Resistance to Cheney book bash

Today's newspapers and last night's web reports from CTV and CBC carried reports from the protest at the Vancouver Club where Dick Cheney appeared at a $500 a seat Bon Mot book club event.

Outside on the street the mood was jubilant almost celebratory as opponents to war and torture made their thoughts and feelings known. Protestors dressed in orange suits as a representation of Guantanamo Bay detainees sat at the front steps of the VC before the arrival of the first guests. Cheney arrived by other means as the venue became a fortress surrounded by the Vancouver Police and the RCMP.

A bevvy of media - TV, radio and photographers remained poised to get sights and sounds. Indie media also got their fix. Both indie and mainstream media were able to capture the image of people linking arms in an attempt to prevent Cheney guests from entering the club. The sidewalk was blocked with guests struggling to get through the rumbustious gathering.

Organizer of the Bon Mot event Leah Costello said it was not an endorsement of Cheney but an opportunity for debate and discussion. The former U.S Vice President continues to defend the interrogation techniques deployed during his tenure. It is a stand that has politicians at the highest level in Canada speaking out. Don Davies, the New Democratic Member of Parliament for Vancouver Kingsway voiced his opposition to allowing Cheney to enter Canada.

The disastrous invasion of Iraq and the ongoing war in Afghanistan remain front and centre in the minds of those opposed to these wars. Given Cheney's connection to this history it's of no surprise that the protest outside the West Hastings venue was as militant as it was.

Yeah yeah - Vancouver touching down

I'm about to embark on a road trip of sorts. Tomorrow night I will be leaving Vancouver and taking the Greyhound to Calgary, and then on Sunday I take a flight to Manchester, England.

I am close to completing my first pack of the backpack. My attempt at trying to travel lighter is looking good but at present nothing is in the backpack - ha ha! So I can not really boast about achieving anything at this stage.

I think the only thing I've not got right now is a Maple Leaf! I'm thinking of getting one just in case I run into difficulties in the north of England and end up hitch hiking - it will add some novelty to my appearance. I've also cut the hair and it's looking a touch hip(pyish)as the blade set #4 did not do a uniform cut. Yeah it was deliberate.

I've cut up the last of the fruit and put into freezer. Only the milk and some lemons left in the fridge. Oh yeah the lemons.

Going to use some of those right now.

Travel Mode

A week from now I will be at the airport in Calgary awaiting my flight to Manchester, England.

It's under a year since I was last in England but it feels a lot longer than that. I think it's just down to the fact that I've been busy. Yet at the same time I really don't feel like I've done that much. Who am I? Well yes this blog And Out Left is a blog by Gary Jarvis. I'm from north west London if you want to know but have been living in Vancouver for nearly seven years and most of that in the Downtown Eastside. Every time I take a trip back to England I get the feeling that I am closer to leaving Vancouver.

In fact I have more days than not when I think to myself why I am still in Vancouver. There's an answer to that question that I just haven't worked out.
It's a glorious sunny day in Vancouver and I'm readying myself for a trip to England, finding British money I forgot I had - no great fortunes but along with hostel cards and an Oyster (London Underground) card it feels like I'm ready.

I am readying myself for the travel mode. I got a cheap flight out of Calgary, and in typical style, well for me at least, I will be doing the Greyhound there. That's 18 hours on a bus! I've already decided that I am going to be traveling light. I hope to stay at a hostel in Calgary that has great reviews in the Rough Guide to Canada but that's not confirmed.

So I'm thinking of packing the emergency sheet, sleeping back and maybe even a tarp. It was last used for a night camping in Osoyoos. I will not be packing a tent though. It's tempting but it can stay here on this side of The Atlantic.

From Calgary it's a flight to Manchester, and then a quick hop to Carnforth.

The 6.57 chart for September | Radio is Radio

The 6.57 chart for September | Radio is Radio

Jack Layton

Jack Layton will be remembered as a fighter. From his first political steps as a young man to the amazing surge of the federal NDP in this year's spring election to his fight with cancer he always embraced the struggle.

It was this tenacity that endeared him to people all over Canada. To many he was simply known as Jack and in Vancouver on Monday night some five hundred people gathered at the Art Gallery in a vigil for him.

It was a beautiful event with NDP activists and supporters holding candles. I held a CUPE flag which drifted gently in the evening breeze. It was fitting that after the day's heavy rains the clouds cleared. As candles glowed people talked of Jack and grieved. I chatted with an old friend - we knew each from our activism with the BC Health Coalition. Our interaction, just one of many such conversations taking place.

I got home at about 10pm and went online to Youtube where I found a video of Jack singing at the 2005 Parliamentary Press Gallery Dinner. The event typically has a satirical edge to it and that year was no exception with Jack singing his own lyrics to the tunes of three popular songs.
'King of the Road' became 'Party For Sale or Rent' with Jack making fun of himself, his party and the general state of federal politics at that time. The medley continued with 'Nobody knows you when you're down and out' again with different and comical lyrics. He ended with a variant of the Barenaked Ladies 'If I had a million dollars' becoming 'If I Had Another $48.6 billion dollars'.

As Jack left the stage that night - the musician accompanying him sang Hit The Road Jack. That night Jack left the stage of the press gallery dinner but yesterday he departed this life. He will be greatly missed, but what a legacy!

These riots reflect a society run on greed and looting | Seumas Milne | Comment is free | The Guardian

These riots reflect a society run on greed and looting | Seumas Milne | Comment is free | The Guardian

Support needed to end the lock out of 100 Vancouver workers

There's a lock out going on right now in Vancouver. It's a lock out that could be ended with your help. Yes you're reading right you can help bring an end to this lock out.

The action or actions that will end this lock out needs a big ask. That big ask is that hundreds possibly thousands mobilize in the coming weeks on Cottrell Street in Vancouver to support the locked out on-board workers of Rocky Mountaineer.

Some 100 Rocky staff have been locked out since the middle of June when the company decided to abandon bargaining and lock out their workers. The lock out came at a critical time in bargaining negotiations and rather than bargain in good faith management decided to lock out its on-board employees and run the tourist train without those workers.

The Rocky Mountaineer is operating with inexperienced staff hired at short notice to replace the locked out workers. Yes that is indeed scab labour - a further torment to the locked out workers. However the company has been able to get around this by using a combination of managers and scabs, the latter being legally acceptable as there is no such thing as scab labour under Canadian federal legislation. Of course just because scab labour is legal in Canada doesn't make it right.

The push to get the management of Rocky Mountaineer back to the bargaining table can be achieved and one of the quickest ways to make it happen is to mobilize hundreds of trade unionists. A weekly picket is being organized by the Vancouver & District Labour Council. We need to join that picket line this Friday, and every Friday until the objective - of getting back to the bargaining table - is achieved.

See you on Cottrell Street in Vancouver this Friday at 5pm.

Cottrell Street is the right turn off Terminal - one turning before the Home Depot store.

Alternatively meet at the Main Street skytrain station on the east side of the street at Thornton Park.
We're going to meet at 4.30pm and at 5pm march to the Cottrell Street site.