Trekkie Culture Invades Vancouver

Tuesday, 06. 29. 2010  –  Chris Richards  –  Culture & Life

I anticipated sweaty-palmed basement-dwelling mouth-breathers and greasy-haired anti-social weirdos. Set phasers to stunned.

The Business of Dying Part Three: Funeral Homes

Wednesday, 05. 5. 2010  –  Chris Richards  –  News and Features

A death in the family unit happens once every 12 years. To avoid a feeling of “helplessness”, it is important to understand that death is a process.

Broadway Transit Project Speeds Up

Friday, 04. 23. 2010  –  Chris Richards  –  BLAHG

Council took another baby step towards the introduction of rapid transit down the Broadway corridor to UBC this past week, unanimously approving new guidelines for approaching the mega project.

420/20 Vision

Tuesday, 04. 20. 2010  –  Chris Richards  –  BLAHG

The annual pot holiday came and went in a cloud of marijuana smoke and crumpled Doritos bags today, and once again local police showed an astounding ability to look the other way. Even though it’s illegal to have, smoke and sell weed, hundreds of people did all three, and in great quantities, on the steps [...]

Straight Up Advertisements

Saturday, 04. 10. 2010  –  Chris Richards  –  Opinion

The Georgia Straight is still the best source of alternative media in print available in Vancouver. They get the best writers (ahem, Daniel Wood), pick up the best syndicated columns (hello, Savage Love) and tackle issues that mainstream media wouldn’t touch. And it’s free. The only problem is that because it’s free, they need to sell [...]

24 Hours Services Itself?

Wednesday, 04. 7. 2010  –  Chris Richards  –  BLAHG

I’m not saying this letter running in the personal notices section in yesterday’s 24 Hours is fake, I’m just saying it’s fishy. “You have in fact restored our faith in the system…” “…Vancouver 24 Hours takes the cake.” It couldn’t be more glowing if 24 Hours’ grandmother had written it. So, I called Kathy, whose [...]

MMA On The Way

Thursday, 04. 1. 2010  –  Chris Richards  –  Opinion

I’m calling it right now. On the night of June 12, when Vancouver will host UFC 115, the amount of violent crimes in Vancouver will go through the roof. Guys watch the fights, they get all jacked up on gin and tonics and think they are GSP. I guarantee that the Granville strip that night [...]

The Business of Dying - Part Two: Cemeteries

Tuesday, 03. 30. 2010  –  Chris Richards  –  News and Features

Not only is Vancouver the most expensive city in Canada to live, it is also the most expensive city in which to die.

Courtney Hunt + Alex Witko

Thursday, 03. 18. 2010  –  Chris Richards  –  People You Should Know

Organelle Design takes discarded items and transforms them into functional fixtures for the home, office, or public space.

The Business of Dying - Part One: Obituaries

Sunday, 03. 7. 2010  –  Chris Richards  –  News and Features

In Part One of our series on the economics of death in Vancouver, Chris Richards takes an in-depth look at the overlooked, but booming business of Obituaries.