O.K., I swear I will accept Jesus Christ as my Saviour (and Moses as my investment adviser) if this not only actually comes to pass, but it actually reaches to the Top (where the scum has truly risen) and convictions are returned all around.

I'm gonna be an atheist forever, aren't I?

Meanwhile, back at the photograph. A few seconds after I took this, the guy pulled what looked like a defunct 50 mm (hey, it coulda been a 35) lens out of the bag and, cackling, held it up to his eye. I guess he'd noticed my camera, huh? But, how many street folks do you know (well, period, I suppose, but...) who've got a 50 mm lens in their bag o' tricks?

While I wasn't paying attention, it seems I posted my 1,000th piece. Today's is the 1,003rd - how'd that happen? And, when I started, I'd just gotten a Nikon Coolpix 4500. Halfway along, I picked up a D50. Now? Well, as you may have noticed, I'm getting pretty enamoured of the Canon G10. I've never owned one of their SLRs ("D" or otherwise), but this is, I have to admit, the second "point-and-shoot" from them that I've used. Years ago, I had a Canon Photura that I'd bought to replace a teeny Pentax clamshell-design autofocus camera that I'd, um, er, left out overnight in the rain. The Pentax was great - small, took good pictures - and I was sorry to lose it. Well, I went off to a local camera store where I'd worked once upon a time to look for a replacement. The Photura was definitely not a replacement. It was about 10-times the size, had a zoom lens, and was the weirdest looking camera I'd ever seen - complete with a flip-out spotlight! Between its weird design and that spotlight, well, of course, I had to buy it. Yep - just 'cause it looked so damn strange, I bought it. Picture quality? Who cared? Luckily, it was fine. Too damn big, but....

Anyhow, back at the G10... I'm getting to like it more and more. I can live with 80 ISO (heck - I lived for years with ISO 25!). And it's (reasonably) small and (reasonably) light. And, so far, I'm liking the output. I still can't believe they can get this kind of quality out of a dinky digicam sensor at 15 MP. It would be interesting to see what Canon could come up with in a 10-12 MP camera using whatever magic it is they've got going in the G10.

Yep. Just another day in the hood.

I think I mentioned our dimwit Premier yesterday, didn't I? Well, he's at it again. Yep, while people are dying for lack of basic social/medical services on Vancouver's Downtown Eastside, Gordo's answer is, "Let them play sports!". My bet is they'd rather have the cake.

Just makes you want to order up some won-ton soup, doesn't it? And, trust me, the front entrance isn't any more enticing.

Uh-oh. Time to hit the streets again (as if yesterday's broom picture wasn't a clue). But, come on, surely there's an Olympic connection, right? Chinese? Barriers? Construction?

Oh, there's soooooo much to crank about - China, Iraq, the ever-popular Dumbya and his gang of thieves, McBush... I'm sure things like these are what this nice woman was thinking about, too. But, I'm sure you've seen the same stories I have, so we'll just leave it all, shall we? Sure.

Oh, but wait! Yes, ladies and gentlemen, a last cruise of the news before bed produced this. Like the guy's sign says, "It don't Gitmo better". Ah, art. Doncha love it?

Uh-oh. Time to hit the streets again.

And, just in case anyone was actually thinking of attending the Olympics in China, here's one more reason to rethink that plan.

Riding the Ghost Bus through the Downtown Eastside. The ghosts, of course, are the folks not on the bus.

Zipping by this little scene on the bus, it's comforting to think, "I'm zipping by this little scene on the bus, my expensive camera in my lap, heading back to my little apartment, a good meal and a glass of nice wine." "Comforting" in a discomforting kind of way.

Meanwhile, further data on the "Hillary's Gotta Go" front. Bary didn't say he'd agree to anything without preconditions. He just said he'd be willing to talk without preconditions. Provided, of course, preparatory talks had indicated that there'd be anything to actually talk about.

At this point, after suggesting that Bary might be up for a hit in L.A. (No, that wasn't actually what she was trying to say. But, the question remains, just what the hell was she trying to say?), a gaffe that Bary has declined to take advantage of, I'm thinkin' Hills isn't the quickest thinker in this race. Or, as she herself might say (it seems), not the brightest knife in the woodpile.

Coming soon to a Skid Row near you - more condos!

You know, if you've got to live in Hell, it should at least be colourful, right?

Only if you've signed up at the school of hard knocks.

O.K., even for an omnivore (but, 99% veg), this sign is just so incredibly wrong! Still, if it were to come up for sale (and, given that the building to which it's attached will very likely be knocked down in the next couple of years, it very well could be), I'd be tempted to pay big bucks to acquire it. Lucky me, though - I don't have any big bucks. Dang.

If you're looking for a good movie to go see, try "Honeydripper". Yeah, it's a tad earnest (come on - it's a John Sayles movie, after all!), but it's earnest for darn good reasons. And the music is great!

A Vancouver landmark. The Dominion Building. And, to your right, ladies and gentlemen, another Vancouver landmark. One the name of which (the official name, that is) I've forgotten. It used, however, to be known as Needle Park, 'cause, if you were a junkie, well.... Not quite so much now. Notice the streetlight that the guy nearest me is about to walk in front of. Over the street, a normal streetlight. Pointing to camera right, however, into the park, a nice, big floodlight. Don't want no untoward activity taking place there under cover of darkness, after all. It's a nice little urban oasis now.

It's just a dry cleaning establishment. No cracks about Eliot Spitzer to go with it. Heck no.

Ah, planning. It doesn't always work out, does it? This place has been empty for at least a couple of years now. A very expensive error. Or con job. The building, that is. What genius decided that a high-end retail mall would be a success in the heart of Vancouver's Downtown Eastside? Say "Oops", boys and girls.

Yeah, and you all thought I lived in some quiet West Coast town with nothing much happening.

Meanwhile, Hillary seems to have bounced back. With, maybe, a little help (ill-intended, I'm sure) from someone else's friends. Of course, we all believe Smirkin' Steve's denials. Just like we believe he didn't try to bribe a soon-to-be-dead MP with a million dollar life insurance policy. The Smirk?!? Do something so heinous?!? Naaaaahhhhhh........

Isn't life exciting?

For some reason a cat that seems to be waving good-bye is a good luck symbol in a lot of Japanese restaurants. This isn't a Japanese restaurant, however. It's.....um....well, to be honest, I'm not sure what this place is. Other than the previously-pictured School of Hypnosis. Squirrel hypnosis, at that. So, a "bye-bye" kitty? I just dunno.

The glowing building in the background, however, is a place where folks whose luck has gone bye-bye often wind up. If they're lucky. Paradox - what a thing!

"I think I can, I think I can, I think........"

I created the above post a few hours back, and, 'cause it's bedtime and I'm always curious about these things, I checked StatCounter one last time. All of a sudden there's 64 hits on the site. So, it's mystery time again. Not that I'm not charmed to have all these nice people drop by, however briefly, for a look, but...? Kuala Lumpur? Nairobi? Santiago? Pleasanton (it's in California)? Moose Jaw (where else but right here in the Great White North?)? Welcome to the photos, everybody! I hope you liked something about the site and that you'll come back sometime.

But, what's with the sudden 10x increase? I'd love it if someone out there would drop me a line.