Pelalusa

Seen This Morning in Metro Seattle

2012-01-27T12:06:00.002-08:00

Snoqualmie Falls, Washington

2012-01-26T22:28:00.001-08:00

Snoqualmie Falls website

Shiro Sushi

2012-01-18T22:26:00.001-08:00

Vancouver Today

2012-01-17T19:32:00.000-08:00

Amazing How Much Vancouver Can Change In Just One Day

2012-01-16T11:40:00.001-08:00

Canada's National Treasure

2012-01-15T18:28:00.001-08:00

Photos captured near Vancouver's English Bay this afternoon:

A Few Thoughts About the 2012 Liberal Party Convention

2012-01-14T22:11:00.000-08:00

Over at SDA I've been covering #LPC12 pretty heavily with posts here & here & here. Indeed, I was pretty scathing with my mockery of them, but every bit of it was well deserved. However, allow me to move forward in a more positive light:

The National Post's John Ivison has a pretty balanced summary of the Liberal Party Convention this past weekend. In it was this interesting snippet:

“A party that’s serious about forming the government understands that polls can impede our view of the future. We learned the most important question is not ‘what do people want today?’ but rather ‘what will people need tomorrow?’. The first question speaks to ‘followership’. The second to leadership and people want leadership,” [Dalton McGuinty] said.

A healthy democracy has at least two strong political parties. The NDP seizing power would be far worse for Canada than the Liberals regaining power one day. In that light, if you were a senior Liberal policy advisor sitting around a table and asked to provide one highly important question that the party needed to ask itself to get back in the ring as a serious contender, what would that question be?

I thought about the aforementioned challenge a long time and reflected back on something that SDA commenter 'Sammy' said here. A little research showed that the actual quote he referenced came from PostMedia's reporter, Jason Fekete:

That question, from the unnamed PEI delegate, is actually quite brilliant. So my question for the Liberals to ask themselves is this:

What do we need to do to win rural ridings in Canada?

Right now, the perception of Liberals is one of arrogant, elitist urbanites who look down upon hardworking rural folks. Entirely justified IMO. Can they have an awakening of sorts and change themselves & their demeanor to be somewhat more humble and accepting of others who have different views than their own? Odds are, they can't. But if they want to change their political fortunes anytime in the near future, they're going to have to.

Vancouver Today

2012-01-13T18:01:00.000-08:00

Vancouver Today

2012-01-12T14:52:00.001-08:00

A Sunny Winter Day in Vancouver

2012-01-10T22:48:00.001-08:00

Vancouver Today

2012-01-08T15:57:00.001-08:00

The New Terry Fox Plaza

2012-01-08T15:53:00.001-08:00

First Homemade Pizza of 2012

2012-01-06T20:48:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas to All

2011-12-24T17:39:00.001-08:00

2010 Olympics Time-Lapse

2011-12-19T15:26:00.000-08:00

Here's a rather cool time-lapse video of Vancouver shot during the 2010 Olympics. I had never seen it before. Perhaps you haven't either. Definitely watch full-screen!

Robson Square Video

2011-12-10T14:11:00.001-08:00

Here's a short video of the ice skating:

Ice Skating at Robson Square

2011-12-10T02:56:00.000-08:00

Late Afternoon in Vancouver

2011-12-10T01:04:00.001-08:00

Sean Quigley: Canada's Newest Musical Sensation

2011-12-07T21:39:00.001-08:00

Events in recent months have fed much fuel to the belief that much of today's youth are nothing more than lazy entitlement junkies. While that's sadly true in too many cases, there are exceptions. One of these is exemplified by Sean Quigley, a high-school student from Winnipeg, Manitoba, who released this music video on YouTube last Wednesday. Turn up the volume and watch it full screen for maximum effect:

It has since gone viral, with now well over half a million views!

Charles Adler recently interviewed Quigley. What an inspiring, positive young man, eh?!

The song is now available for purchase for just 99 cents. Please consider buying a copy and helping make this young Canadian a shining example for others of his generation.

Inspiration for the Upcoming Ski Season!

2011-12-05T20:27:00.001-08:00

JP Auclair Street Segment (from All.I.Can.) from Sherpas Cinema on Vimeo.

More Info

Vancouver This Afternoon

2011-12-05T20:19:00.001-08:00

Vancouver Skyline Photos

2011-12-04T20:29:00.001-08:00

Here's a panorama of Vancouver's skyline comprised of 10 individual photos. You can download the hi-res original here.

If you'd like a similar hi-res photo of the same skyline at night, you can get it here.

Friday Joke

2011-12-02T17:38:00.001-08:00

An old man lay sprawled across three entire seats in the movie theater. When the usher came by and noticed this, he whispered to the old man, “Sorry sir, but you’re only allowed one seat.” The old man groaned but didn’t budge.

The usher became more impatient. “Sir, if you don’t get up from there I’m going to have to call the manager.” Once again, the old man just groaned.

The usher marched briskly back up the aisle, and in a moment he returned with the manager. Together the two of them tried repeatedly to move the old disheveled man, but with no success.

Finally they summoned the police. The officer surveyed the situation briefly then asked, “All right buddy what’s your name?” “Fred,” the old man moaned. “Where ya from, Fred?” asked the police officer. With terrible pain in his voice, and without moving a muscle, Fred replied, “The balcony…”

Christmas in Vancouver

2011-11-30T21:50:00.001-08:00

The View from the Cypress Park Viewpoint

2011-11-21T18:26:00.001-08:00

Though a tad hazy, I captured a few shots from halfway up Cypress Park:

Mount Baker, in Washington State:

Who Do We Have Here?! :-)

2011-11-20T12:06:00.001-08:00

Cat and Cheese

2011-11-20T00:16:00.001-08:00

The 3 Faces of The Pug

2011-11-15T17:09:00.001-08:00

Ladner Sunset

2011-11-14T21:03:00.001-08:00

Whistler Cat

2011-11-13T23:37:00.001-08:00

Her name is Mocha. She's originally from Ontario. She's adorable!

Shania Twain: Don't Be Stupid

2011-11-13T20:09:00.003-08:00

Exposing Widespread Government Corruption

2011-11-13T18:51:00.001-08:00

Remembrance Day 2011

2011-11-12T22:58:00.001-08:00

Click here to see many more photos

Lest We Forget

2011-11-11T09:04:00.001-08:00

Tiffani vs. The Occupods

2011-11-06T20:35:00.001-08:00

Big Dog at Downtown Costco

2011-11-06T16:41:00.001-08:00

Vancouver Today

2011-11-05T19:09:00.001-07:00

Insight Into the Mindset of the Left

2011-11-04T15:32:00.000-07:00

The worldwide connectivity of the Internet provides a method of communication that far surpasses anything previously available to mankind. I was reminded of this recently after I posted this on SDA. A friend of a friend on Facebook (FB) wrote it, had her picture taken with it, and posted it publicly on her FB Wall. She had about 460 friends on FB, almost all of whom she knows personally. So her initial audience was rather limited. But after I reposted it, it got a whole lot more views. Then an SDA reader referred it to James Delingpole of the Telegraph in the UK. He reposted it and now it's starting to go viral! Of the hundreds of comments on Delingpole's blog, this pair by reader "tayles' were especially interesting:

tayles @ 10/31/2011 11:11 AM
Brilliant. Sums up the lefty mindset perfectly:
Identify a 'bad thing'.
Completely ignore whether its 'badness' is unavoidable or is outweighed by its benefits.
Get indignant.
Decide that people who don't share your outrage are evil, stupid or shamefully indifferent.
Wallow in how principled and righteous you feel.
Propose some alternative to the status quo that superficially appears clever and caring, but which won't work, will have disastrous secondary effects, and will require a police state to enforce.
Watch journalists, poseurs and inadequates support your 'cause', and badger the government into making it public policy out of fear of looking 'nasty'.
Behold as society unravels.

tayles @ 10/31/2011 01:33 PM
People on the Left think in terms of 'solutions' rather than processes. For instance, they think the solution to the problem of poverty is to give money to poor people.Someone on the Right would want to know if this solution would work in the long-term, what it's costs and benefits were, and what unintended effects it might have. They don't ask these things not because they don't care, but because they do care and they just want to take the most sensible, mature course of action, even if it prolongs someone's suffering in the short-term.But to someone on the Left, even to ask these questions is to delay the alleviation of someone's plight. And that's not the kind of thing they want on their conscience.

Redistribution of wealth might have some unpleasant secondary effects, but those are things that happen somewhere down the line. They are not an immediate consequence of giving poor people money, so they cannot be directly attributed to the person who endorses such a policy. Alleviating someone's suffering by giving them money, on the other hand, is a direct effect of such a policy, so its benefits are felt more keenly.The Left's perspective is essentially one that doesn't consider costs, or believes they can be made to disappear if we show sufficient will and compassion. Such an outlook can be attributed to a number of things, but its effects are unfailingly disastrous.

Incidentally, the original author of the message will be appearing on Roy Green's show this Sunday, November 6th at 3:05pm ET / 2:05pm CT / 1:05pm MT / 12:05pm PT. You can listen in here.

Mountain Home AFB

2011-11-02T16:21:00.001-07:00

In mid-September I was very fortunate to have been able to attend an air show at Mountain Home AFB in Idaho. Here are a few photos from that magnificent day:

You can view a slightly larger set of the nearly 1,800 photos I took that day here.

Fashion Choices

2011-11-02T16:07:00.003-07:00

Good line for a Country song: "Oh lord, please don't let me ever meet a woman who makes we wear the same pants as her!"

Nothing Could Possibly Go Wrong Here, Eh?

2011-10-30T14:25:00.003-07:00

It'll be most interesting to see what sort of "real feeling" the fellow gets sleeping in her tent!

Dating Quotation

2011-10-29T22:08:00.000-07:00

"Granola is a fine breakfast cereal but I prefer not to go out on a date with one."

Sign in Cannon Beach Bakery

2011-10-29T00:07:00.001-07:00

Love Actually, YVR Style

2011-10-27T21:25:00.001-07:00

The opening scene of Love Actually is one of my favourites. While waiting for a friend to arrive at YVR on 2011-10-27 I captured some of my own similar scenes. Love Actually Was All Around.

Army Airborne Paratrooper

2011-10-08T23:01:00.000-07:00

I was honoured to be able to visit Mountain Home AFB in Idaho on 2011-09-17 to photograph Gunfighter Skies. This highly skilled paratrooper started off the day's festivities.

Old Faithful in Yellowstone National Park

2011-09-25T13:26:00.001-07:00

Lest We Forget

2011-09-11T07:00:00.000-07:00

Flowers in Ladner

2011-09-10T22:50:00.001-07:00

San Francisco

2011-09-09T09:21:00.001-07:00

Slideshow of all Photos

North Shore Spirit Trail

2011-09-09T08:58:00.000-07:00

Slideshow of all Photos

Scenes from South Granville

2011-09-05T17:45:00.001-07:00

Some Important Wisdom from Dennis Prager

2011-09-01T23:39:00.002-07:00

Here's a little insight into why Dennis Prager is one of my favourite talk show hosts:

A Google StreetView Car in Vancouver

2011-08-28T21:33:00.000-07:00

Queen Elizabeth Park

2011-08-19T21:02:00.001-07:00

Full set of photos

Vancouver Today

2011-08-18T20:54:00.000-07:00

Summer Flowers

2011-08-18T00:12:00.001-07:00

Scenes Around Seattle

2011-08-17T09:03:00.001-07:00

Blue Angels in Seattle

2011-08-16T22:45:00.001-07:00

I was down in Seattle for Seafair. My good lens was being repaired so I did the best I could with my 18-105mm zoom. All of the images you see here are highly cropped from the original photos.

August Sunset

2011-08-16T21:58:00.000-07:00

The Fountains atop of Queen Elizabeth Park

2011-08-16T14:38:00.001-07:00

Some Dogs Like Whipped Creme

2011-08-02T22:52:00.002-07:00

Summer Sunday Afternoon

2011-07-31T23:56:00.001-07:00

Marco Rubio on the U.S. Debt Crisis

2011-07-31T11:43:00.004-07:00

A Most Excellent Analysis on America's Budget Crisis

2011-07-30T21:28:00.000-07:00

Over at SDA I posted this. One of the best commenters on the site, 'ET' wrote this:

I’m astonished at the mendacious and malicious political agenda of Obama and the Democrats.

Obama has only one goal; his power over others and his re-election. He’s not interested in America or Americans. His agenda is to BUY his re-election, by expanding the Dependent Class (dependent on govt funding). This class is made up of the unionized public service (Obama’s Stimulus was geared to preserving their jobs and wasn’t meant for ‘shovel-ready’ private enterprise)..and the exploding ratio of people who pay no taxes but live off social security, unemployment and other benefits. I’d include the illegals in this set and Obama’s agenda (DREAM) is to bring them into his following.

To do this, Obama needs to increase the deficit to expand the entitlement programs. And, he wants more money; I’m betting that he wants to give all his following some special benefit during his campaign this fall/next year.

Obama would, in my view, actually like a default; remember, Obama influences people by emotional manipulation ..Remember his Hope and Change, his oceans ceasing to rise, his Pass the Stimulus or the Economy Will Tank; his Pass ObamaCare or doctors will cut off your limbs for money. And note how he divides people into ethnic groups (Hispanics – fight your enemies!); into race; into political partisans. Obama enjoys sitting back and watching groups fight each other..

Obama would like a default so that he can blame his newest enemy: the Tea Party. Obama considers them a threat to his re-election..and his re-election is all that matters.

But – think about the rhetoric against the Tea Party – that they are hardline radicals. WHAT? What is radical about wanting limited government, reduced taxation..and a…think about it..a balanced budget.

But – say those two words: BAlANCED BUDGET..to a Democrat, and they fall over as if zapped by an evil curse.

These axioms of the Tea Party: its focus on fiscal responsibility, not spending more than you take in, reducing taxation to enable INVESTMENT within and by the private sector…and balancing your budget. These are simple, basic ordinary commonsense!!!! What’s radical?

What I find evil – and I use the word with intent – is the bland careless agenda of ‘living-in-the-red’; of constantly living, not on what you earn but on what you can borrow. Oh – and you have no intention of paying it off. heck no, your children and grandchildren can do that. Now – is that responsible? Is that mature? Is that right..to do that to the future generation?

This is an economic mode that operates only within Consumption and focuses on expanding Consumers. How? By taxing the private sector, which is the only part of an economy that produces wealth (the public sector consumes but does not produce wealth)..and then giving this money to the non-productive..so that they can consume.

BUT - this means that you've deprived the economy of any money to INVEST! No savings to lend to new businesses; no money to repair infrastructure (it all goes to unionized public service); no money to hire more workers; no money to set up a new factory. You've starved the nation of its capacity to produce wealth..because you've eaten all its investment money.

This Obama-Democrat Gang have one focus: Power. They use entitlements and ‘freebies’ to ensnare a passive, increasingly dependent following. They deliberately destroy the middle class, the small businessman (who are in that 200,000 income range, a range that Obama redefines as ‘a millionaire).

They are sucking up all the wealth/profit of these small businesses and thus preventing INVESTMENT and preventing more hiring, preventing expansion of these businesses. Why?

They want the money..to give to CONSUMERS. But an economy that CONSUMES all its wealth and doesn’t INVEST it…is finished.

That’s Obama. The Tea Party, on the other hand, is based on commonsense, realism, and responsibility. Now, why is that defined as radical?

Oddly Groomed Cat

2011-07-28T01:27:00.001-07:00

I encountered this cat on Vancouver's West Side. I don't know much about cats and am wondering if this sort of grooming is common amongst cats? I'd never seen such a "haircut" before!

Quick Tip When Buying a Car

2011-07-27T08:32:00.000-07:00

Recently, when I purchased my car, the dealer wanted $1,600 to apply 4 different "Platinum Shield Protections" to it. I balked at the high price. They offered to lower it down to $1,200 but by then I had already done my research and found a 3rd Party place in town that did EXACTLY the same thing for $380. In fact, dealers use them too. This sort of insane markup is apparently standard practice in the industry

Don't buy the argument that "someone else may not do it correctly". If you do your research and find a shop that offers this guarantee, then you'll know that you're getting exactly the same work done as if you had gone to the dealer. In fact, if you put a hidden GPS tracker on your car, you might find out that it's being done by exactly the same people, albeit at 3 to 4 times the price. Buyer beware!

The Fallout of the Tragedy in Norway

2011-07-24T19:29:00.000-07:00

There has been quite a bit of discussion over on SDA about the mass murder in Norway. In a comment there, I had this to add:

The bludgeoning of conservatives by Radical Leftists on this issue has gotten really tiresome & despicable in no time flat. The modus operandi of such schmucks is always the same:

0. Forget about any compassion for those who died or their families.
1. Without any facts in hand, blame it on a Far Right nut.
2. Extend the blame to everyone of a conservative viewpoint.
3. If the identity of the perpetrator turns out not to be as described in #1 then quickly sweep everything under the rug and pretend that the false accusations ever happened.

In this case it does appear that it was indeed a Far Right nutter. He should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. I would have no problem with him receiving the death penalty within 30 days.

But are we now to infer that:

a. All Christians are homicidal maniacs?
b. Uncontrolled immigration policies are perfectly fine?
c. Multi-cultist views, which hold oppression of women in some societies just as legitimate as traditional Canadian values, are peachy keen?
d. Uncontrolled public-sector spending, racking up endless amounts of debt are okay with everyone?
e. Systemic incompetence throughout the public sector and the near impossibility of firing any public sector worker should be ignored?

GIVE ME A BREAK!!!

An Evening at Spanish Banks

2011-07-24T19:05:00.000-07:00

Más Flores

2011-07-19T16:36:00.000-07:00

Vancouver This Evening

2011-07-18T22:44:00.000-07:00

Immigrant Respect vs. Homegrown Disdain

2011-07-18T22:31:00.002-07:00

Audis & Rabbits

2011-07-16T17:31:00.000-07:00

Should All Young People Go To University?

2011-07-14T19:30:00.003-07:00

Canada Geese in Vancouver

2011-07-12T22:10:00.000-07:00

Ezra Levant Interviews Adam Carolla

2011-07-11T22:42:00.000-07:00

Watch Carolla speak truth to the power of the Hollywood Left and their deep-seated hypocrisy!!!

Summer in Vancouver

2011-07-10T14:45:00.000-07:00

Ezra Levant Speaks Out Against the Oppression of Muslim Women

2011-07-09T12:09:00.000-07:00

I must confess that whenever I see this in Vancouver, I get absolutely outraged. No one will ever convince me that the women dressed in this way don't fear violence and/or ostracization if they "dare" dress differently.

Aeronautics "Research"

2011-07-06T21:33:00.001-07:00

Go Dog, Go!

2011-06-28T23:37:00.001-07:00

Here's a collection of recent dog photos I've taken:

Angel of Victory Statue

2011-06-28T23:35:00.001-07:00

This statue, created in 1921, is something that many people miss as they rush past it. Sadly.

Flowers from My Friend's Garden

2011-06-27T09:25:00.001-07:00

As all Vancouverites know, we haven't had much of a summer yet, but there is beauty around ... if you look hard enough!

An Example Why Vancouver's Youth Are So Messed Up

2011-06-26T22:39:00.006-07:00

In the wake of the June 15th riots in Vancouver, many people are searching for answers as why so many teenagers and 20-somethings acted in the horrific ways they did, destroying property and looting, often with wide grins on their faces. The term "entitlement mentality" has been thrown around quite a bit and there's a lot of truth to that. But who did they learn this from?

I offer you a small glimpse into the Selfish, Arrogant, Uncaring Teachers of Today's Entitlement Mentality:

While peacefully working at home Sunday evening I heard a loud, irritating scraping sound coming down my back lane. It sounded like King Kong dragging a gigantic dinosaur bone down the middle of the lane! I looked out to see a middle-aged Yuppie couple dragging a sofa, or the remnants of a sofa. And then lo and behold I saw where they were dragging it to: someone else had dumped two mattresses in the back lane so this pair of Yuppified criminals thought nothing wrong with adding to the pile!!! They kept on looking around to see if anyone was watching but never saw me.

I immediately snapped these photos:

Then I went outside and confronted this pair of cretins. I said the following to them: "I don't want to get in a verbal fight with you two but where in the hell did you come up with the notion of dumping your garbage behind the homes of everyone around here and think there was nothing wrong with that?!?"

To this I received the nastiest glare in many decades. No apology though. No "I'm sorry". After around 5 seconds the "gun moll" of the Trash Dumping Gang uttered the following, in the most whiny, condescending voice: "Thank youuuuuuu. Thank YOUUUUUU."

I turned around and went back inside. Did they head back towards their home? Nope. They continued in the same direction they were heading before, clearly to find another place to ILLEGALLY DUMP THEIR GARBAGE, forcing an eyesore on someone else and causing others to pay for its removal:

If you've ever wondered who has the arrogance and disregard to do this and this and this you might want to consider the "upstanding fine citizens" next door. Do you think such Bonnie & Clydes ever talk about such transgressions at their cocktail parties or Greenpeace rallies or Prius car club meets? I doubt it.

I'm not remotely suggesting that what went on here is on the same level as the criminal acts during the Vancouver Riots but a similar psychopathy appears to be at work, namely: "If we can get away with an illegal, immoral action and not get caught, then it's all fine." Incidentally, this mindset is a close cousin to the excuse many criminals use to justify stealing from others: "What's the big deal? They have insurance."

Anyone witnessing illegal dumping in Vancouver should write stopdumping@vancouver.ca or call 604-871-6544.

Coincidentally, it was just a few months ago that David Berner featured this interview:

An Israeli Paramedic: Shira Applebaum Maresky

2011-06-24T11:03:00.000-07:00

Article about Shira's talk.

Help the businesses adversely affected by the riots!

2011-06-24T00:36:00.000-07:00

Vancouver Today

2011-06-21T23:59:00.002-07:00

"Game 7" - A documentary by Andre James Parfeniuk

2011-06-21T22:48:00.000-07:00

Stupid People & Their Entitlement Mentality

2011-06-21T13:14:00.000-07:00

"Not Listening meets Stupidity, meets a Crazy Sense of Entitlement"

The Vancouver Riots: Before, During, & After

2011-06-20T11:33:00.001-07:00

Vancouver's Crazy VW Beetle

2011-06-20T00:26:00.001-07:00

Reclaiming Our City!

2011-06-19T03:11:00.004-07:00

Nathan Kotylak Issues a Public Apology

2011-06-18T22:16:00.002-07:00

Immortalizing a Moron named Brock Anton

2011-06-17T20:20:00.000-07:00

N.B. Dear Brock, you might be interested in this.

Looking into the Past to Find our Future: Proud & Free!

2011-06-17T20:08:00.002-07:00

Getting Past the Vancouver Riots of 2011-06-15

2011-06-17T01:48:00.002-07:00

This video was put together by an L.A. friend of mine who absolutely loves Vancouver and is as saddened by recent events as those of us who live here are.

Non-Fans Disgrace Vancouver

2011-06-15T22:13:00.005-07:00

From friends' cel phone cameras:

I was born & raised in Vancouver and have lived back here for the past decade. What I'm seeing downtown is breaking my heart. But let's be clear about a few things:

The vast majority of Vancouverites are DISGUSTED by what they're seeing.
The violence is being perpetrated by a few hundred people, with a few thousand more cheering them on. THESE individuals are indeed the DREGS of my city. But they don't constitute the majority.
Any hint that these PATHETIC JERKS are "fans" is false. Fans don't burn cars. Fans don't fight the police. Fans don't bring Molotov Cocktails with them.

Some sad predictions for the near future:

The police will be blamed for this within a few days.
Little to nothing will be done to the perpetrators, no matter how much evidence the police have against them.

I have to wonder if the culture of unaccountability in Vancouver and British Columbia has given the morons destroying downtown a sense of invincibility?!

I'm both sad and livid.

Go Canucks Go!

2011-06-15T15:00:00.000-07:00

This amazing photoshopped image is brought to you by my Mexican visitor and newest Canucks fan, Danny Durand. The hi-res original is available for anyone to download here.

BC's Beautiful Sea-to-Sky Highway

2011-06-15T00:30:00.000-07:00

Requirements for Canucks Fans: Patience & Faith

2011-06-13T23:06:00.006-07:00

Have Faith, Everyone! There is indeed something very peculiar about the arena in Boston but I believe that everything will change once our Magnificent Canucks are back on their home ice! When this young fellow is old & grey, he will think back to June 15, 2011 and vividly remember . . . that he was there when we WON!!!

Canucks Fever in Switzerland!

2011-06-13T12:16:00.002-07:00

My lovely friend, Hannah, discovered this flag in a parking lot in Zurich, Switzerland!

Birds of a Feather . . .

2011-06-12T02:28:00.001-07:00

I was very fortunate to have captured all of these shots off of the shores of Locarno Beach yesterday morning: