Costless Express at the Coquitlam Teddy Bear Parade!

June 12th was Coquitlam’s 22nd annual Teddy Bear Parade, and our EcoYike ran as one of the floats! City Councillor Selina Robinson rode our EcoYike, accompanied by Gumby (actually Calvin in a not-so-secret disguise)

Calvin suits up

City Coun. Selina Robinson and Gumby strike a pose right before the parade

We even made it into the Coquitlam Now: Coquitlam’s Teddy Bear Parade delights the crowd

A cop's story from the front lines of the Vancouver Riots.



I'm here at a conference in San Diego and have tried to follow the stories about the riots in Vancouver. Thankfully I have not seen much news about this embarrassing and sad event down here.

This week I met so many people who commented that they loved Vancouver and what a lovely city we have. I was humbled and so proud to be from Vancouver and made sure when I introduced myself I mentioned where I was from. But today I held back mentioning I was from Vancouver. I am just so saddened.

Read this amazing post that was emailed to me about a VPD cop and his riot story.

Cheers,
Calvin

Amazing things happened all night. Normal Citizens jumping in to help us.

Without being ordered to, many VPD members (the few that weren't working) came to work, geared up, and went looking for work.

We had cops with no helmets, no special gear of any kind, standing just behind us, and guarding our flanks, really putting their asses on the line.

Abbotsford PD sent a convoy of 15 police vehicles (dog handlers, gang squad, ERT, patrol) it took them 35 minutes door to door.

Delta, New West, tonnes of Mounties, including the lower mainland tac troop for the mounties all played their role.

I have a great memory of being at about Robson and Hornby Street, feeling exhausted and not knowing how much longer I could keep going then looking behind me and seeing a wall of RCMP tac troop members stepping past us to take up the advance.

Our ERT members deployed on foot, with all their gear on their backs, and walked the lanes, flushing looters out of the Bay even as the building was on fire.

Our mounted squad did an amazing job, as with our dog handlers and mountain bike guys.

Our medics from the BC Ambulance never backed down, and stood by with us through the whole night. Vancouver Fire probably put out more fires that night than in the previous year.

The interservice camaraderie was awesome, all night our guys were pumping each other up, encouraging each other, slapping each other on the back, a well timed word of encouragement here and there kept guys going when they wanted to quit. Shouts of "VPD!" coming from the mounties and munies as we dragged our sorry asses to the rally point at Nelson and Granville brought tears to my eyes.

As were were all standing down at about 02:00, downtown Vancouver was being policed by a hodge-podge of mounties, Abbottsford, Port Moody, and West Vancouver.

The total losses look like the 10 to 20 stores looted, 20 police cars destroyed, about 10 police officers injured. Dozens of fires, dozens of privately owned vehicle destroyed too.

So there it is. The 2011 Stanley Cup Riot.

The Subway Violinist

Here is a story that really made me think. Do we just cruise thru life on auto pilot? Why don't we stop an appreciate the little things in life more?

I know personally that my life has become so complicated and fast paced over the years. I do try to live in the moment and am sensitive to not flying on auto pilot... but... I don't know if I would have stopped in that subway either.

I promise to live in the moment and look for beauty "keeping my radar on high".
Would you have stopped to listen in that subway?

Check out where I'll be during the Hockey Game on Saturday!

This town has gone crazy for the Canucks, and Saturday will be a day to remember as we win game 2 of the Stanley Cup Finals. But did you know the Canucks are also one of the BC Children's Hospital's biggest supporters? And did you know what else is happening on Saturday during the hockey game?

It's the 24th annual BC Children's Hospital Miracle Weekend (June 4-5, 2011), a celebration of hope, courage and remarkable people (aka Superheroes) making a difference. I have joined in this year, and will be sitting on the Miracle Maker Panel, raising money to provide the best possible care to children across the province. Please donate now and help sick children in BC.

This year I am honoured to be the Chair of the Retail & Wholesale Committee. Please tune in to Global TV on Saturday at 7pm to see the kick off of the BCCH Miracle Weekend when we announce the amount our committee raised this year - our goal was $4.9 million. Did we beat it?

Please visit my Superhero Page and place a donation to help make this Miracle Weekend the biggest in history, as we charge towards our goal of building a new hospital and helping even more sick children.

BREAKING NEWS!
CALL ME ON AIR AFTER THE HOCKEY GAME AND MAKE A DONATION!
Or click here now to donate.
Amounts over $20 will automatically generate a downloadable tax receipt.
Date: Saturday, June 4, 2011
Time: 9:30 PM - 11:00 PM  

TV Channel: Global BC (cable 11)  

On-air phone number: (604) 333-5447 direct to my phone

Please join me in making a difference.
Thank you so much,
Calvin Johnson
2010/2011 Chair - BC Children's Hospital Foundation Retail & Wholesale Committee

What (people) want

What do customers, friends, the socially networked, users, neighbors, classmates, servers, administrators, employees... maybe even brands... want?

• notice me
• like me
• touch me
• do what I say
• miss me if I'm gone

Check us out at the EPIC show today!

We'll be hanging out today at the EPIC Vancouver Sustainable Living Expo! Come on by, say hi and check out the EcoYIKE!

"We didn't have the green thing back in my day"

Hope you all had a great Mothers Day on the weekend. My mom was part of a green movement long before we started. Have a read of this great story. 

Cheers

Calvin

It’s All About the Green Thing By Jim Knowles In the line at the store, the cashier told the older woman that plastic bags weren’t good for the environment. The woman apologized to her and explained, “We didn’t have the green thing  back in my day.” That’s right, they didn’t have the green thing in her day. Back then, they returned their milk bottles, Coke bottles and beer bottles to the store. The store sent them back to the plant to be washed and sterilized and refilled, using the same bottles over and over. So they really were recycled. But they didn’t have the green thing back her day. In her day, they walked up stairs, because they didn’t have an escalator in every store and office building. They walked to the grocery store and didn’t climb into a 300-horsepower machine every time they had to go two blocks. But she’s right. They didn’t have the green thing in her day. Back then, they washed the baby’s diapers because they didn’t have the throw-away kind. They dried clothes on a line, not in an energy gobbling machine burning up 220 volts – wind and solar power really did dry the clothes. Kids got hand-me-down clothes from their brothers or sisters, not always brand-new clothing. But that old lady is right, they didn’t have the green thing back in her day. Back then, they had one TV, or radio, in the house – not a TV in every room. And the TV had a small screen the size of a pizza dish, not a screen the size of the state of Montana. In the kitchen, they blended and stirred by hand because they didn’t have electric machines to do everything for you. When they packaged a fragile item to send in the mail, they used wadded up newspaper to cushion it, not styrofoam or plastic bubble wrap. Back then, they didn’t fire up an engine and burn gasoline just to cut the lawn. They used a push mower that ran on human power. They exercised by working so they didn’t need to go to a health club to run on treadmills that operate on electricity. But she’s right, they didn’t have the green thing back then. They drank from a fountain when they were thirsty, instead of using a cup or a plastic bottle every time they had a drink of water. They refilled pens with ink, instead of buying a new pen, and they replaced the razor blades in a razor instead of throwing away the whole razor just because the blade got dull. But they didn’t have the green thing back then. Back then, people took the streetcar and kids rode their bikes to school or rode the school bus, instead of turning their moms into a 24-hour taxi service. They had one electrical outlet in a room, not an entire bank of sockets to power a dozen appliances. And they didn’t need a computerized gadget to receive a signal beamed from satellites 2,000 miles out in space in order to find the nearest pizza joint. But that old lady is right. They didn’t have the green thing back in her day.