What we Learned from the Fiscal Cliff

Stewart's Snow Sloths

The Tyee 's Idea Number 9

Idea #9: Smartphones: The New Automobile

Cars made cities sprawling and impersonal, but that handheld gadget will change them again. Ninth in a series.

By Nigel Dembicki, Genta Ishimura and Ian Lowrie, 

Smartphones are changing how businesses reach out to consumers. This is beginning to affect the physical shape of the cities we live in. Need proof? Take a look around your city.

These days, owning a smartphone is increasingly becoming an expectation. A recent study by J.D. Power and Associates shows that 54 per cent of wireless customers in Canada use smartphones, a market share that continues to grow. Logging on to the Internet anywhere, anytime, has never been easier.

The implications of this reach far and wide. The advent of the automobile resulted in sprawling cities and big box stores. Smartphone users, too, enjoy unparalleled freedom and connectivity. But they demand much less physical infrastructure. Quite the opposite: the rise of the smartphone is making cities more dense and accessible. Here are some examples:

Go to:
http://thetyee.ca/Opinion/2012/12/31/Big-Idea-9-2012/

In the Absence of Warner's Corner

No column from Gerry this week so so this is for you Gerry!....and in the beginning.....

from the Cranbrook Courier November 15th 1928

Thank you to Commander Hadfield - Canada from Space

Commander Chris Hadfield tweeting pictures of Canada and other parts of the world from space.

https://twitter.com/Cmdr_Hadfield

Optimism for the Urban Environment

From the Tyee
Idea #7: Make 'Affordable' the New 'Livable' How creative, green, or great is a city if no one can afford to live there? Seventh in a series.

Generally speaking, it's not really in a journalist's nature to be positive about the way the "conversation" is "going these days." But this year I'm going to go out on a limb, and say with a rare note of optimism that when it comes to cities, and the future of urban development, the conversation is actually really moving in the right direction.Well, almost.In most major cities in the western world, we've now entered an era where the pursuit of vibrancy, resilience, sustainability, walkability, bikeability, and about every other "ility" you can think of is coming to be the expected norm on the urban political agenda. It is no small feat that, in the course of just a few decades, we've shifted from a time where political will lay in the hands of power brokers greedily dicing cities apart with elevated freeways, to one where mayors are all but expected to ride their bicycles, not their BMWs, to work -- where "livability" is turning into a genuine political urban currency.

http://thetyee.ca/Opinion/2012/12/27/Affordable-the-New-Livable/

What's Happening...

Friday, January 4

St. Eugene Mission Weekend Showcase
Paul Filek will be playing tonight and tomorrow night
Starts at 9pm

Saturday, January 5

Banff Mountain Filmfest
Wildsight presents the Bann Mountain Filmfest
Key City Theatre at 7:30pm
Tickets are $25 available at the KCT Box office

Tuesday, January 8

Nude Art at the Artrageous Gallery
Opens Jan 8th and runs to February 2
2D and 3D artists are invited to submit entries


Wednesday, January 9

Go Go Grannies Travelogue
Sabine and Gabe Pfieffer present their Travelogue
Describes their tour of Laos and Thailand
7pm at the COTR Lecture Theatre
Admission is by donation

Thursday, January 10

Searching for the Sugar Man
7pm at the Columbia Theatre
Story about little known 60's musician Rodriguez
whose album become a phenomenon in apartheid South Africa.
Tickets are $10 at Lotus Books or $12 at the door

Talking about Food

Blast from the Past - 100 years ago this week

For December 30th 2012 to January 5^th 2013

100 Years Ago

From the Cranbrook Herald January 2^nd 1913

— A heavy snowslide struck the Coal Creek mines in the Crows Nest Pass Coal Company on Monday Morning carrying with it the carpenter’s shop. Six men were killed … Jas. Buckley, Harry Neill, Alex Worthington, D. Rosario, D. Naslyczuk and T. Kitenary. Six other men are seriously injured.

— The weather report for December shows max. 43 degrees on Dec. 4^th and min. of 10 degrees below zero on Dec. 24^th. In December 1912 the total depth of snow is 7 inches. In December 1911 the total snow depth was 10 inches.

— Cranbrook Citizens welcome in the New Year to the strains of good music at two delightful dances. The New Year Eve Ball at the Auditorium was very well attended from nine o’clock until the early hours of the morning.  The hall was decorated by Mr. Maurice Quain.  The Masonic Temple is also the scene of a large dance. Friends of Mr. & Mrs. McDonald and Mr. & Mrs. Nisbet engaged in the light fantastic until 5 o’clock in the morning.  The floor was in excellent shape and everyone was bent on having a good time.

— The Cranbrook community was shocked with the sudden death of 12 year-old Rainsford Parks, son of Mr. & Mrs. F.L. Parks of Parks Hardware.  The cause of the lad’s sudden death was attributed to an attack of uraemia which proved fatal in a very short time despite medical attention

— The Vital Statistics reported for the year of 1912 for Cranbrook is shown as: Births … 157; Deaths … 80; Marriages … 55; Died of Typhoid Fever … 15; Died by Violence … 14.

— Christ Church Christmas Treat for the children will be given in the Carmen’s Hall on Monday, January 6^th which is the Festival of the Epiphany. Ladies of the Christ Church Guild are thankful for contributions of articles.

— John Cholditch was appointed auditor of the books of the Board of School Trustees.

— La grippe is still unpleasantly prevalent in the city.  Almost every business house in town has one or more of its members confined to his bedchamber by reason of the ravages of this tiresome complaint. Even the foreman of the Herald is sick and this has delayed the weekly paper.

— A NEW DISCOVERY … Machela, Nature’s Scalp Tonic, the only remedy ever discovered that is similar to natural hair foods or liquids of the scalp.  Has a record for growing hair – 95 cases out of 100.  Price for complete home treatment $1.00.  Sold and guaranteed by the Cranbrook Drug and Book Company.

Happy New Year

Happy New Year

2013

Rime on grass, Community Forest