Shipwreck

With my family I recently spent some time in the Galapagos - an amazing place.

I've been gathering my thoughts notes and photos as I think there are some lessons to be learned from "the enchanted islands" when this past week a ship sunk there with 16 Canadians on board. Everyone is OK. News reports indicate the passengers, who lost their passports in the mishap, will be returning to Toronto from Quito (tomorrow) Sunday.

The ship, the Alta, is a modern luxury motor sailor about 150 feet long. Hard to believe it could sink. A lighthouse malfunction may be to blame.

Here is a picture of the Alta that I took from my cabin. We were about to head by panga (Zodiac) to North Seymour, the island in the background, on this warm Wednesday February 24th.

Shipwrecks wouldn't normally enter into a blog on municipal politics but I thought this was interesting.

Last Call

A group I'm involved with is showing a movie this Thursday that looks at
urban renewal and its impact on the poor.

The evening is entitled "Hamilton’s Last Call" and includes a panel discussion.

The movie tells what happened when aggressive developers buy a century-old, flophouse - Toronto's Gladstone Hotel. When the hotel is tarted up to become a hot spot for the arts long-time staff and residents begin a five-year struggle to survive.

“Last Call at the Gladstone Hotel” is an award winning film directed by Neil Graham, & Derreck Roemer.

We are showing it in Hamilton because the same thing is happening here with little public concern for the fact that the people who live in places like the Gladstone often end up on the street when "renewal" takes place.

Please consider attending this free event:

Thursday March 4th
7 pm - 9 pm
at the SKYDRAGON CENTRE
27 King William Street
Hamilton

If you can't make it but want to see the movie let me know and I'll make it available to you.