Nanaimo third-best in Canada for walking

Danielle Bell, Daily NewsPublished: Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Nanaimo has been judged as the third-best place in Canada to take a stroll. The Harbour City finished No. 3 overall, behind only Vancouver and Fredericton. The contest was open to the country's 100 most populous cities.

POPULAR WALKS:
1. Harbourfront Promenade
2. Westwood Lake
3. Neck Point
4. Jack Point
5. Piper's Lagoon
6. E&N Trail
7. Parkway Trail
8. Extension Ridge Trail
9. Colliery Dam
10. Chase River Estuary Trail

I've done at least part of 8 of the 10. And some of the them are amazing.

We get to share Dave with the whole country!

If you care about this, you undoubtedly already know, but let me add my 2 bits. Dave is an awesome guy and I'm super proud of him and excited about the gift he is to our PAOC Fellowship as our next General Superintendent. But...I'm sad because I probably won't get to hang around him so much. He is truly one of my favorite people who has had a profound impact on my life. So I've just decided to approach it this way: BC is not loosing Dave, we're just sharing him with the rest of the country.

Here's the scoop from the PAOC website.

From boring teenagers to wild animals

Okay, so his last point about escapism needs to be taken under advisment, but this 'bout says it all. You can read the whole article here.

From boring teenagers to wild animals
By YUKON JACK
VIDEO GAMES NOT TO BLAME

For the past week, virgins everywhere have been locked in their basements playing the biggest video game in history, Grand Theft Auto 4.

Soon, you'll be hearing about all the sales figures that it smashed, about how the video game industry is bigger than Hollywood and about how gaming isn't just for nerds anymore.

And now that the moms and dads and social watchdogs have had a chance to check out the content of Grand Theft Auto - the stealing, the shooting, the blowing up, the cop killing, the knife weilding, the bank robbing and, of course, the pimping and prostitution we're hearing Nancy Grace and the likes whining about how video games are responsible for the downfall of society.

"The rotting morals of our youth can be attributed to video games. Video games are to blame."

No they're not. You are to blame. Parents. Uninvolved, dis-interested, selfish, irresponsible parents. We ALL grew up with "bad" pop-culture influences. Maybe it was Cheech and Chong, NWA, Freddy Krueger, Porky's, 2 Live Crue, Black Sabbath, Southpark, Madonna, or The Simpsons.

Whatever it was, whenever it was, it didn't matter if your parents were involved in your life. If your parents were there to keep you grounded and make sure you knew the difference between fantasy and reality, then it was never a problem.

So, moms and dads, before you go pointing your fingers at the makers of video games, have a look at yourself first. 'Cause if you're a good, responsible parent, then your kids are probably equipped to handle a little escapism. I'd rather have my kid shooting up a schoolyard on my Playstation than shooting up a schoolyard. In the meantime ... I'll just shut my big yap.

Another Great Tune!

Great Tune!

Starfield Brings the House Down!

Yikes - This is scary! It happened the day after Adam and a bunch of our youth leadership saw Starfield in Victoria. This is why we never allowed a mosh pit when I was at Harvest City Church. The floor just couldn't handle a hundred people jumping up and down at the same time. I think the engineers need to re-think thier load-bearing calculations for churches with this in mind!

Here is the article (for those of you who won't bother to go here).

Church stage collapses in Abbotsford, B.C.
JEREMY NUTTALL Globe and Mail Update
April 26, 2008 at 10:47 AM EDT ABBOTSFORD, B.C. —

There was carnage at a Christian rock show in British Columbia Friday night when the floor of the venue collapsed.

Twenty three people ended up in hospital with injuries ranging from minor to serious. The incident happened around 9:30 pm about 70 kilometres East of Vancouver in Abbotsford at the Central Heights Church. About 1,000 people were at the church to see the Christian rock band, Starfield.

"The portion of the floor that gave way is directly in front of the stage," said Constable Casey Vinet of the Abbotsford police. "

Const. Vinet said a section of the floor roughly seven meters by seven meters gave way at some point during the show. When the floor collapsed, it sent audience members — most of them teenagers — plummeting five meters to the church basement. Why the floor gave way has not been determined, but some witnesses have said equipment fell from the ceiling and crashed into the floor, causing the collapse.

"Everything that can be done will be done to determine the cause," said Const. Vinet. "Right now, we've called out our detective unit and our forensic identification services team. They will take over the scene and begin an investigation."

Const. Vinet said 32 people were treated at the scene. David Plug of Fraser Health said two people were sent to special units in Vancouver for care. He would comment on the nature of the injuries.

The emergency room of Abbotsford Regional Hospital was packed last night as victims of the fall waited to receive care. Mr. Plug said as many as 15 people were told to go to other hospitals, all within a half an hour drive. The waiting room was filled with people bearing somber eyes and frowns. Others seemed in disbelief as they waited for medical attention. Mr. Plug said staff were ready for the push of wounded concert-goers.

"It was a relief they handled it so well," said Mr. Plug. "And that there was not as many people injured as their might have been."

Mr. Plug also said, because of a local pastor and his knowledge of families in the area, it was much easier than usual to locate relatives of injured youths. He said that help keep operations at the hospital running smoothly. There has not been comment from the church on the incident.

Ponder

"Whatever weakens your reason, impairs the tenderness of your conscience, obscures your sense of God, or takes off the relish of spiritual things, whatever increases the authority of your body over your mind, than thing for you is sin.” - Susannah Wesley