11 super-contagious Salsa tracks. What sets this man apart, is the fact that he makes his OWN music, single-handedly or collaborating with vocalists.

SALSOPOLI is an album that will easily make it to your top favorites. The artist himself will be available for signing CDs. Don't miss the opportunity to party and meet personally one of the most creative minds of the Salsa music industry.

Complimentary Dance Lessons
*************************
9pm Complimentary Beginners dance Lessons Diego and Daniela of Grupo America teach Beginner Salsa and Bachata and intermediate Salsa.
This class is complimentary with cover.


Join the fun and enter your email to win:
A dinner for two at Cloud 9 Revolving Restaurant.

Join the party!

The Polish Hall
Location - 4015 Fraser at 24th
Doors - 8:30pm
Complimentary Lesson - 9:00pm
Party - 10pm Until 1:30am
Show - 11:30pm
Cover - $15 Advance $20 at Door
Free Lot and Street Parking
Dress Code in effect
Fully licensed bars

$15 Advance $20 at Door
Tickets: http://www.citysalsavibe.com/learn.php

Julio Montero & City Salsa Vibe present....

Directly from Italy comes to Canada, for the first time, one of the most talented Latin Music producers: DJ Berna Jam, the man who has made us dance to numerous Salsa club hits over the last few years. We all have heard the Salsa versions of Michael Jackson's 'You Rock My World' and Sean Paul's 'Get Busy', all of them made by Berna Jam.

Come dance at the Vancouver CD release party of the album Welcome To SALSOPOLI, a brilliant production of 11 super-contagious Salsa tracks. What sets this man apart, is the fact that he makes his OWN music, single-handedly or collaborating with vocalists. 

SALSOPOLI is an album that will easily make it to your top favorites. The artist himself will be available for signing CDs. Don't miss the opportunity to party and meet personally one of the most creative minds of the Salsa music industry.

The Polish Hall 
Location - 4015 Fraser at 24th
Doors - 8:30pm
Complimentary Lesson - 9:00pm
Party - 10pm Until 1:30am
Free Lot and Street Parking
Dress Code in effect
Fully licensed bars
Tickets: $15 adv/ $20 door. Advanced tix available for sale April 11th. 

ONLINE:
http://www.citysalsavibe.com/learn.php

OR buy in person at 1 of 2 Vancouver locations:
-Rio Azul Latin Boutique, at 638 West Broadway (near Cambie)
-Highlife Records, 1317 Commercial Drive (604) 251-6964

Location: Kansas City, MO
URL: http://www.adknowledge.com

• Assessing, managing, and designing creatives based off the needs of our display network;
• Testing the efficiency of new and existing creatives to maximize ROI;
• Working with, and helping build out, an extended creative team leveraging freelancers to supplement in-house capabilities;
• Developing the HTML, CSS and JavaScript used to display the designs created;
• Building web applications to report on various business metrics;
• Adding features to existing administrative web applications;
• Assisting account managers and business leads with day to day operations.

• 5 years of experience in the design industry;
• Advanced knowledge of Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator;
• Strong knowledge of UI/UX Design;
• Strong knowledge of HTML and CSS;
• Must know raw JavaScript as well as various frameworks, mainly jQuery;
• Intermediate knowledge of PHP;
• Experience managing a small team of designers and/or outsourcing designers.

• Basic understanding of flash;
• Experience with usability and A/B testing;
• Strong knowledge of SQL;
• Experience in the Digital Marketing industry;
• Basic understanding of XML.

• Proven Track Record: Have a successful career history in meeting deadlines, commitments, and code deployment.
• Passion for Technology: Excitement for new technology, bleeding edge applications, and a positive attitude towards solving real world challenges.
• Communication: Exceptional written and oral skills; ability to successfully communicate product recommendations/improvements based on knowledge to both technical on non-technical audiences.
• Adaptability: Capable of adjusting to changing priorities.
• Resourceful: Looks for ways to achieve goals with available resources.

To apply: If you would like to be considered for an opportunity with Adknowledge, please submit your online application TODAY! To apply, please go to the following URL: https://tbe.taleo.net/NA7/ats/careers/requisition.jsp?org=ADKNOWLEDGE&cws=1&rid=374

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The last two years we've suffered from a lack of defensive depth at this time of the season. However with the rotating circus of Rome/Ballard/Alberts and even Tanev waiting in the wings, that allows us to focus on the depth up front which is proving extremely valuable, especially without Malhotra (or the Sedins). For the small price of a third rounder and Joel Perrault, the Canucks are leveraging a player who is averaging less than 13:30 a game but leads the team in hits (41) and is second in FO% (55%). Lappy also leads the team in PIMs, but a solid PK has alleviated that fear. For the low price of a third rounder and saying goodbye to Oberg, the Canucks got another KesLORD sidecar that plays over 17 minutes, is fifth in hits (27), has added two game winners and holds the second-highest S% (15%).

Just imagine if the second line rolls along and/or we get some unexpected hot scoreboard action from Raymond, Ehrhoff, Torres, Hansen or even those pesky Swedish twins tonight. The Sedins life won't get any easier, but if Trotz decides to throw Weber/Suter at Kesler's line, then the pair draws SOB/Klein, a much better pairing for our side of the argument. Rinne has shown himself to be vulnerable with his lateral movements and some Sedinery passing may be just the ticket. Trotz also gets to unwrap rookie Colin Wilson, though where he fits in is unknown. The kid can score, so the machine needs to keep an eye on him. Let's see if our rookie fourth liner can top his ice time (it's a side quest people, every video game has 'em).

Luongo's .923% SV% is the third best of active goalies (if you want to count Detroit as 'active', then fourth) and he hasn't surrendered more than two goals since game five against the Hawks, exactly two weeks ago. That's as much a credit to him for regaining his form after the opening round as it is the six guys in front of him making his life easier, with special props to the Juicey Hammer as well as Edler (team best 21 blocked shots) who are the reason you haven't heard names like Erat, Fisher, Kostitsyn or Hornqvist this series.

The gameplan remains the same: dominate the puck management, take the pumpkin field crowd out of it and keep Rinne moving, keep the shots low and jam an ass or two in his face to blind him. Oh, try not to make any mistakes either; those extinct kitties seem to love those.

Everything they do is so dramatic and flamboyant. It just makes me want to set myself on fire.

- Lucille, Pilot, Arrested Development

Gooooooooooooo drama.

No reason to waste the miles flying back to Nashville for another game. Keep those feet moving, give us our lunch pail sixty, another win and another chance to freak out at home.

Earn this. Emphatically.

Coconuts? GO!

CBC.ca

Brazil's top court approves civil unions San Jose Mercury News In Latin America, that is legal only in neighboring Argentina and in Mexico City. Same-sex civil unions granting some rights to homosexual couples are legal in Uruguay and in some states of Mexico outside the capital. Colombia's Constitutional Court ... Brazil's supreme court recognizes gay partnershipsReuters Brazil Court Grants Gay Couples Same Rights as HeterosexualsBloomberg Brazil Supreme Court Give Same-Sex Civil Unions Same Rights As Marriagedagblog (blog) On Top Magazine -CBC.ca -Vancouver Sun all 134 news articles »

With the Canucks amidst one of the best seasons they’ve ever had we’re seeing fans go to extraordinary lengths to support their team. This includes the passionate fans behind Force and Sully, The Green Men, and extends to the hundreds of fans that invaded California along with the Canucks to make their road presence known. With the great lengths we’ve seen Canucks fans travel, it only made sense to support The RUSH Vancouver when they approached us with Mason Raymond swag for you guys to win! The RUSH: Race & Urban Scavenger Hunt is not your ordinary event. Teams of 2 will scour the city of Vancouver, deciphering clues to help them complete a predetermined number of Checkpoint Challenges at unknown locations. The challenges are designed to test teams’ limits, both mentally and physically, while also being fun and entertaining. The first team to complete the race wins a trip [...]

One of the benefits of living right in the city is that you have a variety of shops and services, including bakeries...

Sweet E's Pastries and Sweets
2032 W 41st Ave, Vancouver
(604) 264-9202

FAN CLUB PRE-SALE STARTS MAY 9;
PUBLIC ON-SALE MAY 13 AND 14

Soundgarden

Soundgarden have revealed thirteen newly added shows to their recently announced July tour, including a performance at the Ottawa Blues Fest on July 5, completing the Summer routing. Coheed and Cambria and The Mars Volta will open for Soundgarden on the first and second half of the tour respectively, and Queens of the Stone Age and Meat Puppets will join the band on the last two dates of the run.

The seventeen shows will finish up with a homecoming concert in Seattle at The Gorge on July 30 joined by very special guests Queens of the Stone Age, Mastodon and Meat Puppets. This is the first Seattle concert since the intimate, surprise show held at the Showbox in 2010. See all dates below.

The pre-sale for the Soundgarden fan club begins on May 9. Public on-sales for Uncasville, CT, Newark, NJ, Wantagh, NY, Fairfax, VA, San Francisco, CA and Vancouver, BC, start on May 13, and May 14 for London, ON, Mansfield, MA, Atlantic City, NJ, Chicago, IL, Las Vegas, NV and George, WA.

TOUR DATES
7/2/11 Toronto, ON @ Molson Canadian Amphitheatre #
7/3/11 London, ON @ John Labatt Centre #
7/5/11 Ottawa, ON @ Ottawa Blues Fest- LeBreton Flats Park
7/6/11 Uncasville, CT @ Mohegan Sun Arena #
7/8/11 Newark, NJ @ Prudential Center #
7/9/11 Wantagh, NY @Nikon at Jones Beach Theater #
7/10/11 Mansfield, MA @ Comcast Center For The Performing Arts #
7/12/11 Fairfax, VA @ Patriot Center at George Mason University *
7/13/11 Philadelphia, PA @ Festival Pier at Penn's Landing *
7/14/11 Atlantic City, NJ @ Borgata Spa & Resort - Event Center *
7/16/11 Chicago, IL @ UIC Pavilion *
7/18/11 Denver, CO @ Red Rocks Amphitheatre *
7/21/11 San Francisco, CA @ Bill Graham Civic Center *
7/22/11 Los Angeles, CA @ The Forum *
7/23/11 Las Vegas, NV @ The Joint *
7/29/11 Vancouver, BC @ Rogers Arena ^
7/30/11 George, WA @ Gorge Amphitheatre ^^

# with Coheed and Cambria
* with The Mars Volta
^ with Queens of the Stone Age and Meat Puppets
^^ with Queens of the Stone Age, Mastodon and Meat Puppets

Soundgarden Tour Dates :: Soundgarden News

Missing over a year due to injury hasn't taken the polish of Mouloud Akloul's ability to score goals.

The big defender scored off a rebound late in extra time to give the Vancouver Whitecaps a 1-1 draw with the Montreal Impact Wednesday night. That moved the Whitecaps into the final of the Nutrilite Canadian Championship.

Vancouver won the two-game, total-goal series 2-1.

It was a nail-biting finish to a game the Whitecaps dominated until giving up a late goal on a penalty kick. Vancouver dodged a couple of bullets in the extra time when the Impact twice bounced shots off the post.

"These games get exciting," said Whitecaps coach Teitur Thordarson.

"We were maybe a little bit lucky during the extra time but during the normal time we played well. I think we had a good grip on the game."

The Whitecaps will now face Major League Soccer rival Toronto FC in the final for the Voyageurs Cup. That series begins May 18 in Vancouver, with the second game in Toronto on May 25.

The winner also becomes the lone Canadian entry in the CONCACAF champions league.

Akloul (pronounced ak-LOOL) scored following a free kick by defender Alain Rochat in the 113th minute. The free kick came after Vancouver forward Camilo was dragged down by Montreal's Zurab Tsiskaridze in the box.

Impact goaltender Bill Gaudette stopped the first shot, but Akloul booted home the loose ball.

"I know Alain's shots are very strong," Akloul said. "I was thinking (if) the goaltender could stop the ball, I knew I had a chance."

Akloul, a native of Lorient, France, joined the Whitecaps last year but fractured his left ankle 22 minutes into his first game while scoring a goal. It's taken over 12 months for him to recover.

The game against Montreal was his third straight start and first goal.

Akloul celebrated by doing a dance in front of the Whitecaps bench while a crowd of 16,611 cheered wildly.

"After I didn't play for a year, I am very happy," he said in halting English while showing a broad grin.

It was a disappointing finish for Montreal. The Impact tied the game on Ali Gerba's penalty kick in the 83rd minute. That came after the Canadian international had been hauled down by Rochat.

Gerba's goal tied the aggregate score 1-1. Since the first tie-breaker in the Nutrilite series is away goals, that set up 30 minutes of extra time.

The Impact played some of their best soccer in the extra time. They attacked and came close to scoring.

"Sometimes that's the way soccer goes," sighed Gerba. "Sometimes luck goes your way, sometimes not.

"Today they got luck."

Montreal coach Marc Dos Santos felt his team deserved a better fate.

"I don't think the best team advanced," said Dos Santos.

"Sometimes maybe it's written in the sky and you have to accept it. I am very proud of my group of guys."

The Whitecaps won the first game of the series 1-0 in Montreal on April 27. Terry Dunfield scored the goal against the Impact, who play in the second-tier North American Soccer League but will join MLS next season.

Vancouver goalkeeper Jay Nolly said his team wanted to score early to steal any momentum from Montreal. Instead the Impact came close to staging the upset.

"I thought we created a lot more chances than they did," said Nolly. "We were the more dangerous team attacking.

"We just didn't capitalize on some of those goals. We ground it out. We'll take it."
Gerba was a given a yellow card in the extra time after a collision with Nolly.

"It's two teams fighting for it," said Nolly. "It got a little chippy in the end."

In Wednesday's other Nutrilite game, Toronto defeated FC Edmonton of the NASL 1-0 to win that series 4-0.

There were some anxious moments for the Whitecaps when designated player Eric Hassli was left crumpled on the pitch after a hard collision with Montreal midfielder Amir Lowery in the 30th minute.

The big Frenchman lay on the ground for several minutes, grabbing his right knee, before finally limping to the bench. Hassli returned to finish the scoreless first half but did not play in the second half.

Thordarson called it "a bad tackle" and isn't sure if Hassli will play in Saturday's MLS game against the Fire in Chicago.

The hit brought a crowd of players from both teams to centre field. Words were exchanged but nothing more. Lowery was shown a yellow card.

It was a physical match. Earlier, Montreal's Kevin Hatchi was given a yellow card for a hard tackle on midfielder Davide Chiumiento.

City sports fans have been glued to the fortunes of the Vancouver Canucks in the NHL playoffs. With the Canucks on an off night in Nashville, the game gave the boisterous soccer fans a chance to sing and wave Whitecap scarves.

Striker Omar Salgado, the teenager the Whitecaps selected with the first pick of the MLS SuperDraft, had a good scoring chance in the first half but also took a couple hard licks.

The 17-year-old from El Paso, Texas, went high in the air in the 21st minute to head a crossing pass from defender Jonathan Leathers at the Montreal net. Gaudette managed to make the stop.

A few minutes earlier Salgado found himself flat on the grass after a hard shove from behind by an Impact defender.

In Friday's paper Vancouver Sun US President Barack Obama carries a wreath accompanied by New York City firefighters and police officers during a visit to the World Trade Center site in New York, May 5, 2011. NEW YORK — US President Barack Obama laid a wreath of red, white, ... and more »

After a competitive opening round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, which drew "best ever" consideration from several observers, this second round is headed towards the opposite extreme. Last night, not only did the Tampa Bay Lightning complete their sweep of the Washington Capitals, but the San Jose Sharks and Boston Bruins have pushed their opponents to the brink of disaster as well.

Follow after the jump for a look at these series, a host of previews for tonight's Game 4 between Nashville & Vancouver, and a whole lot more!

Before the news, let's check out Matt Halischuk's best hit from Tuesday night:

Nashville Predators News

Vancouver Plays the Part | Pull My (Fang)Finger
AJ wonders if the Preds can get inside the Canucks' heads like Chicago had been for a couple years.

Preds On The Glass: The Vancouver Green Men Are Living It Up in Nashville
Jackson got his picture taken with Vancouver's famous emissaries.

Preds On The Glass: Game Four Preview: Canucks - Predators, "It's Huge" - Trotz
Will the Preds respond now that their backs are against the wall?

Preds On The Glass: POTG Thursday News, Headlines, and Links
Buddy's up & early with his morning links...

Hockey Night in Nashville: WCSF Game 4: Nashville Must Even Series
Robby will have his eye on Alex Burrows tonight.

WCSF – Canucks @ Predators, Game 4 – Could be the deciding factor? | The Predatorial
Could the Preds benefit from a makeup call tonight? That would surely help.

Music City Mindset: The Predator Way Has Never Been Easy
Understatement of the year, here.

WCSF Game 4 Preview: Predators Look To Bounce Back Thursday Night - Predlines
Amanda speculates that Blake Geoffrion might be scratched to allow both J.P. Dumont and Colin Wilson to play tonight.

Ward's NHL road went through CIS - Vancouver Sun
I can't believe they left out his roller hockey background!

Nashville has Little Boom Boom - Toronto Sun
Another intro-style piece, this time on Blake's lineage.

Hockey in Nashville is a smash - Toronto Sun
You have to wonder how far these last two weeks have gone to dispel some of the myths around hockey in Nashville.

Predators show consistent ability to rally during postseason | Nashville City Paper
Playing with the lead? Say, that does sound like a good idea.

Nashville Predators may play Colin Wilson after injury to Steve Sullivan - The Tennessean
Barry Trotz drops Willie's name during media time yesterday, fueling speculation that he'll finally get some playoff action.

Nashville Predators, Vancouver Canucks each used to defensive battles - The Tennessean
When two Vezina Trophy finalists meet in a series, we shouldn't be too surprised at the dearth of goals.

Around the NHL

Sweet Sweet Sweep: Bolts Down Rival Caps In Four - Raw Charge
It's amazing how quickly things have come together for the Tampa Bay Lightning this season.

Video: After tough call, Sharks’ Setoguchi ends Game 3 vs. Wings - Puck Daddy
Now this is the way hockey karma should work - San Jose's Devin Setoguchi gets a garbage call in OT when Todd Bertuzzi pulls off a Ryan Kesler-like move, but the Sharks kill off the penalty and Setoguchi ends up scoring the game winner. Good for them....

ECSF Game 3: Out of gas, the Flyers are pushed to the edge - Broad Street Hockey
Down 3-0 against the Bruins, are the Philadelphia Flyers simply out of answers?

Ryan Kesler’s the total package - The Globe and Mail
He made the difference Tuesday night, after going the first 9 games of the playoffs without a goal.

Canucks starting to look like old selves - The Globe and Mail
Are the Presidents Trophy winners beginning to hit their stride?

World Championship: Day 7 Open Thread - Puck Worlds
Switzerland vs. Norway... it'll be a WAR!!!

Qualification, Relegation Round Schedule - Puck Worlds
Team USA's next game is against Canada tomorrow.

Today in the "A": Schedule Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes - The Cannon
You don't see this every day, a reduction in the number of games a league will play.

Washington Capitals: Why Hiring Craig MacTavish Makes Sense | The Hockey Writers
You can expect to see this article copied several times over the next several weeks, just with a different team in the headline.

On Hockey: After another playoff collapse, the Capitals must make changes - The Washington Post
Cue the jerking of knees.

How Good Is That Goalie? - US News and World Report
It's interesting to see a mainstream news magazine pick up on hockey stats analysis. This article covers a piece of goaltending analysis presented at this year's Sports Analytics conference at MIT.

It’s a critical game night in Smashville tonight as the Nashville Predators try to tie their Western Conference Semi-Final series with the Vancouver Canucks at two. The only game of the day, the focus of the NHL will be on Music City tonight. The big story in today’s game has to do with the injury to Steve Sullivan. He has already be declared out for tonight’s game four so the debate has...

May 6 * If I Were In Chicago, I'd Go To This May 7 * If I Were In Toronto, I'd Go To This (TCAF) * If I Were Near A Comics Shop, I'd Go To This (FCBD 2011) * If I Were In Chicago, I'd Go To This * If I Were In Toronto, I'd Go To This (DWAs) * If I Were In San Francisco, I'd Go To This May 8 * If I Were In Toronto, I'd Go To This (TCAF) * If I Were In San Francisco, I'd Go To This May 11 * If I Were In Chicago, I'd Go To This * If I Were In San Francisco, I'd Go To This May 12 * If I Were In New York City, I'd Go To This May 14 * If I Were In San Francisco, I'd Go To This * If I Were Near Hawthorne High School, I'd Go To This * If I Were In Montreal, I'd Go To This * If I Were In Bristol, I'd Go To This (Bristol International Comic And Small Press Expo) May 15 * If I Were In Bristol, I'd Go To This (Bristol International Comic And Small Press Expo) * If I Were In Portland, I'd Go To This * If I Were In Auckland, I'd Go To This May 18 * If I Were In Vancouver, I'd Go To This May 19 * If I Were In Seattle, I'd Go To This May 21 * If I Were In San Jose, I'd Go To This * If I Were In NYC, I'd Go To This (Wizard World Big Apple Con Spring Edition) * If I Were In Minnesota, I'd Go To This May 22 * If I Were In Maine, I'd Go To This * If I Were In San Jose, I'd Go To This * If I Were In NYC, I'd Go To This (Wizard World Big Apple Con Spring Edition) * If I Were In Minnesota, I'd Go To This May 27 * If I Were In London, I'd Go To This (London MCM Expo) * If I Were In Houston, I'd Go To This (Comicpalooza) May 28 * If I Were In London, I'd Go To This (London MCM Expo) * If I Were In Houston, I'd Go To This (Comicpalooza) * If I Were In Chicago, I'd Go To This May 29 * If I Were In London, I'd Go To This (London MCM Expo) * If I Were In Houston, I'd Go To This (Comicpalooza) ***** June 3 * If I Were In Charlotte, I'd Go To This (Heroes Con) June 4 * If I Were In Charlotte, I'd Go To This (Heroes Con) * If I Were In Seattle, I'd Go To This June 5 * If I Were In Charlotte, I'd Go To This (Heroes Con) June 9 * If I Were In Chicago, I'd Go To This June 10 * If I Were In Philadelphia, I'd Go To This (Wizard World Philly) * If I Were In Chicago, I'd Go To This June 11 * If I Were In Philadelphia, I'd Go To This (Wizard World Philly) * If I Were In Chicago, I'd Go To This June 12 * If I Were In Philadelphia, I'd Go To This (Wizard World Philly) ***** This post is designed to list events through the end of the month following this one. If you don't see your event above, perhaps check out the future listings here. If it's not listed anywhere, ><><>& ***** ***** *****

Vancouver’s urban search and rescue team has a new place to call home as the city unveiled its new 6,000-square-foot training facility yesterday.

“(It) allows our heavy urban search and rescue team ... to have a great place to store their
equipment and have an indoor training facility where they can train year-round,” said Capt. Gabe Roder of the Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services.

The team provides a wide range of services such as locating, extricating and stabilizing victims trapped in debris from natural or man-made disasters.

Despite having all these resources on hand for emergencies, Roder said everyone should take a little bit of ownership if ever a natural disaster strikes in Vancouver.

“Residents are going to be on their own for a long time. They need to prepare themselves to be self-sustaining for at least 72 hours,” he added. “Don’t worry about having somebody else take care of you, more so take care of yourself.”

Kansas City Star

NHL: Boston 5, Philadelphia 1 UPI.com BOSTON, May 4 (UPI) -- Zdeno Chara scored his first two goals of the playoffs Wednesday and Boston rolled to a 5-1 triumph over Philadelphia in their conference semifinal series. For the second straight season, the Bruins have won the first three games ... Philadelphia vs. Boston Game 3 live blogNHL.com Bruins blast Flyers, 5-1, in Game 3 | Philadelphia Inquirer | 2011-05-04Philadelphia Inquirer 2 goals in 63 seconds, and Bruins need 1 more winThe Associated Press msnbc.com -Vancouver Sun -SportingNews.com all 2,051 news articles »

The Vancouver Canucks run to the Stanley Cup final in the spring of 1994 brought the city alive.

City staff in Vancouver are not anticipating extra traffic because of the Gateway Program, which includes the Highway One/Port Mann expansion and perimeter roads on either side of the Fraser.

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Email me if you have a call for vendors you'd like me to list.

Coming Up This Weekend:
etsyRAIN
Seattle, WA
May 7

The K11 Mother's Day Sale
Berkeley, CA
May 7

Flint Handmade Spring Craft Market
Flint, MI
May 7

Crafty Supermarket
Cincinnati, OH
May 7

Indie Style Market
Memphis, TN
May 7

Third Annual Spring Handmade Cavalcade
New York, NY
May 7

Pennsylvania Guild of Craftsmen Handmade Market
Lancaster, PA
May 7 - May 8

Athens Indie Craftstravaganza - Spring Market
Athens, GA
May 7

Art Rock
West Palm Beach, FL
May 7

Got Craft? Spring Edition
Vancouver, Canada
May 8

Call for Vendors:
The Girlie Show
Oklahoma City, OK
Nov. 4-5
Fee: $200
Deadline to apply: Aug. 19

Wedgestock Craft Market
Rochester, NY
Aug. 20
Fee: $50
Deadline to apply: May 15

Read the Full Story » | More on CRAFT » | Comments » | Read more articles in Events | Digg this!

May 5th is the National Day of Prayer. Join us at noon in front of City Hall in Vancouver, Washington.  We will be leading some prayer walks shortly there after to 4 different quadrants of the city.

If you would like to prayer walk the city of Vancouver on your own, download the following guides for your family, small group, or church.

Northeast of City Hall Prayer Walk
Northwest of City Hall Prayer Walk
Southwest of City Hall Prayer Walk
Southeast of City Hall Prayer Walk

After Steve Sullivan sustained a lower-body injury during Game 3 of the Nashville Predators' semifinal series with the Vancovuer Canucks, David Boclair of the Nashville City Paper reports that he will be out of the lineup for Game 4: 

The Nashville Predators coach said Wednesday that veteran left wing Steve Sullivan will miss Game 4 of his team's Western Conference semifinal series with the Vancouver Canucks (7:30 p.m., Bridgestone Arena) because of a lower body injury sustained in Tuesday's 3-2 overtime defeat.    

Barry Trotz has two options available to him, or perhaps three depending upon Cal O`Reilly's health. J.P. Dumont and Colin Wilson each played a considerable amount in the regular season, and Wilson in particular made an impact on the roster on the offensive end of the ice. 

Dumont played the final two games of the Anaheim series, recording one assist, but it sounds as if Trotz is leaning more towards utilizing Wilson, a topic which we delved into in detail a few days ago. Via Boclair: 

"[Wilson] is ready," Trotz said. "... I feel he's ready for the series now. ... His play at the end of the year wasn't where I expected it to be. He didn't start the first series and no one allowed him to get into the first series because everyone played pretty well.    

There's much more in the article, which I recommend you check out, but my question for you is this: with Sullivan out of the lineup, who should Barry Trotz insert - Colin Wilson or J.P. Dumont?

Poll

Who should Barry Trotz put into the lineup for Game 4 in place of Steve Sullivan?

• J.P. Dumont
• Colin Wilson

  121 votes | Results

As frustrating as a couple of those calls were last night, the reason the Nashville Predators lost Game 3 was because they couldn't establish pressure consistently in the Vancouver end. Pucks didn't get chipped past the D often enough, and even when they did, the Canucks were able to retrieve them first and reverse the flow of play. With Steve Sullivan suffering a "lower body injury", what lineup changes will Barry Trotz make, and will we perhaps see some line shuffling in Game 4 tomorrow?

For now, we start off after the jump with a look at the growth of the Nashville fan base which aired on NHL Network yesterday, featuring a host of familiar faces...

Nashville Predators News

For recaps of last night's game check The View From 111, Preds On The Glass, Section 303, Hockey Night in Nashville, the Nashville City Paper, The Tennessean, and from the victorious side, Nucks Misconduct and Canucks Hockey Blog.

We Are Nashville: One Year Later | Section 303
Patten looks back on the anniversary of his famous post-flood article.

No history? No stars? No problem for the Nashville Predators- Sports Illustrated
The Preds get a little run in SI this week... thank goodness it's not SOB in a bikini.

An Uncommon Commonality | Pull My (Fang)Finger
Thought-provoking stuff here from AJ, musing on the nature of online vs. in-person interaction and how it has helped develop the community of Preds fans.

Preds On The Glass: The Uniqueness of Smashville
Ryan pens an ode to Nashville.

Preds On The Glass: POTG Wednesday News, Headlines, and Links
Buddy documents the downfall of television. I had a hunch that whole thing was just a fad.

Resilient Admirals Top Aeros In Game 3 | Admirals Roundtable
Well, at least Milwaukee took a 2-1 series lead over Houston...

Cox: Kesler scores in OT as Canucks gain edge - thestar.com
The burden of responsibility now falls upon the Nashville forwards to start producing more consistently, as the Canucks utterly foiled their attempts to get a cycle going last night.

Elvis is the ringmaster in the Predators’ circus - The Globe and Mail
You just knew that someone would interview the Elvis who hangs out in front of Bridgestone Arena on game nights!

Nashville Predators find a scorer in Joel Ward - The Tennessean
Is it a good or bad thing that Joel Ward is the Preds' leading playoff goal scorer? I'm looking at you, Patric Hornqvist and Sergei Kostitsyn.

Nashville Predators rip hooking call - The Tennessean
You know it's a momentous occasion when David Legwand says something controversial.

Around the NHL

Pass or Fail: Canucks’ Carrie Underwood playoff anthem spoof - Puck Daddy
Meh... I'm surprised we haven't seen more of this stuff from the Nashville side.

World Championship: Day 6 Open Thread - Puck Worlds
There are a couple good matchups today, Finland vs. Czech Republic and Sweden vs. USA.

Viability of NHL in Winnipeg and Quebec backed by report - The Globe and Mail
I do wonder about Winnipeg's ability to support an NHL team over the long-haul. I have no doubt they'd sell out every game for a year or two, but what if they're uncompetitive?

Jagr rumours, next year's backup and the baby Habs playoff runs - Habs Eyes On The Prize
Speculation is running wild over what the Habs might do this summer, including a possible NHL return for Jaromir Jagr (really?).

Recap: Lightning 4, Caps 3 - Japers' Rink
Ruh roh... the #1 seed in the East is now down 3 games to none.

Beyond the points: 10 valuable NHL playoff performers - USATODAY.com
Kevin Allen gives a pat on the back to some guys who aren't filling up the scoresheet.

CBCSports.ca - Scott Gomez's future, plus 30 thoughts
Elliotte needs to get out to the Western Conference more often, but this is still good stuff.

Well, it's the morning after....election day in Canada, that is, and it seems a great time to post this ROGERS family news clipping.

George Rogers (George William Rogers) ran as a member of the Vancouver Civic Non Partisan Association.

"Ready for Work is Vancouver School Board's only new member elected in last week's civic vote. George Rogers (centre) won't be officially installed until Jan. 7, but that didn't stop Chairman Mrs. H. N. [Jessie] Hollis and J. E. [Edwin] Eades from giving him some advance tips. " From The Vancouver Daily Province, British Columbia, Canada, Wednesday, 19 December 1951. No photographer's name given.

That particular Vancouver election marked a change in civic politics as on the ballot was a question on extending the vote to all Canadians over 21. That passed handily.

A plebiscite to allow Sunday entertainment in the city did not, but some quickly forcasted it would pass the next year when they 'young' would now be able to vote, not just Vancouver's property owners. I'll have to have a look to see if there's evidence that the next city elections did show a change. (See voting results, The Vancouver Daily Province, 13 December, 1951, pp. 1-2).

Newspaper clippings, private collection. The Vancouver Daily Province clipping is posted with permission from The Vancouver Sun/The Province Library.

Vancouver city councillors hope testing the digital waters in the upcoming civic election will spur voter participation.

Council voted 10-1 yesterday to launch a pilot project that would allow Vancouver residents to conveniently vote from the comfort of their home during advance polling ahead of November’s municipal election.

“I think there’s a real strong case that this will enhance democracy in Vancouver and hopefully increase the voter turnout,” said Mayor Gregor Robertson.

Online voting was used in 40 municipal elections in Ontario in 2010 with few problems, according to a staff report.

Other jurisdictions across Canada have also tested online voting and found an average voter turnout increase of two to four per cent.

NPA Coun. Suzanne Anton was the lone dissenting voice and hoped that the plan would go to public consultation instead.

“This has nothing to do with change, people will welcome the change,” she said. “The issue are the perils in the system. To me, a system like this needs to be tested more out in the world.”

A request for proposals will now be issued to third-party operators.  

Kevin Durant came out of the half firing for the Oklahoma City Thunder, but the Memphis Grizzlies are still hanging around in Game 2. Durant scored 12 points in the quarter, pushing his total to 25 for the game, but the Grizzlies made up a bit of ground. With 12 minutes to go in Game 2, the Thunder still lead the Grizzlies, 76-68.

Durant and Russell Westbrook have keyed the Oklahoma City offense, combining for 43 points. Westbrook has 18 for the game, along with a team-high six assists. James Harden is also in double-figures with 12 points.

Mike Conley has a team-high 15 points and six assists for the Grizzlies. He’s joined in double-figures by Sam Young (12 points), O.J. Mayo (11) and Zach Randolph (10). Marc Gasol has a team-high six rebounds, but has just five points.

Be sure to check out for Thunder vs. Grizzlies hub for full series coverage. For more on the Grizzlies, visit Straight Outta Vancouver. For more on the Thunder, visit Welcome To Loud City.

You go to one of Indish stores, you pick out a recipe you would like to try, and pay for it. Every single ingredient...

Indishpensable
2779 Arbutus St, Vancouver
(604) 731-3474

Joe.

Bob Likes Thai Food
3755 Main St
Vancouver, BC
(604) 568-8538

Presented by the PuSh International Performing Arts Festival, produced by Neworld Theatre and PTC. A series of site-specific radio plays that take participants on a walk through the geography of the city and the urban obsessions of four of its residents, combining story, music and directional cues to reveal a Vancouver you won’t find in the tourist brochures. Woodwards Atrium, Fri, Sat & Sun, Jan 21 – Feb 6, noon–4pm. Neworld Theatre Box Office 604.602.0007 (10-5 M-F), tickets $20. pushfestival.ca