http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhn8UiolNGw

Central Bistro is a friendly neighbourhood restaurant where the locals gather to enjoy local ingredients, local beer and wine. And on Tuesday, October 19, for the second year running, they’re having a pumpkin carving event with the proceeds going to Vancouver Rape Relief and Women’s Shelter!

The video above is of last year’s event.

The fun starts at 6pm at Central Bistro, 1072 Denman Street. For a minimum $10 donation, you get everything you need to make you jack-o-lantern masterpiece. So come on down – what better way to support a great cause while having a fun time!

Did you know that two big tankers a week carrying crude oil from the tar sands leave the port of Vancouver, under the Second Narrows and Lions Gate bridges, past Stanley Park and the Gulf Islands bound for California and China?

Did you know that Houston-based Kinder Morgan plans to pipe more than double the crude here, meaning more tankers through our port, and huge risks to the place we love?

I dropped in on this weekend event which was intended to raise awareness of the problem and rally people to action. There was some great music too. Enjoy.

And check out www.notanks.org to take further action and protect our waters!

On Thursday, Sep. 23, the Bau Xi Gallery in Vancouver was packed for the launch of Lisa Birnie’s newly published book “in Mania’s Memory”.

It’s the story of Mania (“mahn-ya”), a little girl in Poland during World War II whose life was saved by a sympathetic female SS guard – and Mania’s belief that, years later in Toronto, the housekeeper who came to work for her was that same guard. Although the woman, Johanne, denies it, Mania is convinced that this is the same person who saved her.

Birnie’s book tells both women’s parallel stories, and culminates in a meeting between the two at the concentration camp where Mania says they crossed paths, and where it is hoped that, more than fifty years later, as the women meet again after many years, Johanne may finally admit to this act of kindness.

You can read the first chapter of “In Mania’s Memory“ on the ReadLeaf.ca website.

After hearing about this event for approximately forever, I finally made it out to Perogy Night at the Ukrainian Church. The first Friday of each month, they serve up an authentic homemade perogy dinner, and people come from far and wide to enjoy it. I spoke with some of the cheeky and colourful characters waiting in line, and not only got some interesting comments, I got some unexpected tips on moustache cultivation.

Here’s an original, 1-minute film that shows one possible result of my winning the Mad Men Casting Call contest. Watch, enjoy, and spread it around! And please keep voting for me at http://bit.ly/voteforadam — thanks!

Special thanks to Cassandra Freeman, Irwin Levine, my nephew Kevin McCartney and my lovely wife Christine for their assistance and input in making a reality out of this wacky idea of mine – in less than 48 hours from idea to finished film!

But it all turned out OK, calm was restored, it was time for a much smaller, and safer, fire – a birthday candle on my Mom’s cake. (Yes, she’s a Christmas baby!)

This ad will only be seen in Europe – where nobody will likely recognize Stanley Park or the PNE…

Check out my behind-the-scenes info and photos in this earlier blog post!

Want a better look? Click below for a super-slo-mo version of my appearance.

Artist John Koerner of the Vancouver School is still active and creating new work at age 96. Here is a quick look at the gallery opening of his latest show, “Cosmic”.