54' 40"

54/40 is a reference to a great Canadian band, but as a factoid I learnt last night is one of those bits of US-Canadian trivia that is worth a google search or two!

Long before Canada was born, in the 1840's there was a movement when President Polk was elected to figure out what to do with the "Oregon Territory". This vast swath of land covered both Oregon as we know today all the way up to Prince George.

When said President was elected his campaign was to annex this territory so that the border between British North America and the United States in the western part of the continent would be at 54' 40", rather than the eventual treaty that set the border at the 49th Parallel.

Phewph! To think Prince George, USA as a town might be a bit hard to imagine.

<gotta check my geography to make sure the 54th parallel is actually inclusive as far north as PG>

Urban = cool

It is a fairly simplistic running commentary I have: Urban = cool, suburban = not cool.

I suppose there are a number of theoretical undepinnings for this rather black and white view of things. Urbanites are typically higher consumers of transit, have a concentration of cultural institutions and seem to be generally more interesting places to be. Suburban waste lands, on the other hand, drive cars, sprawl residential areas as far as the eye can see, and are generally homogeneous and white. Well, not that there is anything wron with that (you will have to excuse my childhood scars of growing up in a caucasian Richmond and getting chased around Ching Chong Chinese and other lovely racial slurs: not cool).

A couple of my favourite urbanite places-to-go:

• Chicago Architectural Foundation
• NY Lower Eastside Museum
• Toronto Urban Affairs Library
• Canadian Centre for Architecture
• Shanghai Urban Planning Museum

Now the last one, I have not been to, but would definitely be game if I ever make it out to the Mother Land again.

Other Career Choices

Am thankful the career choice I have now is not "Master Aviary Keeper" or anything involving our favourite descendants of dinosaurs. This would simply mean giving my GF lots more negative images about me playing with birds than she needs.

Today's shocker - the origin of the word "geek". Before acting as the surrogate word for pocket protector & Palm computer toting spectacled guy (or gal), "the geek" was the circus sideshow that had the gnawingly grotesque job of walking around with a dead bird's neck between his teeth.

Well...that was BEFORE the computerization of zee world...and geeks are now those who seem to splurge the linguo of 'USB dongles', '802.11g' and Firewire.

Towering madness

I photograph buildings. It's an illness I acquired ten years ago as I spent many-a-weekend bobbing up and down on the Star Ferry in Hongkong. Landmarks like the Bank of China Tower, HSBC Building, its atrium and entrance fascinated me to no end.

My therapy: more. La Grande Bibliotheque and CDP Capital Centre are the latest collection in my madness from a trip the GF and I recently took to Montreal!

The Chinese are Angry, real Angry

Fifty years from now I would like to remember fondly of 2005 as a time when Chinese Canadians got their shit together and mounted an effective campaign to get somewhere in society. I understand from most of my Asian Canadian friends and other "ethnics" that it is the same sad story in their communities.

Some examples:

• In 1989, thousands of students were killed in Tianamen Square seeking some idealized version of democracy and were pancaked by tanks for dreaming.
  
  The Chinese Canadian community rallied in anger and moved to get a memorial dedicated at Stanley Park. Unfortunately, some other Chinese Canadian groups (the pancake loving variety) lobbied City Hall hard against such a remembrance. Said memorial was as a result exiled to UBC, where it stands to this day in front of the SUB/Aquatic Centre. Leaders of said movement grew to bigger and better things and espoused the need for Canadian multi-nationals to do business with Communist China in order to better influence democratic values.
  
  
• In the 1990's, some more introspective Chinese Canadians found it abhorent that the Chinese ethnicity was singled out for the Head Tax and sought redress. Canada specifically charged $500 a head for immigration to Canada for the Chinese - raking in some $23 million (today's dollars, i believe).
  
  The Chinese Canadian community rallied in anger and moved to correct this injustice, citing similar redress moves by the Mulroney government towards interned Japanese Canadians during WWII. Unfortunately, some other Chinese Canadian groups (the Head Tax loving variety) told people that matter that it was the other way around. Chinese should actually be thankful that Canada gave us a home country to have.
  
  
• In 2005, angry Chinese Canadians marched to support a global campaign against terror. This terror was the spectre of a new rise of expansionist Japan that will once rise up again and torture/rape/bayonet its neighbours (for the sheer sadistic pleasure, bonsai!).
  
  The Chinese Canadian community rallied in anger and moved to correct this injustice, suggesting the Canadian government should stick it to Japan and prevent them from getting on the coveted UN Security Council, and make Japan pass laws in its own country to outlaw denying the Asian Holocaust. Unfortunately, their read on history and the strategic positioning of the issue was flawed, and they were not able to even get an audience nor commitment from Foreign Affairs Canada to help right a wrong of history.

What are the problems with these stories? For the most part, it is due to the relatively unsophisticated experience of the community to behave and be effective within a North American environment. Lack of unity, ego, turf sheer ineptitude, no communications strategy, no government relations experts & no credible altruistic leaders -- these are some of the things that continue to this date to challenge the community. No matter how great the idea or ideal is, the inability for Chinese Canadians to clearly and effectively communicate issues to a mass audience - it is the detriment that I believe will keep this group the largest visible minority in Canada & a non-factor in influencing where the country will go.

In the Shadow: Chinatown

Over the past five years, we have experienced an important movement in Vancouver: Revitalize Chinatown.

This is an important initiative given the alternative solution presented by two other Canadian cities: Erradicate Chinatown.

My recent vacation in Montreal showed a Chinatown....errr...I mean "Quartier International" - which is a shadow of its former glory. In the rabid enthusiasm to show the other who was more powerful, Quebec & Canadian dollars built block-sized Place Desjardins and a Federal complex & evicted Chinatown businesses & residences.

Toronto is even more heinous: the City Hall we have come to love seeing Master T through the 1990's on some MM Live event -- that and Nathan Phillips Square is where Chinatown was!

Don't worry: there is no sign anywhere that tells you what once was!