This recent #remembranceday, I released another in my irregular but extended series called “white poppies for remembrance” in the “Postcards from Gravelly Beach” #podcast series.

This recent #remembranceday, I released another in my irregular but extended series called “white poppies for remembrance” in the “Postcards from Gravelly Beach” #podcast series.
Rolling out podcasts at usual epic pace including a few new series and guest appearances of sorts:
In case you missed it:
The Crazy Canucks
Primer on the Super Series – a bit stale now but John added some beats while make my historical spiel worth a listen
Postcards from Gravelly Beach
Part second to last of the White Poppies for Remembrance series with an essay about why not to wear a poppy (respect by avoiding war) and some more hand-selected tunes paired like a pinot noir and gorgonzola
Canadian Podcast Buffet
Cross border podcast evangelist and diplomat Mark Blevis came to visit Vancouver and recorded some snippets of me, the charming Bollwits and the hilarious dudes form Foreskin Radio and Suburban Transpondency begging the question “why do al the fine podcasters come from Surrey?”
Raincity Radio
i’ve resurrected an old series started by Mark, Robert, Megan and others and busted out a healthy batch about web community building in Vancouver and elsewhere with guests including Jordan Behan, Marc Laporte, Boris Mann, Robert, Francis, Erik, Mark, etc.
Choogle on!
Absinthe on Thanksgiving Night Market, Hemp for Victory, Riveside chat
Canucks Outsider
Shifting into gear, Sorta …
Out N’ About with Uncle Weed
This travelin’ man chronicles is growing quick as i make new personal docu-diaries and find other clips needing a home
Dopecast with the Dopefiend
My UK counterpart came to visit and we talked and toked and recorded it all for your listening pleasure. I offer half-asses analysis about the urban mileiu of Vancouver, forests, transportation, planning, politics, weed …
see also: a full extensive interview
Forthcoming:
Roland’s Rabble
discussion about the open soft/hard OpenMoko and other phones seeking to shake up the mobile industry (iPhone, rumoured Google phone) with Bryght’s Mr. Furley and PhP guru Audrey F.
Postcards from Gravelly Beach
Final chapter of the White Poppies for Remembrance series – out in time for Remembrance day – this “back cover” of the series features me spieling on about the remnants and artifacts of war and the folks pointing the troops to conflict and their motivations while wandering around London
Postcards from Radio Zoom
Radio Zoom John and I are planning a plan to bring the music i used in the WPfR series to his music-focused show.
This includes:
World of Hurt – Drive by Truckers
White Daisy Passing – Rocky Votolato
Mercy –
Refresh –
Providence – Chris Jacobsen
Brokedown Palace – Grateful Dead
First Vietnam War/Snipers at the Gates of Heave – The Black Angels
Gone Beyond – Akron/Family
Be Joyful! –
PfGB
more with Wm Lenker at the Woodshed this time a sort of John Sinclair inspired reading – seeking the right JS tracks to combo it with.
Choogle on!
My podcast queue cleaning bonanza is nearing an end:
Numbskulz grow up
London last wander, maybe a bonus show about getting to London from vancouver with thoughts on NYC and elsewhere – might go under the Feasthouse label if not Choogley enough
Herby’s tales of ganja growing and swinging at Wreck beach
So this winter:
Work through Clayoquot recordings, water shortage, first nations reservation, skateboard comp, sitting in the woods with eagles perched overhead, wandering along trails, reading poetry and essays on clearcuts …
War resistance -seeking refuge in Canada
Marc Emery – extradition
Immigrating to Canada
Growing in a small space
Urban Vancouver
HempC taste test
the big psychedelic mop-up tray of all that’s left including a drunken (well me anyhow) discussion on the role of union in modern economy, some clips of the Dalai Lama’s Canadian citizenship ceremony, hanging out watching Seattle planes land with Cosmo
Raincity Radio:
Scales international exploits to China and more
Michael Fergusson about web communities for families
Boris and Francis about best practices for Drupal development
Olympic Outsider
a couple interviews which still need edited, release and all that with Duff Gibosn and Cripsin Lipscomb
Also Noteworthy – my personal podfather, Cosmo Goodbud Spacely started a new series Cosmo’s Spockets being a short literary snippet, a song or two and his innermost thoughts (well close anyhow)
On Remembrance Day in sunny, brisk Vancouver, Ian Bell (fresh from a CBC appearance “On The Coast“) joins Dave to read from Grandpa Mark’s diaries written in the trenches in WW1 as a young Canadian. From the library steps with a flask of scotch, they reflect on the costs and motivations of war, importance of friendship and the ethereal experience of going “over the top” and facing the terror on the other side, plus anecdotes about capturing Germans soldiers and discourse on the importance of personal documentation to pass forward to generations.
Sit awhile for: Vimy Ridge Diaries on Remembrance Day – Postcard #61 (38:00, 32MB, 128k mp3) Continue reading Vimy Ridge Diaries on Remembrance Day – Postcard #61
Good to see many beaver scouts in the house – I was once in their ranks
Like many folks, Remembrance Day is a reflective day for me – and one of conflicting emotions.
As a pacifist who abhors war, i feel the best way to honour veterans is to work with full human intelligence, intellect and emotion to prevent war and senseless killing.
With this in mind, i take the day to remember the fallen who fell victim to the myriad atrocities of war and enjoy tracking down the stories of Canadians heroes like Talbot Papineau and watching historical documentaries about the wars and other efforts to make peace.
A couple years ago, i recorded a podcast series called White Poppies for Remembrance discussing the various emotions stirred up in my belly while reflecting on the vast lost human potential. Last year, my pal Trauben and I stood out in the rain at Cates park for a sea-born ceremony and then hiked the Baden Powell trail from Seymour to Lynn Valley – he’s a former Air Cadet and me a cub scout so we’re well used to rainy ceremonies ;-). I also make sure to hear bagpipes each year.
This year, i think i’m heading to pay respects at UBC War Memorial Gym – built to honour soldiers by students, UBC’s architecturally advanced for its time is hosting a Remembrance Day ceremony
ergo:
This year, the Remembrance Day ceremony will be held on Wednesday, November 11 at 10:50 a.m. It will be an opportunity to honour and remember all those who served in times of war, military conflict and peace.
This year, 2009, we commemorate two special and historic milestones, the 65th Anniversary of D-Day and the Battle of Normandy and the 100th Anniversary of the Canadian Red Cross. In recognition of the completion of the restoration work on the Memorial Wall, this year’s guest speaker, Lieutenant-Colonel (retired) Donald G. MacLeod, CD, BA’ 53 will focus his address on the Korean War.
Everyone is welcome to attend this annual ceremony — doors open at 10:00 a.m. The ceremony will commence at 10:50 a.m. and will last for approximately 45 minutes. Light refreshments will be served after the ceremony and all are welcome to stay.
CDN Veterans Affairs asks How Will you Remember? Download Canadian historical war time photo and video packs, organized by theme and era, then remix and share via social networks including Veteran Affairs own Youtube channel and Facebook page plus web graphics to promote the campaign.
Finally, you can choose a Postcards for Peace + RSS feeds for convenience and a Google map of Remembrance Day Activities across Canada – though the info for the Vancouver events was incomplete – ditto for the HTML version of Remembrance Day events. {note: good effort and great idea but would be better if photos were preview-able or the packs described – really a lovely use of public archives}
Basically, in Vancouver, your options are: Victory Square, Canada Place – closed caption of Victory Square ceremony, Grandview Park, Stanley Park, or Memorial Park South (Vancouver’s original Cenotaph IIRC). Here are details from Remembrance Day ceremonies at Vancouver City Parks:
Remembrance Day Ceremony November 11th at Memorial Park South East 41st Avenue and Prince Albert Street.Ceremony begins 10:30 am March to cenotaph at 10:15 from John Oliver SS. Sponsored by the Royal Canadian Legion Branch # 16. Memorial Park South event program
Remembrance Day Ceremony November 11th at Grandview Park Sponsored by the Royal Canadian Legion #179 at 11 am located at Commercial and Cotton Drives. A march to the cenotaph begins at 10:35 am from Napier Street and Commercial Drive.
Remembrance Day Ceremony November 11th at Stanley Park Gather at 10:40 am Sponsored by the Japanese Canadian War Memorial Committee at the Japanese Monument near the Stanley Park Pavilion.
Remembrance Day Ceremony November 11th at Victory Square Gather at 10:30. Major representation by civic officials at 11 am at Cambie and Hastings Streets. A colourful parade precedes the event. Event details
In North Van, you can attend the Victoria Park Cenotaph with a parade to Lonsdale and 15th.
Podcast: Consider taking along some White Poppies for Remembrance on Postcards from Gravelly Beach podcasts Subscribe to PfGB Feed Subscribe in PfGB in iTunes
Wrapping up the White Poppies for Remembrance series with a narrative late-night wander through Westminster, London, DaveO meanders past military monuments, victory squares, cenotaphs, palaces, royal parks, war museum, war chambers, riot fences, war protesters, churches, parliament and finishing at St. James park for a sitdown under a weeping willow to consider monarchy, individual rights and responsibilities, and the role of class division in waging war as London’s sirens, trains, and Big Ben fill the night.
Care for a stroll? Meandering Past Monuments of Remembrance – Postcards #49 (192k mp3, 34:19, 28MB)
Continue reading Meandering Past Monuments of Remembrance – Postcards #49
For this Remembrance day, i will be posting the final chapter of the White Poppies for Remembrance podcast series on Postcards from Gravelly Beach and then hi-tailing out of town, bound for the Sunshine Coast for some relaxing and remembering.
photo by Gazoo on Flickr
For those of you asking, here are some Vancouver 2007 Remembrance Day events via Vancouver parks board – all on Nov. 11th leading up to 11:11AM:
Remembrance Day Run – Hershey Harriers @ Brockton Oval
Remembrance Day Service – City Legion @ Grandview Park
Remembrance Day Service – Royal Canadian Legion #16 @ Memorial South Park
Remembrance Day Service – Japanese Canadian Memorial Society @ Japanese War Memorial, Stanley Park
Remembrance Day Service – Royal Canadian Legion #179 @ Victory Square Park
Back home on the North Vancouver porch, Dave reads from Clay Mcleod’s essay Why I Don’t Wear a Poppy while sending peace and resistance towards the decent lieutenant Magnum in Iraq and the Philippines along with earnest comrades at arms and peaceful strangers in war torn lands. Plus he admonishes the Canadian Legion for blocking the sale of white poppies while banjo-ist Wm. Lenker sings from the woodshed and The Grateful Dead leave this Brokedown Palace… on my hands and my knees, I will roll roll roll…
Sit for a spell with Peace to Soldiers and Strangers – Postcard #48 (.mp3, 16:58, 13MB)
Continue reading Peace to Soldiers and Strangers – Postcard #48
This is a case of copyright gone wild. The Peace Pledge Union based in the UK sell white poppies to citizens around the world who wish to show their abhorance and refusal to support war for any purpose. You can read more back story about the white poppies and red poppies for that matter at Remembrance Day Activities in Vancouver.
But the Canadian Legion decided it owned the rights to sell poppies of any kind or colour and threathened the peaceniks with legal action. However, they aren’t giving up and surrendering to the bully who is claiming an absurd trademark right though a Canadian supplier has been forced to stop selling the wee plastic mementos.
Here’s Peace Pledge’s quick overview:
Last year The Royal Canadian Legion through it legal representative demanded that Canadian groups stop distribution them and that the PPU stop making white poppies available in Canada, or else. That was the gist, though expressed in more formal language. According to the RCL’s legal representatives, the white poppy infringes the Legion’s poppy trademark. The PPU replied at length; our central point was that we disagreed with their argument. We have not heard from them since but the Canadian shop at the centre of this complaint regrettably had to acquiesce. You can read more about this at http://tinyurl.com/2mc7pq where you can also find out about the white poppy project and the PPU.
Following the legal threats both the promoters in Canada and Canadians who bought the poppy from us hoped that white poppies would again be available in Canada this year.
White poppies in any quantity are available from us for dispatch anywhere in the world including Canada.
In case you missed it, i recorded a spoken word podcast series based around the White Poppies i received last year and my brother’s involvement in the conflict in Iraq (now home safe – wish i could say the same for the rest). Still one more episode to go – trying to get it all done in less than a year ;-).
You can also subscribe to Postcards from Gravelly Beach in iTunes.
Be sure to order white poppies early (shipped across the Atlantic) and read the loquacious discourse on this most critical of topics. Make no mistake, the way to honour ultimate sacrifice is to ensure no such future bloodshed is required from man’s inability to get along. And we (all of us) have a right to respect the fallen in a manner which suits our conscience and not a method prescribed by the Legion or anyone else.
“The power of the white poppy lies in its questioning of the dominant – and fundamentally dishonest – view of war. More than that, it carries the hopes and demands of the mothers, wives, daughters and girlfriends of the men who for whatever reason and in whatever way were diminished by their participation in war. Their hope was that we would find less brutal social institutions to solve problems and resolve conflict. It remains for us to fulfill the wish.”